Tuesday May 5, 2009
Deficient vitamin D levels prevalent in ICU patients
LIFE EXTENSIONS, May 4, 2009
In a letter published in the April 30, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, endocrinologists from Sydney, Australia documented a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients.
Dr Paul Lee, Professor John Eisman and Associate Professor Jackie Center of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, evaluated the vitamin D levels of 42 intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and found that 45 percent were deficient. Disease severity was found to increase as vitamin D levels declined. The three deaths that occurred were in those who had undetectable levels of the vitamin.
"Until now, the medical community has thought of Vitamin D deficiency as a chronic condition," Dr Lee stated. "Little is known about its acute complications. Last year, we published several cases showing that vitamin D deficiency can cause acute complications in the intensive care unit."
"Recently, Vitamin D has been recognized for its many roles beyond the musculoskeletal system,” he observed. “It has been implicated in diabetes, in the immune system, in cancers, in heart disease and in metabolic syndrome. Vitamin D appears to have roles in controlling sugar, calcium, heart function, gut integrity, immunity and defense against infection. Patients in ICU suffer from different degrees of inflammation, infection, heart dysfunction, diarrhea and metabolic dysregulation – so vitamin D deficiency may play a role in each of these common ICU conditions."
“Vitamin D is very safe,” Dr Lee added. “It's inexpensive and has a very large safety window, making toxicity unlikely, unless there are underlying diseases causing high calcium. Giving vitamin D to severely deficient patients is very unlikely to cause harm. In addition, ICU patients are lying in bed for a long time, and are at risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. So if nothing else, Vitamin D will help protect their bones."
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_05.htm#deficient-vitaminD-levels-prevalent-ICU-patients
Better educated people choose better diets
United Press International 05-04-09
SEATTLE, May 1, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- People with higher education levels have higher quality diets but the better diets are most costly, U.S. researchers said.
Researchers from the University of Washington compared the eating habits and food costs of a sample of 164 adults in the Seattle area.
Pablo Monsivais and Adam Drewnowski, both of the University of Washington, Seattle, said energy density of the diet -- i.e., available energy per unit weight -- is one indicator of diet quality. Lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy products and fresh vegetables and fruit provide fewer calories per unit weight than do fast foods, sweets, candy and desserts.
Energy dense foods provide more calories per unit weight but tend to be nutrient-poor.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, said that for both men and women, higher dietary energy density was associated with higher intakes of total fat and saturated fat and with lower intakes of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. Daily diet cost was slightly higher for men at $6.72/day than women at $6.21/day -- reflecting the fact that men ate more than women.
However, for each 2,000 calories of dietary energy, men spent $7.43 compared to $8.12 spent by women. Diets that were more costly in terms of dietary energy were also lower in energy density and contained higher levels of nutrients.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8220&Section=Nutrition
Experts Recommend Cherries For Pain Relief From Arthritis---Eating Red May Help Arthritis Sufferers Manage Inflammation and Stiffness
PR Newswire 05-04-09
LANSING, Mich., May 4, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Forty-six million American adults currently suffer from arthritis - and as the population ages, the number is expected to increase.(1) May has been deemed National Arthritis Month to generate awareness of this growing condition and ways to manage associated symptoms.
For many with arthritis, one step in managing related inflammation, stiffness and pain may include taking a closer look at diet and lifestyle. For instance, many sufferers have sworn for years that cherry juice minimized arthritis symptoms. Now, the anecdotal claims are supported by scientific evidence showing that tart cherries (available dried, frozen or in juice form) may help play a role in reducing the pain of arthritis. Scientists believe it's the anthocyanins - also responsible for cherries' vibrant red color - that are responsible for this anti-inflammatory benefit.(2)(3)(4)
"Often, my clients ask what they can do to manage arthritis pain without medications," says Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. "For many arthritis sufferers, what they eat may help dramatically reduce their arthritis-related pain."
To manage the pain and inflammation of arthritis, Bonci recommends the following natural tips:
-- Eat Red - studies have shown that the anthocyanins in tart cherries and
other red foods may have anti-inflammatory benefits.
-- Stay Hydrated - research indicates that staying properly hydrated may
help arthritis sufferers decrease joint pain.
-- Go Fish - Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have been found in studies
to reduce joint pain associated with arthritis.
-- Stretch it Out - for some arthritis suffers, gentle stretching may
increase comfort and lessen pain and stiffness.
Bonci notes, "Patients with arthritis should work with their health care providers to determine the best course of treatment and pain management for their individual arthritis."
It's Easy to Enjoy "America's Super Fruit"
Cherries are not only good for you, but they're also a homegrown "Super Fruit." According to recent data, more than 9 out of 10 Americans want to know where their food comes from, nearly 80 percent say they're purchasing "locally produced" products, and the majority are defining "local" as made in America.(5)(6)
About 95% percent of the dried, frozen and juice cherries consumed in the U.S. are grown here, with most coming from Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania and New York.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8218&Section=Nutrition
More Americans taking drugs for mental illness
Last Updated: 2009-05-05 8:28:06 -0400 (Reuters Health)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Many more Americans have been using prescription drugs to treat mental illness since 1996, in part because of expanded insurance coverage and greater familiarity with the drugs among primary care doctors, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said 73 percent more adults and 50 percent more children are using drugs to treat mental illness than in 1996.
Among adults over 65, use of so-called psychotropic drugs -- which include antidepressants, antipsychotics and Alzheimer's medicines -- doubled between 1996 and 2006.
"What we generally find is there has been an increase in access to care for all populations," said Sherry Glied of Columbia University in New York, whose study appears in the journal Health Affairs.
"Mental health has become much more a part of mainstream medical care," Glied said in a telephone interview.
In 2006, they said 16 percent of adults 65 and older had some form of mental health diagnosis.
The researchers culled data from several large public surveys of health in the United States, including from the National Center for Health Statistics, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Social Security Administration.
Glied said expanded drug coverage under Medicare, the federal insurance program for the elderly, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program for poor children, helped make such drugs more affordable.
The study found the number of children diagnosed and treated for mental health conditions by their primary care doctor doubled between 1996 and 2006.
"The increases in prescription drug use were particularly rapid in the early part of this decade, between 1996 to 2001," Glied said. "For most groups, they have slowed down since then."
The researchers did not report total numbers of people treated or calculate the dollar value of the drugs taken.
One worrisome finding, Glied said, was that there has been little progress in access to care among people with more serious mental illness. They found treatment for older adults with mental limitations who need help dressing, eating, or bathing fell between 1996 and 2006.
About 7 percent of Americans with serious mental illness wind up in jail or prison every year, the researchers said.
"New policies are desperately needed to reduce the flow of people whose primary problem is a mental disorder into the criminal justice system," wrote Glied and colleague Richard Frank of Harvard Medical School.
While the study shows expanded mental health coverage for people with insurance, especially for those covered in government health plans, they said the ongoing recession and swelling ranks of the uninsured will likely mean less mental health coverage for many Americans in the near future.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/05/eline/links/20090505elin008.html
Senator proposes free flu shots for all Americans
Last Updated: 2009-05-04 10:30:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic U.S. senator proposed on Friday setting up a free nationwide voluntary flu vaccination program to fend off future outbreaks of dangerous strains.
With the United States on alert for more cases of the new h3N1 swine flu virus, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin said the government should include funding for free vaccines for all Americans in the supplemental spending bill now moving through Congress.
"The harsh reality is that we have repeatedly experienced devastating flu pandemics," Harkin said in a statement.
"Strictly as a matter of prudent prevention, it is desirable to maximize the number of Americans who are vaccinated each year," Harkin said. President Barack Obama has requested $1.5 billion from Congress to address the ongoing swine flu outbreak.
Seasonal flu kills more than 30,000 Americans each year and costs the economy more than $90 billion.
New strains such as h3N1, which has infected 331 people in 13 countries including more than 100 in the United States, are potentially even more dangerous as it takes time to develop vaccines against them.
Harkin, who chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee on health, said his bill would help build vaccine-manufacturing capacity and prevent production capacity from becoming idle.
"By offering annual free vaccines to all 304 million people in the United States, our vaccine-production capacity will be up and running and ready to shift, when necessary, to mass production of vaccines to fight a future outbreak or pandemic," Harkin's statement said.
He said intended to incorporate the measure into broader health reform legislation that Democrats want to pass later this year.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children aged between 5-18 be vaccinated against seasonal influenza and already pays for many under a government program which provides about 43 percent of all recommended childhood vaccines in the United States.
At least 20 companies make flu vaccines, including Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Baxter International, Australia's CSL and nasal spray maker MedImmune, now part of AstraZeneca.
Vitamin E may slow Alzheimer's disease
Last Updated: 2009-05-04 12:15:37 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An analysis of "real-world" clinical data indicates that vitamin E, and drugs that reduce generalized inflammation, may slow the decline of mental and physical abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) over the long term.
"Our results are consistent for a potential benefit of vitamin E on slowing functional decline and a smaller possible benefit of anti-inflammatory medications on slowing cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Alireza Atri told Reuters Health.
Atri, at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the VA Bedford Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, led the National Institutes of Health-sponsored research. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Chicago, stem from data on 540 patients treated at the MGH Memory Disorders Unit.
All of the patients were receiving standard-of-care treatment with a drug intended to help patients with Alzheimer's. As part of their clinical care, 208 patients also took vitamin E but no anti-inflammatory, 49 took an anti-inflammatory but no vitamin E, 177 took both vitamin E and an anti-inflammatory, and 106 took neither.
While the daily dose of vitamin E ranged from 200 to 2000 units, the majority of patients were given high doses that ranged from 800 units daily to 1000 units twice daily.
Each patient's performance on cognitive tests and their ability to carry out daily functions such as dressing and personal care were assessed every 6 months. After an average of 3 years, "there was a modest slowing of decline in function in those patients taking vitamin E," study investigator Michael R. Flaherty noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
Flaherty, a second-year student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, presented the findings at the meeting. He added that the treatment benefit from vitamin E was "small to medium" but increased with time.
Taking an anti-inflammatory medication was associated with "very consistent but generally only small effects on slowing long-term decline in cognitive functioning," Atri told Reuters Health.
However, in patients who took both vitamin E and anti-inflammatory medications, there appeared to be an additive effect in terms of slowing overall decline.
Given that past studies have produced equivocal results, the investigators conclude that further studies are needed to assess the long-term balance of risks versus benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease from taking vitamin E and anti-inflammatory drugs.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/04/eline/links/20090504elin026.html
Scientists Learn Why The Flu May Turn Deadly: Influenza Virus 'Paralyzes' The Immune System
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) — As the swine flu continues its global spread, researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have discovered important clues about why influenza is more severe in some people than it is in others.
In their research study published online in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, the scientists show that the influenza virus can actually paralyze the immune systems of otherwise healthy individuals, leading to severe secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia. Furthermore, this immunological paralysis can be long-lived, which is important to know when developing treatment strategies to combat the virus.
According to Kathleen Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., the senior researcher involved in the study and Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "We have a very limited understanding of why some people who get influenza simply have a bad cold and other people become very sick and even die. The results of this study give us a much better sense of the mechanisms underlying bacterial infections arising on top of the viral infection."
Sullivan and colleagues recruited pediatric patients with severe influenza and examined the level of cytokines, which serve as the first line initiators of immune response, in the blood plasma. Although they found elevated levels of cytokines, they also found a decreased response of toll-like receptors, which activate immune cell responses as a result of invading microbes. This suggests that the diminished response of these receptors may be responsible for the paralysis of the immune system, leading to secondary bacterial infections.
The influenza patients were compared with patients with moderate influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and a control group of healthy individuals. The immune paralysis appeared to be specifically a result of influenza infection and was not seen in patients with respiratory syncytial virus. This process might explain why one quarter of children who die from influenza, die from a bacterial infection occurring on top of the virus.
"Despite major medical advances since the devastating flu outbreak of 1918 and 1919, influenza virus infection remains a very serious threat," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, "and the current swine flu outbreak is a grim reminder of this fact. The work by Dr. Sullivan and colleagues brings us a step closer to understanding exactly what goes wrong in some people who get the flu, so, ultimately, physicians can develop more effective treatment strategies."
Meredith L. Heltzer, Susan E. Coffin, Kelly Maurer, Asen Bagashev, Zhe Zhang, Jordan S. Orange, and Kathleen E. Sullivan. Immune dysregulation in severe influenza. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 2009; DOI: 10.1189/jlb.1108710
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090504141843.htm
Study Plunges Standard Theory Of Cosmology Into Crisis
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) — As modern cosmologists rely more and more on the ominous “dark matter” to explain otherwise inexplicable observations, much effort has gone into the detection of this mysterious substance in the last two decades, yet no direct proof could be found that it actually exists. Even if it does exist, dark matter would be unable to reconcile all the current discrepancies between actual measurements and predictions based on theoretical models. Hence the number of physicists questioning the existence of dark matter has been increasing for some time now.
Competing theories of gravitation have already been developed which are independent of this construction. Their only problem is that they conflict with Newton’s theory of gravitation. “Maybe Newton was indeed wrong”, declares Professor Dr. Pavel Kroupa of Bonn University´s Argelander-Institut für Astronomie (AIfA). “Although his theory does, in fact, describe the everyday effects of gravity on Earth, things we can see and measure, it is conceivable that we have completely failed to comprehend the actual physics underlying the force of gravity”.
This is a problematical hypothesis that has nevertheless gained increasing ground in recent years, especially in Europe. Two new studies could well lend further support to it. In these studies, Professor Kroupa and his former colleague Dr. Manuel Metz, working in collaboration with Professor Dr. Gerhard Hensler and Dr. Christian Theis from the University of Vienna, and Dr. Helmut Jerjen from the Australian National University, Canberra, have examined so-called “satellite galaxies”.
This term is used for dwarf galaxy companions of the Milky Way, some of which contain only a few thousand stars. According to the best cosmological models, they exist presumably in hundreds around most of the major galaxies. Up to now, however, only 30 such satellites have been observed around the Milky Way, a discrepancy in numbers which is commonly attributed to the fact that the light emitted from the majority of satellite galaxies is so faint they remain invisible.
A detailed study of these stellar agglomerates has revealed some astonishing phenomena: “First of all, there is something unusual about their distribution”, Professor Kroupa explains, “the satellites should be uniformly arranged around their mother galaxy, but this is not what we found“. More precisely, all classical satellites of the Milky Way – the eleven brightest dwarf galaxies – lie more or less in the same plane, they are forming some sort of a disc in the sky. The research team has also been able to show that most of these satellite galaxies rotate in the same direction around the Milky Way – like the planets revolve around the Sun.
Contradiction upon Contradiction
The physicists do belief that this phenomenon can only be explained if the satellites were created a long time ago through collisions between younger galaxies. “The fragments produced by such an event can form rotating dwarf galaxies”, explains Dr. Metz, who has recently moved across to the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aero-space Center). But there is an interesting catch to this crash theory, “theoretical calculations tell us that the satellites created cannot contain any dark matter”. This assumption, however, stands in contradiction to another observation. “The stars in the satellites we have observed are moving much faster than predicted by the Gravitational Law. If classical physics holds this can only be attributed to the presence of dark matter”, Manuel Metz states.
Or one must assume that some basic fundamental principles of physics have hitherto been incorrectly understood. “The only solution would be to reject Newton´s classical theory of gravitation”, says Pavel Kroupa. “We probably live in a non-Newton universe. If this is true, then our observations could be explained without dark matter”. Such approaches are finding support amongst other research teams in Europe, too.
It would not be the first time that Newton’s theory of gravitation had to be modified over the past hundred years. This became necessary in three special cases: when high velocities are involved (through the Special Theory of Relativity), in the proximity of large masses (through the theory of General Relativity), and on sub-atomic scales (through quantum mechanics). The deviations detected in the satellite galaxy data support the hypothesis that in space where extremely weak accelerations predominate, a “modified Newton dynamic” must be adopted. This conclusion has far-reaching consequences for fundamental physics in general, and also for cosmological theories. ¬¬Famous astrophysicist Bob Sanders from the University of Groningen declares: "The authors of this paper make a strong argument. Their result is entirely consistent with the expectations of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), but completely opposite to the predictions of the dark matter hypothesis. Rarely is an observational test so definite."
Metz et al. Did the Milky Way dwarf satellites enter the halo as a group? The Astrophysical Journal, 2009; 697 (1): 269 DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/697/1/269
Metz et al. Discs of satellites: the new dwarf spheroidals. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2009; 394 (4): 2223 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14489.x
White Blood Cells Can Sprout 'Legs' And Move Like Millipedes
ScienceDaily (May 4, 2009) — How do white blood cells – immune system ‘soldiers’ – get to the site of infection or injury? To do so, they must crawl swiftly along the lining of the blood vessel – gripping it tightly to avoid being swept away in the blood flow – all the while searching for temporary ‘road signs’ made of special adhesion molecules that let them know where to cross the blood vessel barrier so they can get to the damaged tissue.
In research recently published in the journal Immunity, Prof. Ronen Alon and his research student Ziv Shulman of the Weizmann Institute’s Immunology Department show how white blood cells advance along the length of the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. Current opinion maintains that immune cells advance like inchworms, but Alon’s new findings show that the rapid movement of the white blood cells is more like that of millipedes.
Rather than sticking front and back, folding and extending to push itself forward, the cell creates numerous tiny ‘legs’ no more than a micron in length – adhesion points, rich in adhesion molecules (named LFA-1) that bind to partner adhesion molecules present on the surface of the blood vessels. Tens of these legs attach and detach in sequence within seconds – allowing them to move rapidly while keeping a good grip on the vessels’ sides.
Next, the scientists turned to the Institute’s Electron Microscopy Unit. Images produced by scanning and transmission electron microscopes, taken by Drs. Eugenia Klein and Vera Shinder, showed that upon attaching to the blood vessel wall, the white blood cell legs ‘dig’ themselves into the endothelium, pressing down on its surface. The fact that these legs – which had been thought to appear only when the cells leave the blood vessels – are used in crawling the vessel lining suggests that they may serve as probes to sense exit signals.
The researchers found that the shear force created by the blood flow was necessary for the legs to embed themselves. Without the thrust of the rushing blood, the white blood cells couldn’t sense the exit signals or get to the site of the injury. These results explain Alon’s previous findings that the blood’s shear force is essential for the white blood cells to exit the blood vessel wall. The present study suggests that shear forces cause their adhesion molecules to enter highly active states. The scientists believe that the tiny legs are trifunctional: Used for gripping, moving and sensing distress signals from the damaged tissue.
In future studies, the scientists plan to check whether it is possible to regulate aggressive immune reactions (such as in autoimmune diseases) by interrupting the ‘digging’ of immune cell legs into the endothelium. They also plan to investigate whether cancerous blood cells metastasize through the blood stream using similar mechanisms in order to exit the blood vessels and enter different tissues.
Prof. Ronen Alon’s research is supported by the De Benedetti Foundation-Cherasco 1547. Prof. Alon is the incumbent of the Linda Jacobs Chair in Immune and Stem Cell Research.
B6 may slash colorectal cancer risk: Harvard study
Nutraingredients.com, 05-May-2009
Increased intake of vitamin B6 from dietary and supplements may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 50 per cent, suggests a new study.
Almost 15,000 people took part in the study, which reported that increased blood levels of the vitamin’s active form, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), were significantly associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to findings published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
The study follows similar findings from Scotland-based researchers published in the same journal last year. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital (Edinburgh) and the University of Aberdeen, reported that increased intakes of vitamin B6 from dietary and supplements may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 20 per cent (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev., Vol. 17, pp. 171-182).
There are 363,000 new cases of colorectal cancer every year in Europe, with an estimated 945,000 globally. There are about 492,000 deaths from the cancer each year. Only about five per cent of colorectal adenomas are thought to become malignant, and this process could take between five and ten years.
Jung Eun Lee from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, collaborated with scientists from Harvard School of Public Health, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and GlaxoSmithKline R&D on the study.
The researchers prospectively evaluated the link between blood PLP levels and risk of colorectal cancer amongst 14,916 men. During the course of the study, 197 incident cases of colorectal cancer were documented, and these cases were then compared to 371 healthy.
Lee and his co-workers report that PLP levels were positively correlated with blood levels of folate and vitamin B12. PLP levels were also slightly inversely correlated blood levels of homocysteine, and the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor 2, and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Regarding the incidence of colorectal cancer, plasma PLP levels were inversely linked with risk of colorectal cancer, said the researchers. Indeed, when increasing levels were found to decrease the risk by 8, 58, and 51 per cent, they sad.
“In conclusion, vitamin B6 may protect against colorectal cancer independent of other one-carbon metabolites and inflammatory biomarkers,” they concluded.
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
2009, Volume 18, Pages 1197-1202 doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-1001
“Prospective Study of Plasma Vitamin B6 and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Men”
Authors: J.E. Lee, H. Li, E. Giovannucci, I.-M. Lee, J. Selhub, M. Stampfer, J. Ma
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/B6-may-slash-colorectal-cancer-risk-Harvard-study
Snack Size Science: Vitamin E and the quest for thick hair
Nutraingredients.com, 05-May-2009
NutraIngredient’s Snack Size Science brings you the week's top science. This week we consider if vitamin E from palm oil can help men with thinning and receding hair. Malaysian researchers suggest there’s potential for the vitamin in mane-maintenance.
Four out of every seven American men are said to inherit the baldness gene from, with about 40 million men in the US said to live with thinning and receding hair.
Various products are on the market claiming to help the follicle-challenged male regain his flowing mane, with varying levels of efficacy. Now Malaysian company Carotech has reported that its natural vitamin E ingredient may be able to slow and even reverse hair loss.
Researchers from the University of Science Malaysia performed an eight month randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 28 volunteers with androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness to you and me.
The experiments used Carotech’s Tocomin SupraBio ingredient, which contains vitamin E in its tocotrienol forms. Vitamin E comes in eight forms, including four types of tocopherols, and four types of tocotrienols. The most well-known form, and the form mostly used in supplements, is alpha-tocopherol.
According to the company, the Malaysian researchers observed significant hair re-growth of about 42 per cent in the tocotrienol group, with eight volunteers experiencing greater than 50 per cent hair growth. No one in the placebo group experienced any hair growth benefits.
If further studies support the follicle-friendly potential of tocotrienols, it could offer nutritional relief to those whose hope for help is about as thin as their hair.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/
Snack-Size-Science-Vitamin-E-and-the-quest-for-thick-hair
|
