Hidden vitamin in milk yields remarkable health benefits

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) — A novel form of vitamin B3 found in milk in small quantities produces remarkable health benefits in mice when high doses are administered, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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The findings, recently reported in the June 2012 issue of the journal, Cell Metabolism, reveal that high doses of the vitamin precursor, nicotinamide riboside (NR) -- a cousin of niacin -- prevent obesity in mice that are fed a fatty diet, and also increase muscle performance, improve energy expenditure and prevent diabetes development, all without side effects.

The Swiss researchers, led by Dr. Johan Auwerx, performed the mouse experiments, while the ability to give the animals sufficient doses of NR was made possible by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers, who played key roles in uncovering the biological story of NR.

"This study is very important. It shows that in animals, the use of NR offers the health benefits of a low-calorie diet and exercise -- without doing either one," says Dr. Anthony Sauve, associate professor of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr. Sauve is the pharmacologist and organic chemist who has invented a simple method for efficiently synthesizing NR in large scale. He was first to show that NR increases nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels in mammalian cells. NAD is a central player in energy metabolism. He has pioneered research into the compound, and he is a leader in investigating how NAD can signal adaptation in cells and in physiology.

"The research also suggests that the effects of NR could be even broader," Dr. Sauve says. "The bottom line is that NR improves the function of mitochondria, the cell's energy factories. Mitochondrial decline is the hallmark of many diseases associated with aging, such as cancer and neurodegeneration, and NR supplementation boosts mitochondrial functioning."

The Swiss researchers call NR a "hidden vitamin" that is believed to also be present in many other foods, although levels are low and difficult to measure. Nevertheless, the effects of NR on metabolism "are nothing short of astonishing."

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The study depended on a series of crucial discoveries by Dr. Sauve and his laboratory colleagues.

NR, related to niacin and other common forms of vitamin B3, was first investigated more than 60 years ago by a Stanford researcher and 1959 Nobel Laureate, Arthur Kornberg. But little more was known about its effects in mammals until Dr. Sauve discovered the effect NR had in stimulating levels of NAD in mammalian cells -- work he published in 2007.

NAD allows sugars, fats, and proteins to be converted into energy. Dr. Sauve's research provided the first evidence that NR enhances NAD levels in the mitochondria in mammalian cells in culture. These findings are published in the current study. These cell-based observations were key to the demonstration that NR could stimulate tissue NAD levels in animals, and that it could stimulate NAD-dependent sirtuins, which adapt physiology to the low calorie diets that are known to extend the lifespan of many organisms.

Dr. Sauve invented a relatively simple method for efficiently synthesizing NR in large scale so that its health benefits can be studied. This methodology, which makes it possible to make NR commercially available, was patented by Cornell's Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization and subsequently licensed to ChromaDex Corporation.

The development of a means to synthesize NR in adequate quantities was crucial to the current research, and the Sauve lab provided methods and NR to make the study possible. In addition, the biological observations on the effects of NR on NAD levels in cells and on mitochondria were key to the study. Finally, the Sauve laboratory has developed state of the art analytical methods to determine NAD levels in cells, tissues and organelles, and the laboratory provided several key metabolic measurements highlighted in the study.

"Our published scientific work has verified that NR is perhaps the most potent NAD enhancing agent ever identified," he says. His laboratory is also widely recognized for developing an expertise in the measurement of NAD metabolism in cell tissues.

With this compound, the Swiss researchers found that mice on a high-fat diet supplemented with NR gained significantly less weight (60 percent) than mice fed the same diet without NR, even though the mice supplemented with NR ate the same amount of food as mice on the high fat diet not treated with NR. They had improved energy. They were in better shape than the untreated mice, with significantly better endurance and stronger muscles. Additionally, none of the treated mice developed diabetes, as seen in the untreated mice on the high fat diet. And when fed a normal diet, NR treated mice had improved sensitivity to insulin. The NR treated mice also showed lower cholesterol levels. All of these benefits came without toxicity.

While the new study demonstrates that high doses of NR can largely prevent the negative health consequences of a poor diet in mice, Dr. Sauve stresses that the effects of high doses of the vitamin in humans have not been evaluated. "It is important to keep in mind that the amount of NR in milk and other foods appears to be small. We don't know what effects NR would have in humans at relatively high doses," he says.

"Still, we have very encouraging evidence of benefits of NR and NAD augmentation in general from this animal study -- and much more work to do," he says.

The study's senior investigator Dr. Auwerx is head of Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology at the Polytechnic School in Lausanne (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne or EPFL) and the first author is Dr. Carles Cantó, also of EPFL.

Other co-authors include Dou Y. Youn and Dr. Yana Cen from Weill Cornell Medical College; Dr. Riekelt H. Houtkooper, Dr. Eija Pirinen, Dr. Maaike H. Oosterveer, Dr. Pablo J. Fernandez-Marcos, Dr. Hiroyasu Yamamoto, Dr. Pénélope A. Andreux, Dr. Philippe Cettour-Rose, Dr. Kristina Schoonjans and Dr. Chris Rinsch from EPFL; Dr. Karl Gademann from the University of Basel in Switzerland.

The Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award and the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Board funded study contributions by the Weill Cornell Medical College researchers.

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Wild almond tree oil may combat obesity, diabetes

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) — A future weapon in the battle against obesity and diabetes could come in the form of an oil derived from the seeds of wild almond trees, according to researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

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The key to the oil's potential lies in its ability to affect certain microorganisms living in our bellies.

In a study presented June 18 at the American Society for Microbiology's general meeting in San Francisco, Missouri S&T researchers reported that adding sterculic oil to the diets of obese laboratory mice increased their sensitivity to insulin. This was due to the oil's effect on three types of microorganisms that live in the guts of the mice.

As a result, the researchers saw a "statistically significant improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the obese mice," says Shreya Ghosh, a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering at Missouri S&T. The sterculic oil had no adverse affects on lean mice fed the same diet.

Sterculic oil is extracted from the seeds of the wild almond tree known as Sterculia foetida.

The research by Ghosh and her advisor, Dr. Daniel Oerther, builds upon previous studies conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In those studies, sterculic oil was found to suppress the bodily enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1). SCD1 is associated with insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes and obesity.

Other studies have shown that obese mice deficient in the hormone leptin have a different composition of "gut microbiota" than do lean mice. (Those studies are referenced in a 2011 article in Nature Reviews Microbiology) Leptin helps regulate metabolism, and a deficiency of the hormone can contribute to obesity, says Oerther, the John and Susan Mathes Chair of Environmental Engineering at Missouri S&T.

In the Missouri S&T study, a diet supplemented by sterculic oil also correlated with lower levels of three types of gut microbiota -- Actinobacteria, Bacilli and Erysipelotrichia -- in the obese mice. It isn't clear, however, whether the lower levels of those microbiota led to the improvement of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity among the obese mice, Oerther says.

To perform her experiments, Ghosh studied 28 male mice -- 14 of them obese and 14 normal, and each of them five weeks old at the beginning of the study. She separated the mice into four groups and for nine weeks, fed a standard diet to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice. Over the same period, she fed the same diet, supplemented with 0.5 percent of sterculic oil, to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice. Ghosh recorded the weights, food consumption and glucose levels of the mice during the nine-week period.

After the nine weeks, researchers conducted a DNA analysis of the gut microbiota at King Abdullah Institute of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. The results confirmed correlations between the diet, improved glucose tolerance and groups of microbes. Even though the mice fed a diet with sterculic oil did not experience weight loss, both Ghosh and Oerther believe their findings could lead to new insights into controlling diabetes and weight gain.

Ghosh's research poster presentation at the ASM meeting is titled "Responses of Gut Microbiota to Sterculic Oil Supplemented Diet in Lean and Obese Mice." Her co-authors were Oerther; Dr. James W. Perfield II, assistant professor of food science at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and Dr. Pascal Saikaly, assistant professor of environmental science and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

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Peaches, plums, nectarines give obesity, diabetes slim chance

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) — Peaches, plums and nectarines have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight-off obesity-related diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to new studies by Texas AgriLife Research.

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The study, which will be presented at the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia next August, showed that the compounds in stone fruits could be a weapon against "metabolic syndrome," in which obesity and inflammation lead to serious health issues, according to Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, AgriLife Research food scientist.

"In recent years obesity has become a major concern in society due to the health problems associated to it," said Cisneros-Zevallos, who also is an associate professor at Texas A&M University. "In the U.S., statistics show that around 30 percent of the population is overweight or obese, and these cases are increasing every year in alarming numbers."

While he acknowledged that lifestyle, genetic predisposition and diet play a major role in one's tendency toward obesity, "the major concern about obesity is the associated disease known as metabolic syndrome.

"Our studies have shown that stone fruits -- peaches, plums and nectarines -- have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight the syndrome," Cisneros-Zevallos said. "Our work indicates that phenolic compounds present in these fruits have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in different cell lines and may also reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL which is associated to cardiovascular disease."

What is unique to these fruits, he said, is that their mixture of the bioactive compounds work simultaneously within the different components of the disease.

"Our work shows that the four major phenolic groups -- anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives and catechins -- work on different cells -- fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells," he explained. "They modulate different expressions of genes and proteins depending on the type of compound.

"However, at the same time, all of them are working simultaneously in different fronts against the components of the disease, including obesity, inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular disease," he explained.

Cisneros-Zevallos said this is believed to be the first time that "bioactive compounds of a fruit have been shown to potentially work in different fronts against a disease."

"Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions so all of them are a good source of health promoting compounds and may complement each other," he said, adding that his team plans to continue studying the role of each type of compound on the molecular mechanisms and confirm the work with mice studies.

The studies on the health benefits of stone fruit are funded by the California Tree Fruit Agreement, The California Plum Board, the California Grape and Tree Fruit League and the Texas Department of Agriculture. The Cisneros-Zevallos lab team in this study included Freddy Ibanez, Paula Castillo, Paula Simons and Dr. Congmei Cao.

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Breast Milk Blocks HIV Transmission in Mice, Study Finds

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Human Breast Milk May Block HIV, Mouse Study Finds

HealthDay – Thu, Jun 14, 2012 THURSDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Human breast milk seems to kill HIV and block its oral (through the mouth) transmission, according to a new study conducted in mice.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to isolate the compounds in breast milk that destroy HIV and use these to combat the virus that causes AIDS, the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine researchers said.

More than 15 percent of new HIV infections occur among children. Left untreated, only 65 percent of infected babies survive until their first birthday, and less than 50 percent reach the age of 2, the study authors pointed out in a news release from the University of North Carolina Health Care.

While breast-feeding by HIV-infected mothers is believed to cause a large number of HIV infections in infants, most breast-fed infants do not become infected, despite prolonged and repeated exposure to the virus, researchers have found.

In order to investigate this contradiction, the UNC researchers used humanized mice, which have a fully functioning human immune system and can be infected with HIV in the same manner as humans.

The mice did not become infected when given HIV in whole breast milk from women without HIV, according to the report published June 14 in the online journal PLoS Pathogens.

"This study provides significant insight into the amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission," senior author J. Victor Garcia, a professor of medicine in the UNC Center for Infectious Diseases and the UNC Center for AIDS Research, said in the news release.

The research could lead to new ways to prevent HIV transmission, the study authors suggested.

"No child should ever be infected with HIV because it is breast-fed. Breast-feeding provides critical nutrition and protection from other infections, especially where clean water for infant formula is scarce," Garcia said. "Understanding how HIV is transmitted to infants and children despite the protective effects of milk will help us close this important door to the spread of AIDS."

It is important to note that research conducted on animals does not necessarily produce the same results in humans.

More information

The New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center has more about pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.

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Unsafe Sex Common When Partner Cheats: Study

HealthDay – Fri, Jun 15, 2012 FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- People who have sexual affairs without their partner's knowledge are less likely to practice safe sex than those who have their partner's consent to have sex with others, a new study says.

These secret cheaters also were more likely to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their sexual encounters, the researchers found.

The University of Michigan study included more than 1,600 people who responded to an online ad. About 800 said they'd had sex with someone other than their primary partner. Of those, nearly 500 said the sex happened as part of a negotiated non-monogamous relationship, and about 300 said they were sexually unfaithful while in a monogamous relationship.

Those who were sexually unfaithful were 27 percent and 35 percent less likely to have used condoms for vaginal and anal sex, respectively, and 64 percent more likely to have used drugs and alcohol when they had their secret sexual encounters.

The study was published in the June issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

"Our research suggests that people who are unfaithful to their monogamous romantic partners pose a greater risk for STIs

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Infant Vaccination 'Delays' Triple in Oregon: Study

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American Kids Getting Fewer Prescription Drugs: Study

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- New research shows that the number of prescriptions written for children has dropped by 7 percent in recent years.

Between 2002 and 2010, notable decreases occurred in antibiotic, cough/cold, allergy, pain and depression prescriptions, according to the study, which was conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the same time, there was a rise in the number of asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and contraceptive prescriptions.

"Approximately 263 million prescriptions were dispensed to the pediatric population in 2010 -- 7 percent lower than the number of prescriptions dispensed in 2002," the study authors said, adding that the number of prescriptions written for children dropped by 2.4 million each year between 2002 and 2010.

During that time, however, the number of prescriptions written for adults increased by 22 percent, according to the study.

The findings were released online June 18 and are scheduled to appear in the July print edition of the journal Pediatrics.

The top 10 prescribed drugs for children 17 and under in 2010 included antibiotics, asthma medications and the pain reliever ibuprofen. Antibiotics accounted for approximately one-quarter of all prescriptions written between 2002 and 2010, according to the study.

By 2010, however, the number of antibiotic prescriptions had decreased by 14 percent.

"This could potentially be good news. The antibiotic numbers are consistent with the efforts to decrease the use of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections," said Dr. Kenneth Bromberg, chairman of pediatrics at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City.

He noted, however, that this particular study wasn't designed to tease out the reasons behind a change in medication use, only to determine whether a change occurred.

Still, he said, "It's likely that this represents some of the efforts to cut down on antibiotic use, and this will help to decrease the risk of antibiotic resistance."

The volume of allergy-medication prescriptions also decreased significantly (61 percent), but much of that decrease may be because many allergy medications went from prescription-only to being available over the counter during the study period.

The number of prescriptions written for cough and cold medication dropped by 42 percent during the study. The authors suggest that this may be due to a public-health advisory in 2008 that warned against using such medications in children under 2.

Prescriptions for pain medications declined by 14 percent, and the number of prescriptions for depression drugs dropped by 5 percent.

Dr. Victor Fornari, director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said the decrease in depression-medication prescriptions may have something to do with the black box warnings that were added to the drugs, which described an increased risk of suicide.

Not all classes of medications were prescribed less often. The number of prescriptions for ADHD medications increased by 46 percent, according to the study. Part of that increase likely is due to an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD. In 2002, 4.4 million children were estimated to have the disorder. By 2010, that number was 5 million, according to the study.

Even with the increase in prescriptions, Fornari said ADHD still is being underdiagnosed and undertreated.

"With medication, the outcomes can be dramatic improvement in school performance and behavior," he said.

Another class of medications for which prescriptions increased dramatically was contraceptives. The number of prescriptions written increased by 93 percent, according to the study. The authors pointed out, however, that other research, done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hasn't shown an increase in the use of birth control pills.

Bromberg said one possible explanation for this disparity stems from the study itself. The researchers looked for the number of prescriptions written, not how many individuals received a prescription. So it may be that females on birth control are staying on the drug for longer periods of time, which would increase the number of prescriptions written.

The study also found that the number of prescriptions for asthma medications increased by 14 percent. The authors didn't theorize as to what might be behind this increase.

More information

Learn about safely giving children medication from the Nemours Foundation.

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Health Tip: Keep Kids Safe in the Backyard

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- Playing in the backyard is a great way for a child to get needed exercise, but you should make sure your backyard is safe.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these safety suggestions:

Make sure there aren't any dangerous or poisonous plants in your yard.Create a boundary for your child if you don't have a fenced yard; make sure someone responsible is always supervising your child.Make sure your child understands to never eat anything from a plant.Take care when using pesticides or herbicides in your yard; make sure children don't play on an area for 48 hours after these chemicals are applied.Never allow a child to ride on a lawn mower, and never mow with a power mower when children are nearby.Keep children away from any barbecue grill.

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Health Tip: Help Prevent Warts on the Feet

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- Plantar warts -- warts that specifically affect the feet -- are caused by viruses and can be quite painful. Children and teens seem to get them more often than adults.

The American Podiatric Medical Association offers this advice for how to prevent warts on the feet:

Unless you're strolling on a sandy beach, don't walk barefoot.Put on a fresh pair of socks each day, and alternate shoes each day.Make sure your feet are always dry and clean.Inspect your child's feet regularly.Do not touch warts on another person or on another part of the body.Pay attention to unusual growths on the skin. Seek prompt medical attention if you find any.

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America Awaits Supreme Court's Ruling on Health Care Reform

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Anxiety, Depression May Raise Stroke Risk

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) --People suffering from anxiety, depression, sleeplessness or other forms of psychological distress are at greater risk of death from a stroke, according to a new study.

Researchers from University College London pointed out that psychological distress affects about 15 percent to 20 percent of the general population. Previous research has linked these common mental conditions with coronary artery disease, but an association with stroke and other cardiovascular diseases has not been established, they said.

The researchers examined information from a study of 68,652 adults who participated in the Health Survey for England. The vast majority of participants were white, 45 percent were men and the average was about 55.

Nearly 15 percent of the people questioned said they were affected by psychological distress, most of them women. Those who reported having psychological distress also tended to be younger, smokers and taking medication for high blood pressure. They also tended to have lower incomes, the researchers added.

After following the participants for an average of about eight years, the study's authors found 2,367 deaths from ischemic heart disease (blocked artery), stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

The study was published June 18 in CMAJ.

"Psychological distress was associated with death from cardiovascular disease, and the relation remained consistent for specific disease outcomes, including ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease," Dr. Mark Hamer, of the college department of epidemiology and public health, and his co-authors said in a journal news release. "We saw an association between psychological distress and risk of cerebrovascular disease among our participants, all of whom had been free from cardiovascular disease at baseline. This association was similar in size to the association between psychological distress and ischemic heart disease in the same group."

The researchers concluded that questionnaires could help doctors screen their patients for common mental illnesses, which could reduce their risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on the causes of stroke.

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