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Classic Presentation of Celiac Disease Is Not Most Common – (11-08-01)

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Classic Presentation of Celiac Disease Is Not Most Common

This interesting portion of this article is that one third of patients in this study were originally identified as having irritable bowel syndrome. Most patients had seen three physicians before the correct diagnosis was made. Celiac disease is an allergy to one of the proteins found in certain grains, principally wheat. The take home message here is that any patient with IBS (and any GI complaints in general) needs to be put on an elimination diet devoid of the common allergens wheat, dairy, corn and soy.

66th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology The classic presentation of celiac disease, severe malabsorption symptoms beginning in childhood, is actually not the most common presentation, according to study findings presented Monday at the 66th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Robert D. Zipser, from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California, and colleagues surveyed 1032 patients with biopsy-proven celiac disease to determine the most common presentations. The median age at diagnosis was 46 years and 14 patients were over 80 years when first diagnosed, the investigators note. Only 12% of patients were diagnosed before 10 years of age. Most patients had normal weights at diagnosis. While diarrhea was a common initial symptom, a few patients presented with constipation. Anemia, fatigue, flatus, bloating, and abdominal pain were also frequent presentations. Five percent of patients were asymptomatic. Most patients saw three physicians prior to being diagnosed. More than a third of patients were initially diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, the investigators report. The median time from initial presentation to biopsy-proven diagnosis was 1 year. However, 19% of patients had symptoms for more than 10 years before being diagnosed. “The goal of the study was to help physicians recognize celiac disease,” says Dr. Zipser. “Physicians often think of it as a rare malabsorptive disease limited to childhood,” he said. “However, the current findings indicate that celiac disease usually presents in adulthood with symptoms mimicking those of irritable bowel syndrome,” he added. While the findings indicate that adult onset is common, Dr. Zipser pointed out that for a small minority of patients the disease was probably missed during childhood. “Many symptoms which are typical of the childhood form are relatively uncommon in the adult form,” Dr. Zipser stated. For example, “weight loss is common in the childhood form, but uncommon in the adult form,” he noted. In fact, he added “some of the patients were actually obese,” he added. While all of the patients in the current study underwent small bowel biopsy, Dr. Zipser noted that it is now quite easy to diagnose celiac disease. “A simple blood test can determine whether antibodies to wheat products are being made,” he explained.

Soy Extract Slows Prostate Cancer Growth in Mice – (06-21-01)

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Soy Extract Slows Prostate Cancer Growth in Mice

More evidence is accumulating that altered estrogen metabolism in men can lead to prostate problems. This would be the unhealthy conversion of estrogen into a more dangerous by product, potentially irritating the prostate. It makes sense that soy would attunate these effects. Cruciferous vegetables high in indole-3-carbinol (brussel sprouts, broccoli) would also aid the proper metabolism of estrogens.

American Urological Association meeting in Anaheim, California The soy extract, genistein, slows prostate cancer growth in mice, suggesting a possible role as an adjunct to conventional therapy or as a preventive agent, according to Dr. Ralph deVere White, director of the University of California Davis Cancer Center, who presented his findings on Saturday at the American Urological Association meeting in Anaheim, California. Dr. White’s team treated PC-3 prostate cancer cells with aglycone isoflavones (GCP), a proprietary form of genistein that functions as a general protein kinase inhibitor, or with AHCC, a non-specific immune modulator found in shiitake mushrooms. The investigators also tested the two compounds in combination. GCP reduced PC-3 cell growth in a dose-dependent fashion. It also reduced vascular endothelial growth factor production, increased p21 production and induced apoptosis. AHCC enhanced GCP’s effects, but had no effect on prostate cancer cell growth when used alone. Armed with this information, Dr. White’s team subcutaneously inoculated 32 five-week-old nude mice with the treated prostate cancer cells. Some of the mice also received water or water plus genistein daily. “There was a significant drop in the cancer growth of the mice fed genistein in water,” Dr. White told Reuters Health. He said his team plans to continue their studies of GCP in a clinical trial of men with prostate cancer who have failed radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy and have a slow rising PSA to see if the extract can lower the PSA. “If it can, it might be used in an adjuvant fashion to make radiation therapy more effective and ultimately as a chemopreventive agent. But that is a long way off,” he added.

Genistein Increased DMBA-Induced Mammary carcinoma in mice – (12-27-01)

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Genistein Increased DMBA-Induced Mammary carcinoma in mice

This article shows an increase in carcinogen induced breast tumors in mice. A few things to consider here. I have always said that there is a danger in taking components of natural compounds and taking them in high levels. Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom put compounds together in foods to work together. Unfortunately, many times certain “health companies” grab onto an idea and mutate it. Soy based diets have shown to protect against many chronic health conditions. Remember that soy based diets usually include high levels of whole grains as well as vegetables and spices. If we take one or two compounds in soy, isolate them and manufacture them in high levels of course we’re likely to see adverse effects.

Read entire article here

Ipriflavone in the Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis – (04-23-01)

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Ipriflavone in the Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

I’ve quite frequently expressed by views towards using whole foods whenever possible. Nature put certain compounds into our food that can interact positively with each other. By trying to isolate and mass produce the believed active ingredient we may be missing out on the interactions of these substances working together to achieve the best clinical response with the least amount of side effects. I firmly believe that soy is the same way–we are abusing the key components of soy. And remember that the approach to today’s chronic diseases requires attacking the problem from all angles–not just one aspect.

Ipriflavone in the Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Read entire article here

Soy Product Consumption Seems to Protect Against Hot Flashes – (05-31-01)

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Soy Product Consumption Seems to Protect Against Hot Flashes

Those of us following natural medicine didn’t exactly drop our jaws at this study. I would like to take this opportunity to explain something that most people would find very shocking. During perimenopause, it has been shown that women’s estrogen levels are actually high. That seems to run totally contrary to what the medical dogma says, huh? Symptoms such as hot flushes actually result from a rapid change in estrogen levels. So, the goal of a woman in perimenopause is NOT to fall into the knee jerk HRT therapy, but rather to work on lowering the highs and raising the lows so that these rapid shifts of estrogen levels do not occur. Phytoestrogens such as those found in soy can help raise the lows as well as lower the lows. Progesterone cream can help to lower the highs as well. Hopefully you can start to see a nice program that can reduce or eliminate hot flushes safely and quickly.

Am J Epidemiol 2001;153:790-793 A dietary survey of Japanese women indicates that intake of soy products correlates inversely with menopausal hot flashes. Dr. Chisato Nagata and colleagues, from Gifu University School of Medicine, in Japan, report the results of a prospective study analyzing the association between soy intake and the onset of hot flashes in 1106 women between the ages of 35 and 54 years who were premenopausal at baseline. During the study period, 101 women experienced new moderate or severe hot flashes according to the Kupperman test of menopausal distress. After controlling for age, total energy intake, and menopausal status, hot flashes were significantly inversely associated with soy product consumption and isoflavone intake. Hazard ratios for hot flashes were 0.47 and 0.42 for high versus low tertiles of soy product and isoflavone intake, respectively, the team reports. “Although traditional hormone replacement therapy is effective in controlling hot flashes, compliance with this therapy is not great, and there is a desire for a more natural approach to the management of menopausal symptoms,” Dr. Nagata and colleagues say. “Our findings suggest that consumption of soy products is a practical strategy for preventing hot flashes.

Exposure to Soy-Based Formula in Infancy – (11-26-01)

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Exposure to Soy-Based Formula in Infancy

When it comes to infant feeding breastfeeding for at least 6 months is unquestionably the best. Unfortunately this is not common and the infant is moved to formula too early. At this point we have an immature immune system being bombarded with foreign proteins via the GI tract. I don’t care what type of formula is offered–dairy, soy, goat…the risk of sensitization is high. The developing immune system just cannot handle it. If breastfeeding cannot be continued (and many times it is discontinued inappropriately because of some GI or skin complaint in the infant that is really related to the modifiable maternal diet and NOT the breastfeeding itself) than a hydrolyzed formula that has already undergone significant protein degradation is the best option. Less proteins for the infant to react to.

Exposure to Soy-Based Formula in Infancy

Read entire article here

Caution Urged on Soy-Based Menopause Remedies – (05-02-02)

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Caution Urged on Soy-Based Menopause Remedies

Remember what I said about natural medicine being held to a higher standard than traditional medicine? Here we have a researcher saying that we are not fully informed on how soy works in the human body and so we need to be careful with its use. A little reality check for the author–a large chunk of the drugs listed in the PDR have “mechanism of action unknown” on them and yet we throw these about like candy. But soy, with literally centuries of use, needs to be approached with caution. I would have to add that using soy supplements that have the percieved active constituents concentrated is probably not the best way to approach the use of soy in a healthy lifestyle.

British Endocrine Societies’ annual meeting in Harrogate, Yorkshire Apr 08 – So little is known about how plant oestrogens act on the human body that sales of soy supplements as a “natural” alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) must be questioned, a researcher reported on Tuesday at British Endocrine Societies’ annual meeting in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Soy has been widely promoted as a natural alternative to HRT. Soy contains genistein, a plant oestrogen that has similar but weaker effects as the oestrogen found in women. But Dr. Saffron Whitehead, reader in reproductive physiology at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, London, said new studies on human cells have shown that genistein and other phyto-oestrogens may also block the enzymes that make these hormones. This could explain why the incidence of breast cancer, which in many cases is dependent on oestrogen, is about two thirds lower amongst Japanese and Chinese women who consume diets rich in soy compared with women living in England, she told her colleagues. Dr. Whitehead’s team examined the effects of phyto-oestrogens on human ovarian cells obtained during procedures for in vitro fertilization. The results showed that several phyto-oestrogens, including genistein, inhibited the conversion of androgen to oestrogen. The researchers believe this could be significant in postmenopausal women because as ovaries cease to function in menopause, oestrogen converted from androgen becomes the only source of oestrogen. “This finding is potentially important to the phyto-oestrogen story,” Dr. Whitehead said in a statement. “We really don’t know how phyto-oestrogens act in the human body. They could be weak oestrogen mimics, oestrogen blockers or enzyme inhibitors. “If they do stop the natural production of oestrogens, we should consider whether soy supplements be sold as a natural alternative to HRT.”

Eat Soy: Prevent Baldness and Prostate Cancer? – (08-30-02)

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Eat Soy: Prevent Baldness and Prostate Cancer?

A naturally occurring substance, DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, is a byproduct of the male hormone testosterone that helps control the development and functioning of the prostate gland; in most men, DHT is relatively harmless. However, some studies have shown that high levels of DHT can damage hair follicles, leading to male pattern baldness, or lead to an enlarged prostate or, in extreme cases, cancer of the prostate gland.

Researchers in the U.S. and China recently discovered that the answer to stopping DHT may be as easy as eating soy. The scientists conducted a pair of experiments in which two sets of rats were injected with “equol,” a molecule abundant in soybeans and other soy-based products. While the equol did not prevent DHT from being made, it “handcuffed” the hormone by binding to and deactivating it.

“Directly binding and inactivating DHT without influencing testosterone gives equol the ability to reduce many of the harmful effects of androgens [male hormones] without affecting the beneficial ones,” said the study’s lead researcher. Another one of the study authors added that the findings “are of immense clinical importance.”

Additional information about the benefits of sound nutrition can be found at http://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Reference: Lund TD, Munson DJ, Haldy ME, et al. Equol is a novel anti-androgen that inhibits prostate growth and hormone feedback. Biology of Reproduction 2004;70:1188-1195.