Feces fossils show connection between Native-Americans, diabetes: Did fat-hoarding genes develop from the nature of ancient feasts?

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) — Why do Native Americans experience high rates of diabetes? A common theory is that they possess fat-hoarding "thrifty genes" left over from their ancestors -- genes that were required for survival during ancient cycles of feast and famine, but that now contribute to the disease in a modern world of more fatty and sugary diets.

See Also:Health & MedicineNutritionDiet and Weight LossCholesterolFossils & RuinsAncient CivilizationsArchaeologyFossilsReferenceDiabetic dietSouth Beach dietGlycemic indexMediterranean diet

A newly published analysis of fossilized feces from the American Southwest, however, suggests this "thrifty gene" may not have developed because of how often ancient Natives ate. Instead, researchers said, the connection may have come from precisely what they ate.

The research, which appears in the latest edition of the journal Current Anthropology, suggests that the prehistoric hunter-gatherer civilizations of the Southwest lived on a diet very high in fiber, very low in fat and dominated by foods extremely low on the glycemic index, a measure of effects food has on blood sugar levels. This diet, researchers said, could have been sufficient to give rise to the fat-storing "thrifty genes."

"What we're saying is we don't really need to look to feast or famine as a basis for (the genes)," said Karl Reinhard, professor of forensic sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's School of Natural Resources and the study's lead author. "The feast-or-famine scenario long hypothesized to be the pressure for 'thrifty genes' isn't necessary, given the dietary evidence we've found."

Natives have some of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes of any group and are more than twice as likely to develop the disease as are Caucasians. The notion the gene's origin goes back to feast-and-famine cycles among prehistoric hunter-gatherer ancestors has been discussed for nearly a half-century.

To fully understand the basis of the high rates, Reinhard said, "one has to look at the best dietary data one can find. That comes from coprolites (the official term for fossilized feces). By looking at coprolites, we're seeing exactly what people ate."

The coprolites are from Antelope Cave, a deep cavern in northern Arizona where, over several thousands of years, was home to various cultures. That includes the Ancestral Pueblan peoples, who are believed to have lived there seasonally for at least 450 years.

Reinhard and Keith Johnson, an archeologist at California State University, Chico, studied 20 coprolites found in the cave and combined it with analysis from other sites for hints of ancient Natives' diets. They found clues to a food regimen dominated by maize and high-fiber seed from sunflowers, wild grasses, pigweed and amaranth. Prickly pear, a desert succulent, was also found repeatedly in the samples.

By volume, about three-quarters of the Antelope Cave coprolites were made up of insoluble fiber. The foods also were low on the glycemic index; some research suggests that high-GI foods may increase risk of obesity and diabetes.

The analysts' findings led them to deduce that the nature of the feast, and not necessarily its frequency, was enough to lock the "thrifty" genes in place -- and leave modern Natives more susceptible to diabetes as their diets evolved to lower-fiber, higher-GI foods.

"These were not just famine foods," the authors wrote. "These were the foods eaten on a day-by-day basis during all seasons in both feast and famine. They continued to be eaten even after agriculture was developed. Antelope Cave coprolites show that this high-fiber diet was eaten during the warmer seasons of food abundance."

In addition to UNL's Reinhard and California State Chico's Johnson, the study was authored by Isabel Teixeira-Santos and Monica Viera of the Escola Nacional de Saude Publica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Scientists suspect link between cat feces, female suicide

"Women infected with a parasite spread by cat feces run a higher risk of attempting suicide, suggests a study of more than 45,000 women in Denmark published in a scientific journal this week. (AFP Photo/Karen Bleier)" title

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Surgeons Seek Repeal of Transplant Ban Between HIV-Positive People

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Surgeons Seek Repeal of Transplant Ban Between HIV-Positive People

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No link seen between contraceptives and higher HIV risk: CDC

Reuters – 6 hrs ago ATLANTA (Reuters) - There is no clear link between the use of contraceptives such as the birth control pill or Depo-Provera shots and an increased risk that a woman will contract HIV, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

But the CDC also said it was "strongly" encouraging the use of condoms as a precaution against the virus that causes AIDS.

Recent studies have suggested that the use of hormonal contraceptives could increase the risk of women contracting HIV. But after reviewing the studies, the Atlanta-based CDC said, "the evidence does not suggest" a link between oral contraceptives such as the birth control pill and increased HIV risk.

For injectable forms of birth control such as Depo-Provera the evidence is inconclusive, but in the absence of more definitive research it too is considered safe, CDC officials said.

Women at risk for HIV infection or who already have the virus "can continue to use all hormonal contraceptive methods without restriction," the CDC said.

The World Health Organization reached a similar conclusion last February.

"It's hard to conclusively say whether or not there is an increased risk," from hormonal contraceptives, Dr. Naomi Tepper, a CDC medical officer, told Reuters.

"Because we can't say from the evidence that there is an increased risk, they are all still considered safe, including the injectables."

The studies are particularly confusing with women who use progesterone-only injectables, which in the United States is sold under the brand named Depo-Provera, Tepper said.

A study published last October in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal suggested that hormonal contraceptives, primarily the injectable forms, could double the risk of women contracting HIV.

For women who already have the disease, hormonal contraceptives could double the risk of transmitting the virus to a partner, according to the study. But Tepper said it was unclear why the contraceptives could increase risk of HIV infection.

The CDC said Thursday that all women at risk of contracting HIV and particularly those using the injectable forms of hormonal birth control, should make sure their partners use condoms as a safeguard against HIV infection.

"All women, if they don't want to become pregnant should be using an effective method of contraception," Tepper said. "And they also should be using something to protect against HIV or sexually-transmitted infections."

In 2010, 10,000 women in the United States were infected with HIV, the CDC said.

Pregnancy can also be medically risky for women with HIV and the disease can be transmitted to the unborn child, the CDC said.

(Editing by Tom Brown and Paul Simao)

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No link seen between bone drugs, colon cancer

Reuters – 59 mins ago NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who use certain bone-building drugs may not have a decreased risk of colon cancer, a new study finds -- despite prior evidence suggesting the drugs might offer some protection.

The drugs, called bisphosphonates, include brands like Fosamax, Boniva, Reclast and Actonel, along with generic versions.

They are used to prevent and treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which mainly strikes older women. The drugs can also be used to help treat cancer that has spread to the bone from other sites in the body.

Bisphosphonates have been tied to both good and bad side effects.

Research has found after years of use, the drug may, in rare cases, actually weaken the bones and lead to thighbone fractures or a painful breakdown of the jaw bone.

On the other hand, several studies have suggested women who use bisphosphonates may have a decreased risk of developing breast or colon cancer.

But this latest study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found no evidence that women on the medications had lower odds of colon cancer.

Of more than 86,000 U.S. nurses followed for over a decade as part of a large health study, 801 developed colon cancer. The risk was no different among women who didn't use bisphosphonates, versus users -- regardless of how many years they had been on the medications.

"It is not clear whether bisphosphonates have any role in treatment of colorectal cancer, and our data does not support its routine use as a (prevention) agent for colorectal cancer," lead researcher Dr. Hamed Khalili, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in an email.

Since evidence suggests bisphosphonate users have a lower risk of certain cancers, researchers have been interested in whether the drugs might help prevent those tumors in people who are particularly at risk.

In the case of colon cancer, risk factors include inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) and having a strong family history of the cancer.

According to Khalili, there is evidence women on bisphosphonates have a lower risk of breast cancer -- though that does not mean the drugs are the reason.

There has been less research on colon cancer. One study last year found women who used bisphosphonates had a 59 percent lower chance of developing colon cancer than non-users (see Reuters Health story of February 14, 2011).

But that study was designed differently than the current one, Khalili pointed out. In the earlier report, researchers compared colon cancer patients with a group of women who were free of the disease.

Khalili's study, in contrast, followed a large group of initially cancer-free women over time. Thus, the researchers were able to collect information on women's health and lifestyle habits before their cancer diagnosis, Khalili said.

That's important because women on bisphosphonates may, for example, be more likely than other women to get screened for colon cancer.

Bisphosphonate users are also likely to be taking vitamin D and calcium to help protect their bones -- and those nutrients have been linked to lower colon cancer risk themselves, Khalili added.

When Khalili's team first looked at its data, there was in fact some weak evidence that women on bisphosphonates might have a slightly lower colon cancer risk than non-users.

But the link got even weaker when the researchers accounted for colon cancer screening and which women were taking calcium and vitamin D.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in 19 men develops colorectal cancer at some point, and slightly fewer women do. The disease is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.

The best way to lower your chances of developing colon cancer, the ACS says, is to get screened. Screening helps doctors detect and remove any pre-cancer growths.

In general, colon cancer screening is recommended for people age 50 to 75. That can be done with any of several tests, or a combination of them -- including tests that look for hidden blood in the stool, or procedures like colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/LBg7LJ Journal of Clinical Oncology, online May 29, 2012.

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Early Study Hints at Link Between Certain Sunscreens, Endometriosis

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Study Finds Direct Link Between Obesity, Heart Disease

HealthDay – 3 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- A large new study is the first to show a direct link between a high body-mass index and the risk of developing heart disease, British and Danish researchers say.

Body-mass index (BMI) is a measurement based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are normal weight while those with a BMI of 30 or more are obese. Those in between are deemed overweight.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 75,000 people in Copenhagen and found that those with a high BMI had a 26 percent increased risk of developing heart disease. Further analysis using genetic and other data showed that a BMI increase of 4 points increases the risk of heart disease by no less than 52 percent.

"By doing epidemiological studies combined with genetic analysis, we have been able to show in a group of nearly 76,000 persons that a high BMI is enough in itself to damage the heart," Borge Nordestgaard, chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital, said in a university news release.

"Observational studies have also suggested a relationship between heart disease and obesity, but that is not enough to prove a direct correlation. Obese people can share characteristics or lifestyle traits that have an influence on both the heart and weight. Or there can be a reverse causality, that is, it is the diseased heart that causes obesity and not the other way round," said Nordestgaard, who is also a clinical professor in the health and medical sciences faculty at the university.

The study was published May 1 in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Study co-author Dr. Nicholas Timpson, a lecturer in genetic epidemiology at the University of Bristol in England, noted in the news release: "In light of rising obesity levels, these findings are fundamental to improving public health. Our research shows that shifting to a lifestyle that promotes a lower BMI -- even if it does nothing else -- will reduce the odds of developing the disease."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about the health risks of being overweight.

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Caloric moderation can reverse link between low birth weight and obesity, early study indicates

ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2012) — Babies who are born small have a tendency to put on weight during childhood and adolescence if allowed free access to calories. However, a new animal model study at UCLA found when small babies were placed on a diet of moderately regulated calories during infancy, the propensity of becoming obese decreased.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossObesityInfant's HealthFitnessPregnancy and ChildbirthDiseases and ConditionsReferenceBirth weightNutrition and pregnancyPremature birthInfant

Because this is an early study, UCLA researchers do not recommend that mothers of low-birth weight infants start restricting their child's nutrition and suggest they consult with their child's pediatrician regarding any feeding questions.

Previous studies have shown that growth restriction before birth may cause lasting changes of genes in certain insulin-sensitive organs like the pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle. Before birth, these changes may help the malnourished fetus use all available nutrients. However, after birth these changes may contribute to health problems such as obesity and diabetes.

"This study shows that if we match the level of caloric consumption after birth to the same level that the growth-restricted baby received in the womb, it results in a lean body type. However, if there is a mismatch where the baby is growth-restricted at birth but exposed to plenty of calories after birth, then that leads to obesity," said the lead author, Dr. Sherin Devaskar, professor of pediatrics and executive chair of the department of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. "While many trials that include exercise and various drug therapies have tried to reverse the tendency of low birth weight babies becoming obese, we have shown that a dietary intervention during early life can have long lasting effects into childhood, adolescence and adult life."

The study appears in the June issue of the journal Diabetes and is currently available online.

About 10 percent of babies in the United States are born small, defined as less than the 10th percentile by weight for a given gestation period, said the study's first author, Dr. Meena Garg, professor of pediatrics and a neonatologist and medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. She added that some organizations define low birth weight as less than 2,500 grams or 5 pounds, 5 ounces at term.

Low birth weight can be caused by malnutrition due to a mother's homelessness or hunger or her desire not to gain too much weight during pregnancy. Additional causes include illness or infection, a reduction in placental blood, smoking or use of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy.

To conduct the study, researchers used rodent animal models and simulated a reduced calorie scenario during pregnancy. The results showed that low-birth weight offspring exposed to moderately tempered caloric intake during infancy and childhood resulted in lean and physically active adults related to high energy expenditure, as opposed to unrestricted intake of calories, which resulted in inactive and obese adults due to reduced energy expenditure. The authors concluded that early life dietary interventions have far reaching effects on the adult state.

Future studies will follow this study over the stages of aging to see if early regulation of calorie intake reverses diabetes and obesity while aging.

"This is an early pre-clinical trial that first needs to be tested in clinical trials before any form of guidelines can be developed," Devaskar said. "More importantly, we must make sure that control of caloric intake during infancy and childhood does not have any unintended side effects before taking on clinical trials. More research is required to ensure that these metabolic advantages will persist later in life."

The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

In addition to Devaskar and Garg, the study was conducted by a team of UCLA researchers including Manikkavasagar Thamotharan, Yun Dai, Shanthie Thamotharan, Bo Chul Shin and David Stout.

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Link between fast food and depression confirmed

ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2012) — A new study along the same lines as its predecessors shows how eating fast food is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression. This study has been published in the Public Health Nutrition journal

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According to a recent study headed by scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, eating commercial baked goods (fairy cakes, croissants, doughnuts, etc.) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza) is linked to depression.

Published in the Public Health Nutrition journal, the results reveal that consumers of fast food, compared to those who eat little or none, are 51% more likely to develop depression.

Furthermore, a dose-response relationship was observed. In other words this means that "the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression," explains Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, lead author of the study.

The study demonstrates that those participants who eat the most fast food and commercial baked goods are more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits, which include eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil. Smoking and working more than 45 hours per week are other prevalent characteristics of this group.

A long-term study

With regard to the consumption of commercial baked goods, the results are equally conclusive. "Even eating small quantities is linked to a significantly higher chance of developing depression," as the university researcher from the Canary Islands points out.

The study sample belonged to the SUN Project (University of Navarra Diet and Lifestyle Tracking Program). It consisted of 8,964 participants that had never been diagnosed with depression or taken antidepressants. They were assessed for an average of six months, and 493 were diagnosed with depression or started to take antidepressants.

This new data supports the results of the SUN project in 2011, which were published in the PLoS One journal. The project recorded 657 new cases of depression out of the 12,059 people analysed over more than six months. A 42% increase in the risk associated with fast food was found, which is lower than that found in the current study.

Sánchez-Villegas concludes that "although more studies are necessary, the intake of this type of food should be controlled because of its implications on both health (obesity, cardiovascular diseases) and mental well-being."

The impact of diet on mental health

Depression affects 121 million people worldwide. This figure makes it one of the main global causes of disability-adjusted life year. Further still, in countries with low and medium income it is the leading cause.

However, little is known about the role that diet plays in developing depressive disorders. Previous studies suggest that certain nutrients have a preventative role. These include group B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and olive oil. Furthermore, a healthy diet such as that enjoyed in the Mediterranean has been linked to a lower risk of developing depression.

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