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Increased adiposity is linked to altered levels of biologically active proteins, including the hormones adiponectin and leptin. Adiponectin is negatively correlated with obesity, with lower levels associated with increased risk of death or myocardial infarction (MI). Conversely, leptin levels are positively correlated with obesity, with higher levels identified as an independent risk factor for CVD.…

Vitamin D deficiency is common among older adults.  Researchers from the University of Leeds designed the Vitamin D Treating Patients with Chronic Heart Failure (VINDICATE) study, involving 163 older patients already being treated for heart failure using standard accepted treatment, to learn whether vitamin D supplementation would benefit heart failure patients. They focused on patients…

Higher serum vitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations have been associated with lower risk of multiple cancer types. Researchers investigated whether previously reported inverse association between 25(OH)D and cancer risk could be replicated, and if a 25(OH)D response region could be identified among women 55 and older across a broad range of 25(OH)D concentrations. Data from two…

? In this study, 44 subjects (55-70 yrs) with high oxidative stress were supplemented with Pycnogenol® daily for 12 months. Another group with comparable oxidative stress was followed as a reference group. Cognitive testing, including IQ Code, cognitive function and SBT were conducted using defined scales. Results after 12 months showed significant improvement in the…

EGCG, a bioactive phytochemical found in green tea, was found to regulate transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF), indicating that TAK1 regulation may be a therapeutic target in RA. EGCG appears to effectively inhibit TAK1 by blocking its phosphorylation. As a mediator of inflammation, TAK1 is integral…

While PPIs are widely used to treat gastrointestinal illnesses, recent evidence suggests they may be related to cognitive decline. A group of German researchers conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the association between the use of PPIs and the risk of incident dementia in the elderly. They used observational data (from 2004-2011) from the…

Gluten sensitivity (GS) may be defined as a state of heightened immunological responsiveness in genetically susceptible people. This definition does not imply bowel involvement. The authors, all affiliated with the Department of Neurology at The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK, suggest that regarding GS as principally a disease of the small bowel is a historical…

Celiac disease (CD) and wheat allergy are the most studied forms of gluten-related disorders characterized by an immune response (autoimmune in CD and IgE-mediated in wheat allergy). Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) apparently is not driven by an aberrant immune response. NCGS is characterized by a heterogeneous clinical picture with intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms arising after…

Documentation of autoimmunity, while coming to the forefront of research(1), goes back quite some time. Here, researchers report on a 15 year old boy affected by silent Celiac Disease (CD), abnormalities in glycoregulation with autoantibodies specific to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (ICA: islet cell antibodies) and GAD 65 (autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase)(2). In…

Researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Nova Southeastern and Boston Universities discovered that vitamin B12 levels in the brain are much lower in those with autism or schizophrenia compared to their peers at similar ages, and the elderly. Researchers measured levels of cobalamin in postmortem human frontal cortex samples from 19 weeks fetal development through age 80…

Although it has been suggested that chromium (Cr) has beneficial effects in type 2 diabetes (T2D), it has not been investigated at the population level. Researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Joslin Diabetes Center wished to examine the use and potential benefits of Cr supplementation in T2D using NHANES data. Diabetes was…

A study, partially published in advance in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, reports that fatty acid and phytochemical components found in fish oil and olive oil may affect or block the mechanisms involved in the progression of pancreatitis. The Spanish led study centered on the role that a Mediterranean diet plays in decreasing oxidative-inflammatoryprocesses. The…

Intestinal immune regulatory signals govern gut homeostasis and is tightly controlled by the interaction of gut microbial gene products with pattern recognition receptors. The breakdown of such regulatory mechanisms may result in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Lactobacillus acidophilus contains unique surface layer proteins (Slps), including SlpA, SlpB, SlpX and lipoteichoic acid (LTA), which interact with…

Researchers wishing to evaluate the safety profile and characterize the immunologic effects of high dose vs low dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) supplementation in patients with MS, conducted a double-blind, randomized study of 40 patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Patients received  10,400 IU or 800 IU of D3 daily for 6 months. Assessments were conducted at baseline,…

Researchers from Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern in Switzerland studied 174 patients with chronic pain. Serum 25(OH)D measurements revealed 71% of patients were vitamin D deficient with 25(OH)D levels <50 nmol/L); another 21% had insufficient vitamin D levels with 25(OH)D <75 nmol/L. Researchers found a significant inverse association between continuously scaled 25(OH)D…

Prospective epidemiologic data suggests higher levels of vitamin D are associated with improved survival in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), however the relationship between 25(OH)D (vitamin D status) and outcome in metastatic CRC specifically is unknown. Researchers prospectively assessed the association between plasma 25(OH)D and overall survival (OS) in previously untreated metastatic CRC patients enrolled…

Anecdotal animal and human studies have implicated the symptomatic and neuroprotective roles of niacin in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Niacin has a high affinity for GPR109A, an anti-inflammatory receptor. Researchers hypothesize that GPR109A message and expression are up-regulated in individuals with PD. Niacin is a precursor for NDA-NADH which is needed for dopamine production, therefor niacin…

A recent study helps explain how zinc deficiency impacts chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autism and cancers including prostate, lung, ovarian and breast cancer. Zinc status is especially important for seniors, 40% of whom do not consume enough zinc, and their bodies do not appear to use or absorb zinc efficiently. In one study…

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is a syndrome characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food, in subjects that are not affected by either celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy (WA). Although NCGS is triggered by gluten-containing cereals, the offending dietary protein has not been identified yet, and could include other…

Depression, a mental disorder associated with decreased productivity, poor psychosocial outcomes, and decreased quality of life, is a significant public health problem affecting millions of people in the US and elsewhere. Epidemiological studies have examined the association of low zinc (Zn) status with depression, but clinical trials on the effect of Zn supplementation in depression…

Canadian Researchers from nine different research institutions participated in a two-year randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical study to measure the disease modifying effect of chondroitin sulfate (CS) vs. Celecoxib (CE) on cartilage volume loss (CVL) in knee osteoarthritis (OA), and compare the effects of CS and CE on the symptoms of knee OA. Patients were treated…

Researchers examined cross-sectional associations of dietary magnesium intake with fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI), associations of magnesium-related SNPs with FG and FI, and interactions between dietary magnesium (Mg) intake and both Mg-related and glycemia-related SNPs on FG and FI in meta-analysis of 15 cohort studies including more than 50,000 participants (Cohorts for Heart…

Researchers conducted a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study, assigning 27 Crohn’s disease (CD) patients in remission to 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3 or placebo for 3 months. They determined intestinal permeability (IP), plasma-cathelicidin (LL-37), human-beta-defensin-2 (hBD2), disease activity [Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI)], c-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin, Quality of Life (QoL) and serum vitamin d…

Melatonin is an uncommonly effective direct free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant. It detoxifies both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), both of which are produced in the brain. Researchers from the Dept. of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, conducted and published a review…

Mounting evidence supports a protective effect of high 25(OH)D, an indicator of vitamin D status, on risk of various cancers including lung cancer. Researchers carried out a dose-response meta-analysis to elucidate the 25(OH)D – lung cancer association. Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases, and the summary relative risks (RRs) with 95%…

In this study, researchers looked at magnesium intake and the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes from incident prediabetes and/or insulin resistance. After adjusting for age (participants were 26-81 yrs old at baseline) and energy intake, those with the highest magnesium intake had a 37% lower risk of incident metabolic impairment as compared to…

A human study of 420 severe heart failure patients (Q-SYMBIO) compared individuals randomly selected to take CoQ10 or placebo, and who were monitored for 24 months. The goal was to measure the time it took for patients to experience a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), including cardiovascular death. The research showed that CoQ10 reduced the…

In a randomized, placebo controlled trial, more than 600 patients (vet¬erans, almost all male) with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, were studied. Participants took 2000 IU of vitamin E daily, Namenda (memantine), both or neither. Note: all patients were taking a acetylcholinesterase inhibitor at enrollment time. During an average 2.3 year follow-up, patient decline was…

New research shows that EFAs from fish oil enhances white blood cell activity, challenging the idea that the sole role of fish oil in preventing disease is by reducing inflammation.1 Research, led by Dr. Jenifer Fenton, found that in mice, fish oil enhanced B cell activation and select antibody production. In a human study, researchers…

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in children, especially impacting African American (AA) and obese children. Researchers conducted an observational cross-sectional study of children (mean age 6.8 yrs). The children underwent overnight polysomnographic evaluation and a fasting blood draw the morning after the study, along with a lipid profile, homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR),…