A First For Ontario: Cardiac Stem Cell Transplant Performed At The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre

Heart Failure is a leading cause of death in Canada. As part of the ongoing IMPACT-CABG clinical trial to treat advanced heart failure, physicians at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre performed the first cardiac stem cell transplant in Ontario last week using stem cells derived from the patient's own bone marrow, isolated completely within the operating room, and implanted into the heart at the time of coronary bypass surgery. Researchers hope that stem cell therapy may be developed into a novel treatment for the 50,000 Canadians diagnosed each year with advanced heart failure.

The first patient to receive this type of stem cell therapy, James Culross, a 67-year-old man from Etobicoke, will be discharged this week after 2.83 million stem cells were injected into seven sites where his heart had been damaged by a heart attack in November 2011. The stem cells were injected following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, by a multi-disciplinary team led by Dr. Terrence Yau, Cardiac Surgeon and Director of the Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy Program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. A second patient underwent successful stem cell implantation and CABG surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre this week.

"When a patient suffers a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies and is replaced by scar. The larger the heart attack, the more likely that patient is to develop heart failure, in which the heart becomes progressively weaker. Patients develop shortness of breath, initially during activity but later at rest as heart failure progresses, and ultimately die of this disease," says Dr. Yau, who holds the Angelo & Lorenza DeGasperis Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery Research.

After a diagnosis of severe heart failure, the average life expectancy is one and a half years for men and three years for women, a prognosis worse than most cancers. Current treatments for heart attacks, including angioplasty, stenting and coronary bypass surgery, have saved many lives and prevented further heart attacks, but they cannot reverse the effect of heart attacks that have already occurred. While researchers hope that stem cell therapy will improve the function of hearts injured by heart attacks, the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy must first be clearly demonstrated in clinical trials such as the IMPACT-CABG Trial.

Using a novel process, unique in Canada, in which stem cells are isolated by means of a rigorously-tested process in the University Health Network's Organ Regeneration Laboratory, located entirely within operating room suite, researchers removed, prepared and injected the stem cells back into the patient on the same day.

"Manipulating the cells in-house preserves cell viability. Injecting the stem cells into the heart as soon as possible after they are isolated from the patient's bone marrow may improve their ability to improve heart function," says Dr. Richard Weisel, Cardiac Surgeon at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Senior Scientist at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

Here's how the process works: 100 millilitres of bone marrow is acquired the morning of the patient's bypass surgery from the iliac crest - the flat portion of the hip bone located near the lower back - which is rich in bone marrow. The bone marrow is then brought to the Organ Regeneration Laboratory, where research technicians use a clinical-grade magnetic separating device called the CliniMACS to separate the CD133 stem cells from other components of the bone marrow. During the stem cell isolation procedure, which takes four to six hours, the patient rests until their surgery, which is scheduled to begin in the early afternoon.

The end result is two millilitres of clear fluid containing several million stem cells that have been rigorously tested to ensure that they pass Health Canada-approved release criteria. The cells are brought in a sterile tube to the operating room where Dr. Yau's coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is underway. After the bypass grafts have been completed, Dr. Yau fills a syringe with the stem cells and injects them into the area of the heart that has been damaged by a heart attack.

"This intraoperative approach to cardiac stem cell therapy is an important component of the new Organ Regeneration Laboratory at the University Health Network," says Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, Surgeon-in-Chief at UHN. "Whether it is repairing hearts or lungs, the Organ Regeneration Laboratory is at the leading edge of regenerative medicine."

To date, over 500 heart patients worldwide have been treated with a variety of stem cell preparations. Eight patients have been treated at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal as part of the IMPACT-CABG Clinical Trial. Toronto and Montreal researchers will merge their results after each centre performs stem cell transplants in 20 patients. The objective of the IMPACT-CABG Trial is to demonstrate the safety of injecting stem cells into the hearts of patients undergoing CABG surgery, and to gather information on the feasibility and efficacy of this approach.

"This clinical trial marks an important milestone in regenerative medicine therapy at the University Health Network and paves the way for collaborative studies between scientists at the McEwen Centre and Dr. Yau and the team at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre," says Dr. Gordon Keller, Director of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

Dr. Barry Rubin, Medical Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, commented, "The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre is leading innovation into new treatments for cardiovascular diseases. We are very pleased to partner with scientists in the McEwen Centre and to work together to provide novel stem cell therapies for our patients."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240837.php


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NIH study shows caffeine consumption linked to estrogen changes

Moderate caffeine intake associated with higher level for Asians, lower for whites

Asian women who consumed an average of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day—the equivalent of roughly two cups of coffee—had elevated estrogen levels when compared to women who consumed less, according to a study of reproductive age women by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

However, white women who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day had slightly lower estrogen levels than women who consumed less. Black women who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day were found to have elevated estrogen levels, but this result was not statistically significant.

Total caffeine intake was calculated from any of the following sources: coffee, black tea, green tea, and caffeinated soda.

Findings differed slightly when the source of caffeine was considered singly. Consuming 200 milligrams or more of caffeine from coffee mirrored the findings for overall caffeine consumption, with Asians having elevated estrogen levels, whites having lower estrogen levels, and the results for blacks not statistically significant. However, consumption of more than one cup each day of caffeinated soda or green tea was associated with a higher estrogen level in Asians, whites, and blacks.

The changes in estrogen levels among the women who took part in the study did not appear to affect ovulation. Studies conducted in animals had suggested that caffeine might interfere with ovulation.

The study was published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"The results indicate that caffeine consumption among women of child-bearing age influences estrogen levels," said Enrique Schisterman, Ph.D., of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH institute where some of the research was conducted. "Short term, these variations in estrogen levels among different groups do not appear to have any pronounced effects. We know that variations in estrogen level are associated with such disorders as endometriosis, osteoporosis, and endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancers. Because long term caffeine consumption has the potential to influence estrogen levels over a long period of time, it makes sense to take caffeine consumption into account when designing studies to understand these disorders."

The study authors noted that 89 percent of U.S. women from 18-34 years of age consume the caffeine equivalent of 1.5 to two cups of coffee a day.

The study's first author was Karen C. Schliep, Ph. D., M.S.P.H., from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, who conducted the study during a research appointment at NICHD. Dr. Schliep undertook the research with Dr. Schisterman and colleagues at the University of Utah, the NICHD and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

More than 250 women from 18 to 44 years old participated in the study between 2005 and 2007. On average, they consumed 90 milligrams of caffeine a day, approximately equivalent to one cup of caffeinated coffee.

Most of the participants in the study reported to the study clinic one to three times a week for two menstrual cycles. Their visits were scheduled to correspond with specific stages of the menstrual cycle. At the visits, the women reported what they had eaten in the last 24 hours and answered questions about their exercise, sleep, smoking and other aspects of their lifestyle and reproductive hormone levels were measured in blood. The study authors noted that collection of these details during multiple time points across two menstrual cycles produced more precise information about the link between caffeine and hormones than was possible in earlier studies. The researchers also noted that the study participants were more racially diverse than those who took part in previous studies.

 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/nioc-nss012612.php

 

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How Estrogen Influences Mood Changes In Women

Women's emotional responses can vary significantly premenstrually. They may become depressed or grumpy during menstruation or the premenstrual phase, known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Roughly 75% of reproductive-age women report premenstrual mood swings or physical discomfort. Brain scans show a significant increase in activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex related to emotional processing premenstrually, even if women's emotional responses do not vary significantly. The relationship between estrogen and emotion was first investigated over 100 years ago, and it has been shown that estrogen can improve mood. Research has shown that during prepuberty, boys are twice as likely as girls to need psychotherapy. However, the opposite is true postpubertally. Women are twice as likely to develop anxiety or depressive disorders compared to men. Women's increased vulnerability to depressive disorders typically occurs between the beginning of puberty and the age of 55, in concert with estrogen level changes. In addition, it is believed that about 95% of women have recurrent psychosis or a noticeable increase in negative emotions along with the fluctuation in endogenous estrogen level. Therefore, understanding the relationship between estrogen level changes and cyclical mood disorders can provide a theoretical basis for improving female physical and mental health.

In their paper titled "Estrogen Impacts on Emotion: Psychological, Neuroscience and Endocrine Studies", Professor Luo Yue-Jia from the College of Brain and Cognitive Sciences of Beijing Normal University and Dr. Chen Chunping from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences systematically reviewed research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and endocrinology. The paper was published in Science China: Life Sciences. The authors hope the study will contribute to a better understanding of how estrogen affects female mood.

Estrogen has a wide range of effects on the body and brain. It exerts influence on the central nervous system through complex mechanisms of physiology and psychology. It can affect the generation and efficiency of neurotransmitters in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal lobes, which are important brain areas related to emotion and cognition. It also plays a role in changing emotional behavior by acting on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The genetic transcription of estrogen receptors can modulate emotional behavior, and estrogen can influence emotional processing via neuropsychological factors. It enhances the coding of emotion and recognition accuracy for facial expressions. Estrogen can also affect emotional arousal and change the intensity of emotional experiences.

Clinicians have long recognized estrogen's therapeutic potential for mood change. Self-rated depression scores among oophorectomized women with depressive symptoms are significantly decreased by administration of estrogen, alone or in combination with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine. In addition, estrogen replacement therapy is often used in postmenopausal women to improve mood, energy level and general well-being. However, estrogen is not simply a natural "physiological protectant". Some have reported that estrogen administration does not improve mood and even causes fear and anxiety. Therefore, the impact of estrogen on emotion varies and may depend on the individual's current state and the situation.

The authors believe that hormones do not exert an absolute and singular effect on the body. They regulate physical and psychological changes in numerous dimensions. Thus, the influence of estrogen on women's emotion is related to multiple systems. If we achieve a comprehensive understanding of the internal mechanisms related to emotional changes and estrogen, we can provide a theoretical support system to help address female emotional disorders. The authors also believe that the psychological, neurological and endocrine systems are interdependent. Therefore, an effective blending of psychology, biology and physiology is needed. This was the original intention of the paper.

Currently, a team led by Professor Luo Yue-Jia in cooperation with Professor Huang Ruiwang from South China Normal University continues to carry out related studies using electroencephalograms and magnetic resonance imaging as well as behavioral and biochemical techniques. In addition to the study of the relationship between estrogen and emotion, we have extended the research to ovarian hormones and complex social cognition.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240611.php


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New Standard For Vitamin D Testing To Ensure Accurate Test Results

At a time of increasing concern about low vitamin D levels in the world's population and increased use of blood tests for the vitamin, scientists are reporting development of a much-needed reference material to assure that measurements of vitamin D levels are accurate. The report appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry.

Karen Phinney and colleagues explain that medical research suggests vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency may be even more common than previously thought and a risk factor for more than just bone diseases. An estimated 50-75 percent of people in the U.S. may not have enough vitamin D in their bodies. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to the development of several conditions, including rickets (soft and deformed bones), osteoporosis, some cancers, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. People can make their own vitamin D simply by rolling up their shirt sleeves and exposing their skin to sunlight. But for those cooped up in offices all day long, food and dietary supplements also can provide vitamin D. With this renewed interest in vitamin D, scientists need an accurate way to measure its levels in the blood. Measuring vitamin D itself doesn't work because it is rapidly changed into another form in the liver. That's why current methods detect levels of a vitamin D metabolite called 25(OH)D. However, the test methods don't always agree and produce different results. To help laboratories come up with consistent and accurate methods, the researchers developed a Standard Reference Material called SRM 972, the first certified reference material for the determination of the metabolite in human serum (a component of blood).

The researchers developed four versions of the standard, with different levels of the vitamin D metabolites 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 in human serum. They also determined the levels of 3-epi-25(OH)D in the adult human serum samples. Surprisingly, they found that this metabolite - previously thought to only exist in the blood of infants - was present in adult serum. "This reference material provides a mechanism to ensure measurement accuracy and comparability and represents a first step toward standardization of 25(OH)D measurements," say the researchers.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240790.php


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Position Statement On The Role Of Vitamin D In Postmenopausal Women Published In Maturitas

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has announced the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in journal Maturitas on the role of vitamin D in postmenopausal women with summary recommendations.

Vitamin D deficiency is common and may affect up to 70% of Europeans. It is classified as a public health issue as it can contribute to many diseases, especially osteoporosis. EMAS has risen to the challenge of increasing awareness of vitamin D deficiency to women and health professionals. The position statement describes the implications of vitamin D deficiency and provides clear recommendations on why and how adequate levels should be maintained.

Osteoporosis is a common condition in postmenopausal women leading to bone fractures. However, there is now evidence that vitamin D deficiency is also associated with other medical conditions important in older women. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, infections and neurodegenerative disease. The major natural source of vitamin D is cutaneous synthesis through exposure to sunlight with a small amounts also coming from the diet in animal-based foods such as fatty fish, eggs and milk. Levels of vitamin D are lower in those with poor sun exposure and in the winter. Obesity, malabsorption syndromes and certain medications (e.g. anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals) can also lower vitamin D levels. Regular sunlight exposure (without sunscreens) for 15 minutes, 3-4 times a week, in the middle of the day in summer can generate healthy levels. Supplements of vitamin D are recommended for those women who cannot obtain the required quantity through sun exposure and diet. The recommended daily allowance is 600 IU/day increasing to 800IU/day for those aged 71 years and older.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240795.php


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Gary Taubes: Why We Get Fat

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Appetite Sensation In The Brain Affected By Lack Of Sleep

New research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of becoming overweight in the long run. The findings are published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Researchers Christian Benedict and Helgi Schiöth, of the Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University, showed in an earlier article, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that a single night of total sleep loss in young normal weight men curbed the energy expenditure the next morning. This research also showed that subjects had increased levels of hunger, which indicates that an acute lack of sleep may affect human's food perception.

In a new study, Christian Benedict, together with Samantha Brooks, Helgi Schiöth and Elna-Marie Larsson from Uppsala University and researchers from other European universities, have now systematically examined which regions in the brain, involved in appetite sensation, are influenced by acute sleep loss. By means of magnetic imaging (fMRI) the researchers studied the brains of 12 normal-weight males while they viewed images of foods. The researchers compared the results after a night with normal sleep with those obtained after one night without sleep.

Christian Benedict explains:

"After a night of total sleep loss, these males showed a high level of activation in an area of the brain that is involved in a desire to eat. Bearing in mind that insufficient sleep is a growing problem in modern society, our results may explain why poor sleep habits can affect people's risk to gain weight in the long run. It may therefore be important to sleep about eight hours every night to maintain a stable and healthy body weight."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240499.php


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Child Obesity Linked To Chemical Phthalates

According to a study published online in the journal Environmental Research, a connection has been found between obesity in young children - including waist circumference and increased body mass index (BMI) - and exposure to the chemical group known as phthalates, by investigators from the Children's Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, The National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded the study.

Phthalates are manufactured, endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can mimic the body's natural hormones. Phthalates are primarily used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in products, such as wall and floor coverings, personal-care products, medical devices, and food processing materials.

Although it is known that poor diet and lack of exercise are associated with obesity, several studies suggest that environmental chemicals - including phthalates - could be linked to the increasing rates of childhood obesity.

This is the first investigation to analyze the association between exposure to phthalates and measurements used to identify obesity in children.

387 black and Hispanic children in New York City were enrolled to participate in the study. Using urine samples from the participants, the researchers measured phthalate concentrations. One year later, the participants' BMI, waist circumference, and height were measured.

The team discovered that more than 97% of study participants had been exposed to phthalates commonly found in personal care products, such as cosmetics, varnishes, perfume, lotions, and medication or nutritional supplement coatings. The phthalates included monoethyl phthalate (MEP), as well as other low molecular-weight phthalates.

Furthermore, they discovered a link between BMI and waist circumference among overweight children with concentrations of these phthalates. For instance, overweight girls with the highest exposure to MEP had a BMI 10% higher than girls with the lowest exposure to MEP.

Lead author of the study Susan Teitelbaum, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine explained:

"Research has shown that exposure to these everyday chemicals may impair childhood neurodevelopment, but this is the first evidence demonstrating that they may contribute to childhood obesity. This study also further emphasizes the importance of reducing exposure to these chemicals where possible."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese children aged 6 to 11 in the U.S. has increased from 7% in 1980, to over 40% in 2008. Currently, over 15% of children in the U.S. between 6 to 19 years of are considered obese, while over 1 in 5 children in public schools in New York City are obese.

Dr. Teitelbaum said:

"While the data are significant, more research is needed to definitively determine whether phthalate exposure causes increase in body size."

Written by Grace Rattue
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240639.php


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Appetite Accomplice: Ghrelin Receptor Alters Dopamine Signaling

New research reveals a fascinating and unexpected molecular partnership within the brain neurons that regulate appetite. The study, published by Cell Press in the January 26 issue of the journal Neuron, resolves a paradox regarding a receptor without its hormone and may lead to more specific therapeutic interventions for obesity and disorders of dopamine signaling.

Ghrelin is an appetite-stimulating hormone produced by the stomach. Although the ghrelin receptor (GHSR1a) is broadly distributed in the brain, ghrelin itself is nearly undetectable there. This intriguing paradox was investigated by Dr. Roy G. Smith, Dr. Andras Kern, and colleagues from The Scripps Research Institute in Florida. "We identified subsets of neurons in the brain that express both GHSR1a and the dopamine receptor subtype-2 (DRD2)," explains Dr. Smith. "Dopamine signaling in the hypothalamus is linked with feeding behavior, and mutations in DRD2 that attenuate dopamine signaling are associated with obesity in humans. We speculated that expression of both receptors in the same neurons might lead to interactions between GHSR1a and DRD2 that modify dopamine signaling."

The researchers showed that when GHSR1a and DRD2 were coexpressed, the receptors physically interacted with one another. Further, the GHSR1a:DRD2 complex was present in native hypothalamic neurons that regulate appetite. When mice were treated with a molecule (cabergoline) that selectively activates DRD2, they exhibited anorexia. Interestingly, the cabergoline-stimulated anorexia did not require ghrelin but was dependent on GHSR1a and the GHSR1a:DRD2 interaction. These findings suggest that in neurons expressing both GHSR1a and DRD2, GHSR1a alters classical DRD2 dopamine signaling.

"Perhaps most importantly, we showed that a GHSR1a-selective antagonist blocks dopamine signaling in neurons with both DRD2 and GHSR1a, which allows neuronal selective fine-tuning of dopamine signaling because neurons expressing DRD2 alone will be unaffected," concludes Dr. Smith. "This provides exciting opportunities for designing next-generation therapeutics with fewer side effects for both obesity and psychiatric disorders associated with abnormal dopamine signaling."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240766.php


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Brown Fat - Keeps You Warm And Keeps You Slim

People with more brown fat seem better able to stay warm when it is cold, Canadian researchers reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. They added that the findings of their study could eventually be used to find ways of fighting obesity. Not much has been known about brown fat, a type of good fat, until recently.

Brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT) is one of two types of fats found in humans, the other two being white or yellow fat. Hibernating mammals and newborns have especially high levels of brown fat. Its main function is to generate body heat in animals and newborns. White fat cells (adipocytes) contain a single lipid droplet, as opposed to brown adipocytes, which contain several smaller lipid droplets and a considerably higher number of iron-containing mitochondria. The high iron is said to give brown fat its brown color. There are more capillaries in brown fat than white fat, because its oxygen requirement is greater.

White fat accumulates around the waist and thighs, while brown fat appears to be concentrated in the front and back of the neck.

Experts say much remains to be known regarding brown fat, but the main differences between these two types appear to be:

• Brown fat burns through calories in order to generate heat
• White fat is a storage area for excess calories

Rats, mice and human newborns do not shiver when they are cold because they have higher levels of brown fat. Obese individuals, as well as those with diabetes type 2, have less brown fat than other people.

Scientists do not yet know how humans might be able to increase the amount of brown fat in their bodies. In this study, endocrinologist, Dr. André C. Carpentier, from Universite de Sherbrooke, and team set out to determine how humans might be able to switch on the brown fat so that it uses up fat. They found that exposure to cold temperatures seems to be the best trigger.

They found that when healthy adult volunteers were exposed to even slightly cold environments, their brown fat "turned on".

The team enrolled six healthy young men, whose weights ranged from normal, overweight to obese. An obese person has a BMI (body mass index) of at least 30.

All the participants had their brown fat levels measured before the experiment began. They were then placed into cooling suits which lowered the temperature of their skin by 3.8 Celcius. However, their core body temperatures stayed pretty much the same.

In an interview with CTV News, Dr. Carpentier said:

"During this exposure, these patients were slightly shivering. They were at
the threshold of shivering."

The researchers found a link between levels of brown fat and when people started to shiver from cold. The more brown fat a person had, the longer it took before he would start to shiver. They also reported that as soon as the men felt cold, their brown fat went into gear (became active and started burning calories).

Over a three-hour period, the authors explained that 250 extra calories were burned while the brown fat cells were active. This represents a 1.8 times higher calorie burn compared to a those men when resting at normal temperatures - equivalent to a walking rate of burning calories.

The scientists stressed that theirs was a very small study, consisting of only six volunteers. However, since their findings were consistent between subjects, they are sure they could be applied to other populations. They added that further, larger studies are required to confirm their findings.

How this may be relevant to weight loss is not clear, Carpentier added. He said that nobody yet knows whether activating brown cells to help weight loss or to treat diabetes type 2 is a good idea. Further studies are required to decide whether activating brown fat might have any therapeutic benefits.

Dr. Carpentier said to CTV news:

"It is still too early to cool yourself in a suit and in the hope that you will lose weight because we don't know how the body adapts over the long run to this type of stimulation, whether these stimulations can increase appetite or change the metabolism of the body over time."

The authors concluded in an Abstract in the journal:

"In sum, our study provides evidence that BAT acts as a nonshivering thermogenesis effector in humans."

Written by Christian Nordqvist
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240759.php


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The Effects Of 2 Common Sweeteners On The Body

With growing concern that excessive levels of fructose may pose a great health risk - causing high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes - researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, along with their colleagues at the University of Florida, set out to see if two common sweeteners in western diets differ in their effects on the body in the first few hours after ingestion. The study, recently published in the journal Metabolism, took a closer look at high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar (sucrose) and was led by Dr MyPhuong Le (now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado) and Dr Julie Johnson, a Professor of Pharmacogenomics at the University of Florida.

Both HFCS and sucrose have historically been considered to have nearly identical effects on the body. But this study finds that indeed there is a difference between the two. They found that the makeup of the sugars resulted in differences in how much fructose was absorbed into the circulation, and which could have potential impact on one's health. Sucrose is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose that is bonded together as a disaccharide (complex carbohydrate) and HFCS is a mixture of free fructose (55%) and free glucose (45%). It's the difference in fructose amount that appears to create the ill health effects on the body.

Their study was conducted at the University of Florida, where they evaluated 40 men and women who were given 24 ounces of HFCS- or sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Careful measurements showed that the HFCS sweetened soft drinks resulted in significantly higher fructose levels than the sugar-sweetened drinks. Fructose is also known to increase uric acid levels that have been implicated in blood pressure, and the HFCS-sweetened drinks also resulted in a higher uric acid level and a 3 mm Hg greater rise in systolic blood pressure.

Dr Richard Johnson, a coauthor in the study and Chief of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado, commented "Although both sweeteners are often considered the same in terms of their biological effects, this study demonstrates that there are subtle differences. Soft drinks containing HFCS result in slightly higher blood levels of fructose than sucrose-sweetened drinks, "said Johnson. "The next step is for new studies to address whether the long-term effects of these two sweeteners are different."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240697.php


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Raised Cardiovascular Risk For Adolescents Consuming Large Amounts Of Fructose

Evidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk is present in the blood of adolescents who consume a lot of fructose, a scenario that worsens in the face of excess belly fat, researchers report.

An analysis of 559 adolescents age 14-18 correlated high-fructose diets with higher blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance and inflammatory factors that contribute to heart and vascular disease.

Heavy consumers of the mega-sweetener also tend to have lower levels of cardiovascular protectors such as such as HDL cholesterol and adiponectin, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.

These dangerous trends are exacerbated by fat around their midsection, called visceral adiposity, another known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The association did not hold up for adolescents with more generalized, subcutaneous fat.

"It is so very important to provide a healthy balance of high-quality food to our children and to really pay close attention to the fructose and sucrose they are consuming at their home or anyone else's," said Dr. Vanessa Bundy, an MCG pediatric resident. Drs. Bundy and Norman Pollock, bone biologist at MCG's Georgia Prevention Institute are co-first authors on the study published in The Journal of Nutrition.

"The nutrition that caregivers provide their children will either contribute to their overall health and development or potentially contribute to cardiovascular disease at an early age," Bundy said. The best way caregivers can support healthy nutrition is to be good role models, she said. A healthy diet with plenty of physical activity - not dieting - is the best prescription for growing children.

"Adolescents consume the most fructose so it's really important to not only measure the levels of fructose but to look at what it might be doing to their bodies currently and, hopefully, to look at cardiovascular disease outcomes as they grow," Pollock said.

While animal studies have had similar findings, evidence in children is needed to support dramatic steps to curb consumption, such as asking schools to remove soda and other vending machines or, at least, to limit access, Pollock said. The researchers noted that more study is needed to flesh out the relationship between high fructose consumption and cardiovascular risk and whether these early associations forebode adult disease.

Fructose, or fruit sugar, is found in fruits and veggies but also in high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener used liberally in processed foods and beverages. Researchers suspect growing bodies crave the cheap, strong sweetener and companies often target young consumers in ads.

"Fructose itself is metabolized differently than other sugars and has some byproducts that are believed to be bad for us," Bundy said. "The overall amount of fructose that is in high fructose corn syrup is not much different than the amount in table sugar but it's believed there's something in the syrup processing that plays a role in the bad byproducts of metabolism."

The study took a "snapshot" of the adolescents' lives, looking at overall fructose consumption, general diet history and body fat.

"A unique aspect of our study design is that we took into account the fructose released from sucrose during digestion along with the fructose found in foods and beverages," Pollock said. "Because sucrose is broken down into fructose and glucose before it arrives at the liver for metabolism, it is important to consider the additional fructose from sucrose when determining the overall health effect of fructose."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240747.php


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Well-Informed People Eat Better

A study by Italian researchers shows that the more people are informed by newspapers, television and the Internet, the more they stick to the Mediterranean diet, the healthiest eating pattern in the world

It is time to leave behind the belief that mass media are always a source of bad habits. Television, newspaper and the Internet, when used to get information, may turn out to be of help for health.

It is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Research Laboratories at the Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura "Giovanni Paolo II" in Campobasso which analyzed data from a sample of more than 1,000 people from the largest Moli-sani Project, the epidemiological study that recruited 25,000 subjects in Molise, a southern region of Italy.

The report, published on line in the International Journal of Public Health, is one of the first research considering the mass media information as a whole by taking into account the sources of information most used by people to get informed on several issues. So far scientists analyzed just the effects of television viewing on health, coming to negative conclusions.

"Scientific literature has mainly focused on television viewing, considered a risk factor for health mainly because it represents a measure of physical inactivity - says Marialaura Bonaccio, first author of the study and member of the Science communication unit at the Research Laboratories - Basically, watching TV is often linked to physical inactivity and snacking, with negative effects on obesity, a major cardiovascular risk factor. In our study we paid attention to the capacity of people to get informed by using mass media, including the Internet and newspapers or magazines. We sought to see whether most informed people had better eating habits than those less exposed to information".

Researchers from Campobasso conducted their study (called Moli-news) on more than 1,000 adult subjects randomly recruited from the general population. who participated to the epidemiological study Moli-sani. In addition to different information collected for the main project (medical information, lifestyle, dietary habits, etc) the participants to Moli-news also completed a specific questionnaire on mass media usage, from TV viewing to newspaper and magazine reading and surfing the Internet. Researchers had in the meantime created a score of mass media information exposure.

"Exposition to several media - explains Americo Bonanni, head of the Science communication unit of the Research Laboratories - has then been associated to lifestyle. We focused on eating habits, mainly on Mediterranean diet. Results have shown that people most exposed to information delivered by any mass media source, reported higher adherence to the Mediterranean-like eating patterns. The latter are considered as the most effective eating model for reducing the risk of chronic and neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, people resulting more informed reported higher consumption of some key foods of the Mediterranean diet pyramid, such as fruits and fresh fish, and a lower consumption of less healthy food such as animal fats".

"Information delivered by mass media - claims Giovanni de Gaetano director of the Research Laboratories - may appear fragmented or imprecise, especially when we talk about health and prevention. Our study has however provided data which may turn out to be very useful in a period in which to combat obesity increase, unhealthy dietary habits and diffused laziness we are urged to find new ways to communicate health. We should stop being suspicious of mass media. The next step will be to evaluate the single sources of information and to study the changes that the internet is introducing in the way people, mainly the youngest, get informed on health topics".

The Moli-sani Project is conducted by the Research Laboratories of the Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura "Giovanni Paolo II" in Campobasso, Italy. Started in March 2005, the study has recruited 25,000 citizens living in the Molise region, in order to investigate environmental and genetic factors responsible for cardiovascular disease and tumors. The Moli-sani study is changing the face of a whole Italian region by turning it into a large scientific laboratory.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240290.php

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Vitamin D Could Help Combat The Effects Of Aging In Eyes

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have found that vitamin D reduces the effects of ageing in mouse eyes and improves the vision of older mice significantly. The researchers hope that this might mean that vitamin D supplements could provide a simple and effective way to combat age-related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration (AMD), in people.

The research was carried out by a team from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and is published in the current issue of the journal Neurobiology of Ageing.

Professor Glen Jeffery, who led the work, explains "In the back of the eyes of mammals, like mice and humans, is a layer of tissue called the retina. Cells in the retina detect light as it comes into the eyes and then send messages to the brain, which is how we see. This is a demanding job, and the retina actually requires proportionally more energy than any other tissue in the body, so it has to have a good supply of blood. However, with ageing the high energy demand produces debris and there is progressive inflammation even in normal animals. In humans this can result in a decline of up to 30% in the numbers of light receptive cells in the eye by the time we are 70 and so lead to poorer vision."

The researchers found that when old mice were given vitamin D for just six weeks, inflammation was reduced, the debris partially removed, and tests showed that their vision was improved.

The researchers identified two changes taking place in the eyes of the mice that they think accounted for this improvement. Firstly, the number of potentially damaging cells, called macrophages, were reduced considerably in the eyes of the mice given vitamin D. Macrophages are an important component of our immune systems where they work to fight off infections. However in combating threats to the aged body they can sometimes bring about damage and inflammation. Giving mice vitamin D not only led to reduced numbers of macrophages in the eye, but also triggered the remaining macrophages to change to a different configuration. Rather than damaging the eye the researchers think that in their new configuration macrophages actively worked to reduce inflammation and clear up debris.

The second change the researchers saw in the eyes of mice given vitamin D was a reduction in deposits of a toxic molecule called amyloid beta that accumulates with age. Inflammation and the accumulation of amyloid beta are known to contribute, in humans, to an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the largest cause of blindness in people over 50 in the developed world. The researchers think that, based on their findings in mice, giving vitamin D supplements to people who are at risk of AMD might be a simple way of helping to prevent the disease.

Professor Jeffery said "When we gave older mice the vitamin D we found that deposits of amyloid beta were reduced in their eyes and the mice showed an associated improvement of vision. People might have heard of amyloid beta as being linked to Alzheimer's disease and new evidence suggests that vitamin D could have a role in reducing its build up in the brain. So, when we saw this effect in the eyes as well, we immediately wondered where else these deposits might be being reduced."

Professor Jeffery and his team then went on to study some of the blood vessels of their mice. They found that the mice that had been given the vitamin D supplement also had significantly less amyloid beta built up in their blood vessels, including in the aorta.

Professor Jeffery continues "Finding that amyloid deposits were reduced in the blood vessels of mice that had been given vitamin D supplements suggests that vitamin D could be useful in helping to prevent a range of age-related health problems, from deteriorating vision to heart disease."

Professor Jeffery thinks that this link between vitamin D and a range of age-related diseases might be linked to our evolutionary history. For much of human history our ancestors lived in Africa, probably without clothes, and so were exposed to strong sunlight all year round. This would have triggered vitamin D production in the skin. Humans have only moved to less sunny parts of the world and adopted clothing relatively recently and so might not be well adapted to reduced exposure to the sun. Secondly, life expectancy in the developed world has increased greatly over the past few centuries, so reduced exposure to vitamin D is now coupled with exceptionally long lifespan.

Professor Jeffery said "Researchers need to run full clinical trials in humans before we can say confidently that older people should start taking vitamin D supplements, but there is growing evidence that many of us in the Western world are deficient in vitamin D and this could be having significant health implications."

Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive said "Many people are living to an unprecedented old age in the developed world. All too often though, a long life does not mean a healthy one and the lives of many older people are blighted by ill health as parts of their bodies start to malfunction.

"If we are to have any hope of ensuring that more people can enjoy a healthy, productive retirement then we must learn more about the changes that take place as animals age. This research shows how close study of one part of the body can lead scientists to discover new knowledge that is more widely applicable. By studying the fundamental biology of one organ scientists can begin to draw links between a number of diseases in the hope of developing preventive strategies."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240393.php

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Deodorant Preservative Found In Breast Tissue From Cancer Patients

 new study led by the University of Reading in the UK that examined breast tissue samples from 40 women who underwent mastectomies for breast cancer, found they contained widespread traces of parabens, preservatives commonly used in deodorants, make-up, body lotions, moisturisers and many other cosmetic products. Although the study does not prove that parabens cause or even contribute to the development of breast cancer, it raises questions about their use.

Dr Philippa Darbre, of Reading's School of Biological Sciences led the study, a report on which appears in the 12 January online issue of the Journal of Applied Toxicology.

She told the press:

"These results are of concern because parabens have been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen and oestrogen can drive the growth of human breast tumours."

Darbre has been studying parabens and their effect when absorbed via the skin for more than ten years. In 2004 she published a smaller similar study that measured levels of parabens in tissue samples from 20 human breast tumors.

For this study, Darbre and colleagues examined a total of 160 tissue samples, four from each of 40 women who had had mastectomies for primary breast cancer in England between 2005 and 2008. In each patient, the samples came from four different serial locations from the axilla (nearest the armpit) to the sternum (breast bone).

158 of the 160 samples (99%) contained at least one parabens, and 96 of them (60%) contained five of them.

It was not possible to identify the source of the parabens in each case, but since seven of the women said they had never used antiperspirant-deodorant products, the researchers suggest this means the compounds entered the breast from other sources.

Darbre said:

"Many of the concentrations of the parabens measured in these breast tissues would be sufficient to drive the growth of oestrogen-dependent human breast cancer cells in the laboratory."

But she cautioned that the fact they detected the compounds in the majority of the samples does not mean we can assume they actually caused breast cancer in the participants.

"However," she said, "the fact that parabens were present in so many of the breast tissue samples does justify further investigation."

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240324.php

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Age-Related Blindness May Be Warded Off By Grapes

Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects.

The study compared the impact of an antioxidant-rich diet on vision using mice prone to developing retinal damage in old age in much the same way as humans do. Mice either received a grape-enriched diet, a diet with added lutein, or a normal diet.

The result? Grapes proved to offer dramatic protection: the grape-enriched diet protected against oxidative damage of the retina and prevented blindness in those mice consuming grapes. While lutein was also effective, grapes were found to offer significantly more protection.

"The protective effect of the grapes in this study was remarkable, offering a benefit for vision at old age even if grapes were consumed only at young age," said principal investigator Silvia Finnemann, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University in New York.

Dr. Finnemann noted that results from her study suggest that age-related vision loss is a result of cumulative, oxidative damage over time. "A lifelong diet enriched in natural antioxidants, such as those in grapes, appears to be directly beneficial for RPE and retinal health and function."

Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive eye condition, leading to the deterioration of the center of the retina, called the macula. It is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Aging of the retina is associated with increased levels of oxidative damage, and oxidative stress is thought to play a pivotal role in the development of AMD.

In AMD, there is a known decline in the function of retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE), which are the support cells for the photoreceptors in the retina that are critical to the process of converting light into sight. The RPE dysfunction is caused by 1) a build-up of metabolic waste products (known as lipofuscin) in the RPE itself and 2) an oxidation burden on the RPE that compromise important metabolic pathways. The resulting dysfunction, distress and often death of the RPE cells leads to AMD.

This study showed that adding grapes to the diet prevented blindness in mice by significantly decreasing the build-up of lipofuscin and preventing the oxidative damage to the RPE, thus ensuring optimal functioning of this critical part of the retina.

"Preserving eye health is a key concern as we age and this study shows that grapes may play a critical role in achieving this," said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. "This is good news for consumers of all ages who enjoy grapes, and adds to the growing body of evidence that grapes offer an array of health benefits."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240262.php

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Coffee Drinkers At Reduced Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

Why do heavy coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease on the increase around the world that can lead to serious health problems? Scientists are offering a new solution to that long-standing mystery in a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry.

Ling Zheng, Kun Huang and colleagues explain that previous studies show that coffee drinkers are at a lower risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90-95 percent of diabetes cases in the world. Those studies show that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily have a 50 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. And every additional cup of coffee brings another decrease in risk of almost 7 percent. Scientists have implicated the misfolding of a substance called human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) in causing Type 2 diabetes, and some are seeking ways to block that process. Zheng and Huang decided to see if coffee's beneficial effects might be due to substances that block hIAPP.

Indeed, they identified two categories of compounds in coffee that significantly inhibited hIAPP. They suggest that this effect explains why coffee drinkers show a lower risk for developing diabetes. "A beneficial effect may thus be expected for a regular coffee drinker," the researchers conclude.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240244.php

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In Overweight And Obese Adults A Diet Rich In Slowly Digested Carbs Reduces Markers Of Inflammation

Among overweight and obese adults, a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease, according to a new study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Such a "low-glycemic-load" diet, which does not cause blood-glucose levels to spike, also increases a hormone that helps regulate the metabolism of fat and sugar. These findings are published online ahead of the February print issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

The controlled, randomized feeding study, which involved 80 healthy Seattle-area men and women - half of normal weight and half overweight or obese - found that among overweight and obese study participants, a low-glycemic-load diet reduced a biomarker of inflammation called C-reactive protein by about 22 percent.

"This finding is important and clinically useful since C-reactive protein is associated with an increased risk for many cancers as well as cardiovascular disease," said lead author Marian Neuhouser, Ph.D., R.D., a member of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center. "Lowering inflammatory factors is important for reducing a broad range of health risks. Showing that a low-glycemic-load diet can improve health is important for the millions of Americans who are overweight or obese."

Neuhouser and colleagues also found that among overweight and obese study participants, a low-glycemic-load diet modestly increased - by about 5 percent - blood levels of a protein hormone called adiponectin. This hormone plays a key role in protecting against several cancers, including breast cancer, as well as metabolic disorders such as type-2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hardening of the arteries.

"Glycemic load" refers to how the intake of carbohydrates, adjusted for total grams of carbohydrate, affects blood-sugar levels. Lentils or pinto beans have a glycemic load that is approximately three times lower than instant mashed potatoes, for example, and therefore won't cause blood-sugar levels to rise as quickly.

Study participants completed two 28-day feeding periods in random order - one featuring high-glycemic-load carbohydrates, which typically are low-fiber, highly processed carbs such as white sugar, fruit in canned syrup and white flour; and the other featuring low-glycemic-load carbohydrates, which are typically higher in fiber, such as whole-grain breads and cereals. The diets were identical in carbohydrate content, calories and macronutrients. All food was provided by the Hutchinson Center's Human Nutrition Laboratory, and study participants maintained weight and physical activity throughout.

"Because the two diets differed only by glycemic load, we can infer that the changes we observed in important biomarkers were due to diet alone," Neuhouser said.

"The bottom line is that when it comes to reducing markers of chronic-disease risk, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Quality matters," she said. "There are easy dietary changes people can make. Whenever possible, choose carbohydrates that are less likely to cause rapid spikes in blood glucose." These types of low-glycemic-load carbs include whole grains; legumes such as kidney beans, soy beans, pinto beans and lentils; milk; and fruits such as apples, oranges, grapefruit and pears. Neuhouser also recommends avoiding high-glycemic-load carbohydrates that quickly raise blood glucose. These include highly processed foods that are full of white sugar and white flour, and sugar-sweetened beverages and breakfast cereals.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240259.php

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