Latest News – For our clients and customers to keep up to date with current health and herbal medicine research and their conditions
- Could cheese help prevent type 2 diabetes? Wednesday October 17th, 2018
Many people believe that low-fat dairy products are healthier than high-fat dairy products. Indeed, many public health guidelines recommend low-fat dairy over high-fat dairy. However, our latest research, published in PLOS Medicine, found that people who had higher levels of biomarkers of dairy fat had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Dairy products contain calcium and other nutrients that are important for our health, but they are often high in saturated fat – which is considered to be bad for cardiovascular health. Although food manufacturers have created many low-fat dairy products, such as yogurts and flavoured-milk drinks, they often have lots of added sugar. Sugar, of course, is also bad for our health. So which dairy products should we choose: high-fat or low-fat?
Studies on dairy consumption have reported mixed results. The recent evidence shows no clear differences between high-fat and low-fat dairy in terms of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
However, most studies have relied on self-reports of dietary consumption by study participants. And self-reports are notoriously unreliable as people often misjudge how much they have eaten. With dairy consumption, for example, participants may fail to report baked goods, such as cakes and savoury pies, that contain dairy.
An objective measure
Some scientists have shown that certain types of fat in our body tissue reflect dairy fat consumption. These biomarkers are more reliable than self-reports of dairy consumption.
Using this method, a couple of studies and one systematic review have found no link between dairy fat consumption and a higher risk of heart disease.
And summary evidence from our group, published in 2014, found an inverse association between dairy fat biomarkers and type 2 diabetes risk. In other words, the more dairy fat biomarkers found in a person’s blood, the lower their risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
To produce more definitive evidence, we conducted a global study which included data on nearly 64,000 adults from 16 countries. We evaluated the biomarkers we previously examined, but we also included additional dairy-fat biomarkers.
The results of our study further support the evidence that higher concentrations of the dairy-fat biomarkers are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Limitations
As with all studies, there are limitations. Biomarkers do not distinguish different types of dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. Also, our findings were mostly from white populations in the US and Europe – evidence for other populations remains limited.
Dairy products are one of the main sources of saturated fat, but we can’t draw conclusions about other sources of saturated fat, such as meat and oil, and the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This complexity should also be discussed in different contexts such as how dairy products are consumed with different foods in different cultures and populations, and how dairy fat consumption is linked to other health outcomes, such as cancer and bone health.
Despite the limitations, our new research highlights how objective assessment using biomarkers can help to increase understanding between dairy consumption and health risks. This research indicates that dairy fat may not be harmful, indeed, it may be beneficial. But more work needs to be done to understand the overall effects of dairy, over and above its fat content.
There isn’t enough evidence, yet, to change dietary guidelines, which in the UK recommend that saturated fats should make up less than 11 per cent of all calories consumed from food. We hope that our research will further stimulate clinical and public health research and a dialogue to promote an optimal diet, focusing more on foods than nutrients, including dairy.
Fumiaki Imamura, Senior Investigator Scientist, University of Cambridge
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Source: Times of Malta
Continue reading → - A traditional herbal medicine may help alleviate arthritis symptoms Tuesday October 16th, 2018
(Natural News) A plant from the barberry family which is commonly used in traditional herbal medicine may help alleviate some symptoms of arthritis, according to a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
The study was carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Sargodha in Pakistan who looked at the anti-arthritic properties of the roots of Berberis orthobotrys, an aromatic perennial shrub. The barberry has around 500 species, and some of its species, such as B. crataegoma, B. aristata, B. vulgaris, and B. calliobotrys, have been known to offer anti-arthritic activities. The research team particularly evaluated B. orthobotrys, locally known as Ishkeen, in their study. In the northern parts of Pakistan, the roots and stem bark of this particular plant has been used in powder or pills form for treating joint pain.
The research team evaluated the effect of B. orthobotrys against arthritis using various necessary methods. They also measured the antioxidant properties and total flavonoid content of B. orthobotrys.
In the experimental studies the research team conducted, they observed that B. orthobotrys has significant anti-arthritic properties, with the n-butanol fraction being the most potent. The exact mechanism of the anti-arthritic effect of B. orthobotrys was not determined. Even so, the researchers suggested that its beneficial effects on rheumatoid arthritis may be associated with the presence of aporphine-benzylisoquinolie alkaloids, berberine, and berbamine, which were previously seen in B. orthobotrys and phenols and flavonoids identified in the current study.
The findings of the study support the traditional use of B. orthobotrys in the treatment and management of arthritic inflammatory conditions. As a result, this plant can potentially be used as a strong anti-arthritic agent for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.
More on rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system of the body mistakenly attacks the joints. As a result, inflammation will occur, causing the tissues that line the inside of joints to thicken. Swelling and pain in and around the joints will also develop. If the inflammation remains untreated, it can impair cartilage, which is the elastic tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint, and the bones themselves. Gradually, cartilage loss will occur and the joint spacing between bones can shrink. Joints can become loose, unstable, painful, and lose their mobility. In addition, joint deformity can occur. Unfortunately, the damage in joints cannot be reversed. If a person has rheumatoid arthritis, he may experience tender, warm, swollen joints, stiffness in joints that is often worse in the mornings and after inactivity, fatigue, fever, and weight loss.
Rheumatoid arthritis most often occurs in the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. The joint effect is typically symmetrical, which means that if one knee or hand is affected, usually the other one is affected as well. The condition is also called a systematic disease since it can also affect other body systems, including the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems.
In the U.S., rheumatoid arthritis affects around 1.5 million people. It is more common in women than in men. In women, it typically develops between ages 30 and 60, while it often occurs later in life in men.
Natural remedies for rheumatoid arthritis that can ease joint pain include green tea, pineapple, fiber-rich foods, olive oil, carrots, and sweet potatoes, flaxseeds, grape juice, parsley, kale, antioxidant-rich foods, cocoa, apples, ginger, coriander, and turmeric.
Sources include:
Science.news
BMCComplementAlternMed.BioMedCentral.com
Arthritis.org
MayoClinic.org
Continue reading → - Pine bark extract may help with post-thrombotic syndrome and recurrent thrombosis, finds new study Tuesday October 16th, 2018
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/herbs-botanicals/pine-bark-extract-may-help-post-thrombotic-syndrome-and-recurrent-thrombosis-finds-new-study
Pine bark extract (Pycnogenol by Horphag Research; Hoboken, NJ) may reduce the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome following deep vein thrombosis, and recurrent deep vein thrombosis, according to a recently published study. Symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome include limb swelling, pain, heaviness, itching, and eventually permanent skin changes with ulcerations that can cause chronic incapacity. The retrospective registry study evaluated different types of management against the development of post-thrombotic syndrome and recurrent deep vein thrombosis, including standard management, aspirin, pine bark extract, ticlopidine, and sulodexide.
Results showed that 137 patients took pine bark extract with no tolerability issues and had a significantly lower incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome and recurrent deep vein thrombosis compared to the standard management and aspirin groups. Subjects who took pine bark extract also experienced subjective improvement in distal edema, skin discoloration, and all signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency.
“About 33% of those who have deep vein thrombosis will have a recurrence within 10 years, and up to half of those individuals can have long-term complications from post-thrombotic syndrome,” said Steven Lamm, MD, medical director at NYU Langone, in a Horphag press release. “This research is critical for individuals with high risk of thrombotic events. Driving or flying for long periods of time, heart failure, obesity, and family history can all increase your risk of deep vein thrombosis. This study shows promising results for Pycnogenol to reduce the risk of recurrent thrombosis and post-thrombotic syndrome.”
1. Belcaro G et al. “Prevention of recurrent venous thrombosis and post-thrombotic syndrome.” Minerva Cardioangiologica, vol. 66, no. 3 (2018): 236-245.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/herbs-botanicals/pine-bark-extract-may-help-post-thrombotic-syndrome-and-recurrent-thrombosis-finds-new-study
Source: Nutritional Outlook
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