New Hampshire Health News Digest

Sept. 29, 1898: Stalin’s Scientist Sees First Light | This Day In Tech | Wired.com Early Soviet propagandists often relied on “miracles of science” to boost the status of their fledgling state. The young plant breeder Trofim Lysenko seemingly provided them with a whopper in 1927, reporting that he had developed a method of fertilizing fields without actually relying on fertilizers or minerals. The spinmeisters at Pravda had a field day, proclaiming that Lysenko had delivered on the Stalinist dream of using science to conquer nature. Through a process he called “vernalization,” Lysenko reported growing peas in winter on the frozen steppe of Azerbaijan, causing Pravda to report breathlessly that Lysenko had turned … the barren fields of the Trans-Caucasus green in winter, so that cattle will not perish from poor feeding, and the peasant Turk will live through the winter without trembling for tomorrow. In fact, Lysenko’s methods were practically devoid of any science at all, and the “...

Quest for a Long Life Gains Scientific Respect - NYTimes.com Some attendees were so convinced of the virtues of less food that they have begun severe diets of various kinds. Cynthia Kenyon, of the University of California, San Francisco, said she had gone on a low-carb diet in 2002 after finding that food with even 2 percent sugar reduced the lifespan of the laboratory roundworms she studies. “Basically I try to steer clear of desserts and starches, though I do eat chocolate,” she said. Her willowy figure makes her look at least a decade younger than her age. from wikipedia... Personal diet Kenyon's research prompted her to make personal dietary changes. She stopped eating high glycemic index carbohydrates when she discovered that putting sugar on the worms' food shortened their lifespans.[1] Kenyon follows a low glycemic index diet similar to the Atkins diet[1] and the South Beach Diet[2]. No desserts. No sweets. No potatoes. No rice. No bread. No pasta. When I say ‘no,’ I...

Cardiovascular Diabetology | Full text | Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study Results Study participants had on average a diabetes duration of 9 years, a mean HbA1c of 6,6% units by Mono-S standard and were usually treated with metformin alone (3 subjects) or metformin in combination with a sulfonylurea (3 subjects) or a thiazolidinedione (3 subjects). Mean average dose of metformin was 1031 mg per day. Compared to the diabetes diet, the Paleolithic diet resulted in lower mean values of HbA1c (-0.4% units, p = 0.01), triacylglycerol (-0.4 mmol/L, p = 0.003), diastolic blood pressure (-4 mmHg, p = 0.03), weight (-3 kg, p = 0.01), BMI (-1 kg/m2, p = 0.04) and waist circumference (-4 cm, p = 0.02), and higher mean values of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (+0.08 mmol/L, p = 0.03). The Paleolithic diet was mainly lower in cereals and dairy products, and higher in fruits, vegetables, meat and egg...

Men's Blood Pressure Increased By High-Sugar Diet Study 1 highlights: * Just two weeks on a high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in men. * A drug used to treat gout seems to protect against that blood pressure increase and some aspects of metabolic syndrome.

Consumption of 2 and 4 egg yolks/d for 5 wk increases macular pigment concentrations in older adults with low macular pigment taking cholesterol-lowering statins -- Vishwanathan et al., 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28013 -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ABSTRACT Background: Lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of dry, age-related macular degeneration because of their photo-oxidative role as macular pigment. Objective: The present study evaluated serum lutein, zeaxanthin, and macular pigment optical density (MPOD) responses at 0.25°, 0.5°, and 1° retinal eccentricities to the consumption of 2 and 4 egg yolks/d by older adults taking cholesterol-lowering medications. Design: Subjects consumed foods containing 2 followed by 4 egg yolks/d for 5 wk each with a 4-wk egg-free period at baseline and between the 2 interventions. Results: Changes in MPOD (n = 37) with egg yolk consumption were inversely associated (P Conclusions: Consumption of 4 egg yolks/d, and possibly of 2 egg yolks/d, fo...

SpringerLink - Journal Article Abstract We recently proposed that the biological markers improved by carbohydrate restriction were precisely those that define the metabolic syndrome (MetS), and that the common thread was regulation of insulin as a control element. We specifically tested the idea with a 12-week study comparing two hypocaloric diets (~1,500 kcal): a carbohydrate-restricted diet (CRD) (%carbohydrate:fat:protein = 12:59:28) and a low-fat diet (LFD) (56:24:20) in 40 subjects with atherogenic dyslipidemia. Both interventions led to improvements in several metabolic markers, but subjects following the CRD had consistently reduced glucose (−12%) and insulin (−50%) concentrations, insulin sensitivity (−55%), weight loss (−10%), decreased adiposity (−14%), and more favorable triacylglycerol (TAG) (−51%), HDL-C (13%) and total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio (−14%) responses. In addition to these markers for MetS, the CRD subjects showed more favorable responses to alternative indicator...

Obesity - Abstract of article: Diabetes of the Liver: The Link Between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and HFCS-55 Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. It is also a predisposing factor for type 2 diabetes. Dietary factors are believed to contribute to all three diseases. NAFLD is characterized by increased intrahepatic fat and mitochondrial dysfunction, and its etiology may be attributed to excessive fructose intake. Consumption of high fructose corn syrup-55 (HFCS-55) stands at up to 15% of the average total daily energy intake in the United States, and is linked to weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was to establish whether HFCS-55 could contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD, by examining the effects of HFCS-55 on hepatocyte lipogenesis, insulin signaling, and cellular function, in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of hepatocytes to HFCS-55 caused a significant increase in hepatocellular triglyceride (TG) and lipogenic p...

ScienceDirect - Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases : Carbohydrate restriction favorably alters lipoprotein metabolism in Emirati subjects classified with the metabolic syndrome Background and aims Carbohydrate restriction (CR) has been shown to improve dyslipidemias associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). We evaluated the effects of CR on lipoprotein subfractions and apolipoproteins in Emirati adults classified with the MetS. Methods and results 39 subjects (15 men/24 women) were randomly allocated to a CR diet [20–25% energy from carbohydrate (CHO)] for 12 wk (CRD group) or a combination treatment consisting of CRD for 6 wk followed by the American Heart Association diet (50–55% CHO, AHA group) for an additional 6 wk. All subjects reduced body weight, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (P Conclusions These results suggest that weight loss favorably affects lipoprotein metabolism and that the CRD had a better effect on atherogenic VLDL and HDL than the low fat diet rec...

High protein intake reduces intrahepatocellular lipid deposition in humans -- Bortolotti et al., 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27296 -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Background: High sugar and fat intakes are known to increase intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCLs) and to cause insulin resistance. High protein intake may facilitate weight loss and improve glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant patients, but its effects on IHCLs remain unknown. Objective: The aim was to assess the effect of high protein intake on high-fat diet–induced IHCL accumulation and insulin sensitivity in healthy young men. Increasing protein in the diet reduces the dangerous buildup of fat in the liver. This fatty liver problem is fond in alcoholics and people consuming large amounts of fructose, i.e. metabolic syndrome.

Access : Connecting obesity, aging and diabetes : Nature : "Obesity accelerates the aging of adipose tissue, a process only now beginning to come to light at the molecular level. Experiments in mice suggest that obesity increases the formation of reactive oxygen species in fat cells, shortens telomeres—and ultimately results in activation of the p53 tumor suppressor, inflammation and the promotion of insulin resistance (pages 1082–1087). Obesity accelerates the aging of adipose tissue, leading to inflammation and insulin resistance. As technology has improved hygiene, the food supply and living standards overall, there has been a rise in such age-related illnesses as cardiovascular disease, cancer, degenerative diseases of the brain and other organs, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Age-related disorders have become widespread throughout the world, replacing infectious diseases as the leading cause of death in developed countries."

Prevalence and Associations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency in US Children: NHANES 2001-2004 -- Kumar et al. 124 (3): e362 -- Pediatrics : OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) deficiency and associations between 25(OH)D deficiency and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents. "CONCLUSIONS: 25(OH)D deficiency is common in the general US pediatric population and is associated with adverse cardiovascular risks." Over 70% of American children deficient in vitamin D!

7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat 7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat 108 Comments Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: Physical Performance 7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat In the not-so-distant past, the medical establishment considered all fats equally loathsome: all fats were created equal and they’re all bad for you. Things have changed in that quarter, if only slightly. You have no doubt heard the drumbeat of current medical thinking on fats: some fats are now good for you—olive oil and canola oil*—but others are bad for you—trans fats and all saturated fats. That’s an improvement from the old cry, but far from the truth. It seems that no matter how the story spins from the denizens of the anti-fat camp, one piece of their advice remains staunchly constant: “You should sharply limit your intake of saturated fats.” The next admonition will invariably be, “which have been proven to raise cholesterol and cause heart disease.” Their over-arching belief is that saturated fat is bad, ba...