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May 2006 Vol. 11 No. 5

 “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks
as if they were great and noble”
-Helen Keller

 

Table of Contents:

Obesity Statistics
The Dairy/Weight-Loss Deception
Calcium Supplements Don’t Reduce Fracture Risk
Obesity Decreases Chance of Surviving Breast Cancer
Obesity Linked to the Return of Prostate Cancer
Sunshine Works for Congestive Heart Failure
Omega-3 Fats Curb the Growth and Spread of Liver Cancer

Obesity Statistics 

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions
58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
Eight out of 10 over 25’s Overweight
78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations
25% completely Sedentary
76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

Obesity Related Diseases

80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
26% of obese people having high blood pressure

Childhood Obesity Running Out of Control

4% overweight 1982 | 16% overweight 1994
25% of all white children overweight 2001
33% African American and Hispanic children overweight 2001
Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rising from $35
Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999)

New study suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance) 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease

Surge in Childhood Diabetes

Between 8% - 45% of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type II, associated with obesity.
Whereas 4% of Childhood diabetes was type II in 1990, that number has risen to approximately 20%.
Depending on the age group (Type II most frequent 10-19 group) and the racial/ethnic mix of group stated.
Of Children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese.

 SOURCE: Wellness International Network Ltd - web.winltd.com
All information in the above was taken from AnneCollins.com

The Dairy/Weight-Loss Deception 

Despite dairy industry claims, scientific studies actually show that adding dairy products to the diet does nothing for weight control. If anything, milk contributes to weight gain. Three very recent studies, one at the University of Vermont, another at Purdue University, and the third just published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent  Medicine, reconfirm these findings.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is urging the federal government to put an end to false and misleading claims by dairy product manufacturers that contend milk consumption promotes weight and fat loss. PCRM is also taking legal action against companies and dairy trade groups making these false claims.

Calcium Supplements Don’t Reduce Fracture Risk 

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation did not significantly reduce the incidence of fractures in a recent study. The 36,282 postmenopausal participants enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial were given either a supplement containing 500 milligrams of calcium plus 200 IU vitamin D or a placebo daily. Hip fractures were 12 percent less frequent in the supplemented group, but that result was considered to have been attributable to chance. The supplemented group had no reduction in vertebral fracture, fracture of the lower arm or wrist, or total fractures. There was also a 17 percent increase in kidney stone formation among the supplemented group. The results reinforce earlier studies showing that increased calcium intake does not necessarily mean stronger bones and better health. Other factors that seem to play a more important role in bone health include sodium intake, smoking, physical activity, and intake of animal protein, which leaches calcium from the bones.

Jackson RD, LaCroix AZ, Gass M, Wallace RB, Robbins J, Lewis CE, et al.  Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of fractures. N  Engl J Med. 2006;354:669-683

Obesity Decreases Chance of Surviving Breast Cancer 

In a study in Shanghai, China, investigators followed a group of 1,455 women with breast cancer. They found that being overweight at or soon after diagnosis of breast cancer was related to a decrease in chance of survival and disease-free survival. This is one of only a few studies to look at weight’s effect on breast cancer in an Asian population.  

Most Asian women are slim by Western standards. After a five-year follow-up, the survival rates were higher for those with the lowest body mass index (BMI), a measure of body weight adjusted for height.  The lowest BMI group had an 86.5 percent survival rate, while the highest BMI group had an 80.1 percent survival rate.

Corresponding disease-free rates were 81.9 percent for the lowest BMIs and 76.6 percent for the highest. Excessive adipose tissue, which increases hormonal activity and stimulates cell growth, may be what promotes the tumor development and metastasis. The results support previous findings that weight control can have a substantial effect on incidence and survival of breast cancer.

Tao MH, Shu XO, Ruan ZX, Gao YT, Zheng W. Association of overweight  with breast cancer survival. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;163:101-107

Obesity Linked to the Return of Prostate Cancer 

Men who have been treated for prostate cancer are less likely to have a recurrence if they maintain a healthy weight, according to a recent study in the journal Urology. University of California researchers analyzed data on 2,131 prostate cancer patients from 1989 to 2002, using the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) database.

Obese men, defined as those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, were found to have a 30 percent increased risk of cancer recurrence, compared with those with lower body weights. Very obese patients (BMI greater than 35) had the overall greatest risk of recurrence—about 70 percent higher than thinner men. Results emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.  Other research has shown that the average person following a vegetarian diet weighs about 10 percent less than the average meat-eater and that low-fat vegetarian diets are effective in helping people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Furthermore, vegetarians are less likely to develop cancer when compared with their meat-eating counterparts.

Bassett WW, Cooperberg MR, Sadetsky N, et al. Impact of obesity on prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy: data from CaPSURE. Urology. 2005;66:1060-1065

Sunshine Works for Congestive Heart Failure 

A clinical trial indicates that a high dose of vitamin D could help people with congestive heart failure.  The cause of congestive heart failure (CHF) is not well understood, but recent theories point to increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

A Jump in Anti-Inflammatories

For the trial, scientists monitored the effects of a 2,000-IU dose of vitamin D supplement versus a placebo per day on 123 CHF patients. Nine months later, vitamin D patients enjoyed a 43 percent increase in their interleukin-10 levels (a natural anti-inflammatory produced by the body) and no jump in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels.

No Benefit From Placebo

On the other hand, TNF-alpha levels in patients not given vitamin D rose 12 percent. What’s more, their interleukin-10 levels were unchanged and the amount of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the non-active storage form of vitamin D in one’s body) dropped. The trial’s results seem to be in line with earlier studies linking heart disease and vitamin D deficiency.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition April 2006; 83(4): 754-759
Nutra Ingredients.com April 10, 2006

Omega-3 Fats Curb the Growth and Spread of Liver Cancer 

Liver Cancer Two new studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids could inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells, suggesting that they could be an effective therapy for treating and preventing liver cancers.

Programmed Cell Death

The first study examined the effects omega-3 and omega-6 fats in hepato-cellular carcinoma cells. Hepato-cellular carcinoma accounts for as much as 90 percent of all liver cancers and is usually quickly fatal. The omega-6 fats had no effect on cancer cells, but the omega-3s — in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eico-sapentaenoic acid (EPA) — induced apoptosis (programmed cellular death).

Works on Two Kinds of Cancer

In the second study, omega-3 fats proved just as effective in treating cholangiocarcinoma tumor cells, an aggressive and fatal type of liver cancer that forms in bile ducts.

A Treatment and a Preventative Measure

The researchers stated that omega-3 fatty acids could not only be an effective therapy for liver cancers but could also protect the liver from steato-hepatitis, a chronic liver disease believed to be a precursor to cancer.

RxPG News April 3, 2006
Nutra Ingredients.com April 4, 2006

Selected segments are reproduced from Dr. Mercola’s excellent website:
http://www.mercola.com/index.htm 

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
http://www.pcrm.org