Nibbles: Allergy drugs may help diabetes, looking for a link between D and swine flu, and weight-loss drugs sold to slim women
Obesity, diabetes may be immune system problems
Over-the-counter drugs meant to treat allergies helped mice lose weight and control their blood sugar, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School report. Mice that were obese and diabetic were either given the drugs, put on a healthy diet or both. Dieting mice saw a moderate improvement in their symptoms, while those on drugs alone showed more improvement and those who got both saw almost complete reversal of their health problems. Researchers will now test the drugs in monkeys. Meanwhile, research from Japan and Harvard suggests that obesity and diabetes might be connected to immune system changes. Obese mice had more CD8 T-cells, a type of immune system cell, than other mice, and those engineered to lack the T-cells had less inflammation, even on a high-fat diet.
US needs to change meat import rules
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat in charge of the committee that funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says the agency needs to revamp its system for importing meat because the current arrangement relies too heavily on foreign agencies. But that’s a sticky situation given the country’s current ban on poultry from China, which is shaping up to be a big trade fight that could close America’s largest poultry export market. Both Japan and Europe have their own inspectors at Chinese plants and reinspect food at the border, which the United States does not do.
Canadian agency to test D levels of swine flu victims
In an effort to understand more about the progress and treatment of the H1N1 flu virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada is going to test infected people for vitamin D. It’s thought that people who have more D in their systems may develop a milder form of the flu, while those with lower levels have a harder time with the illness. The theory is based on the idea that flus are usually most virulent in the winter, when people are getting less sun. Should the hypothesis prove to be true, health officials will have another recommendation that will potentially help prevent infections.
More dairy in childhood could lead to longer life
A 65-year-long study shows that people who got more calcium and dairy in childhood had fewer strokes and longer lives than those who didn’t get as much calcium. The study, from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia, looked at about 4,300 kids from England and Scotland. While there was no clear evidence that consuming dairy cut heart attacks or strokes later in life, those with the highest consumption of calcium in childhood had lower risk of stroke and were less likely to die during the study than those who got less calcium.
FDA warns against body-building supplements
The Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers against using body-building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances because they are illegal and potentially dangerous. The supplements in question are made by American Cellular Laboratories Inc., and include such brand names as TREN-Xtreme, MASS Xtreme, ESTRO Xtreme, AH-89-Xtreme, HMG Xtreme, MMA-3 Xtreme, VNS-9 Xtreme, and TT-40-Xtreme. The products cannot be marketed as dietary supplements because they do not contain any vitamins or minerals, and the FDA says they are in fact unregulated and unsafe drugs. The agency has had five complaints about adverse effects from these particular products over the past two years.
Over-the-counter diet pill sold to women who don’t need it
Finally, rules in the UK about sale of the over-the-counter weight loss drug alli (also known as orlistat) say it shouldn’t be used by people with a body mass index lower than 28 and that anyone taking the pills should consult with a pharmacist first. But consumer group Which? says that isn’t happening, and one woman in their study was sold the drug though her BMI was just 20, on the low end of the normal scale. In all, the group sent researchers on 32 visits to pharmacies and found that four times it was sold to people who told the pharmacist their BMI was lower than recommended. Three times people were refused the drug who should have been eligible, the report said.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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