Natural Standard Blog

Drinking Coffee May Reduce Depression Risk in Women

Women who consume high quantities of coffee may have a reduced risk of depression, according to a new study.

Coffee contains hundreds of components, each of which may have potential effects within the body. Coffee is also a notable source of caffeine. The most well-known effects of coffee are primarily related to its diuretic and stimulant properties.

In a recent study, researchers evaluated 50,739 women with no initial signs of depression throughout a 10 year follow-up period. Researchers collected data on caffeinated coffee consumption through questionnaires, and defined depression as a reported physician diagnosis along with the use of antidepressant drugs.

After the 10 year follow-up period, 2,607 cases of depression were identified. The researchers found that women who consumed two or three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 15 percent reduced risk of developing depression when compared to those who consumed one cup or less. Furthermore, women who consumed four or more cups had a 20 percent reduced risk when compared to those with the lowest consumption.

The authors concluded that high coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of depression in women; however, further research is necessary before conclusion can be made.

For more information about coffee, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Fish Consumption Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk

A new study has linked fish consumption to a slightly reduced risk of stroke.

Fish oil contains both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). There is some evidence that suggests DHA and EPA may reduce the risk of strokes in individuals with heart disease; however, data are not conclusive.

In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify studies evaluating the potential association between fish consumption and stroke risk. Fifteen studies, evaluating 383,838 individuals and 9,360 strokes were identified for inclusion.

The researchers found that total stroke risk reduced by six percent for every three servings of fish consumed per week. Furthermore, studies evaluating stroke types found fish consumption was associated with a 10 percent reduced risk of both ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.

Although promising, further research is necessary.

For more information about integrative therapies for stroke prevention, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness database.

FDA Warning: Cantaloupes May Be Contaminated

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning that Jensen Farms' Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that causes the potentially deadly listeriosis infection.

According to the statement issued by the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that 35 people throughout 10 states have become infected with listeriosis. The infection has been associated with four deaths.

Jensen Farms has recalled its Rocky-Ford brand cantaloupes, and is reportedly cooperating with the FDA and state authorities to determine how the fruit became contaminated.

The FDA advised anyone who purchased the recalled cantaloupes to throw them away immediately. The FDA warned that washing the cantaloupes before eating may not help as the bacteria may be inside the fruit. The FDA further warned individuals at high-risk for infection, including pregnant women, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, to avoid consuming the contaminated fruit.

For more FDA safety warnings, please visit Natural Standard's News database.

To comment on this story, please visit Natural Standard's blog.

Chondroitin May Improve Hand Function for Osteoarthritis Patients

A new study suggests that chondroitin sulfate may reduce hand stiffness and pain for individuals with osteoarthritis.

Chondroitin, which was first extracted and purified in the 1960s, may be manufactured synthetically or from natural sources, including shark and beef cartilage or bovine trachea. In general, expert opinion supports the use of chondroitin along with its common partner agent, glucosamine, for improving symptoms and stopping the degenerative process of osteoarthritis. Although recent clinical trials supporting its use have been of superior methodological quality, some of the older trials have serious methodological flaws, possibly resulting in an overestimation of its potential benefit.

In a new study, 162 patients with radiographic hand osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to 800 milligrams of chondroitin sulfate or placebo once daily for six months. Before inclusion, patients were identified as having spontaneous hand pain of at least 40 millimeters on a 0-100 millimeter visual analogue scale and functional impairment of at least a 6 on the 0-30 functional index for hand osteoarthritis scale.

The researchers found that hand pain decreased significantly and hand function improved significantly for individuals treated with chondroitin sulfate when compared to those in the placebo group. Individuals treated with chondroitin also felt a significant improvement in morning stiffness. Furthermore, chondroitin patients were significantly more favorable of overall treatment effectiveness than those treated with placebo.

The authors concluded that chondroitin sulfate may reduce pain and improve functioning for individuals with hand osteoarthritis. Although promising, additional research is necessary.

For more information about integrative treatments with evidence of benefit for osteoarthritis, including acupuncture, glucosamine and willow bark, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness Database

For more information about chondroitin, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

Chocolate Consumption Linked to Heart Health

Eating chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a new study.

Cocoa and chocolate are derived from the cacao bean (Theobroma cacao). Cocoa products have recently been recognized as a significant source of a number of compounds, including flavonoids, that may have health benefits. Chocolate flavonoids are found in the highest amounts in dark chocolate. Some research suggests that a diet high in flavonoids may help protect against heart disease; however, further research is necessary before conclusions can be made.

In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify well-designed clinical trials evaluating the effects of chocolate on the risk for heart disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Seven studies evaluating 114,009 participants were identified for inclusion.

The authors found that five of the seven studies reported a reduced risk of heart and metabolic disorders for individuals who consumed high levels of chocolate. The authors noted that participants with the highest chocolate intake had a 37 percent reduced risk of heart disease and a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke when compared to individuals with the lowest chocolate intake.

Although promising, the authors noted that further research is necessary before conclusions can be made.

For more information on other integrative therapies that have been studied for heart health, including fish oil, arginine and garlic, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness Database

For more information about chocolate, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

Lavender Oil Aromatherapy for Pain

A recent study suggests that lavender oil aromatherapy may decrease pain intensity and reduce stress.

Lavender, which is native to the Mediterranean area, the Arabian Peninsula, Russia and Africa, has been used for both cosmetic and medicinal purposes throughout history. Lavender oil aromatherapy may have anti-anxiety effects. Studies suggest there may be a small positive effect; however, further research is necessary before conclusions can be made.

In a new study, researchers randomly assigned 30 healthy participants to lavender oil aromatherapy administered through an oxygen mask lined with lavender oil, or a control group receiving only oxygen, for five minutes. Stress level, pain intensity level during a needle insertion and Bispectral Index (BIS) values, which indicate the level of consciousness, were measured before and after treatment.

The researchers found that after treatment both stress levels and BIS values were significantly reduced for the lavender group when compared to the control group. Furthermore, the reported level of pain intensity following a needle insertion was significantly lower for the lavender group.

Due to the small sample size, further research is necessary.

Integrative therapies with strong supportive scientific evidence of benefit for pain include acupuncture and marijuana. Acupressure, comfrey and guided imagery are among the therapies with good scientific evidence of benefit. For more information on integrative therapies for pain, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness Database

For more information about lavender, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

Vegetable-Rich Diet Linked to Reduced Breast Cancer Risk

A recent study suggests that women who maintain a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, may have a reduced risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer develops when cells begin to grow abnormally. Depending on what is stimulating the cancer cell growth, breast cancer may be classified as hormone receptor positive or negative. Hormone receptor positive cancer is fueled by the female hormones estrogen or progesterone, while hormone receptor negative cancer does not have hormone receptors, and therefore does not depend on female hormones to grow.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to reduce blood pressure. The diet encourages individuals to increase the consumption of vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products while decreasing the consumption of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

In a new study, researchers analyzed data on 86,621 postmenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study, including data from seven food frequency questionnaires during 1980-2006, to evaluate the potential association between dietary habits and breast cancer risk. After a 26 year follow-up period, 5,522 cases of breast cancer were reported. Of the reported cases, 3,314 were estrogen receptor-positive and 826 were estrogen receptor-negative.

The researchers found that maintaining a diet similar to the DASH diet was associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. The authors reported that this appeared to be in large-part because of high fruit and vegetable intake. They found that high vegetable intake and low carbohydrate intake were linked to reduced breast cancer risk overall, and high fruit and low protein vegetable intake were linked to reduced risk of estrogen receptor-negative cancer. The authors reported that no link was found between estrogen receptor-positive tumors and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Additional research is necessary to further understand these findings.

For more information about breast cancer, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions Database.

Natural Standard Training

Sign up for a free online training session to learn more about Natural Standard's decision-support tools.

Natural Standard provides high-quality, evidence-based information about integrative therapies to help healthcare professionals and consumers make safer, more educated decisions about health.

Natural Standard is an international multidisciplinary collaboration that includes contributors from more than 100 eminent academic institutions. Research teams systematically gather scientific data and expert opinions to develop comprehensive monographs that are designed to facilitate clinical decision making. For each therapy, the available scientific evidence of effectiveness is evaluated using the Natural Standard Evidence-Based Validated Grading Rationale™. All monographs undergo blinded peer review prior to inclusion in Natural Standard databases.

These guided tours will demonstrate how to navigate the various databases and cross reference medical conditions and therapies.

Tue, Sep 20, 2011 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM (EDT)

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After registration, attendees will receive e-mail confirmation with information on how to join the webinar.

System Requirements: PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server. Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Natural Standard Attending Career Fair

Individuals interested in learning more about evidence-based integrative medicine are invited to visit Natural Standard at the upcoming Tufts University Career Fair.

The Tufts Career Fair will take place Friday, September 23, 2011, 11:00am - 4:00pm at the Gantcher Center on the Medford Campus. Natural Standard will be recruiting for all departments, including marketing and outreach.

For more information, please visit http://careers.tufts.edu.

Complimentary Webinars

Natural Standard is offering a series of complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

Q & A with David Foreman: Dr. Catherine Ulbricht, Founder and CEO of Natural Standard, interviews David Foreman, RPh, ND, who is widely known as the owner of "The Herbal Pharmacist® Newsletter." He is a contributing columnist for several Natural Health publications, a radio host, television commentator and practitioner of holistic approaches to better health. David is also a lecturer to many of America's most prestigious hospitals and author to the new book Four Pillars of Health: Heart Disease, which discusses four simple steps to rid the body of heart disease. Complimentary access is available October 1-31, 2011.

Lactation (Breastfeeding): An Integrative Approach: Jessica Saunders, PharmDc, will present an overview of the biological processes of breastfeeding and maternal diet requirements. She discusses integrative therapies to avoid while breastfeeding, as well as potential complications of breastfeeding and treatment options for lactation stimulation. Complimentary access is available October 1-31, 2011.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption for Healthy Aging

Moderate daily alcohol consumption may be linked to healthy aging, according to a new study.

Aging is the process of growing old or maturing. Currently, the average life expectancy in the United States is about 75 years for males and 80 for females. Although genetic makeup has been shown to influence an individual's life expectancy, individuals are more likely to live long and healthy lives without disabilities if they take care of their bodies with proper diets, lifestyles and medications.

In a new study, researchers evaluated the potential association between alcohol consumption and healthy aging using data from food frequency questionnaires assessing alcohol consumption of middle-aged individuals. Data on healthy aging was then collected from 13,894 participants of the Nurses' Health Study who lived to the age of 70 or older. Healthy or "successful" aging was defined as having no major cognitive, mental health or physical problems, as well as not having 11 major diseases.

The researchers found that of all evaluated participants, 10.7 percent could be identified as achieving successful aging. Through analyses, it was determined that individuals with light to moderate alcohol consumption (15.1-30.0 grams of alcohol per day) had a slightly better chance of achieving healthy aging than non-drinkers. Furthermore, regardless of total alcohol consumption, individuals who drank moderately throughout the week (5-7 days per week) had a 47 percent increased chance of achieving healthy aging when compared to non-drinkers.

Additional research is necessary to further understand these findings.

For more information about aging, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Vitamin A Supplementation for Reduced Childhood Mortality

A new study suggests that vitamin A supplementation may reduce the risk for childhood mortality.

Vitamin A is necessary for healthy growth and development. A main cause of vitamin A deficiency in children is maternal vitamin A deficiency and the resulting low vitamin A levels in breast milk. Experts have stressed that in developing countries diet alone is insufficient to maintain adequate vitamin A levels in children. Previous research has also associated vitamin A supplementation with a reduced risk of childhood mortality.

In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive literature search to evaluate potential associations between vitamin A supplementation and mortality and illness in children six months to five years-old. Forty-three well-designed clinical trials evaluating 215,633 children were identified for inclusion.

The researchers found that vitamin A supplementation was associated with a 24 percent reduction in all-cause mortality for 17 of the studies. Seven separate studies reported a 28 percent reduction in mortality linked to diarrhea. Furthermore, supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of diarrhea, measles and vision problems.

The authors noted that an increase in vomiting was reported within the first two days of supplementation.

For more information about vitamin A, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Reduced Risk of Premature Death

Individuals who adhere to a Mediterranean diet and other healthy lifestyle habits may have a reduced risk of premature death, according to a new study.

The Mediterranean diet, a diet rich in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, is based on the healthy lifestyles and eating habits of the southern Italian and Greek populations during the 1960s. The diet focuses on high consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, olive oil and fish. Proponents of the diet claim that it may be used to decrease the risk of heart-related problems, such as high blood pressure.

In a new study, data was analyzed from a 1986 study of 120,852 individuals 55-69 years-old who provided data on lifestyle and eating habits. Mortality data, including 9691 deaths, was collected after a ten year follow-up period through the Dutch Central Bureau of Genealogy.

The study author used a 0-4 point system to rank healthy lifestyle habits. One point was assigned for following each healthy habit, including following the Mediterranean diet, not smoking, maintaining a normal body weight and participating in regular physical activity.

The researcher found that adhering to all four identified healthy lifestyle factors was significantly associated with a reduced risk of premature death for both men and women. Adhering to the Mediterranean diet alone was linked to significantly lower risk of death in women, but not in men.

Additional research is necessary to further evaluate these findings.

For more information about the Mediterranean diet, please visit Natural Standard's Health and Wellness database.

Webinar Forum: A Look at Interactions Focused on Warfarin

Natural Standard is offering a series of upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

 Linda Hultgren, BSPharm, RPh, MANPc, presents a patient case detailing potential interactions and safety concerns for patients taking dietary supplements and drugs. She focuses on the drug-supplement interactions of warfarin.

To listen to the webinar, please visit www.naturalstandard.com/webinars. Complimentary access to the webinar is available September 1-30, 2011 (Requires Windows Media Player).

The transcript is also available as a PDF file.