Tuesday May 19, 2009

LIFE EXTENSIONS, May 18, 2009

Glutamine helps heal stomach ulcers

In the May, 2009 of the Journal of Nutrition, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that the amino acid glutamine could help heal the damage caused by H. pylori, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and many cases of stomach cancer.
In earlier research, Susan Hagen, PhD and her colleagues discovered that glutamine prevented the death of cultured stomach cells from H. pylori-produced ammonia. For the current experiment, they divided 105 mice to receive standard diets or diets in which L-glutamine replaced 5 percent of total calories. After two weeks, some of the mice in each group were infected with H. pylori. The animals were followed for 20 weeks, during which blood samples were analyzed for antibodies to immune cells that mediate the body’s response to H. Pylori. Additionally, tissue samples were obtained from the stomach and examined for damage, cancer progression and inflammation.
At the end of the 20 week period, infected animals that received L-glutamine had less inflammation than those that received the control diet. "Because many of the stomach pathologies during H. pylori infection are linked to high levels of inflammation, this result provides us with preliminary evidence that glutamine supplementation may be an alternative therapy for reducing the severity of infection," Dr Hagen explained.
"H. pylori bacteria infect more than half of the world's population and were recently identified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization," Dr Hagen added. "Approximately 5.5 percent of the entire global cancer burden is attributed to H. pylori infection and, worldwide, over 900,000 new cases of gastric cancer develop each year. The possibility that an inexpensive, easy-to-use treatment could be used to modify the damaging effects of H. pylori infection warrants further study in clinical trials."
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_05.htm#glutamine-helps-heal-stomach-ulcers

Overweight teens show higher suicide risk
Last Updated: 2009-05-18 10:16:33 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenagers who are overweight, or who simply believe they are, may be at increased risk of attempting suicide, a new study suggests.
The study, of more than 14,000 U.S. high school students, found that those who were overweight were almost one-third more likely than their thinner peers to say they had attempted suicide.
Meanwhile, teens who considered themselves overweight -- including those were not, by objective measures -- were 45 percent more likely to have tried suicide than those who thought they were normal weight.
"Our findings show that both perceived and actual overweight increase risk for suicide attempt," lead researcher Dr. Monica Swahn said in a written statement.
"This is a major concern," she added, "since more and more children and youth are becoming overweight and obese."
For the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Swahn and her colleagues at Georgia State University in Atlanta used data from a 2007 survey of 14,041 U.S. high school students.
Just over 8 percent of overweight or obese teenagers said they had ever attempted suicide, versus 6.5 percent of normal-weight teens.
Among students who considered themselves overweight, almost 10 percent admitted to a suicide attempt, compared with just under 6 percent of those who saw themselves as normal weight.
The reasons for the findings are not certain, but social pressure to have an "ideal" body, and the stigma attached to excess pounds, may be at least partly to blame, according to the researchers.
"Youth feel very pressured to fit in and to fit certain limited ideals of beauty," Swahn said.
The fact that suicide risk was linked to teenagers' perceptions of their bodies shows that prevention efforts need to reach out to a wider group of kids, according to Swahn.
"We cannot only focus prevention strategies on those who are overweight and who are concerned about their weight," she said, "but we also need to include youth who feel that they are overweight even though they may not be."
SOURCE: Journal of Adolescent Health, online May 18, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/18/eline/links/20090518elin001.html

Recession threatens U.S. progress in child well being
Last Updated: 2009-05-18 10:12:03 -0400 (Reuters Health)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Hard economic times are hitting the United States' youngest citizens, threatening to roll back decades worth of gains in health, safety and education, according to a report released on Monday.
It suggests the country's most severe recession in a generation, which has cost more than 5 million American jobs since it began in late 2007, is having a drastic impact on children.
"Our projections show that virtually all the progress made in family economic well being since 1975 will be wiped out," Ken Land of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues wrote in 2009 Child Well-Being Index and Special Focus Report.
The annual report, sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development, a private child advocacy group, measures economic, health, safety and social factors affecting children and teens.
Based on current estimates, the report projects that the current recession will pare median annual family incomes back to $55,700 by 2010, down from $59,200 in 2007.
Households run by single women will see their annual incomes fall to $23,000 in 2010, down from $24,950 in 2007.
But the steepest drop will be among single households headed by men, where median annual family income is expected to drop to $33,300 in 2010, from $38,100 in 2007.
These declines in family income will affect many other aspects of life for children in America.
"Many families that have built a life around two-earner incomes now have one income or perhaps no income, so children in those families are being impacted by the current economic environment," Land said in a telephone interview.
He said the percentage of children in poverty will rise to 21 percent in 2010, up from about 17 percent in 2006.
BLACK, LATINO CHILDREN AFFECTED MOST
The researchers said the housing crisis will disrupt social relationships for children, as job losses cause families to uproot in search of work and less-costly housing. Many families are at greater risk of homelessness.
Children's health also will suffer, they said.
They foresee increases in an already growing obesity epidemic as parents turn to cheap fast food to feed their families.
One bright spot, they said, is the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which will at least ensure that many poor children get needed health care.
Based on trends in prior recessions, they said rates of violent crime will likely rise, hurt by police force cuts and cuts in juvenile crime prevention programs.
They also predict fewer children will be taking part in early childhood education programs, which are known to raise student test scores.
Black and Latino children, whose communities tend to be more sensitive to economic fluctuations, will be affected most by these changes.
"When the economy is doing well, their well-being gains are more dramatic. When the economy slumps, they are harder hit than their white counterparts because more children of color live in poverty to begin with," Ruby Takanishi, president of the foundation, said in a statement.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/18/eline/links/20090518elin008.html

Meditation classes offer tranquility for kids
Last Updated: 2009-05-18 15:09:04 -0400 (Reuters Health)
SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - The tantrums. The tears. Every parent knows that life can be stressful for toddlers, tweens and teens, so Australian schools are trying to add a little zen to their day through meditation classes.
Children as young as five are being taught to stay still, keep silent and recite an internal mantra through Christian and non-religious meditation programs throughout the country.
The classes have been dubbed by some practitioners as the cheapest way to combat bullying at school, with teachers reporting meditating students are mostly calmer.
"When children are empowered with the know-how to meditate, they can use their superhero or fairy power to feel safe, focused and happy," Sarah Wood, author of "Sensational Meditation for Children," said on her website.
In 2006, Townsville, in northern Queensland, hosted Australia's first Christian meditation program, which has now spread to schools across the country.
"It teaches the kids to be more attentive and more mindful and certainly more present," Ernie Christie, assistant director of Townsville's Catholic Education Office, told Reuters.
"In fact it's been referred to as the cheapest anti-bullying campaign, as the teachers report that the kids are calmer afterwards and nicer to each other."
The meditation program is part of the children's religious education class and the length of time they meditate corresponds to their age: 5-year-olds learn to meditate for 5 minutes, three times a week, while 17-year-olds meditate for 17 minutes up to five times a week.
The practice is also helpful for children with learning difficulties and conditions such as Down Syndrome, Christie said.
"The children not only like it, they ask their teachers if can they meditate. I think in their busy lives, that's the one time that it's okay to be absolutely still and silent," he said.
Sydneysider 7-year-old twins Taj and Lauren Cronin have been practicing meditation for about 12 months, and their parents believe the ability to switch-off will benefit them for life. "It just gives them something they can do if they are over excited. It's more a long-term benefit," Jennifer Cronin said.
"It's going to be a helpful tool to really free themselves from the stress that comes through on a daily basis, particularly in teenage years," added Tom Cronin. "It helps hormonal levels and helps alleviate the build-up of the pressures that come with student life."
The Cronins, who meditate themselves, say they don't push their children, as their brains are still rapidly developing and too much down-time for the mind can backfire.
But for the children, meditation is something they look forward to. "It makes me feel relaxed," Taj Cronin said.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/18/eline/links/20090518elin018.html

Hot flashes signal thinner bones for menopausal women
Last Updated: 2009-05-15 16:45:10 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have hot flashes as they enter menopause may have more fragile bones, new research shows.
Dr. Carolyn J. Crandall of the University of California, Los Angeles and her colleagues found that women who reported having hot flashes and night sweats-known collectively as vasomotor symptoms-had lower bone mineral density (BMD). And the more hot flashes they had, the thinner their bones.
Most women have hot flashes at some point during the transition into menopause, Crandall and her team point out, with about 60% of women experiencing them just before menstruation actually ceases.
Because hot flashes peak as bone density declines, and both menopausal symptoms and loss of bone density have been linked to low estrogen levels, Crandall and her team investigated whether there might be any relationship between the two.
They looked at 2,213 women participating in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, in which researchers are following a multi-ethnic group of US women through menopause. At the beginning of the study, participants were 42 to 52 years old, and had either not yet undergone menopause or were in early perimenopause, meaning they had menstruated at least once in the three months before they entered the study.
Women having vasomotor symptoms had significantly lower BMD than women who didn't have these symptoms, no matter what their menopausal stage, the researchers found. The link remained after the researchers adjusted for ethnicity, weight, age and other relevant factors.
There were differences in where bones were thin based on menopausal stage, however. Among the women who were not yet undergoing menopause and those in early perimenopause, those with vasomotor symptoms had lower bone density in the femoral neck (the upper part of the thigh bone linking the shaft of the bone to the "ball" that rests in the hip socket). For postmenopausal women, the difference was seen in the lower back and the hip.
And the women who had more frequent vasomotor symptoms had lower average BMD than those who didn't have the symptoms frequently.
The fact that vasomotor symptoms signaled lower BMD even in early perimenopause suggests that estrogen levels alone can't explain the relationship, Crandall and her colleagues say, because estrogen levels don't drop significantly until just before menstruation ceases, and, in some cases, actually spike in early perimenopause.
They note that the sympathetic nervous system is activated during hot flashes, and that neurotransmitters and hormones released during this activation have been linked to bone loss. Future studies should investigate the "neurobiological pathways" that may connect vasomotor symptoms and BMD, they conclude.
SOURCE: Menopause, March/April 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/05/15/eline/links/20090515elin003.html

Magnesium may benefit blood pressure in hypertensives

Nutraingredients.com, 19-May-2009

Supplemental magnesium may reduce blood pressure people with high blood pressure, but seemingly normal magnesium levels, says a new study from Korea.
On the other hand, the supplements had no effect on the blood pressure measurements of normo-tensive individuals, according to findings published online in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
“These findings suggest that magnesium supplementation may help prevent the progression of hypertension in normo-magnesemic non-diabetic overweight people with higher BP, although mechanisms of counter-regulation preventing further BP increase remain to be elucidated,” wrote the researchers from Pusan National University.
The study adds to findings from epidemiological studies which reported that more magnesium, potassium and calcium may reduce the risk of hypertension in certain populations.
High blood pressure (hypertension),defined as having a systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) - a disease that causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169bn ($202bn) per year.
Study details
Since very little is known about how magnesium may effect insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in healthy individuals, the researchers recruited 155 people to take part in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. The subjects, who had an average BMI of 23 kg/m2, were randomly assigned to receive either daily supplements of 300 mg of elemental magnesium in the magnesium oxide form or placebo for 12 weeks.
At the end of the study, no significant differences were observed between the magnesium or placebo groups. However, when the researchers looked specifically at hypertensives, significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed in the magnesium group (17.1 and 3.4 mmHg, respectively), compared to placebo (6.7 and 0.8 mmHg, respectively).
“Most of epidemiologic studies have shown an inverse association between magnesium intake and fasting insulin concentration or the incidence of type 2 diabetes although associations for magnesium-rich diets in these studies may reflect other beneficial dietary components such as fibers in foods that are high in magnesium,” wrote the researchers. “Thus, magnesium supplements could be an alternative tool for the prevention of type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.”
Magnesium and diabetes
A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies by researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet, reported that for every 100 milligram increase in magnesium intake, the risk of developing type-2 diabetes decreased by 15 per cent.
Writing in the Journal of Internal Medicine Susanna Larsson and Alicia Wolk concluded that while it is too early to recommend magnesium supplements for type-2 diabetes prevention, increased consumption of magnesium-rich food "seems prudent."
Source: Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2009.01.002 "Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in normo-magnesemic nondiabetic overweight Korean adults" Authors: S. Lee, H.K. Park, S.P. Son, C.W. Lee, I.J. Kim, H.J. Kim
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Magnesium-may-benefit-blood-pressure-in-hypertensives

Gluten-free diet not friendly to gut bacteria: Study

Nutraingredients.com, 19-May-2009

Following a gluten-free diet may be detrimental to gut health, which may also affect immune health, according to a new study from the Spanish National Research Council. According to results of a small study with 10 people consuming a gluten-free diet, populations of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, decreased, while counts for Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased.
“Thus, the gluten-free diet may constitute an environmental variable to be considered in treated coeliac disease patients for its possible effects on gut health,” wrote the authors in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Coeliac disease, a condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten in wheat, is reported to affect up to 1 per cent of children and 1.2 per cent of adults, according to a study in the BMJ’s Gut journal.
“Coeliac disease is a permanent intolerance to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy for the patients is to adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD),” explained the authors, led by Giada De Palma.
According to a recent report from Packaged Facts, the gluten-free market has grown at an average annual rate of 28 per cent since 2004, when it was valued at $580m, to reach $1.56bn last year. Packaged Facts estimates that sales will be worth $2.6bn by 2012.
New data
The Spanish researchers analysed the gut microflora of ten healthy subjects with an average age of 30 assigned to consume a gluten-free diet for one month. Consumption of the gluten-free diet did not change significantly the normal dietary intakes for the volunteers, except for polysaccharides, which were reduced.
Analysis of the participants’ faeces showed that Bifidobacterium, Clostridium lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii populations decreased following the gluten-free diet patter, while populations of Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli increased. Markers of immune health, such TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-8, which would be produced when the host’s immune system is challenged, were also reduced following consumption of the gluten-free diet.
“Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity,” concluded the researchers.
Digestive health
Products aimed at gut health have traditionally been much more popular in Europe than North America, but this is changing as Americans embrace the idea of boosting gut health via foods and beverages.
Europe still leads the way in terms of product launches and market value, but North America is catching up fast, due in part to the remarkable success of Danone’s DanActive in North America. The gut health product was launched there in 2005 and built on its Activia presence.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print, First View article, doi:10.1017/S0007114509371767 “Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects” Authors: G. De Palma, I. Nadal, M.C. Collado, Y. Sanz
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Gluten-free-diet-not-friendly-to-gut-bacteria-Study

Low vitamin D may boost metabolic syndrome risk

Nutraingredients.com, 18-May-2009

Insufficient and deficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 52 per cent, according to a joint Anglo-Chinese study.
According to findings published in Diabetes Care, a study with 3,262 Chinese people aged between 50 and 70 showed that 94 per cent were vitamin D deficient or insufficient, and 42 per cent of these people also had metabolic syndrome.
“Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a condition that is causing a large burden of disease across the globe with particular deleterious impact among the elderly,” said researcher Dr Oscar Franco from Warwick Medical School in England.
While the study was conducted in elderly Chinese people, Dr Franco said the results are consistent with the findings of other studies in Western populations, and he suggested vitamin D deficiency could become a global health problem.
In adults, it is said vitamin D deficiency may precipitate or exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. There is also some evidence that the vitamin may reduce the incidence of several types of cancer and type-1 diabetes.
“Our results are consistent with those found in British and American populations. We found that low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of having metabolic syndrome, and was also significantly associated with increased insulin resistance,” he said.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterised by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Study details
In collaboration with colleagues from the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences in China, the researchers analysed Vitamin D levels in participants of the Nutrition and Health of Aging Population in China (NHAPC) project. Vitamin D levels were calculated using serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin in the body.
Vitamin D insufficiency, quantified as 25(OH)D levels below 75 nmol/L, was documented in 24 per cent of the people studied. Vitamin D deficiency, defined by the authors as 25(OH)D levels below 50 nmol/L, was recorded in 69 per cent of the people.
People with the lowest average 25(OH)D levels (28.7 nmol/l) were 52 per cent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than people with the highest average 25(OH)D levels (57.7 nmol/l), noted Franco and his co-workers.
Furthermore, the researchers noted links between 25(OH)D levels and insulin levels and insulin resistance in overweight and obese, but not normal weight, individuals.
“Vitamin D deficiency is common in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese and low 25(OH)D level is significantly associated with increased risk of having MetS and insulin resistance,” wrote the authors in the journal.
"Vitamin D deficiency is now recognised as a worldwide concern and metabolic syndrome has become a global epidemic. More research is needed to find out why older people are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D and how this is linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and related metabolic diseases," said Dr Franco.
Sun, fish or supplements?
The study adds to an ever growing body of science supporting the benefits of maintaining healthy vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors - D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320 nm), is said to be more bioactive.
While our bodies do manufacture vitamin D on exposure to sunshine, the levels in some northern countries are so weak during the winter months that our body makes no vitamin D at all, meaning that dietary supplements and fortified foods are seen by many as the best way to boost intakes of vitamin D.
Commenting independently on the study, Ed Yong from British charity Cancer Research UK said: "The amount of sunlight it takes to make enough vitamin D is always less than the amounts that cause reddening or burning, so it should be possible to get the benefits of this vitamin without increasing the risk of skin cancer.
"Elderly people can also boost their vitamin D levels by eating foods like oily fish, or by using vitamin D supplements on the advice of their GP."
Source: Diabetes Care
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.2337/dc09-0209
“Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentration and Metabolic Syndrome among Middle-aged and Elderly Chinese”
Authors: L. Lu, A. Pan, F.B. Hu, O.H. Franco, H. Li, X. Li, X. Yang, Y. Chen, Z. Yu, X. Lin
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Low-vitamin-D-may-boost-metabolic-syndrome-risk

Chewing almonds may boost satiety

Nutraingredients.com, 18-May-2009

Thorough chewing of almonds may increase the absorption of unsaturated fat and suppress hunger for longer, according to findings from Purdue University.
Chewing almonds 25 or 40 times before swallowing led to significantly more unsaturated fat than those who chewed the almonds only 10 times before swallowing, according to findings presented last week at the 17th European Congress of Obesity in Amsterdam and published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“These findings also emphasize the importance of examining chewing in the context of a weight management plan because participants reported their hunger was suppressed and their fullness was enhanced as a result of increased chewing of the almonds,” said study author Richard Mattes, PhD, RD.
The study was supported by a research grant from the Almond Board of California.
Satiety is seen as a key target in the battle against obesity, with figures from Europe showing that up to 27 per cent of men, 38 per cent of women, and 3 million children are clinically obese in some parts of the bloc.
The retail market for weight management products was estimated by Euromonitor International to be worth US$0.93bn (€0.73) in Europe in 2005 and $3.93bn in the US, indicating that call to slim down or face the health consequences is being heeded by a slice of the overweight population at least. Foods marketed for satiety enhance feelings of fullness after eating, acting as a boost to a person's will-power and helping them avoid a reversion to old habits in a bid to stave off hunger pangs, or 'grazing' in between meals.
The small study involved only 13 people with an average age of 24, and an average BMI of 23.1 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to chew 55g almonds 10, 25, or 40 times in a three-arm, crossover design. Blood was collected and appetite was monitored for three hours after feeding. The participants were also monitored for the next four days; with all foods were provided, including 55g almonds, which were consumed under the same chewing conditions. Complete fecal samples were collected.
Chewing 40 times was found to suppress hunger and elevate the feeling of fullness more than 25 chews. Furthermore, two hours after consumption, hunger levels were higher and fullness levels were lower after 25 chews than after 10 and 40 chews, said the researchers.
Levels of the appetite-suppressing hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were significantly higher following 40 chews, compared to 25 chews. Insulin concentrations were also observed to decline faster after 25 and 40 chews than after 10 chews.
“This new almond research indicates that chewing more thoroughly may increase the availability of unsaturated fat and previous research suggests smaller particle size also impacts the availability of other nutrients present in the fat, like vitamin E, to the body,” said Mattes.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, Volume 89, Pages: 794-800; oi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.26669
“Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility, appetite, and hormone response”Authors: B.A. Cassady, J.H. Hollis, A.D. Fulford, R.V. Considine, R.D Mattes
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Chewing-almonds-may-boost-satiety

Silk, SoyDream, Pacific Natural Foods and Vitasoy all Rebuked in New Soy Scorecard Ratings
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  May 19, 2009

(NaturalNews) The Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org) has just released a new report about organic soy products that's sending shockwaves through the soy industry. By compiling information on the sourcing of soybeans, the use of toxic chemicals for soy protein extraction, and the use or avoidance of genetically modified soybeans, the Cornucopia Institute has created an Organic Soy Scorecard that reveals which soy product companies are truly trustworthy vs. those that are not.

(NaturalNews contributed funding to this investigative reporting, specifically on the subject of the laboratory testing for hexane residues in soy products. Thank you to all NaturalNews readers and customers who allow us to earn the funds needed to support these important public safety research initiatives.)

The scorecard (http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/s...) takes into account:

• Where the soybeans are sourced from (many companies use "organic" soybeans sourced from China!)

• How the soybeans are processed (some companies bathe soybeans in toxic chemicals, then put the resulting extracts into infant formula!)

• How forthright the companies are in providing information to investigators.

• Whether the company tests for and avoids genetically modified soybeans.

... and other details.

You can read the full report on www.Cornucopia.org

Here's who came out on top:
The soy companies scorecard
5-star rating
• Eden Foods - 100% of their soybeans are grown in the U.S. and Canada.

• Vermont Soy (Vermont) - 100% of soybeans also grown in U.S. and Canada (mostly in Vermont). Low-heat pasteurization helps preserve soybean nutrients.

• Small Planet Tofu (Washington) - Buys solely from American farmers.

• FarmSoy (Tennessee) - Real tofu made from soybeans bought from American farmers.

• TwinOats (Virginia) - Buys soybeans from an organic family farm in Virginia.

• Unisoya / Green Cuisine (Canada) - They grown their own organic soybeans on 400 acres.

4-star rating
• Organic Valley
• Great Eastern Sun
• Fresh Tofu
• Wildwood
• Tofu Shop

3-star rating
• Harris Teeter

2-star rating
• Trader Joe's - refused to disclose sourcing information

1-star rating
• Pacific Natural Foods - Buys soybeans from China and refused to disclose the name of the organic certifier in China. Refused to respond to questions about the certification of their "organic" soybeans. Cornucopia wonders whether Pacific Natural Foods is engaged in "a marketing gimmick" when it claims its products are "Certified to the Source." (Certified by who?)

• Vitasoy USA - Buys soybeans from China.

• Westsoy / SoyDream (both owned by Hain Celestial Group) - Refused to share sourcing information.

• Silk (Dean Foods) - Refused to participate. Says the report: Since Dean Foods acquired WhiteWave, its founder, Steve Demos, has left the company, along with almost all of the pioneering management -- those who believed in "green" values. According to Demos, the company is now all about "green, with the dead presidents on it."
What to make of all this - the Health Ranger's opinion
Nothing in this report surprises me. In my opinion, these greenwashing, fake food companies like Dean Foods, Hain Celestial Group and Pacific Natural Foods are health food charlatans who intentionally deceive consumers about the integrity of their foods.

Armed with slick marketing campaigns, clever packaging and an abundance of corporate greed, these operators rip off the vocabulary and imagery of the natural health industry in order to sell products that are little more than a mirage.

Dean Foods, in particular, is much like the Monsanto of the food industry, in my opinion. Many of its products are made with monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sodium nitrite, a chemical linked with dietary-induced cancer. (http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html)

Hain Celestial Group is a "health" food conglomerate that routinely uses yeast extract in its foods (a form of hidden MSG). Its brands include Garden of Eatin', Health Valley, WestSoy, Earth's Best, Hain Pure Foods, Spectrum Naturals, Walnut Acres Organic, Imagine Foods, Rice Dream, Soy Dream, Ethnic Gourmet, Yves Veggie Cuisine, JASON, Avalon Organics, and Alba Botanica. I personally wouldn't buy anything from this conglomerate.

It's nice to know that Eden Foods was awarded the highest rating in this Cornucopia Institute report. Eden Foods' soy milk tastes like real soy milk, unlike Silk, which to me tastes like soy-flavored sugar water.

So if you want real soy milk, go with Eden Foods soy products.
The low down on soy
I've noticed a tendency in the natural health industry to lump all soy products into the same category. While soy was a high-demand item five years ago, today's best-informed natural health consumers tend to avoid soy products for various reasons.

The truth is that there's good soy and there's bad soy. It's much like the question of sugar. There's good sugar (raw sugar cane juice) and there's bad sugar (processed white table sugar). Same stuff, different process. So you get different outcomes and results.

Companies like Dean Foods (Silk) process the life out of their soy milk (in my view), while companies like Eden Foods manufacture real soy products that have tremendous health benefits! (Such as helping to prevent prostate cancer.)

As with any other food item, you can't just lump all soy products into the same boat and say they're good or bad. You have to assess them on a case-by-case basis, which is of course what this Soy Products Scorecard is all about.

Personally, I drink soy milk and eat real tofu in Ecuador right now. That's because our soy milk is made in our own kitchen by soaking (sprouting), grinding, straining and cooking non-GMO soybeans into a traditional, zero-sugar soy milk beverage.

Our soy tofu is made in town by a local resident who specializes in REAL tofu. It's the real deal.

I don't eat processed, corporate-branded soy products. Silk, in particular, is a complete joke, in my view.

The soy products I consume are real superfoods -- and they're made the same way in Asia, where soy is a routine part of the healthful diets consumed there. If you eat soy products the same way I eat soy products, you're getting good superfood into your diet. But if you purchase and consume junk soy products backed by powerful food conglomerates that are really only interested in profits instead of integrity, you're probably just consuming processed junk food with "soy" in the product name.

Be careful where you put your trust in any food product. "Natural" food companies will lie to you if they can get away with it, and most consumers are fooled by their slick promotional campaigns.

Please do your part to reward the honest, high-integrity soy companies like Eden Foods by giving them your business. And don't you dare buy anything from Dean Foods or Hain. Do not reward their business practices with your hard-earned dollars.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026294.html

1300 Girls Harmed by HPV Vaccines in UK; Bizarre Side Effects Like Paralysis and Epilepsy
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  May 19, 2009

(NaturalNews) More than 1,300 girls in the United Kingdom have experienced negative reactions to the government-mandated Cervarix vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV), according to adverse events reports collected from doctors by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

"When they introduced this new vaccine, we had major concerns about its safety," said Jackie Fletcher of Jabs, a support group for those negatively affected by vaccines. "The current statistics detailing adverse reactions -- including cases of epilepsy and convulsions -- bears out that we were right to be concerned."

Cervarix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, inoculates patients against strains 16 and 18 of HPV, which are believed to be responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The British government began a program to vaccinate all secondary school girls in September 2008, and 700,000 have received the injections so far. The government's plan is to have all girls under the age of 18 vaccinated by 2011.

Critics have objected, however, that the government based its decision on studies of women under the age of 26, rather than studies conducted on school-age girls. In addition, while the vaccine has been shown to prevent against HPV infection in the short term, there is no evidence of its long-term efficacy or that it actually lowers cancer rates.

The MHRA reports show a total of 2,891 adverse events reported in 1,340 girls. The majority were minor and short-lived problems, such as swelling, rashes, pain or mild allergies to the vaccine. A number of cases were more severe, however, including 20 cases of blurred vision, four cases of convulsions, one case of seizures and one epileptic fit. Five cases of partial paralysis were reported, including Bell's palsy (face), Guillain-Barre syndrome (legs), hyopaesthesia (loss of sense of touch) and hemiparesis (severe weakening or paralysis of half the body).

"The government needs to look at the future of this program given the number of side-effects coming through," Fletcher said.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026293.html

Breast Cancer Screening Not as Accurate or Life-Saving as Widely Believed
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  May 19, 2009

(NaturalNews) The British National Health Service has been accused of promoting the benefits of breast cancer screening without warning women of the risks, in a letter signed by 23 people and published in The Times. The letter came in response to the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Center of Breast Cancer and Screening, published in the British Medical Journal.

The Cochrane study concluded that the risks and benefits of breast cancer screening are far more complex than the picture presented by the NHS.

"The [NHS informational] leaflet has the authoritative title 'Breast Screening: The Facts' suggesting that the information can be trusted ... [but] it is inadequate as a basis for informed consent," lead researcher Peter Gotzsche said.

The researchers found that for every 2,000 women receiving regular breast cancer screening for 10 years, one life would be saved. At the same time, 10 women would receive unnecessary breast cancer treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy, and partial or full breast removal. Two hundred women, or one in 10, would receive a false positive on at least one test, although this would be discovered before serious treatment began.

The study also uncovered that while one in five breast cancers diagnosed is a non-invasive variety called ducal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) the NHS literature does not mention DCIS at all.

According to letter signatory Michael Baum, there is no evidence that the increase in breast cancer screening over recent years has actually led to lives being saved.

"The number of invasive breast cancers being detected is not falling, despite the number of cases picked up by screening rising dramatically," Baum said. "You would expect serious cancers to drop because the early detection means the DCIS cases are not progressing. It just doesn't add up."

Signatory and Minister of Parliament Margaret McCartney called for a reevaluation of government screening recommendations.

"It is complacent and arrogant to think we should carry on regardless with screening services," she said. "It is time we had a complete rethink."
http://www.naturalnews.com/026290.html

Cheerios police are at your door

Jim Smith, The Post Searchlight, Published Friday, May 15, 2009
Is nothing sacred?
Now it's Cheerios, that long-time breakfast cereal that has been in our pantries and in our stomachs since 1941.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has warned General Mills, makers of Cheerios, that they are in violation of federal law when the company advertises Cheerios as a cholesterol fighter and a heart-healthy food.
The FDA says, if it does those things as advertised, then Cheerios must be classified as a drug, and thus, since it does not have FDA approval as a drug, the company is in violation of federal law, subject to fines, forfeitures, incarceration, flogging, loss of citizenship, etc.
How Cheerios can claim it is heart healthy is simple.
Nutrition experts will tell you that oats are a natural food, high in fiber, low in cholesterol, an anti-oxidant, capable of cleaning clogged arteries, thereby making eating oats “heart healthy.”
Now, almost all of us at one time or another can open our pantries and discover a box of Cheerios on the shelf. At our house, it's a good bet there are two boxes, as it is our favorite get-up-and-go breakfast food. I buy it because of what it says on the box, it's heart healthy and lowers cholesterol. Besides, we like them.
(Ever wonder how many Cheerios, those tiny little “O’s,” are in a 15-ounce box? Or if you made a necklace from all those tiny little “O’s” in the box, how far in front of your house and down the street could you string them all together?)*
What the FDA also is complaining about is the company claim that by eating Cheerios every day, by the end of 30 days, your cholesterol count should be down by 10 percent.
That claim too enhances the FDA assumption that Cheerios could be designated “a drug,” and all drugs must be approved before human consumption.
Here's what's going to happen if General Mills doesn't change its advertising on the box.
There will be a knock on your front door, to which will appear the Cheerios police.
“Got any Cheerios in the house?” the Cheerios police from the Decatur County Sheriff's Office or Bainbridge Public Safety will demand.
Don't deny it, because if you do, he'll proffer a search warrant. You will be under arrest for harboring an illegal drug in your pantry, and you will also be subject to arrest for consuming an illegal drug, and be subject to fines, forfeitures, incarceration, flogging, loss of citizenship etc. ... totally embarrassed before your children, spouse, friends, neighbors, coworkers.
“The Cheerios police arrested Edna this morning,” your supervisor will tell your co-workers, “and her children were picked up by Department of Children and Family Services because she was classified as an unfit parent who served her kids Cheerios for breakfast. Don't let it happen to you,” he warned.
What does General Mills say about all this?
Well, they say Cheerios is the only ready-to-eat cereal clinically proven to lower cholesterol when eaten with a diet low in saturated fat. The wholesome goodness of oats is ideal as a nutritious breakfast or a snack for kids, teens and adults. One cup serving also gives you 50 percent of your daily folic acid needs. The FDA demands General Mills change its advertising claims, and General Mills responds by saying the dispute is over language not science.
Now get this.
Consumer Reports, after a study of the nutritional values of breakfast cereals advertised on Saturday morning kids television, has reported that Cheerios is the top-rated healthy food, high in fiber, very little sugar and sodium.
Consumer Reports also reported that Kix, Lucky Charmes and Frosted Mini Wheats received a “good” rating while Rice Crispies, Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Fruit Loops and Golden Crisps were rated only “fair” due to a high sugar content.
And lastly,
• 4,802 Cheerios were counted in the 15-ounce box. The necklace runs in front of the house and down the street at 73 feet; 2-5/8 inches.
• Cheerio.
http://www.thepostsearchlight.com/news/2009/may/15/cheerios-police-are-your-door/

Excessive Cola Consumption Can Lead To Super-sized Muscle Problems Warn Doctors

ScienceDaily (May 19, 2009) — Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes” says Dr Moses Elisaf from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Ioannina, Greece.
“Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.”
A research review carried out by Dr Elisaf and his colleagues has shown that symptoms can range from mild weakness to profound paralysis. Luckily all the patients studied made a rapid and full recovery after they stopped drinking cola and took oral or intravenous potassium.
The case studies looked at patients whose consumption ranged from two to nine litres of cola a day.
They included two pregnant women who were admitted with low potassium levels.
The first, a 21 year-old woman, was consuming up to three litres of cola a day and complained of fatigue, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. An electrocardiagram also revealed she had a heart blockage, while blood tests showed she had low potassium levels.
The second also had low potassium levels and was suffering from increasing muscular weakness.  It turned out she had been drinking up to seven litres of cola a day for the last 10 months.
In a commentary on the paper, Dr Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centre in Ohio relates the strange case of the ostrich farmer who returned from the Australian outback with muscle weakness. He had been drinking four litres of cola a day for the last three years and drank up to 10 litres a day when he was in the outback, causing a rapid reduction in his potassium levels.
He also relates a puzzling case he saw in his own clinical practice, which was solved when the patient turned up at his office with a two-litre bottle of cola in the basket of his electric scooter. It turned out he routinely drank up to four litres a day. He refused to stop drinking cola, but halved his consumption and the muscle weakness he had been complaining of improved.
In 2007 the worldwide annual consumption of soft drinks reached 552 billion litres, the equivalent of just under 83 litres per person per year, and this is projected to increase to 95 litres per person per year by 2012. However the figure has already reached an average of 212 litres per person per year in the United States.
It appears that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of the most common ingredients in cola drinks – glucose, fructose and caffeine.
“The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary in different patients” says Dr Elisaf.
“However in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role. This has been borne out by case studies that focus on other products that contain high levels of caffeine but no glucose or fructose.
“Despite this, caffeine free cola products can also cause hypokalaemia because the fructose they contain can cause diarrhoea.”
The authors argue that in an era when portion sizes are becoming bigger and bigger, the excessive consumption of cola products has real public health implications.   
“Although most patients recover when they stop drinking cola and take potassium supplements, cola-induced chronic hypokalaemia can make them more susceptible to potentially fatal complications, such as an irregular heartbeat” says Dr Elisaf.
“In addition, excessive consumption of any kind of cola can lead to a range of health problems including fatigue, loss of productivity and muscular symptoms that vary from mild weakness to profound paralysis.
“We believe that further studies are needed to establish how much is too much when it comes to the daily consumption of cola drinks.”  
Dr Packer agrees that the problem needs to be addressed.
“Cola drinks need to be added to the physician’s checklist of drugs and substances that can cause hypokalaemia” he says.
“And the soft drink industry needs to promote safe and moderate use of its products for all age groups, reduce serving sizes and pay heed to the rising call for healthier drinks.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075420.htm

Molecular Link Between Sleep And Weight Gain
ScienceDaily (May 18, 2009) — There appears to be a link between sleep and weight control, with some studies indicating that sleep disruption can increase weight gain and others that diet affects sleep. Victor Uebele and colleagues, at Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, have now provided further evidence to support this association by showing that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep in mice.
These data suggest that sleep and circadian treatment approaches may be of benefit in the fight against obesity.
Previous studies have shown that mice lacking the CaV3.1 T-type calcium channel have disrupted sleep/wake activity. In this study, the researchers found that these mice were resistant to weight gain when fed a high-fat diet. Consistent with these data, when normal-weight rodents were administered a drug that specifically antagonized T-type calcium channels during their inactive phase they showed increased sleep and were protected from weight gain due to a high-fat diet.
Further, when the same drug was given to obese rodents it reduced body weight and fat mass. The authors conclude that the benefits of the drug are likely to be a result of better alignment of feeding patterns and the circadian rhythm, and that targeting T-type calcium channels might provide a new avenue of research for those developing drugs to treat obesity.
 Antagonism of T-type calcium channels inhibits high-fat diet%u2013induced weight gain in mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 18, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172444.htm

Biological Link Established Between Tumors And Depression
ScienceDaily (May 18, 2009) — In a study that could help explain the connections between depression and cancer, researchers at the University of Chicago have used an animal model to find, for the first time, a biological link between tumors and negative mood changes.
The team determined that substances associated with depression are produced in increased quantities by tumors and are transmitted to the brain. Additionally, pathways that normally moderate the impact of depression-causing substances are disrupted when a tumor develops.
The research further showed that tumors induce changes in gene expression in the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that regulates emotion. Although researchers have long known that depression is a common outcome for people diagnosed with cancer, they had not known if it was brought on by a patient learning of the diagnosis or the result of treatments such as chemotherapy. Now a third source may have been identified.
"Our research shows that two types of tumor-induced molecules, one secreted by the immune system and another by the stress axis, may be responsible," said Leah Pyter, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of  the newly published paper. "Both of these substances have been implicated in depression, but neither has been examined over time frames and magnitudes that are characteristic of chronic diseases such as cancer," she said.
For their research, the team conducted a series of tests on about 100 rats, some of whom had cancer to determine their behavioral responses in tests of emotional state.
"Rats are commonly used to test drugs that are being studied for potential human benefits, such as treating depression," said Brian Prendergast, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, and the senior author on the study. "In this case, examining behavioral responses to tumors in non-human animals is particularly useful because the rats have no awareness of the disease, and thus their behavioral changes were likely the result of purely biological factors."
The team used tests commonly used in testing anti-depressants on rats and found that the rats with tumors became less motivated to escape when submitted to a swimming test, a condition that is similar to depression in humans. The rats with tumors also were less eager to drink sugar water, a substance that usually attracts the appetites of healthy rats.
Further tests revealed that the rats with tumors had increased levels of cytokines in their blood and in the hippocampus when compared with healthy rats. Cytokines are produced by the immune system, and an increase in cytokines has been linked to depression.
The team also found that stress hormone production also was altered in rats with tumors. The rats with tumors also had dampened production of the stress hormone corticosterone. The hormone helps regulate the impact of cytokines and reducing its production therefore increases the impact of cytokines.
The project was supported by an American Cancer Society fellowship, an NIH grant and a grant from the Brian Research Foundation.
Leah Pyter et al. Peripheral Tumors Induce Depressive-like Behaviors and Cytokine Production and Alter Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Andrenal Axis Regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (in press)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172440.htm

Derivative Of Red Sea Coral May Fight Skin Cancer

ScienceDaily (May 17, 2009) — Scientists at South Dakota State University are exploring the mechanisms by which a substance derived ultimately from Red Sea coral could help treat skin cancer.
The study built on earlier work by SDSU distinguished professor Chandradhar Dwivedi’s lab looking at the chemopreventive effects of sarcophine-diol, made from a substance called sarcophine that can be isolated from soft coral found in the Red Sea. The new study carried the work beyond looking at sarcophine-diol’s possible use in prevention of skin cancer to consider its potential as a tool in therapies to actually treat skin cancer.
“We are finding that sarcophine-diol could be used both for chemoprevention and as a chemotherapeutic agent,” Dwivedi said.
Specifically, the new SDSU research explored sarcophine-diol’s potential to inhibit cell growth of cancers, and also its potential to induce orderly, programmed cell death of skin cancer cells.
The scientists published their research findings in March 2009 in the academic journal Translational Oncology.
Dwivedi, head of SDSU’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, directed the study by departmental graduate student researcher Xiaoying Zhang. Other researchers involved included Ajay Bommareddy of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, a former graduate student in Dwivedi’s laboratory; SDSU graduate student Wei Chen of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Sherief Khalifa of Misr International University in Cairo, Egypt; assistant professor Radhey Kaushik, who has a joint appointment in SDSU’s Department of Veterinary Sciences and the Department of Biology and Microbiology; and associate professor Hesham Fahmy of the SDSU Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
SDSU researchers found that treating human skin cancer cells with different concentrations of sarcophine-diol for different lengths of time reduced the viability of cancer cells in each case. Related work showed that sarcophine-diol also inhibited the proliferation or uncontrolled growth of cancer cells.
The SDSU study also showed that sarcophine-diol induced apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells. The extent of apoptosis observed in different treatments in the study was correlated to the level of sarcophine-diol used, Dwivedi said.
However, sarcophine-diol did not induce what scientists call necrosis, or the premature death of healthy cells. Dwivedi said that is an important finding because it suggests sarcophine-diol could be used in treatments that specifically target cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells.
The SDSU experiment also looked at whether sarcophine-diol treatments could increase what is called DNA fragmentation, considered a biochemical hallmark of apoptosis — an indication that the cell is committed to die, in other words. At lower concentrations, sarcophine-diol didn’t significantly induce DNA fragmentation in skin tumor cells, but higher levels of sarcophine-diol did.
Finally, the SDSU study found that treatments with higher concentrations of sarcophine-diol induced higher level of so-called “executioner” proteins that have a role in apoptosis, or programmed cell death compared to a control group.
Importantly, the SDSU research found that sarcophine-diol did not significantly increase the level of the “executioner” proteins in normal cells. Sarcophine-diol had some effect on viability of healthy cells, but the results suggest sarcophine-diol is considerably more toxic to skin tumor cells than to healthy cells.
“Further investigations of sarcophine-diol in experimental models and in cell culture studies are needed to explore its mechanisms of action,” Dwivedi said. “Sarcophine-diol has excellent potential to be a potent chemotherapeutic agent that can be further investigated for use against nonmelanoma skin cancer development.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515152853.htm

High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (May 16, 2009) — A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published in the May 15, 2009 issue of PLoS Pathogens, the findings further demonstrate that, when coupled with other risk factors for heart disease, the virus can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
"CMV infects humans all over the world," explains co-senior author Clyde Crumpacker, MD, an investigator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at BIDMC and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "This new discovery may eventually provide doctors with a whole new approach to treating hypertension, with anti-viral therapies or vaccines becoming part of the prescription."
A member of the herpes virus family, CMV affects all age groups and is the source of congenital infection, mononucleosis, and severe infection in transplant patients. By the age of 40, most adults will have contracted the virus, though many will never exhibit symptoms. Once it has entered the body, CMV is usually there to stay, remaining latent until the immune system is compromised, when it then reemerges.
Previous epidemiological studies had determined that the CMV virus was linked to restenosis in cardiac transplant patients, a situation in which the heart's arteries "reblock." The virus had also been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, the hardening of the heart's arteries. But, in both cases, the mechanism behind these developments remained a mystery. This new study brought together a team of researchers from a variety of disciplines – infectious diseases, cardiology, allergy and pathology – to look more closely at the issue.
"By combining the insights of investigators from different medical disciplines, we were able to measure effects of a viral infection that may have been previously overlooked," explains Crumpacker.
In the first portion of the study, the scientists examined four groups of laboratory mice. Two groups of animals were fed a standard diet and two groups were fed a high cholesterol diet. After a period of four weeks, one standard diet mouse group and one high-cholesterol diet mouse group were infected with the CMV virus.
Six weeks later, the animals' blood pressures were measured by the cardiology team using a small catheter inserted in the mouse carotid artery. Among the mice fed a standard diet, the CMV-infected mice had increased blood pressure compared with the uninfected group. But even more dramatically, 30 percent of the CMV-infected mice that were fed a high-cholesterol diet not only exhibited increased blood pressure, but also showed signs of having developed atherosclerosis.
"This strongly suggests that the CMV infection and the high-cholesterol diet might be working together to cause atherosclerosis," says Crumpacker. In order to find out how and why this was occurring, the investigators went on to conduct a series of cell culture experiments.
Their first analysis demonstrated that CMV stimulated production of , and MCP1 – in theµthree different inflammatory cytokines – IL6, TNF infected mice, an indication that the virus was causing inflammation to vascular cells and other tissues.
A second analysis found that infection of a mouse kidney cell line with murine CMV led to an increase in expression of the renin enzyme, which has been known to activate the renin-angiotensin system and lead to high blood pressure. Clinical isolates of human CMV in cultured blood vessel cells also produced increased renin expression.
"Viruses have the ability to turn on human genes and, in this case, the CMV virus is enhancing expression of renin, an enzyme directly involved in causing high blood pressure," says Crumpacker. When the scientists inactivated the virus through the use of ultraviolet light, renin expression did not increase, suggesting that actively replicating virus was causing the increase in renin.
In their final experiments, the researchers demonstrated that the protein angiotensin 11 was also increased in response to infection with CMV. "Increased expression of both renin and angiotensin 11 are important factors in hypertension in humans," says Crumpacker. "What our study seems to indicate is that a persistent viral infection in the vessels' endothelial cells is leading to increased expression of inflammatory cytokines, renin and angiotensin 11, which are leading to increased blood pressure."
According to recent figures from the American Heart Association, one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, and because there are no known symptoms, nearly one-third of these individuals are unaware of their condition. Often dubbed "the silent killer," uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure, notes Crumpacker.
"We found that CMV infection alone led to an increase in high blood pressure, and when combined with a high-cholesterol diet, the infection actually induced atherosclerosis in a mouse aorta," says Crumpacker. "This suggests that further research needs to be directed at viral causes of vascular injury. Some cases of hypertension might be treated or prevented by antiviral therapy or a vaccine against CMV."
This study was funded by grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Study co-authors include Jielin Zhang of BIDMC's Division of Infectious Diseases (co-senior author); Jilin Cheng formerly of BIDMC's Division of Infectious Diseases and now at Fudan University, Shanghai, China (first author); Qingen Ke of BIDMC's Division of Cardiology; Zhuang Jin and Haiban Wang of BIDMC's Division of Allergy; Olivier Kocher of BIDMC's Division of Pathology; and James Morgan of Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston.