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China's secret tea revealed as fat-busting wonder cuppa by scientists
A DAILY cup of special tea may combat the obesity epidemic, scientists will say today.
An extract of white tea prevents new fat cells from forming and helps to burn off mature ones, according to research.
Nutritionist Marc Winnefeld said: "In the industrialised countries, the rising incidence of obesity-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes constitutes a growing problem.
"We have shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances." Mr Winnefeld and colleagues at German multinational Beiersdorf AG, which makes personal-care products, studied the biological effects of the extract – the least processed version of the tea plant Camellia Sinensis.
They grew human fat cells in the laboratory and found that after treating them with the white tea compound, the amount of fat in them was reduced.
Mr Winnefeld, whose findings are published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, said: "The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes (fat cells] to break down the fat they contain."
Obesity is a growing problem in Scotland, which now just trails the US for overweight people among countries in the developed world.
Currently, 25 per cent of the adult population in Scotland are obese, ahead of 24 per cent in England and Wales, but still a long way behind America's 32.2 per cent.
White tea is made from the buds and first leaves of the plant used to make green tea and the black tea most commonly drunk in Britain and other Western countries.
It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells which the researchers believe to be responsible for many of the fat-busting effects seen in their study.
For hundreds of years, the Chinese have kept the extremely beneficial properties of white tea a secret.
Some scientists have dubbed it the ultimate health drink.
As well as being an aid to weight loss, it has been shown to inhibit cancer cells and prevent the formation of new ones.
White tea is also said to be very effective in giving radiant, problem-free skin. The abundant antioxidants help fight off "free radicals" – agents responsible for wrinkles and ageing.
White tea has also been shown to have anti-bacterial and antiviral properties similar to honey, with specific natural chemicals that have the unique ability to kill bugs.
And research has shown that people who drank white tea were more likely to have stronger bones compared to those who did not.
Meanwhile, white tea lowers the "bad" cholesterol level in the body through a class of antioxidants called catechins.
These help maintain the correct amount of cholesterol required by the body.
Mr Winnefeld added: "This plant extract is an ideal natural source to modulate the adipocyte life cycle at different stages and to induce anti-obesity effects."
An extract of white tea prevents new fat cells from forming and helps to burn off mature ones, according to research.
Nutritionist Marc Winnefeld said: "In the industrialised countries, the rising incidence of obesity-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes constitutes a growing problem.
"We have shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances." Mr Winnefeld and colleagues at German multinational Beiersdorf AG, which makes personal-care products, studied the biological effects of the extract – the least processed version of the tea plant Camellia Sinensis.
They grew human fat cells in the laboratory and found that after treating them with the white tea compound, the amount of fat in them was reduced.
Mr Winnefeld, whose findings are published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, said: "The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes (fat cells] to break down the fat they contain."
Obesity is a growing problem in Scotland, which now just trails the US for overweight people among countries in the developed world.
Currently, 25 per cent of the adult population in Scotland are obese, ahead of 24 per cent in England and Wales, but still a long way behind America's 32.2 per cent.
White tea is made from the buds and first leaves of the plant used to make green tea and the black tea most commonly drunk in Britain and other Western countries.
It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells which the researchers believe to be responsible for many of the fat-busting effects seen in their study.
For hundreds of years, the Chinese have kept the extremely beneficial properties of white tea a secret.
Some scientists have dubbed it the ultimate health drink.
As well as being an aid to weight loss, it has been shown to inhibit cancer cells and prevent the formation of new ones.
White tea is also said to be very effective in giving radiant, problem-free skin. The abundant antioxidants help fight off "free radicals" – agents responsible for wrinkles and ageing.
White tea has also been shown to have anti-bacterial and antiviral properties similar to honey, with specific natural chemicals that have the unique ability to kill bugs.
And research has shown that people who drank white tea were more likely to have stronger bones compared to those who did not.
Meanwhile, white tea lowers the "bad" cholesterol level in the body through a class of antioxidants called catechins.
These help maintain the correct amount of cholesterol required by the body.
Mr Winnefeld added: "This plant extract is an ideal natural source to modulate the adipocyte life cycle at different stages and to induce anti-obesity effects."
Medical breakthrough! Help for chemo side effects
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
 Logo for Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
A research and development company has announced a new treatment for cancer patients that has been shown in trials to reduce dramatically the hardship from side effects of chemotherapy, allowing a more normal life while the body engages cancer in a war.
Officials for Pro-Pharmaceuticals Inc. told WND that some patients given their Davanat product have seen significant improvements even during treatments that otherwise had been marred by side effects such as weakness, mucositis, low blood counts and other typical secondary problems.
"Our goal is to improve the clinical benefit for patients by extending their survival, improving their quality of life and reducing the rising costs of health care. The data from the cancer patients in our clinical trials indicates Davanat improves efficacy and reduces the side effects associated with chemotherapy regimens," company CEO Theodore Zucconi said in a recent statement about a clinical trials update.
George Macricostas, a businessman and company investor, told WND his wife benefitted greatly from the treatment before she eventually succumbed to cancer last year.
Macricostas, whose financial involvement with the company started before his wife began treatments with Davanat and expanded later, said she had had difficulties with traditional chemotherapy treatments because they caused her blood count to plummet.
She discontinued a low dose of chemotherapy in late 2007 because her blood work was so bad, he reported.
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Another attempt at the treatment was begun in February 2008, but after two days at a 20 percent dose of the Insulin Potentiated Therapy his wife, Beth, needed two units of blood.
Then permission was obtained to use the Davanat in combination with chemo, and he reported on the sudden change.
"Beth did not need any more blood transfusions after March 2008, and she was able to discontinue her Procrit shots in June 2008, as her body was able to tolerate the treatment thanks to the Davanat protecting her health cells," he said in a report.
She also was able to discontinue use of painkillers, and even though one tumor had caused a hairline fracture in her hip socket, creating considerable pain and requiring her to use a walker, the fracture healed. She was able to walk without even a cane within weeks of beginning the treatment.
The hospital bed was returned to the rental company, and "Beth was able to take Advil for slight pain and discomfort," Macricostas reported.
She even drove to go shopping and to visit relatives 120 miles away, he said.
Beth eventually succumbed to a new cancer in her liver that had been undetected earlier, he said.
The company says Davanat works by using carbohydrates to bind to lectins on tumor cells, but not lectins on surrounding healthy tissue, and carry with it the lethal chemicals that attack the cancer in chemotherapy.
"Proteins on the surface of all cells, including cancer cells, are able to attach to certain kinds of carbohydrates. These carbohydrate receptors, known technically as 'lectins,' are very specific: a given lectin will bind only a particular kind of carbohydrate," the company explains.
"Davanat is formulated to attach to lectins on tumor cells rather than the lectins on surrounding healthy tissue," it says.
Since 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted permission for some patients to use the investigational drug under special cases.
Macricostas told WND as a result of the chemotherapy treatment, possible because of the minimization of the side effects, he and his wife saw "the scans all going in the right directions. … Anything visible was shrinking, a number of them had disappeared completely."
In a company announcement just days ago, Pro-Pharmaceuticals said a review of data from Phase One and Two clinical trials revealed no mucositis or serious adverse events from among 100 patients treated with Davanat in combination with chemo.
Up to 40 percent of cancer patients being treated with the 5-FU type of chemotherapy get the side effect, which is characterized by intestinal tissue destruction throughout the GI tract, including painful mouth ulcerations and severe gastrointestinal symptoms interfering with nutrition and treatment.
Since there are no currently effective treatments, patients suffering debilitating mouth sores may need morphine or other narcotics to deal with it.
But with Davanat, there were no "events," even in patients with more than 100 cycles of treatments with 5-FU and Davanat.
A statement a month earlier from the company said a trial revealed that the combination of treatments for end-stage colorectal cancer patients extended median survival by 29 weeks after all other treatments were exhausted.
Board chairman Jim Czirr told WND the basic procedure of the treatment puts more of the treatment chemicals in the tumor and less in the liver, kidney or lungs.
"The incredible irony here is after keeping a hideously toxic chemical in a patient's blood three times longer, there are huge decreases in side effects," he said.
Dr. Peter Traber, president emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told WND he joined the board of Pro-Pharmaceuticals only recently, at least partly because of the potential he sees for the treatment.
Since chemo treatments address rapidly dividing cells, they frequently attack the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which is lined with the cells. The result is side effects ranging from mouth sores to nausea to vomiting and diarrhea.
"It's a significant problem in cancer patients," he told WND. "There's a lot of discomfort."
A treatment that reduces the impact on the GI tract, he said, "can be very beneficial with more chemo targeting the cancer while protecting the tissues."
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"What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You"
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"365 Days of Total Heart Health" (book)
Bob Unruh is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.
Long-Acting Byetta Tops Two Other Diabetes Drugs in Direct Comparison
Results from DURATION-2, a 26-week test comparing the diabetic drugs Januvia, Actos, and experimental long-acting Byetta (Byetta LAR) show that Byetta produced lower A1c's and more weight loss than the other two drugs.
Sponsored by Byetta's co-manufacturers, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Co., the randomized, double-blind study tracked 491 type 2 patients over a six-month period. Patients received either Byetta LAR (exenatide), Januvia (the brand name for Merck & Co., Inc.'s sitagliptin), or Actos (the brand name for Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd's pioglitazone).
Patients taking Byetta LAR reduced their baseline A1c by 1.7%, compared to 1.4% for patients on Actos and 1.0% for those on Januvia.
Over the 26 weeks, Byetta LAR recipients lost an average of 6.2 pounds, versus a 1.9-pound loss for Januvia patients. Those on Actos experienced a weight gain that averaged 7.4 pounds.
Researchers conducting the study said that in general, the patients were not obese, a factor that made the weight loss associated with Byetta impressive.
The most common adverse responses for both Byetta LAR and Januvia patients were nausea and diarrhea. Actos users reported upper respiratory tract infection and peripheral edema as the most common side effects.
One crucial result was that there were no reported cases of pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas among Byetta LAR patients in the study. Among the estimated 700,000 users of the current version of Byetta, a twice-daily drug that has been on the market for four years, there have been 30 reported incidents of pancreatitis, including six fatalities. Although there is no evidence that the drug caused the disease, the FDA made Amylin and Lilly rewrite the warning labels on the drug.
The possible connection between Byetta use and pancreatitis has also made FDA scrutiny of Byetta LAR more intense. The drug, which is now before the agency for marketing approval, uses injectable time-release capsules to provide a continuous does of the drug over a seven-day period.
Byetta's makers are hoping that the long-acting form of the drug will nudge sales, which have been flat over the past year, by appealing to users who want the convenience of once-a-week injections instead of having to remember to inject the drug every morning and evening at mealtimes.
Sex and Diabetes
Welcome to Diabetes Health's new column on sex and diabetes, by David Spero RN and Aisha Kassahoun. Once a month, we'll publish questions submitted by our readers, along with David and Aisha's responses. Send your questions to love@diabeteshealth.com and watch for their answers to appear in this column.
Dear David and Aisha,
My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes seven years ago and put on oral medication. We've had some sexual problems since then, and lately there has been no sex at all. He says that he doesn't want it or need it. We had a very good sex life before this. What can I do? I think we all need intimacy in our lives. At least I do. I don't feel that it is fair to me to be left high and dry, and I want to do something to help him.
High and Dry in Tennessee
Dear H and D,
Yours is a sad and very common story. Diabetes can impact our sex and love lives physically and emotionally. But there are ways of maintaining and even improving sex and intimacy with diabetes.
Here are some possibilities to consider:
- How good is your husband's diabetes control? High sugars can drag a person down so he doesn't feel like doing anything physical, including sex. If his glucose is up, he probably won't be down for loving.
- How physically active is he otherwise? Maybe he needs to get his body moving. Exercise can make him feel more positive, improve his blood sugar control, and increase his sexual desire.
- He might be depressed. Is he being treated for that, and if so, how? Depression kills desire, and sometimes antidepressant medicines (especially the SSRIs) can knock out sex drive. Blood pressure medicines can also have sexual side effects.
- Quite possibly he is reacting to erection problems by withdrawing, without admitting that's the reason. Diabetes can make erections (and lubrication in women) more difficult. Some men will say "I don't want to" when they really mean "I'm afraid I can't."
- His testosterone level may be low. Many men and women with diabetes are low in testosterone and consequently have low sex drive.
- Other relationship issues and other emotions might be involved. There may be anger, grief, fear, or disagreements in your lives that interfere with his wanting you. These feelings could be his, yours, or both of yours.
Health Buzz: Fitness Ball Recall and Other Health News
Fitness
Balls Recalled Because of Risk of Injury
New York-based EB Brands has recalled about 3 million fitness balls because they may suddenly burst while being used after overinflation, and that can cause people using a ball to fall and injure themselves, the Associated Press reports. Forty-seven incidents have been logged so far of the balls bursting unexpectedly, resulting in one fracture and many bruises. The balls are 55, 65, and 75 centimeters in diameter and come in various colors. They are labeled with a Bally Total Fitness, Everlast, or Valeo logo, according to the AP. The balls were sold by department stores and fitness retailers from May 2000 to February 2009 for between $15 and $30. Consumers who own the balls can get updated safe inflation instructions online or can call EB Brands at (800) 624-5671 in order to have a copy of the instructions sent to them.
OPINION: Health care in the offing
Of all President Barack Obama's transformative domestic policy proposals, none is more far-reaching and less transparent than health care. What most Washington policy people mean when they talk about his health care proposal was described in the first two paragraphs of Robert Pear's meticulous article in The New York Times on April 1:
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When Doctors Opt Out
Here's something that has gotten lost in the drive to institute universal health insurance: Health insurance doesn't automatically lead to health care. And with more and more doctors dropping out of one insurance plan or another, especially government plans, there is no guarantee that you will be able to see a physician no matter what coverage you have.
Consider that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reported in 2008 that 28% of Medicare beneficiaries looking for a primary care physician had trouble finding one, up from 24% the year before. The reasons are clear: A 2008 survey by the Texas Medical Association, for example, found that only 38% of primary-care doctors in Texas took new Medicare patients. The statistics are similar in New York state, where I practice medicine.
Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Inflammation
Vitamin D deficiency, already blamed for retarding immune function and cardiovascular health and increasing cancer risk, also may be tied to inflammation, a negative response of the immune system, in healthy women.
Increased concentrations of serum TNF-?, an inflammatory marker, were found in women who had insufficient vitamin D levels, according to a University of Missouri nutritional sciences researcher has found that vitamin D deficiency. This study is the first to find an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and concentrations of TNF-? in a healthy, non-diseased population. This may explain the vitamin's role in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Spray for 'six times longer' sex
A spray can help men with premature ejaculation problems prolong the length of time they have sex by six times.
Men who used the treatment five minutes before having intercourse extended their love-making from half a minute to almost four minutes, trials showed.
The spray, developed at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, contains local anaesthetics that numb the penis.
A British Journal of Urology International study says it could be available in the next couple of years.
Up to 40% of men experience premature ejaculation at some time in their lives, experts estimate.
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