News
Point of sale? No cigarettes please
10.12.08
Removing cigarettes from point of sale is a step in the right direction, says British Lung Foundation
Responding to the announcement by the Government that tobacco displays will be banned the British Lung Foundation said:
"Removing cigarettes from point of sale is a step in the right direction in preventing smoking related respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease" says Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.
"But nearly three quarters of people with lung disease tell us that they believe there should be a total ban on cigarette vending machines as they are the main source of cigarettes to young smokers. Smoking kills 120,000 people a year and is the cause of many chronic and severe long term illnesses".
And... did you know?
One person in every seven in the UK is affected by lung disease – this equates to approximately 8 million people
Respiratory disease now kills one in five people in the UK
The UK’s death rate from respiratory disease is almost double the European average.
From British Lung Foundation: 9th Dec.
Tea and teeth
10.12.08
Tea has no erosive action on the teeth according to a recent study.[1] The study found that tea, like plain water, has no erosive potential.
Commenting on the research, Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Tea Advisory Panel notes: “The researchers used 36 recently extracted pre-molar teeth for this study. They assessed the teeth for erosion at the start of the study, then immersed them for a period of 20 weeks in one of the test fluids (tea, water vinegar, cola or orange juice). The teeth were examined weekly (by measurement and photography) for loss of tooth enamel during the study period.
At the end of the study period, the teeth immersed in tea, like plain water, showed no erosive potential. By contrast the teeth immersed in vinegar saw complete erosion of the enamel, while those immersed in cola and orange juice also showed considerable erosion by 20 weeks.
“According to the researchers of this recent tooth study, the protective effects of tea could be due to several of tea’s constituents. As a natural source of fluoride, tea renders the tooth enamel resistant to acid. In addition, tannins in tea appear to inhibit salivary amylase (an enzyme in saliva) from breaking down dietary starches into sugars in the mouth. The presence of simple sugars is essential for the action of the bacteria in the mouth that cause dental caries. The authors also highlight literature suggesting that tea polyphenols and tannin inhibit the development of dental caries.”
From: The Tea Advisory Panel, December 08
Melatonin makes the news
10.12.08
Anyone who has visited the States will know that melatonin can be bought freely over the shelves, and research from the journal Molecular Medicine two weeks ago, makes an interesting read.
Researchers say: “Oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of aging and many metabolic diseases; therefore, an effective antioxidant therapy would be of great importance in these circumstances.”
Nutritional, environmental and chemical factors can start the overproduction of the superoxide free radical in the cell and, because of this, it can trigger the development of several metabolic diseases which are related to oxidative stress.
As oxidation of essential molecules continues, it turns to nitro-oxidative stress because of the involvement of nitric oxide in the diseaes processes. Once peroxynitrite forms, it first has direct toxic effects leading to lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and DNA damage. The second mechanism involves factors leading to cytokine-induced chronic inflammation.
Classic antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E often failed to exhibit beneficial effects in metabolic diseases and aging. However, melatonin is a multifunctional molecule which counteracts virtually all pathophysiologic steps.
Interesting.... with this new slant, you wonder what the future for melatonin will be... will it continue to be available for free sale? What do you think?
Vitamin D and pregnancy diabetes
10.12.08
Diabetes is a real complication when it occurs as a result of pregnancy, and there are all kinds of scientific theories about why previously healthy,non-diabetic women can develop this condition during ‘gestation’.
Scientists working at the National Centre for Health in Bethsaida, Maryland, have been looking at the role of vitamin D in maintaining normal blood sugar levels. However, they say, studies looking at blood concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-[OH] D) in relation to diabetes risk are limited.
Their objective was to determine the association between pregnant womens plasma vitamin D concentrations in early pregnancy and the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Results showed that, among women who developed GDM, maternal plasma 25-[OH] D concentrations at an average of 16 weeks of gestation were significantly lower than controls those who didn’t get the condition, leading them to conclude that; “Findings from the present study suggest that maternal vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy is significantly associated with an elevated risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitis”.
PLoS ONE. 2008;3(11):e3753. Epub 2008 Nov 18
Parents and mealtimes - a new approach
10.12.08
Find mealtimes stressful? Need something practical to help you sort out your approach to meals, and your children’s eating patterns? A new system in the States has just been introduced called the Parent Mealtime Action Scale, which looks at different strategies to encourage children to eat well.
Results showed that parents who:
• Set specific snack times
• Have fruit and vegetables for children to snack on
• Use reduced fat products
• Use positive persuasion....
...have children who have better diets than parents who:
• Allow frequent snacking
• Prepare specific foods different from the family
• Give children too many food choices
Fish oil supplements are beneficial
03.12.08
Fish oil supplements are beneficial – so says the Health Supplements Information Service, who have hit out at negative coverage about fish oil supplementation last week in the Sunday Times.
Dr Pamela Mason (scientific advisor to the HSIS) notes; “Research shows that two out of three people in the UK, so the majority of adults, do not eat the two portions of fish a week that is recommended by the Food Standards Agency either because it doesn’t fit in with their lifestyle or simply because they don’t like fish, especially oily fish. As a result, there is a huge percentage of the population who are missing out on their vital Omega-3 weekly intakes. Fish oil supplements can therefore provide a valuable way of bridging the nutritional gap for those people; whose diets may be lacking in the essential nutrients provided by fish, including those whose intake is erratic.”
But why are fish oil supplements so useful?
Pamela continues; “Oily fish is rich in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly EPA and DHA. EPA can help with heart health and circulation, and may help to discourage the formation of blood clots. DHA is important in infant development. Omega-3 is also associated with supporting cognitive function in children, and mental function in all age groups.”
But are people really achieving levels which are beneficial to health? The Food Standards Agency increased the earlier recommendation of 200 mg daily to 450 mg of Omega-3 PUFA, principally EPA and DHA. This is equivalent to the recommendation to eat two portions of fish, of which should be oily, a week. However, only just over one quarter of adults (27 per cent) eat oily fish at all.
Food for thought?
From: Health Supplements Information Service
Lung cancer breakthrough
03.12.08
Can lung cancer be beaten? One way to tackle it full force is to look for a gene which could suppress the tumour, thus protecting the body from developing lung cancer. Now it seems that research funded by the British Lung Foundation has done just that – identifying LIMD1 – a tumour suppressing gene which could pave the way for possible new treatments and early screening techniques.
Lead researcher Dr Tyson Sharp and his team together with his US collaborator Dr Greg Longmore, set out to examine if loss of the LIMD1 gene correlated with lung cancer development.
To do this the University of Nottingham team examined lung cancer tissue from patients with lung cancer and compared it to healthy lung tissue. They found that the LIMD1 gene was missing in the majority of lung cancer samples indicating that the presence of the LIMD1 gene protects the body against lung cancer.
Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation said, “This is very exciting research which could lead to the development of early screening techniques and treatments for lung cancer. We are very proud to have made this breakthrough possible”.
Kids' fitness
03.12.08
Children will take the recommended amount of exercise they need each day if it is combined with video games, new academic research has revealed.
An independent study at the University of Cumbria found that nine in every ten
youngsters want to play video games at the same time as exercising. The games reduce the boredom of exercise.
Fifty children aged 11 and 12 were asked to use exercise equipment combined with video games.The children could play their games only while they maintained movement on the
fitness machines. If they stopped exercising, the games paused.
Researcher Jack Tyson said: " Only one in five of these children was achieving the recommended one hour a dayof moderate physical activity, while three-quarters of them played video games
for more than one hour a day."
Today, the Clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, Dr David Haslam, hailed the findings: "This study begins to show that by providing more novel opportunities, it is possible to increase a child's activity in a painless and effective way."
From: University of Cumbria press information, and Gamercize.
Worried sick?
03.12.08
A survey of 1,000 UK adults commissioned by CS Healthcare has found that nearly 40% – equivalent to 19 million* adults - worry about their health every day, with a further 30% worrying at least once a week.
When asked about the severity of their concern, over a third of adults said they were in a “mild” or “constant” state of anxiety about their health, while nearly 600,000 adults are so worried about being unwell that they could not sleep at night.
The CS Healthcare survey questioned which illnesses people worried most about.
More than half of all respondents said cancer was their greatest fear. The second most feared condition was heart attack amongst over 15% of respondents, although this was much higher amongst men (21.6% versus 9.5% of female respondents) and those between 35 and 44 (19%). Interestingly, twice the number of respondents between 18 and 34 most feared diabetes (over 6%) than those over 35. While only 1.4% of the overall population fear STIs, this increases to 4% for the 25-34 age bracket.
From: CS Healthcare Research Summary, 27th November
Got IBS? Reach for the peppermint
03.12.08
Research led by doctors at the University of Canada and published in the British Medical Journal has shown that peppermint oil significantly improves the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
(IBS). The research used results from a number of studies carried out
over the past 60 years into the treatment of the condition, and
showed that 40 per cent of sufferers experienced a significant
improvement after using peppermint oil.
IBS affects up to one in five people in the UK, and can cause a
variety of uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing conditions,
including abdominal pain or cramping, bloating, gas, constipation and
diarrhoea. Problems can be mild or severe, but sufferers should
consult their doctor before choosing a treatment, as these symptoms
can sometimes be a sign of more serious bowel conditions.
Peppermint preparations have been used for many years to
help with digestion.
From:Lexis PR, Nov 08
Missed November's Natural Lifestyle news? Click here
