US Pharm.
2007;1:109-110.
Almonds May Protect Against Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk
According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, eating
almonds may play a role in avoiding blood sugar spikes after consumption of a
carbohydrate-rich meal of foods that raise blood sugar levels.
"We found that eating almonds can have a significant impact in blunting the
glycemic and insulin responses of the body when fed with a carbohydrate meal,"
said study coauthor Dr. Cyril Kendall from the University of Toronto. "Almonds
have already been found to reduce LDL [low-density lipoprotein] cholesterol
levels. Incorporating almonds in the diet may help in the management of blood
glucose levels and the onset of such illnesses as diabetes, while promoting a
healthy heart."
Arthritic Knees May Benefit
from Walking Barefoot
Despite what your mother told you, walking barefoot may have advantages in
helping to avoid osteoarthritis. According to a research article published in
the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, data support the fact that
walking in shoes increases the peak joint loads at the hips and knees. The
researchers found that walking barefoot resulted in an 11.9% decrease in knee
adduction movement. They also discovered that walking without shoes
significantly changed the stride, cadence, and range of motion at the lower
extremity joints but could not explain how this was connected to the reduction
in the peak joint loads.
The investigators concluded that since shoes may detrimentally increase loads
on lower extremity joints, modern shoes and walking practices may need to be
reevaluated with regard to their effects on prevalence and progression of
osteoarthritis.
Don't Be Fooled by Brewed "Decaf" Coffee
You may think you are drinking caffeine-free coffee when drinking brewed
coffee labeled as "decaf," but according to a study published in the
Journal of Analytical Toxicology, decaffeinated beverages are known to
contain caffeine in varying amounts. According to the study's coauthor, there
could still be enough caffeine content to cause physical dependence.
Based on the samples used in their study, researchers from the University of
Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville believe that there could be enough
caffeine in brewed "decaf" coffees to have "physiological and behavioral
effects on a person." They concluded that more research is needed to determine
the potential for physical dependence on low doses of caffeine.
Incidence of Stroke Decreased
over Past 50 Years
A study in JAMA shows that while stroke continues to be a major public
health concern, its incidence over the past half-century has decreased.
Researchers at Boston
University examined data from the Framingham Study to determine long-term
trends in the incidence, lifetime risk, severity, and 30-day risk of death.
The Framingham Study was a health study that involved participants initially
recruited in 1948. According to Raphael Carandang, MD, and his colleagues at
Boston University, their investigation included the original 9,152 Framingham
Study participants and offspring undergoing follow-up for up to 50 years over
three consecutive time periods (1950-1977, 1978-1989, and 1990-2004). They
found that the age-adjusted annual incidence of clinical stroke and
atherothrombotic brain infarctions in those participants ages 55 to 94
decreased over the three periods. The lifetime risk of clinical stroke
decreased from 19.5% to 14.5% in men age 65 and from 18% to 16.1% in women.
The authors noted, "The severity of stroke has not decreased and 30-day
mortality has decreased significantly only in men, perhaps due to an older age
at onset of stroke and more severe strokes in women." They added that "while
improved control of risk factors has lowered incidence of stroke, there is a
need for greater primary prevention efforts to reduce the lifetime risk,
severity, and 30-day mortality following stroke.
Sleep-Deprived Children Have Higher Obesity Risk
Childhood obesity may be linked to not getting enough sleep. That is the
conclusion of a British study published in the Archives of Disease in
Childhood. According to Dr. Shahrad Taheri of the University of Bristol,
while the lack of sleep may not be the only factor for the worldwide obesity
pandemic, a good night's sleep should be part of any approach to preventing
obesity.
Dr. Taheri believes that the lack of sleep may affect the body's energy
balance. And since being overweight in childhood generally continues into
adulthood, it is important that children get adequate amounts of sleep, in
addition to watching their diet, to help keep the pounds off. The
investigators observed that short sleep duration at the age of 30 months is
associated with obesity at age 7 years.
"Although changes in the basic balance between energy intake (food calories)
and expenditure (physical activity) are obviously responsible for the current
obesity pandemic, our understanding of the factors that alter this balance
remains incomplete. Intriguingly, sleep may be a factor that alters both sides
of the energy balance," said Dr. Taheri.
Risk of Hip Fractures Linked to Acid Suppression Drugs
Popular drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), used to reduce the
release of stomach acid in disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease
(GERD), are associated with a greater risk of hip fracture, according to a
recent study published in JAMA.
Although PPIs have helped millions of patients plagued with acid-related
diseases, research has shown that the PPI therapy may decrease insoluble
calcium absorption or bone density in certain patients, increasing the risk
for hip fracture, which has a death rate of 20% during the first year after
the fracture. And if a patient should survive the first year, 20% of this
population may require emergency room visits, hospitalization, surgery,
rehabilitation, and nursing home care.
According to a study led by Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE, at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, it was observed that "PPI
therapy is associated with a significantly increased risk of hip fractures,
with the highest risk seen among those receiving a high-dose PPI therapy." Dr.
Yang and his colleagues concluded that physicians should use the "lowest
effective dose" of PPIs in treating patients with acid-related diseases. "For
elderly patients who require long-term and particularly high-dose PPI therapy,
it may be prudent to reemphasize increased calcium intake, preferably from a
dairy source, and coingestion of a meal when taking insoluble calcium
supplements," they added.
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