Aging Brains and Diet

By Jenifer GoodwinHealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a diet high in vegetables, fish, fruit, nuts and poultry, and low in red meat and butter may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, new research finds.
Researchers asked more than 2,100 New York City residents aged 65 and older about their dietary habits. Over the course of about four years, 253 developed Alzheimer's disease.
Those whose diets included the most salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower and broccoli), dark and green leafy vegetables, and the least red meat, high-fat dairy, organ meat and butter had a 38 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than those whose diets included fewer fruits, vegetables and poultry and more red meat and high-fat dairy.
"Following this dietary pattern seems to protect from Alzheimer's disease," said senior study author Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. But he added that "this is an observational study, not a clinical trial," meaning that researchers cannot say with certainty that eating a certain way helps prevent the disease.
The study was published online April 12 in the Archives of Neurology, and will appear in the journal's June print issue.
While similar to the well-known Mediterranean diet, the diet that seemed to be beneficial in this study is not identical because researchers didn't want to restrict themselves to considering only one culinary tradition. The Mediterranean diet included nine food groups; this study included 30, Scarmeas said.
The foods in those 30 groups are those that impact a list of seven fatty acids and nutrients, which previous research has associated with Alzheimer's disease risk. The nutrient combination included: saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate.
"We found there was a combination of foods that affected the levels of these fats and vitamins, and by doing so, also affected the risk for getting Alzheimer's disease," Scarmeas said.
The researchers controlled for demographic factors such as age, education and ethnicity; genetic factors; smoking, body mass index and other medical conditions.
Dr. Samuel Gandy, a neurologist and cell biologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said the findings are consistent with other epidemiological studies that have found that people who stick to a diet that is good for the heart also have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.
"Everything that increases the risk for heart disease -- high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes -- all of these things also increase the risk for Alzheimer's," Gandy said.
The reasons for the connection are not fully understood. One possibility is that factors that impact the health of the blood vessels throughout the body may also impact the health of the blood vessels in the brain.
Doctors used to believe there were two separate causes of dementia: vascular dementia, due to blood vessel disease; and Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative process. "We now know that most people with dementia have some of both," Gandy said.
Still, while eating a "heart healthy" diet is probably a good idea and certainly can't hurt, what's not clear is just how much, say, broccoli a person has to eat to see benefits, Gandy added.
As for other lifestyle habits that can lower risk of Alzheimer's, exercise is the only intervention that has been demonstrated to be beneficial in randomized clinical trials, Gandy said.
A second study in the April issue of the same journal found that people with Alzheimer's disease lose lean mass as the disease progresses. Lean mass includes weight from the bones, muscles and organs.
People with Alzheimer's often lose weight unintentionally. The weight loss often begins prior to noticeable memory loss, according to background information in the article.
Researchers from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, assessed the body composition in 70 people aged 60 and older with early-stage Alzheimer's disease and 70 without the disease. Participants also had their brains scanned using MRI and neuropsychological testing.
Those with Alzheimer's disease had less lean mass, as well as decreases in the volume of the brain and white matter.
"Our data are consistent with other studies suggesting that brain pathology may contribute to decline in body composition, perhaps by disrupting central nervous system regulation of energy metabolism and food intake," the study authors wrote.
More information
The Alzheimer's Association has more on diet and dementia.

SOURCES: Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., associate professor, neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, N.Y.; Samuel Gandy, Ph.D., M.D., Mount Sinai Professor in Alzheimer's Disease Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.; April 2010, Archives of Neurology

Get Some Sun?

The Monk, above, with little sun exposure at age 72.

This 58 year old Native American woman, below

has had plenty of sun.

        The question remains, how much is too much sun, and how much is not enough. The current recommendations are as follows.

 

Sunning to prevent vitamin D deficiency is like smoking to combat anxiety, experts say in response to recent reports linking the health benefits of vitamin D to unprotected sun exposure. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the Yale School of Dermatology and the Sun Safety Alliance, these claims are scientifically unsound and mislead the public about the very real dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation—the leading cause of skin cancer. Dr. Madeline Duvic, Deputy Chair of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Dermatology, says, "Given that the US Department of Health and Human Services recently declared UV radiation from the sun as a known carcinogen, it's premature and misleading to claim that mid-day sun is a safe and effective way to get vitamin D."
The AAD says it is "deeply concerned" about the current claim by Dr. Michael Holick, director of the vitamin D laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine, that exposing unprotected skin to the sun several times a week is necessary to prevent vitamin D deficiency. Holick cites two studies that found inadequate levels of vitamin D among people in two northeastern cities where the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays don't penetrate during winter months. According to Holick, always wearing sunscreen is tantamount to creating this same "winter-like" environment on the skin, causing vitamin D levels to drop.
"I am not aware of any scientific studies that support this claim," said Dr. David J. Leffell of the Yale School of Medicine Department of Dermatology. "In my two decades of practice, I've never seen vitamin D deficiency caused by lack of sun exposure due to sunscreen use, yet the evidence that UV rays from the sun cause skin cancer is overwhelming."
Leffell says the winter drop in vitamin D levels among northeastern residents is a normal process that is well-known and easily accommodated by dietary supplementation. He cites inadequate diet as a culprit in the "very small" portion of the population that is truly vitamin D deficient. For these people, Leffell says, deficiency can be offset by taking vitamin D supplements or drinking fortified milk.
Recommending even small amounts of sun exposure is bad advice, according to the Sun Safety Alliance, since there is no "acceptable" dose for carcinogens like UV radiation. Every exposure has some adverse affect—although this may be difficult to measure.
Phil Schneider, director of the Sun Safety Alliance, also finds Holick's position unsound. "The practical and factual advice communicated to the public is based on the well-documented fact that ultraviolet radiation from the sun is carcinogenic. Enjoy the outdoors, and protect yourself. Block the sun but not the fun is proper advice. The factual truth is that tanning is dangerous because it increases the risk for skin cancer."
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining proper health, including the body's absorption of calcium and the proper function of muscles. However, the experts agree that studies linking the nutrient to a reduced risk of a number of cancers are preliminary, and would not alter their recommendation of supplementing over sunning if proven true.

About Skin Cancer
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime, and it is one of the few cancers where the cause is known. Each year approximately one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the US, and over 91,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. One person dies of melanoma every hour. Melanoma is also one of the few cancers that continues to rise—at a rate of 3 percent annually.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone practice a comprehensive sun protection program, including avoiding outdoor activities when the sun's rays are strongest, seeking shade whenever possible, wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 and reapplying every two hours.

About the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
Founded in 1938, the AAD is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of over 14,000 dermatologists worldwide, the Academy is committed to advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education and research in dermatology, supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin. For more information contact the AAD at 1-888-462-DERM or www.aad.org.

                                                                

Multivitamin pills lead to breast cancer?

Women who regularly take multivitamin pills may face a higher risk of breast cancer, a new study has claimed.

The Swedish study, which looked at more than 35,000 women aged between 49 and 83 over a period of 10 years, found that those who regularly took vitamin supplements were 19 per cent more likely to develop a tumour, the Daily Mail reported.

According to researchers at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, supplements may trigger tumour growth by increasing the density of breast tissue, a known risk factor for cancer.
However, they stressed the findings did not prove vitamin pills were to blame for an increase in cancer cases, as it is possible women may be compensating for an unhealthy lifestyle that puts them at increased risk.

Although the results were worrying, the researchers called for in-depth studies to determine whether or not multivitamins are safe. "These results suggest multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This is of concern and merits further investigation," they told the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Earlier studies have suggested that high doses of folic acid found in multivitamin pills may promote tumour growth. For the latest study, the researchers took account of whether the women smoked, did much exercise, or had a family history of the disease -- all strong risk factors -- but still they found a significant link with multivitamin use.

Researchers stressed that, on an individual basis, the risks to women remain small and the vast majority of vitamin users will not develop cancer.

In the study, women did not say what brands of vitamins they took -- they simply reported whether or not they took them. The study could also be flawed as it relies on women to recall whether they took the pills in the past.

But in 2007 a study of nearly 3,00,000 men found those taking supplements more than once a day were 32 per cent more likely to develop an aggressive form of prostate cancer. And a 2008 Copenhagen University investigation found high doses of vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene appeared to increase the chances of an early death.

Every year around 40,000 women in Britain are diagnosed with breast cancer, the equivalent of more than 100 a day. A woman has a one in nine chance of developing the disease at some point in her life.

Kat Arney, Cancer Research UK's science information manager, said: "Like several other recent studies, this research adds to the evidence that multivitamins may not actually be beneficial for your health. Most can get all the nutrients they need from a healthy balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables."

Optimal Weight Seems To Trump Dietary Intake

Cancer shows scant regard for healthy diet
KATE BENSON
April 7, 2010

An international study of almost 500,000 people has confirmed that eating fruit and vegetables does not ward off cancer, debunking a 20-year-old edict by the World Health Organisation.

It also casts a shadow over the federal government's $4.8 million advertising campaign, launched five years ago, to encourage people to eat two pieces of fruit and five serves of vegetables a day.

But cancer experts yesterday urged people not to disregard the advice, saying a high intake of fruit and vegetables was still beneficial against heart disease and that some cancers, such as bowel and breast, were linked to obesity.

''We are still not clear why fresh fruits and vegetables would reduce cancer, but we do know that some cancers are related to obesity, so, regardless of these findings, people should be staying within a normal weight range,'' the chief executive of the Cancer Council of Australia, Ian Olver, said.

The eight-year study, by researchers in Europe, analysed 478,000 people and found that eating about 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day offered only modest protection against developing cancer.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and undertaken between 1992 and 2000, the study found ''no conclusive evidence'' of a link between cancer and fruit and vegetables despite a review in 1997 by the World Cancer Research Fund that claimed to have found convincing evidence.

But Bruce Armstrong, a professor of public health at the University of Sydney, said the study, which did not focus on any particular cancer, masked the results for some types of the disease that were linked to diet.

''Fruit and vegetables definitely do have a protective effect against some cancers, so we have not been giving people the wrong message,'' he said.

The results also support a 2007 Australian study that found that staying within a healthy weight range was more important in cancer prevention than following nutritional guidelines.

Robin's Power Drink

After a hard day of swinging kettlebells, inline skating, graphic design, painting fine art, and attending networking events till the wee hours, South Florida artist and Reverse Magazine editor, Robin White mixes the following drink for recovery. She suggests you try one soon.

1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Add one packet of Emergen-C, Açai flavored.
3. Squeeze one fresh lime into the glass.
4. Fill with Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water (high in magnesium).
5. Enjoy.

This drink includes flavinols and Vitamin C from the limes; minerals and C from the Emergen-C and Magnesium from the Pellegrino. And it tastes incredible!

Drug May Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk

Prostate drug dutasteride 'may cut cancer risk'

A drug already used in men with enlarged prostates seems to cut the risk of prostate cancer developing, a large international study has shown.

A four-year trial in more than 6,500 men found those who took dutasteride had a 23% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who took a dummy pill.

The men in the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were all at high risk of the disease.

UK experts welcomed the results but said longer-term research was needed.

It is not the first time that this class of drugs has been found to have potential effects on the prevention of prostate cancer.

In 2003, researchers showed a similar drug, finasteride, cut the risk of prostate cancer by a quarter in healthy men but also found that the tumours that were detected were more aggressive.

Both drugs are prescribed in men who have an enlarged but benign prostate gland - an extremely common condition that happens with age and can cause symptoms such as frequent and painful urination.

High-risk patients

The latest trial, which was funded by GlaxoSmithKline which makes dutasteride, looked at men aged between 50 and 75 years who were high risk for prostate cancer because they had high PSA scores - a blood test which may indicate disease - but had been

found not to have prostate cancer.

They were treated with a daily dose of dutasteride or a dummy pill.

Over the study, prostate cancer was found in 659 of the men taking the drug and 858 of the men taking a placebo.

Among men with a family history of prostate cancer, the drug reduced the relative risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis by 31.4%.

It will be many years before we know if the drug can provide any long term benefit to men

Dr Helen Rippon, The Prostate Cancer Charity

The researchers believe that most of the tumours detected during the trial - which tended to be moderately aggressive - would have been present from the beginning but were too small to be detected.

They say this supports the idea that the drug shrinks early prostate tumours or prevents them from growing to a size at which they would be detected and need treatment.

Study leader Dr Gerald Andriole, chief of urologic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, said the drug might potentially offer thousands of men a chance to reduce their risk of the disease.

"This means more men could avoid unnecessary treatment for prostate cancer along with the costs and harmful side effects that can occur with treatment."

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are already looking into whether dutasteride should be used for prostate cancer prevention and are due to report later this year.

Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK's head information nurse, said the results in the high risk population were interesting.

But he added: "Further research to see if the effects are maintained in the longer term is an important next step."

Dr Helen Rippon, head of research management at The Prostate Cancer Charity, agreed: "Of course, we don't yet know what will happen to these men in the coming years and whether they will still go on to develop the disease and it will be many years before we

know if the drug can provide any long-term benefit to men."

Daily Chocolate May Keep the Doctor Away

Daily chocolate may keep the heart doctor away

By Denise Mann, Health.com

Eating as little as a quarter of an ounce of chocolate each day -- an amount equal to about one small Easter egg -- may lower your risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke, a new study has found. For best results, the chocolate should be dark, experts say.

"Dark chocolate exhibits the greatest effects, milk chocolate fewer, and white chocolate no effects," says the lead author of the study, Brian Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, in Nuthetal, Germany.

In the study, Buijsse and his colleagues followed nearly 20,000 people for an average of eight years. The researchers surveyed the study participants about their chocolate consumption (as well as the rest of their diet), and also tracked the heart attacks and strokes that occurred in the group.

Compared with people who rarely ate chocolate (about one bar per month), the people who ate the most chocolate (slightly more than one bar per week) had a 27 percent and 48 percent reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, respectively, the researchers found.

The heart benefits observed in the study may be due in part to lower blood pressure, the study notes. Previous studies have suggested that eating chocolate can lower blood pressure, and the researchers observed a similar -- though less pronounced -- association in this study.

"The good news is that chocolate is not as bad as we used to think, and may even lower the risk of heart disease and stroke," says Buijsse. "The bad news, at least for some of us, is that the amounts that are needed to benefit from these effects appear to be quite low."

In other words, these findings don't mean that you should stuff yourself with chocolate Easter eggs. Chocolate is high in calories, and, as with any such food, eating too much of it can swell your waistline and harm your health in other ways.

"This is only one small egg per day," says Buijsse. "Eating higher amounts will most likely result in weight gain. If people start eating small amounts of chocolate, it should replace something else, preferably other high-calorie sweets or snacks."

The people in the study were part of a larger study on the effect of diet and lifestyle on cancer risk. For the current study, Buijsse and his colleagues excluded anyone with a history of heart disease or stroke, and also controlled for age, diet, lifestyle, and other factors. Still, they note that factors not recorded in the surveys -- rather than chocolate consumption alone -- could have been responsible for some or all of the health benefits they observed.

The study had some other important limitations. Most notably, the researchers did not determine whether the study participants ate dark, milk, or white chocolate.

Using one of the surveys administered during the study, the researchers estimated that 57 percent of the participants ate milk chocolate, 24 percent ate dark chocolate, and 2 percent ate white chocolate.

This data, however, came from a subset of just under 1,600 participants, so they are merely estimates that may not have been borne out in the full study population.

Experts believe that natural compounds known as flavonoids (or flavonols), which appear to promote artery health and reduce inflammation, are responsible for the cardiovascular benefits that have been associated with chocolate consumption.

Flavonals are found in cocoa, and dark chocolate contains more cocoa than milk chocolate does.

"The benefits of chocolate come from flavonoids, and those are mainly found in dark chocolate, not Easter eggs, which are usually milk chocolate and have a lot of saturated fat," says Julia Zumpano, a registered clinical dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio.

"I usually recommend less than one ounce of dark chocolate a day -- a tiny square -- for heart health," she adds. "The chocolate should be at least 70 percent cocoa with limited added sugar."

This study is merely the latest to point to the heart benefits of chocolate. In addition to lower blood pressure, cocoa consumption has been linked to improved blood vessel function, lower LDL (or bad cholesterol), and higher HDL (good cholesterol) in recent years.

Despite their findings, Buijsse and his colleagues caution that more research, namely randomized trials on the heart benefits of chocolate, is needed. Buijsse admits to being conservative about his own chocolate consumption.

"If I eat chocolate, which is not on a daily basis, I limit my intake to a small piece," he says.