Studies From Around The World

Probiotics replenish good bacteria

Probiotics replenish good intestinal bacteria that antibiotics can harm. Doctors say nearly one in three people who take antibiotics to treat infection get diarrhea, which may cause them to stop
taking antibiotics early.

In one large review, researchers analyzed 63 antibiotic-infection treatment studies, including 11,811 people who also took probiotics--most commonly Lactobacillus--with their antibiotic treatment. Compared to placebo, those who took probiotics along with antibiotics were 42 percent less likely to have diarrhea as a side effect. People got the benefit regardless of the type or dose of probiotics.

Reference: Journal of the American Medical Association; 2012, Vol. 307, No. 18,1959-69

 

Multi-vitamins improve short-term memory

Doctors said that there is limited research into the potential effects of multi-vitamins on brain performance, and that we know little about how a daily multi-vitamin might influence signs of cognitive decline—such as memory loss—in such conditions as Alzheimer's disease.

Short-term memory declines with age, and is a potential factor in Alzheimer's disease. Having a good short-term memory generally means that a person can accurately recall, without prompting or rehearsing, something he or she has heard or seen for the first time in the last 60 seconds.

Researchers reviewed various study literature and found 10 randomized, placebo-controlled multi-vitamin-brain function studies involving 3,200 adults without dementia who took a daily multi-vitamin or a placebo for at least one month.

Analyzing all the findings, doctors saw that, compared to those who did not take a daily multi-vitamin, those who took a daily multi-vitamin for at least one month improved in tests of immediate free recall memory—or short-term memory— compared to placebo and to the start of the study.

Reference: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease; 2012, VoU9,No. 3,561-9

 

Pycnogenol improved memory and mood in students

In one study, 53 Italian University students of nearly equal intelligence, aged 18 to 27, took 100 mg of Pycnogenol® per day or a placebo.

After eight weeks, while the placebo group had not changed, those taking Pycnogenol® showed increased attention and memory, had higher test scores than placebo, felt more contented and in a better mood, and had 17 percent lower levels of anxiety than at the start of die study.

Doctors said the students may have benefited because Pycnogenol* improved circulation, increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain. •

Reference: Panminerva Medica 2011 Sep; 53 (3 supp 1), 75-82

 

Vitamin D reduced stress fracture in active girls

At the start of one study, researchers measured dairy, calcium and vitamin D levels in the diets of 6,712 girls, aged nine to 15. After seven years of follow-up, girls who consumed the most dairy products and calcium—also mostly from dairy—had no added protection from bone fracture. Among the most active girls, compared to those who got less calcium, girls who got the most calcium were twice as likely to have a stress fracture, a surprising finding suggesting more study.

However, for vitamin D, among the most physically active girls who participated in high-impact activity for at least one hour per day, those who got the most vitamin D were half as likely to have a stress fracture as girls who got less vitamin D. Doctors said the findings support the recent increase in the U.S. RDA for vitamin D from 400IU to 600IU per day.

Reference: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine; March, 2012, Electronic Prepublication

 

Calcium with vitamins D and K help reduce bone loss

Researchers in one study divided postmenopausal women into three groups: one took 800 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 per day; another took the same calcium and vitamin D plus 100 mcg of vitamin Kl per day; the third took the same calcium and vitamin D plus 100 mcg of vitamin K2 per day. There was also a fourth group of women who drank non-fortified dairy only.

Compared to the dairy-only group, all three vitamin groups saw vitamin D levels and total bone mass density increase significantly. Also, compared to the calcium-vitamin D group and the dairy-only group, the two vitamin K groups had fewer signs of total bone loss and increased bone mineral density in the lumbar spine.

Reference: CalcifTissue Int, 2012 Apr; 90(4), 251-62

 

Resveratrol reduced inflammatory factors

In one study, 75 men and women taking prescription statin drugs for cardiovascular disease (CVD) took either 8 mg of resveratrol per day, or a conventional grape supplement without resveratrol, or a placebo for six months. Participants then doubled the dose of resveratrol for the next six months. Qualifying participants had either diabetes or high cholesterol along with one or more other factors that raised chances for CVD.

After 12 months, while there were no changes in the other two groups, those who took resveratrol had a 26 percent decrease in levels of inflammatory C-reactive protein, lower levels of other inflammatory signs, an increase in anti-inflammatory factors, and a rebalancing of blood-clotting factors. Doctors said this is the first study to show resveratrol may help prevent CVD.

Reference: American Journal of Cardiology, 2012 Apr 23

 

Black pepper blocks fat cells

In a lab, researchers exposed fat cells to black pepper extract and its active compound piperine. The pepper and piperine reduced a protein that is part of the DNA instruction manual the body needs to form fat cells, setting off a metabolic chain reaction that kept fat in check.

Researchers don't yet know how pepper or piperine works at the cellular level, but hope to eventually fight obesity and related diseases with black pepper and piperine.

Reference: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 2012; 60(15), 3853-60

 

Vitamin D lowers chances of cardiovascular disease

Doctors said when vitamin D is deficient, chances for metabolic syndrome increase.
 
Metabolic syndrome is a factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD). In one study, researchers measured vitamin D levels in 5,559 Korean men and women, aged at least 50, with CVD symptoms including chest pain, heart attack or stroke.

Compared to those with the highest levels of vitamin D, those severely deficient in vitamin D—meaning 25 nanomoles per liter of blood (nmol/L) or less—were twice as likely to have CVD. This group also had other CVD factors including larger waist size, higher blood sugar levels, total circulating fats, and lower levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Compared to those who were severely deficient, those with the highest levels of vitamin D—75 nmol/L or more—were half as likely to have CVD.

According to doctors, Koreans have far less CVD than the older U.S. population. B

Reference: Nutrition Research and Practice, 2012 Apr; 6(2), 162-8

 

Whey protein reduced weight and the "hunger" hormone

Lose more weight and fat mass with whey protein

In one study, 90 overweight and obese people who were otherwise healthy took 56g of whey or soy protein per day, or the same amount of calories in the form of carbs as a placebo. Doctors measured body weight and fat monthly, and collected food diaries every 10 days.

After 23 weeks, the whey group had lost an average of 3.9 pounds more body weight and 5 pounds more fat mass compared to the placebo group. The soy group lost about half these amounts compared to placebo, which doctors said was not statistically significant. The whey group also lost one inch around the waist while the soy and placebo groups had not changed.

Researchers also measured ghrelin, a hormone the body produces to tell the brain when it's time to eat, and found lower levels of ghrelin in the whey group compared to soy and placebo.

Reference: The Journal of Nutrition; 2011, Vol. 141, No. 8,1489-94

 

Protein blend boosts post-workout muscle gain

Doctors said that muscles don't recover right away after exercise, but take 24 to 48 hours.

In one study, researchers tested the idea that a combination of amino acid proteins from soy and dairy together would feed the body longer after exercise than whey protein alone. The 20g protein blend contained 25% isolated soy, 25% whey and 50% casein.

One hour before a high-intensity leg resistance exercise, 20 young adults took either the protein blend or whey alone.

Doctors explained that the body absorbs whey protein rapidly, casein more slowly, and soy protein somewhere in between. Researchers took thigh muscle biopsies before exercise, one to three hours after, and again three to five hours after exercise.

While the effects for whey were shorter, the soy-whey-casein blend delivered essential amino acid nourishment and promoted muscle-building activity up to five hours after exercise.

Reference: Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; 2012, Meeting Abstract 26/1

How much whey protein is needed after exercise to boost muscle building?

Only one study has determined the dose response effect of protein provided after resistance exercise.

 

Using egg protein, the study showed that muscle protein synthesis reached a plateau when 20 grams of protein was ingested. When 40 grams was ingested, there was no further increase in muscle protein synthesis. A similar study was recently conducted with whey protein isolate. Subjects consumed whey after a bout of single leg knee extensions, using the non-exercised leg as a control.

 

The subjects were older, with an average age of 70 years. After exercising one leg, they consumed a drink containing 0, 10, 20 or 40 grams of whey protein isolate. Measures of muscle protein synthesis were determined for 4 hours after exercise in the control (non-exercised) leg (to assess the effects of simply ingesting whey without exercise), and in the exercised leg (to assess the effects of whey plus resistance exercise).

Rates of muscle protein synthesis were higher in the exercised leg compared to the control leg at all doses of whey, consistent with the synergistic effect of whey and exercise.

In the control (non-exercised) leg, there was a significant increase in muscle protein synthesis with the 20 gram dose, but no further increase with 40 grams. In the exercised leg, there was a significant increase in muscle protein synthesis with 20 grams of whey, and a further 32% increase with the 40 gram dose. This indicates that 20 grams of whey was necessary to significantly increase muscle protein synthesis at rest in elderly subjects, but after resistance exercise, a higher dose may be needed to achieve a maximal increase in muscle protein synthesis.

Reference: Br J Nutr. 2012 Feb 7:1-9

Omega-3s lower risk of diabetes and improve good cholesterol

EPA, DMA and ALA positively affect blood sugar and triglycerides

After nine years of follow-up, those who consumed the most alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)—a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid—were 21 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who consumed the least ALA. Flaxseed oil is rich in ALA. In a study from Harvard University, Boston, scientists measured blood plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids in 3,088 men and women, average age 75. Those with the highest concentrations of EPA, DHA or ALA were less likely to have type 2 diabetes. EPA and DHA are found in fish oil.

 

Lutein increases macular pigment

Reduce chances of AMD with lutein

Researchers said several large clinical trials had shown that macular pigment declines as lutein in the diet decreases, raising the chances for macular degeneration (AMD). In one study, 126 people with AMD took lutein (20 mg once daily for three months, then 10 mg once daily for another three months) or a placebo. After six months, macular pigment optical density—a measure of pigment thickness—increased 28 percent compared to placebo, and the lutein group had better visual perception and clarity.

Reference: Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science; 2011 October 17, Vol.52, No. 11,8174-8178

Improve cognition

Boost brain function with Huperzine A

Huperzine A is a compound from the Chinese club moss, used in Chinese traditional medicine. In one study, 78 people with vascular dementia—impairment from reduced blood supply to the brain—took 100 meg of huperzine A or a placebo containing 100 mg of vitamin C twice per day. After 12 weeks, while the placebo group had not improved, the huperzine A group performed better in mental tests, had improved ratings for clinical dementia, and had better quality of daily living activities.

Reference: Cell Biochem and Biophysics; 2012 Jan; Vol. 62, No. 1, 55-8

 

Vitamin D lowers risk of breast cancer

Low levels of vitamin D are linked to higher risk of cancer

Doctors said earlier studies suuest breast cancer chances increase when vitamin D levels are low. In one study, researchers measured vitamin D in the diets of 3,101 pre- and post menopausal women with breast cancer, aged 25 to 75, and compared them to 3,471 canver free women of similar ages, backgrounds and menopausal status.        

 

Overall, while there was no link between breast cancer and vitamin D from food, pre- and post-menopausal women who took a vitamin D supplement of more than 400 IU per day were 24 percent less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who did not take a vitamin D supplement. Although the study could not measure vitamin D in adolescence, researchers suggested that taking a vitamin D supplement during these formative years may be the most important factor in preventing breast cancer.

Reference: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; 2010 Sep; Vol. 19, No. 9, 2341-50

Astaxanthin improves performance

Increase muscle enzymes that help convert fat to energy

During short-term exercise, the body first burns carbs for fuel. During long-term exercise, the bosy depletes carb stores then starts to burn body fat. Doctors said that astaxanthin, the bright red carotenoid in salmon and shrimp, increases muscle enzymes that help convert fat to energy. To test this theory, 14 competitive cyclists took 4 mg of astaxanthin per day or a placebo.

After 28 days, the bikers fasted and rode for two hours to deplete stored carbs, and then took a 12-mile time trial. The astaxanthin group completed the trial 102 seconds faster than the placebo group.    

Reference: Journal of Sports Medicine; 2011, Vol. 32, No. 11, 882-8

 

Green tea helps promote fat loss

Catechins from green tea increase the body's metabolism

We all know the British like their tea. A new study, appropriately published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that overweight men and women who consumed green tea daily lost more weight compared to a control group. The study was conducted at a university hospital where participants were fed 3 meals per day and were also provided with experimental teas.

Participants were randomly split into a control tea group and a green tea group. Each group consumed 20 ounces of tea twice daily for 6 weeks. The green tea provided 534 mg of catechins (the bioactive nutrients in tea) per day. The control tea provided 162 mg of catechins per day. Despite consuming the same meals in the hospital kitchen during the study, the green tea group lost on average over 4 pounds of body fat, while there was no fat loss in the control group. Furthermore, two weeks after the study ended, the green tea group maintained the body fat loss and also showed improved blood pressure and blood sugar levels. These findings are consistent with previous work that show catechins from green tea increase metabolic rate and shift fuel metabolism from carbohydrate to fat oxidation, and in some studies even promote decreased appetite.

These acute effects of green tea can translate into long-term improvements. For example, in one study, after 12 weeks of supplementing with green tea (providing 690 mg of catechins per day), men had two-fold greater weight and fat loss compared to placebo. Consider frequent intake of green tea a healthy way to assist in losing a few extra pounds.

Reference: Br J Nutr, 2011, Mar; 107(5|:749-54


Until next time, stay healthy and happy

JD Roma

The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).