Vascular cognitive impairment linked to B vitamin deficiency

In the August 26, 2008 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) report that a deficiency of three B vitamins is associated with cognitive dysfunction in mice, as well as adverse effects on the brain's capillaries.

Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy assistant professor Aron Troen, PhD and colleagues fed mice one of two diets designed to result in high homocysteine levels over a ten week period. Elevated plasma homocysteine has been linked with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. The first diet contained a high amount of the amino acid methionine, which metabolizes to homocysteine, and the second diet was deficient in folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, which help convert homocysteine back to methionine. A third group received normal diets.

"Mice fed a diet deficient in folate and vitamins B12 and B6 demonstrated significant deficits in spatial learning and memory compared with normal mice." Dr Troen reported. "The B vitamin-deficient mice also developed plasma homocysteine concentrations that were seven-fold higher than the concentrations observed in mice fed a normal diet."

Dr Troen's team additionally observed reductions in capillary length and density in the brains of mice that received B vitamin deficient diets. Mice that were given high methionine diets experienced similar effects, but to a lesser degree.

"The elevated levels of homocysteine that were associated with vascular cognitive impairment in the mice in our study are comparable to the levels that are associated in older adults with an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease, the latter of which manifests with conditions such as stroke and atherosclerosis," stated Irwin Rosenberg, MD, who is the director of the Nutrition and Neurocognition Laboratory at the HNRCA. "These findings may indicate that microvascular changes mediate the association between high homocysteine levels and human age-related cognitive decline."
Reported 9/08 LEF.ORG

The Better Benefits of Nutrition

As the new DSM manual, used to establish insurance billing guidelines for the most part, is under development it seems likely that nutritional care for mental health and addiction disorder will most likely continue to be ignored. 

It is unfortunate that this researcher did not continue research utilizing nutritional therapy to see how improved nutrition supports mood and health.

Usually sweet cravings are indicative of deficiency in B vitamins and in many cases, protein as well.

At CHI we think it is better to treat nutritionally than rely on carcinogenic-benzene-fluoride containing antidepressants.

Sweet tooth 'hints at depression'

While most children like sweets, those with an extra-sweet tooth may be depressed or at higher risk of future alcohol problems, researchers say.
The US team report in the journal Addiction that certain children are especially drawn to very sweet tastes.
These were children who had a close relative with an alcohol problem or who themselves had symptoms of depression.
But it is unclear if the preference for the very sweet is down to genuine chemical differences or upbringing.

The researchers say sweet taste and alcohol trigger many of the same reward circuits in the brain.

“ It may be that even higher levels of sweetness are needed to make depressed children feel better ”
Lead researcher Julie Mennella

Lead author Julie Mennella said: "We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good.
"In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to the intense sweetness due to their underlying biology."
Experts say alcoholics tend to have a sweet tooth.
But the link is less clear in children. Other US researchers have shown that a preference for the sweetest drinks was found in the ones undergoing growth spurts.
In the latest study, the scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center asked 300 children aged five to 12, of whom half had a family member with alcohol dependency, to taste five sweet water drinks containing different amounts of sugar.
The children were asked to say which tasted the best and were also asked questions to check for depressive symptoms.
A quarter had symptoms that the researchers believed suggested they might be depressed.
Sweet tooth
Liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children who had both a family history of alcoholism and reported depressive symptoms.

“ The taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption ”
Taste expert Professor Tim Jacob

These children preferred the drink containing the most sugar - 24% sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola.
This was a third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children.
The researchers then decided to test whether the children's taste difference had any impact on their reaction to pain or discomfort - past studies have suggested sweets may help act as analgesics as well as mood lifters.
They found non-depressed children were able to tolerate keeping their hands in very cold water for longer if they had a sugar hit.
However, the extra sugar did nothing to the depressed children's pain threshold.
Cardiff University's Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in smell and taste, said the findings were interesting, but that it was hard to make firm conclusions or generalisations from one study alone.
He said the findings could be down to brain chemistry, but might also be explained by behaviour and upbringing.
"While it is true that sweet things activate reward circuits in the brain, the problem is that sweets and sugar are addictive, because the activation of these reward circuits causes opioid release, and with time more is needed to achieve the same effect.
"But the taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption."

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8506758.stm
Published: 2010/02/10 © BBC MMX

FLU INFO RESOURCES

UPDATE: 11/21/09

Tamiflu resitance reported in North Carolina

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu spreads 'between patients'

One of 32 Tamiflu related articles from Natural Health News

WAVE  Vaccine Ingredient Information and News

Tamiflu dangers reported

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...

Swine Flu Campaign a mess

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Additional updates 11/12/09

Scientific comments

Blaming Vaccine Victims

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These new resources are from reliable colleagues, posted 11/08

Treating Children's Flu

Vitamin D and You

Some followup on vaccine mishaps.

Origianl post date: Wednesday, November 29, 2006

New Drug Approved for FMS - Read this first before your rush to buy it

I do agree that fibromyalgia is not an enjoyable condition. However, to me, and for all of the people who do live with FMS on a daily basis, I find it offensive that the only focus is to offer a risky drug that manages only the symptoms.

Are we so far removed from humanity that all of the millions in drug research can't be diverted to find the cure?

It is unfortunate that so little is made available in media outlets for those natural care approaches that have helped thousands with this diagnosis.

I am pleased to learn that my formulas, Heart Leaf Remedy 6:4 and ADVENTURX, have proven helpful to so many with fibromyalgia.

Our complete program has helped many to recover.

"Fibromyalgia is a complicated chronic pain condition, so it is important that physicians and patients have access to treatments that have been shown to help manage the symptoms that define the experience of fibromyalgia," Daniel Clauw, professor of anesthesiology and medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a company news release.

See also

BLACK BOX WARNING: SUICIDALITY AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGSSee full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.
• Increased risk of suicidal ideation, thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults taking antidepressants for major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Savella is not approved for use in pediatric patients (5.1)

The most frequently occurring adverse reactions (≥ 5% and greater than placebo) were nausea, headache, constipation, dizziness, insomnia, hot flush, hyperhidrosis, vomiting, palpations, heart rate increased, dry mouth, and hypertension (6.3).

SNRIs, including Savella, have been associated with reports of increase in blood pressure.

Patients taking prescription drugs need to be nutrition-conscious

Prescription drugs often become a necessary component of patients' health. And that presents a new need -- the need for physicians and pharmacists to discuss the possible ramifications of taking a prescription, including nutrient depletion in the body.

Most people are well-versed in the importance of vitamins, minerals, and herbs to their health. Stress, environmental pollutants, and poor diet all contribute to the depletion of nutrient levels in the body.

Unfortunately, most people are not aware of how prescription drugs create drug-induced nutrient depletion. This is an important issue that becomes even more important when a patient must take a prescription for a chronic condition.

As America ages, it's inevitable that more of the population will need prescription drugs for chronic conditions. There's already an influx of prescriptions for Americans' high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, and other health concerns. This is a prime opportunity to educate your patients about the need for nutritional therapy as an adjunct to taking prescription medications. Not only does this benefit the patient, but also enables you to integrate natural medicines into your clinic or pharmacy.

Consider that anti-hypertensive medications for blood pressure, drugs that comprise the sixth largest dollar-volume category of prescription drugs in the U.S. in 1998, will deplete zinc in the body. This mineral is crucial to the immune system and its many functions including wound healing and infection fighting. A zinc deficiency can also cause insulin resistance and sexual dysfunction.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor® and Zocor® comprise the third largest category of prescription drugs in the United States in 1998 and can easily deplete Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). On the flip side, magnesium may inhibit the absorption of these drugs. And even commonplace NSAIDs deplete nutrients like folic acid. And it's this deficiency that poses greater risk for women because of the link to cervical dysplasia and birth defects in their children. Other problems associated with a lack of adequate folic acid include anemia, depression, elevated homocysteine levels (and corresponding risk of cardiovascular disease), and increased risks for developing breast and colorectal cancers.

Antidepressant Drugs
Includes drugs used to stimulate the mood of a depressed patient. Some are used in eating disorders, treating obesity, and panic disorders. Drugs include tricyclic and SSRI medicines such as Amitriptyline, Elavil, Tra-zodone, Desipramine, Pamelor, Nortriptyline, Serzone, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and Imipramine.

B-Complex Vitamins: Additional B--vitamins are critical when taking antidepressants for short or extended periods. Vitamin B12 and folic acid are especially necessary. There may also be an additional need for riboflavin (B2) and pyridoxine(B6, necessary to produce serotonin).

Selenium: Stores of selenium are compromised with extended use of these drugs. A suggested supplementation dose would be 50 to 100 micrograms daily.

Zinc: Depletion of this antioxidant can slow wound healing and reduce the sense of taste. Supplement with a dose of 10--35 mg per day.

L-Gluthathione: An important amino acid that decreases free radicals and helps to protect your liver.

Calcium/Magnesium: Take for nutritional support, along with additional minerals.

Vitamin C, CO Q 10, and some reports of sodium depletion.