January 25, 2001 Research Update

James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiropractic.com
www.lifecarechiropractic.com

The hormone resistin links obesity to diabetes

This is really an exciting new discovery in human health. Just a few years back the hot hormone was leptin, and the discovery of leptin helped to clarify a little further the links between insulin and body mass. It is very possibly that this new hormone, resistin, may fill in the gaps even further. Feature of the week > Resistin diabetes a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/fow/010118.html" class="roll" target="_blank"> http://www.nature.com/nature/fow/010118.html

Age-related changes of sex hormones, IGF-1 levels in men

This study identifies a decrease in levels of circulating IGF-1 levels in men as they age. Many in the anti-aging camp would jump on this as support for the use of growth hormone (which stimulates release of IGF-1) as a fountain of youth. Too many times in the past we have jumped on just such a bandwagon; DHEA, colostrum and many others. Many times, what we find when we dig deeper is that these hormonal levels have dropped because of some shift in metabolism; either as a result of deficiencies in some nutrient or as a protective factor. I always hesitate to mess with Mother Nature. Lets work on quality of life, not quantity. Synergy Abstract http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/journals/processfree2.asp?contentid=cen%2E2000%2E12&filetype=abstracts&article=86160

Friendly streptococci & recurrences of acute and secretory otitis media

This is it!! Although this is a small pilot study, this is the evidence to support everything natural practitioners have been saying for many, many years. When you kill off the flora that is supposed to be there, you decrease the body's ability to protect itself. This study uses normal flora sprayed into the nose to prevent further infection after use of antibiotics. Such a safe and effective therapy to lower the need for antibiotics. Don't hold your breath, but I hope very much that this story receives the public attention it deserves. bmj.com Abstracts: Roos et al. 322 (7280): 210 http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/322/7280/210

Environmental Lead Exposure and Progressive Renal Insufficiency

We are seeing a common theme here regarding the damaging effects that heavy metals have on our health. Cognitive function, kidney problems, hypertension. I'm sure the list will continue to grow. And, considering that vitamin C has a tendency to reduce the absorption of lead, the lowered intake of fruits and vegetables in the US population may lead to higher and higher intakes of lead. Not a good combination. Environmental Lead Exposure and Progressive Renal Insufficiency http://archinte.ama-assn.org/issues/v161n2/abs/ioi00107.html

Lead Levels May Predict Hypertension Risk

A few weeks ago an article was reviewed suggesting a possible link between lead and cognitive decline in the elderly. While I am strongly against the "one cause, one cure" philosophy, it is be possible that heavy metals may be a major contributor to the decline of our health with age. Avoiding heavy metal intake (drinking water, amalgam fillings, processed foods, polluted air, poor quality supplements...) and chelating out the metals already present in our body are smart routes to take.

Am J Epidemiol 2001;153:164-171 New study findings strengthen the hypothesis that cumulative exposure to lead is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. Dr. Howard Hu of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and colleagues conducted a substudy of the Normative Aging Study to determine the relationship between lead exposure and hypertension. The cohort included 337 men with normal blood pressure, 182 with borderline hypertension and 314 with definite hypertension. The risk of hypertension was associated with bone lead levels, but not blood lead levels, Dr. Cheng's group reports. Of the 519 participants who did not have hypertension at baseline, 474 of whom returned for at least one follow-up visit, 74 developed hypertension between 1991 and 1997. In a proportional hazards model that adjusted for age, age squared, body mass index and family history of hypertension, the rate ratio was 1.49 for an increase in tibia lead levels from the midpoint of the bottom quintile to the midpoint of the top quintile, according to the report. For patella lead levels, the corresponding rate ratio was 1.71. After controlling for baseline systolic pressure, Dr. Cheng's team found that the increased risk associated with lead levels persisted. "In the present study, bone lead, but not blood lead, was associated with an increased incidence of hypertension, suggesting that the hypertensive effect of lead is more likely to be a chronic than an acute phenomenon," the researchers speculate. They note that if the association is proved to be causal, it may have a major effect on public health, since "rapid industrialization and the continued use of leaded gasoline appear to be increasing lead exposure throughout the developing world."

Musculoskeletal Work Injuries Cost US Nearly $54 Billion Annually

This one is, of course, near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, many musculoskeletal injuries manage to go on long after they could've been resolved. Many studies prove chiropractic's efficacy and cost-effectiveness with these types of injuries, and yet the majority of these patients do not see DCs. I know personally that carpal tunnel problems, usually considered a serious and expensive condition, can respond very rapidly with little cost and intervention using trigger point therapy and mobilization of the carpal bones.

(article) Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the lower back and extremities affect 1 million US workers each year, costing the nation as much as $54 billion in compensation expenditures, lost wages and decreased productivity, according to a new report from the National research Council and the Institute of Medicine. Well-designed intervention programs can reduce MSDs associated with heavy lifting, repetitive and forceful motions, stressful work environments and other factors, according to the report released Wednesday. But the report cautioned that such programs must be adapted to address specific injuries, organizations, equipment and company procedures. The cost of work-related MSDs could be reduced between 25% and 50% in some instances with interventions, Dr. Jeremiah Barondess, chair of the panel that wrote the report and president of the New York Academy of Medicine, told Reuters Health. However, the scientific literature is "not very good" of the cost-benefit of such interventions, Dr. Barondess said. Among its recommendations, the panel said that more efforts to compare intervention outcomes are needed. "Everybody potentially faces some of these problems," said panel member Dr. David Wegman, professor and chair of the department of work environment at the University of Massachusetts College of Engineering, in Lowell. MSDs "are not uniquely caused by work, but work is an important component and dominant component," he pointed out in an interview with Reuters Health. Although workers in nearly all jobs are susceptible to MSDs, construction work, carpentry, operation of industrial truck or tractor equipment, nursing or nursing support, and cleaning and janitorial work are among the highest-risk jobs, the report noted.

Postchallenge Glucose, Glycemic Spikes vs Fasting Glucose, HbA1c

This study suggests that the old standard, oral glucose tolerance test is still more effective at predicting artherosclerosis than the "newer" methods. The OGGT is still one of the best ways to check for insulin resistance, but only if both glucose AND insulin levels are checked at the same time. In the OGGT, the patient drinks a solution w/ a specific amount of glucose in it, and then the blood is checked at specific time intervals. If all you check is glucose, then you have no idea how much insulin is being needed to produce these levels. If it takes alot of insulin to produce a "normal" glucose response, than you have insulin resistance.

Diabetes Care 23(12):1830-1834, 2000 Objective: To observe the relationship of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postchallenge plasma glucose (PG) (30, 60, 90, and 120 min during an oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT], as well as maximal PG during an OGTT, postchallenge glucose spikes [PGS], and glucose under the OGTT curve), and HbA1c to intima-media thickness (IMT) as a marker of atherosclerosis. Conclusions: PG and PGS are more strongly associated with carotid IMT than FPG and HbA1c level and modify substantially the risk for atherosclerosis, estimated by HbA1c alone, in a cohort at risk for diabetes and in the early diabetes stage.

Consumer Group Damns US Regulation of Genetically Altered Foods

Unfortunately, few people here in the US are aware of the term "genetically modified" when it comes to food. "So what??" would be many's reply; however, it is a very real possibility that, by altering nature, we are creating proteins that our bodies have never seen before, setting up the stage for all kinds of new food allergies, sensitivites and diseases. This really can be quite serious...

(article) The US government, in its enthusiasm to speed genetically altered foods to the market, has forsaken its responsibility to regulate in the public interest and allows the companies that make and sell those products to decide their safety, a new report by the Consumer Federation of America concludes. "That system assumes that a company with a big investment in a new product can always be trusted to put the public interest first, and it assumes that one of those companies will never make a mistake," CFA's Carol Tucker Foreman said at a briefing held to release the report. The hands-off regulatory approach is hobbling US companies' efforts to export their biotech products, the report contends. Both the European Union and Brazil, which are cited in the report, require mandatory review and labeling of all biotech foods, and have frowned on US imports because of what they view as lax regulation in this country. According to the report, worldwide sales of genetically modified foods grew an estimated $75 million in 1995, when the first commercial plantings occurred, to approximately $2.3 billion in 1999. More than 40 modified food plants have been marketed in the US for general use, most of them corn and soy products.