Alternative Health Blog

In a systematic review examining evidence related to the relationship between vitamin D and the risk of falls, the authors identified 26 eligible trials of moderate quality that included data from 45,782 subjects (majority elderly and female), and found that vitamin D use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of falls (OR=0.86 for suffering at least one fall), particularly in those who were vitamin D deficient at baseline and in whom calcium was co-administered. These results suggest vitamin D plus calcium may reduce the risk of falls, particularly in elderly women.

In a study involving 743 preterm (mean gestational age: 29.5 weeks) neonates of very low birth weight (mean birth weight: 1056 g), of which 73% were either exclusively or partially breast fed, administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (3 x 10(9) CFU/d, in a single oral dose, since 4th day-of-life, for 4-6 week courses) was found to be safe and well tolerated. No clinical sepsis that occurred was attributable to the LGG. The authors conclude, "Routinary supplementation of probiotic LGG in a large, 6-year VLBW infants Italian cohort proved microbiologically safe and clinically well tolerated."

In a study involving 93 pregnant women after the 30th week of gestation, hypovitaminosis D (defined at 25(OH)D equal to or less than 20 ng/mL) was quite prevalent (found in 89.5% of subjects), and vitamin D deficiency (defined at 25(OH)D less than 10 ng/mL) was found in 10 of the 93 subjects. Serum 25(OH)D levels were negatively associated with serum type 1 collagen N-terminal telopeptide and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase. Significantly lower 25(OH)D levels (11.2 ng/mL) were found in mothers with threatened premature delivery, as compared to mothers with normal delivery (15.6 ng/mL). The authors conclude, "...the present data suggest a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in perinatal pregnant Japanese women throughout the year, which seems to affect bone metabolism and to be associated with threatened premature delivery."

In a randomized study involving 24 adult survivors of traumatic brain injury, treatment with acupuncture was found to be as effective as treatment with medication in improving sleep, and subjects in the acupuncture group were found to have improved cognition, as compared to subjects in the medication group. The authors conclude, "Acupuncture has a beneficial effect on perception of sleep or sleep quality and on cognition in our small sample of patients with TBI. Further studies of this treatment modality are warranted to validate these findings and to explore factors that contribute to treatment efficacy."

In a randomized, double-blind, parallel, active-controlled clinical study involving patients with stage 1 hypertension, treatment with olive leaf extract (olea europaea L., EFLA (R) 943), at a dose of 500 mg, twice daily, for a period of 8 weeks, was found to be associated with a significant reduction in systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure, as compared to baseline. The group that did not receive olive leaf extract were treated with the standard drug, Captopril (12.5 mg, twice daily, and titrated to 25 mg twice daily as needed). At baseline, mean systolic blood pressure was 149.3 mm Hg in the olive leaf extract group and 148.4 mm Hg in the Captopril group, and mean diastolic blood pressure was 93.9 mmHg in the olive leaf group and 93.8 mmHg in the Captopril group. After 8 weeks of treatment, both groups experienced significant reductions in both systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure, with no significant different in amount of reduction between the 2 groups ( -11.5 and -13.7 mmHg reductions in systolic BP and -4.8 and -6.4 mm Hg reductions in diastolic BP in the olive leaf and Captopril groups, respectively). In addition, a significant reduction in triglycerides was found in the olive leaf group and not the Captopril group. The authors conclude, "Olive (Olea europaea) leaf extract, at the dosage regimen of 500mg twice daily, was similarly effective in lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressures in subjects with stage-1 hypertension as Captopril, given at its effective dose of 12.5-25mg twice daily."

In a cross-sectional study involving 144 diabetic patients treated with Metformin (glucophage), serum vitamin B12 levels were found to be low (< 125 pmol/L) in 6.9% of patients and possibly low (125-250 pmol/L) in 36.8% of patients. Serum vitamin B12 levels were found to be positively associated with estimated intake of vitamin B12 and negatively associated with age and duration of Metformin use. These results suggest that vitamin B12 supplementation may be needed by diabetic patients taking the anti-diabetic drug, Metformin.

In a study involving 70 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 42 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 44 healthy subjects, fatigue was found to be significantly more common in patients with chronic hepatitis C and IBS, as compared to controls, and plasma levels of total and free carnitine (adjusted for fat mass) were significantly lower in patients with chronic hepatitis C, as compared to controls. Fatigue scores were negatively associated with plasma carnitine levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C, and levels of free carnitine were significantly and independently associated with severity of fatigue in patients with chronic hepatitis C (OR=2.019). These results suggest that oral supplementation with carnitine "may be effective to relieve fatigue in chronic hepatitis C."