Cancer: An alkaline, low-salt diet with ample fruits and vegetables minimizes pH gradient reversal thereby reducing tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance

 

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

 

 

Normally, tissues demonstrate a slightly acidic intracellular pH (pHi) and slightly alkaline extracellular pH (pHe).

However, proliferating tissues demonstrate transient pH Gradient Reversal i.e. alkalinization of pHi and acidification of pHe.

Persistent and magnified pH Gradient Reversal is a hallmark of cancer.
High acidic pHe is toxic to normal cells and beneficial to tumor cells giving them a proliferative advantage.

It further augments tumorigenesis by upregulating proteolysis, genomic instability, immunosuppression, thereupeutic resistance and angiogenesis.

A more basic pHi on the other hand protects tumors from acidic pHe induced apoptosis and enhances their proliferation.

This event occurs quite early and is essential for tumorigenesis.
It increases the activity of glycolytic enzymes, resulting in the augmented production of cancerous building blocks.

It inhibits the cell cycle arrest mediated by DNA damage and promotes G2-M transition.
This allows for unrestricted proliferation and accumulation of genetic instability in tumor cells.
The pH Gradient Reversal can possibly be considered as the most distinct cancer specific abnormality and a mandatory event universally present in all kinds of cancerous cells and tissues.

Furthermore, it is manifest even during the commencement of tumorigenesis and is essential for the survival and proliferation of tumors, irrespective of their pathology, genetics and origins.
Based on these facts, we propose a novel hallmark of cancer – “pH gradient reversal”.

A low salt diet enriched with fruits and vegetables due to its alkaline nature can minimize pH Gradient Reversal by the tumors, thereby reducing their aggressive nature and therapeutic resistance.
Moreover, therapies specifically targeting this tumor hallmark are likely to offer a valuable adjunct to the conventional ones focused exclusively on killing tumor cells, and even replace the older, more toxic and non-selective therapeutic strategies.

We firmly believe that this hallmark should be added to the list of already existing ones.

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Dr. Mohit Sharma, Dr. Madhusudan Astekar, Dr. Sonal Soi, Dr. Bhari S. Manjunatha, Dr. Devi C. Shetty and Dr. Raghu Radhakrishnan.
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, ITS-CDSR, India.
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Chronic fatigue syndrome affects 1 in 50 16-year-olds

 

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

In what is believed to be the biggest study of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) — also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) — in children to date, researchers at the University of Bristol (UK), have found that almost 2 per cent of 16-year-olds have CFS lasting more than six months and nearly 3 per cent have CFS lasting more than three months (the UK definition). Those with CFS missed, on average, more than half a day of school every week.

The researchers looked at the condition in 5,756 participants in Children of the 90s and found that girls were almost twice as likely as boys to have the condition. This is because CFS/ME became more common in girls between 13 and 16 but not in boys. Children from families experiencing greater adversity were more likely to have the condition, dispelling the commonly held view that CFS is a ‘middle-class’ illness or ‘yuppie-flu’. The definition of adversity included poor housing, financial difficulties and a lack of practical and/or emotional support for the mother.

The researchers point out that the diagnosis of CFS was not made by a doctor but is based on responses to questionnaires sent to both the teenagers and their parents.

Dr Esther Crawley, a consultant paediatrician specialising in CFS/ME and the senior author of the report, said:

‘This is an important study because it shows that CFS/ME is much more common in teenagers than previously recognised. Treatment at this age is effective for most children but few have access to treatment in the UK. Children attending my specialist service at the Royal United Hospital in Bath only attend two days a week of school on average. This means that only the most severe cases are getting help. As paediatricians, we need to get better at identifying CFS/ME, particularly in those children from disadvantaged backgrounds who may be less able to access specialist care.’
Dr Simon Collin, the report’s lead author added:

‘CFS is a very debilitating illness which has a huge impact on the lives of children and their families, and the results of our study underscore the need for further research into the causes of, and improved treatments for, paediatric CFS.’

Mary-Jane Willows, chief executive of the Association of Young People with ME, said:
‘We are encouraged by the results of this study as, at last, our children, their families and those fighting for a diagnosis have the evidence they need. Evidence confirming the condition as being not only really common but, more significantly, evidence reflecting the high level of suffering with which they are forced to live.

‘Our own research in 2015 revealed that 94 per cent of children with ME/CFS reported being disbelieved and, combined with the results of this study, we hope this unequivocal need for a far better level of understanding from health and education professionals will signal the beginning in a shift in access to treatment, with currently only 10 per cent having access to a specialist. We also hope this research leads to a reduction in the high number of unjustified allegations of harm made against parents.’

Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of Action for ME added:

‘This important study, analysing data from parent- and child-completed questionnaires, highlights the increased prevalence of ME among 16-year olds, pointing with even greater urgency to the need for effective treatments. We know from contact with the parents of children with ME that this disabling condition impacts on every area of family life. The reality is that many young people miss considerably more than half a day of school a week, while for the most severely affected, their disabling symptoms are compounded by the isolation and loss that comes with being house- and/or bed-bound.’
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Chiropractic care for low back pain: new guidelines

 

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

Arlington, Va. – The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), the official scientific journal of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), published an update to a previously issued evidence-based clinical practice guideline on chiropractic management of low-back pain (LBP). The update, which revised and combined three previous guidelines, supports that doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are well-suited to diagnose, treat, co-manage and manage the treatment of patients with low-back disorders.

Clinical practice guidelines require regular updating to be considered current. To that end, a formal systematic review of LPB literature was conducted for the current update using the Delphi technique and included 37 panelists, of whom 89 percent had worked in private practice for an average of 27 years. Panelist consensus was reached after one round of revisions; the vast majority of recommendations remained unchanged. The previous Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters guidelines were developed in 2008 and expanded twice over the intervening years.

The updated guideline provides recommendations throughout the continuum of care from acute to chronic and offers the chiropractic profession an up-to-date evidence — and clinical practice experience-informed resource outlining best practice approaches for the treatment of patients with LBP. Key recommendations are as follows:

• Routine imaging or other diagnostic tests are not recommended for patients with non-specific LBP. Imaging is indicated in the presence of severe and/or progressive neurologic deficits or if the history or physical exam causes suspicion of serious underlying pathology.
• The hierarchy of clinical methods used should generally correspond to the existing level of evidence (i.e., use treatments that are well-supported by evidence first, before moving on to other treatments that are less supported by evidence but that have been shown to be effective through practitioner experience).
• Active care (exercise) clinical strategies can aid in functional recovery from a re-conditioning perspective and also to improve “locus of control” (promoting patient self-reliance) from a psychosocial perspective.
• Informed consent should be obtained from the patient. The diagnosis, exam and any proposed procedures should be explained clearly. Any material risks associated with the proposed treatment should be reviewed (the definition of what is a “material risk” can vary depending on the state), as well as risks associated with other treatment options and the risk of doing nothing.
• Evidence reviewed does not generally support the use of therapeutic modalities (ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc.) in isolation; however their use as part of a passive to active care multimodal approach to LBP management may be warranted based on clinical judgment and patient preferences.

“The updated LBP guideline continues to vigorously promote the use of published research evidence along with clinical practice experience to establish recommendations on clinical methods designed to improve patient care and outcomes,” said ACA President Anthony Hamm, DC, FACO. “It is expected that through constant improvement in clinical methods, chiropractic physicians can elevate the profession and influence greater acceptance of chiropractic in integrated health care delivery systems so that we can better serve the American public.”

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Information for patients about LBP is available here: http://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics
Read the full study in the JMPT: http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(15)00184-0/abstract
ATTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF MANIPULATIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL THERAPEUTICS IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.

About the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT)

JMPT is dedicated to the advancement of chiropractic health care. It provides the latest information on current developments in therapeutics, as well as reviews of clinically oriented research and practical information for use in clinical settings. The Journal’s editorial board includes some of the world’s leading clinical low-back and spine researchers from medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic and post-secondary education. The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics is the official scientific journal of the American Chiropractic Association.

About the American Chiropractic Association
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and patient care, contributing to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit us at http://www.acatoday.org.

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Intensive exercise with intervals “more effective”

 

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

     

Short bursts of intensive exercise provide a more “time-efficient” and realistic way of preventing, delaying and managing Type 2 diabetes and also losing weight, a study has found.
Small amounts of vigorous activity in quick successions are more “effective” compared to longer forms of exercise optimising the body’s ability to use and store blood sugar, the research by the University of Leicester and the NIHR Leicester-Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) has found.

The paper ‘The effects of high-intensity interval training on glucose regulation and insulin resistance:
a meta-analysis’ has been published in the journal Obesity Reviews.
Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are linked, with over 80 per cent of people with the condition classed as overweight or obese – diet and physical activity interventions are the cornerstones for management of both conditions.

The effects of exercise on Type 2 diabetes and improving the body’s ability to use insulin to absorb blood sugar are well established, but its impact on weight regulation is more controversial.
The guidelines for weight loss suggest that 200 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week are required for long-term reductions, but previous research found that only five per cent of people in some industrialised countries achieve this amount. Recently, however, effects of physical activity on health in the absence of weight loss, have emerged.

In response, the study has proposed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as an alternative: “time-efficient exercise intervention that may bring about similar benefits to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise”.

Researcher Charlotte Jelleyman said: “This study involved a meta-analysis of experimental research, allowing us to pull together evidence and establish cause and effect. We have demonstrated that HIIT conveys benefits to cardiometabolic health which in the cases of insulin resistance and aerobic fitness may be superior to the effect of traditional continuous training.

“HIIT may therefore be suitable as an alternative to continuous exercise training in the promotion of metabolic health and weight loss, particularly in those with Type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. However, given the identified limitations, more research is needed to determine both behavioural responses and clinical benefits over the longer term.”

The NIHR Leicester-Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity BRU is a national centre of excellence in diet, lifestyle and physical activity based in Leicester and Loughborough. It harnesses the power of experimental science to explore and develop ways to help prevent and treat chronic disease.


For more information about the study, visit:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26481101

Full bibliographic information

The effects of high-intensity interval training on glucose regulation and insulin resistance: a meta-analysis; Jelleyman C1,2, Yates T1,2, O’Donovan G1, Gray LJ3, King JA2,4, Khunti K1,5, Davies MJ1,2.; Obes Rev. 2015 Nov;16(11):942-61. doi: 10.1111/obr.12317

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5 Food Ingredients That Can Help with Weight Management

 

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

 

 

Newswise — CHICAGO—Weight loss is often one of consumers’ top resolutions for the New Year. While the basic premise of losing weight is to consume less calories than calories burned, weight management has evolved over the years and includes a focus on burning fat, building lean muscle, boosting metabolism and suppressing appetite. In the January issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), contributing editor Linda Milo Ohr writes about six ingredients that can play a role in weight management.

Nuts

 Nuts are not only nutritious and convenient, they also provide satiety making them ideal snacks for weight management. A one ounce serving of almonds (about 23 nuts) provides 129 calories including protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals. A serving of pistachios (about 49 nuts) at 160 calories has more nuts per serving than any other snack nut. A study showed that short-term pistachio consumption helped decrease body weight and body fat in young, healthy adults compared to a refined carbohydrate snack (Hernandez, 2012).

Dietary Fiber

 Inulin, oligofructose, and fructooligosaccharides (all fibers) are prebiotics that aid in calcium absorption, contribute to satiety, and can also function as fat mimetics (an ingredient that mimics the qualities of fat) and bulking agents to help reduce calories in food and beverages. Consumers often eat less of foods with added fiber due to the fact that it increases a feeling of fullness faster.

Pulses

 Pulses which include dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, and dry beans are growing in popularity. In fact the 68th United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Pulses are very high in protein and fiber and low in fat. A half cup of cooked pulses is equivalent to one serving of vegetables and two ounces of meat according to the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.

Protein

 Lean proteins such as soy, whey, pea and vegetable are an integral part of many weight management programs. The focus on these lean proteins stems from building and maintaining lean muscle and keeping body fat at minimum. In addition, research indicates that foods with protein are more filling.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

 Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is present in many weight management products because it has been shown to have a beneficial effect on maintaining body composition. A study found that CLA given at a dose of 3.2 grams per day produced a modest loss in body fat in humans (Whingham, 2007).
Read the article in Food Technology here

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Health Effects of 3-Day Fruit and Vegetable Juice Fasting: UCLA Study Advances in Nutrition Journal

 

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

 

 

Adv Nutr January 2016 Adv Nutr vol. 7: 48A, 2016

Health Effects of 3-Day Fruit and Vegetable Juice Fasting

Susanne M Henning, Paul Shao, Qing-Yi Lu, Jieping Yang, Jianjun Huang, Ru-Po Lee, Gail Thames, David Heber, and Zhaoping Li

Author Affiliations

Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, CA

Abstract

Background:

The gut microbiota is an important contributor to human health and has been implicated in the development of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Intermittent fasting has been shown to enhance weight loss. Fruit/vegetable juice-based cleansing practices are becoming popular. The juices provide polyphenols, oligosaccharides, and nitrate (beet juice), which may induce a prebiotic-like effect.

Objective:

The clinical trial determine whether a 3-d fruit/vegetable juice fast can increase beneficial gut bacteria leading to weight loss, increased antioxidant capacity, decreased oxidative damage, and improve general well-being.

Methods:

 Twenty healthy subjects consumed only fruit/vegetable juices (Cold Pressed Juicery, Santa Monica, CA) according to a 3-d juice fast/cleansing protocol, followed by an 11-d low flavonoid diet. Blood, urine and stool were collected at days 0, 4, and 14. Plasma antioxidant activity (TEAC) and nitric oxide (NO), urine NO and malondialdehyde were analyzed. Intestinal microbial composition is being determined by sequencing of bacterial16S ribosomal RNA using MiSeq (Illumina, CA).
Results: On day 4 we observed a significant decrease in weight and body mass index (BMI), which was maintained until day 14. Plasma and urine NO was significantly increased by 244 ± 89% and 450 ± 360%, respectively. Urinary lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde was decreased significantly by 32 ± 21% but plasma TEAC was not changed. All analytical markers returned to close to baseline values on day 14. Changes in the fecal microbiome will be presented. General well-being score was not changed at day 4 but was significantly decreased at the end of the study.


Conclusions:

 The 3-d juice cleansing induced persistent weight loss. The juice fast decreased lipid peroxidation and increased NO concentrations, which may improve cardiovascular health.

Source
 

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How Diet May Be Linked To The Quality Of Our Sleep

 

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

     

 

 

As more and more studies are showing, the old saying “you are what you eat” may need an addendum: “you sleep how you eat.” A small new study from Columbia University Medical Center finds that over just a few nights, diet can make a difference in sleep quality: People who ate higher-fat, lower fiber diets were more likely to sleep poorly that night than when they ate a healthier diet. They were in a sleep lab, of course, and not in their natural habitats. But if the results are applicable to us at home, too – and it’s likely that they are – then a new tenet of sleep hygiene might be not to have a lot of fatty food before we go to sleep.

The team had 26 participants spend five nights in a sleep lab. For the first three days, they ate nutritionist-designed meals, which were high in fiber and low in saturated fat. On the fifth day, they got to eat what they wanted – these meals tended to be higher in saturated fat, lower in fiber, and higher in sugar.

The participants’ sleep was tracked by polysomnography after eating the healthier meals for three days, and the night of the self-selected meal.

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Walking 150 Minutes per Week Associated With Improved Wellbeing In Over-50s

 

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Stone Hearth News

     

  

New research using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin shows that being physically active, for example by walking for at least 150 minutes per week, is associated with more social participation and better mental health and wellbeing.

However, only three out of five Irish adults aged 50 years and over walk for the recommended target of at least 150 minutes per week. The findings, which come from two separate reports, are summarised in a Research Brief released by TILDA today.

The findings show that:

• Two-thirds of the Irish population aged 50 years and older report low or moderate levels of physical activity while only one-third report high levels of activity, based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
• Middle-aged and older Irish adults with high levels of physical activity report greater participation in social activities, less anxiety, better quality of life, and less loneliness compared to those with low physical activity levels.
• Middle-aged and older adults with low levels of physical activity are over twice as likely to have clinically relevant depressive symptoms as those with high levels of physical activity (14% versus 6%).
• Interventions should specifically target women, older adults, those in employment, those who are not engaged in non-church related social activities and those living in built-up areas such as apartments.

These findings also provide a profile of those who are less active which can be used to ensure that the appropriate groups are targeted for intervention as part of health promotion campaigns and initiatives.
Dr Orna Donoghue, Project Manager on TILDA said: “Walking is a simple and accessible activity for most people and walking just 150 minutes is sufficient to achieve improved mental health and better quality of life.”

Lead author on the Age and Ageing paper, Dr Gabrielle McKee, commented: “Many of the factors associated with physical activity, such as participation in social activities, sitting behaviours, body mass index and mental health, are modifiable and therefore open to intervention at both an individual and a health promotion level.”

Co-author and Principal Investigator of TILDA, Professor Rose Anne Kenny, further added: “Policies and initiatives aimed at increasing physical activity including walking have the potential to improve physical and mental health, social engagement and overall wellbeing among the over 50s in Ireland.”

These findings underscore the vital contribution that current initiatives such as the Get Ireland Active plan, launched recently by the Department of Health, and future policies to promote physical activity may make in optimising health and wellbeing amongst the ageing population.
Report Details:

• Donoghue O, O’Connell M. Research Brief: Physical activity in community-dwelling older Irish adults. Dublin: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, January 2016.
• Donoghue O, O’Connell M, Kenny RA. Walking to Wellbeing: Physical Activity, Social Participation and Psychological Health in Irish adults aged 50 years and Older. Dublin: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), January 2016.
• McKee G, Kearney PM, Kenny RA. The factors associated with self-reported physical activity in older adults living in the community. Age and Ageing. 2015;44: 586-592.

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Exercise May Make The Brain More Flexible

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

The brain used to be the one organ that researchers believed was pretty unchanging over time, in contrast to other organs that are always replenishing themselves. After all, the brain sort of has to stay constant if it’s going to keep all our memories and experiences intact over the course of our lifetimes. But in recent years, neuroscientists have found that indeed the brain does retain some plasticity – malleability – and it seems to become considerably more plastic when people exercise their bodies. Now, a new study finds that an area of the brain involved in vision, originally thought to be fairly resistant to change, also responds strongly to short bouts of exercise. The discovery is exciting, and it makes you wonder what other effects exercise might have on the brain, especially over the course of a lifetime.

The team of researchers behind the new study replicated a setup that had been done in animals before: They had people wear eye patches, and either exercise or sit still and watch a movie. Normally, when a person or animal wears an eye patch, the covered eye becomes stronger to compensate for the lack of input. In the current study, when people exercised intermittently on a stationary bike, their covered eye became significantly stronger, compared with the people who were sedentary. Which suggests that the brain may enter a state of increased plasticity as a response to physical exercise.

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