October 9, 2000 Research Update

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

Baby food industry lobbies WHO on breast feeding advice

The World Health Organization current recommends 4-6 months for breast feeding and is considering changing this to 6 months. Evidence continues to mount for the benefits of breastfeeding, and yet baby food manufacturers are resisting the WHO's push for 6 months. bmj.com Yamey 321 (7261): 591 http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7261/591

Diet Affects Lung Health

Many patients today are looking for quick fixes to their problems, whether that fix is a prescription drug or an herb or vitamin depends on the current attitude in healtcare. But man will never be able to even come close to mimicing nature. Because of this, diet also has and always will have incredible power in improving and maintaining health.

Breathing and eating are known to interact with each other, for better and for worse, and the food people choose to eat may lastingly affect respiratory function. At the World Congress on Lung Diseases in Florence, Italy, many scientific communications have attempted to unravel the complex relations between respiratory disorders and food. A recent large-scale survey conducted on 3000 men in Italy, Finland, and the Netherlands found that regular consumption of fruit and green vegetables improved respiratory capacity. In Italy, this benefit is believed to be due to the vitamin C contained in fresh fruit, whereas in Finland the effect would stem from the vitamin E found in abundance in vegetable oils. In the Netherlands, the scientists concluded that the protective effect was due to the beta-carotene contained in berries or yellow pulp fruit and in vegetables. A British team reported, after analyzing the lung capacity of 2500 Welshmen, that eating apples was a good way to ward off respiratory diseases. The expiratory volume of subjects who ate 5 apples a week was 140 mL greater on average than that of persons who ate none. These examples show clearly how food can affect breathing. But the reverse is also true, as was noted at the World Congress on Lung Diseases, and some disorders classified at first sight as respiratory diseases may affect the nutritional condition of patients.

Prenatal, Childhood Diets - Most Important Role in Breast Cancer Risk??

More and more evidence is suggesting that many of today's adult diseases actually begin decades earlier as children. This article suggests that the timing of exposure to estrogen is very important for breast cancer development, and exposure as an adolescent protects against breast cancer. This strongly supports the use of soy prodcuts in this age group to increase phytoestrogen exposure. It is so incredibly important to start focusing on the health of our younger generation. Children are becoming increasingly obese with nutrient deficient diets, and this portends very, very poorly for our society's life expectancy.

At the 10th Annual research Conference of the American Institute for Cancer research (AICR), a leading cancer scientist outlined the increasing evidence that fetal and childhood diets may have a greater impact on lifetime breast cancer risk than diets during adulthood. Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University, described her own work and summarized ongoing research efforts around the world. "At certain stages of a woman's life, particularly in the womb and after menopause, diets that induce high estrogen levels do indeed seem to increase her risk of getting breast cancer. During reproductive years, however, high estrogen levels show no effect at all," said Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke. She added that incoming laboratory and human studies now suggest that at still another time — childhood — high estrogen levels seem to play a powerful protective role against breast cancer. She reviewed the results of human trials that have linked certain traits associated with high estrogen levels during childhood (ie, high body mass, high-fat diets) to lowered breast cancer risk. Evidence that healthy diets high fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans offer overall cancer protection is "convincing and compelling," according the AICR report Food, nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. In fact, AICR estimates that following such a diet, maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise could bring about an astonishing 30 to 40 percent drop in worldwide cancer rates.

Folic Acid Improves Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With CAD

The evidence pointing to homocysteine as an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and the evidence suggesting that folic acid, vitamin B12 and B6 can lower levels is now reaching incredible levels. Every person worried about cardiovascular disease needs to have homocysteine levels checked.

J Am Coll Cardiol 2000;36:758-765 Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who received supplemental folic acid experienced decreased plasma homocysteine levels and significantly improved flow-mediated dilation, according to a report by Canadian researchers. Dr. Mangoni told Reuters Health that "we are probably going to see an increase in vitamin supplementation as a tool to provide cardiovascular protection."

Study Shows Promise for Revealing Influence of Diet on Cancer

This is another "how much money was spent on this???" study, but some groups of people need solid evidence to convince them. I remember a small "discussion" with a woman from the AZ Beef Council on red meat and colorectal cancer. Her response to numerous articles I gave to her was that there was no conclusive evidence to link the two. Well, I did then and still do disagree. It's out there if you want to find it.

Preliminary results from the world's largest-ever study of the role of diet in the development of cancer confirm a link between the consumption of red meat and colorectal cancer. early data presented here Friday at the annual meeting of the American Institute for Cancer research show that red meat consumption is significantly associated with an elevated risk of intestinal tumors. Among 385 patients with colorectal cancer, the risk of cancer was increased by 40% in subjects in the highest quartile of meat consumption, while the risk was reduced by 40% in subjects with the highest quartile of vegetable consumption. Further analysis will look at the influence of lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, and exercise on cancer, as well as the effect of over 300 different foods.

Seniors Choose vitamins Over Healthy Diet for Cancer Prevention

Never forget that man will never rival nature. Whole foods are always the best route to go to protect our health. With a healthy diet, a minimum of a good quality multivitamin, extra vitamin C and E, calcium and an essential fatty acid is all that should be needed.

Results of a new survey suggest that older Americans prefer to take vitamin supplements rather than make dietary changes to reduce their risk of cancer. The findings are disturbing, according to researchers, since nutrients and vitamins in fruits, vegetables and whole grains are believed to significantly reduce cancer risk. In contrast, the effects of vitamin supplements on cancer risk are largely untested, according to the American Institute for Cancer research (AICR), the Washington, DC-based group that conducted the survey. "We've known for some time that usage of dietary supplements is on the rise, but we still don't know a great deal about how, or if, these substances affect cancer risk," Melanie Polk, director of nutrition education at AICR, commented in a statement. "The fact that so many Americans — especially older Americans — are seeking cancer protection in pills and powders is alarming." "The emphasis on the importance of eating a mostly plant-based diet...for lower cancer risk should be an important part of disease prevention and health promotion efforts," Polk said.

Most Household Soaps Contain Antibacterial Agents

Plain 'ole soap and water combined with some elbow grease is still one of the best methods of maintaining hygiene. The growing trend of antibacterial everything may well speed along the development of more antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Antibacterial agents are present in about 75% of all household liquid soaps and in about 30% of bar soaps, even though there is no evidence that they prevent infection, according to a presentation here at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting. The researchers concluded that "antibacterial use of this magnitude applies significant selective pressure on skin flora," so the concern that multidrug resistance may develop from widespread use of these soaps seems to be justified. Dr. Perencevich added in a statement, "With so many of these products on the market, consumers may not even realize they are purchasing soaps that contain antibacterials. Perhaps people should check the products' ingredients closely when they make their next soap purchase."