Nitrates in Environment May Cause Alzheimer’s, Diabetes

Researchers have found a link between nitrates in the environment and increased deaths from Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and Parkinson’s and other diseases of aging.

The study, published in the “Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease,” found strong parallels between deaths and exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines due to processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers.

Nitrates are found in many food products including bacon, cured meats, cheese products, beer and water. Nitrates are generated by the high temperatures of frying and grilling, and our bodies make nitrates in the highly acid conditions of the stomach. Nitrates also get into our body through fertilizers, pesticides, contaminated water supplies and cosmetics as well as through the manufacturing and processing of rubber and latex products. Over 90 percent of nitrates tested have been found to cause cancer in various organs of the body MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

Caffeine Reverses Alzheimer's Memory Symptoms

Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup. When aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease were given caffeine – the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day – their memory impairment was reversed, report University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Back-to-back studies published online today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, show caffeine significantly decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer's disease....MORE>>>>>>

Travel more than doubles risk of blood clots: study

People who travel have nearly triple the normal risk of developing a dangerous blood clot, with a measurable increase for every two hours spent sitting in a car or wedged into an airline seat, researchers reported on Monday.

They said the risk is serious enough to merit research into better ways to keep travelers healthy, although not severe enough to justify giving airline passengers anti-clotting drugs.

Dr. Divay Chandra and colleagues at Harvard University in Boston looked specifically at venous thromboembolism -- the development of a blood clot in a vein, usually in the legs.

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C-Reactive Protein Doesn't Cause Heart Disease

A protein known as a key indicator of inflammation in the body and thought to cause heart disease is not linked to development of the fatal ailment, according to a British study published Tuesday.

C-reactive protein (CRP), a target for studies of treatment for coronary heart disease, is not in fact directly involved in causing it, as once thought, said the research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Some researchers thought C-reactive protein would be a good molecule to target, as raised levels of this protein in the blood are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease," noted lead author Paul Elliott, a professor at Imperial College, London. MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

Dietary Supplements Boost Cancer Survival

The health benefits of dietary supplements have long been a subject of hot debate, but now Norwegian researchers have convincing evidence that supplements improve the rate of survival of women diagnosed with solid tumor cancers. Their study, which will be published in the September 2009 issue of the International Journal of Cancer, shows that women with solid tumors had better survival rates if they had used dietary supplements in the year before they were diagnosed.

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Metabolic Syndrome May Raise Breast Cancer Risk

Physiological changes associated with the metabolic syndrome may play a role in the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to study results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, consists of a constellation of factors including abdominal obesity, high blood glucose levels, impaired glucose tolerance, abnormal lipid levels and high blood pressure.

Affecting roughly 47 million Americans, the metabolic syndrome is also associated with poor diet and lack of physical activity. It can also increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease.

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Farrah Fawcett's Anal Cancer: Fighting the Stigma

The iconic photo of Farrah Fawcett smiling in a red swimsuit marked her as the face of sexy, natural beauty in the 1970s.

American actor and model Farrah Fawcett smiling while sitting outdoors in blue jeans and a mauve blouse. Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer -- a rare and stigmatized disease -- in 2006.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Now, after her death Thursday at age 62 from anal cancer, her fight against the illness may help give a face to a potentially stigmatizing condition that can be the result of infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection.

"This does not mean that she was promiscuous," noted Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of the department of hematology and oncology at Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Hospital in Baton Rouge, La. "It simply means that she, at some point in her life, was probably exposed to the human papilloma virus."

Indeed, estimates for the percentage of anal cancers as a result of infection with HPV ranges from 45 to 90 percent. Although the exact cause of anal cancer is not known, the American Cancer Society reports that most anal cancers seem to be linked to HPV infection.

Research Disputes FDA Claim that BYETTA Increase Risk of Acute Pancreatitis

In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published strong warnings that the type 2 diabetes drug exenatide (trade name Byetta) might increase risk of acute pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. The FDA's action came in the wake of reports that 30 exenatide users had come down with pancreatitis and that six of them had died from the condition.

Now, however, a study published by researchers from Medco Health Solutions, Inc., says that exenatide users run no greater risk of developing pancreatitis than type 2s who take neither drug.

The study results, presented at the recent 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), showed that only 0.44 percent of exenatide users experienced an episode of acute pancreatitis. Among sitagliptin users, only 0.28 percent had such episodes. Among the control group of type 2s, however, who had never taken either drug, the rate of incidence was 0.39 percent.

The study results were based on tracking the pharmacy and medical claims of 123,621 non-insulin-using type 2s for 540 days and observing which ones came down with pancreatitis:

• 9,260 patients were exenatide users
• 2,143 patients were on sitagliptin
• 112,218 patients, the control group, used neither drug but were taking a medication designed to control blood glucose
• No patient in the study had a history of pancreatitis, hepatitis or alcohol abuse
• The patients' ages ranged from 18 to 63 years

The Medco study is the first to lend scientific support to Eli Lilly and Co., Byetta's maker. Lilly has questioned the FDA's statistical reasoning, citing the extremely low percentage of pancreatitis cases associated with the drug.

For more information on the study, visit Medco

Teen Acne Linked to Heart Health

There may be a payoff for all of those years of teenage angst caused by acne. The same high levels of male hormones that can trigger acne during adolescence may protect sufferers from heart disease as adults.

Researchers in the United Kingdom investigated the link between male hormones, called androgens, and acne. Almost 10,000 men participated in health checks between the years of 1948 and 1968 when they were students, and any history of acne was noted. The scientists found that 18 percent of the men reported having acne.

Years later, the men were traced through the United Kingdom’s National Health Service Registry. Researchers found that the men who had a history of acne as adolescents had a 33 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease than the men who didn’t have acne. MORE>>>>>>>>>

Green Tea Slows Prostate Cancer

Active compounds in green tea may slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research.

The study, which was conducted at Louisiana State University, also showed that green tea might lower the incidence of prostate cancer in the first place.

Editor’s Note: <>

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