May14, 2001 Research Update

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

Efficacy of Concentrated n-3 Fatty Acids in Hypertriglyceridaemia

This study compares one pharmaceutical preparation for lowering lipids vs fatty acids and finds Gemfibrozil more effective. However, we are once again try to take a piece of natural medicine and trying to fit it into the Western medicine mold. Instead of just n-3 fatty acids (which I would rather see patients get from fish and nuts instead of a supplement), I would add exercise, limited soy products, probiotics, avoidance of refined carbs....The approach goes on and on. I would love to start seeing comparisons of approaches, not tools.

Clin Drug Invest 21(3):175-181, 2001 Our study indicated that both n-3 fatty acids and gemfibrozil markedly decreased TG levels in patients with severe hypertriglyceridaemia. Gemfibrozil, however, decreased TG levels and increased HDL-C significantly more than n-3 fatty acids.

Dietary Changes Improve Autistic Symptoms in Some Patients

I firmly believe that there is a large percentage of autistic patients that can be cured or at least reduced in severity of the condition. These patients are the ones that have had their mental condition affected by dairy, food allergies, refined carbs, food preservatives or even food colorings. It may turn out to be only a small percentage of the autistic population (which I do not believe) but what harm would a trial of dietary changes cause? None. The parents of autistic patients have nothing to lose by trying some of these methods.

12th International Conference on Autism Elimination of dairy, gluten and other food components dramatically improves the symptoms of children and adults with autism, according to preliminary results presented Thursday at the 12th International Conference on Autism, held at Durham University in the UK. Previous studies suggest that more than 50% of autistic children show significant improvements when dairy products and gluten are eliminated from their diet, explained Dr. Ted Kniker from the San Antonio Autistic Treatment Center in Texas. "The theory is that poorly-degraded food proteins leak from the gut into the blood, and peptides with opioid activity adversely affect brain function," he said. At the Durham meeting, Dr. Kniker reported findings from the first phase of a two-part case-control study of 28 individuals with autism, living in full-time residential homes. The study team collected baseline data in January this year, and assessed dietary and medical histories, urine peptide profiles, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist, and behavioral information. During the first phase of the 3-month intervention, milk and dairy products, food colorings, grains, caffeine, and other food components were eliminated from the diet, and the same data were collected again. Dr. Kniker explained that 10 of 28 participants changed dramatically. "Five of these ten improved in many of the parameters examined, but to our surprise, the other five deteriorated." He added that "the deterioration experienced by the five individuals may be explained if the removal of these foods unmasked negative effects of other foods that they may not ordinarily consume."

Low Bone Density Associated W/ Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer

I must admit that this title was a little bit disturbing to me. Of course, knowing that estrogen does have an effect on slowing the rate of bone loss while at the same time being considered a carcinogen, does clear things up for myself. These may not even be a direct link so try not to jump the gun just yet and focus hard on lowering your bone density to reduce your risk of breast cancer. It may be that women who do not exercise have higher bone desities and become obese. Obesity and lack of exercise will further contribute to osteoporosis and breast cancer....so the reverse must logically also fit in somewhere.

J Clin Epidemiol 2001;54:417-422 Women in the lowest quartile for bone mineral density (BMD) appear to have the lowest risk of breast cancer, based on an analysis of data from the Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT). According to lead investigator Dr. Diane S. M. Buist, this is the largest such study to date in terms of number of people evaluated and age distribution. The investigators note in their paper that BMD represents "a composite measure of exposure to many different factors throughout ones lifetime," and that an exploration of these factors may point to an explanation for the association between BMD and breast cancer. "We are not making any clinical recommendation for BMD being used as a screening mechanism for breast cancer," Dr. Buist stressed. "What we do know is that BMD has some intriguing relationships with breast cancer."

Fasting Insulin, Triglycerides Predict Insulin Sensitivity

This study evaluated 9 different factors that are related to insulin sensitivity and found that fasting insulin was one of the best ways to determine insuline sensitivity. This is good news because a fasting insulin is a much easier lab test than a oral glucose tolerance test. With the high prevalence of insulin resistance, I feel that fasting insulin should be a standard part of all blood workup.

Diabetes Care 2001;24:460-464 Log-transformed fasting insulin and fasting triglyceride values are the best of nine predictors of insulin sensitivity in the general population, according to a study conducted in New Zealand. Dr. Kirsten McAuley, of Otago University, in Dunedin, and associates compared the nine factors with results of euglycemic insulin clamping among 178 normoglycemic individuals deemed similar to the general population with respect to blood pressure, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. According to the investigators' report in the March issue of Diabetes Care, 42% of the sample met criteria for insulin resistance. They found that a fasting insulin of >12.2 mU/L was at least as good at predicting insulin resistance as homeostasis model assessment, insulin-to-glucose ratio, and the Bennett index. "Variables most strongly correlated with insulin sensitivity were fasting insulin, fasting triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase