Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked to Relapse Attacks in Multiple Sclerosis.
Source: Annals of Neurology
Although MS was first described over 130 years ago, the exact cause(s) still remain a mystery, and there is no known cure. There is an interesting apparent relationship between low levels of vitamin D, a weakened immune system, and increased incidence of multiple sclerosis. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and SUNY Stony Brook Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center sought to determine if vitamin levels are associated with subsequent clinical relapses in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis.
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Monday, March 08, 2010
Patients with Type 2 Diabetes on a Low Carbohydrate Mediterranean Diet.
Source: Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition in which the body does not produce or does not use insulin effectively. The Mediterranean diet is based upon the traditional dietary patterns of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. A study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism compared the effectiveness of three popular diets in reducing cardiovascular risks in overweight people with type 2 diabetes.
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Friday, March 05, 2010
Reduced Levels of Omega-3 Linked to Shorter Length of Telomeres in Coronary Heart Disease.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration. Fish oil contains both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Coronary heart disease refers to the failure of coronary circulation to supply adequate circulation to cardiac muscle and surrounding tissue. Research was carried out to look for a potential link between levels of omega-3 oils obtained from fish in the blood of patients with coronary heart disease and the length of their telomeres.
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Thursday, March 04, 2010
Menopausal Hormone Therapy May Lower Odds of Developing Colon Cancer.
Source: American Journal of Epideology
Colon cancer also known as colorectal cancer starts in the colon (large intestine) or the rectum (end of the colon). Doctors may recommend menopausal hormones to counter some of the problems often associated with the onset of menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness, and vaginal dryness) or to prevent some long-term conditions that are more common in postmenopausal women, such as osteoporosis. Hormone therapy and colon cancer risk were investigated in the California Teachers Study from 1995-2006 among 56,864 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with no prior diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Vitamin D Status in Patients with Kidney Disease.
Source: Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD) or chronic renal disease, specifically the fifth stage of CKD. Vitamin D is known as the "sunshine" vitamin because it is formed in the body by the action of the sun's ultraviolet rays on the skin. A study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology sought to determine whether routinely measured clinical and demographic parameters could identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in patients with ESRD on hemodialysis.
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