Author: Admin

You are Safe to Eat Fruit and Vegetables. No Basis for Over-interpretating scientific study

Admin

December 23, 2003

An observational study of 400 women having breast cancer compared with 400 women not having breast cancer has shown, that there is increased risk of Vitamin C intake by eating fruit and vegetables compared with Vitamin C intake by taking dietary supplements.

When we think about it a little bit, we know that it is healthy to eat fruit and vegetables, and so in the name of decency you have to check out such a study carefully.

The authors themselves write quite sensibly that its result is contrary to previous scientific studies about this and that it needs to be investigated further. – Fair enough.

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Intake of vitamins A, C and E from diet and supplements and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Cancer Causes and Control 2003;14:695-704. Oct. 2003.
2. Fish intake is positively associated with breast cancer incidence rate. J. Nutrition 2003;133:3664-3669. Nov. 2003.
3. Fruits and vegetable intake differentially affects estrogen receptor negative and positive breast cancer incidence rates. J. Nutrition 2003;133:2342-2347. July 2003.

www.cancer.dk
www.iom.dk

Important Nutrient Substance Protects Women Against Pre-eclampsia

Admin

December 17, 2003

According to a new British study, defiency of the trace mineral selenium might quadruple the risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.

According to British researchers, pregnant women with a low content of the vital trace mineral selenium have up to four times as high a risk of developing pre-eclampsia compared to women who are not deficient in this substance.

This is the result of a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The researchers behind the study are not quite aware why some women develop pre-eclampsia which involves hypertension, kidney damage, and reduced blood supply to the placenta.

They suggest, however, that it might be connected with the decreasing intake of selenium in several countries. In Britain, the selenium content of wheat is 10 – 50 times lower than that of the USA and Canada, for example, making it difficult to maintain an adequate intake of this important substance.

The risk of premature delivery
In the recently published study made by a group of scientists led by Dr. Margaret P. Rayman at the University of Surry in Guildford, the toe nail clippings of 53 pregnant women with early signs of pre-eclampsia were studied and compared to toe nail clippings from 53 healthy women. Selenium accumulates in nails which makes nail clippings such a good gauge of people’s selenium status.

The researchers observed that the average selenium content of the toe nail clippings were considerably lower in the women with early signs of pre-eclampsia. The researchers also found that the pre-eclamptic women with the lowest selenium values were far more likely to deliver prematurely.

One of the reasons for pre-eclampsia is believed to be oxidants (a kind of toxins) that arise as a consequence of a poorly functioning placenta. As selenium is an effective antioxidant, it is very likely that a lack of this substance can contribute to the development of pre-eclampsia.

Worries of reduced selenium intakes
The leading researcher, Margaret Rayman, has expressed her concern about the declining intake of selenium in Britain where the dietary selenium intake is reduced by more than 50% compared to what it was 20 – 25 years ago. This is due to the selenium content of crops being significantly lower than it used to be.

“Selenium is an extremely important substance which is known to be able to prevent various forms of cancer, including prostate cancer and skin cancer. What really worries me is the observation that the authorities systematically reduce the recommended daily dose of selenium while new research shows just how important it is to get adequate amounts of this substance. 15 – 20 years ago, the recommended daily dose (RDA) was 125 mcg. a day – recently the RDA was reduced to 40 mcg. This completely opposes common sense,” says Claus Hancke, the chairman of the Danish Vitality Council.

The British group of researchers are already planning a new study intended to clarify if dietary supplements of selenium can protect against pre-eclampsia.

By: Vitality Council


Reference:
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (vol. 189, no. 5).

www.ovid.com/site/catalog/Journal/369.jsp
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“Amateur-like” Statement from the Organization Anti Doping Denmark

Admin

October 27, 2003

In October 2003 one could read pretty harsh warnings against the combination of dietary supplements and sports in several Danish newspapers. The medical doctor, Rasmus Damsgaard, from Anti Doping Denmark was the originator of these judgmental statements.

Damsgaard is quoted for several bastant announcements – among others: “Dietary supplements do not work – Basto”. And he calls it quite amateurish when respected coaches like Ulrik Wilbæk, give supplements to their players.

By: Vitality Council

(No references)

www.doping.dk
www.iom.dk

Alternative Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Admin

September 16, 2003

The (Danish) Arthritis Association must get their proportions right:
The association recently published a questionnaire study showing that 86% of osteoarthritis patients use alternative medicine, even if several products do not seem to have a documented effect.

For example, fish oil, which 65% of the osteoarthritis patients report using, and 62% of them are satisfied with the effect. This information the Danish arthritis association “Gigtforeningen” find surprisingly “paradoxically.”

“It is correct that there are not yet well-established clinical trials on fish oil and osteoarthritis, but data from population surveys and other studies suggest that there may be an effect,” says the chairman of the Vitality Council – specialist physician Claus Hancke.

By: Vitality Council

(No references)

www.gigtforeningen.dk
www.iom.dk

Vitamin C Soothes Pain from Osteoarthritis in 14 days

Admin

July 6, 2003

Vitamin C soothes pain from osteoarthritis in 14 days. That is the conclusion of a Danish scientific study recently published in the Danish medical magazine, Ugeskrift for Laeger.

133 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip joint and knee joint were treated with one gram of vitamin C or placebo twice daily for 14 days. In those who got vitamin C there was clearly better pain relief than in the other group.

The study was made because many people have said that vitamin C has helped with their osteoarthritis.

“Our study, which have been carried out to the highest scientific standard, have shown that vitamin C reduces the pain of osteoarthritis of the hip or knee joint within 14 days,” says Niels Hertz, specialist in general medicine.

“This effect was statistically exceptionally safe and led to very clear improvements in the functioning of those with arthritis. The magnitude of the effect is equivalent to half what you normally find with arthritis pills (NSAIDs), but unlike these, the treatment with vitamin C is free of side effects and can be tolerated indefinitely.

The finding is extra interesting because other studies have shown that people with arthritis who get a lot of vitamin C do not worsen as much over time as those who get ordinary Danish average amounts. This was found a few years ago in the famous American Framingham study, a result that attracted attention at the time.

In other words, one can imagine that vitamin C not only relieves the pain of osteoarthritis, but also counteracts aggravation of arthritis!

There are many examples of this happening. A retired nurse, I know, meant for approx. 10 years ago that she could no longer avoid a hip operation. She was in so much pain. Then she started taking vitamin C and today she is still not operated on. I see her regularly on the street, without a cane and in a good mood.

Every twentieth Dane receives less than 30 mg of vitamin C a day, and very few come close to the American averages from Framingham. This is highly unfortunate for public health.

Several of the world’s leading experts in vitamin C believe that the recommended daily allowances (RDA) should be significantly increased.

Vitamin C is, in my opinion, a fantastically exciting vitamin, which most likely has several other positive surprises in it. We are far from finished exploring it, ”concludes Niels Hertz.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Jensen, Niels H.P. Hertz, Ugeskr Laeger 2003;165:2563-6.

www.dadlnet.dk
www.iom.dk

Fruit and vegetable antioxidants could significantly reduce cancer risk

Admin

June 25,  2003

Eating sufficient fruit and vegetables to maintain antioxidant vitamin and mineral levels could reduce the risk of cancer and mortality in men, report researchers from the French health and medical institute Inserm.

An eight-year study found a 30 per cent reduction in cancers and 37 per cent reduction in mortality among men who received a daily antioxidant supplement compared to placebo. The researchers claim that the study, called SU.VI.MAX, is the first randomised trial to show that an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested the impact of a daily dose of antioxidants on 13000 healthy subjects. The dose included 6mg of beta-carotene, 120mg of vitamin C, 30mg of vitamin E, 100ug of selenium and 20mg of zinc. The 7886 women, aged 35 to 60 years old, and 5141 men, from 45 to 60 years old, were divided into two groups and followed up over an average of 7.5 years.

There was no difference between the two groups concerning heart disease, supporting other studies testing the effects of antioxidants on cardiovascular health, but cancer risk was reduced by 31 per cent among men. This included most cancers, especially digestive, respiratory and skin cancers.

The absence of such effects in women was not due to the different cancers they developed but rather their better state of health at baseline, explained the Inserm researchers.

Again, while risk of death was 37 per cent lower among men receiving the supplements, the same effect was not seen in women. The researchers also found a higher risk of cancer and heart disease among men with the lowest levels of beta-carotene. The lower the level of the nutrient, the higher the risk of disease. The team stressed however that the findings should support a nutritious diet with regular consumption of fruit and vegetables rather than supplements.

Use of antioxidant supplements was necessary to be able to compare to placebo, but they claim that this effect applies equally to nutrients found readily in plant foods. The results back nutrition advice to consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily rather than relying on supplements, claim the researchers.

They add that the observed effect is likely weaker than would be seen from fruit and vegetables, which have additional nutrients not included in the supplement used in the study. Further, they pointed to fears that people taking supplements may eat less fruit and vegetables, calorie sources which often lead to reduction in consumption of fatty and sugary products.

Source: NutraIngredients.com

Selenium against Breast Cancer!

Admin

June 19, 2003

A combination of nutritional research and knowledge on genetics may lead to an earlier discovery and prevention of breast cancer. New scientific research seems to indicate that dietary supplements with selenium may prevent breast cancer in those women genetically predisposed to breast cancer.

A combination of nutritional research and knowledge about genes may lead to an earlier discovery and prevention of breast cancer. New research suggests that dietary supplements with selenium can prevent breast cancer in women who are genetically exposed to the disease.

The researchers believe that there is an opportunity to find out who is in the danger zone – before the disease develops – and then preventing using selenium supplements.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Cancer Research, 15. June 2003.

cancerres.aacrjournals.org
www.icnet.uk

Vitamin C Gives Less Pain Suffering from Arthrosis in Hip and Knee Joint

Admin

June 16, 2003

This is the conclusion of a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, cross-over multi praxis study with 133 people with X-ray verified symptomatic arthrosis in hip and knee joint.

All in all 94 knee joints and 39 hip joints were evaluated. The participants were treated with one gram of calcium ascorbate or placebo two times daily for 14 days.

A significantly better pain relief were found in the persons having arthrosis in the hip or knee joints taking calcium the ascorbate treatment than in those taking placebo.

The study was started, because many users of Vitamin C have experienced that calcium ascorbate has reduced their arthrosis pain.

Arthrosis is one of the most common reasons for disability in hips and knees. Approximately 6% of the 65 year olds Danes are suffering from arthrosis in one or two hip joints, which may lead to more than 4,000 yearly operations in total.

The pain relief effect of Vitamin C in arthrosis is explained by lessened oxidative stress as followed by the antioxidant function of the Vitamin C.

By: Per Tork Larsen, MD

Reference:
Jensen, Niels H.P. Hertz, Ugeskr Laeger 2003;165:2563-6.

www.dadlnet.dk
www.iom.dk

Inertia on folic acid has caused thousands of unnecessary deaths

Admin

May 17, 2003

As many as 350,000 deaths could have been prevented over the last decade if the UK government had acted on the compelling evidence for the benefits of folic acid, a conference was told last week. Had flour been fortified with folic acid when the evidence regarding neural tube defects was published, thousands of people would not have died from coronary heart disease.

Godfrey Oakley, visiting professor at the department of epidemiology at the Rollin School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, said: “The failure to require mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid is public health malpractice.” He was speaking at a conference in London organised by Dr Jean-Pierre Lin, consultant paediatric neurologist responsible for the spina bifida services at Guy’s and St Thomas’s hospitals on behalf of the charity the Little Foundation and MacKeith meetings (a product of publishers MacKeith Press).

Recent evidence shows not only the benefits of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects but that it is protective against heart disease, strokes, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Folic acid lowers concentrations of homocysteine, an amino acid that for about 15 years has been believed to be associated with heart attacks and strokes.

Dr David Wald, a cardiologist at Southampton General Hospital, said: “Until public health agencies fortify our diet with sufficient folic acid, people should consider taking an 800 µg supplement each day, especially if they have coronary heart disease.”

The Medical Research Council vitamin study was published in 1991 and gave compelling evidence that taking folic acid prevents up to three quarters of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida (Lancet 1991;338:132-7). Despite the publicity that the report generated, the incidence of neural tube defects has not declined in the United Kingdom over the last decade, despite quite a steep decline between 1970 and 1992.

The government recommends that women who are trying to conceive take 400 µg of folic acid a day. But experts point out that about half of pregnancies are unplanned, meaning that many women start taking the vitamin only once they find out they are pregnant or not at all. Specialists say that the optimal time for women to take the vitamin is from stopping contraception to 12 weeks after conception.

Public health doctors and charities such as the Association of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus have called on the UK government many times to fortify flour with folic acid. They point out that 39 countries around the world, including the United States and Canada, now either fortify flour or have agreed to do so, and that the rate of neural tube defects has fallen in these countries. In Nova Scotia, where fortification was implemented in 1998, the incidence fell from 2.58 per thousand people in 1991-7 to 1.17 per thousand people in 1998-2000 (Canadian Medical Association Journal 2002;167:241-5).

No country in the European Union, however, has yet decided to fortify flour. The folic acid working group of the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies is soon to publish a report, concluding that most women in Europe do not take folic acid around the time of conception, despite education programmes in some countries encouraging them to do so.

The group collated data from 17 countries showing that the overall incidence of neural tube defects in Europe has not declined over the 1990s. Even women who do take folic acid often do not start until after conception. The report will recommend that EU countries adopt a policy of fortifying flour with folic acid.

If flour were fortified at the recommended level on a worldwide scale 100 000 pregnancies resulting in neural tube defect would be prevented each year, according to Professor Nick Wald, of the St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

He said, “There is no evidence or reason to regard fortification at any of the doses proposed as a risk to health, and there is compelling evidence that failure to fortify causes considerable harm.”

The meeting was held the day before the UK’s Food Standards Agency issued a report warning people against taking too many vitamin supplements. The Birth Defects Foundation issued a press release urging women to keep taking folic acid, after receiving a flood of calls to its telephone.

By: Anna Ellis,

BMJ. 2003;326(7398):1054.

Q10 and Ginkgo biloba may be taken together with blood thinners

Admin

May 5, 2003

Q10 and Ginkgo biloba may be taken together with blood thinning medication. A Danish study shows that it is non-dangerous to take the two supplements together with the blood diluting substance Warfarin.

An article in the danish medical journal, Ugeskrift for læger, rejects the suspicion that the two supplements may either weaken or enhance the effect of Warfarin (Marevan), which is typically used in the prevention and treatment of blood clots, eg in the heart or brain.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Ugeskrift for Laeger, 28. April 2003, no. 18.

www.dadlnet.dk
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