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December 10, 2001 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Trial of doxycycline for chronic seronegative arthritis
While the concept that certain patients arthritis may be iniated by an infective agent is wonderful, the findings in this study that antibiotics do not change the outcome is not at all surprising. Much evidence points to the scenario that an infectious agent (more often than not from the GI tract) upregulates the entire immune system. This upregulation ultimately results in the body attacking its own tissues. The key for these patients is to down regulate the immune system. This can be done with elimination diets, avoidance of refined carbs, essential fatty acids, exercise and natural anti-inflammatories. Ann Rheum Dis -- Abstracts: Smieja et al. 60 (12): 1088 http://ard.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/60/12/1088
Many people are taking insulin-like growth factor-I w/o knowing it
This is one of those letters to the editor that makes me smile with further vindication for my anti-dairy recommendations. The author makes a nicely referenced point about the dangers of elevated IGF in humans (and especially children and patients with increased intestinal permeability) and how our current better-than-Mother-Nature approach using bovine growth hormone increases the levels and bioactivity of IGF in milk. Think of this next time you see that smiling face and milk mustache on a billboard. wjm -- Mercola and Mermer 175 (6): 378 http://www.ewjm.com/cgi/content/full/175/6/378
Walnuts and LDL in hypercholesterolemic men
Far too often I hear of patients who avoid nuts, olive oil and avacodos because they are "fattenning" or may raise cholesterol. I've given up pulling my hair out over this issue. Just because a food has fat in it does not in any way mean that it will end up as adipose tissue. Quite the opposite as yet another study proves. This study compared a walnut-enriched diet to a Mediterranean-type diet and found excellent results. We are starting to see the potential for modification of an excellent dietary pattern (the Mediterranean diet) with the additional of other beneficial foods. J. Lipid Res. -- Abstracts: Muņoz et al. 42 (12): 2069 http://www.jlr.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/12/2069
Iron supplementation on oxidative stress and colonic inflammation
This is a study done on rats that demonstrates iron as a pro-oxidant in ulcerative colitits. A few interesting notes here. First, this once again identifies oxidative stress and the subsequent use of antioxidants as a tool for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitits. Secondly, this adds increasing evidence to the concept of iron as being a not-so-friendly nutrient in higher levels. If iron supplementation is indicated, strategies to implement would be to ensure adequate gastric acid levels (needed for proper absorption), take iron along with Vit C (they bind together and increase absorption) and use higher-quality forms of iron such as glycinates and amino acid chelates. Synergy : Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 15 (12), 1989-1999 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/Journals/content/abstracts/apt/2001/15/12/abstract_apt1113.asp?journal=apt&issueid=7925&artid=144395&cid=apt.2001.14&ftype=abstractsa
Antioxidant vitamins make lipid lowering drugs less effective
This article is actually a review of an article in New England Journal of Medicine. I thought I would link this article instead of the original because the title is a bit more shocking. The original article does not dramatize the antioxidant's effect like this one does. The results of the study show that antioxidant use blunts niacin and simvastatin's increase of HDL cholesterol. This author suggests that antioxidants should not be used along with these meds. I still choke on this response even after reading it several times. Antioxidants have shown consistantly to play a major role in protection against many chronic disease; CVD included. To suggest that a patient with CVD avoid antioxidants flies in the face of many studies. Considering that antioxidants can help to reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol I would consider their use with hypercholesterolemia essential. Keep in mind that this current study was small and can not be extrapolated to the population at large. bmj.com Gottlieb 323 (7325): 1323a http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/323/7325/1323/a
Mushroom Inhibit Aromatase, Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation
Aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen at the cell. This study demonstrates one particular mushroom's ability to block this enzyme and potentially lover risk of breast cancer. This may also be effective with estrogen dominant PMS as well. nutrition.org -- Abstracts: Grube et al. 131 (12): 3288 http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/131/12/3288
A Transgenic Model of Visceral Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome
This article takes a new look at an old problem--visceral abdominal fat is the fat that creates the increased disease risk seen with obesity. Although excess cortisol has been implicated in a major causative factor leading to harmful changes in these cells, there are no studies that have been able to identify elevated levels in obesity. This study (done with mice) confirms the possibility that visceral adipose tissues have increased levels of intracellular cortisol which leads to metabolic changes. Science -- Abstracts: Masuzaki et al. 294 (5549): 2166 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/294/5549/2166