News & Reviews

Carbonated cola drinks decrease bone density!

October 11, 2006 — Regular consumption of carbonated cola drinks may increase risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) in women, according to the results of the Framingham Osteoporosis Study reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2006; 84: 936-942.

Clinical Context

Increased cola intake has been demonstrated to reduce BMD in children, and several mechanisms may be responsible for this association. Caffeine is a defined risk factor for osteoporosis, and high fructose corn syrup may reduce bone density. In addition, colas contain phosphoric acid, which can reduce serum calcium levels and promote higher levels of parathyroid hormone. This hormone, in turn, can increase bone turnover and lead to osteoporosis.

The current cohort study examines the BMD in relation to cola intake among men and women.

Study Highlights

• The study population was drawn from the Framingham Offspring Cohort. 5124 participants comprised the study cohort and were evaluated every 4 years with an extensive health history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. Dietary intake was evaluated with a validated 126-item questionnaire. Subjects also underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and hip between 1996 and 2001. The current analysis excluded subjects using medications, which could increase BMD, and those at the extremes of daily caloric intake.
• The main study outcome was the relationship between BMD and intake of cola beverages. Results were adjusted for age, body mass index, height, smoking, and average daily consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and calcium. The authors also adjusted results for total energy intake and physical activity in both men and women as well as the presence of menopause and treatment with estrogen in women.
• 2538 subjects had data for analysis. The mean age of participants was 59 years, and the mean body mass index was 28 kg/m2. Generally, participants tended to be overweight, ex-smokers, and moderate consumers of alcohol. Mean consumption of carbonated beverages was 6 servings per week among men and 5 servings per week among women. Average noncola carbonated beverage consumption was 1.5 servings per week, and diet cola intake accounted for approximately half of total cola consumption.
• Noncola carbonated beverage intake did not affect BMD. Cola intake did not significantly affect the BMD of men.
• While spine BMD was unaffected by cola intake among women, hip BMD was reduced in linear fashion with higher degrees of cola consumption. BMD was 3.8% lower when researchers compared women who consumed cola daily vs those who did not drink cola. Caffeinated cola had a greater effect in reducing hip BMD vs decaffeinated cola, although both types of beverage had significant effects. While sugared decaffeinated cola failed to achieve a significant effect at the hip, this cola was the least popular, and the association was probably underpowered.
• Cola intake did not affect levels of milk consumption, although there was a negative relationship between cola intake and consumption of fruit juice and calcium. Reduced consumption of milk or fruit juice failed to fully explain the negative effects of cola on the hip BMD in women.

Conclusion

• Cola may reduce BMD through higher intake of caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, or some combination of these effects.
• The current study demonstrates that higher degrees of cola consumption may be associated with reduced hip BMD among women

Really interesting and up-to-date information can be obtained from the following sites:

http://www.naturopathydigest.com

http://www.healthandgoodness.com

Here are a few documents highlighting some recent research:

Popular Indian Spice May Prevent Alzheimer’s

Curcumin, a yellow spice used in traditional Indian curry dishes, may help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD). [PDF]

Veggies, Soy & Fiber VS Lovastatin. ding-ding. Round 1!

Diets high in soy, plant sterols, and certain kinds of fiber may be as effective as the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin in reducing LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. [PDF]

Efficacy of Blood Pressure Drug Questioned

Atenolol (brand name Tenormin) is a leading drug used by millions of people to lower blood pressure. However, it does not prevent deaths from heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems as well as other treatments, according to research just released.

Atenolol belongs to a class of drugs known as beta blockers that are prescribed for high blood pressure, angina and to prevent repeat heart attacks. The drugs are supposed to help relieve stress on the heart and slow its beat.

Swedish scientists have questioned atenolol's benefits after reviewing the results of nine previous studies of the drug. They found that the drug was no better than a placebo in reducing deaths from heart attacks or heart disease. Moreover, atenolol did not have the same preventive effects on cardiovascular disease as other common anti-hypertension drugs.

Most cases of high blood pressure can be effectively treated with natural therapies, including supplements, dietary modifications, exercise and other lifestyle modifications.

Source: Carlberg, B et al, Atenolol in hypertension: is it a wise choice?, Lancet 2004; 364:1684-89
Review composed by Connecticut Center for Health

Processed Meats Increase Diabetes Risk

Red meats and processed meats such as hot dogs appear to increase the risk of diabetes, as does the typical "Western" diet, according to the latest research.

U.S. investigators found that people that ate mostly Western foods - including sweets, French fries, refined grains such as white bread, and red and processed meats - were nearly 50% more likely to develop diabetes over a 14-year period than people who ate minimal amounts of Western-type foods.

Breaking down the diet into its parts, the researchers found that the more red and processed meats people ate, the more their risk of diabetes increased. For example, each additional daily serving of red meat increased a person's risk of diabetes by 26%, and adding another serving of processed meat increased their risk by nearly 40%.

The researchers suggest that people should eat processed meats "as little as possible," and "very little" red meat. When many processed and red meats and other high fat foods are cooked at high temperatures, they form substances that appear to help trigger the development of diabetes.

The study focused on type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity. The researchers analysed data on almost 70,000 women who were followed for 14 years. All of the women were diabetes-free at the beginning of the study. Nearly 2,700 women developed type 2 diabetes. Both a Western diet and eating large amounts of red or processed meats increased their risk.

The researchers also found that women who followed a largely "prudent" diet -- consisting of high amounts of fish, legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains -- the risk of diabetes appeared to decrease.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, November 8, 2004
Review composed by Connecticut Center for Health

Honey Relieves Herpes Better than Acyclovir

Cold sores or genital herpes outbreaks are very annoying and sometimes difficult to treat. If you have herpes, consider using honey the next time you have an outbreak. In a study of 16 men and women with recurrent cold sores or genital herpes, topical application of honey was compared to administration of acyclovir cream, a drug commonly used to treat herpes.

As compared to acyclovir, application of honey to the sores was much better in terms of reduced attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and healing time. The people who used honey instead of acyclovir cream shortened their healing time by 43% for cold sores and 59% for genital herpes sores.

With acyclovir treatment, none of the attacks went into complete remission, and all the lesions developed a crust. No side effects were noted with repeated applications of honey, whereas 3 patients developed local itching with acyclovir.

The patients were asked to randomly use either acyclovir or honey treatment during the first attack. They were instructed to initiate treatment within 1 hour of the appearance of first sign or symptom of recurrence.

When honey was used as the treatment, the lesions were firmly pressed with gauze soaked with honey for 15 minutes, 4 times a day, until completely healed. When acyclovir cream was used, it was applied 6 times a day.

In this study, topical honey was found to be safe and effective in the management of the symptoms of recurrent herpes infections. It is recommended that unprocessed honey from wildflower sources is used.

Source: Al-Waili N, Topical Honey Application vs Acyclovir for the Treatment of Recurrent Herpes Simplex Lesions, Med Sci Monit, 2004;10(8):MT94-MT98
Review composed by Connecticut Center for Health