Vitamin B And Folic Acid May Reduce Risk Of Age-Related Vision Loss

Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, according to background information in the article. Treatment options exist for those with severe cases of the disease, but the only known prevention method is to avoid smoking. Recent studies have drawn a connection between AMD and blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are associated with dysfunction of the blood vessel lining, whereas treatment with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid appears to reduce homocysteine levels and may reverse this blood vessel dysfunction. William G. Christen, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 5,442 women age 40 and older who already had heart disease or at least three risk factors. Of these, 5,205 did not have AMD at the beginning of the study. In April 1998, these women were randomly assigned to take a placebo or a combination of folic acid (2.5 milligrams per day), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6, 50 milligrams per day) and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12, 1 milligram per day). Participants continued the therapy through July 2005 and were tracked for the development of AMD through November 2005. Over an average of 7.3 years of treatment and follow-up, 137 new cases of AMD were documented, including 70 cases that were visually significant (resulting in a visual acuity of 20/30 or worse). Of these, 55 AMD cases, 26 visually significant, occurred in the 2,607 women in the active treatment group, whereas 82 of the 2,598 women in the placebo group developed AMD, 44 cases of which were visually significant. Women taking the supplements had a 34 percent lower risk of any AMD and a 41 percent lower risk of visually significant AMD. “The beneficial effect of treatment began to emerge at approximately two years of follow-up and persisted throughout the trial,” the authors write. “The trial findings reported herein are the strongest evidence to date in support of a possible beneficial effect of folic acid and B vitamin supplements in AMD prevention,” the authors write. Because they apply to the early stages of disease development, they appear to represent the first identified way-other than not smoking-to reduce the risk of AMD in individuals at an average risk. “From a public health perspective, this is particularly important because persons with early AMD are at increased risk of developing advanced AMD, the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in older Americans.” Beyond lowering homocysteine levels, potential mechanisms for the effectiveness of B vitamins and folic acid in preventing AMD include antioxidant effects and improved function of blood vessels in the eye, they note. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169[4]:335-341.

Taking aspirin may reduce cancer of the middle and lower stomach

In a British Journal of Cancer study of 311,115 people followed for seven years, researchers founds that people who take aspirin or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are far less likely to develop cancer of the middle or lower stomach. Use of the painkillers was analyzed in the 12 months prior to the start of the study. In total, 73% used aspirin, while 56% reported using another NSAID at least once in those 12 months. Approximately 25% reported using aspirin daily, while 10% reported daily use of another NSAID. The rate of non-cardia stomach cancer was seven per 100,000 person-years for those who used aspirin, compared to 11 per 100,000 person years for non-users. There was also a 32 per cent reduction for the same type of stomach cancer in people who used other types of NSAIDs. In contrast to results of previous studies, this study showed that aspirin does not have the same protection benefits against esophageal or cardia gastric cancer at the top of the stomach. Lead Researcher Dr. Christian Abnet of the National Cancer Institute in America, says: “We found that the risk of non-cardia stomach cancer was lower in people who had taken aspirin, and this risk lowered the more regularly they took it. Interestingly, our results didn’t show a significant cut in the risk of esophageal or cardia stomach cancer, so it’s important that we continue to review data that suggests otherwise.” Further research needs to be conducted in order to evaluate the protective benefits of aspirin and other NSAIDs as compared to the risk of side effects, which can include bleeding in the abdomen. As Dr. Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information at Cancer Research UK, notes, “It’s far too early to recommend that people take aspirin to protect themselves from these cancers. In cancers where survival is low, understanding how to prevent the disease is crucial, but more research is needed to discover how side effects can be balanced with the benefits. Cancer Research UK would urge people to speak to their doctor before taking aspirin regularly.” News Release: Aspirin cuts stomach cancer risk www.news.bbc.co.uk February 6, 2009

Study Demonstrates Restylane(R) Effect Lasted 18 Months In 97% Of Patients With One Repeat Injection

Study Demonstrates Restylane(R) Effect Lasted 18 Months In 97% Of Patients With One Repeat Injection

Recent clinical data show that Restylane(R) lasted 18 months in 97% of patients with one repeat injection. Restylane(R) is the only HA filler with an 18-month FDA-approved duration claim.

These data were generated in a controlled, randomized, evaluator-blinded study that assessed the safety and effectiveness of two different retreatment schedules, 4.5 months or 9 months, after initial treatment of nasolabial folds (NLF). Patients were evaluated using the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS), a five-point scale to measure visual severity of wrinkles where five is the most severe rating (extreme). 92% of patients were naive to dermal fillers so had no residual effects from earlier treatment.

Key findings from the study include:

– At 18 months, 97% of patients continued to show improvement in NLF correction with one repeat injection

– Correction with Restylane(R) lasted for 18 months, regardless of retreatment schedule

– At 18 months, patients still had a 1.7 grade improvement in WSRS over baseline

– Adverse events were primarily swelling (24%) and bruising (19%); none were serious.

Safety information

Restylane(R) is indicated for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. The most commonly observed side effects are swelling, redness, pain, bruising, and tenderness at the injection site, which typically resolve in less than seven days. Avoid exposure of the treated area to excessive sun and UV lamp exposure and extreme cold weather until any initial swelling and redness have resolved. Safety has not been established for use during pregnancy, when breastfeeding, or in patients under 18 years.

Restylane is a trademark of HA North American Sales AB.

RHAMM Holds Promise For The Elimination Of Wrinkles And Skin Rejuvenation Without Surgery Or Neurotoxin Injections

RHAMM Holds Promise For The Elimination Of Wrinkles And Skin Rejuvenation Without Surgery Or Neurotoxin Injections

Hollywood stars of a certain age take note: Research at Berkeley Lab suggests that a protein linked to the spread of several major human cancers may also hold great potential for the elimination of wrinkles and the rejuvenation of the skin. If this promise bears fruit, controlling concentrations of the RHAMM protein could one day replace surgical procedures or injections with neurotoxins that carry such unpleasant side-effects as muscle paralysis and loss of facial expressions.

RHAMM stands for Receptor for Hyaluronan Mediated Motility. Mina Bissell, a cell biologist with Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division and a leading authority on breast cancer, was collaborating with Eva Turley, an oncology professor at the University of Western Ontario and leading authority on tissue polysaccharides, on a study of the role that RHAMM plays in regulating the signaling of adipocytes (fat cells) during the repairing of tissue wounds from injuries such as skin cuts, heart attacks and stroke. Earlier research by Turley, who discovered RHAMM, had shown that over-expression of this protein points to a poor patient outcome for such human cancers as breast, colon, rectal and stomach.

In the course of their collaborative study, Bissell and Turley, working with mice, discovered that blocking the expression of the RHAMM protein – either by deleting its gene, or through the introduction of a blocking reagent – can be used to selectively induce the generation of fat cells to replace those lost in the aging process. At the same time blocking RHAMM expression also reduces deposits of unhealthy visceral fat.

“This technique could be developed as a means of providing a non-surgical approach for normalizing skin appearance after reconstructive surgery, for wrinkle reduction, and for face lifts and figure enhancement,” said Bissell.

Said Turley, “Unlike neurotoxin agents, which have to be injected periodically, a localized injection of a RHAMM inhibitor should produce long-lasting skin volumizing effects and would not involve muscle paralysis, which means there would be no loss of expression if it were to be injected into the face.”

There are compounds now on the market that promote the production of adipocyte cells and result in increased subcutaneous fat, however, these adipocyte-promoting factors also increase the production of visceral fat. The mouse studies led by Bissell and Turley have shown that blocking RHAMM expression significantly increases subcutaneous fat while decreasing visceral fat. This suggests that blocking RHAMM should also have a beneficial effect on patients with obesity-related diseases, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Another unique advantage of RHAMM is that its expression in normal adult human tissues is restricted.

“Therefore, anti-RHAMM agents should have low toxicity and according to preliminary animal studies, could be beneficial to patients with a tumor or inflammation-related disease,” said Turley.

Potential applications of RHAMM modulation in addition to wrinkle reduction include normalizing skin appearance after reconstructive or cosmetic surgery, e.g., grafted tissue on burn victims. It has also been shown to have a beneficial effect on tumors and inflammatory diseases in mice.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Mediterranean Diet Linked To Lower Risk Of Cognitive Impairment

Mediterranean Diet Linked To Lower Risk Of Cognitive Impairment

Researchers in the US found that people whose diet is closer to a Mediterranean diet are at lower risk of developing MCI or Mild Cognitive Impairment (a stage between normal aging and dementia) and also have a reduced risk of MCI turning into Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was the work of Dr Nikolaos Scarmeas and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center, New York and is published in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Previous studies have found that sticking to a Mediterranean diet may protect people from Alzheimer’s disease, but not much is known about its possible ties with MCI.

A Mediterranean diet is high in fish, vegetables, legumes (beans and lentils), fruits, cereals and unsaturated fatty acids, and low in dairy products, meat and saturated fats, plus moderate amounts of alcohol.

For the study, the researchers asked 1,875 people to fill in questionnaires about their food consumption between 1992 and 1999. From the responses, the researchers then calculated a score for the extent to which each person’s food intake most closely resembled a Mediterranean diet.

At the start of the study, 1,393 of the participants had no cognitive problems and 482 of them had MCI, and they were all examined, interviewed and screened for MCI.

The results showed that:

• Over an average follow up period of 4.5 years, 275 of the 1,393 participants without MCI developed the condition.
• Comparing the one third with the lowest scores for Mediterranean diet adherence with the one third that had the highest scores, showed that having a high score was linked to a 28 per cent lower risk of developing MCI.
• The middle third had a 17 per cent lower risk.
• Among the 482 participants who had MCI at the start, 106 developed Alzheimer’s over an average follow up of 4.3 years.
• Among these participants, sticking to a Mediterranean diet was linked with a lower risk of MCI converting to Alzheimer’s.
• In this group, the one third of participants with the highest scores for Mediterranean diet adherence had a 48 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to the one third with the lowest scores.
• The middle third had a 45 per cent lower risk.

The authors concluded that:

” Higher adherence to the MeDi [Mediterranean diet] is associated with a trend for reduced risk of developing MCI and with reduced risk of MCI conversion to AD [Alzheimer's disease].”

They also wrote that more studies were needed to confirm these findings.

Speculating on their findings, they suggested that the Mediterranean diet may improve levels of cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as keep blood vessels healthier. It may also reduce inflammation. All these factors have been linked to MCI. They said that individual foods in the Mediterranean diet are also linked to lower risk of MCI. Examples of such foods include:

“Alcohol, fish, polyunsaturated fatty acids (also for age-related cognitive decline) and lower levels of saturated fatty acids,” they wrote.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for loss of memory and other intellectual skills that impair quality of life. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and fatal brain disease that destroys brain cells, resulting in decline of memory, thinking and behaviour that eventually stops people from being able to work and have an independent life; their quality of life gradually diminishes as the disease progresses.

According to the Alzheimer’s Assocation (US), the disease is the sixth leading cause of death among Americans.

“Mediterranean Diet and Mild Cognitive Impairment.
Nikolaos Scarmeas; Yaakov Stern; Richard Mayeux; Jennifer J. Manly; Nicole Schupf; Jose A. Luchsinger.
Arch Neurol. Vol. 66 No. 2, pp 216-225, February 2009.