Alternative Health Blog

In a randomized, controlled study involving 124 patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years, with chronic (85%) or subacute whiplash-associated disorder (WAD, grade I or II), treatment with acupuncture (specifically electro-acupuncture, 12 treatments over the course of 6 weeks) was found to be associated with significantly greater reduction in pain intensity at 3 and 6 months follow-up, as compared to subjects who received a simulated but not real acupuncture treatment. The authors conclude, "Real electro-acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in pain intensity over at least 6 months."

In a study involving 64 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 8-11% glycated hemoglobin (A1C), along with 28 age-matched non-diabetic subjects, a higher percentage of diabetics were found to have plasma PLP (pyridoxal 5'-phosphate) < 30 nmol/L (indicator of vitamin B6 status), as compared to non-diabetics. The authors state, "plasma PLP levels should be monitored in pre-diabetic patients with diabetic risk factors as well as in newly diagnosed diabetic patients for long-term management of diabetes...."

In a study involving 87 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (47 with Crohn's disease and 40 with ulcerative colitis), serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin levels were significantly higher in patients with Crohn's disease, suggesting bone vitamin K insufficiency, and this was associated with clinical activity index of Crohn's disease. Vitamin D status (levels of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D) was also found to be significantly lower in patients with Crohn's disease and those with ulcerative colitis, as compared to healthy subjects, and these levels were inversely associated with BMD in patients with ulcerative colitis. The authors conclude, "Vitamins K and D are insufficient in patients with IBD. Insufficiency of vitamin K is suggested to be associated with inflammatory processes of CD."

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 40 postmenopausal women between 49 and 64 years of age, supplementation with safflower seed granule tea (20 g/d) containing a 13% ethanol extract of defatted safflower seeds for a period of 6 months was found to be associated with increases in serum levels of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, a significant decrease in TBARS levels, and reductions in serum osteocalcin levels. Furthermore, while subjects in the placebo group were found to have a significant reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) over the course of 6 months, those in the safflower group did not experience any reduction in BMD. The authors conclude that, "...polyphenols (72 mg/day), including serotonin derivatives, in the Saf-tea had both antioxidant and potential bone protecting effects in postmenopausal women without liver toxicity."

In a study involving 34 autistic and 21 non-autistic healthy children, the levels of homocysteine found in the urine were significantly higher in the autistic children (2.36), as compared to non-autistic children (0.76). The authors hypothesize that the higher level found in autistic children may indicate deficiencies of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. The effects of supplementation with these micronutrients as a way of improving homocysteine levels in this population requires further research.

In a cross-sectional study involving 330 subjects, subjects with low red blood cell EPA and DHA levels were found to have significant predicted increases in triglycerides (99.5 mg/dl, 106%) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (137.8 mg/dl, 156%), associated with increases in body mass index (BMI) from 25 to 35, while subjects with high red blood cell EPA and high red blood cell DHA concentrations were found to have significantly lower predicted increases in triglycerides (13.9 mg/dl for EPA (23%) and 12.0 mg/dl (18%) for DHA) and CRP (0.5 mg/l (50%) for EPA and -0.5 mg/l (-34%) for DHA). These results suggest that having higher EPA and DHA status in red blood cells may help to reduce obesity-related risk of dyslipidemia and inflammation, thereby potentially reducing the risk of various inflammatory chronic diseases.

In this review, the authors examine the clinical and experimental evidence exploring the use of L-carnitine supplementation in the management of cancer cachexia - a multifaceted syndrome characterized by extensive muscle wasting and chronic systemic inflammation, partly triggered and sustained by cytokines, as well as increased oxidative stress, among other symptoms. In this review, the authors discuss the central role of L-carnitine in the metabolism of fatty acids, and it's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Low serum carnitine levels have been reported in patients with cancer cachexia, and systemic carnitine depletion is characterized by fatigue, muscle weakness, and decreased tolerance to metabolic stress. The reviewers conclude, "Based on these data, carnitine supplementation has been tested in preliminary studies concerning human cachexia, resulting in improved fatigue and quality of life."

In a prospective, nested, case-control study involving 340 Chinese women with breast cancer and 653 age-matched controls, conditional logistic regression modeling, adjusted for age and age at first live birth, revealed a significant inverse association between breast cancer incidence and plasma coenzyme Q10 level, after eliminating cases diagnosed within one year of blood draw, independent of menopausal status. In addition, plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 were found to be significantly associated with circulating gamma-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol levels. The authors conclude, "This study reports an inverse relationship between circulating CoQ(10) and breast cancer risk, while the only other prospective study of CoQ(10) and breast cancer to date found a positive association. Lower levels of CoQ(10) in the SWHS population suggests that the two studies may not be contradictory and indicates a possible non-linear (U-shaped) association of CoQ(10) with risk."

In a cross-sectional study involving 365 elderly subjects, 200 of whom were also included in a 2-year longitudinal follow-up study, dietary intake of vitamin K was found to be significantly associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD) and better quantitative ultrasound assessment (QUS), while no significant associations were found between vitamin K intake and bone biochemical markers. In addition, "Those subjects who increased their vitamin K intake showed a lower loss of BMD, a lower decrease in SOS and a nonsignificant increase in BUA." These results suggest that maintaining a higher intake of vitamin K may offer protection against bone loss and osteoporotic fractures in the elderly.

In a randomized, blinded study involving 35 elective ambulatory surgery patients, treatment with either full body acupuncture or ear/auricular acupuncture was found to significantly relieve anxiety, assessed via the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). SAS scores among subjects in the full body acupuncture group reduced from 55.39 prior to the intervention to 44.82 after the intervention, and SAS scores among subjects in the ear acupuncture group reduced from 57.57 before to 46.32 after the treatment. Considering the fact that, as the others point out, "Preoperative anxiety has become more frequent in preoperative patients and can bring negative impact on operation outcomes," these results are significant and suggest that pre-operative treatment with acupuncture may be a safe and effective way or reducing preoperative anxiety, which may have additional benefits on post-operative outcomes overall.

In a prospective study involving data collected from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (which included 2,299 incident colorectal cancers and 5.655 colorectal adenomas, from 1980 to 2004), total folate intake 12-16 years prior to diagnosis was found to be associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer (RR=0.69), while more recent folate intake was not found to be associated, and both long-term and short-term intakes of total folate were associated with a lower risk of colorectal adenoma, particularly 4-8 years before diagnosis (OR=0.68). In addition, supplementation with multivitamins for over 15 years was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, and supplementation for a shorter duration was associated with a reduction in risk of colorectal adenoma. The authors conclude, "Folate intake is inversely associated with risk of colorectal cancer only during early preadenoma stages."

In a population-based, prospective cohort study involving 34,670 women free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline, who were followed up for a mean 10.4 years, during which time 1,680 incident cases of stroke were identified (including 1310 cerebral infarctions, 233 hemorrhagic strokes, and 137 unspecified strokes), consumption of fish was significantly inversely associated with risk of total stroke, but not with cerebral infarction or hemorrhagic stroke. Women consuming more than 3 servings/week of fish were found to have a 0.84 multivariable RR of total stroke, as compared to women consuming less than 1 serving/week of fish. Women who consumed 3 or more servings/week of lean fish were found to have a 0.67 multivariable RR of total stroke, as compared to those who did not consume lean fish at all. The authors conclude, "These results suggest that the consumption of fish, especially of lean fish, may reduce risk of stroke in women."

In a population-based cohort study involving 525 men under 80 years of age diagnosed with prostate cancer, out of which 42% died of prostate cancer and 49% died of other causes, high dietary intake of zinc was found to be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (HR=0.64), with a stronger association found in men with localized tumors (HR=0.24). No association was found between zinc intake and mortality from other causes. The authors conclude that, "... high dietary intake of zinc is associated with lower prostate cancer-specific mortality after diagnosis, particularly in men with localized disease."

In a cross-sectional study involving 198 subjects (102 men and 96 women; mean age: 66 years) with high risk of cardiovascular disease living in Spain, a country with low rates of cardiac death, despite having a high prevalence of CVD risk factors, the average intake of EPA+DHA was 0.9 g/d and the mean omega-3 index was 7.1%. EPA+DHA intake was found to be the main predictor of the omega-3 index, but explained only 12% of its variability. The authors conclude, "...the high omega-3 index could at least partially explain the paradox of low rates of fatal CHD in Spain despite a high background prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors."

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 174 pregnant women in Mexico, supplementation with DHA (400 mg) from 18-22 weeks gestation to parturition was found to be associated with increased fatty acid concentrations in the breast milk obtained at 1 month post-partum. Concentrations of DHA in the breast milk were 0.20 in the active group vs 0.17 in the placebo group, and alpha-linolenic acid levels were 1.38 in the active group versus 1.24 in the placebo group. At 1 month post-partum, maternal plasma DHA concentrations were positively associated with breast milk DHA. The authors conclude, "Prenatal DHA supplementation from 18-22 wk gestation to parturition increased concentrations of DHA and ALA in breast milk at 1 mo postpartum, providing a mechanism through which breast-fed infants could benefit."

In a case-control study involving 1,366 women with ovarian cancer and 1,414 population controls, results indicate that adherence to diets with a high glycemic load (GL) may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, whereas adherence to diet rich in fiber may lower the risk of ovarian cancer. The highest quartile for GL was associated with a 24% increased risk of ovarian cancer, compared with the lowest quartile (the association was strongest among overweight/obese women). On the other hand, the highest quartile for fiber intake was associated with a 22% reduced risk of ovarian cancer, compared with the lowest quartile of intake. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "Our results suggest that diets with a high GL may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, particularly among overweight/obese women, and a high intake of fiber may provide modest protection."

In an open label study involving 60 type 2 mild-to-moderate diabetic patients divided into 3 groups (Group1 - sesame oil, approximately 35 g/d used in cooking or on salads; Group2 - 5 mg/d glibenclamide, an oral anti-diabetic drug; Group3 - combination of sesame oil and glibenclamide), for a period of 60 days, the combination treatment (sesame oil plus glibenclamide) was found to yield the best results, reducing blood glucose levels by 36% and HbA(1c) by 43%, after 60 days. Furthermore, reductions in plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were found in subjects in the sesame oil group (20%, 34% and 14%, respectively) and combination therapies group (22%, 38%, and 15%, respectively) after the 60 day intervention. Moreover, HDL cholesterol improved among subjects in the sesame oil group (15.7%) and combination therapies group (17%), as did the activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The authors conclude, "Sesame oil exhibited sy nergistic effect with glibenclamide and can provide a safe and effective option for the drug combination that may be very useful in clinical practice for the effective improvement of hyperglycemia."

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 128 young adult females, supplementation with creatine (20 g/d) for a period of 5 days was found to improve memory in the vegetarian subjects, and decrease the variability in the responses to a choice reaction-time task in both vegetarian and omnivorous subjects. These results suggest that vegetarian young women may benefit from supplementation with creatine.

In a cross-sectional study involving 5,596 community-dwelling women (mean age = 80.5 years) free of vitamin D supplements, results indicate that dietary intake of vitamin D may be associated with cognitive performance. The women were divided into 2 groups: 1) inadequate vitamin D intake group: dietary intake of vitamin D < 35 microg/week; 2) recommended vitamin D intake group: dietary intake of vitamin D >= 35 microg/week). Cognitive impairment was defined as a Pfeiffer Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire (SPMSQ) score <8. Women with inadequate vitamin D intake had lower mean SPMSQ scores (often less than 8) than women with recommended weekly vitamin dietary intake. Additionally, inadequate vitamin D intake was associated with cognitive impairment. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "Weekly dietary intake of vitamin D was associated with cognitive performance in older women."

In a randomized, controlled trial involving 81 patients with chronic liver disease, supplementation with a probiotic yogurt containing Bacillus bifidus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilu, 2 hours after meals, was found to be associated with lower levels of E. coli and reduced intestinal flora imbalance. Moreover, improvements in signs and symptoms, such as reduced debilitation, abdominal distention, and ascitic fluid, and improved appetite and food intake, were found. The authors conclude, "Probiotic yogurt reduces the levels of intestinal flora imbalance and has an additional therapeutic effect on patients with chronic liver disease."