MIND AND BODY
Should you exercise if you're diabetic? Of course. Just follow these precautions
Exercise is important because it improves glucose regulation, reduces the risk of heart disease, hypertension, cholesterol and excess weight. The timing of exercise, the amount of insulin injected and the injection site are important factors to consider before exercise.
A duration of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-paced intensity exercises five to seven days of the week is recommended. If you are not accustomed to physical activity, you may start with a shorter duration and work your way up. As you become fitter, you can add a few extra minutes to your physical activity.
The two primary classes of diabetes are Type 1 (insulin dependant diabetes mellitus) and Type 2 (non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus). Both types have distinct causes and different strategies for disease management.
Take care of your diabetes by
Exercising regularly and leading and active lifestyle
Following regular meal timings and planning healthy meals
Taking medicines, if prescribed by your doctor
Essential Dos Before Starting An Exercise Plan
Check with your doctor.
Always talk with your doctor before you start a new physical activity programme. Ask about your medicines — prescription and over-the-counter — and whether you should change the amount you take before you exercise. If you have heart disease, kidney disease, eye problems or foot problems, ask which types of physical activity are safe for you.
Plan for an exercise session.
The type of physical activity
The length of each session
The duration of warm-up, workout, stretching and cool-down
The measure of progress
Keep track of your physical activity.
Write down when you exercise and for how long in your blood glucose record book. You'll be able to track your progress and see how physical activity affects your blood glucose.
Modify calorie intake
Calorie intake should be carefully planned prior to and post-exercise. Also, in consultation with a physician a decrease in insulin dosage may be necessary.
Safety Precautions
Exercise involving heavy weights is not recommended for people with blood pressure, blood vessel or eye problems.
Hypoglycemia (low-blood sugar levels) can happen at the time you're exercising, just afterward, or even up to a day later. You can get shaky, weak, confused, irritable, anxious, hungry, tired, or sweaty. Always keep some form of glucose handy with you in case your sugar levels drop. To help prevent hypoglycemia during physical activity, check your blood glucose before you exercise.
Do not exercise if your blood glucose is above 300, or your fasting blood glucose is above 250 and you have ketones in your urine.
When you exercise, wear cotton socks and athletic shoes that fit well and are comfortable. After you exercise, check your feet for sores, blisters, irritation, cuts, or other injuries.
Drink plenty of fluids during physical activity, since your blood glucose can be affected by dehydration.
What Exercise?
Cardiovascular exercises
Moderate-intensity physical activities such as walking briskly, swimming or bicycling are important. These exercises work your large muscles and increase your heart rate. A minimum of 30 minutes, five to seven days of the week is necessary to improve functioning of the heart, lungs and circulatory system.
Yoga
Yoga asanas enhance the body's flexibility and improve blood circulation.
Relaxation techniques
Diabetes management can be emotionally stressful and the stress can adversely influence glucose levels. Find ways to reduce stress and enhance psychological well-being. Make a list of simple activities that help you de-stress; for example you could do deep breathing exercises, meditation, reading a book, listening to music, meeting a friend or walking in the park.
Nature's Foods
It is important is that you keep your health care provider up-to-date on any supplements that you utilise.
Cinnamon
Researchers have evaluated commonly used spices and found some that help lower blood sugar readings. Cinnamon is one of the highest rated for lowering blood levels. One teaspoon of cinnamon a day may lower blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Walnuts
Six to eight a day can help lower insulin resistance and increase HDL (high density lipoprotein) levels and reduce LDL (low density lipoprotein) levels. They contain an Omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid or ALA which reduce risk of heart disease.
Garlic
Garlic (eating as little as one clove a day) has long been known to raise insulin sensitivity and provide strong anti-oxidant protection.
The writer is a certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist.
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article1495261.ece
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http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
Monday, February 28, 2011
World of Mobile Health
Humana’s chief strategy officer talks mobile health
Following the healthcare legislation and in a move toward diversification, last November health plan Humana acquired health care provider Concentra for about $790 million. This week the health plan built on that acquisition with a much smaller deal with South Africa-based Discovery Holdings: Humana is launching a joint venture with Discovery called HumanaVitality that will provide Humana members with wellness tools and rewards. Humana also will own 25 percent of The Vitality Group, Discovery’s US subsidiary, which will still offer its wellness solution to US employers that are not necessarily Humana customers.
“We have this integrated wellness program now but we know we need to figure out how to put it through mobile apps to drive engagement,” Paul Kusserow, Chief Strategy Officer, Humana Venture Capital told MobiHealthNews in an interview at the HIMSS event in Orlando, Fla. this week. “We are talking to a lot of people to get ideas there.”
Kusserow said that he is most interested in data standardization and analytics currently: “If mobile is the last mile and that’s the face of the consumer, then you better make sure the data is out of the silos and personalized. Otherwise people aren’t going to use it.”
Diabetes management, aging in place and social networking and media trends have been top of mind for Kusserow recently.
“Health IT valuations are stratospheric,” Kusserow said. “It will be interesting to see what happens there… On the apps side I haven’t seen such high valuation, though. In the post reform market, the individual market tends to be young and independent. We want to make sure they get their information and staying engaged. We want to make sure we are getting information to these folks.”
Kusserow also sees opportunities on the other end of the age spectrum. Keep reading>>
http://mobihealthnews.com/10300/himss-interview-humanas-chief-strategy-officer-talks-mobile-health/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
Following the healthcare legislation and in a move toward diversification, last November health plan Humana acquired health care provider Concentra for about $790 million. This week the health plan built on that acquisition with a much smaller deal with South Africa-based Discovery Holdings: Humana is launching a joint venture with Discovery called HumanaVitality that will provide Humana members with wellness tools and rewards. Humana also will own 25 percent of The Vitality Group, Discovery’s US subsidiary, which will still offer its wellness solution to US employers that are not necessarily Humana customers.
“We have this integrated wellness program now but we know we need to figure out how to put it through mobile apps to drive engagement,” Paul Kusserow, Chief Strategy Officer, Humana Venture Capital told MobiHealthNews in an interview at the HIMSS event in Orlando, Fla. this week. “We are talking to a lot of people to get ideas there.”
Kusserow said that he is most interested in data standardization and analytics currently: “If mobile is the last mile and that’s the face of the consumer, then you better make sure the data is out of the silos and personalized. Otherwise people aren’t going to use it.”
Diabetes management, aging in place and social networking and media trends have been top of mind for Kusserow recently.
“Health IT valuations are stratospheric,” Kusserow said. “It will be interesting to see what happens there… On the apps side I haven’t seen such high valuation, though. In the post reform market, the individual market tends to be young and independent. We want to make sure they get their information and staying engaged. We want to make sure we are getting information to these folks.”
Kusserow also sees opportunities on the other end of the age spectrum. Keep reading>>
http://mobihealthnews.com/10300/himss-interview-humanas-chief-strategy-officer-talks-mobile-health/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
US Gains on EU5 in Smartphone Adoption
Comparisons of the growth of the US smartphone install base and EU5 smartphone install base during 2010 show the US making gains, according to a new report from comScore. Data from “The 2010 Mobile Year in Review” indicates the US had a smartphone install base of about 63.2 million in December 2010, compared to about 72.6 million in the EU5 nations of Italy, UK, Germany, Spain and France.
While the combined EU5 nations have a smartphone install base about 15% larger than that in the US, comScore data indicates the EU5 base was 25% larger in December 2009. In addition, 47% of US mobile subscribers use mobile media, compared to 35% of EU% mobile subscribers.
How Many Try Weight Loss on Their Own?
Close to 6 in 10 Have Tried Weight Loss on Their Own
Close to six in 10 (57%) US adults have tried to lose weight on their own, while 38% have not tried any weight management technique or program. Thirteen percent have tried a weight loss company such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.
Women are more likely than men to report trying to lose weight on their own or through a weight loss company, while men are more likely than women to report no weight management program usage.
Among age groups, Gen X and Baby Boomers are most likely to have tried losing weight on their own, while Echo Boomers and Matures are least likely. Matures are most likely to have tried no program, and Baby Boomers and Matures are most likely to have tried a weight loss company.
Integrative Medicine and Pregnancy
Integrative Medicine Use During Pregnancy
A recent review suggests that there is a growing need for communication between conventional and integrative healthcare practitioners concerning the use of integrative therapies by pregnant women.
In an effort to assess current professional attitudes toward integrative therapies and the level of education on its use in maternity care, researchers in Australia conducted a comprehensive literature search in various databases to evaluate the available literature.
Studies reporting knowledge on integrative medicine, professional attitudes toward integrative treatments, and referrals to integrative practitioners by midwives and other maternity care practitioners were assessed. Nineteen studies were ultimately included in the review.
The researchers found that there is a need for more communication between integrative and conventional medicine practitioners. Furthermore, the authors noted that there is a need for more respect between practitioners to ensure patients are properly educated on the use of integrative treatments during pregnancy.
For more information about the use of integrative therapies during pregnancy, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.
References
Adams J, Lui CW, Sibbritt D, et al. Attitudes and referral practices of maternity care professionals with regard to complementary and alternative medicine: an integrative review. J Adv Nurs. 2011 Mar;67(3):472-483. View Abstract
Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
A recent review suggests that there is a growing need for communication between conventional and integrative healthcare practitioners concerning the use of integrative therapies by pregnant women.
In an effort to assess current professional attitudes toward integrative therapies and the level of education on its use in maternity care, researchers in Australia conducted a comprehensive literature search in various databases to evaluate the available literature.
Studies reporting knowledge on integrative medicine, professional attitudes toward integrative treatments, and referrals to integrative practitioners by midwives and other maternity care practitioners were assessed. Nineteen studies were ultimately included in the review.
The researchers found that there is a need for more communication between integrative and conventional medicine practitioners. Furthermore, the authors noted that there is a need for more respect between practitioners to ensure patients are properly educated on the use of integrative treatments during pregnancy.
For more information about the use of integrative therapies during pregnancy, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.
References
Adams J, Lui CW, Sibbritt D, et al. Attitudes and referral practices of maternity care professionals with regard to complementary and alternative medicine: an integrative review. J Adv Nurs. 2011 Mar;67(3):472-483. View Abstract
Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
Close to 6 in 10 Have Tried Weight Loss on Their Own
Close to 6 in 10 Have Tried Weight Loss on Their Own
Close to six in 10 (57%) US adults have tried to lose weight on their own, while 38% have not tried any weight management technique or program. Thirteen percent have tried a weight loss company such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.
Women are more likely than men to report trying to lose weight on their own or through a weight loss company, while men are more likely than women to report no weight management program usage.
Among age groups, Gen X and Baby Boomers are most likely to have tried losing weight on their own, while Echo Boomers and Matures are least likely. Matures are most likely to have tried no program, and Baby Boomers and Matures are most likely to have tried a weight loss company.
What's the Value of Cayenne?
Historical Uses of Cayenne
Cayenne has reportedly been used medicinally by various cultures for centuries. Purported uses include gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disorders, pain, skin conditions and respiratory conditions.
Ayurveda: The use of cayenne in Ayurvedic medicine is well documented. Primarily, it is used orally for treatment of peptic ulcers, dyspepsia and flatulence. According to secondary sources, in Ayurvedic medicine, a combination of cayenne, garlic and liquid is used in external paste form as a local stimulant. When combined with mustard seed in a paste, cayenne is used as a counterirritant. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are used as food additives and drugs in India.
Caribbean medicine: In Trinidad, bird pepper juice applied inside a dog's nose is used to improve the ability of a dog to find a trail or follow a scent. Capsicum frutescens has also been used to treat diabetes mellitus by traditional healers in Jamaica. In the West Indies, a preparation called mandram, used for weak digestion and loss of appetite, contains cayenne, thinly sliced cucumbers, shallots, chives or onions and lemon or lime juice.
Chinese medicine: In Chinese medicine, cayenne is used as a digestive stimulant for gastrointestinal disorders. Topically, it is used in ointment form to treat myalgia and frostbite. Today, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are used as food additives and drugs in China.
European medicine: Cayenne pepper is approved by the German Commission E as a topical ointment for the relief of painful muscle spasms.
Japanese medicine: Use of chilies has been documented in traditional Japanese medicine. One current product used in Japan that includes cayenne as an ingredient is detoxication foot pads for external use. An appetite suppressive effect of cayenne has been shown in Japanese females.
Mexican medicine: In Mexico, evidence exists of very early cultivation and enjoyment of Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens. Capsicum has reportedly been used as a spice by ancient Incan, Aztec and Mayan cultures, and remains of chili, or xilli, a larger Capsicum variety cultivated from at least 3000 BC, were found in pottery from Puebla and Oaxaca. According to secondary sources, Capsicum was a staple of the Aztec diet. Culinarily, chilies are used in many foods throughout Mexico today.
Middle Eastern medicine: In Pakistan, Capsicum annuum fruit is used as an omen against "the evil eye" and giant yellow fever. Capsicum frutescens is used in traditional Sikh medicine.
Modern (Western) herbal medicine: In the 1800s, Samuel Thompson, a physician of the eclectic medicine movement, believed cayenne to be a useful remedy for diseases caused by cold temperatures. It was often combined with other therapies such as emetic herbs and steam baths. Later, in the mid 20th century, the well-known herbalist Dr. Christopher spoke widely of the many uses of cayenne, such as for cardiovascular disorders, ulcers, and asthma. Today, cayenne is recommended by herbalists as a circulatory and metabolic stimulant, as a treatment and preventative for upper respiratory infections, dyspepsia, colic and flatulence, and topically in the form of a liniment or ointment for arthritis, rheumatism, low back pain and myalgia (muscle pain). One common preparation used for sore throat is a tea or gargle of cayenne, lemon juice and honey. Cayenne pepper has been reported as a commonly used herbal product in Canada for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Native American medicine: According to secondary sources, chili (cayenne pepper) has been used by Native Americans as both food and medicine for at least 9,000 years. Native Americans have reportedly used cayenne as a stimulant. It may have also been an Indian ritual snuff ingredient.
South American medicine: Cayenne has been used as a folk remedy for weak digestion, as an appetite stimulant and as a circulatory stimulant for circulatory disorders.
For more information about cayenne, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.
References
Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
Cayenne has reportedly been used medicinally by various cultures for centuries. Purported uses include gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disorders, pain, skin conditions and respiratory conditions.
Ayurveda: The use of cayenne in Ayurvedic medicine is well documented. Primarily, it is used orally for treatment of peptic ulcers, dyspepsia and flatulence. According to secondary sources, in Ayurvedic medicine, a combination of cayenne, garlic and liquid is used in external paste form as a local stimulant. When combined with mustard seed in a paste, cayenne is used as a counterirritant. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are used as food additives and drugs in India.
Caribbean medicine: In Trinidad, bird pepper juice applied inside a dog's nose is used to improve the ability of a dog to find a trail or follow a scent. Capsicum frutescens has also been used to treat diabetes mellitus by traditional healers in Jamaica. In the West Indies, a preparation called mandram, used for weak digestion and loss of appetite, contains cayenne, thinly sliced cucumbers, shallots, chives or onions and lemon or lime juice.
Chinese medicine: In Chinese medicine, cayenne is used as a digestive stimulant for gastrointestinal disorders. Topically, it is used in ointment form to treat myalgia and frostbite. Today, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are used as food additives and drugs in China.
European medicine: Cayenne pepper is approved by the German Commission E as a topical ointment for the relief of painful muscle spasms.
Japanese medicine: Use of chilies has been documented in traditional Japanese medicine. One current product used in Japan that includes cayenne as an ingredient is detoxication foot pads for external use. An appetite suppressive effect of cayenne has been shown in Japanese females.
Mexican medicine: In Mexico, evidence exists of very early cultivation and enjoyment of Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens. Capsicum has reportedly been used as a spice by ancient Incan, Aztec and Mayan cultures, and remains of chili, or xilli, a larger Capsicum variety cultivated from at least 3000 BC, were found in pottery from Puebla and Oaxaca. According to secondary sources, Capsicum was a staple of the Aztec diet. Culinarily, chilies are used in many foods throughout Mexico today.
Middle Eastern medicine: In Pakistan, Capsicum annuum fruit is used as an omen against "the evil eye" and giant yellow fever. Capsicum frutescens is used in traditional Sikh medicine.
Modern (Western) herbal medicine: In the 1800s, Samuel Thompson, a physician of the eclectic medicine movement, believed cayenne to be a useful remedy for diseases caused by cold temperatures. It was often combined with other therapies such as emetic herbs and steam baths. Later, in the mid 20th century, the well-known herbalist Dr. Christopher spoke widely of the many uses of cayenne, such as for cardiovascular disorders, ulcers, and asthma. Today, cayenne is recommended by herbalists as a circulatory and metabolic stimulant, as a treatment and preventative for upper respiratory infections, dyspepsia, colic and flatulence, and topically in the form of a liniment or ointment for arthritis, rheumatism, low back pain and myalgia (muscle pain). One common preparation used for sore throat is a tea or gargle of cayenne, lemon juice and honey. Cayenne pepper has been reported as a commonly used herbal product in Canada for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Native American medicine: According to secondary sources, chili (cayenne pepper) has been used by Native Americans as both food and medicine for at least 9,000 years. Native Americans have reportedly used cayenne as a stimulant. It may have also been an Indian ritual snuff ingredient.
South American medicine: Cayenne has been used as a folk remedy for weak digestion, as an appetite stimulant and as a circulatory stimulant for circulatory disorders.
For more information about cayenne, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.
References
Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
02.28.11
Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.
Doug Larson
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
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http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Doug Larson
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Mobile Health World
12 mobile health stories from HIMSSContinued Tomorrow
Continued Tomorrow:
5. Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A. showed off Synapse Mobility, a mobile application that enables remote access to Fujifilm’s high quality, interactive three dimensional medical images from hand-held mobile devices.
CLICK on LINK for More INFORMATION:
More
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Continued Tomorrow:
5. Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A. showed off Synapse Mobility, a mobile application that enables remote access to Fujifilm’s high quality, interactive three dimensional medical images from hand-held mobile devices.
CLICK on LINK for More INFORMATION:
More
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Handbook for Mortals
Guidance for People Facing Serious IllnessDesigned for caregivers as well as patients, this book combines insights and inspiration with practical information and sensible suggestions for coping with critical, debilitating illnesses and the attendant problems such as accepting a new lifestyle, controlling pain, getting help, deciding on medical treatment, and enduring a loss. The death of a child, sudden death as the result of an accident, and similarly atypical instances are discussed briefly. Throughout, there are poignant excerpts from literature and case descriptions. Appendixes list organizations and sources of further information or assistance.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/commercial_books/CB423.html
THE ANTIOXIDANTS STORY CONTINUED #9
Continued from Yesterday
A Day When Doctors and Pharmacists are Friends of the Industry
It is estimated that 100 million Americans take dietary supplements--heretofore with little or no endorsement from the mainstream medical community. Given this, one might remark that the dietary supplement industry has and will continue to succeed with or without the support of the medical establishment. However, with success comes intensified outside scrutiny from a FDA still smarting from losing the battle over the passage of DSHEA, a media that thrives on controversial or negative stories, and a legion of so-called "quackbusters" who unabashedly attack alternative therapies.
Since each of these potential adversaries has a tendency to defer to the judgments of scientists, doctors and pharmacists, the support of the scientific and medical communities is critical to the future of the industry. Already a substantial amount of peer-reviewed published research on antioxidants has caught the attention of doctors and pharmacists. Rather than resting on its laurels, the dietary supplement industry should work to see that research continues, so that the mainstream medical community is converted and integrated medicine and healthcare can become a reality in this country.
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
A Day When Doctors and Pharmacists are Friends of the Industry
It is estimated that 100 million Americans take dietary supplements--heretofore with little or no endorsement from the mainstream medical community. Given this, one might remark that the dietary supplement industry has and will continue to succeed with or without the support of the medical establishment. However, with success comes intensified outside scrutiny from a FDA still smarting from losing the battle over the passage of DSHEA, a media that thrives on controversial or negative stories, and a legion of so-called "quackbusters" who unabashedly attack alternative therapies.
Since each of these potential adversaries has a tendency to defer to the judgments of scientists, doctors and pharmacists, the support of the scientific and medical communities is critical to the future of the industry. Already a substantial amount of peer-reviewed published research on antioxidants has caught the attention of doctors and pharmacists. Rather than resting on its laurels, the dietary supplement industry should work to see that research continues, so that the mainstream medical community is converted and integrated medicine and healthcare can become a reality in this country.
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Will Smartphones Rule?
With 24% Share of Smartphones, Android Will Outshine “Nokisoft”
Smartphone markets are on a roll. Shipments grew from 177 million in 2009 to 302 million in 2010, a remarkable 71% growth rate. Meanwhile, handset OEMs’ market shares have fluctuated widely: Nokia’s dropped from 39% to 33%, even as the collective share held by manufacturers of Android-based phones increased from 4% to 24%. “In short,” says ABI Research vice president Kevin Burden, “the market has been disrupted during a period of record growth.”
Today’s smartphone includes a long and growing list of technologies, components and software. Some combinations of these find favor with consumers, others do not. Smartphone OEMs’ strategies determine how these components are stitched together into cohesive products.
With the rise of Android, the number of handset OEMs with significant smartphone market share increased in 2010. This competitive landscape is forcing handset OEMs to consider their device and portfolio strategies carefully as they jockey for position. Many are placing their bets on Android. Are they right?
Senior Analyst Michael Morgan elaborates: “Motorola has pinned its entire turnaround strategy on Android. As competitors flood the Android ecosystem, Motorola wants to become known as the OEM that brings Android devices to business. Meanwhile Samsung is hoping that it can convert its feature phone customers to smartphones, on the backs of both Bada and Android. And Nokia has now moved away from a purely proprietary OS strategy.”
How are these strategies working? It appears that handset OEMs choosing Android have had success that is both driven by and limited to the reach of their distribution networks and operator partnerships. “Unfortunately,” Morgan says, “OEM-specific Android 'enhancements' have not yet created a clear differentiation in consumers’ minds. Smartphone OEMs adopting Android as a key platform must produce meaningful innovation or risk losing significance."
ABI Research’s new “Smartphone Technologies and Markets” study explores the leading IC and OS platforms and the outlook for these competing technologies. In addition, it examines technologies that are being integrated into smartphones as competitive differentiators by smartphone OEMs.
The firm’s Smartphone Market Data provides quarterly/annual global and regional data for smartphone operating systems, ASPs, vendor market shares, revenues, air interface protocols and technology attach rates.
Both are components of the Smartphones & Mobile Devices Research Service.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/3620-With+24%25+Share+of+Smartphones%2C+Android+Will+Outshine+%93Nokisoft%94
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Smartphone markets are on a roll. Shipments grew from 177 million in 2009 to 302 million in 2010, a remarkable 71% growth rate. Meanwhile, handset OEMs’ market shares have fluctuated widely: Nokia’s dropped from 39% to 33%, even as the collective share held by manufacturers of Android-based phones increased from 4% to 24%. “In short,” says ABI Research vice president Kevin Burden, “the market has been disrupted during a period of record growth.”
Today’s smartphone includes a long and growing list of technologies, components and software. Some combinations of these find favor with consumers, others do not. Smartphone OEMs’ strategies determine how these components are stitched together into cohesive products.
With the rise of Android, the number of handset OEMs with significant smartphone market share increased in 2010. This competitive landscape is forcing handset OEMs to consider their device and portfolio strategies carefully as they jockey for position. Many are placing their bets on Android. Are they right?
Senior Analyst Michael Morgan elaborates: “Motorola has pinned its entire turnaround strategy on Android. As competitors flood the Android ecosystem, Motorola wants to become known as the OEM that brings Android devices to business. Meanwhile Samsung is hoping that it can convert its feature phone customers to smartphones, on the backs of both Bada and Android. And Nokia has now moved away from a purely proprietary OS strategy.”
How are these strategies working? It appears that handset OEMs choosing Android have had success that is both driven by and limited to the reach of their distribution networks and operator partnerships. “Unfortunately,” Morgan says, “OEM-specific Android 'enhancements' have not yet created a clear differentiation in consumers’ minds. Smartphone OEMs adopting Android as a key platform must produce meaningful innovation or risk losing significance."
ABI Research’s new “Smartphone Technologies and Markets” study explores the leading IC and OS platforms and the outlook for these competing technologies. In addition, it examines technologies that are being integrated into smartphones as competitive differentiators by smartphone OEMs.
The firm’s Smartphone Market Data provides quarterly/annual global and regional data for smartphone operating systems, ASPs, vendor market shares, revenues, air interface protocols and technology attach rates.
Both are components of the Smartphones & Mobile Devices Research Service.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/3620-With+24%25+Share+of+Smartphones%2C+Android+Will+Outshine+%93Nokisoft%94
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
MDs Tell How Many to Lose Weight?
Doctors Tell 1 in 3 to Lose Weight
About one in three US adults (32%) has been told by a doctor to lose weight. Baby Boomers (41%) and Matures (39%) are most likely to report receiving medical advice about their weight. Only 17% of Echo Boomers have received such advice.
Interestingly, there is not a great difference between the percentage of men (33%) and women (31%) who have been told to lose weight by their physician.
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/more-than-4-in-10-americans-resolve-weight-loss-16232/harris-doctor-advise-about-weight-age-gender-feb11gif/
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Who's Mostly Resolve to Lose Weight?
Boomers, Women Most Likely to Resolve
Dividing poll respondents into demographic groups based on gender and age, other poll results show the groups most likely to resolve to lose weight are women and Baby Boomers age 47-65 (47% each), closely followed by Gen Xers age 35-46 (46%).
Matures age 66 and older (35%) are the least likely to make a weight loss resolution by a substantial margin, followed by men (40%).
About the Data: This Harris Poll was conducted online within the US between January 17 to 24, 2011 among 2,566 adults (aged 18 and older). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/6-in-10-obese-americans-resolve-weight-loss-16246/harris-health-issues-from-weight-feb11gif/
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Dividing poll respondents into demographic groups based on gender and age, other poll results show the groups most likely to resolve to lose weight are women and Baby Boomers age 47-65 (47% each), closely followed by Gen Xers age 35-46 (46%).
Matures age 66 and older (35%) are the least likely to make a weight loss resolution by a substantial margin, followed by men (40%).
About the Data: This Harris Poll was conducted online within the US between January 17 to 24, 2011 among 2,566 adults (aged 18 and older). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
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Mobile Health World
12 mobile health stories from HIMSS
Continued Tomorrow
4. AT&T announced that it secured a new pilot customer for WellDoc’s DiabetesManager program: Health Care Services Corporation, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The pilot marks the first announced partnership following AT&T’s deal with WellDoc last year
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
DALLAS, Feb. 22, 2011
Continuing its momentum to help the healthcare industry improve patient care and reduce medical costs, AT&T* today announced two new patient care technology pilots, and new enhancements to the services delivered by AT&T ForHealth(SM), AT&T's healthcare practice area. The company also said it has been accredited to provide specialized information security consulting services to help healthcare customers streamline their security and compliance processes.
Specifically, AT&T announced:
Enhancements to AT&T Healthcare Community Online, the company's cloud-based health information exchange solution.
These include:
•A mobility interface that now allows smartphones to access relevant patient information virtually anytime and anywhere in a highly secure manner.
•Access to 58 pre-integrated applications, including 22 new applications to help providers and/or patients perform a myriad of critical tasks, like managing diseases, or handling claims paperwork.
•Software that analyzes patient information and brings evidence-based medicine to providers at the point-of-care. This can help care providers manage chronic, complex and preventive health needs for individual patients or entire patient populations and enable them to track, manage and report to meet meaningful use requirements.
Two New Patient Care Technology Pilots – the company will conduct pilots of new technology with:
•St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) a $4.6 billion Catholic healthcare organization, plans to implement a new telehealth pilot project that will allow patients and physicians in disparate locations to meet and consult via immersive video utilizing AT&T Telepresence Solution®.
•Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the country's largest customer-owned health insurer which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, plans to pilot the AT&T mHealth Manager diabetes management solution utilizing the WellDoc DiabetesManager®. The planned program will be initiated with HCSC employees to help them manage their diabetes in real time and connect them to care providers.
Security Consulting Services – AT&T is designated by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) to act as a source for helping healthcare institutions with information security solutions that comply with state and federal reporting requirements. HITRUST approved AT&T as a common Security Framework (CSF) Assessor to perform assessment and/or certification services.
"We continue to innovate to help improve healthcare delivery through the use of technology," said Randall Porter, assistant vice president, AT&T ForHealth. "We look forward to meeting with the nation's leading healthcare organizations to discuss how our solutions can help them solve their most immediate and future needs."
Last week, AT&T announced that John Muir Health and MuirLab have contracted with AT&T to deploy AT&T Healthcare Community Online. On Feb. 3, AT&T and Acuo Technologies® announced a strategic alliance to deliver vendor-neutral, cloud-based medical imaging storage solutions to help healthcare institutions solve their increasing data storage challenges.
AT&T will be demonstrating healthcare solutions at the HIMSS11 conference at booth #4862, at which the company will also discuss the following mHealth capabilities:
AT&T Global Smart Messaging Suite for Healthcare: This mobile messaging platform allows organizations such as providers, payers and pharmaceutical companies to use text messaging and e-mail to reach physicians, healthcare staff, clinics, hospitals and their patients.
AT&T Mobile Device Management Portfolio: Mobile Device Management solutions from AT&T help organizations to more easily manage, support and secure mobile devices and data, and reduce costs.
AT&T Machine-to-Machine Portfolio: M2M award winning technologies in healthcare include Vitality GlowCaps for medication adherence and MedApps for remote care monitoring.
AT&T mHealth Manager: Disease management solution utilizing the WellDoc DiabetesManager which helps patients better manage their chronic conditions. The solution includes an Automated Expert Analytics System™ that provides real-time, virtual coaching for the patient on their cell phone, and a suite of enterprise tools that enables nurse case managers to be more efficient and effective.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Continued Tomorrow
4. AT&T announced that it secured a new pilot customer for WellDoc’s DiabetesManager program: Health Care Services Corporation, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The pilot marks the first announced partnership following AT&T’s deal with WellDoc last year
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
DALLAS, Feb. 22, 2011
Continuing its momentum to help the healthcare industry improve patient care and reduce medical costs, AT&T* today announced two new patient care technology pilots, and new enhancements to the services delivered by AT&T ForHealth(SM), AT&T's healthcare practice area. The company also said it has been accredited to provide specialized information security consulting services to help healthcare customers streamline their security and compliance processes.
Specifically, AT&T announced:
Enhancements to AT&T Healthcare Community Online, the company's cloud-based health information exchange solution.
These include:
•A mobility interface that now allows smartphones to access relevant patient information virtually anytime and anywhere in a highly secure manner.
•Access to 58 pre-integrated applications, including 22 new applications to help providers and/or patients perform a myriad of critical tasks, like managing diseases, or handling claims paperwork.
•Software that analyzes patient information and brings evidence-based medicine to providers at the point-of-care. This can help care providers manage chronic, complex and preventive health needs for individual patients or entire patient populations and enable them to track, manage and report to meet meaningful use requirements.
Two New Patient Care Technology Pilots – the company will conduct pilots of new technology with:
•St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) a $4.6 billion Catholic healthcare organization, plans to implement a new telehealth pilot project that will allow patients and physicians in disparate locations to meet and consult via immersive video utilizing AT&T Telepresence Solution®.
•Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the country's largest customer-owned health insurer which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, plans to pilot the AT&T mHealth Manager diabetes management solution utilizing the WellDoc DiabetesManager®. The planned program will be initiated with HCSC employees to help them manage their diabetes in real time and connect them to care providers.
Security Consulting Services – AT&T is designated by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) to act as a source for helping healthcare institutions with information security solutions that comply with state and federal reporting requirements. HITRUST approved AT&T as a common Security Framework (CSF) Assessor to perform assessment and/or certification services.
"We continue to innovate to help improve healthcare delivery through the use of technology," said Randall Porter, assistant vice president, AT&T ForHealth. "We look forward to meeting with the nation's leading healthcare organizations to discuss how our solutions can help them solve their most immediate and future needs."
Last week, AT&T announced that John Muir Health and MuirLab have contracted with AT&T to deploy AT&T Healthcare Community Online. On Feb. 3, AT&T and Acuo Technologies® announced a strategic alliance to deliver vendor-neutral, cloud-based medical imaging storage solutions to help healthcare institutions solve their increasing data storage challenges.
AT&T will be demonstrating healthcare solutions at the HIMSS11 conference at booth #4862, at which the company will also discuss the following mHealth capabilities:
AT&T Global Smart Messaging Suite for Healthcare: This mobile messaging platform allows organizations such as providers, payers and pharmaceutical companies to use text messaging and e-mail to reach physicians, healthcare staff, clinics, hospitals and their patients.
AT&T Mobile Device Management Portfolio: Mobile Device Management solutions from AT&T help organizations to more easily manage, support and secure mobile devices and data, and reduce costs.
AT&T Machine-to-Machine Portfolio: M2M award winning technologies in healthcare include Vitality GlowCaps for medication adherence and MedApps for remote care monitoring.
AT&T mHealth Manager: Disease management solution utilizing the WellDoc DiabetesManager which helps patients better manage their chronic conditions. The solution includes an Automated Expert Analytics System™ that provides real-time, virtual coaching for the patient on their cell phone, and a suite of enterprise tools that enables nurse case managers to be more efficient and effective.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
02.27.11
Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.
Anthony Burgess (1917 - 1993)
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Anthony Burgess (1917 - 1993)
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THE ANTIOXIDANTS STORY CONTINUED #8
Continued from Yesterday.....
Is the Medical Community Ready to Accept Antioxidants?
To gain an understanding of the opinions of the mainstream medical community, the most obvious place to turn is the American Medical Association (AMA), which defines itself as the very "voice of the American medical profession." The flagship journal of the AMA is JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, and while the journal's editorials carry a disclaimer that they represent the authors of the journal and not those of the AMA, the content of JAMA nonetheless gives clear insight into the positions, stances and trends of the medical profession. Further, alongside the The New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal, JAMA is among the premier medical journals in the English-speaking world. Considering all of this, it is not too great of an overstatement to say that it was a monumental event that JAMA and the AMA's nine specialty Archives journals coordinated theme issues last November to provide a forum to present scientific research about alternative therapies to the medical community and the public.
Continually in the Nov. 11 JAMA theme issue, contributors commented on the meteoric rise of the public's interest in alternative medical therapies, which were functionally defined as interventions neither taught widely in medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals (i.e. herbal medicine, dietary supplements, homeopathy, energy healing, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc.). Although acknowledging the popularity of alternative medicine, numerous contributors stated that the scientific research conducted on alternative medical practices has been woefully inadequate.
In an editorial, Phil Fontanarosa, M.D., and JAMA editor George Lundberg, M.D., summarized the opinions of many contributors to the JAMA theme issue. "Despite the increasing use of alternative medicine in the United States and throughout the world, most alternative therapies have not been evaluated using rigorously conducted scientific tests on efficacy based on accepted rules of evidence," the two doctors wrote. "The lack of properly designed and conducted randomized trials is a major concern." Later in the editorial, Fontanarosa and Lundberg again railed, "the lack of convincing and compelling evidence on efficacy, safety and outcomes is unacceptable and troubling."
At the same time, the AMA and the editors of JAMA concede, albeit begrudgingly, that dietary supplements have taken a significant role in the health care choices of millions of Americans. In another JAMA editorial, Wayne Jonas, M.D., concluded, "Alternative medicine is here to stay. It is no longer an option to ignore it or treat it as something outside the normal processes of science and medicine. The challenge is to move forward carefully, using both reason and wisdom, as we attempt to separate the pearls from the mud." This may not constitute an endorsement of dietary supplements and other alternative practices, but it's a start in the right direction.
Keeping in mind the medical community's skepticism toward the amount of conducted research and the efficacy of supplement products, it is not difficult to see that the category of natural antioxidants faces an uphill struggle in gaining unequivocal acceptance among the majority of doctors and pharmacists. At the same time, however, the combination of patient interest and increasing research has led the medical community to become more aware of antioxidant supplementation.
"Doctors certainly are becoming more aware, primarily because their patients are asking them more questions about antioxidants and supplements in general," said Varro Tyler. "But to date, many doctors have not learned about these options in their medical school curriculums, so they are just beginning to find out about them. I would say that there is a small group of doctors that are knowledgeable and have made an effort to understand supplements. Then there is a much larger group that is just in the learning stage and generally very interested but not necessarily well-informed."
Many of those in the minority group of doctors who are knowledgeable about dietary supplements are likely members of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). Founded in 1973, ACAM is a non-profit medical society dedicated to educating physicians on the latest findings and emerging procedures in complementary/alternative medicine, with special emphasis on preventive/nutritional medicine. As a listing on the ACAM website at www.acam.org shows, physicians who are members of ACAM can be found in or near virtually every community in the United States. "The number of doctors who take antioxidants and are recommending them is increasing," said Janson, ACAM's president. "For example, if you look at ACAM, doctor membership has doubled twice in the last 10 years. This increasing interest in dietary supplements by doctors is primarily a result of patients demanding to know more about them. Doctors are also forced to look at the overwhelming medical evidence in support of antioxidants."
Janson argued that there are tangible indications that the medical profession as a whole is moving toward recognizing the utility of supplements. One sign is the increasing frequency of medical conferences on topics such as antioxidants, nutrition and preventive medicine. Also, Janson noted the recent publication by Physicians' Desk Reference of PDR for Herbal Medicine, which he characterized as a "revolutionary" occurance. This text is designed specifically for doctors as a review of available information on indications, pharmacological effects, proper dosage, precautions, adverse reactions, symptoms of overdose, along with exhaustive citations from the scientific literature on herbs and botanicals.
Doctors are not the only health care professionals who are being forced to learn more about dietary supplements as a result of public demand. In many cases, pharmacists rather than doctors are being quizzed by the public on supplement options such as antioxidants. One reason for this is that pharmacies across the country are devoting more and more shelf space to dietary supplements, and customers therefore assume that pharmacists have a thorough knowledge of these products. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.
"Natural products were probably covered in courses under pharmacognasy, which mostly has been eliminated from pharmacy school programs in the last 20 or 30 years," said Robert Anderson, Pharm.D., professor of pharmacy practice at Mercer University in Atlanta. "There is still information on vitamins, but a lot of the herbal medications had pretty much gone out of favor in pharmacy school curricula in the late 1960s and early 70s. But there is a trend now where it is coming back, and so I think the knowledge base of the pharmacist is getting adequate. But the difficult thing is trying to assess all this new information that is coming in almost every day, and I think there is a need for more Continuing Education (C.E.) programs in this area."
According to Herrier of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona, many pharmacists realize the need to bone up on their knowledge of herbs and other supplement options. "In terms of C.E. opportunities, topics such as herbal medicines have been really high on the request list, and whenever there is a session on one of these topics, it is extremely well attended and there are a wealth of questions from the audience about specific issues. At the last one I attended, the speaker in fact talked about the respective merits of the individual antioxidants."
Comparing the various substances that have been termed antioxidants appears to be important to pharmacists. Much of this is due to pharmacists', like doctors', emphasis on scientifically validated research. For example, Rex Force, Pharm.D., assistant professor of family medicine and pharmacy practice at Idaho St. University, is careful to differentiate one supplement that has been indicated as an antioxidant from another. "I don't have any problem recommending that people take a supplemental dose of vitamin E. Certainly, for people with cardiovascular disease, it is reasonable for them to take a vitamin E supplement," he explained. "They do not have to be in megadoses--400 or so IUs is appropriate."
Force continued with an evaluation of some other antioxidants. "I don't recommend vitamin A or beta carotene to anyone. Vitamin A/beta carotene has not been shown in prospective studies where it is administered to patients to make a difference. And, in fact, in some studies beta carotene has been shown to be harmful. As far as other antioxidants go, there is really no strong data for vitamin C, particularly with cancer and cardiovascular disease. There are epidemiological studies that suggest diets rich in vitamin C reduces risk for these diseases, but when supplements are used in the studies it doesn't seem to make a difference. I am going to be very conservative about people putting things in their body when we don't know what the long-term adverse or beneficial effects may be. So I am very evidence-based--show me what types of studies have been done and what we really know."
Ziegler of the National Cancer Institute does not find the evidence in support of any antioxidants to be substantial enough to warrant their role at this time against cancers, which is her area of expertise. "I don't think there is any persuasive evidence at the present time that oxidative damage plays a critical role in the genesis of cancers. I also don't feel that there is strong evidence that vitamins E, C and beta carotene protect against cancer by working as antioxidants. I am not saying that they do not, and these are important hypotheses that need further exploration. But they have not been proved or disproved. I am not trying to knock the hypotheses, but I am concerned about making the leap to giving scientific advice to the public on the basis of limited evidence."
However, there can be a range of divergent opinions and interpretations among scientists and doctors of what constitutes "limited" evidence. Some scientists believe that research to date has shown the validity of antioxidants for the prevention and/or treatment of cancer. "Antioxidants have demonstrated positive results in the prevention or alleviation of many chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer," said Debasis Bagchi, Ph.D., director of research and development at InterHealth Nutraceuticals and adjunct associate professor at Creighton Universitry. "Recent studies at the University of Nebraska in Omaha have found that ActiVin, a proanthocyandin grape seed extract, does more than simply neutralize harmful free radicals. It actually works at the genetic level, increasing the activity of tumor suppressor genes and decreasing the activity of tumor promotion genes."
Differences in awareness of what research is available may also factor into varying opinions about antioxidants. It likely does not come as a surprise that many doctors and pharmacists are out of the loop when it comes to the wealth of research data that is available on some antioxidants. For example, grape seed extract is widely viewed by the medical community as an antioxidant more on the scientific fringe than, say, essential vitamins. For this reason, grape seed extract is often regarded as new and not well tested. But Paulo Morazzoni, Ph.D., scientific director at Indena S.p.A., supplier of LeucoSelect Phytosome--derived from grape seed extract--relates a very different story in which extensive research of every type has been conducted on grape seed extract. In instances such as this one, it may not necessarily be that the research has yet to have been done, but rather that American doctors and pharmacists are not aware of the research that it is out there on an antioxidant substance.
"Plants such as green tea, grape seed and pine bark are all characterized by their content in polyphenols, particularly procyanidins," recounted Morazzoni. "Numerous in vitro studies have shown that procyanidins have been indicated in the test tube to exert a significant antioxidant effect. What makes procyanidins even more interesting, in my opinion, is the in vivo situation, which is mainly due to the fact that these procyanidins are contained in dietary foods. And if you consider epidemiology as the science that can provide information about the linkage between, for instance, the intake of dietary polyphenols and incidence of certain pathologies, what we can say now in a short summary is that there is strong evidence that the dietary intake of certain polyphenols such as procyanidins, because of mostly their antioxidant effect, corresponds to a lower incidence of some diseases."
"There is an additional element in that there have been controlled human studies," continued Morazzoni. "In Europe, going back decades, the product of grape seed extract has been the subject of controlled human studies and shown to improve certain pathological situations in the vascular system. It is this kind of documentation in Europe that has allowed the registration of some grape seed products as prescription drugs."
However, there is almost always a need for more scientific investigation. For example, how exactly proanthocyanidins biochemically impact the human body is not yet known. As Bagchi of InterHealth Nutraceuticals noted, grape seed extract does more than simply quench free radicals. Sevanian of USC recently completed a pre-clinical study on proanthocyanidins and the role they play in the prevention of cardiovascular disease that utilized Indena's LeucoSelect Phytosome. "The more investigation we do on some of these antioxidants, the more we realize that their role is not simply as an antioxidant--that is strictly scavenging free radicals--but that they seem to have fundamental effects on the biochemistry of cells that may be related to antioxidant-type activity but not of the classical nature." Sevanian said there are indications that proanthocyanidins affect the signaling of specific cell membrane proteins that elicit signals into cells that control the cascade of gene expression.
Papas of Eastman Chemical also explained that antioxidant substances work together in the human body, and that it is therefore necessary to not oversimplify and/or draw too broad of conclusions based on research conducted on individual antioxidants. "The relative ability of antioxidants to prevent oxidation in foods or in vitro systems is often extrapolated to their antioxidant function in human tissue," he said. "Because antioxidants act as components of a complex system, comparisons based on a single test or criterion are mostly inaccurate and not very meaningful. Antioxidants should be viewed as a team, where each member brings special strengths. Vitamin C, for example is water-soluble, while vitamin E is fat-soluble. Working together, antioxidants produce synergies, and their combined action is stronger than the sum of their individual potential."
The possibility that antioxidant substances function in the human body beyond simply as antioxidants and that antioxidants act in the body in a complex synergistic manner helps show what scientists have known for centuries: that research findings often raise more questions than they answer. However, any scientist will tell you that this phenomenon almost always indicates that scientific progress is being made. And this is clearly the case in regard to antioxidant substances and their role in the human body
Continued Tomorrow....
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Is the Medical Community Ready to Accept Antioxidants?
To gain an understanding of the opinions of the mainstream medical community, the most obvious place to turn is the American Medical Association (AMA), which defines itself as the very "voice of the American medical profession." The flagship journal of the AMA is JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, and while the journal's editorials carry a disclaimer that they represent the authors of the journal and not those of the AMA, the content of JAMA nonetheless gives clear insight into the positions, stances and trends of the medical profession. Further, alongside the The New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal, JAMA is among the premier medical journals in the English-speaking world. Considering all of this, it is not too great of an overstatement to say that it was a monumental event that JAMA and the AMA's nine specialty Archives journals coordinated theme issues last November to provide a forum to present scientific research about alternative therapies to the medical community and the public.
Continually in the Nov. 11 JAMA theme issue, contributors commented on the meteoric rise of the public's interest in alternative medical therapies, which were functionally defined as interventions neither taught widely in medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals (i.e. herbal medicine, dietary supplements, homeopathy, energy healing, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc.). Although acknowledging the popularity of alternative medicine, numerous contributors stated that the scientific research conducted on alternative medical practices has been woefully inadequate.
In an editorial, Phil Fontanarosa, M.D., and JAMA editor George Lundberg, M.D., summarized the opinions of many contributors to the JAMA theme issue. "Despite the increasing use of alternative medicine in the United States and throughout the world, most alternative therapies have not been evaluated using rigorously conducted scientific tests on efficacy based on accepted rules of evidence," the two doctors wrote. "The lack of properly designed and conducted randomized trials is a major concern." Later in the editorial, Fontanarosa and Lundberg again railed, "the lack of convincing and compelling evidence on efficacy, safety and outcomes is unacceptable and troubling."
At the same time, the AMA and the editors of JAMA concede, albeit begrudgingly, that dietary supplements have taken a significant role in the health care choices of millions of Americans. In another JAMA editorial, Wayne Jonas, M.D., concluded, "Alternative medicine is here to stay. It is no longer an option to ignore it or treat it as something outside the normal processes of science and medicine. The challenge is to move forward carefully, using both reason and wisdom, as we attempt to separate the pearls from the mud." This may not constitute an endorsement of dietary supplements and other alternative practices, but it's a start in the right direction.
Keeping in mind the medical community's skepticism toward the amount of conducted research and the efficacy of supplement products, it is not difficult to see that the category of natural antioxidants faces an uphill struggle in gaining unequivocal acceptance among the majority of doctors and pharmacists. At the same time, however, the combination of patient interest and increasing research has led the medical community to become more aware of antioxidant supplementation.
"Doctors certainly are becoming more aware, primarily because their patients are asking them more questions about antioxidants and supplements in general," said Varro Tyler. "But to date, many doctors have not learned about these options in their medical school curriculums, so they are just beginning to find out about them. I would say that there is a small group of doctors that are knowledgeable and have made an effort to understand supplements. Then there is a much larger group that is just in the learning stage and generally very interested but not necessarily well-informed."
Many of those in the minority group of doctors who are knowledgeable about dietary supplements are likely members of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). Founded in 1973, ACAM is a non-profit medical society dedicated to educating physicians on the latest findings and emerging procedures in complementary/alternative medicine, with special emphasis on preventive/nutritional medicine. As a listing on the ACAM website at www.acam.org shows, physicians who are members of ACAM can be found in or near virtually every community in the United States. "The number of doctors who take antioxidants and are recommending them is increasing," said Janson, ACAM's president. "For example, if you look at ACAM, doctor membership has doubled twice in the last 10 years. This increasing interest in dietary supplements by doctors is primarily a result of patients demanding to know more about them. Doctors are also forced to look at the overwhelming medical evidence in support of antioxidants."
Janson argued that there are tangible indications that the medical profession as a whole is moving toward recognizing the utility of supplements. One sign is the increasing frequency of medical conferences on topics such as antioxidants, nutrition and preventive medicine. Also, Janson noted the recent publication by Physicians' Desk Reference of PDR for Herbal Medicine, which he characterized as a "revolutionary" occurance. This text is designed specifically for doctors as a review of available information on indications, pharmacological effects, proper dosage, precautions, adverse reactions, symptoms of overdose, along with exhaustive citations from the scientific literature on herbs and botanicals.
Doctors are not the only health care professionals who are being forced to learn more about dietary supplements as a result of public demand. In many cases, pharmacists rather than doctors are being quizzed by the public on supplement options such as antioxidants. One reason for this is that pharmacies across the country are devoting more and more shelf space to dietary supplements, and customers therefore assume that pharmacists have a thorough knowledge of these products. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.
"Natural products were probably covered in courses under pharmacognasy, which mostly has been eliminated from pharmacy school programs in the last 20 or 30 years," said Robert Anderson, Pharm.D., professor of pharmacy practice at Mercer University in Atlanta. "There is still information on vitamins, but a lot of the herbal medications had pretty much gone out of favor in pharmacy school curricula in the late 1960s and early 70s. But there is a trend now where it is coming back, and so I think the knowledge base of the pharmacist is getting adequate. But the difficult thing is trying to assess all this new information that is coming in almost every day, and I think there is a need for more Continuing Education (C.E.) programs in this area."
According to Herrier of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona, many pharmacists realize the need to bone up on their knowledge of herbs and other supplement options. "In terms of C.E. opportunities, topics such as herbal medicines have been really high on the request list, and whenever there is a session on one of these topics, it is extremely well attended and there are a wealth of questions from the audience about specific issues. At the last one I attended, the speaker in fact talked about the respective merits of the individual antioxidants."
Comparing the various substances that have been termed antioxidants appears to be important to pharmacists. Much of this is due to pharmacists', like doctors', emphasis on scientifically validated research. For example, Rex Force, Pharm.D., assistant professor of family medicine and pharmacy practice at Idaho St. University, is careful to differentiate one supplement that has been indicated as an antioxidant from another. "I don't have any problem recommending that people take a supplemental dose of vitamin E. Certainly, for people with cardiovascular disease, it is reasonable for them to take a vitamin E supplement," he explained. "They do not have to be in megadoses--400 or so IUs is appropriate."
Force continued with an evaluation of some other antioxidants. "I don't recommend vitamin A or beta carotene to anyone. Vitamin A/beta carotene has not been shown in prospective studies where it is administered to patients to make a difference. And, in fact, in some studies beta carotene has been shown to be harmful. As far as other antioxidants go, there is really no strong data for vitamin C, particularly with cancer and cardiovascular disease. There are epidemiological studies that suggest diets rich in vitamin C reduces risk for these diseases, but when supplements are used in the studies it doesn't seem to make a difference. I am going to be very conservative about people putting things in their body when we don't know what the long-term adverse or beneficial effects may be. So I am very evidence-based--show me what types of studies have been done and what we really know."
Ziegler of the National Cancer Institute does not find the evidence in support of any antioxidants to be substantial enough to warrant their role at this time against cancers, which is her area of expertise. "I don't think there is any persuasive evidence at the present time that oxidative damage plays a critical role in the genesis of cancers. I also don't feel that there is strong evidence that vitamins E, C and beta carotene protect against cancer by working as antioxidants. I am not saying that they do not, and these are important hypotheses that need further exploration. But they have not been proved or disproved. I am not trying to knock the hypotheses, but I am concerned about making the leap to giving scientific advice to the public on the basis of limited evidence."
However, there can be a range of divergent opinions and interpretations among scientists and doctors of what constitutes "limited" evidence. Some scientists believe that research to date has shown the validity of antioxidants for the prevention and/or treatment of cancer. "Antioxidants have demonstrated positive results in the prevention or alleviation of many chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer," said Debasis Bagchi, Ph.D., director of research and development at InterHealth Nutraceuticals and adjunct associate professor at Creighton Universitry. "Recent studies at the University of Nebraska in Omaha have found that ActiVin, a proanthocyandin grape seed extract, does more than simply neutralize harmful free radicals. It actually works at the genetic level, increasing the activity of tumor suppressor genes and decreasing the activity of tumor promotion genes."
Differences in awareness of what research is available may also factor into varying opinions about antioxidants. It likely does not come as a surprise that many doctors and pharmacists are out of the loop when it comes to the wealth of research data that is available on some antioxidants. For example, grape seed extract is widely viewed by the medical community as an antioxidant more on the scientific fringe than, say, essential vitamins. For this reason, grape seed extract is often regarded as new and not well tested. But Paulo Morazzoni, Ph.D., scientific director at Indena S.p.A., supplier of LeucoSelect Phytosome--derived from grape seed extract--relates a very different story in which extensive research of every type has been conducted on grape seed extract. In instances such as this one, it may not necessarily be that the research has yet to have been done, but rather that American doctors and pharmacists are not aware of the research that it is out there on an antioxidant substance.
"Plants such as green tea, grape seed and pine bark are all characterized by their content in polyphenols, particularly procyanidins," recounted Morazzoni. "Numerous in vitro studies have shown that procyanidins have been indicated in the test tube to exert a significant antioxidant effect. What makes procyanidins even more interesting, in my opinion, is the in vivo situation, which is mainly due to the fact that these procyanidins are contained in dietary foods. And if you consider epidemiology as the science that can provide information about the linkage between, for instance, the intake of dietary polyphenols and incidence of certain pathologies, what we can say now in a short summary is that there is strong evidence that the dietary intake of certain polyphenols such as procyanidins, because of mostly their antioxidant effect, corresponds to a lower incidence of some diseases."
"There is an additional element in that there have been controlled human studies," continued Morazzoni. "In Europe, going back decades, the product of grape seed extract has been the subject of controlled human studies and shown to improve certain pathological situations in the vascular system. It is this kind of documentation in Europe that has allowed the registration of some grape seed products as prescription drugs."
However, there is almost always a need for more scientific investigation. For example, how exactly proanthocyanidins biochemically impact the human body is not yet known. As Bagchi of InterHealth Nutraceuticals noted, grape seed extract does more than simply quench free radicals. Sevanian of USC recently completed a pre-clinical study on proanthocyanidins and the role they play in the prevention of cardiovascular disease that utilized Indena's LeucoSelect Phytosome. "The more investigation we do on some of these antioxidants, the more we realize that their role is not simply as an antioxidant--that is strictly scavenging free radicals--but that they seem to have fundamental effects on the biochemistry of cells that may be related to antioxidant-type activity but not of the classical nature." Sevanian said there are indications that proanthocyanidins affect the signaling of specific cell membrane proteins that elicit signals into cells that control the cascade of gene expression.
Papas of Eastman Chemical also explained that antioxidant substances work together in the human body, and that it is therefore necessary to not oversimplify and/or draw too broad of conclusions based on research conducted on individual antioxidants. "The relative ability of antioxidants to prevent oxidation in foods or in vitro systems is often extrapolated to their antioxidant function in human tissue," he said. "Because antioxidants act as components of a complex system, comparisons based on a single test or criterion are mostly inaccurate and not very meaningful. Antioxidants should be viewed as a team, where each member brings special strengths. Vitamin C, for example is water-soluble, while vitamin E is fat-soluble. Working together, antioxidants produce synergies, and their combined action is stronger than the sum of their individual potential."
The possibility that antioxidant substances function in the human body beyond simply as antioxidants and that antioxidants act in the body in a complex synergistic manner helps show what scientists have known for centuries: that research findings often raise more questions than they answer. However, any scientist will tell you that this phenomenon almost always indicates that scientific progress is being made. And this is clearly the case in regard to antioxidant substances and their role in the human body
Continued Tomorrow....
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Life Renewal
Top = BeforeBottom = After
After 5 Treatments
Nerve Damage:
Red = Severe;
Blue = Medium;
Green = Mild;
While = Normal
The reason why the Renew Yourself Program is so important is because it addresses a core issue to increasing the energy of life traveling through the physical body.
The most dramatic improvements can be experience in combination with a Juice Fasting (Spiritual Fast / Detoxification Program). Fasting creates an environment in the body of superior receptivity and deeper healing. It gives you a jump start through pure organic nutrient-dense mineral-rich vegetable juices. During the retreats, you’ll get exposed and learn different lifestyle tools that can be used at home to continue the process of growing, expansion and healing.
You can further select from over 30 top-class wellness and detoxifation therapies that set you off on the path of whole-body enlightenment. Within less than two weeks of residency, the synergistic result is a giant shift in consciousness, highest levels of health and energy are achieved, and many seeds are being planted to continue the journey of self-realization.
When further combined with the Whole Person Healing supplementation plan, the turning-on of the anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-oxidant genes is further enhanced.
The series of treatments start with a neural-diagnostic computer scan of the spine that measures the electrical activity. A software puts the scanned results into a visual format which gives a baseline to design an individualized therapy.
http://www.treeoflife.nu/renew-yourself-longevity-now-decalcification-neuro-musular-spinal-alignment/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/
Older Americans Less Healthy Than English Counterparts
Older Americans Less Healthy Than English Counterparts, But They Live as Long or Longer
Older Americans are less healthy than their English counterparts, but they live as long or even longer than their English peers, according to a new study by researchers from the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London.
Researchers found that while Americans aged 55 to 64 have higher rates of chronic diseases than their peers in England, they died at about the same rate. And Americans age 65 and older — while still sicker than their English peers — had a lower death rate than similar people in England, according to findings published in the journal Demography.
The paper was co-authored by James Banks and Alastair Muriel of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and James P. Smith, distinguished chair in labor markets and demographic studies at RAND.
“If you get sick at older ages, you will die sooner in England than in the United States,” Smith said. “It appears that at least in terms of survival at older ages with chronic disease, the medical system in the United States may be better than the system in England.”
The study expands upon an earlier analysis by Banks and Smith that found that Americans aged 55 to 64 suffered from diseases such as diabetes at rates up to twice those seen among similarly aged people in England. The trend was observed across all socioeconomic groups.
Researchers analyzed information from two comparable surveys of people age 50 and over in the United States and England — the Health and Retirement Survey and the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing — funded by the National Institute on Aging in the United States.
In the new study, researchers examined the prevalence of illness among those 55 to 64 and 70 to 80. They also looked for the first time at the onset of new illnesses in those age groups in the United States and England during the years spanning 2002 to 2006. Finally, researchers examined trends in death rates in each country.
The findings showed that both disease prevalence and the onset of new disease were higher among Americans for the illnesses studied — diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, chronic lung diseases and cancer. Researchers found that the higher prevalence of illness among Americans compared to the English that they previously found for those aged 55 to 64 was also apparent for those in their 70s. Diabetes rates were almost twice as high in the United States as in England (17.2 percent versus 10.4 percent) and cancer prevalence was more than twice as high in the United States (17.9 percent compared to 7.8 percent) for people in their 70s.
In spite of both higher prevalence and incidence of disease in America, death rates among Americans were about the same in the younger ages in this period of life and actually lower at older ages compared to the English.
Researchers say there are two possible explanations why death rates are higher for English after age 65 as compared to Americans. One is that the illnesses studied result in higher mortality in England than in the United States. The second is that the English are diagnosed at a later stage in the disease process than Americans.
“Both of these explanations imply that there is higher-quality medical care in the United States than in England, at least in the sense that these chronic illnesses are less likely to cause death among people living in the United States,” Smith said.
“The United States' health problem is not fundamentally a health care or insurance problem, at least at older ages,” Banks said. “It is a problem of excess illness and the solution to that problem may lie outside the health care delivery system. The solution may be to alter lifestyles or other behaviors.”
The study also investigated the relationship between the financial resources of individuals in both countries and how soon they would they would die in the future.
While poorer people are more likely to die sooner than their more well-off counterparts, researchers say their finding supports the view that the primary pathway between health and wealth is that poor health leads to a depletion of household wealth, rather than being poor causes one's health to decline. Researchers found that the substantial changes in wealth that occurred in the years 1992 and 2002 in the United States through increases in stock prices and housing prices did not alter the probability of subsequent death.
The research was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council. The study was conducted through the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London and RAND Labor and Population, which examines issues involving U.S. labor markets, the demographics of families and children, social welfare policy, the social and economic functioning of the elderly, and economic and social change in developing countries.
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/11/04.html
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Older Americans are less healthy than their English counterparts, but they live as long or even longer than their English peers, according to a new study by researchers from the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London.
Researchers found that while Americans aged 55 to 64 have higher rates of chronic diseases than their peers in England, they died at about the same rate. And Americans age 65 and older — while still sicker than their English peers — had a lower death rate than similar people in England, according to findings published in the journal Demography.
The paper was co-authored by James Banks and Alastair Muriel of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and James P. Smith, distinguished chair in labor markets and demographic studies at RAND.
“If you get sick at older ages, you will die sooner in England than in the United States,” Smith said. “It appears that at least in terms of survival at older ages with chronic disease, the medical system in the United States may be better than the system in England.”
The study expands upon an earlier analysis by Banks and Smith that found that Americans aged 55 to 64 suffered from diseases such as diabetes at rates up to twice those seen among similarly aged people in England. The trend was observed across all socioeconomic groups.
Researchers analyzed information from two comparable surveys of people age 50 and over in the United States and England — the Health and Retirement Survey and the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing — funded by the National Institute on Aging in the United States.
In the new study, researchers examined the prevalence of illness among those 55 to 64 and 70 to 80. They also looked for the first time at the onset of new illnesses in those age groups in the United States and England during the years spanning 2002 to 2006. Finally, researchers examined trends in death rates in each country.
The findings showed that both disease prevalence and the onset of new disease were higher among Americans for the illnesses studied — diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, chronic lung diseases and cancer. Researchers found that the higher prevalence of illness among Americans compared to the English that they previously found for those aged 55 to 64 was also apparent for those in their 70s. Diabetes rates were almost twice as high in the United States as in England (17.2 percent versus 10.4 percent) and cancer prevalence was more than twice as high in the United States (17.9 percent compared to 7.8 percent) for people in their 70s.
In spite of both higher prevalence and incidence of disease in America, death rates among Americans were about the same in the younger ages in this period of life and actually lower at older ages compared to the English.
Researchers say there are two possible explanations why death rates are higher for English after age 65 as compared to Americans. One is that the illnesses studied result in higher mortality in England than in the United States. The second is that the English are diagnosed at a later stage in the disease process than Americans.
“Both of these explanations imply that there is higher-quality medical care in the United States than in England, at least in the sense that these chronic illnesses are less likely to cause death among people living in the United States,” Smith said.
“The United States' health problem is not fundamentally a health care or insurance problem, at least at older ages,” Banks said. “It is a problem of excess illness and the solution to that problem may lie outside the health care delivery system. The solution may be to alter lifestyles or other behaviors.”
The study also investigated the relationship between the financial resources of individuals in both countries and how soon they would they would die in the future.
While poorer people are more likely to die sooner than their more well-off counterparts, researchers say their finding supports the view that the primary pathway between health and wealth is that poor health leads to a depletion of household wealth, rather than being poor causes one's health to decline. Researchers found that the substantial changes in wealth that occurred in the years 1992 and 2002 in the United States through increases in stock prices and housing prices did not alter the probability of subsequent death.
The research was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council. The study was conducted through the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London and RAND Labor and Population, which examines issues involving U.S. labor markets, the demographics of families and children, social welfare policy, the social and economic functioning of the elderly, and economic and social change in developing countries.
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/11/04.html
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Stress and Fertility Treatments
Emotional distress may not affect the outcome of fertility treatments, according to a recent study.
Approximately 10-15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is currently the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology (ART), which has enabled many couples to have their own biological child. Mature eggs are retrieved from the woman, and then fertilized with the male's sperm in a laboratory. The embryos are then implanted in the woman's uterus.
Researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a comprehensive literature search in various databases to evaluate the potential effect of stress on the success rate of fertility treatments. Fourteen studies evaluating 3583 women undergoing fertility treatments were included.
The infertile women in the studies were assessed for anxiety and depression before treatment. The researchers compared the stress and anxiety levels of women who become pregnant to the levels of those who did not, and found no significant link between stress and the outcome of treatment.
The authors concluded that stress may not affect the success rate of fertility treatments. However, additional research is necessary to further evaluate these findings.
For more information about infertlity, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.
References
1.Boivin J, Griffiths E, Venetis CA. Emotional distress in infertile women and failure of assisted reproductive technologies: meta-analysis of prospective psychosocial studies. BMJ. 2011 Feb 23;342:d223. View Abstract
2.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Approximately 10-15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is currently the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology (ART), which has enabled many couples to have their own biological child. Mature eggs are retrieved from the woman, and then fertilized with the male's sperm in a laboratory. The embryos are then implanted in the woman's uterus.
Researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a comprehensive literature search in various databases to evaluate the potential effect of stress on the success rate of fertility treatments. Fourteen studies evaluating 3583 women undergoing fertility treatments were included.
The infertile women in the studies were assessed for anxiety and depression before treatment. The researchers compared the stress and anxiety levels of women who become pregnant to the levels of those who did not, and found no significant link between stress and the outcome of treatment.
The authors concluded that stress may not affect the success rate of fertility treatments. However, additional research is necessary to further evaluate these findings.
For more information about infertlity, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.
References
1.Boivin J, Griffiths E, Venetis CA. Emotional distress in infertile women and failure of assisted reproductive technologies: meta-analysis of prospective psychosocial studies. BMJ. 2011 Feb 23;342:d223. View Abstract
2.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Health, Marriage, and Longer Life for Men
Numerous studies covering 140 years have shown that married persons tend to live longer than their unmarried counterparts.
Attempts to explain this advantage have typically focused on the following questions:
Does marriage have a direct protective effect, reducing the risk of mortality by providing benefits such as improved health? Or does increased longevity reflect the possibility that healthy people are more likely to get married--and therefore that married people are simply healthier from the start of their married lives?
The focus of these questions suggests that the connection between longevity and the married state can be explained only by "protection" provided through marriage or by "positive selection" into marriage because of good health. However, a third consideration may also offer insights into the relationship between marriage and health. If being married is a way of gaining increased protection against illness and death, then persons in poor health may have a greater incentive to seek these benefits by marrying and staying married. This mechanism may be termed "adverse selection" into marriage and, theoretically, could be as significant a factor as positive selection. Yet, while it is often suggested that selection may account for at least part of the marriage advantage, previous empirical work has concerned itself with positive selection and has not considered the possibility that adverse selection may also play a role.
Recent research at the RAND Center for the Study of Aging attempts to fill this gap. [1] The researchers use a nationally representative dataset to track more than 4000 men over a 22-year period. The study analyzes changes in the men's health status alongside the course of their major marital transitions--their history of marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, and remarriage. Overall, the findings indicate that both the protection and selection scenarios help explain the marriage advantage. On the one hand, good health reduces the risk of mortality and, in certain circumstances, marriage contributes to good health. On the other hand, the health status of individuals does help determine their selection into the married state.
Effects of Marital Status on Health
Analysis of whether marriage directly affects health produces mixed results. Comparisons of currently married and never-married men show that while the former are generally healthier, this difference cannot be attributed simply to the protective effects of marriage. The self-reported health status of men shows that, by itself, becoming married for the first time does not lead to any noticeable benefits. Comparisons of older married and divorced men, however, show that the relative health levels of the latter drop significantly as they age. By the time divorced men reach age 50, they can expect their health to deteriorate much faster than the health of those who are married. For this group of older divorced men, remarriage offers a direct health benefit, bringing their health up to the level of men who have remained married.
The health benefits obtained by men who stay married or remarry stem from a variety of related factors, including care in times of illness, improved nutrition, and a home atmosphere that reduces stress and stress-related illnesses, encourages healthy behaviors, and discourages unhealthy ones such as smoking and excessive drinking. Influences of this type tend to enhance a man's immediate health status and may often improve his chances for a longer life.
Effects of Marital Status on Mortality after Controlling for Health
As men age, their health declines and the risk of mortality increases. Not surprisingly, however, the level of risk is tied to marital status: married men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s have lower mortality rates than those who are unmarried (never married, divorced, or widowed). For divorced men, this higher risk of death is explained primarily by their poorer health. Among never-married men and widowers, however, excess mortality rates are less related to self-reported health status--a finding that raises questions about the factors that lead to earlier death. Previous research has indicated that part of the marriage advantage stems from co-residence with a partner or with other adults. Never-married men may prefer to live alone, thus forgoing the potential life-extending benefits of social integration.
Effects of Health on Marriage Formation and Dissolution
Contrary to conventional wisdom, which assumes that healthier men enter marriage more readily than their less healthy peers, the study shows that healthier men actually tend to marry later and to postpone remarriage. Relatively unhealthy men, by contrast, tend to pursue marriage more actively. They marry earlier, are less likely to divorce and are more likely to remarry following a divorce or the death of a spouse. For these men, marriage can be an effective means of promoting physical health and increasing longevity. Their behavior supports the view that there is an adverse selection into marriage on the basis of health.
At the same time, the study also found evidence for positive selection into marriage on the basis of factors other than health. In their youthful years, some men have attributes (besides their general health status) that not only make them more likely to marry but also make them healthier individuals. Such habits or preferences are established early in the life cycle, leading to a positive overall association between being in good health and being married. This correlation, however, is not a result of the influence of general health on marriageability or of the health benefits of marriage.
Summary and Conclusions
The relationship between marriage and longevity is more complex than had been generally believed. Clearly, the longer life of married men cannot be explained by pointing exclusively to either protection from ill health or selection into marriage on the basis of good health. What the findings confirm for the first time is that the self-reported health status of men does affect marriage decisions--but not in ways that support the notion of positive selection. Since good health discourages marriage, and poorer health encourages marriage, the connection between marriage and better health can be explained by individual habits and preferences that promote both health and marriage.
In addition, the evidence indicates that although marital status has an effect on mortality, the determining factors underlying this effect are not always clear. In the case of older divorced men, being outside of marriage leads to poorer health and also to shorter life. Other unmarried men, however, have higher mortality rates despite the fact that their general health levels are no worse than those of married men. Therefore, while the relatively good health of married men offers a partial explanation for their increased longevity, additional determining factors have yet to be found.
[1] Lee A. Lillard and Constantijn W.A. Panis, "Marital Status and Mortality: The Role of Health," Demography, 33(3):313-327, 1996
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB5018/index1.html
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Attempts to explain this advantage have typically focused on the following questions:
Does marriage have a direct protective effect, reducing the risk of mortality by providing benefits such as improved health? Or does increased longevity reflect the possibility that healthy people are more likely to get married--and therefore that married people are simply healthier from the start of their married lives?
The focus of these questions suggests that the connection between longevity and the married state can be explained only by "protection" provided through marriage or by "positive selection" into marriage because of good health. However, a third consideration may also offer insights into the relationship between marriage and health. If being married is a way of gaining increased protection against illness and death, then persons in poor health may have a greater incentive to seek these benefits by marrying and staying married. This mechanism may be termed "adverse selection" into marriage and, theoretically, could be as significant a factor as positive selection. Yet, while it is often suggested that selection may account for at least part of the marriage advantage, previous empirical work has concerned itself with positive selection and has not considered the possibility that adverse selection may also play a role.
Recent research at the RAND Center for the Study of Aging attempts to fill this gap. [1] The researchers use a nationally representative dataset to track more than 4000 men over a 22-year period. The study analyzes changes in the men's health status alongside the course of their major marital transitions--their history of marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, and remarriage. Overall, the findings indicate that both the protection and selection scenarios help explain the marriage advantage. On the one hand, good health reduces the risk of mortality and, in certain circumstances, marriage contributes to good health. On the other hand, the health status of individuals does help determine their selection into the married state.
Effects of Marital Status on Health
Analysis of whether marriage directly affects health produces mixed results. Comparisons of currently married and never-married men show that while the former are generally healthier, this difference cannot be attributed simply to the protective effects of marriage. The self-reported health status of men shows that, by itself, becoming married for the first time does not lead to any noticeable benefits. Comparisons of older married and divorced men, however, show that the relative health levels of the latter drop significantly as they age. By the time divorced men reach age 50, they can expect their health to deteriorate much faster than the health of those who are married. For this group of older divorced men, remarriage offers a direct health benefit, bringing their health up to the level of men who have remained married.
The health benefits obtained by men who stay married or remarry stem from a variety of related factors, including care in times of illness, improved nutrition, and a home atmosphere that reduces stress and stress-related illnesses, encourages healthy behaviors, and discourages unhealthy ones such as smoking and excessive drinking. Influences of this type tend to enhance a man's immediate health status and may often improve his chances for a longer life.
Effects of Marital Status on Mortality after Controlling for Health
As men age, their health declines and the risk of mortality increases. Not surprisingly, however, the level of risk is tied to marital status: married men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s have lower mortality rates than those who are unmarried (never married, divorced, or widowed). For divorced men, this higher risk of death is explained primarily by their poorer health. Among never-married men and widowers, however, excess mortality rates are less related to self-reported health status--a finding that raises questions about the factors that lead to earlier death. Previous research has indicated that part of the marriage advantage stems from co-residence with a partner or with other adults. Never-married men may prefer to live alone, thus forgoing the potential life-extending benefits of social integration.
Effects of Health on Marriage Formation and Dissolution
Contrary to conventional wisdom, which assumes that healthier men enter marriage more readily than their less healthy peers, the study shows that healthier men actually tend to marry later and to postpone remarriage. Relatively unhealthy men, by contrast, tend to pursue marriage more actively. They marry earlier, are less likely to divorce and are more likely to remarry following a divorce or the death of a spouse. For these men, marriage can be an effective means of promoting physical health and increasing longevity. Their behavior supports the view that there is an adverse selection into marriage on the basis of health.
At the same time, the study also found evidence for positive selection into marriage on the basis of factors other than health. In their youthful years, some men have attributes (besides their general health status) that not only make them more likely to marry but also make them healthier individuals. Such habits or preferences are established early in the life cycle, leading to a positive overall association between being in good health and being married. This correlation, however, is not a result of the influence of general health on marriageability or of the health benefits of marriage.
Summary and Conclusions
The relationship between marriage and longevity is more complex than had been generally believed. Clearly, the longer life of married men cannot be explained by pointing exclusively to either protection from ill health or selection into marriage on the basis of good health. What the findings confirm for the first time is that the self-reported health status of men does affect marriage decisions--but not in ways that support the notion of positive selection. Since good health discourages marriage, and poorer health encourages marriage, the connection between marriage and better health can be explained by individual habits and preferences that promote both health and marriage.
In addition, the evidence indicates that although marital status has an effect on mortality, the determining factors underlying this effect are not always clear. In the case of older divorced men, being outside of marriage leads to poorer health and also to shorter life. Other unmarried men, however, have higher mortality rates despite the fact that their general health levels are no worse than those of married men. Therefore, while the relatively good health of married men offers a partial explanation for their increased longevity, additional determining factors have yet to be found.
[1] Lee A. Lillard and Constantijn W.A. Panis, "Marital Status and Mortality: The Role of Health," Demography, 33(3):313-327, 1996
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB5018/index1.html
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Media Tablets on Rise
4.5 Million Media Tablets Shipped in 3Q-2010
The shipment, price and revenue data for media tablets, eBook readers and netbooks are in for the third quarter of 2010. Published in ABI Research’s “Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data,” they show that media tablets were indeed the “promising new talent” they appeared to be: some 4.5 million of the fashionable devices shipped during the quarter.
Of those, about 93% were Apple iPads. Senior practice director Jeff Orr notes that, “Over time, Apple’s first-to-market iPad advantage will inevitably erode to some extent. ABI Research has been tracking media tablets since December 2009; future quarterly editions of this Market Data product will include market share tracking of all the major media tablet vendors.”
eBooks
eBook reader vendors continued to do well in their market, bringing new products to consumers in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season. “The US continues to be the leading market for eBook readers,” says Orr, “and the three top vendors, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony, are comfortably maintaining their top positions in it.”
Barnes & Noble introduced a color version of its Nook reader – the first color model from a leading vendor – while Amazon debuted a third-generation Kindle. Along with their new capabilities, these products also introduced lower MSRPs than earlier generations of devices.
Netbooks
The first half of 2010 was slow for netbooks, as relatively few new products were introduced. However, Orr points out, “The third quarter saw PC OEMs again breathe life into the segment by introducing new platforms that offered dual-core processors, and lighter/thinner devices with significantly better performance, sleek styling, and visual appeal.”
ABI Research’s “Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data” includes forecasts for all Ultra-mobile Devices (UMDs) including media tablets, netbooks, UMPCs, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and mobile broadband-enabled consumer electronics (CE) devices. Shipments, ASPs, and revenue for these devices are provided, including shipments and revenues for each type of UMD by region, platform, operating system, and connectivity attach rates.
It forms part of the Netbooks, MIDs and Mobile CE Research Service which also includes another Market Data product, Research Reports, Research Briefs, ABI Insights, ABI Vendor Matrices, and analyst inquiry support.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/3621-4.5+Million+Media+Tablets+Shipped+in+3Q-2010
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
The shipment, price and revenue data for media tablets, eBook readers and netbooks are in for the third quarter of 2010. Published in ABI Research’s “Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data,” they show that media tablets were indeed the “promising new talent” they appeared to be: some 4.5 million of the fashionable devices shipped during the quarter.
Of those, about 93% were Apple iPads. Senior practice director Jeff Orr notes that, “Over time, Apple’s first-to-market iPad advantage will inevitably erode to some extent. ABI Research has been tracking media tablets since December 2009; future quarterly editions of this Market Data product will include market share tracking of all the major media tablet vendors.”
eBooks
eBook reader vendors continued to do well in their market, bringing new products to consumers in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season. “The US continues to be the leading market for eBook readers,” says Orr, “and the three top vendors, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony, are comfortably maintaining their top positions in it.”
Barnes & Noble introduced a color version of its Nook reader – the first color model from a leading vendor – while Amazon debuted a third-generation Kindle. Along with their new capabilities, these products also introduced lower MSRPs than earlier generations of devices.
Netbooks
The first half of 2010 was slow for netbooks, as relatively few new products were introduced. However, Orr points out, “The third quarter saw PC OEMs again breathe life into the segment by introducing new platforms that offered dual-core processors, and lighter/thinner devices with significantly better performance, sleek styling, and visual appeal.”
ABI Research’s “Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data” includes forecasts for all Ultra-mobile Devices (UMDs) including media tablets, netbooks, UMPCs, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and mobile broadband-enabled consumer electronics (CE) devices. Shipments, ASPs, and revenue for these devices are provided, including shipments and revenues for each type of UMD by region, platform, operating system, and connectivity attach rates.
It forms part of the Netbooks, MIDs and Mobile CE Research Service which also includes another Market Data product, Research Reports, Research Briefs, ABI Insights, ABI Vendor Matrices, and analyst inquiry support.
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/3621-4.5+Million+Media+Tablets+Shipped+in+3Q-2010
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http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Health Issues Caused by Weight
Even compared to obese Americans, morbidly obese Americans are much more likely to report health issues resulting from their weight. Sixty-four percent of morbidly obese Americans say their weight has caused them health issues, almost three times the 23% rate of obese Americans.
The rate of reported health issues is even lower among overweight (12%), normal weight (4%) and underweight (8%) Americans.
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/6-in-10-obese-americans-resolve-weight-loss-16246/harris-health-issues-from-weight-feb11gif/
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Mobile Health World
12 mobile health stories from HIMSS
Continued Tomorrow
ClearPractice, the makers of the Nimble EHR for iPad, told MobiHealthNews that when iPad 2 arrives they plan to add FaceTime video chatting to their offering. Assuming the next iPad has a camera, of course. More on this soon.
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Continued Tomorrow
ClearPractice, the makers of the Nimble EHR for iPad, told MobiHealthNews that when iPad 2 arrives they plan to add FaceTime video chatting to their offering. Assuming the next iPad has a camera, of course. More on this soon.
http://mobihealthnews.com/10296/12-mobile-health-stories-from-himss/
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
02.26.11
No one can be right all of the time, but it helps to be right most of the time.
Robert Half
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
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http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Robert Half
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
What the Story Behind Preventing Type 2 Diabetes? #4
Continued from Yesterday
Chinese Diabetes Prevention Study-The Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study
The National Diabetes Data Group recognized the classification of IGT in 1979 due to evidence that it was associated with a higher incidence of diabetes and was associated ¡with obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (National Diabetes Data Group 1979). In 1986, the Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study began in Da Qing, Chia. Baseline data revealed that those with IGT were twice as likely to have hypertension, obesity, and abnormal urar albumin excretion as those with normal glucose tolerance. Plasma cholesterol and trglycerides were higher and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lower in subjects with IGT. Subjects with IGT had higher plasma insulin concentrations but lower insulin-to-glucose ratio at 1 h after a 75 g glucose load. The prevalence of electrocardiographically recognized coronary hear disease was 9.5-fold greater in IGT, and IGT remained an independent coronary hear disease risk factor after adjusting for confounders (pan et al. 1993).
In the Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study, subjects with IGT were randomized to one of four groups by clinic: (1) control, (2) diet alone, (3) exercise alone, and (4) diet plus exercise. Subjects were approximately 45 years of age, with a mean BMI of 26 kg/m2 and both genders were represented.
It appeared that either deit or exercise reduced conversion of IGT to diabetes, but combining them was not more effective than using either one separately. The interventions were more effective in those with less insulin resistance.
Continued Tomorrow
Source: Nutraceuticals, Glycemic Health and Type 2 Diabetes
Frank Greenway, MD
Chapter 3
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Chinese Diabetes Prevention Study-The Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study
The National Diabetes Data Group recognized the classification of IGT in 1979 due to evidence that it was associated with a higher incidence of diabetes and was associated ¡with obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (National Diabetes Data Group 1979). In 1986, the Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study began in Da Qing, Chia. Baseline data revealed that those with IGT were twice as likely to have hypertension, obesity, and abnormal urar albumin excretion as those with normal glucose tolerance. Plasma cholesterol and trglycerides were higher and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lower in subjects with IGT. Subjects with IGT had higher plasma insulin concentrations but lower insulin-to-glucose ratio at 1 h after a 75 g glucose load. The prevalence of electrocardiographically recognized coronary hear disease was 9.5-fold greater in IGT, and IGT remained an independent coronary hear disease risk factor after adjusting for confounders (pan et al. 1993).
In the Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study, subjects with IGT were randomized to one of four groups by clinic: (1) control, (2) diet alone, (3) exercise alone, and (4) diet plus exercise. Subjects were approximately 45 years of age, with a mean BMI of 26 kg/m2 and both genders were represented.
It appeared that either deit or exercise reduced conversion of IGT to diabetes, but combining them was not more effective than using either one separately. The interventions were more effective in those with less insulin resistance.
Continued Tomorrow
Source: Nutraceuticals, Glycemic Health and Type 2 Diabetes
Frank Greenway, MD
Chapter 3
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
THE ANTIOXIDANTS STORY CONTINUED #7
Continued from Yesterday.....
The Proof in the Research
"For vitamin E, evidence is available for all steps except the evidence for the last and important step is not complete," said Papas. "If ongoing major clinical trials are positive, it will achieve the burden of proof required for FDA approval."
A few results from clinical trials have already been published on vitamin E, and other long-term clinical trials, as Papas indicated, are underway. In one completed clinical study--the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS), published in the March 23, 1996 issue of The Lancet, vitamin E supplementation of 400 or 800 IUs per day decreased the risk of non-fatal heart attack in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 2,002 patients with coronary disease who were treated with vitamin E or placebo and followed for a median of 510 days.
If human studies in a controlled clinical setting, especially those that evaluate health outcomes, are the key to acceptance by the medical community, why don't researchers and companies in the industry simply conduct more of these types of studies? One large reason is that these types of studies are expensive and often take a long time to conduct. Alex Sevanian, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Southern California who has conducted research on antioxidants, highlighted the formidable challenges of doing research that investigates health outcomes. "If researchers are looking for events such as heart attacks and strokes, they have to take a relatively large population and look for these coronary heart events. These types of studies take many, many years, because people live a long time."
Sevanian noted, however, that there is another research route, where rather than waiting for health outcome events, researchers look at specific indicators of future health events. "There are more refined techniques that can now monitor progress of, for example, atherosclerosis in people, which is a surrogate to predicting events," he said. "For instance, this type of study can monitor the thickening of vessel walls and quickly see if that thickening does or does not occur with the intake of an antioxidant. It does not mean that the event will occur, but statistically, there is a strong correlation. These types of studies can be done over two- or three-year periods if the researchers get enough measurements to determine some rate of progression to see if that would then change with intervention."
However, subtle but sometimes important differences between these two kinds of human studies do exist. Garry Handelman, Ph.D., associate professor and scientist at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts Unversity, explained, "Suppose in a study you looked at how rapidly people made an antibody in response to a tetanus shot and you intervened by making some change in their diet so they made the antibody more quickly than a second group of people who did not have a change in their diet. You still have to prove that the people in the first group had more actual resistance to the tetanus. Just because they make the antibody more rapidly does not translate into the fact that they had more resistance. That is to say that an improved result in a laboratory test is not the same thing as improved health income."
Similarly, research has shown that certain antioxidant substances increase the resistance of a person's lipoprotein against peroxidation. However, this result has not proven in itself that the person has a reduced heart disease or heart attack risk. Handelman explained that there are literally tens of thousands of tests that can be done on human beings, but in every case it is still necessary to prove that an improved result in the test corresponds to an improved health outcome.
These important distinctions between in vivo and in vitro, between epidemiological and clinical research, and between controlled human studies that look for health outcomes vs. those that do not helps explain in part why some or many in the mainstream medical community view the body of research on antioxidants as preliminary even though Medline contains aproximately 30,000 articles related to free radical oxidation and/or antioxidants. Nevertheless, research on antioxidants is continuing and expanding at an exciting pace, and there is little dispute, even from the most conservative in the medical community, that research exists that at least suggests the potential preventative or therapeutic role of antioxidants. In other words, one would be hard-pressed to find a scientist, doctor or pharmacist who would say that research on antioxidants is a waste of time and money. It should also be remembered that human studies that test for health outcomes take years to compete, and that this type of research that the medical profession wants to see for antioxidants is right now in the process of being conducted
.
"The antioxidant research completed to date has been very compelling," said Henkel's Clark. "Scientists have made great strides in understanding how antioxidants interact within the body and with each other. Each new study brings us closer to understanding how antioxidants can promote good health."
Continued Tomorrow....
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
The Proof in the Research
"For vitamin E, evidence is available for all steps except the evidence for the last and important step is not complete," said Papas. "If ongoing major clinical trials are positive, it will achieve the burden of proof required for FDA approval."
A few results from clinical trials have already been published on vitamin E, and other long-term clinical trials, as Papas indicated, are underway. In one completed clinical study--the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS), published in the March 23, 1996 issue of The Lancet, vitamin E supplementation of 400 or 800 IUs per day decreased the risk of non-fatal heart attack in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 2,002 patients with coronary disease who were treated with vitamin E or placebo and followed for a median of 510 days.
If human studies in a controlled clinical setting, especially those that evaluate health outcomes, are the key to acceptance by the medical community, why don't researchers and companies in the industry simply conduct more of these types of studies? One large reason is that these types of studies are expensive and often take a long time to conduct. Alex Sevanian, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Southern California who has conducted research on antioxidants, highlighted the formidable challenges of doing research that investigates health outcomes. "If researchers are looking for events such as heart attacks and strokes, they have to take a relatively large population and look for these coronary heart events. These types of studies take many, many years, because people live a long time."
Sevanian noted, however, that there is another research route, where rather than waiting for health outcome events, researchers look at specific indicators of future health events. "There are more refined techniques that can now monitor progress of, for example, atherosclerosis in people, which is a surrogate to predicting events," he said. "For instance, this type of study can monitor the thickening of vessel walls and quickly see if that thickening does or does not occur with the intake of an antioxidant. It does not mean that the event will occur, but statistically, there is a strong correlation. These types of studies can be done over two- or three-year periods if the researchers get enough measurements to determine some rate of progression to see if that would then change with intervention."
However, subtle but sometimes important differences between these two kinds of human studies do exist. Garry Handelman, Ph.D., associate professor and scientist at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts Unversity, explained, "Suppose in a study you looked at how rapidly people made an antibody in response to a tetanus shot and you intervened by making some change in their diet so they made the antibody more quickly than a second group of people who did not have a change in their diet. You still have to prove that the people in the first group had more actual resistance to the tetanus. Just because they make the antibody more rapidly does not translate into the fact that they had more resistance. That is to say that an improved result in a laboratory test is not the same thing as improved health income."
Similarly, research has shown that certain antioxidant substances increase the resistance of a person's lipoprotein against peroxidation. However, this result has not proven in itself that the person has a reduced heart disease or heart attack risk. Handelman explained that there are literally tens of thousands of tests that can be done on human beings, but in every case it is still necessary to prove that an improved result in the test corresponds to an improved health outcome.
These important distinctions between in vivo and in vitro, between epidemiological and clinical research, and between controlled human studies that look for health outcomes vs. those that do not helps explain in part why some or many in the mainstream medical community view the body of research on antioxidants as preliminary even though Medline contains aproximately 30,000 articles related to free radical oxidation and/or antioxidants. Nevertheless, research on antioxidants is continuing and expanding at an exciting pace, and there is little dispute, even from the most conservative in the medical community, that research exists that at least suggests the potential preventative or therapeutic role of antioxidants. In other words, one would be hard-pressed to find a scientist, doctor or pharmacist who would say that research on antioxidants is a waste of time and money. It should also be remembered that human studies that test for health outcomes take years to compete, and that this type of research that the medical profession wants to see for antioxidants is right now in the process of being conducted
.
"The antioxidant research completed to date has been very compelling," said Henkel's Clark. "Scientists have made great strides in understanding how antioxidants interact within the body and with each other. Each new study brings us closer to understanding how antioxidants can promote good health."
Continued Tomorrow....
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
Reverse the Aging Process!
Renew Yourself – Regeneration & Youthing Program restores the integrity of your nervous system and accelerates the body’s ability to self-heal. It effectively removes calcium adhesion that block the flow of life through your body.
Contraction, stiffness, back pain, aches and rigidity are symptoms encountered as part of the aging process, while flexibility and freedom of movement are associated with youthing. Virtually every cell, tissue, muscle, organ and system of the body is controlled and regulated by our nervous system (see image right). It starts with the brain that conducts down the spinal cord.
Over 99% of the adult population’s spines are out of alignment. The reason that the nervous system gets short-circuited is due to mental and emotional stress, as well as chemical stresses in the air, in the food that we eat and water we drink, medication drugs, alcohol, as well as physical stresses that are part of the aging process.
The Renew Yourself Program was formulated by Dr. Gabriel Cousens MD and Dr. George Cromack, DC, author of the book "RENEW YOURSELF" (see image left). It combines 65 years of clinical experience. Dr. Cromack graduated in 1981 from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and completed post graduate work in radiology and sports medicine, participated in masters program for whiplash injuries and completed a Medical Fellowship in Acupuncture. Click here to read Dr. Cromack's biography.
"Having gone through a month of this program, I have witnessed between 300-400% improvement in cervical and thoracic function measured objectively on the electro-diagnostic system. Generally speaking, it has aided me in recovering and burning up the karma from congenital spinal difficulties in a variety of neck injuries as a football player for over 60 years of chronic body injuries. My body at 67 is more flexible and pain-free than as a 21-year old National Football hall of fame player."
http://www.treeoflife.nu/renew-yourself-longevity-now-decalcification-neuro-musular-spinal-alignment/
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Friday, February 25, 2011
Selenium may reduce prostate cancer markers
Supplementation with selenium glycinate may increase the activities of related plasma enzymes, and reduce the levels of an important marker for the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study that contradicts current thinking.
The research, published in Nutrition Research, suggests that selenium glycinate supplementation gave changes consistent with improved selenium functional status and lowered prostate cancer risk in a group of 30 middle-aged US men.
The researchers, from Ohio State University, USA, said that the study contradicts conventional wisdom that selenium supplementation should not increase the activities of blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) nor affect prostate cancer risk.
“If selenium could lower PSA [prostate-specific antigen] in healthy, middle-aged men, then it could be proposed that selenium can lower prostate cancer risk in some men, especially as part of an overall dietary plan,” said the authors, led by senior author Dr Robert DiSilvestro, from the Department of Human Nutrition, at Ohio State.
DiSilvestro and his colleagues said that the type of selenium supplementation used in the study (selenium glycinate), which has not been used in previous research, could possesses “especially high bioactivity.”
Selenium levels
Daily selenium intake in US adult men is reported to be around 153 micrograms. This is well above the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), which is intended to maximize blood activities of the selenium enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymes, said the authors.
“Thus, blood GPx activities would not be expected to increase in most US adult men if selenium intake is increased [above the RDA],” they added.
Despite this, DiSilvestro and colleagues noted interest in selenium intake has risen due to recent suggestions that intakes above the RDA may increase blood activities and reduce prostate cancer risk.
The authors noted that such an idea has been supported by several previous studies, but said that other large scale studies have not found selenium to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
“In light of the current state of selenium research … it would seem that further research on selenium supplementation of healthy, US adult men would serve no purpose,” said the authors.
However, they stated that the number of studies on GPx response to selenium supplementation is low.
Additionally, they explained that healthy middle-aged men – a group particularly concerned with preventing prostate cancer – “have not been singled out for study on selenium supplementation” in relation to GPx or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) – a risk assessor for prostate cancer risk.
The new study tested whether a 6-week supplementation of 200 micrograms of selenium (in the form of glycinate) affected the activities of 2 blood selenium enzymes (erythrocyte and plasma GPx) and a marker of prostate cancer risk (plasma PSA).
Study details
DiSilvestro and co- workers reported that selenium supplementation, but not placebo, raised both plasma and erythrocyte GPx activities.
They also found that selenium glycinate, but again not placebo, lowered the cancer risk marker of serum PSA.
The authors explained that reducing a marker of prostate cancer does not necessarily mean a reduction in cancer risk.
“However, this study does justify further study on selenium supplementation and prostate cancer risk, particularly supplementation as selenium glycinate,” they said.
Surprising finding
The Ohio State scientists said that the findings presented in their study go against the initial beliefs and hypothesis of the research. The authors explained that initially they believed selenium supplementation would have no effect on blood GPx or PSA, but may have effects in non-not blood derived biomarkers.
“The blood sample analysis was just included for the sake of completeness,” they explained.
“As things turned out, no interesting data resulted for the other samples but did occur for the blood samples,” said DiSilvestro and his colleagues.
Source: Nutrition ResearchPublished online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2010.10.012 “Selenium glycinate supplementation increases blood glutathione peroxidase activities and decreases prostate-specific antigen readings in middle-aged US men”Authors: W. Zhang, E. Joseph, C. Hitchcock, R.A. DiSilvestro
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
The research, published in Nutrition Research, suggests that selenium glycinate supplementation gave changes consistent with improved selenium functional status and lowered prostate cancer risk in a group of 30 middle-aged US men.
The researchers, from Ohio State University, USA, said that the study contradicts conventional wisdom that selenium supplementation should not increase the activities of blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) nor affect prostate cancer risk.
“If selenium could lower PSA [prostate-specific antigen] in healthy, middle-aged men, then it could be proposed that selenium can lower prostate cancer risk in some men, especially as part of an overall dietary plan,” said the authors, led by senior author Dr Robert DiSilvestro, from the Department of Human Nutrition, at Ohio State.
DiSilvestro and his colleagues said that the type of selenium supplementation used in the study (selenium glycinate), which has not been used in previous research, could possesses “especially high bioactivity.”
Selenium levels
Daily selenium intake in US adult men is reported to be around 153 micrograms. This is well above the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), which is intended to maximize blood activities of the selenium enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymes, said the authors.
“Thus, blood GPx activities would not be expected to increase in most US adult men if selenium intake is increased [above the RDA],” they added.
Despite this, DiSilvestro and colleagues noted interest in selenium intake has risen due to recent suggestions that intakes above the RDA may increase blood activities and reduce prostate cancer risk.
The authors noted that such an idea has been supported by several previous studies, but said that other large scale studies have not found selenium to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
“In light of the current state of selenium research … it would seem that further research on selenium supplementation of healthy, US adult men would serve no purpose,” said the authors.
However, they stated that the number of studies on GPx response to selenium supplementation is low.
Additionally, they explained that healthy middle-aged men – a group particularly concerned with preventing prostate cancer – “have not been singled out for study on selenium supplementation” in relation to GPx or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) – a risk assessor for prostate cancer risk.
The new study tested whether a 6-week supplementation of 200 micrograms of selenium (in the form of glycinate) affected the activities of 2 blood selenium enzymes (erythrocyte and plasma GPx) and a marker of prostate cancer risk (plasma PSA).
Study details
DiSilvestro and co- workers reported that selenium supplementation, but not placebo, raised both plasma and erythrocyte GPx activities.
They also found that selenium glycinate, but again not placebo, lowered the cancer risk marker of serum PSA.
The authors explained that reducing a marker of prostate cancer does not necessarily mean a reduction in cancer risk.
“However, this study does justify further study on selenium supplementation and prostate cancer risk, particularly supplementation as selenium glycinate,” they said.
Surprising finding
The Ohio State scientists said that the findings presented in their study go against the initial beliefs and hypothesis of the research. The authors explained that initially they believed selenium supplementation would have no effect on blood GPx or PSA, but may have effects in non-not blood derived biomarkers.
“The blood sample analysis was just included for the sake of completeness,” they explained.
“As things turned out, no interesting data resulted for the other samples but did occur for the blood samples,” said DiSilvestro and his colleagues.
Source: Nutrition ResearchPublished online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2010.10.012 “Selenium glycinate supplementation increases blood glutathione peroxidase activities and decreases prostate-specific antigen readings in middle-aged US men”Authors: W. Zhang, E. Joseph, C. Hitchcock, R.A. DiSilvestro
http://www.depsyl.com
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
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