Alternative Health Blog

In a retrospective study involving 224 women diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer who received treatment at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were quite common in this population (66.5%), and supplementation with vitamin D was associated with significant increases in 25(OH)D levels. Subjects received either no vitamin D supplementation; "low dose" supplementation, consisting of 1,000 IU/d vitamin D; or "high-dose" supplementation, consisting of at least 50,000 IU/d vitamin D. 25(OH)D was reassessed in the following 8-16 weeks. High dose supplementation was associated with significantly increased 25(OH)D levels, while low-dose supplementation did not significantly increase those levels. Low vitamin D status was associated with reduced BMD in the spine. The authors conclude, "Clinicians should carefully consider vitamin D supplementation regimens when treating vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in breast cancer patients."

In a prospective, population-based study involving 3,294 adults, subjects with higher intakes of omega-3 long chain fatty acids and EPA were found to report less cognitive difficulties (OR=0.72 and OR=0.74, respectively, for highest quartile), as compared to subjects in the lowest quartile of omega-3 fatty acid intake, after adjusting for depressive symptoms. In addition, fish consumption was linked to a borderline significant association with reduced cognitive complaints (OR=0.80). The authors conclude, "Cognitive complaints, which may be an early indicator of cognitive decline, are less frequent among the elderly who have a high long-chain omega-3 acids intake, as assessed 13 years earlier."

In a longitudinal study involving 78 (44 female, 34 male) free-living, elderly subjects between the ages of 70 and 75 years at baseline, after assessing intake of vitamins, the authors concluded that, "Multivitamin supplementation may be necessary, even in healthy individuals, to ensure an adequate micronutrient intake in the elderly." Data was collected at baseline and after 10 years. At baseline, intake of all vitamins except vitamin B1 were sufficient and exceeded the lowest European RDI. However, 10 years later, the prevalence of vitamin B2 and vitamin A deficiencies rose to 50% and vitamin C deficiency rose from 3% to 6% in men and 2.3% to 4.5% in women. The authors conclude, "...a considerable proportion of our successfully aging elderly were already deficient in, or at high risk of becoming deficient in several essential vitamins. Multivitamin supplementation may be necessary, even in healthy individuals, to ensure an adequate micronutrient intake in the elderly."

In a study involving 112 patients with ulcerative colitis and 110 healthy controls, levels of plasma homocysteine were found to be significantly higher (11.27 vs 8.19 micromol/L), and levels of plasma melatonin were found to be significantly lower (49.06 vs 64.28 ml) in patients with UC, as compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, levels of plasma folate and vitamin B12 were lower in patients with UC as compared to healthy controls (folate: 7.64 nmol/L vs 9.14 nmol/L; vitamin B12: 108.64 vs 112.64 pmol/L). The authors conclude, "The levels of plasma HCY were increased whereas the levels of plasma MLT were decreased in UC patients."

In a prospective study involving 54,632 women between 50 and 77 years of age, free from depressive symptoms at baseline, followed up with for an average of 10 years, during which time 2,823 incident cases of depression were documented, intake of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) was found to be inversely associated with depressive risk (multivariate RR for 0.5 g/d increment=0.82), with a stronger association found in women with low linoleic acid intake. Intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish was not found to be associated with depressive symptoms. The authors state, "...these data support the hypothesis that higher ALA and lower LA intakes reduce depression risk, this relation warrants further investigation."

In a study involving 1,879 Costa Rican adults without diabetes, an increase in daily servings of white rice was positively associated with blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, and inversely associated with HDL cholesterol, while an increase in daily servings of beans was inversely associated with diastolic blood pressure. A 35% reduction in risk of the metabolic syndrome was found when one serving of white rice was substituted with one serving of beans. The authors conclude, "Increasing the ratio of beans to white rice, or limiting the intake of white rice by substituting beans, may lower cardiometabolic risk factors."

In a study involving data from 74,272 women and 44,592 men free of CVD and cancer at baseline, over a total of 2,280,324 person-years of follow up, 9,886 incident cases of CHD and stroke were identified, and higher total vitamin D intake (from foods and supplements) was found to be associated with a decreased risk of CVD in men (RR=0.84), but not women (RR=1.02). The authors conclude, "Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to elucidate a biological basis for potential sex differences."

In a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials analyzing the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a prophylactic therapy in the prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, results from 3 publications, involving a total of 431 patients, were analyzed, and the authors found that when pooling the data, the reduction in risk of POAF was not significant (RR=0.89), however, a trend towards a benefit from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation was found when the EPA/DHA ratio was 1:2 and when pre-operative beta-blocker rate was lower, according to meta-regression analysis. Further investigation is warranted.

In a study involving 51 end-stage renal disease patients with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), with at least 6 months under dialysis, between the ages of 20 and 75 years (mean: 47.8 years), and 45 healthy controls, plasma omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, arachidonic acid, 14-eicosedienoic acid, linolenic acid, and linoleic acid were significantly lower, while plasma 10-cis-pentadecanoic acid, 10-cis-heptadecanoic acid, heneicosanoic acid, tricosanoic acid, nervonic acid, saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and delta 9 desaturase activity were significantly higher in CAPD patients, as compared to healthy controls. The authors state, "Our results show that there are FA abnormalities and especially a depletion in essential FA levels and a high level of omega-6/omega-3 ratio in CAPD patients, the underlying mechanism of which is not known and needs to be investigated. Therefore, we believe that essential FA supplementation should be encouraged for CA PD patients."

In a single-center, randomized, controlled trial involving 88 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years, with anisometropic amblyopia ("lazy eye") who had been wearing optimal spectacles for at least 16 weeks, and who had a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 0.3 to 0.8 logMAR at baseline, treatment with acupuncture (5 treatments/week) was found to be associated with significantly greater improvement in mean BSCVA of the amblyopic eye at 15 weeks (2.27 lines improvement from baseline), as compared to treatment consisting of 2 hours/day patching the sound eye (1.83 lines improvement from baseline). Moreover, amblyopia was resolved in 17 children in the acupuncture group (41.5%) and only 7 (16.7%) in the patching group. The authors conclude, "Acupuncture produced equivalent treatment effect for anisometropic amblyopia, compared with patching, and was statistically superior.....Acupuncture could potentially become an alternative treatment to occlusion th erapy for amblyopia."

In this review, the authors examined results from all published, randomized, controlled trials investigating the efficacy of zinc supplementation in reducing or preventing depressive symptoms, and after reviewing results from 4 studies that met their inclusion criteria, the authors found that as an adjunct to anti-depressant drug treatment, zinc supplementation was found to significantly reduce depressive symptom scores. Less clear, but evidence also points to the benefits of zinc as a stand-alone intervention. The authors state, "However, there are methodological limitations in existing studies and so further well-designed, adequately powered research is required."

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 36 patients with non-ischemic chronic heart failure (LVEF<35%, NYHA class >2), supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/d or 4 g/d) for a period of 12 weeks was found to be associated with significant reductions in monocyte-platelet aggregates in a dose-dependent manner. Omega-3 fatty acids in a dose of 4 g/d decreased P-selectin and was found to exhibit modest anti-inflammatory effects, reducing interleukin-6 and a trend-wise reduction of hsTNF-alpha. The authors state, "In patients with severe non-ischaemic CHF, treatment with n3-PUFA leads to a dose-dependent decrease of platelet activation and TF. Higher dosage exhibits also anti-inflammatory effects."

In a prospective cohort study involving 1,295 incident postmenopausal breast cancer patients between the ages of 50 and 74 years, who had been diagnosed between 2002 and 2005 and who were followed up with for a median 5.8 years, lower 25(OH)D concentration was linearly associated with higher risk of death (HR=1.08 per 10 nmol/L decrement), and significantly higher risk of distant recurrence (HR=1.14 per 10 nmol/L decrement). The HR for overall survival was 1.55 and distant disease-free survival was 2.09, comparing the highest tertile of 25(OH)D (55 nmol/L) to the lowest (35 nmol/L). The authors state, "In conclusion, lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations may be associated with poorer overall survival and distant disease-free survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients."

In a review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies investigating the effects of probiotic intake during pregnancy on the development of atopic eczema in children, it was found that probiotic supplementation during pregnancy was found to prevent atopic eczema in offspring 2 to 7 years of age.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, 12 week study involving 68 medical students, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (2.5 g/d, consisting of 2,085 mg EPA and 348 mg DHA) was found to be associated with a 14% decrease in lipopolysaccharide stimulated interleukin 6 production and a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms. No significant change in depressive symptoms was found. Secondary analyses found that those who received omega-3 PUFAs had a reduced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, and moreover, a decreasing omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was associated with lower anxiety and reductions in stimulated IL-6 and TNF-alpha production. The authors conclude, "The reduction in anxiety symptoms associated with omega-3 supplementation provides the first evidence that omega-3 may have potential anxiolytic benefits for individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis."

In a study involving a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, treatment with coenzyme Q10 was found to decrease area and number of plaque in the hippocampus and in the overlying cortex immunostained with an Abeta42-specific antibody. Furthermore, brain Abeta42 levels were also decreased, as were levels of amyloid-beta protein precursor beta-carboxyterminal fragements, as a result of supplementation with CoQ10 as well. During a water maze tests, the mice treated with coenzyme Q10 showed cognitive improvement. The authors conclude, "Our results show decreased pathology and improved behavior in transgenic AD mice treated with the naturally occurring antioxidant compound CoQ10. CoQ10 is well tolerated in humans and may be promising for therapeutic trials in AD."

In a study involving 450 pregnant women scheduled for elective cesarean section delivery, treatment with acupuncture (with electrical stimulation on the acupuncture point PC-6, bilaterally) for 30 minutes prior to spinal anesthesia was found to be as effective as treatment with the anti-emetic drug, ondansetron (4 mg), in reducing nausea and vomiting during the operation and 6 hours post-operatively. The authors state, "Electrical acustimulation is comparable to ondansetron in prevention of PONV during and after cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia and in improving patient satisfaction."

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 20 healthy, male, long-distance runners, supplementation with a flavanol-rich lychee fruit extract was found to be associated with significant improvements in the change in serum interleukin-6 levels between pre- and mid-training, as well as significant improvements in the change in transforming growth factor-beta, pre- and post- a 2-month training. The authors conclude, "These findings suggest that FRLFE supplementation may suppress inflammation or tissue damage caused by high-intensity exercise training."

In a review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of green tea and its extract on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, results of 14 randomized, controlled trials involving 1,136 subjects were analyzed and results showed that consumption of green tea was associated with significant reductions in total cholesterol concentration (by 7.20 mg/dL) and LDL cholesterol concentration (by 2.19 mg/dL). No significant change in HDL cholesterol was found. These results suggest that consumption of green tea or green tea extract may exert beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

In a study involving 4,447 French subjects between the ages of 45 and 60 years, who had previously participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (1994-2002) in which they received daily supplementation with vitamin C (120 mg), beta-carotene (6 mg), vitamin E (30 mg), selenium (100 microg), and zinc (20 mg), or a placebo, cognitive performance assessments performed in 2007-2009 revealed that subjects who received antioxidant supplementation had better episodic memory scores (mean difference: 0.61), specifically verbal memory and executive functioning. Verbal memory improved only in those taking antioxidants who were nonsmokers or had low vitamin C at baseline. The authors state, "This study supports the role of an adequate antioxidant nutrient status in the preservation of verbal memory under certain conditions."