Prevention of osteoporosis is a much better plan than treatment, as often treatment is too late. Many factors contribute to osteoporosis. Firstly we need to understand what naturally occurs in bone as we age. As we go through life bone is constantly being remodelled.It is absorbed and laid down constantly through our lives. As we get older the rate at which bone is absorbed occurs faster than it is laid down.Over years this can lead to weak bones, which is osteoporosis.So, two factors are important in determining whether or not we get osteoporosis.That is how strong our bones are beforebones are before they start to get weaker and then the rate at which they deteriorate.In general in later life bone density tends to reduce by 1% per annum.Women are at higher risk than men of getting osteoporosis because as they reach menopause the drop in Oestrogen results in several years of rapid bone density loss. Video Rating: 0 / 5
Bone Health Workshop for Osteoporosis Prevention in NYC
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 15, 2010
Gwyneth Paltrow reminded the world that bone issues are not just for the elderly when she announced this summer at age 37 that she has the precursor to osteoporosis. Bone health expert Rebekah Rotstein explains what this means for the rest of us when she brings her toolkit of osteoporosis prevention and treatment tips to a leading New York studio, Core Pilates NYC, Saturday, September 25th, for a two-part workshop for both the public and exercise professionals.
This important workshop demystifies the facts of bone health and could not come at a better time. Commercials for osteoporosis medications flood television advertising, leaving consumers wondering what to do to prevent the condition of bone fragility.
The workshop is split into two parts:
1- “Preventing and Addressing Osteoporosis” discusses bone health and offers exercises on how to protect the skeleton. This first hour is open to the general public.
2- “Bone-ing Up On Strength” continues the remainder of the afternoon for Pilates and exercise instructors and anyone looking for a deeper understanding of movement that targets bones. It will allow them to:
Discover bone-building techniques
Identify exercises to avoid for clients with osteoporosis
Practice fracture-prevention methods
“Bone health is a vital matter for people of all ages — this is not just a concern for your mother or grandmother,” says Rebekah Rotstein, who teaches workshops around the country and overseas about osteoporosis and exercise. “People train their muscles — it’s time they learn to train their bones.”
Part 1 lasts one hour (3:30 to 4:30pm) and costs $ 45.
The full five-hour workshop of Part 1 and 2 (3:30 – 8:30pm) costs $ 250.
To register, email info@corepilatesnyc.com
About Incorporating Movement
Rebekah Rotstein is the founder of Incorporating Movement and the creator of Pilates for Buff Bones™. She is a New York City-based Pilates instructor and movement educator who integrates functional anatomy and biomechanics principles into mind-body exercise, teaching seminars and guest presenting throughout the United States and internationally. Rebekah is a partner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in its Office of Women’s Health to promote its Best Bones Forever!™ campaign, aimed at teaching bone health to young girls. She is a contributing expert for the Web site of Dr. Andrew Weil (http://www.drweil.com), for Pilates-Pro and for Hatherleigh Medical Education, and is frequently interviewed in various media including CNN, Vogue Magazine and Martha Stewart Living Radio. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis at only 28 and has since improved her bone density through diet and exercise alone.
Out of the wide variety of bone related diseases prevalent in the recent time, osteoporosis is one of the most common ones. The most central reason for the occurrence of this disease is the decrease in the overall bone density in the bones. The worst part about this disease is that the lessening of the bone density which subsequently leads to it is a very gradual process and takes many years to set in without any evident signs of this lessening .Thus osteoporosis is often deemed to be a silent killer and is the reason why people shudder when they hear about the disease. This disease can only be confirmed in patients when the symptoms are reaching a high level. These may include loss in the height of the body, increase in the chipping and the number of bone fractures, severe and prolonged joint pains and even hunchback.
There are certain risk factors associated with osteoporosis, which can aggravate or increase the chances of this disease. Keeping race as a parameter, there is a greater danger to whites as well as people from the Asian origin to suffer from this disease than darker races such as blacks and browns. Also, there is a greater sighting of this disease in older people than youngsters, teenagers and infants. It has been seen that osteoporosis has a close connection to estrogen as well as menopause once the age of thirty five and above sets in ladies. Osteoporosis is also a disease which is known to affect people with similar bone structure most often. Thus if anyone in your family has a history of this disease, it is important that you should be careful and take necessary precautions against it. Apart from these, a wide variety of lifestyle related reasons can also be contributed to becoming a probable cause of osteoporosis. These include over consumption of alcohol and red meat, lack of physical activities and sports, obesity, low calcium levels in blood and bones, excessive consumption of caffeine and smoking and many more are yet to be realized. Many people also tend to connect incorrect postures while sitting ,standing, sleeping and driving.
As far as the detection of osteoporosis is concerned, there are a wide variety of tests conducted today by doctors and medical experts to detect and confirm the disease. Two of the most commonly used methods include Dual-energy X-ray, Absorptiometry as well as Ultrasound Densitometry.
Any treatment or therapy to cure osteoporosis is based on three basic objectives – controlling the pain in patients, reduce the chances of subsequent fractures and bone damage and finally and most importantly to increase the overall bone density. Since osteoporosis can be accounted to a lot of different causes, the therapy to cure it has to be of a multi-dimensional nature. This is the reason why apart from bone specialists, the expert committee undertaking the therapy also involves experts from medical departments such as obstetric and gynecology.
Abortions Clinic. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including Medical Abortions, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services.
Nurse Appointed by Governor to MarylandÂs State Task Force for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis
Laurel, Md. (PRWEB) July 9, 2003
Donna M. Landis, RN CDT, of the Osteoporosis Diagnostic & Monitoring Center (ODMC), has been appointed to the Maryland Osteoporosis Prevention Education Task Force. The task force was created in response to a serious statewide health threat: an estimated three-quarters of a million Marylanders are suspected to have osteoporosis or low bone mass, a number which is expected to jump 20% in the next 7 years. Advanced bone loss destroys quality of life by causing fractures coupled with intense pain and immobilization. Dubbed Âthe silent thief, osteoporosis has no discernable symptoms until a potentially life-threatening fracture occurs.
The task force is developing an action plan that will target Maryland youth in prevention and older populations in treatment of the disease. As there is no known cure for osteoporosis, men and women under age 30 will derive the most benefit in employing osteoporosis prevention practices. The task force is comprised of 16 healthcare professionals from a variety of targeted specialties including geriatrics, radiology, rheumatology and others concerned with bone health. The task force meets quarterly and the public is welcome. Their next meeting will be September 11, 2003 from 9:00-11:00am in the Office for Children, Youth and Families conference room – 15th Floor, 301 West Preston St. in Baltimore.
Landis career in bone health and public service began in 1985. She is a consultant on osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease for various pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, and is also the Clinical Director and owner of the ODMC. Landis was named Bone Densitometry Technologist of the Year in 1999 by the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and was among “Who’s Who in Healthcare” by the Baltimore Business Journal in 2001.
Bonexcin at Forefront of Osteoporosis Prevention on Heels of Health Report
Manalapan, NJ (PRWEB) January 31, 2010
First quarter sales of Vitaloix Labs’ already best-selling osteoporosis supplement, Bonexcin, are breaking records following the publication of a news and health report that was issued in mid-January of 2010 by the National Osteoporosis Foundation that advises consumers that this diseases is indeed preventable when the proper lifestyle changes are made; including eating the right foods and ingesting essential nutrients, avoiding toxicity (drinking, smoking and other toxins), and assuring that you take better care of your body to best prevent this disease. The report also estimates that this year alone, well over 50-million persons in the US will be affected by this disease–something that can be easily prevented by incorporating simple lifestyle changes.
In a news publication regarding osteoporosis prevention, that was issued in mid-January by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, on their website, http://www.NOF.org, the report advises consumers on preventative measures that they can take by incorporating certain essential lifestyle changes into their daily routines, which, according to the NOF, can make this a ‘preventable disease.’
The report from NOF’s website cites as follows,
“PREVENTION
Osteoporosis is a preventable disease for most people, if they take the necessary steps throughout their lives. Contrary to popular belief, osteoporosis is not a disease of old people, and if preventative steps are not taken, bone loss occurs earlier in life, long before symptoms of the disease. Osteoporosis and low bone mass are currently estimated to be a major public health threat for almost 44 million US women and men aged 50 and older. By the year 2010, it is estimated that over 52 million women and men in this same age category will be affected and, if current trends continue, the figure will climb to over 61 million by 2020.
A comprehensive program that can help prevent osteoporosis includes:
a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
weight-bearing exercise
a healthy lifestyle with no smoking and limited alcohol intake and
bone mineral density testing (BMD Test) and medication when appropriate.
Prevention is important at all ages, however, at the time of menopause, these steps may not be enough without estrogen therapy or other osteoporosis-related medications to protect from bone loss. With menopause, women begin to lose bone mass at an accelerated rate as their estrogen levels fall, and they can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.
EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
We are in a new era of preventing, detecting and treating this disease. In the past decade, bone density tests, painless diagnostic tests, have become available, in addition to several medications to prevent and treat this disease. Osteoporosis is highly preventable and treatable, especially if caught early, and people with risk factors should ask their doctor about a bone density test.”
The NOF’s report on osteoporosis prevention, and the related first quarter sales influx of Bonexcin’s all-natural osteoporosis supplement, was almost expected, according to the product spokesperson, Robert Fletcher.
“Indeed, as the NOF states in their report for 10′, osteoporosis is definitely a major public health threat in the new decade,” says Fletcher.
When considering that the NOF advises that the disease is preventable by assuring that vital nutrients are ingested, and proper diet and exercise are incorporated into a daily routine, Fletcher couldn’t agree more.
“This is the primary reason why we developed Bonexcin,” Fletcher adds. “It is not only a means of easily attaining all of the NOF recommended nutrients to prevent the disease, but it also serves as an effective and PROVEN method of naturally and safely treating osteoporosis.”
Bonexcin is an all-natural osteoporosis supplement that is taken by mouth, twice per day.
It utilizes several different proprietary ingredients that have been scientifically-proven to prevent low bone mass density (BMD), and effectively treat osteoporosis.
Most people report noticeable signs of improvement within one to three months of daily usage, when used as directed and combined with a proper diet and exercise.
You can learn more by visiting: http://www.Bonexcin.com.
About Bonexcin:
Developed by Vitaloix Labs–a leading nutraceutical company
Rich in Ipriflavone: provides an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy for treating low bone density or osteoporosis; helps to generate osteogenesis; the formation of new bone
Fortified in Calcium/Vitamin D; taking calcium combined with vitamin D is effective in reducing bone mineral density loss; calcium is also known to be a bone-building mineral, and the advantages of taking it long term assist in reversing bone loss
Provides Phosphorus; phosphorus is critical to maintaining healthy bones, especially when combined with calcium supplements; both minerals are essential in building new bone mass
Supplies Zinc; lower zinc intake and zinc serum levels are associated with lower Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in men and women; taking zinc in combination with copper, manganese, and calcium can slow bone loss in postmenopausal women
100% safe, effective and all-natural
Visit them online for generous discounts off retail pricing and to learn more at: http://www.Bonexcin.com
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Falls suffered by the elderly pose one of the highest risk factors for mortality in the long term care population. Studies show that suffering from a hip fracture increases the likelihood of mortality by as much as 83%[1]. Falls occurring in nursing homes and assisted living facilities result in significant injury to elders and corresponding legal liability for the facility. Many falls are preventable in the long-term care setting if the facility promptly identifies an individual’s risk factors for falling, and puts in place an appropriate care prevention plan to prevent the fall in the first instance.
Generally risk factors for falling increase with age and may be greater for women than with men. Typical risk factors for falling include the following:
Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other neurological condition
decreased bone density or osteoporosis
muscle weaknesses or disturbances in gait
recent hospitalization causing physical limitations or disorientation
vision problems
medications that can cause confusion or disorientation
unsafe environment, including slippery or wet floors, rises in carpets, or other obstacles
Long-term care facilities are required to retain trained professions who are knowledgeable in assessing risk factors for falling. They are obligated to put fall prevention protocols in place to prevent serious injury or death. At the time of admission, the standard of care requires that every resident of a long-term care facility get thoroughly evaluated for risk factors for falling. If that risk factor analysis determines that the resident is at increased risk for falling, a fall prevention care plan should be put in place immediately.
A care plan is a multi-disciplinary tool where various specialized disciplines (nursing, physical therapy, occupation therapy, treating physician, recreation aids, etc) get together to come up with a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem. A care plan for fall prevention may include the following:
keeping the floor free of debris or dangerous objections
providing strengthening of a patient’s muscles through physical therapy
providing gait orientation and training through physical therapy
evaluating whether medications are causing lethargy, disorientation or dizziness
providing medications to help increase or prevent the further loss of bone density
providing assistance with ambulation, which can range from personal assistance to a walker, depending on an individual’s ability to ambulate safely
implementing routine toileting schedules so a patient does not have to get up from bed to go to the bathroom by himself or herself
bed alarms to alert the staff when the resident is getting up without needed assistance
providing a low bed or bed with floor pads and safety cushions
bed rails on the beds for patients who, because of dementia, insist on getting out of bed without using the call bell. Bed rails should have safety cushions to prevent patient entanglement.
hip protectors or pads to cushion a patient during a fall
wheelchair alarms to alert staff when a resident is getting out of a wheelchair
wedge cushions to prevent a resident from sliding out of a wheelchair
Long-term care facilities also have access to various devices that allow residents to ambulate safely even without assistance. Such devices include a merri-walker, which actually surrounds the patient so that he or she can traverse through the nursing home safely. Long-term facilities should be vigilant in re-evaluating a patient’s risk factors for falling as they may increase during a resident’s prolonged stay at the nursing home.
If you have questions about whether a nursing home is properly protecting your loved one from suffering injury from a fall, ask the charge nurse what’s included in the care plan to prevent falls. Share your views in a constructive way, and ask if you can participate in the next care plan meeting. If your not the power-of-attorney for the resident, you may have to get permission to participate, or get appointed as co-power of attorney, to assist in the health care decision making process.
“Breast cancer research is making a serious headway in its quest to find ways to prevent the disease. New drug therapies may help save millions of lives.”
One out of every eight women in the world battles with breast cancer during her lifetime. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the United States. Causes of breast cancer remain unknown, and its symptoms show up late in many cases. As the age increases, the risk of breast cancer increases in women. But there are new breakthroughs in medical research and there is renewed hope of a cure that can save millions of lives.
Biphosphonates May Prevent Breast Cancer
Biphosphonates are commonly used drugs to treat osteoporosis. A study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) has revealed that these drugs may inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. The study found out in its research sample of about 3,000 women that the ones who had used biphosphonates for the maximum period of time cut down their breast cancer risk by nearly two-fifths. However, this result was observed only in women who did not suffer from obesity.
There have been positive reactions to the study from other cancer research organizations in Europe. However, most leading researchers are of the opinion that these findings need to be made more conclusive with more detailed testing in women who are at a higher risk of the disease.
New Preventive Drug in the Pipeline
The Scottish Funding Council and Breakthrough Breast Cancer funded a study conducted by researchers at University of Edinburg that may lead to the development of a new drug. The drug may help to prevent breast cancer in about 20 percent of the patients. About half the breast cancer tumors are known to produce C35 protein, which is suspected to one of the causes of breast cancer.
The new research is working on some chemical agents that may prevent the production of C35 protein. The test results in their initial stages have been positive, but the formulation of a drug for human consumption is still some time away. It is critical to reach a chemical agent that works without causing any harm to the human body, which is the main thrust of the research.
Vaccine to Prevent Breast Cancer
Scientists at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Institute in Ohio have made a path-breaking discovery that may finally result in a preventive vaccine against breast cancer. The vaccine that has been in developmental stages for nearly one decade has finally achieved success in preventing the disease in a test group of mice. In addition to preventing the disease, the vaccine also worked to remove the existing tumors in the mice.
Cleveland Clinic is gearing up to seek clearance from the regulatory authorities for human trials of the vaccine. The preventive vaccine would be aimed at all women over the age of 40. Nature Medicine journal has reported the findings of this research with personal interviews of the Cleveland Clinic research team. Read on What’s Wrong With Breast Cancer Awareness Month October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which again fills the stores with pink products and pink ribbons. But many people with breast cancer are feeling exploited. Drug to Combat Breast Cancer in African-American Women
Scientists at Northwestern University experimented with a combination of anti-cancer drug therapy called arsenic trioxide with nanotechnology, which has resulted in new drug with positive results against a specific type of breast cancer. This is a highly aggressive breast cancer known as triple negative, which has a high prevalence among African-American women.
This cancer spreads rapidly and usually the patient has low chances of survival. However, the new drug therapy uses nanotechnology to send arsenic through the blood without letting the body be harmed. Arsenic gets directly delivered to the cancerous cells, and avoids the healthy cells. So the new delivery mechanism has led to a new hope not just for breast cancer, but for several other types of cancer as well. Fish Oil Supplements May Help to Prevent Breast Cancer
The Journal of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention has published the results of a new study that shows the positive effect of fish oils in prevention of breast cancer. The extensive 6-year study involving over 35,000 women, conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, has indicated that fish oil supplements can reduce the breast cancer risk among post-menopausal women by about one-third.
The research believes its findings are interesting, but further research is essential to arrive at any conclusive judgment that fish oil is actually responsible for prevention of this disease. Fish oil may help to reduce inflammation in the breast cells, which in turn may prevent the cells from becoming cancerous. Sources:
Cancer.gov “Breast Cancer” (Accessed on July 17, 2010)
Nlm.nih.gov “Breast Cancer” (Accessed on July 17, 2010)
BreastCancer.Org “Research News” (Accessed on July 17, 2010)
Epic arguments are being waged regarding the pros and cons of disease prevention. However, few, if any, are offering serious insight as to how to address the host of mental health disorders estimated to affect 14 to 20 percent of America’s young people in any given year. A perfect storm is brewing, exacerbated by a troubled economy, rising unemployment, increasing bankruptcies and home foreclosures, and dwindling funds for programs. Dismal realities affect families and threaten the mental health of our nation’s youth.
Passionate exchanges tout the medical benefits and lives saved through the early detection of breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease, while the stigma surrounding mental illness persists. Workplace shootings, familicides, and the overdose deaths and suicides of notable celebrities prompt frequent news coverage, with discourse on prevention and early detection in an everyday setting taking a noticeable backseat. The public interprets the message: the mentally ill aren’t safe to be around. As a result, would-be-patients fly below the radar to avoid detection. Without the increased use of prevention strategies that are scientifically proven to work, and a correspondingly swift uptick in early detection efforts and community awareness and education in national media, mental disorders continue to fester like an undetected cancer.
The discussions regarding preventative healthcare are more than politically fueled punditry about dollars and cents. Saving money is important, however, the bottom line should include safeguarding a quality of life. When it comes to mental healthcare, or lack thereof, individuals and their families are hoping for anyone to throw them a lifeline, to live a “normal” life. According to the March 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report brief for policymakers: Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People, Progress and Possibilities, evidence-based approaches are proving to prevent certain mental health disorders, and limit risk factors, and are likely to be far more cost-effective at addressing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders (MEBs).
Most MEB disorders erupt during childhood and adolescence. The IOM report suggests that the “window of opportunity” when symptoms first appear, typically 2 to 4 years before the onset of the disorder, is the prime time when prevention strategies have the most impact. Persons with mental health disorders have usually been identified only after they dropped out of school, and shuffled through the criminal justice system, and multiple hospitals, leaving extraordinary healthcare bills in their wake. The Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program, a national effort launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and spearheaded by program director, William R. McFarlane, MD, estimates the cost to society to be higher than $10 million over the lifespan of a person who has schizophrenia. Most community mental health organizations supports early intervention, before costs escalate and the prospects of a happy, healthy life disintegrate. The ensuing discussions beg the question – just how much is an improved quality of life worth these days?
Community mental health organizations also recognize that the issue reaches beyond the bread and butter aspects of healthcare, and becomes muddled when editorials sound the alarm of diagnosing millions with a disease that requires treatment. An op-ed piece by David Harsanyi in The Denver Post insists that expanding the definition of diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis, has already placed millions more Americans at the swelling healthcare trough. The idea that patients shouldn’t be identified for having a disease, or the potential to develop one, is a precarious one, especially for mental health. Sweeping mentally ill patients under the carpet has been going on for years and has hindered even the most ardent efforts of dedicated mental health professionals. Harsanyi is blunt – end of life care is costly, and free will overrides the patient’s decision to follow the doctors’ advice anyway. Part of the stigma plaguing mental illness is the notion that one can simply “snap out of” depression, or that persons “choose” to be mentally ill.
Chicago Tribune reporter Carla Johnson acknowledges in her article, Disease Prevention Often Costs More than it Saves, that disease prevention won’t necessarily save money, but that some efforts to prevent illness are necessary. Johnson quotes Robert Gould, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Prevention, saying that “Many of the services that don’t save money, improve people’s lives at relatively low cost.” A “pro-prevention” piece, More Attacks on Prevention and Its Role in Health Reform That Make No Sense, by Kenneth Thorpe in The Huffington Post, cautions against using “imprecise language” when it comes to policy-making, and strongly supports effective prevention programs that work simply “because they reach the right people at the right places with the right interventions” - precisely steering back to that “window of opportunity” and the value of a healthy mind and a sound quality of life.
Several community mental health organizations have helped to bring the evidence-based public education program, Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. The program has trained more than 3,000 persons in its first year. Studies show that persons trained in what to do when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis have a greater likelihood of actually helping the person, and show a decrease in attitudes that encourage stigma and misperceptions.
The Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program uses evidence-based interventions that help youths succeed, without stigma, before they experience the negative effects of a fully developed mental illness.
Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone, launched in 1970 as a community-based truancy prevention program, has grown to include diverse programs and serve more than 10,000 youth. The proven results – in 2008, nearly all students in third and eighth grade in HCZ charter schools outperformed the average New York student in math.
College Dreams, an alcohol and drug prevention program in Oregon, has saved thousands of youth from school dropout, substance abuse, and delinquency. The program is based on scientific evidence regarding the risk factors for substance abuse and the protective factors that lead to long-term success for children who are beset by multiple and severe life adversities.
The following suggestions serve to increase public awareness and education efforts concerning mental illness, and to also fortify the case for evidence-based research and the use of proven practices regarding prevention and early detection:
Taking charge on a national level: The IOM report recommends that “the White House create an entity to lead toward a broad implementation of evidence-based prevention approaches and to direct research on interventions.” Public goals must be set for preventing specific mental disorders and promoting mental health, and funding must be provided to launch and improve evidence-based programs.
Dovetail efforts: Many mental disorders have common developmental pathways. Resources must be aligned between the departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. The National Institutes of Health should develop a comprehensive 10-year plan to research ways to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders in young people. State and local agencies should coordinate efforts and foster a multi-agency approach to ensure a comprehensive developmental perspective.
Equality in research funding: At present, a great deal of research leans toward treatment. Research needs to move from laboratory settings to real world settings, and must be responsive to community socioeconomic needs, diversities, values, and goals. The IOM report also cautions that funding should not support mental health programs that lack empirical evidence, despite their popularity within communities.
Identifying children with risk factors: Mental health screenings can be a helpful tool if parents and communities are aware of the purposes and methods of screenings, and have the ability to decline if they do not want their children included. But all families can learn to be aware of warning signals for teen depression, for example, and to distinguish between signs of impending psychosis, and teenage angst that falls within the norm of behaviors prompted by the transition from children to teens to young adults.
Speak up: Programs that work need media attention to thrive. Seek out members of the media, distribute press releases, and invite the media and the public to “community education nights” that highlight prevention and early intervention efforts that build strong, healthy communities and improve the quality of life. Society can no longer afford to ignore the risk factors for and the onset of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Ignoring prevention and early intervention is issuing a personal invitation to cut a young life drastically short.
The Experimental Biology Conference (FASEB) was held this year in New Orleans. The FASEB conference brings in scientists from all over the world, with more then 10,000 in attendance this year. Topics covered are wide ranging, including topics aging, cancer, cardio vascular disease, weight loss, and genetics, to name just a few. It’s truly the place many of the worlds’ top scientists converge to discuss and display the most cutting edge research in their respective areas of focus.
Various scientific societies make up the FASEB conference: The American Association of Anatomists; The American Physiological Society (APS): American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB); American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP): American Society for Nutrition (ASN); American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET); are all represented at FASEB.
Needless to say, this is a big conference! A great deal of the information presented at FASEB is of direct relevance to people here and now, some of which can be applied to their everyday lives in their quest for a healthier longer life. Much of the research directly supports what we already know; various naturally occurring compounds can prevent disease both directly and or indirectly. What follows is a small sample of some of the more relevant information readers may find useful to their goals of better health and longer life.
Because the shear amount of research that existed, coverage of each will be short and sweet…
Inflammation and CVD; New theories on obesity:
A fascinating symposium called “Nutrition in Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease” examined the role of inflammation in both cardio vascular disease as well as obesity and the cluster of metabolic issues that is Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome. That an essential step in the etiology of CVD is chronic inflammation is not a new concept per se, but more recently embraced by the scientific and medical community. One of the more interesting topics in this symposium was the issue of adipocytes (fat cells) as the main drivers of inflammation both locally and systemically and the role that plays in CVD and other diseases.
Fat cells have now become a major focus as highly active cells that control a wide variety of metabolic functions and feedback mechanisms in the human body that leads to CVD, diabetes, and other ailments. Most interesting is the new paradigm that obesity may be partly an inflammatory disease. More interesting is the theory that obese people suffer mild endo-toxemia. Endotoxins are associated with bacteria and cause inflammation. It’s been found that endotoxin levels are elevated in obese people, and these endotoxins cause a low-grade inflammation which interacts with fat cells, causing a viscous cycle. The exact cause and effect of increased endotoxin levels found in obesity is unclear at this time, but researchers are putting considerable effort into finding the answer and this symposium went a long way to connecting the dots on the role inflammation plays in CVD, Metabolic Syndrome, and possibly obesity. It was also noted that people with inflammatory diseases also suffer higher rates of CVD, so the link is well established and the mechanisms better understood. It was also clear from a verity of talks given that known natural anti-inflammatory compounds found in fish oils, green tea, cinnamon, and others may mitigate the inflammation in these chronic inflammatory states.
SIDE BAR: Nutrigenomics
Without a doubt, the most cutting edge research looking at the relationship between what we eat – be it food or supplements – and the benefits we derive, is the science of nutrigenomics. As the name implies, nutrigenomics looks directly at how nutrients interact with our genes. Wikipedia defines it as “the study of molecular relationships between nutrition and the response of genes, with the aim of extrapolating how such subtle changes can affect human health.” Some of the nutrients we eat are very powerful modulators of our genes. Perhaps one of the best defined at this time are the fatty acids found in fish oil; EPA and DHA. These two fatty acids have various health benefits that actually works on the genetic level. To show just how exiting and powerful this area of research is, one speaker commented that the active constituents found in fish oils (EPA/DHA) could actually nullify the genetic disposition some people had for developing Syndrome X and cardio vascular disease. This is an extremely promising and important finding. The science of nutrigenomics is very much in its early stage, and genetics is a complex topic, but it was very much in the forefront of the FASEB conference. Research is ongoing, and this area of research will yield the most essential results in the history of human kind to human health and longevity!
Green Tea plus Vitamin D3 and bone loss:
Osteopenia is a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal and is considered to be a precursor to osteoporosis. Chronic low grade inflammation is also known to be an essential part of bone loss in some cases, and it’s well established that people with acute inflammatory diseases suffer from higher rates of osteoporosis. A symposium entitled “Models for Bone Health” presented data that tested the effects of green tea polyphenols and vitamin D3 in animals which followed a human model of low grade inflammation negatively impacting bone health. These researchers found both D3 and Green Tea polyphenols decreased bone loss and decreased inflammation. However, when combined the effect was more pronounced, showing a true synergism between the combination of green tea polyphenols and vitamin D3 on bone health. The combination increased bone mineral density (BMD), reduced oxidative stress, reduced inflammation and DNA damage and positively impacted hormones known to control BMD.
Flax Lignans and Auraptene, a powerful agent against breast tumors:
A symposium that looked at how the diet may effect cancer called “Diet and Cancer” had a presentation that looked at the effects of flax and sesame lignans on estrogen receptor-positive human tumor cells. The researchers implanted mice with human breast cancer cells and added estrogen to encourage the growth of these cells. They then fed the mice either flax lignans or sesame lignans (vs. a control group) to see what effects either had on tumor growth. It was found the flax lignans were most effective and reduced breast cancer cell proliferation, and increased the rate of programmed cell death (apoptosis) of human breast cancer cells. Sesame lignans were found to be much less effective then lignans from Flax.
The researchers made note that it’s unclear at this time if the effects they found come directly from the lingans – and or other compounds found in flax – or if the effect is due to metabolites formed from these naturally found constituents of flax during digestion and metabolism, and research is ongoing. Meanwhile, people can enjoy the health benefits from flax lignans and wait for science to figure out why!
Another natural agent derived from citrus fruits called Auraptene has been shown to be a powerful agent against breast cancer. A known carcinogen scientists use to cause cancer in animals is called N-methyl nitrosourea. Researchers find this naturally derived compound to be highly chemoprotective* against various cancer drugs while being toxic to cancer cells, in both in vitro (test tube) and in vivo (living animals) and decreased breast cancer cell proliferation by over 50% when breast cancer was induced via N-methyl nitrosourea. Auraptene may turn out to be one of the most powerful natural anti cancer agents yet found according to researchers speaking at this symposium.
The many benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids:
As readers of the LEF magazine know well by now, Omega-3 lipids offer a wide variety of health benefits. A symposium entitled “Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Health” added additional information to the ever growing body of research that shows these fatty acids should be a staple to anyone’s longevity/health program. In fact, the first speaker to this symposium started out by making the bold statement that life span is inversely related to Omega-3 tissue levels. It’s been well characterized that much of what takes place in aging and disease happens at the level of the mitochondria, the part of our cells where energy is generated. The researchers outlined how Omega-3 lipids – more specifically EPA/DHA – appear to play an essential role in mitochondrial function by altering cell membranes. It’s been found the ratio of these fatty acids in the mitochondrial membrane is essential to the optimal function of the mitochondria.
Animals genetically altered to have higher ratios of Omega-3 to Omega-6 lipids in their tissues, have greatly reduced levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), a primary cause of oxidative stress to tissues, and a cause of mitochondrial aging and dysfunction. These animals suffer less oxidative stress and improved mitochondrial function.
Perhaps one of the most interesting research presented at this symposium was the discovery that Omega-3 lipids are neuro-protective acutely. It’s well known that the chronic intake of omega-3 lipids is neuro protective, but research was presented that showed it’s also neuro protective in animals suffering cerebral hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) which is what happens during a stroke even if the animals had not been fed omega – 3 lipids prior to the stroke! This is an amazing finding and could save the lives of millions of stroke victims or at the very least could reduce the amount of tissue damage they suffer from the stroke.
Two groups of animals were fed their normal chow, then suffered strokes and cerebral hypoxia, which is what happens in stroke victims which leads to brain tissue death. One group of animals was given an emulsion of EPA/DHA immediately after their stroke, and the effects were quite striking. The animals who did not get this emulsion had significantly more brain injury, less preserved living brain tissue and had much greater neuronal loss compared to the animals given the EPA/DHA emulsion. The researcher showed via actual brain tissue slices, the animals given the emulsion suffered less edema (another damaging effect of stroke), and far less brain damage/tissue death compared to those that didn’t get the Omega-3 fatty acids.
This research shows these amazing fatty acids have both chronic and acute benefits, and a first line therapy for greatly reducing brain damage due to strokes – which is the third leading cause of death in the US and costs approximately 70 billion dollars per year – may be giving them such an emulsion as soon as possible after a stroke. It’s unclear if an oral dose of fish oil caps would have similar effects, but it may be worth trying in this writers opinion…
Conclusion
The above is a very small sample from a very large conference. As the reader can see, great strides are being made in understanding what natural compounds can do for all that ails humanity. This writer will continue to follow the cutting edge science as it first appears at similar conferences with readers reaping the benefits of fast-as-possible communication of research to practical application.
* = chemoprotective agents are drugs which protect healthy tissue from the toxic effects of anticancer drugs.
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