Happy Easter Egg eating! Chocolate is good for you

You can feel entirely justified eating those chocolate eggs, as chocolate reduces blood pressure and heart disease risk.

Research involving nearly 20,000 people in Germany over 10 years showed "those who ate the most amount of chocolate – an average of 7.5 grams a day – had lower blood pressure and a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who ate the least amount of chocolate – an average of 1.7 grams a day. The difference between the two groups amounts to six grams of chocolate: the equivalent of less than one small square of a 100g bar."

Dr Brian Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, Nuthetal, Germany, who led the research said: “People who ate the most amount of chocolate were at a 39% lower risk than those with the lowest chocolate intakes. To put it in terms of absolute risk, if people in the group eating the least amount of chocolate (of whom 219 per 10,000 had a heart attack or stroke) increased their chocolate intake by six grams a day, 85 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 10,000 people could be expected to occur over a period of about ten years. If the 39% lower risk is generalised to the general population, the number of avoidable heart attacks and strokes could be higher because the absolute risk in the general population is higher.”

However, he warned that it was important people ensured that eating chocolate did not increase their overall intake of calories or reduce their consumption of healthy foods. “Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food, such as snacks, in order to keep body weight stable,” he said.

Laser your fat off for £250?

There's a detailed New Scientist article by Helen Thomson about a new "WowFatZap" treatment offered by outfits like Harley Fit,  that claims to zap your fat off inches at a time.

It seems there is some scientific support for this treatment and the laser has been approved for surgical use in the EU but not yet in the USA.

The report says some people have used it and found that it worked for them - in terms of losing inches off the waist etc, rather than actually losing many pounds or kilos in weight.

While the laser zaps fat cells so that the fat oozes out into the spaces between cells, it's not yet known how exactly how the body gets rid of the excess fat that's taken out of the fat cells. And some experts have stressed that long term it's not a substitute for exercise and a proper diet.

While Thomson said from her research she felt it was safe enough to try it herself, sadly the article didn't say how many inches if any she lost after her own treatment, and in a comment to a reader question she said that according to Harley Fit she had lost inches but she didn't measure herself before and after - what a shame!

Given that no one knows what happens to the squeezed out fat, or what the long term effects of this treatment might be, I'm not about to try it myself. But then I won't even risk laser eye surgery. Interesting to keep an eye on the research though (she also touched on research about freezing fat cells instead).

Cellphones / mobile phones & health - Alzheimers?

It seems that mobile use might actually help protect Alzheimer's sufferers' memory and thinking skills - see Reuters news item.

Like cellphones maybe causing brain cancer, where there is no definitive answer, I think the jury may still be out on this one too.

Maybe getting your mobile phone blessed could help. Or maybe not!

Atkins type diets may increase heart disease risk without losing you much weight

Research suggests it's better to go for low-fat high-carbo diets - you should lose as much weight without the heart disease risks found to be associated with high fat low carbo diets like Atkins.

From Sugar Bureau press release Dec 2009 (emphasis added):

New scientific research has shown that low-carbohydrate high-fat diets, made popular by the likes of the Atkins diet, do not achieve more weight loss than low-fat high-carbohydrate diets. Worryingly, the research, lead by Dr Steven Hunter from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, also shows significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease for people following low-carbohydrate high-fat diets.

The research shows that the risks of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets far outweigh the potential benefits gained by overweight and obese people through weight loss, including improvements in blood pressure and risk factors for coronary heart disease…

By advocating low-carbohydrate high-fat diets as a weapon against obesity and diabetes, health professionals could be contributing to a dangerous rise in cardiovascular disease…

The research study, conducted among a group of obese pre-diabetic adults, compared the results of following a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet (20% fat, 60% carbohydrate) with a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet (60% fat, 20% carbohydrate).  It showed that in all areas, other than the risk of cardiovascular disease, the diets have equal health benefits. The same amount of weight is lost; there is no significant difference in the body’s glucose uptake or production; and meal tolerance-related insulin secretion is comparable.  However, the study revealed a significant difference in overall systemic arterial stiffness and pointed to increased cardiovascular risk factors from high-fat low-carbohydrate diets…

Dr. Hunter concludes: “If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, make sure you do it the right way and don’t burden your body with additional unnecessary health risks by falling for the lure of the seemingly easy and fast weight loss offered by high-fat diets.  The best approach for your overall health is a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet, coupled with exercise.”

You'll note that the press release was issued by the Sugar Bureau and checking the notes it says the study was part funded by them too:

The Low-Fat versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reductions Diets: Effects on Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular Risk A Randomised Control Trial study, by Dr Steven J Hunter, was supported by RRG 5.42 (PI SJH) from the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Research and Development Office and by an unrestricted research grant from The Sugar Bureau (UK).

Low fat, yes. High carb? I still try to restrict it, myself.

Nightworkers - avoid coffee

"Night-shift workers should avoid coffee to foster better daytime sleep, according to research published in the journal Sleep Medicine. A new study led by Julie Carrier, a Université de Montréal psychology professor and a researcher at the affiliated Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur Sleep Disorders Centre, has found the main byproduct of coffee, caffeine, interferes with sleep and that side-effect worsens as people age."

Press release Java and nighttime jobs don't mix: study, 2 Nov 2009

Flu jabs - don't take pain killers

On flu jabs - research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers – Advil, Tylenol, aspirin – at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system.

“What we’ve been saying all along, and continue to stress, is that it’s probably not a good idea to take common, over-the-counter pain relievers for minor discomfort associated with vaccination,” Prof. Phipps said. "… all of our research shows that pain relievers interfere with the effect of the vaccine."

More info in Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power of Flu Shots, URMC press release 3 Nov 2009

Cholesterol & cancer

Study indicates low total cholesterol is a symptom of cancer rather than a cause - lower total cholesterol may be caused by undiagnosed cancer.

Possible benefit of higher HDL ("good cholesterol") and cancer risk - higher levels of 'good cholesterol' (HDL) seem to be protective for all cancers (higher levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with a 14 percent decreased risk of cancer).

Lower cholesterol may lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

From Cholesterol and Cancer: Answers and Some New Questions, American Association for Cancer Research press release 3 Nov 2009

Arthritis pain: copper, magnets don't work

A University of York randomised controlled trial (led by Stewart Richmond) has shown that unfortunately copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps don't actually work to help manage osteoarthritis pain - contrary to previous studies - and that the secret lies more in the placebo effect:

“It appears that any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects. People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device. However, our findings suggest that such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper.

“Although their use is generally harmless, people with osteoarthritis should be especially cautious about spending large sums of money on magnet therapy. Magnets removed from disused speakers are much cheaper, but you would first have to believe that they could work.”

For more info see the University of York's 16 October 2009 press release.

DASH diet good - kidney stones, diabetes etc

A large study over more than 14 years shows that the DASH diet is an effective way to avoid getting kidney stones, which are in turn associated with higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, increased body weight, and other risk factors for heart disease.

Participants were scored based on eight components of a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) style diet:

• high intake of: fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, and
• low intake of: salt, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats

(meaning diets highesr in calcium, potassium, magnesium, oxalate, and vitamin C, and lower in sodium).

Even amongst those who didn't already have hypertension or diabetes, the DASH diet was still associated with lower risk of kidney stones.

It's already known that, for instance, apples help reduce cholesterol and prevent clogged arteries.

"DASH-Style Diet Associates with Reduced Risk for Kidney Stones", Eric Taylor, MD (Maine Medical Center), Teresa Fung (Simmons College) and Gary Curhan, MD (Brigham and Women's Hospital). Press release 13 August 2009.

Fructose (sugar) impairs spatial memory?

Georgia State University researchers found that diets high in fructose — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats. Here the rats got 60% of their daily calories in fructose.

From the press release 16 July 2009:

"Although humans do not eat fructose in levels as high as rats in the experiments, the consumption of foods sweetened with fructose — which includes both common table sugar, fruit juice concentrates, as well as the much-maligned high fructose corn syrup — has been increasing steadily. High intake of fructose is associated with numerous health problems, including insulin insensitivity, type II diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

“The bottom line is that we were meant to have an apple a day as our source of fructose,” Parent said. “And now, we have fructose in almost everything.”"

Why and how acupuncture works

Researchers from the University of Michigan's Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center have shown that traditional Chinese acupuncture works by affecting the brain's long-term ability to regulate pain.

Specifically, it increases the binding availability of mu-opoid receptors (MOR) in the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala, parts of the brain which process and dampen pain signals.

Painkillers like morphine and codeine apparently work by binding to those receptors in brain and spinal cord. Greater binding availability is associated with pain reduction.

The suggestion is that patients with chronic pain treated with acupuncture might be more responsive to opioid medications.

Even though "sham acupuncture" has been shown to be as successful at relieving chronic pain as "real" acupuncture, it seems the mechanisms are very different.

I've always known that acupuncture works, as I've had it done to me. It just works better for some things than others. More research is clearly needed.

Press release 9 August 2009. Research by Richard E. Harris Ph.D, Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., David J. Scott, Vitaly Napadow, Richard H. Gracely, Ph.D, Daniel J. Clauw, M.D. - title of paper not given in the press release.

Eggs, pregnancy, breast cancer

A study has found that higher levels of total blood choline, found in egg yolk, are associated with a 2.5-fold reduction in risk for neural tube birth defects (NTDs - birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, e.g. spina bifida and anencephaly).

So it seems eating lots of eggs would be good for pregnant women.

Choline is also found in: lean beef, salmon, cauliflower, milk and peanut butter.

I've no doubt eggs are nutritious, I love 'em myself (both chicken and quail), but I'm taking this with just a small pinch of albumen as the 12 August 2009 press release has lots of links to American egg producing / promoting associations, and I'd want to know exactly who funded that study first (which the press release doesn't say), in order to weigh up the risk of bias.

The press release does mention that a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the risk of developing breast cancer was 24% lower for women with the highest choline intake compared to women with the lowest intake.

Choline and Risk of Neural Tube Defects in a Folate-fortified Population, Shaw, Gary M.; Finnell, Richard H.; Blom, Henk J.; Carmichael, Suzan L.; Vollset, Stein Emil; Yang, Wei; Ueland, Per M.