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Most clinical trials of vitamin supplements have flawed methodology

Most large, clinical trials of vitamin supplements, including some that have concluded they are of no value or even harmful, have a flawed methodology that renders them largely useless in determining the real value of these micronutrients, a new analysis suggests.

31 Dec 2013

Perinatal probiotic supplements do not prevent childhood asthma

There is insufficient evidence to support the use of probiotic supplements during pregnancy or infancy to prevent the development of asthma in infants, Canadian researchers report.

27 Dec 2013

Physicians study mothers' breast milk to determine correct amounts of nutrients for premature infants

Physicians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Maxine Dunitz Children's Health Center launched a pilot study in which mothers' breast milk is analyzed to determine whether premature infants are receiving the correct amounts of nutrients they need to thrive.

24 Dec 2013

Hazards of dietary supplements, new birth control device explored

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries reported by hospitals, according to The New York Times, while a surge in adverse event reports about Essure, a device hailed as next generation birth control, is explored by the Chicago Tribune. NPR looks at the increase in newborn screening tests.

23 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 23, 2013

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine today's deadline for enrolling for health insurance that would begin Jan. 1, as well as a variety of other health law stories and several articles on mental health issues:

23 Dec 2013

Longer looks: A 'biopsy chaperone;' medical errors at assisted living homes; 'wasting money' on multivitamins

At least 80 times in recent years, employees at San Diego County assisted living homes overlooked serious medical issues, gave the wrong medication or otherwise failed to properly care for vulnerable seniors. The problems arose as a result of the unique position held by the care homes, viewed by many families as health-care facilities even though they lack the required levels of training, supervision and oversight. The new cases were examined by U-T Watchdog as part of an ongoing partnership with the CHCF Center for Health Reporting at the University of Southern California (Jeff McDonald, 12/14).

20 Dec 2013

St. Louis College of Pharmacy's Amy Tiemeier suggests four easy resolutions for a healthier 2014

With the new year quickly approaching, many are beginning to think about resolutions. Amy Tiemeier, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy suggests four easy resolutions for a healthier 2014.

18 Dec 2013

Decreasing levels of reactive oxygen species can break cycle of unhealing wounds

Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million Americans at an annual cost of about $25 billion. Further, foot blisters and other diabetic ulcers or sores account for the vast majority of foot and leg amputations in the United States today.

18 Dec 2013

Selenium fails to protect NSCLC patients against second primary tumors

Selenium supplementation does not reduce the risk for second primary tumors in patients with resected non–small-cell lung cancer, researchers say.

17 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health law still facing major challenges; Ky. gov. questions McConnell's assessment of overhaul; Pa.'s Medicaid experiment is a 'sham'

The White House is claiming that the Healthcare.gov website is mostly fixed, that the millions of Americans whose health plans were canceled thanks to government rules may be able to keep them for another year, and that in any event these people will get better plans through ObamaCare exchanges. Whatever the truth of these assertions, those who expect better days ahead for the Affordable Care Act are in for a rude awakening. The shocks - economic and political - will get much worse next year and beyond (Michael J. Boskin, 12/15).

17 Dec 2013

Low vitamin D a consequence not a cause of ill health

Low vitamin D status is a marker of ill health rather than an underlying cause of disease, say the authors of a systematic review published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

16 Dec 2013

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

Those who travel to space are rewarded with a beautiful sight - planet Earth. But the effects of space travel on the human sense of sight aren't so beautiful. More than 30 percent of astronauts who returned from two-week space shuttle missions and 60 percent who spent six months aboard the International Space Station were diagnosed with eye problems. Two recent investigations examined mechanisms that may explain eye changes in spaceflight, help find ways to minimize this health risk to astronauts and eventually prevent and treat eye diseases on Earth.

13 Dec 2013

Vestiage selects ROI Media for direct to consumer marketing campaign

Vestiage, Inc., a publicly traded healthy aging lifestyle company focused on science-based premium branded highly potent cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals, announced today that it has engaged ROI Media to orchestrate its direct to consumer marketing campaign.

11 Dec 2013

Study links vitamin B12 deficiency to acid-suppressing medications

Long-term use of commonly prescribed heartburn and ulcer medications is linked to a higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

10 Dec 2013

Study offers new insight into benefits of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis

In mice with a rodent form of multiple sclerosis (MS), vitamin D appears to block damage-causing immune cells from migrating to the central nervous system, offering a potential explanation for why the so-called "sunshine vitamin" may prevent or ease symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, according to results of a study at Johns Hopkins.

9 Dec 2013

Low vitamin D levels: Not a cause but a consequence of ill health

A comprehensive review of the evidence suggests that low vitamin D levels are not a cause but a consequence of ill health, casting strong doubt on the value of vitamin D supplements to protect against acute and chronic disorders such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and even death.

6 Dec 2013

Older people ingest too much magnesium, vitamin E in the form of dietary supplements

Many older people are ingesting too much magnesium and vitamin E in the form of dietary supplements. This was discovered by scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München in a population-based study; their results have been published in 'The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging'.

5 Dec 2013

Research: Omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross blood brain barrier in Alzheimer's patients

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross the blood brain barrier in people with Alzheimer's disease, affecting known markers for both the disease itself and inflammation.

4 Dec 2013

Pfizer's Polish subsidiary acquires rights to Polocard from ZF Polpharma SA

Pfizer Inc. today announced that a wholly-owned Polish subsidiary of Pfizer has acquired the rights to Polocard, a low-dose aspirin (acidum acetylsalicylicum), and the leading over-the-counter brand for heart attack prevention in Poland, from ZF Polpharma SA.

3 Dec 2013

Vitamin D2 supplementation is promising treatment for pain, depression in type 2 diabetes

Vitamin D decreases pain in women with type 2 diabetes and depression, according to a study conducted at Loyola University Chicago. These findings were presented at an Oct. 24, 2013 research conference at Loyola's Health Sciences Campus.

2 Dec 2013