Selenium Deficiency May Increase Risk of Chronic Disease

Selenium Deficiency
May Increase Risk of
Chronic Disease

Antioxidants, Minerals & Vitamins for
Supporting Bone & Joint Health, Cancer Risk
Reduction, Cardiovascular Health, Cognitive &
Mental Function, Diabetes, Immune System
Functioning are the Topics of Important New
Nutritional Healthcare Research

Ensuring adequate intakes of selenium may reduce the
risk of age-related diseases such as cancer and heart
disease, says a new review that supports "Bruce Ames'
Triage Theory."

By analyzing data from hundreds of published articles,
Joyce McCann, PhD, and Bruce Ames, PhD, from

Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute
(CHORI) report that selenium-dependent proteins
considered essential to ensuring an organism survives
until it reaches reproductive age are largely more resistant
to selenium deficiency than non-essential selenoproteins.

The new data adds to an earlier analysis of triage theory
with vitamin K, published in the American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition (2009, Vol. 90, pp. 889-907).

Evolutionary Mechanisms

Dr Ames' theory works by understanding that natural
selection favors short-term survival over the long-term;

The researchers hypothesized that our short-term
survival is achieved by prioritizing the allocation of scarce

micronutrients. In other words, to stop us falling over from
a lack of iron in the heart, for example, iron is pulled from
non-essential sources.

The triage theory is a way of "measuring the insidious
damage going on over time", he said. The theory was first
proposed in 2006 (PNAS, Vol. 103, Pages 17589-94) to explain why age-related diseases like heart disease,
cancer, and dementia may be unintended consequences
of mechanisms developed during evolution to protect
against episodic vitamin and mineral shortages.

By analyzing the activity and concentrations of 12
selenoproteins, five of which were classified as essential

and seven as non-essential, the doctors found that the
activity and levels of non-essential selenoproteins were
preferentially lost when the organism was moderately
selenium deficient.

"Results of the analysis are largely supportive of the
theory, suggesting that, among all selenoproteins,

dysfunction of those that are nonessential is likely to
be the major contributor to increased disease risk due
to selenium deficiency," they explained.

Indeed, the non-essential selenoprotein Dio2 has
previously been linked to a wide range of diseases or

conditions, including osteoarthritis, while Gpx1 may
protect against DNA damage, and ultimately cancer risk,

Gpx2 may exert ant-inflammatory effects, and Gpx3 has
been implicated in improved cardiovascular health.

They also now report that current recommendations for
selenium intake, based on maximizing blood activities

of the selenium enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx)
may be insufficient, given that an essential selenium-

dependent protein called Sepp1 was found to be more
sensitive to selenium deficiency than Gpx3.

"The fact that Sepp1 is more sensitive to Se deficiency
than Gpx3 in human plasma has important implications
for estimating the percentage of the population that is
modestly selenium deficient,"

"Since the current [US] RDA (55 micrograms per day,
roughly corresponding to 100 micrograms per liter of

plasma selenium) is based on the sensitivity of Gpx3
in plasma, Sepp1 is expected to be at suboptimal
levels, even in some individuals meeting current
selenium intake recommendations.

"Based on these findings, it recently was suggested that
recommended selenium intake levels should be raised
from 55 to 75 micrograms per day," they added.

Selenium and Cancer

Selenium is a trace element that occurs naturally in the
soil and is absorbed by plants and crops, from where

it enters the human food chain - either directly or
through consumption of meat and other products from

grazing animals.

The mineral is included in between 50 and 100 different
proteins in the body, with multifarious roles including

building heart muscles and healthy sperm. However,
cancer prevention remains one of the major benefits of

selenium, and it is the only mineral that qualifies for a
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved

qualified health claim for general cancer reduction
incidence.

Europe versus America

The study is of added importance in Europe where
selenium levels have been falling since the EU imposed

levies on wheat imports from the US, where soil
selenium levels are high. As a result, average intake of
selenium in the UK has fallen from 60 to 34 micrograms
per day, leading to calls from some to enrich soil and
fertilizers with selenium to boost public consumption.
Selenium-enriched fertilizers are used in Finland.

The European recommended daily intake (RDI) is 65
micrograms. The recommended EC Tolerable Upper

Intake Level for selenium is 300 micrograms per day.

Source: FASEB Journal Published online

"Adaptive dysfunction of selenoproteins from the
perspective of the triage theory: why modest selenium

deficiency may increase risk of diseases of aging"

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Macular Degeneration in Women

Dietary Intake of Omega-3
Fatty Acids Now Linked With
Reduced Risk of Macular
Degeneration in Women

Regular consumption of
fish rich in omega-3 fatty
acids is associated with

a significantly reduced

risk of developing
age-related macular
degeneration in women.

Researchers posted a
report online that will

appear in the June issue of "Archives of
Ophthalmology" (JAMA/Archives) journal.

"An estimated nine million U.S. adults aged 40 years
and older show signs of age-related macular

degeneration (AMD), "An additional 7.3 million persons
have early age-related macular degeneration, which is
usually associated with moderate or no vision loss but
does increase the risk of progression to advanced
age-related macular degeneration."

Using the Women's Health Study, a research team
from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard

Medical School, Boston collected data on 38,022
women who had not been diagnosed with age-related
macular degeneration. Information on women's eating
habits was obtained via questionnaire at the beginning
of the study and included information on intake of

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA) the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, and
arachidonic acid and linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acids).
During ten years of follow-up, additional questionnaires
tracked the women's eye health, with specific focus on
diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration.

During the course of follow-up, 235 cases of age-related
macular degeneration were reported. Specific analyses
that also adjusted for age and treatment assignment,
found women who consumed the most DHA compared
with women who consumed the lowest amount had a

38 percent lower risk of developing age-related macular
degeneration. Similar results were observed for higher
intake of EPA and for higher consumption of both types
of acid together.

Results for fish intake showed that consumption of one
or more servings of fish per week, when compared to
less than one per month, was associated with a 42
percent lower risk of age-related macular degeneration.

"This lower risk appeared to be due primarily to
consumption of canned tuna fish and dark-meat fish."

For omega-6 fatty acids, higher intake of linoleic acid but
not arachidonic acid was associated with an increased
risk of age-related macular degeneration, however this
association was non-significant after adjustment for other
risk factors and fats.

"In summary, these prospective data from a large
population of women with no prior diagnosis of AMD

indicate that regular consumption of DHA and EPA and
fish significantly reduced the risk of incident AMD,"

the authors conclude.

Journal Reference:

Dietary {omega}-3 Fatty Acid and Fish Intake and
Incident Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Women.

Arch Ophthalmol, 2011; DOI:
10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.34

JAMA and Archives Journals (2011, March 15).

"Omega-3 fatty acid intake linked with reduced

risk of age-related macular degeneration in women."

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Pancreatic Cancer and Drinking

Heavy Drinking Associated
With Increased Risk of
Pancreatic Cancer

Heavy alcohol consumption, specifically three
or more glasses of liquor a day, is associated
with an increased risk of death from pancreatic
cancer, according to a report in the March 14

issue of "Archives of Internal Medicine",
one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Alcoholic beverage consumption is related to several

cancers including: oral cavity, pharynx, larynx,
esophagus, liver, colorectum and female breast cancers,"
the researchers wrote as background information in their

article. "Heavy alcohol consumption causes acute and

chronic pancreatitis but has never been linked definitively
to pancreatic cancer."

Using data from the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II),
the team of researchersfrom the American Cancer

Society, Atlanta, examined the association between
alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer. The CPS-II is a

long-term prospective study of U.S. adults 30 years and
older. Initial data on alcohol consumption was gathered
in 1982, and based on follow-up through 2006, there
were 6,847 pancreatic cancer deaths among one million
participants.

Of the million participants (453,770 men and 576,697
women), 45.7 percent of men and 62.5 percent of

women were non-drinkers. The analyses of men only
and of men and women combined showed statistically

significant increased risk of pancreatic cancer death for
consumption of three drinks per day and four or more
drinks per day, whereas for women only the estimated
risk of death from pancreatic cancer was statistically

significant for consumption of four or more drinks
per day.

Compared with non-drinkers, consuming three or
more drinks of liquor per day was associated with an

increased risk of pancreatic cancer death in the total
study population, and consumption of two or more

drinks of liquor per day was associated with an

increased risk in both never smokers and in those
who had ever smoked. This association was observed
specifically for liquor consumption but not for beer or
wine.

In never smokers, there was a 36 percent higher risk
of pancreatic cancer death associated with consuming

three or more drinks a day compared with non-drinkers
for men and women combined. In those who had ever

smoked, there was a 16 percent higher risk of death
from pancreatic cancer after adjustments for smoking
history and other variables.

"Findings from the prospective study presented herein
strongly support the hypothesis that alcohol consumption,
in particular heavy liquor intake, also is an independent
risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common
cause of cancer mortality [death] in the United States,"
the researchers concluded.

Journal Reference:

JAMA / Archives Journals.

Association of Alcohol Intake With Pancreatic Cancer
Mortality in Never Smokers. Arch Intern Med, 2011

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Olive Oil Is Benefit Heart Health

Olive Oil Is A Rich Source
Of Key Polyphenols
To Benefit Heart Health

Daily doses of polyphenol-rich
olive oil may boost levels of an
antibody that counters oxidized
LDL cholesterol, helping reduce
the risk of artery hardening and
heart disease, reported from a
new study five European countries.

According to results from the
"EurOlive Study", a daily dose of
olive oil polyphenols increased levels
of oxidized LDL autoantibodies (OLAB), which reduced
levels of oxidized LDL, an accepted risk factor for artery
hardening (atherosclerosis).

The study involves researchers from universities in
five European countries and is examining the potential
benefits of consuming polyphenol-rich olive oil at
optimum amounts.

"A direct protective role of OLAB on atherosclerosis
generation has been previously established and our
results provide further support to recommend the use of
polyphenol-rich olive oil as a source of fat, particularly for
individuals presenting a high oxidative status," wrote the
researchers in Clinical Nutrition.

Olive oil phenolic compounds, such as oleuropein and
cafeic acid have attracted attention because of their
potential anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-
inflammatory properties. Such compounds have been
also associated with the antioxidant activity of olive oil.

The researchers recruited 200 health men and randomly
assigned them to three week intervention sequences to
consume 25 milliliters per day of olive oils containing
different levels of phenolic compounds. The high group's
dose was 366 mg per kg of olive oil, the medium dose
was 164 mg/kg, and low dose was 2.7 mg/kg.

Results showed that OLAB levels were inversely
associated with oxidized LDL levels and that consumption
of the polyphenol-rich oil was associated with an increase
in OLAB levels. Indeed, the increase in OLAB levels were
dose-dependent, so the higher the polyphenol content,
the greater the OLAB increase, said the researchers.

"In our European populations we observed an inverse
relationship between oxLDL concentrations and OLAB,"
wrote the researchers.

"On the basis of our results two mechanisms could
be implied in high OLAB levels linked to high olive oil
phenolic compounds: 1) an immune response stimulation
by olive oil phenolic compounds, and 2) a lack of
clearance of free OLABS due to a reduction in oxLDL
levels by olive oil phenolic compounds," they concluded.

Source: Clinical Nutrition

Published online 10.1016/j.clnu.2011

"The effect of olive oil polyphenols on antibodies
against oxidized LDL. A randomized clinical trial"

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Banana peels show promise as superior water purification materials.

Banana Peels Studied As Effective, Cost-Efficient Water Purifier

Banana peels show promise as superior water
purification materials.

The inventive uses for banana
peels which include polishing
silverware, leather shoes, and
the leaves of house plants are
fascinating. Now scientists have
added purification of drinking
water contaminated with
potentially toxic metals as an

important use for banana peels.

Scientific reports show minced

banana peel performs better
than an array of other purification materials and appears
in the American Chemical Society's journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

The researchers note that mining processes, runoff
from farms, and industrial wastes can all put heavy
metals, such as lead and copper, into waterways.
Heavy metals can have adverse health and environmental

effects. Current methods of removing heavy metals from

water are expensive, and some substances used in the
process are toxic themselves. Previous work has shown

that some plant wastes, such as coconut fibers and

peanut shells, can remove these potential toxins from
water. In this report, the researchers wanted to find out

whether minced banana peels could also act as water

purifiers.

The researchers found that minced banana peel could

quickly remove lead and copper from river water as well
as, or better than, many other materials. A purification
apparatus made of banana peels can be used up to 11
times without losing its metal-binding properties, they
note. The research team conducting the study adds
that banana peels are very attractive as water purifiers
because of their low cost and because they don't have
to be chemically modified in order to perform effectively.

Story Source: American Chemical Society.

Journal Reference: Banana Peel Applied to the
Solid Phase Extraction of Copper and Lead from
River Water: Pre-concentration of Metal Ions with
a Fruit Waste. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry
Research, 2011

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Lingonberry Extract Demonstrates Impressive Antioxidant Activity

High-Potency Antioxidants, Carotenoids and
Phytonutrients From Superfruits & Berries Are
Now Recognized For Building The Immune System,
Weight Management, According To New Research

An extract from the red Nordic lingonberry may
increase the body's total antioxidant status and boost
antioxidant defense enzymes, says new data.

According to data from experiments with laboratory
subjects, a dose of 23 milligrams per kilogram of body
weight was sufficient to prevent a decrease in levels of

beneficial glutathione, a non-essential nutrient and
co-factor in the antioxidant enzyme glutathione
peroxidase.

The study, using Chr Hansen's food-grade lingonberry
extract (Vaccinium vitisidaea), provides scientific support
to the ingredient.

Researchers from Chr Hansen, UMR408 INRA
(University of Avignon) France and Avantage Nutrition in

Marseilles report their fidings in a paper published online

ahead of print in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry.

Chr Hansen introduced the nutrititive ingredient globally
in 2008 of the Nordic red berry as part of its berry extract
range that includes cranberry, bilberry, blackberry,

blackcurrant, lutein and lycopene.

The lingonberry is commonly consumed in Nordic
countries in the format of a juice or a food ingredient,
but is relatively used of outside of Scandinavia.

Like most superfruits, the lingonberry has elevated levels
of phytonutrients such as flavonoids and phenolic acids.
It is being marketed on its heart health, immunity and

anti-aging benefits as well as urinary tract infection (UTI).

Study Details

Before testing the ingredient, the researchers
characterized the polyphenolic content. Results showed
that the extract contained procyanidins B1, B2, and A2,

along with other flavanol oligomers. The researchers
also noted large concentrations of aglycones for ferulic
acid, p-coumaric acid, and quercetin.

The main anthocyanin was confirmed as cyanidin-
3-O-galactoside, while "ten anthocyanins detected in
the processed extract were characterized for the first
time in lingonberry", they added. These included
"3-O-Galactoside derivatives of peonidin and malvidin,

respectively", they said.

For the study, the researchers divided subjects into
five groups: The first group received a cholesterol-free,
low-fat diet (control group); the second group received
a diet high in fat and cholesterol only, while the other
groups received the same high-fat, cholesterol diet
with supplemental doses of lingonberry of 41.7, 83.3,
and 250 mg per 100 grams of diet.

"As compared with high-fat and cholesterol only diet,
the diets enriched with lingonberry extract exhibit a
significant antioxidant protective effect and total

antioxidant status is lowered by 25 percent whatever
the dosage," reported the researchers.

"Although not statistically different, the total oxidant
status is 13 percent lower in the subjects consuming
diets the lingonberry-supplemented diets compared
to the low-fat control diet," they added.

In terms of antioxidant effect in vivo, the researchers
noted that all the doses of lingonberry used promoted
the apparent antioxidant protective effects, with the

optimal promotion observed for the intermediate dose.

"From this study, the use of lingonberry extract as a
dietary supplement may be considered in the future to

improve the antioxidant activity in human health while

minimizing the active volume to be ingested compared
to berries," they concluded.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

(Published online)

"Food Grade Lingonberry Extract: Polyphenolic
Composition and In Vivo Protective Effect Against
Oxidative Stress"

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice,

diagnosis or treatment.

Coffee May Reduce Strokes in Women

Reduced Stroke Risk In Women
Linked To Daily Coffee Drinking

Drinking more than
one cup of coffee a day
was associated with a
22 percent to 25 percent
lower risk of stroke,
compared with those
who drank less, in a
study reported in "Stroke"

Journal of the American Heart Association.

Low or no coffee consumption was associated with
an increased risk of stroke in a study of 34,670 women
(ages 49 to 83) followed for an average 10.4 years.
Although it may be too soon to change coffee-drinking

habits, the study should ease the concerns of some
women, the researchers suggested.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages
in the world. "Therefore, even small health effects of

substances in coffee may have large public health

consequences," said researchers conducting the study
from the Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National

Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska

Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Groups of people who reported drinking 1-2 cups per
day, 3-4 cups per day or 5 or more cups per day had
similar benefits compared with those who reported daily

intake of less than a cup of coffee, researchers said.

The differences were unchanged by smoking status,
body mass index, history of diabetes, hypertension
or alcohol consumption, indicating that coffee's effects
are not influenced by those known cardiovascular risk

factors.

Scientists have theorized that coffee could have either
beneficial or harmful effects on the cardiovascular
system, but earlier studies have been inconclusive.
Only one previous prospective study, which was also

inconclusive, examined the association between coffee

consumption and stroke incidence in healthy women.

"Our research group has previously observed an
inverse association between coffee consumption and
risk in Finnish male smokers," the researchers said.
"We wanted to assess the situation in women."

The women participated in the long-running Swedish
Mammography Cohort, an epidemiological study

investigating the association between diet, lifestyle
and disease development. All the women were free
of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline in
1997, when they answered the food frequency
questionnaire analyzed in the study.

Researchers collected data on cases of first stroke
that occurred between Jan. 1, 1998 and Dec. 31, 2008,
by linking the study group with the Swedish Hospital

Discharge Registry that provides almost complete
coverage of Swedish hospital discharges.

Researchers documented 1,680 strokes: 1,310
cerebral infarctions/ischemic strokes (caused by
blockages), 154 intracerebral hemorrhages (caused
by bleeding inside the brain), 79 subarachnoid
hemorrhages (caused by bleeding on the surface
of the brain) and 137 unspecified strokes.

After adjustment for other risk factors, coffee
consumption was associated with a statistically
significant lower risk of total stroke, cerebral infarction
and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The small numbers of intracerebral hemorrhage could
have factored in the lack of an association with that
stroke subtype, she said. In general, cerebral infarction

is most strongly associated with dietary factors.

The food frequency questionnaire made no distinction
between regular and decaffeinated coffee but
decaffeinated coffee consumption in the Swedish

population is low.

Potential ways that coffee drinking might reduce
the risk of stroke include weakening subclinical
inflammation, reducing oxidative stress and improving
insulin sensitivity, they said.

The study's limitations include the use of a self-
administered questionnaire to determine medical

history and history of coffee consumption, which
inevitably includes some measurement error and

mis-classification of exposure, and the possibility
of an unrecognized confounding factor associated
with either low or moderate coffee consumption.

"Some women have avoided consuming coffee
because they have thought it is unhealthy. In fact,
increasing evidence indicates that moderate coffee

consumption may decrease the risk of some diseases
such as diabetes, liver cancer and possibly stroke."

More studies on coffee consumption and stroke are
needed before firm conclusions can be reached,
they said.

Story Source: American Heart Association

Journal Reference: Coffee Consumption and
Risk of Stroke in Women. Stroke, 2011;