Processed Foods And Depression

February 24, 2010 by

Eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression, research suggests.

What is more, people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, the University College London team found.

Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported.

The team said the study was the first to look at the UK diet and depression.

 The UK population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars 
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Mental Health Foundation

They split the participants into two types of diet – those who ate a diet largely based on whole foods, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products.

After accounting for factors such as gender, age, education, physical activity, smoking habits and chronic diseases, they found a significant difference in future depression risk with the different diets.

Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who at the least whole foods.

By contrast people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods.

Mediterranean diet

Although the researchers cannot totally rule out the possibility that people with depression may eat a less healthy diet they believe it is unlikely to be the reason for the findings because there was no association with diet and previous diagnosis of depression.

Study author Dr Archana Singh-Manoux pointed out there is a chance the finding could be explained by a lifestyle factor they had not accounted for.

“There was a paper showing a Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of depression but the problem with that is if you live in Britain the likelihood of you eating a Mediterranean diet is not very high.

“So we wanted to look at bit differently at the link between diet and mental health.”

It is not yet clear why some foods may protect against or increase the risk of depression but scientists think there may be a link with inflammation as with conditions such as heart disease.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “This study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health.

“Major studies like this are crucial because they hold the key to us better understanding mental illness.”

He added people’s diets were becoming increasingly unhealthy.

“The UK population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars.

“We are particularly concerned about those who cannot access fresh produce easily or live in areas where there are a high number of fast food restaurants and takeaways.”

Margaret Edwards, head of strategy at the mental health charity SANE, said: “Physical and mental health are closely related, so we should not be too surprised by these results, but we hope there will be further research which may help us to understand more fully the relationship between diet and mental health.”

Filed Under: Diet and Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , ,

PMS and Vitex

February 17, 2010 by

Clinically, I’ve seen such great results with this herb, so it’s nice to see further confirmation that it’s truly effective!

Vitex and PMS in Chinese Women

Chinese women suffering from moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were studied in a prospective, double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel-group, multi-center clinical trial. A Vitex agnus castus extract, VAC BNO 1095, contained 4.0 mg of dried ethanolic (70%) extract of VAC, corresponding to 40 mg of the herbal drug and was given once daily throughout the three cycles during the treatment phase. Two hundred and seventeen women were randomly assigned to the treatment group or the placebo group.

The mean total Premenstrual Syndrome Diary (PMSD) score decreased from 29.23 at baseline to 6.41 at the end of the third cycle for the Vitex group and from 28.14 at baseline to 12.64 at the end of the third cycle for the placebo group. The difference in the PMSD score from baseline to the third cycle was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the placebo group. The Premenstrual Tension Syndrome Self-Rating Scale (PMTS) decreased from 26.17 at baseline to 9.92 for the treatment group and from 27.10 to 14.59 for the placebo group; similar positive results to the PMSD scores.

Comments: Vitex extracts have so far been the best investigated botanical therapies for PMS and several placebo controlled clinical trials have been done that confirms its efficacy. The current study adds to the clinical relevance of this plant in the treatment of moderate to severe symptoms of PMS. In addition, no significant adverse events were reported.

He Z, Chen R, Zhou Y, et al. Treatment for premenstrual syndrome with Vitex agnus castus: A prospective, randomized, multi-center placebo controlled study in China. Maturitas 2009; 63:99-103. 

Filed Under: Women's Health Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cholesterol and Red Yeast Rice

February 10, 2010 by
High cholesterol should often be considered an indicator of excess oxidation, inflammation, and other underlying factors. However, despite the appropriate lifestyle changes, genetics often stand in the way of achieving optimal cholesterol levels. In these instances, supplements such as red yeast rice may prove beneficial:
 
 

Red Yeast Rice Extract Lowers M.I. Incidence and Mortality from Coronary Disease

Author: Steve Austin, N.D.

Reference: Li J-J, Lu Z-L, Kou W-R, et al. Beneficial impact of Xuezhikang on cardiovascular events and mortality in elderly hypertensive patients with previous myocardial infarction from the China Coronary Secondary Prevention Study (CCSPS). J Clin Pharmacol 2009;49:947-56.

Design: Randomized double-blind intervention trial

Participants: 1530 elderly (≥65 years of age) hypertensive subjects with a history of myocardial infarction (MI)

Study Medication and Dosage: Subjects received either Xuezhikang, a red yeast rice (RYR) extract, administered as 600 mg b.i.d., or placebo for an average of 4.5 years. Each 600 mg capsule of RYR contained 2.5-3.2 mg of monacolin K plus “a small quantity of lovastatin hydroxyl acid as well as ergosterol and some other components.”

Primary Outcome Measures: Recurrent coronary events

Key Findings: Compared with the placebo group, there was a 38% reduced risk of suffering a coronary event (primarily MIs) (P=0.0009). Similarly there was a 29% reduced risk of dying from coronary disease during the course of the trial (P=0.05). Secondary endpoints revealed a 21% decline in LDL levels in the RYR group (P=0.0001) and a 12% decline in triglyceride levels (P=0.003) compared with trivial declines in the placebo group. Total mortality also declined by 36% in the group receiving RYR (P=0.003).

Practice Implications: RYR extracts are known to reduce cholesterol levels in humans and have been traditionally used in China to treat people with cardiovascular disease. RYR naturally contains the same molecule found in the prescription drug lovastatin. Previous RYR research has focused primarily on cholesterol reduction, though some evidenc
e for reduction in inflammatory markers has also surfaced.

The current trial goes several steps further, showing clinically (and statistically) significant reductions in coronary disease incidence and mortality. Hidden in the data is a near-statistically significant (P=0.06) 37% reduction in the risk of stroke and a statistically significant (P<0.04) reduction in total cancer incidence when compared with the placebo group. No current understanding of the effects of RYR clearly explains these additional positive findings.

One caveat requires mentioning: a previous report studying the pharmacokinetics of a related statin drug found that area-under-the-curve response was twice as great in Chinese subjects compared with white subjects (Clin Pharmacol Ther 2005;78:330-41). Should further investigations confirm these findings in regard to monacolins found in RYR, white (and potentially black) patients might require significantly higher doses of RYR to achieve the same clinical outcomes that occurred in the new report, which studied Chinese subjects.

Filed Under: Heart Disease Tagged With: , , , , , ,

More BPA Risks

February 4, 2010 by
Several more reasons to be wary of plastics:

Scientists link plastics chemical to health risks

By Kate Kelland

Exposure to a chemical found in plastic containers is linked to heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, confirming earlier findings and adding to pressure to ban its use in bottles and food packaging.

British and U.S. researchers studied the effects of the chemical bisphenol A using data from a U.S. government national nutrition survey in 2006 and found that high levels of it in urine samples were associated with heart disease.

Bisphenol A, known as BPA, is widely used in plastics and has been a growing concern for scientists in countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States, where food and drug regulators are examining its safety.

David Melzer, professor of epidemiology and public health at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England, who led the study, said the research confirmed earlier findings of a link between BPA and heart problems.

The analysis also confirmed that BPA plays a role in diabetes and some forms of liver disease, said Melzer’s team, who studied data on 1,493 people aged 18 to 74.
“Our latest analysis largely confirms the first analysis, and excludes the possibility that the original report was a statistical blip,” they said in a statement.

BPA, used to stiffen plastic bottles and line cans, belongs to a class of compounds sometimes called endocrine disruptors.

The U.S. Endocrine Society called last June for better studies into BPA and presented research showing the chemical can affect the hearts of women and permanently damage the DNA of mice.
“The risks associated with exposure to BPA may be small, but they are relevant to very large numbers of people. This information is important since it provides a great opportunity for intervention to reduce the risks,” said Exeter’s Tamara Galloway, who worked on the study published by the Public Library of Science online science journal PLoS One.
URGING BANS

U.S. environmental health advocacy groups are urging a federal ban on BPA.
“There’s enough research to take definitive action on this chemical to reduce exposures in people and the environment,” Dr. Anila Jacob of the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization, said in a telephone interview.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether any action needs to be taken.
U.S. government toxicologists at the National Institutes of Health concluded in 2008 that BPA presents concern for harmful effects on development of the prostate and brain and for behavioral changes in fetuses, infants and children.

Canada’s government plans to outlaw plastic baby bottles made with BPA. The charity Breast Cancer UK last month urged the British government to do the same because they said there was “compelling” evidence linking the chemical to breast cancer risk.

Experts estimate BPA is detectable in the bodies of more than 90 percent of U.S. and European populations. It is one of the world’s highest production volume chemicals, with more than 2.2 million tonnes produced annually.

Copyright © 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Filed Under: Environmental Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Flu and Elderberry

January 28, 2010 by

I almost universally recommend Elderberry in cases of flu and other viral respiratory infections. Here is some research that demonstrates it’s effectiveness:

According to a recent study, an extract of black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) inhibited human influenza virus A (H1N1) infection in vitro. The IC50 value (i.e., the concentration at which the infection was inhibited by 50%) was 252 µg/ml. Two flavonoids isolated from the elderberry extract were found to bind to H1N1 virions and to block the ability of the virus to infect host cells: these flavonoids were 5,7,3′,4′-tetra-O-methylquercetin (Compound 1) and 5,7-dihydroxy-4-oxo-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)chroman-3-yl-3,4,5-trihydroxycyclohexanecarboxylate (Compound 2). Compound 1 and dihydromyricetin (the 3-hydroxyflavonone of Compound 2) were synthesized and shown to inhibit H1N1 infectivity in vitro by binding to H1N1 virions. Compound 1 had an IC50 of 0.13 µg/ml (0.36 µM) for H1N1 infection inhibition, while Compound 3 had an IC50 of 2.8 µg/ml (8.7 µM). The IC50 of the elderberry flavonoids compared favorably with those of oseltamivir (Tamiflu; 0.32 µM) and amantadine (27 µM), which are prescription drugs used to treat influenza.

 

The results of in vitro studies do not necessarily translate into clinical efficacy. In order for a compound to have an antiviral effect in vivo, it must be absorbed intact in amounts sufficient to achieve a virucidal concentration at the site of the infection. No data are available regarding the absorption of the antiviral flavonoids in elderberry, and the capacity of the human body to absorb other naturally occurring flavonoids has been found to be limited. However, in clinical trials, administration of an elderberry extract produced encouraging results in people with influenza-like illness.

 

Forty patients suffering from influenza-like symptoms during an outbreak of influenza B/Panama in 1993 were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a proprietary preparation (Sambucol) containing extracts of Sambucus nigra L. and raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) or placebo. The dosage was 30 ml per day for children and 60 ml per day for adults, and the treatment was given for three days. Twenty-seven patients completed the trial. After two days of treatment, a higher proportion of patients in the active-treatment group than in the placebo group had experienced significant improvement in symptoms (93% vs. 25%; p value not stated). Symptoms resolved completely after three days in 87% of patients receiving active treatment and in 33% of those receiving placebo.

 

Sixty patients (aged 18-54 years; mean, 30 years) who were suffering from influenza-like symptoms for 48 hours or less were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, Sambucol (15 ml 4 times per day during meals) or placebo for five days. The mean time until complete or almost-complete resolution of symptoms occurred was significantly less in the active-treatment group than in the placebo group (3.1 days vs. 7.1 days; 56.3% decrease; p < 0.001). No side effects were reported.

 

Further research with larger numbers of patients in whom the diagnosis of influenza is confirmed by laboratory studies is needed to confirm the results of these preliminary trials. The availability of natural substances should not deter people from taking appropriate precautions for preventing influenza (such as washing hands, keeping family members at home when they are experiencing influenza-like symptoms, and receiving vaccinations when clinically indicated). Nor should the availability of natural substances deter people from seeking medical care and taking medications such as Tamiflu when necessary.

 

1 Roschek B Jr, Fink RC, McMichael MD, Li D, Alberte RS. Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. Phytochemistry 2009;70:1255-1261.
2 Zakay-Rones Z, Varsano N, Zlotnik M, Manor O, Regev L, Schlesinger M, et al. Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama. J Altern Complement Med 1995;1:361-369.
3 Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. J Int Med Res 2004;32:132-140.

Filed Under: Immune Health Tagged With: , , , , ,

Local Pollution Report Card

January 20, 2010 by

Here is a detailed report regarding toxins and air pollution in Guilford and surrounding areas: 

http://www.scorecard.org/community/index.tcl?zip_code=06437&set_community_zipcode_cookie_p=t&x=0&y=0
Filed Under: Environmental, Local Pollution Resources Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Local Water Report

January 20, 2010 by

Here is a link to show how our water in Guilford and the Shoreline region is testing-you may be surprised!

http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/CT/CTWC—Shoreline-Region-Guilford-System/0608011/
Filed Under: Environmental, Local Pollution Resources Tagged With: , , , ,

Chronic Back Pain

January 20, 2010 by

Healthnotes Newswire (December 10, 2009)–As many people know, low back pain can seriously interfere with a person’s social and work life. A recent report published in the British Medical Journal suggests that though a third of people usually recover completely within 12 months, certain factors can delay chronic low back pain recovery.

Pain and disability affect recovery time

In this study, 406 people with recent onset of chronic (defined as at least three months) low back pain were followed for one year. Participants were interviewed to determine how their conditions improved on measures of pain intensity, disability, and ability to work. Factors associated with delayed recovery of chronic low back pain included:

• Previous sick leave from work due to low back pain

• High disability levels or high pain intensity levels at the onset of chronic back pain

• Low level of education in the person with back pain

• Greater perceived risk of persistent pain from the back pain sufferer

Other studies have shown both more and less time needed for complete recovery.

Tips for dealing with chronic low back pain

As much as 30% of the adult population may suffer from chronic low back pain. Fortunately, there are important steps people can take to keep their backs healthy or speed recovery:

• See a doctor. Don’t diagnose yourself. If you suffer from persistent back pain of any type see a primary care doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Some people may also seek the help of a chiropractic doctor for low back pain.

• Follow-up. It’s so important to follow-up with your doctor after your first visit and let him or her know how you are doing. Too often, people go to their doctor initially but don’t follow-up to let them know what is and isn’t working. Some people wrongly believe they just have to live with the pain. There is much a doctor can do such as adjust medications, refer you to physical therapy or other specialists, suggest regular exercises, or recommend complementary therapies such as massage. If your pain persists, check in with your doctor.

• Learn good posture. It is important to learn correct postures for sitting, standing, and lifting that help strengthen and support your back without adding strain. It’s also important to adjust standing, seating, or computer positioning in your work space to prevent or relieve back strain. Ask your employer if they have experts that can help improve your work space or working conditions to avoid injury.

• Ask about exercise. While you may not be able to exercise during episodes of acute back pain, for some types of injury, exercise may help. Ask your doctor for exercise recommendations that may help relieve and prevent back pain. Your doctor may also recommend a physical therapist who can teach you exercises to strengthen your back, arms, and legs and help relieve pain.

• Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can worsen pain of any type, so it is important to get plenty of sleep each night and to talk with your doctor if you are not sleeping well.

• Complementary therapies may ease back pain. Talk with your doctor about complementary therapies that can ease back pain such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, tai chi, or relaxation exercises.

(BMJ 2009;339:b3829doi:10.1136/bmj.b3829)

Filed Under: Pain Tagged With: , , , ,

Soy and Breast Cancer

January 5, 2010 by

Soy linked to longer survival in Chinese women with breast cancer

JAMA 2009;302:2437-43 [PubMed Abstract]

Researchers studying the anticancer effects of soy have found a link
between high dietary intake and prolonged survival in Chinese women
with breast cancer. Women in the highest quarter of daily intake were
29% less likely to die (hazard ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.92) and 32%
less likely to have a recurrence (0.68, 0.54 to 0.87) than women in the
lowest quarter. The inverse association with all cause mortality was
stronger for soy protein than for soy isoflavones and remained
significant through multiple adjustments for factors known to influence
survival including age, cancer stage, treatment, other dietary factors,
body mass index, menopausal status, and the hormone receptor status of
the tumour.

The 5042 participants lived in Shanghai and were recruited from the
Chinese cancer registry about six months after their cancer diagnosis.
They completed detailed food frequency questionnaires that measured
their daily intake of tofu, soy milk, soy beans, and other common soy
products.

Their mean daily intake was equivalent to 47 mg a day of isoflavones, a
much higher figure than would be expected for women outside China, says
an editorial (p 2483). Women in the US, for example, eat between 1 and
6 mg a day, usually as supplements, meat substitutes, and processed
foods. It is hard to say whether the associations reported here will
translate well to other populations. This study does show that soy is
safe, however. Soy has heterogeneous effects on oestrogen metabolism,
leading to fears that it might encourage the growth of breast tumours.
That now seems unlikely.

© 2009 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Filed Under: Women's Health Tagged With: , , , ,

Water Pollution

December 10, 2009 by
The NY Times has an ongoing series regarding water pollution, and how it may be affecting you locally. Here is the link:

http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters

Filed Under: Environmental Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page

© 2024 Dr. Fisel, ND. All Rights Reserved.