Nutrition

Iron Supplements Boost Physical Performance in Women

Medscape Medical News Steven Fox April 16, 2014 Daily iron supplementation can boost physical performance in women of reproductive age (WRA), according to findings from a new review of the literature. The researchers who conducted the study said their findings provide a strong rationale for preventing and treating iron deficiencies among women. The study, by […]

More Fractures Seen When Vitamin D Is Consistently Low

Norra MacReady April 15, 2014 Prolonged low levels of vitamin D increase long-term fracture risk in elderly women, a new study confirms. Low serum vitamin D levels at baseline and at a 5-year follow-up examination were associated with a significantly increased incidence of hip fractures at a 10-year follow-up examination, lead author David Buchebner, PhD, […]

Chinese Herb Proves Effective in RA

by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today April 15, 2014 A plant extract used in traditional Chinese medicine was as effective as methotrexate for the short-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and was superior when the two agents were given in combination, an open-label randomized trial showed. At 6 months, 46.4% of patients receiving methotrexate had improved by […]

Vitamin D and central hypersensitivity in patients with chronic pain

Pain Med. 2014 Sep;15(9):1609-18. doi: 10.1111/pme.12454. Epub 2014 Apr 14. von Känel R1, Müller-Hartmannsgruber V, Kokinogenis G, Egloff N. Abstract BACKGROUND: Low vitamin D is implicated in various chronic pain conditions with, however, inconclusive findings. Vitamin D might play an important role in mechanisms being involved in central processing of evoked pain stimuli but less so for spontaneous clinical […]

The Questionable Benefits of Exchanging Saturated Fat With Polyunsaturated Fat

Mayo Clinic Proceedings April 2014 Volume 89, Issue 4, Pages 451–453 Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD For many years we have been told that to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), we must lower our intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and instead eat more carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Backed up by the National Cholesterol Education […]

Mediterranean diet and prostate cancer risk and mortality in the health professionals follow-up study

European Urology, 04/14/2014  Clinical Article Full Story PubMed Reference Journal Reference Kenfield SA, et al. – This study aims to determine whether the traditional Med–Diet pattern is associated with risk of incident advanced or lethal PCa and with PCa–specific and overall mortality among men with PCa. A higher Med–Diet score was not associated with risk of advanced […]

Vitamin D and risk of cause specific death

Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort and randomised intervention studies Chowdhury R, et al. Show all BMJ. 2014 Apr 1;348:g1903. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g1903. Comment in BMJ. 2014;348:g2280. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which circulating biomarker and supplements of vitamin D are associated with mortality from cardiovascular, cancer, or other conditions, under various circumstances. DESIGN: Systematic review and […]

Vitamin D and Depression

Reference: “Vitamin D and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing Studies with and without Biological Flaws,” Spedding S, Nutrients, 2014 April 11; 6(4): 1501-18. (Address: Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia, City East Campus, North Tce, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia. E-mail: spedding@adam.com.a ). Summary: In a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies […]

Vitamin D May Pare BP for Blacks

Published: Apr 11, 2013 By Crystal Phend , Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Story Source Action Points Blacks have higher rates of hypertension than whites in the U.S. and also have lower circulating levels of 25(OH)D. In this study, 3 months of vitamin D supplementation had a small to modest effect to lower systolic blood […]

Fish Oil Helps In Resistant Major Depression in Adolescents

Detection and treatment of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid deficiency in adolescents with SSRI-resistant major depressive disorder Robert K. McNamara PharmaNutrition Volume 2, Issue 2, April 2014, Pages 38–46 Highlights • SSRI-resistant adolescent MDD patients exhibit robust erythrocyte long-chain omega-3 (LCn−3) fatty acid deficits. • Fish oil supplementation significantly increases erythrocyte LCn−3 fatty acid levels in […]

A Randomized Pilot Trial of a Moderate Carbohydrate Diet Compared to a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet in Overweight or Obese Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus or Prediabetes

Authors: Laura R. Saslow, Sarah Kim, Jennifer J. Daubenmier, Judith T. Moskowitz, Stephen D. Phinney, et al. PLOSOne, April 2014 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0091027 BACKGROUND: Research has shown that cutting back on carbs may help control symptoms of diabetes. METHODS: The authors compared the effects of moderate carbohydrate diet (MCD) and very low carbohydrate Diet (VLCD) on health-related […]

Drinking Milk Might Slow Osteoarthritis Progression

Medscape Medical News Janis C. Kelly April 08, 2014 Regular consumption of milk was associated with slower progression of joint damage in women with osteoarthritis (OA), but regular consumption of cheese was associated with more joint damage, Bing Lu, MD, DrPH, and colleagues report in an article published online April 6 in Arthritis Care & Research. “Dietary factors […]

Mediterranean Diet Provides No Benefit for Dry Eye Syndrome

PracticeUpdate Research · May 01, 2014 Full Story Journal Reference TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors studied the effect of a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) and vitamin D levels on dry eye syndrome (DES). In a large cohort of men, following the MeDi was associated with an increased risk of DES and increased severity of the disease. Conversely, […]

‘Usual’ Sodium Intake Seems to Hit Right Balance

Published: Apr 6, 2014 | Updated: Apr 6, 2014 By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points This meta-analysis evaluated the relationship between individual measures of dietary sodium intake versus outcome, in cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. Investigators found a U-shaped association such that both low sodium intakes and high sodium intakes […]

Multivitamins: Is the Jury Still Out?

JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH April 04, 2014 Hello. This is Dr. JoAnn Manson, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Today I want to talk about multivitamins. Is the jury still out? Should we be recommending multivitamins for our patients? Do we know who is a good […]

Yogurt and dairy product consumption to prevent cardiometabolic diseases: epidemiologic and experimental studies

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 04/03/2014  Clinical Article  Full Story PubMed Reference Journal Reference Astrup A – Dairy products contribute important nutrients to the diet, including energy, calcium, protein, and other micro– and macronutrients. However, dairy products can be high in saturated fats, and dietary guidelines generally recommend reducing the intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to […]

Doubt Over Role of Vitamin D, Even to Limit Fractures

Becky McCall April 03, 2014 Full Story New results from extensive analyses of observational and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) suggest that vitamin D given alone does not appear to increase bone-mineral density or reduce the risk for fractures or falls in older people, contrary to many previous reports. The research also signifies that a clear […]

Mediterranean dietary pattern, inflammation and endothelial function

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Apr 2. pii: S0939-4753(14)00109-4. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2014.03.003. [Epub ahead of print] Mediterranean dietary pattern, inflammation and endothelial function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials. Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G. Abstract BACKGROUND: High adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with reduced all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. To our knowledge, […]

Most People Don’t Consume Too Much Sodium, Study Suggests

news@JAMA BY REBECCA VOELKER on APRIL 2, 2014 Most people may be better off healthwise if they don’t change their current sodium consumption levels, new research suggests. Sodium intake has become controversial recently, as newer studies questioned recommendations limiting daily intake to no more than 2300 mg, which is the equivalent of about 1 teaspoon […]

Egg consumption and cardiovascular disease among diabetic individuals

Systematic review of the literature Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, 03/28/2014  Review Article Tran NL, et al. – This study reviewed epidemiological and experimental evidence on the relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) individuals, and T2DM risk in nondiabetic subjects. Differences in study […]