Here's a shocker to mull over the next time you sip your glass of heart-healthy cabernet: alcohol consumption causes one in 25 deaths worldwide, according to new research. The study, published in The Lancet, found that the mortality rate in Europe and particularly in Eastern Europe, was actually far higher, with one out of every 10 deaths directly related to alcohol. Alcohol also causes up to six percent of all disability worldwide.
While the medical establishment has been patting itself on the back because colon cancer rates in the US have declined in the past 20 years, an insidious trend has been brewing. A new study shows that young people under the age of 50 have experienced rising rates of colon cancer in every age category; it's only the older folks who are getting it less.
If you've seen the movie Supersize Me, you might think you know all there is to know about the evil effects of gorging on fast-foods -- but here's yet another factor to consider. Researchers at the University of Toronto found potentially carcinogenic chemicals from food wrappers -- the type of wrappers that burgers and subs come in, for instance -- at high concentrations in the blood of all the subjects they tested.
It's fun to imagine the conversation that led to the discovery that applying green tea to the vagina blocks the transmission of AIDS. ("Sweetheart, are you going to drink your Sencha or use it vaginally?") But in fact, the research that found that an antioxidant in green tea neutralizes a protein in sperm that can carry the HIV virus took place in the lab, not at high tea. In fact, back in 2003, an article in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reported that Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), found in green tea, prevents HIV from binding to T-cells. EGCG is the same component that confers the various other health benefits derived from green tea, such as cancer prevention. Although the researchers knew back then that EGCG inhibited HIV in test tubes, they didn't yet have a formulation that could be used in real life.
We've all heard the cancer prevention advice: eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid grilled meat, lose weight, don't smoke. But then again, we've also heard opposing voices telling us that fruits won't ward off the "big C"; meat is just fine, a few extra pounds won't hurt, and so on. No wonder a recent study in Great Britain found that a huge segment of the population simply ignores cancer-prevention advice, finding it too fickle.
Here's one to add to the growing list of benefits conferred by increasing your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids as epitomized by the Mediterranean diet -- a dramatically lowered risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the first of several recently published studies, having just one serving of fish per week lowers your risk of macular degeneration by 31 percent while a serving or two of nuts reduces risk by 35 percent. The research found an even stronger association when subjects consumed lower levels of polyunsaturated vegetable oils. And, in fact, despite what the researchers say, this is actually confirmation once again that the key here is not so much the increase in Omega-3 fatty acids, but in correcting of the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids.
Those in the business of manufacturing nutritional products and supplements know better than to make bold medical claims (even if supported by science) lest they draw the wrath of the FDA; but who would have guessed that the FDA would go after a mainstream food company like General Mills for marketing food as medicine? Yet as of May 5th, the FDA did indeed issue a warning letter to the mega-giant, stating, "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the label and labeling of your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal. FDA's review found serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) and the applicable regulations in Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR)."
Cheerios, a criminal? Turns out that the little O's got a bit too bold in advertising just how healthy they are. Right on the box, there's a claim stating, "Can lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks." Then there's an elaboration: "Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is...clinically proven to lower cholesterol."
I am always ranting about the questionable value of clinical studies. True, I often cite them in my blogs and newsletters, but often, more as launching points for discussion than for their actual value. I know clinical studies are the sine qua non of medicine, and that people often challenge alternative medicine chanting, "Where are the clinical studies? Where are the clinical studies" But I believe that long-term anecdotal evidence is worth at least as much as a clinical study -- especially when you repeatedly get two studies to authoritatively come to the exact opposite conclusion. Case in point.
When teens choose to become vegetarians, one might assume youthful idealism as the motive -- wanting to save the planet or to be kind to animals. But past studies have found that the true reason for most vegetarian conversions among teens is the desire to lose weight, even when altruistic rationales are put forth. And now, a new study of 2500 subjects between the ages of 15 and 23 just published in Journal of the American Dietetic Association has found that while teens who don't eat meat do in fact weigh less and have overall healthier diets, they're also at greater risk for eating disorders and extreme eating behaviors compared to their carnivorous peers.
I've written before that over the years studies on probiotics have yielded conflicting results. While most of the scientific evidence shows that probiotics offer significant health benefits, there have been negative studies too. Now, new research adds weight to what I've been saying for a long time -- simply supplementing with probiotics isn't enough; you need to take the right probiotics in the right combinations in order to reap the desired benefits.
