Anyone trying to lose a few pounds would be interested in a new study out of Johns Hopkins, conducted by Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center.
The clinicians at Hopkins studied the effects of substituting mushrooms for lean ground meat, and found it to be an excellent substitute for preventing or treating obesity. Preliminary research shows these mushroom entrées as just as satiating and palatable as meat entrées. This is good news for the more than one-third of U.S. adults age 20 and older who are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
In the study led by Dr. Cheskin, funded by the Mushroom Council, study participants were randomly chosen to receive either beef or mushroom lunch entrées over four days – lasagna, napoleon, sloppy Joe and chili. Subjects then switched entrées to consume the other ingredient (mushroom or beef) the following week.1
Energy (calorie) intakes were significantly higher during meat meals than mushroom meals, a difference that averaged 420 more calories and 30 more fat grams per day over the four-day test period. Subjects' ratings for palatability (meal appeal), appetite, satiation (after meal fullness) and satiety (general fullness) did not differ between groups.
That's a very good sign, because typically when another, lower-calorie substitution is made in meat dishes, the dieter finds other ways to bring in additional calories. This did not happen with the mushrooms.
"The most intriguing finding was that subjects seemed to accept mushrooms as a palatable and suitable culinary substitute for meat," said Dr. Cheskin.
The preliminary findings of Cheskin's team follow findings from other initial data that suggested if men substituted a 4-ounce Portabella mushroom for a 4-ounce grilled hamburger every time they ate a grilled hamburger over the course of a year, and didn't change anything else, they could save more than 18,000 calories and nearly 3,000 grams of fat.3 That's the equivalent of 5.3 pounds or 30 sticks of butter. More research is needed to further understand mushrooms' role in weight management as a low-energy density food.
Dave
Friday, August 15, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Wham: Lack of Vitamin D Seen in Link to Chronic Pain in Women
As you know, Vitamin D is the nutrient made by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. It is also a fairly easy nutrient to add via supplementation.
British researchers who studied nearly 7000 45-year-olds found that almost 15% of women with vitamin D shortages reported experiencing chronic pain - nearly twice the 8.2% prevalence reported among women with higher readings.
This wasn't true with men, however. Oddly, vitamin D levels appeared to make no difference in the number of men who reported pain symptoms.
Further studies are required to establish whether pain would be lessened if patients increased their vitamin D intake, but it is a relatively easy step for physicians to suggest more D to their chronic pain patients when tests show their levels of the nutrient are low.
This study was published recently in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The authors included medical data from 6824 persons who were examined between 2002 and 2004, when they were at age 45. Information was collected on their smoking and alcohol habits, time spent outdoors, time spent watching television or at a computer and dietary supplements, including vitamin D.
Dave
British researchers who studied nearly 7000 45-year-olds found that almost 15% of women with vitamin D shortages reported experiencing chronic pain - nearly twice the 8.2% prevalence reported among women with higher readings.
This wasn't true with men, however. Oddly, vitamin D levels appeared to make no difference in the number of men who reported pain symptoms.
Further studies are required to establish whether pain would be lessened if patients increased their vitamin D intake, but it is a relatively easy step for physicians to suggest more D to their chronic pain patients when tests show their levels of the nutrient are low.
This study was published recently in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The authors included medical data from 6824 persons who were examined between 2002 and 2004, when they were at age 45. Information was collected on their smoking and alcohol habits, time spent outdoors, time spent watching television or at a computer and dietary supplements, including vitamin D.
Dave
Friday, August 8, 2008
Bone Density Drugs May Have Nasty Side Effects
Some of the most-advertised drugs are those used for treating bone density problems in women, such as osteoporosis. Doctors often prescribe these drugs, known as bisphosphonates, for this condition as well as certain cancers.
These medications (such as Boniva® or Fosamax®) can help promote bone density in women with osteoporosis, and taken intravenously, they can help stop the spread of cancer in chemotherapy patients. However, the use of bisphosphonates has also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, more commonly known as “dead jaw.”
How's that for a side effect? The ability to eat, talk, and manipulate one's mouth would seem to be a rather crucial part of day-to-day life.
This issue, osteonecrosis, occurs when part of the jawbone essentially dies and becomes exposed. The disease is more prevalent among patients who receive bisphosphonates through an I.V., but Jon Suzuki, D.D.S, Ph.D., M.B.A., professor and director of the graduate program in periodontology at Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, says physicians and dental professionals should still keep a close eye on their patients who take the oral form as well.
Previous studies have found between 1 and 10 patients out of 100 who receive bisphosphonates through an IV are at risk of the disease, while only about 1 in 100,000 patients taking the oral form are at risk. Still, those are odds you may not have considered when the doctor suggested these medications you see advertised on TV all day long.
Existing research suggests that taking these medications orally for more than three years or intravenously for more than six months could disturb the balance between bone cells that produce calcium and those that remove calcium. This condition can lead to oral health problems including loose teeth, jaw and gum pain, swelling and infection, numbness and gum loss.
Dave
These medications (such as Boniva® or Fosamax®) can help promote bone density in women with osteoporosis, and taken intravenously, they can help stop the spread of cancer in chemotherapy patients. However, the use of bisphosphonates has also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, more commonly known as “dead jaw.”
How's that for a side effect? The ability to eat, talk, and manipulate one's mouth would seem to be a rather crucial part of day-to-day life.
This issue, osteonecrosis, occurs when part of the jawbone essentially dies and becomes exposed. The disease is more prevalent among patients who receive bisphosphonates through an I.V., but Jon Suzuki, D.D.S, Ph.D., M.B.A., professor and director of the graduate program in periodontology at Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, says physicians and dental professionals should still keep a close eye on their patients who take the oral form as well.
Previous studies have found between 1 and 10 patients out of 100 who receive bisphosphonates through an IV are at risk of the disease, while only about 1 in 100,000 patients taking the oral form are at risk. Still, those are odds you may not have considered when the doctor suggested these medications you see advertised on TV all day long.
Existing research suggests that taking these medications orally for more than three years or intravenously for more than six months could disturb the balance between bone cells that produce calcium and those that remove calcium. This condition can lead to oral health problems including loose teeth, jaw and gum pain, swelling and infection, numbness and gum loss.
Dave
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sham: Two Common Infertility Treatments Show Little Effect
It looks as if two of the long established medical interventions that doctors use to help couples with infertility problems do not improve fertility, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (bmj.com).
One in seven couples in Great Britain experience infertility; the numbers are nearly the same in most developed countries. Unexplained infertility affects a quarter of these couples and common interventions to help them have been used for many years. One of those is the drug clomifene citrate, and the other is actual intra-uterine insemination of what is called "unstimulated" sperm.
As it turns out, in this research a team of researchers led by the University of Aberdeen compared the effectiveness of these two specific interventions with women who had no treatment at all.
They recruited 580 women who had experienced unexplained infertility for more than two years from four teaching hospitals and a district general hospital in Scotland. The women were randomized into three groups—one group of women were encouraged to try naturally for a pregnancy without any medical interventions at all; one group took oral clomifene citrate (CC) which is believed to correct subtle ovulatory dysfunction; and the last group had unstimulated intra-uterine insemination (IUI) of sperm.
Overall, 101 women became pregnant and had a live birth during the course of the study. That's good, as pregnancies were the goal of the program. Unfortunately, the numbers did not bear out any statistical improvements for those who had the medical interventions.
The women with no interventions had a live birth rate of 17%, the group taking oral CC had a birth rate of 14%, and the group having unstimulated sperm injections had a birth rate of 23%. While that sounds like a modest improvement, it would have to be a greater improvement than 6% to be statistically meaningful. [ADDED LATER: As pointed out by reader James in a discussion of this material, when you can't conceive, even a low level shot at improving your odds may be worth trying].
Side effects for women including abdominal pain, bloating, hot flushes, nausea and headaches were highest in women taking oral CC, affecting 10–20% of women. Combined with the lower results in pregnancies, these side effects certainly appears to make that drug a poor choice. This product is marketed under various names, including Clomid, Serophene, and Milophene.
The researchers conclude: “These interventions, which have been in use for many years, are unlikely to be more effective than no treatment.”
Dave
One in seven couples in Great Britain experience infertility; the numbers are nearly the same in most developed countries. Unexplained infertility affects a quarter of these couples and common interventions to help them have been used for many years. One of those is the drug clomifene citrate, and the other is actual intra-uterine insemination of what is called "unstimulated" sperm.
As it turns out, in this research a team of researchers led by the University of Aberdeen compared the effectiveness of these two specific interventions with women who had no treatment at all.
They recruited 580 women who had experienced unexplained infertility for more than two years from four teaching hospitals and a district general hospital in Scotland. The women were randomized into three groups—one group of women were encouraged to try naturally for a pregnancy without any medical interventions at all; one group took oral clomifene citrate (CC) which is believed to correct subtle ovulatory dysfunction; and the last group had unstimulated intra-uterine insemination (IUI) of sperm.
Overall, 101 women became pregnant and had a live birth during the course of the study. That's good, as pregnancies were the goal of the program. Unfortunately, the numbers did not bear out any statistical improvements for those who had the medical interventions.
The women with no interventions had a live birth rate of 17%, the group taking oral CC had a birth rate of 14%, and the group having unstimulated sperm injections had a birth rate of 23%. While that sounds like a modest improvement, it would have to be a greater improvement than 6% to be statistically meaningful. [ADDED LATER: As pointed out by reader James in a discussion of this material, when you can't conceive, even a low level shot at improving your odds may be worth trying].
Side effects for women including abdominal pain, bloating, hot flushes, nausea and headaches were highest in women taking oral CC, affecting 10–20% of women. Combined with the lower results in pregnancies, these side effects certainly appears to make that drug a poor choice. This product is marketed under various names, including Clomid, Serophene, and Milophene.
The researchers conclude: “These interventions, which have been in use for many years, are unlikely to be more effective than no treatment.”
Dave
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Psychotropic Drugs for Children: 75% of their use is "Off Label"
Dr. Julie Zito, professor of pharmacy and psychiatry at the UMB School of Pharmacy (Baltimore, MD) recently authored a study of how psychotropic medications are frequently used on children in the USA. These drugs act on the central nervous system to alter emotion or behavior temporarily.
While Zito's study was specifically how doctors treat youths in foster care, her paper tells us a great deal about the general overuse of these drugs beyond what has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Because there is a lack of “substantive evidence of their effectiveness and safety,” according to Dr. Zito, this issue should be recognized as a real danger to children. Doctors are over-medicating kids with drugs that were never designed for their growing bodies. "We are generalizing our [knowledge] from adults to children without knowing enough about pharmacokinetics, dosing, or long-term safety in the pediatric population,” warns Zito.
In a study of Texas children with Medicaid coverage, foster care youth received at least three times more psychotropic drugs than comparable children in poor families. But there is no clear treatment advantage to the foster children. The Texas study indicated that decisions to give some children three or more psychotropic drugs may be largely based on behavioral and emotional symptoms rather than conclusive diagnosis of a specific mental condition. “These data do not provide sufficient information to address questions of severity and impairment that might explain such complex drug regimens,” Zito suggests.
These children, it seems, are simply targets for drugs being thrown at them by doctors and pharmaceutical companies with a "who cares" attitude. If it can be billed to Medicaid, than why not.
This study was published earlier this year in the journal Pediatrics. More than 75 percent of the psychotropic medication use for children is off-label, a practice of prescribing drugs for a purpose other than the approved use on its label.
Dave
While Zito's study was specifically how doctors treat youths in foster care, her paper tells us a great deal about the general overuse of these drugs beyond what has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Because there is a lack of “substantive evidence of their effectiveness and safety,” according to Dr. Zito, this issue should be recognized as a real danger to children. Doctors are over-medicating kids with drugs that were never designed for their growing bodies. "We are generalizing our [knowledge] from adults to children without knowing enough about pharmacokinetics, dosing, or long-term safety in the pediatric population,” warns Zito.
In a study of Texas children with Medicaid coverage, foster care youth received at least three times more psychotropic drugs than comparable children in poor families. But there is no clear treatment advantage to the foster children. The Texas study indicated that decisions to give some children three or more psychotropic drugs may be largely based on behavioral and emotional symptoms rather than conclusive diagnosis of a specific mental condition. “These data do not provide sufficient information to address questions of severity and impairment that might explain such complex drug regimens,” Zito suggests.
These children, it seems, are simply targets for drugs being thrown at them by doctors and pharmaceutical companies with a "who cares" attitude. If it can be billed to Medicaid, than why not.
This study was published earlier this year in the journal Pediatrics. More than 75 percent of the psychotropic medication use for children is off-label, a practice of prescribing drugs for a purpose other than the approved use on its label.
Dave
Monday, August 4, 2008
Women with Vaginal Infections Face Increased Risk in HIV Infection
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found that a common vaginal infection may make women more susceptible to contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Data from more than 30,700 women from around the world, detailed in more than 23 scientific studies, shows that women with bacterial vaginosis – the most common type of infection in women of reproductive age – were far more likely than others to be infected with HIV. The association between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and HIV was stronger for women without high-risk sexual behavior. This new data was published in the peer-reviewed journal, AIDS.
Quoting the authors from the UNC press release: “Given that bacterial vaginosis and HIV infection are both transmitted sexually, it is difficult to determine whether associations found are causal, or if there is some other reason why women with BV are more likely than others to become infected with HIV,” said Jennifer S. Smith, epidemiology research assistant professor in the UNC School of Public Health. The authors indicate that future prevention of HIV infection should include placing more importance on the treatment of BV.
Bacterial vaginosis is an imbalance in the type of bacteria normally found in the vagina. BV has been shown to cause gynecological and obstetrical problems including preterm delivery, pelvic inflammatory disease and upper genital tract infections. Other research has shown that BV results in several changes in the vagina that could explain why it increases the risk of HIV, such as a depletion in a type of bacteria that are believed to play a role in defending the vagina against microorganisms including HIV, and higher pH levels that may increase the adherence and survival of the virus.
As I read the details on this one (in bold text above), I am reminded of how important the colonization of "friendly" bacteria are to personal health and hygiene. Hopefully, suppliers of probiotic products are working on ways for women to replenish the friendly bacteria in this part of the body in order to keep BV at bay, and to have a higher level of protection against HIV.
The studies analyzed by Smith and colleagues included women from the U.S., Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Gambia. Prevalence of BV in women in these countries ranged from about 11 percent to as high as 70 percent.
The analysis of data indicates that BV increases the risk of acquiring HIV by about 60 percent.
Dave
Data from more than 30,700 women from around the world, detailed in more than 23 scientific studies, shows that women with bacterial vaginosis – the most common type of infection in women of reproductive age – were far more likely than others to be infected with HIV. The association between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and HIV was stronger for women without high-risk sexual behavior. This new data was published in the peer-reviewed journal, AIDS.
Quoting the authors from the UNC press release: “Given that bacterial vaginosis and HIV infection are both transmitted sexually, it is difficult to determine whether associations found are causal, or if there is some other reason why women with BV are more likely than others to become infected with HIV,” said Jennifer S. Smith, epidemiology research assistant professor in the UNC School of Public Health. The authors indicate that future prevention of HIV infection should include placing more importance on the treatment of BV.
Bacterial vaginosis is an imbalance in the type of bacteria normally found in the vagina. BV has been shown to cause gynecological and obstetrical problems including preterm delivery, pelvic inflammatory disease and upper genital tract infections. Other research has shown that BV results in several changes in the vagina that could explain why it increases the risk of HIV, such as a depletion in a type of bacteria that are believed to play a role in defending the vagina against microorganisms including HIV, and higher pH levels that may increase the adherence and survival of the virus.
As I read the details on this one (in bold text above), I am reminded of how important the colonization of "friendly" bacteria are to personal health and hygiene. Hopefully, suppliers of probiotic products are working on ways for women to replenish the friendly bacteria in this part of the body in order to keep BV at bay, and to have a higher level of protection against HIV.
The studies analyzed by Smith and colleagues included women from the U.S., Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Gambia. Prevalence of BV in women in these countries ranged from about 11 percent to as high as 70 percent.
The analysis of data indicates that BV increases the risk of acquiring HIV by about 60 percent.
Dave
Friday, August 1, 2008
Strokes Can Happen at Any Age
Many people believe that strokes only happen to senior citizens. My Mom had a stroke, and I remember a very nice neighbor of ours had a stroke a couple of years ago. She was also an older person. Recently, a press release came across my desk from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine which describes strokes happening in children. It was after reading this that I realized strokes are a lot more common than I had thought.
The material I read describes young Sideria Hendricks of Forest Park, Illinois, only 10 years old, who has already suffered from two strokes. The first occurred on Christmas Eve a few years ago. Sideria suddenly couldn't speak, and her left arm and left leg went limp. She eventually recovered, but later she suffered a second minor stroke.
This young lady has sickle cell disease, which is among the more than 100 risk factors for strokes in babies, children and young adults that Dr. Jose Biller, chairman of the department of neurology at Loyola University Health System,has identified in a new publication. Although strokes are among the top ten causes of death in childhood, family members and doctors often are slow to recognize the symptoms.
Biller is co-author of new guidelines for the prevention and treatment of strokes in infants and children. The guidelines are published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Strokes can occur at any age -- even before birth. According to conservative estimates, about 3,200 strokes occur each year in youths under age 18. And more than 3,000 people under age 45 die of strokes each year. This age group accounts for between 5 percent and 10 percent of all strokes. Survivors can experience lifelong learning disabilities, seizures, movement disorders, language problems, cognitive deficits and paralysis on one side of the body. Between 6 percent and 20 percent of children who have strokes die, and at least half are left with some degree of disability.
"The impact of strokes in this age group is devastating to the child or young adult, their families and society," Biller said.
In older adults, about 85 percent of strokes are "ischemic," meaning they are caused by blood clots. About 15 percent are caused by hemorrhages (bleeding). By contrast, nearly half of strokes in children are caused by hemorrhages. Causes of hemorrhagic strokes in children include malformations of blood vessels in the brain, illicit drug use (cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, hallucinogens, amphetamine look-alikes, etc.) systemic infections, brain tumors and blood disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease can cause several different forms of stroke. For example, misshapen red blood cells can clog the flow of blood in the brain. To reduce the risk, Sideria receives blood transfusions every three weeks. The quicker a child or young adult is diagnosed and treated for a stroke, the better the outcome. But family members often are slow to recognize strokes. Symptoms can be more subtle in children. It's especially difficult to recognize symptoms in babies who have not begun to walk or talk.
Dave
The material I read describes young Sideria Hendricks of Forest Park, Illinois, only 10 years old, who has already suffered from two strokes. The first occurred on Christmas Eve a few years ago. Sideria suddenly couldn't speak, and her left arm and left leg went limp. She eventually recovered, but later she suffered a second minor stroke.
This young lady has sickle cell disease, which is among the more than 100 risk factors for strokes in babies, children and young adults that Dr. Jose Biller, chairman of the department of neurology at Loyola University Health System,has identified in a new publication. Although strokes are among the top ten causes of death in childhood, family members and doctors often are slow to recognize the symptoms.
Biller is co-author of new guidelines for the prevention and treatment of strokes in infants and children. The guidelines are published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Strokes can occur at any age -- even before birth. According to conservative estimates, about 3,200 strokes occur each year in youths under age 18. And more than 3,000 people under age 45 die of strokes each year. This age group accounts for between 5 percent and 10 percent of all strokes. Survivors can experience lifelong learning disabilities, seizures, movement disorders, language problems, cognitive deficits and paralysis on one side of the body. Between 6 percent and 20 percent of children who have strokes die, and at least half are left with some degree of disability.
"The impact of strokes in this age group is devastating to the child or young adult, their families and society," Biller said.
In older adults, about 85 percent of strokes are "ischemic," meaning they are caused by blood clots. About 15 percent are caused by hemorrhages (bleeding). By contrast, nearly half of strokes in children are caused by hemorrhages. Causes of hemorrhagic strokes in children include malformations of blood vessels in the brain, illicit drug use (cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, hallucinogens, amphetamine look-alikes, etc.) systemic infections, brain tumors and blood disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease can cause several different forms of stroke. For example, misshapen red blood cells can clog the flow of blood in the brain. To reduce the risk, Sideria receives blood transfusions every three weeks. The quicker a child or young adult is diagnosed and treated for a stroke, the better the outcome. But family members often are slow to recognize strokes. Symptoms can be more subtle in children. It's especially difficult to recognize symptoms in babies who have not begun to walk or talk.
Dave
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