Natural Standard Blog

Do Energy Drinks Need Warning Labels?

According to researchers from Johns Hopkins University, energy drinks should bear labels stating their caffeine content and warning of their potential health problems. Although some drinks, like Red Bull®, contain moderate amounts of caffeine, others were shown to be equivalent to more than 14 cans of Coca Cola®.

Cola-like soft drinks are not required to list their caffeine content either, but the  the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of caffeine in these drinks to 70 milligrams per 12 ounces. There is no such limit for energy drinks. This is because manufacturers of energy drinks market their products as dietary supplements, which are regulated differently than food.

In the article, published in the September issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the authors write, “The absence of regulatory oversight has resulted in aggressive marketing of energy drinks, targeted primarily toward young males, for psychoactive, performance-enhancing and stimulant drug effects.”

The researchers contacted more than 20 energy drink manufacturers to find out the caffeine content of their beverages. They found that the energy drinks contained anywhere from 50 to 505 milligrams of caffeine per serving, with Whoop Ass® containing the least and Wired X505® containing the most. In comparison, the authors state that coffee has about 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving and Coca-Cola® has 34.5 milligrams per 12-ounce serving.

The authors caution that energy drinks can have dangerous health effects, especially in children. “There are increasing reports of caffeine intoxication from energy drinks, and it seems likely that problems with caffeine dependence and withdrawal will also increase. In children and adolescents who are not habitual caffeine users, vulnerability to caffeine intoxication may be markedly increased due to an absence of pharmacological tolerance.”

The American Beverage Association released a statement on Wednesday, stating that energy drinks are safe when consumed appropriately. In fact, they claim that “energy drinks can be part of a balanced lifestyle when consumed sensibly.”

The American Beverage Association also states that energy drinks generally contain about half the amount of caffeine found in coffeehouse coffee. “Specifically, a 16-ounce regular blend coffee at a popular coffeehouse contains 320 milligrams of caffeine, while a comparable size mainstream energy drink contains about 160 milligrams. So those suggesting that energy drinks should require warning labels need to be aware of the slippery slope this would create: to be consistent, products at coffeehouses also would require such unnecessary labeling.”

For more information about energy drinks, please visit Natural Standard’s Health & Wellness database.

Webinar Forum: Acupuncture Therapy

On September 16, 2008, David Sollars, Mac, LicAc, HMC, presented a webinar lecture on acupuncture therapy. Sollars, who earned a Master's degree in Oriental Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), discussed acupuncture as an integrative medicine for patient-centered care. Sollars stressed the importance of combining acupuncture with standard care to achieve optimal results.

Drawing on more than 16 years of experience, Sollars used real-life examples to discuss this ancient form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its effects on the body. He also cited evidence that supports its use for medical problems like back pain. Acupuncture is one of the most highly studied integrative therapies, as more than 2,000 acupuncture trials have been performed in humans.

Sollars' webinar is one of many upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com.

The next webinar, presented by Natural Standard Chief Editor Catherine Ulbricht, PharmD, on September 30 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, will provide a database overview. Whether you are new to Natural Standard or a recurrent subscriber, Ulbricht will help you understand the functionality of the database, so you can take advantage of all that Natural Standard has to offer.

Natural Standard values the opinions and views of its readers and welcomes feedback and questions about the latest webinar event. Also, if you have any suggestions for future webinar topics, please leave a comment below or send an e-mail to questions@naturalstandard.com.

Antioxidants may Prevent "Chemo-Brain"

A new animal study shows that antioxidant therapy may protect against memory and attention problems commonly seen in cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.

When cancer treatment interferes with thinking, it is sometimes called "chemo-brain" or "chemo-fog." Chemo-brain is estimated to affect about 20-30 percent of chemotherapy patients, but its cause remains unknown. The condition is generally mild and symptoms gradually improve over time after chemotherapy is completed. 

Researchers from West Virginia University School of Medicine tested whether injections with the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) could prevent chemo-related memory changes in rats.

One group of rats received two common cancer drugs, doxorubicin (Adriamycin®) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®), four times weekly. Compared to the control animals, the rats that received chemotherapy had lower memory scores, indicating chemo-brain.

However, chemo-brain was prevented when rats received NAC injections three times weekly during chemotherapy.

Although these results, published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease, are promising, additional research in humans is needed before recommendations can be made in humans. In the meantime, cancer patients should not take antioxidant supplements unless under the supervision of their healthcare providers. There has been concern that antioxidants may theoretically interfere with the effectiveness of chemotherapy in humans, but study results are inconclusive.

In a related review article, researchers have found that antioxidant supplementation during chemotherapy may reduce toxicities, thereby reducing side effects. While most studies showed that antioxidants had positive effects on toxicity, statistical power and poor study quality were concerns with some studies.

Reconsidering the Diverticulosis Diet

People with the digestive disorder diverticulosis may no longer have to worry about eating hard-to-digest foods like popcorn, corn and nuts. For many years, it was suspected that these foods increase the risk of complications, such as infection, but a new study found that they may actually have protective effects.

The study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), is believed to be the first large study to investigate the effects of these foods on diverticulosis. This disorder occurs when small pouches develop in the lining of the colon, but it does not usually cause symptoms. If the pouches become swollen, a condition called diverticulitis, intense abdominal pain and sometimes nausea, vomiting, bleeding and cramping may occur.

Beginning in the 1950s, many doctors advised patients with diverticulosis to avoid eating popcorn, corn and nuts. Some even warned against eating fruits and vegetables with seeds, such as tomatoes. These restricted diets were recommended based on the theory that the indigestible parts of foods would get stuck in the pouches and cause complications, such as infection, inflammation and bleeding. Until now, studies on this correlation were lacking.

Researchers used data from an ongoing Harvard School of Public Health study. They analyzed 47,228 men who were 40-75 years old at enrollment and had no history of diverticular disease. For 18 years, the participants completed biennial questionnaires about the foods they ate and their health status.

By the end of the study, 801 men were diagnosed with diverticulitis and 383 had diverticular bleeding. Those who frequently ate popcorn, corn or nuts did not have an increased risk of developing diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding compared to men who rarely ate these foods. Also, none of these foods were associated with the development of uncomplicated diverticulosis.

In fact, eating nuts at least twice a week was associated with a 20 percent reduced risk of diverticulitis, while eating popcorn twice a week or more was linked to a 28 percent lower risk. The authors concluded that the current diet recommendations for patients with diverticular disease should be reconsidered.

Harmful Metals Found in Some Ayurvedic Medicines

A new study found that Ayurvedic medicines made in the United States and India and sold on the Internet may contain unacceptable levels of harmful metals, including lead, mercury and arsenic.

Ayurvedic medicines are commonly used, especially in India. There are two main types of Ayurvedic medicines: herbal formulas and rasa shastra, which is a combination of herbs and metals, minerals and/or gems. While rasa shastra may include metals like iron, lead, mercury or zinc, experts claim they are safe when properly prepared and administered.

Researchers, led by Robert B. Saper, MD, MPH, from Osher Institute at Harvard Medical School in Boston, visited 25 different Web sites and identified 673 Ayurvedic oral medicines made in the United States and India that were available for sale. Researchers randomly purchased 230 of these products from August through October 2005. They then tested the 193 medicines they received for metallic poisons.

The authors found that 20.7 percent of the medicines had detectable levels of one or metals, and at least 50 percent of those exceeded the established exposure levels. Of the rasa shastra medicines, 40.5 percent contained detectable levels of metals, compared to 17.1 percent of herbal-only formulas. The rasa shastra medicines also had higher concentrations of mercury and lead.

Metal toxicity has been associated with Ayurvedic medicines in the past. More than 80 cases of lead poisoning worldwide have been linked to Ayurvedic medicine. In 2003, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a total of 12 cases of lead poisoning among adults in five states were associated with Ayurvedic medicines from 2000 to 2003.

Consumers are encouraged to use Ayurvedic herbs cautiously. Products that have seals of quality approval from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and ConsumerLab.com have been tested and should not contain unacceptable levels of harmful metals.

Protein that Produces "Good" Fat Identified

A pair of studies has made discoveries about the way mammals make and use different types of fat that may one day lead to new treatments for obesity.

Although many people would prefer to have less fat, healthy levels of fat are needed to help regulate metabolism and keep the body warm. There are two main types of fat: white ("bad") fat and brown ("good") fat. White fat is much more common. It stores extra energy and contributes to obesity. Brown fat, on the other hand, burns calories by generating heat. Newborn babies have the most brown fat, while adults are thought to have very little. However, brown fat precursors remain in the body during adulthood.

The first mouse study identified a bone-forming protein, called "bone morphogenic protein 7" or BMP7, which is known to stimulate brown fat development. The researchers found that mice genetically altered to have no BMP7 had less brown fat than non-altered mice. Also, mice treated with artificially high levels of BMP7 had more brown fat than untreated mice, and they burned more calories.

The second study traced the origin of brown fat cells in mice. They found that by turning on a protein, called PRDM16, they could encourage immature muscle cells (called myoblasts) to produce brown fat cells instead. The authors showed that, contrary to what many researchers previously thought, brown and white cells do not share similar origins.

The study results may help provide potential new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of obesity, according to the authors. For example, increasing brown fat cell production may help people burn more calories. However, rigorous research in humans is needed before the results can be translated to people because brown fat appears to function differently in mice.

Marinade Does More than Enhance Taste

Marinating meat before tossing it on the grill may do more than just add flavor. Researchers have discovered that marinades rich in spices may help reduce cancer-causing compounds found in steak.

When muscle meat is cooked at high temperatures, potential cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) may form. Some studies have linked HCAs to stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers in humans. Temperature is the main factor involved in HCA formation. Barbecuing produces the most HCAs, followed by pan-frying and broiling. Baking, poaching, stir-frying and stewing produce the least HCAs.

Scientists from Kansas State University found that antioxidant-rich spice and herb marinades may decrease HCA formation in steak by up to 88 percent.

The researchers tested the effects of three different pre-packaged marinade mixes in typical home-cooking conditions. Fresh eye of round beef steaks were immersed in Caribbean, Southwest or herb marinade mixes for one hour. All of the marinades contained at least two spices from the mint family, which are rich in the antioxidants.

The steaks were about 3.3 ounces each and one-fifth of an inch thick. These steaks, as well as non-marinated steaks and steaks in non-spice marinades, were then cooked on an electric skillet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes per side.

After cooking, the researchers compared the levels of HCAs in all steaks and found that steaks marinated in the Caribbean blend had an 88 percent decrease in HCA levels. The herb blend reduced HCAs by 72 percent, and the Southwest blend reduced levels by 57 percent.

Long-Term Incense Use Linked to Cancer

Regularly inhaling the smoke from incense may increase the risk of most respiratory tract cancers, a new study suggests. The increased risk was observed in both smokers and non-smokers.

Incense has been around for thousands of years and is derived from fragrant plant materials like flowers, essential oils, tree bark, roots and resins. It is commonly used in Asian and Indian cultures for spiritual and medicinal purposes. Many integrative therapies, such as aromatherapy, acupuncture and meditation, also involve the use of incense.

When incense is burned, it has been shown to produce benzene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which are some of the compounds in cigarette smoke that have been linked to lung cancer. For this reason, several studies have examined a possible link between incense and lung cancer. However, findings so far have not been conclusive.

In this latest study, more than 61,000 Chinese residents of Singapore who participated in a larger health study were followed from enrollment (between 1993 and 1998) to 2005. At the beginning of the study, none of the subjects had cancer. Participants answered questions about their dietary and lifestyle habits, including the frequency and duration of incense exposure.

By the end of the study, 325 men and women developed cancer of the upper respiratory tract, such as oral, nasal, or throat cancer. Another 821 developed lung cancer. The results, published in the journal Cancer, indicate that heavy exposure to incense was associated with a statistically significant higher risk of cancers of the upper respiratory tract, with the exception of nasopharyngeal cancer, in both smokers and non-smokers. However, incense did not increase the risk of lung cancer.

People who used incense all day or all day and night were 80 percent more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma of the entire respiratory tract than non-users. This type of cancer causes tumors to develop in the cells that line the internal and external surfaces of the body.