Bob Condor blogs every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and weekend for Alternative Health Journal.
Along with bringing the latest news and trends about alternative health, Bob will help you get the most of your Internet health research. Bob is the Living Well Columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.He covers health and quality of life for the Hearst-owned newspaper and writes regularly for national magazines. He is a former syndicated health columnist for the Chicago Tribunetwice nomin
In a study aimed at determining the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in selected subgroups in the United States, serum concentrations of total vitamin C were measured in 7,277 noninstitutionalized subjects 6 years of age or older (from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-4). As compared to results of the NHANES III (1988-1994) which found 13% of the US population to be vitamin C deficient (serum concentrations < 11.4 micromol/L), re... Read Full Story
In a randomized study involving 106 overweight and obese subjects (mean BMI: 33.7), adherence to an energy-restricted, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet for a period of 1 year was found to be more beneficial to mood and overall psychological health, as compared to adherence to an isocaloric, energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet for 1 year. Over the course of 1 year, the weight loss (13.7 kg) was not significantly different between the 2 groups. On the other hand, psycho... Read Full Story
In a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial involving perimenopausal or postmenopausal women experiencing hot flashes, treatment with acupuncture (12 treatments over a period of 4 weeks), in addition to usual care, was found to be significantly more effective at reducing hot flashes (-16.54 reduction in 24 hour hot flash score) and other menopausal symptoms (psychological, somatic, and urogenital symptoms), as compared to usual care alone (-6.93). The authors conclude, “Our re... Read Full Story
In a study involving 50 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age recently (within a week) diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and 50 healthy children, mean vitamin D levels were significantly lower among the children with T1D (20.02 ng/mL), as compared to healthy controls (26.16 ng/mL). 58% of children with T1D were found to be vitamin D deficient (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) and 86% were deficient or insufficient, as compared to 32% deficient among the healthy children and 7... Read Full Story
In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 323 generally healthy men, supplementation with calcium (1200 mg/d) was found to be associated with downward trends in blood pressure, particularly in subjects with low baseline intakes of calcium (below the median value of 785 mg/d), with systolic BP reduced by 4.2 mm Hg and diastolic by 3.3 mm Hg. Low intake of magnesium showed a similar interaction. Calcium supplementation was not found to be associated with changes in the ratio of... Read Full Story
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 40 patients with migraine headaches (with aura), supplementation with magnesium (600 mg/d) for a period of 3 months was found to reduce the frequency, severity, and P1 amplitude in visual evoked potential examination. In addition, those treated with magnesium were found to have reductions in post/pre-treatment ratios of migraine attack frequency, severity, and P1 amplitude. Significant increases in cortical blood flow in... Read Full Story
In a placebo-controlled study involving 20 recreational marathon runners, results indicate that consumption of tart cherry juice may enable recovery following a marathon run. The subjects were assigned to consume cherry juice or placebo for 5 days before, the day of and for 48 h following a marathon run. Isometric strength recovery was significantly faster in the cherry juice group, compared with the placebo group. Additionally, inflammation and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive spec... Read Full Story
In a randomized, controlled study involving 459 Guatemalan women, results indicate that supplementation with micronutrients containing folic acid may be associated with a lower risk of developing depression. The women were randomized to 1 of 4 groups for 12 weeks: 1) received weekly 5,000 microg folic acid (FA) plus iron, zinc and vitamin B-12; 2) received weekly 2,800 microg folic acid (FA) plus iron, zinc and vitamin B-12; 3) received daily 400 microg folic acid (FA) plus iron, zinc ... Read Full Story
In a study involving 43 subjects with hyperlipidemia (30 females, 13 males), consumption of 2 kiwi fruit per day for a period of 8 weeks was found to significantly increase levels of HDL cholesterol, vitamin C and vitamin E, and significantly decrease LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. Moreover, significant changes in the lag time of LDL oxidation and malondialdehyde + 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal were associated with kiwi fruit consumption as ... Read Full Story
In a study involving women between the ages of 50 and 79 years of age, intakes of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were associated with 2-fold higher prevalence of intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), comparing subjects in the highest versus the lowest quintiles of intakes. Intakes of total fat and saturated fatty acids were associated with increased prevalence of AMD (multivariate adjusted odds ratios: 1.7 for the highest versus the lowest quintile of to... Read Full Story
