High blood levels of vitamin E may ward off Alzheimer’s disease (AD), say scientists.

The analysis included 232 people. All participants were aged 80 years or more, and were dementia-free at the beginning of the study. After six years of follow-up, 57 AD cases were identified.

The blood levels of all eight natural vitamin E components were measured at the beginning of the study. The study found that subjects with higher blood levels of all the vitamin E forms had a reduced risk of developing AD, compared to subjects with lower levels. After adjusting for various confounders, the risk was reduced by 45% to 54%, depending on the vitamin E component.

The protective effect of vitamin E seems to be related to the combination of the different forms, notes lead author, Dr. Francesca Mangialasche. On the other hand, she warns that high doses of a single form may be detrimental.

“Elderly people as a group are large consumers of vitamin E supplements, which usually contain only ±-tocopherol, and this often at high doses,” adds Dr Mangialasche. “Our findings need to be confirmed by other studies, but they open up for the possibility that the balanced presence of different vitamin E forms can have an important neuroprotective effect.”

Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – July 5, 2010;Epub.
www.j-alz.com

Women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common hormone imbalance in women of reproductive age, may be more vulnerable to exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), found in many plastic household items. These findings were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 92^nd Annual Meeting in San Diego .

Researchers divided 71 women with PCOS and 100 healthy female control subjects into subgroups matched by age and body composition (obese or lean). Blood levels of BPA, compared with those of controls, were nearly 60 percent higher in lean women with PCOS and more than 30 percent higher in obese women with the syndrome.

Additionally, as BPA blood level increased, so did the concentrations of the male sex hormone testosterone and androstenedione, a steroid hormone that converts to testosterone.

“Women with the polycystic ovary syndrome should be alert regarding this environmental contaminant’s potential adverse effects on reproductive aspects of their health problem,” says study coauthor, Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis, MD, PhD.

The Endocrine Society – June 20, 2010 .
ww.endo-society.org

According to a just-published analysis, low-back pain (LBP) is associated with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip — but not of the knee.

The study pooled tracked 983 Ontario residents. The participants were 55 or older and had symptomatic hip or knee OA at the beginning of the study, which was between 1996 and 1998. At that time 58% of subjects also reported LBP.

The participants underwent follow-up between 2000 and 2001. After adjusting for confounding factors, the study’s authors conclude: “In a cohort of individuals with OA of the hip or knee, we found that low back pain predicted subsequent OA-related pain and disability in those with hip disease, but not knee disease. Our study provides valuable prognostic information to clinicians involved in the management of patients with OA of the hip and knee.”

JMPT – June 2010;33:349-54.
www.jmptonline.org

Bisphenol A, or BPA is found in many plastic bottles, toys, food liners and other products. Exposure to BPA in the womb and early life may cause long-lasting harm to testicular function, according to a new study conducted in animals. The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92^nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

“We are seeing changes in the testis function of rats after exposure to BPA levels that are lower than what the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency consider safe exposure levels for humans,” said Benson Akingbemi, PhD, the study’s lead author. “This is concerning because large segments of the population, including pregnant and nursing mothers, are exposed to this chemical.”

The Endocrine Society – June 20, 2010.
www.endo-society.org

Results of a recent review of nine studies add to brewing evidence that drinking coffee protects against cancer, this time against head and neck cancer.

Study participants who drank four or more cups of coffee a day, compared with those who were non-drinkers, had a 39% decreased risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancers combined. On the other hand, tea intake was not associated with head and neck cancer risk.

“Since coffee is so widely used and there is a relatively high incidence and low survival rate of these forms of cancers, our results have important public health implications that need to be further addressed,” notes lead researcher Mia Hashibe, PhD.

“What makes our results so unique is that we had a very large sample size, and since we combined data across many studies, we had more statistical power to detect associations between cancer and coffee,” she adds.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention – June 22, 2010;Epub.
cebp.aacrjournals.org

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports an alarming jump in overdoses from prescription pain killers. Specifically, emergency department (ED) visits for the abuse of opioid analgesics rocketed 111% from 2004 to 2008. This reflects a rise from 144,644 in 2004 to 305,885 in 2008. The highest numbers of ED visits were recorded for oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone.

“These increases in nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals suggest that previous prevention measures, such as provider and patient education and restrictions on use of specific formulations, have not been adequate. Given the societal burden of the problem, additional interventions are urgently needed, such as more systematic provider education, universal use of state prescription drug monitoring programs by providers, the routine monitoring of insurance claims information for signs of inappropriate use, and efforts by providers and insurers to intervene when patients use drugs inappropriately … . This report also reinforces the value of timely, population-based national surveillance for nonmedical use of drugs, which can be used to assess the effect of such interventions.”

MMWR – June 18, 2010 ;59;705-9.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr

An increased intake of the vitamins B6 and B12 may ward off depression, say scientists.

Researchers tracked 3,503 older adults for up to 12 years. The subjects were free of depression at the study onset. Over the course of the trial 11% to 14% of subjects developed depression. Every 10-microgram (mg) increase in daily B6 and B12 vitamins from food or supplements was associated with a 2% lower risk of depression. On the other hand, no link was evident between folate intake and the risk of depression. These findings held after adjustment for age, sex, race, education, income, and antidepressant medication use.

“Our results support the hypotheses that high total intakes of vitamins B-6 and B-12 are protective of depressive symptoms over time in community-residing older adults,” write the study’s authors.

AJCN – June 2, 2010 ;Epub.
www.ajcn.org

Vitamin D may help reduce the incidence and severity of viral respiratory tract infections including influenza, according to a new study conducted by investigators at Greenwich Hospital and Yale University School of Medicine.

The study followed 198 healthy adults during the fall and winter of 2009-2010.

In the double-blinded study, participants had blood samples drawn monthly using a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test to accurately measure vitamin D levels. Participants did not know that vitamin D was being measured, and the investigators did not know the levels until the end of the study. All participants were asked to report any evidence of an acute respiratory tract infection (nasal congestion, sore throat, and/or cough with or without fever, chills, fatigue and general malaise).

Of the 18 participants who maintained vitamin D levels of 38 ng/ml or higher during the study period, only three (16.6 %) developed viral infections. Of the 180 other participants, 81 (45 %) developed viral infections. Those with the higher vitamin D levels also experienced a marked reduction in the number of days ill.

 PloS One – June 14, 2010 ;Epub.
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011088

People who are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to have psychological problems, compared with people who are not exposed to second-hand smoke.

These findings are from a study that looked at 5,560 non-smokers and 2,595 smokers. None of the subjects had a family history of mental illness. The non-smokers underwent saliva testing for exposure to second-hand smoke. Overall, 14.5% of study participants complained of psychological distress. Compared with non-smokers, smokers had a 2.45-fold increased risk of mental problems. And, a direct correlation was evident between Read the rest of this entry »

Elective caesarean delivery is linked with an elevated risk of learning disabilities, including autism and dyslexia.

The study included 407,503 school-aged children in Scotland. Overall, 4.9% of these youngsters required special needs education (SEN). Babies born at 40 weeks had a 4% risk of learning disabilities. In contrast, those delivered “early term” between 37 to 39 weeks — a large portion of which are Caesarean deliveries — had a 5.1% risk of learning disorders. Read the rest of this entry »