A new diet pill nears approval; aspirin could prevent cancer – and watch out, there’s a toxic chemical on dollar bills. Read these and other important stories from the front lines of health...
Weight Loss
FDA Panel Backs New Diet Pill
For the first time in more than 10 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears close to approving a new prescription diet pill. A federal advisory panel voted 13-7 to back approval of Contrave, which was developed by Orexigen Therapeutics in San Diego, Calif.
The FDA will make its ruling by Jan. 31.
Contrave is a combination of two existing drugs: the antidepressant bupropion (known better by its brand name, Wellbutrin) and the anti-addiction medication naltrexone. Toether, Orexigen says, they boost metabolism and curb food cravings and appetite.
In earlier clinical trials, people who took Contrave lost an average of 4.2% more weight after one year than those taking a placebo.
The chief issues in considering Contrave for approval were that it was only modestly effective for weight loss, and it caused a slight increase in blood pressure and pulse rate, which could raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The panel strongly recommended a larger clinical study to examine potential heart risks, but said it could be conducted after the drug is approved.
The only prescription weight-loss medication currently available is Xenical (also sold over-the-counter as Alli), which prevents the absorption of dietary fat.
Cancer
Aspirin Reduces Death Rates
Taking daily low-dose aspirin can reduce deaths from a range of common cancers, according to a new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Researchers from Oxford and other universities worldwide examined cancer death rates of more than 25,000 people who had participated in several earlier aspirin trials.
They found that 75 milligrams of aspirin, taken daily for at least five years, reduced death rates from any cancer by about 20%. The death rate from gastrointestinal cancer was 35% lower; from lung cancer was 30% lower; and from esophageal cancer was 60% lower.
“I was rather surprised at the extent to which [aspirin] reduced mortality from gastrointestinal cancers in particular,” says study researcher Tom Meade, emeritus professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in an interview with Lifescript.
Researchers suggest aspirin may inhibit cancer by blocking the synthesis of prostaglandins (hormone-like substances that play a role in many bodily functions), which can cause inflammation and may affect early tumor production. It may also help kill early cancer cells before they become aggressive.
Meade points out that the anti-cancer benefits only came after long-term use of aspirin, which carries potential risks such as gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding in the brain).
Always consult with a doctor before beginning an aspirin regimen, according to the American Heart Association.
Healthy Diet
Blueberries May Ward off Alzheimer’s, MS and Parkinson’s
Green tea and purple fruits like blueberries may help defend against diseases including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s, a study from the University of Manchester in Britain claims.
The report, published in the journal Archives of Toxicology, noted that many degenerative diseases are related to poorly chelated iron – iron molecules that are unable to bind to other substances in the body, producing toxins called hydroxyl radicals.
Ingredients in green tea and brightly colored, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables – particularly purple fruits – are known as iron chelators because they bind the iron more effectively.
“We normally think of iron as something that is good for us,” says lead researcher Douglas Kell, Ph.D., in the British newspaper “The Daily Mail.” “But in the wrong form, [it could] react with things that are always knocking around the body to make something very nasty indeed.”
Other researchers point out that the report is only theoretical.
“There is still a need for more proof that food can have a meaningful effect on these specific pathways in humans,” according to an editorial in the British government health publication NHS Choices.
Heart Health
New Blood Test May Uncover Symptomless Cardiac Damage
A more sensitive version of a common blood test may find heart damage months or even years before a serious cardiac event, new research shows.
Doctors routinely test emergency-room patients complaining of chest pain for a protein called troponin T, which is released by injured heart muscle cells and a sign that someone has had a heart attack.
In two studies just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers administered a new version of the test to 3,500 people and followed them for about 6-1/2 years.
Some people with no traditional cardiac risk factors had troponin T in their blood, and they were more likely to develop heart failure or die from a cardiac incident than those with no trace of the protein, according to study author Christopher R. Defilippi, M.D., a cardiologist and associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The new test, which is already in use in Europe, is able to measure troponin T at levels 10 times lower than tests currently available in the U.S.
The test can be a promising tool in detecting heart damage before it becomes life-threatening, according to researchers.
Environmental Toxins
BPA Found on Dollar Bills
Traces of bisphenol A, a potentially toxic chemical used in plastics and food containers, have been found on some cash register receipts. Now it has been detected on money too.
When researchers examined dollar bills from 22 retailers in 10 states and the District of Columbia, an astonishing 95% tested positive for small amounts of BPA. They believe it was probably transferred from thermal receipt paper covered with the chemical.
“Recent studies have indicated that our overall exposure to BPA may be much greater than previously estimated, so exposure through skin may be a major route,” Erika Shreder, staff scientist for the Washington Toxics Coalition, the Seattle-based environmental advocacy group that ran the tests, tells Lifescript.
An estrogen-mimicking chemical, BPA has been implicated in a range of health problems, including diabetes, cancer, sexual dysfunction, heart disease and obesity. But the risk from small amounts is still controversial.
The FDA has expressed “some concern” about BPA. Several states have passed bills to reduce exposure, and national legislation has been proposed in Congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency more power over the use of toxic chemicals.
Shreder’s recommendations for reducing your exposure: “Avoid canned food, handle receipts as little as possible, and avoid polycarbonate [plastic] food containers such as water bottles.”
Depression
Mindfulness Therapy Prevents Relapse
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may help depression patients who suffer from repeated relapses, according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The treatment combines cognitive therapy and health-enhancing behaviors such as meditation or yoga with mindfulness – a traditional Buddhist concept that involves being focused on the present moment. It can be an option for patients unwilling or unable to take maintenance antidepressant medication, the study found.
The results aren’t surprising, says New York-based psychotherapist Karen Goldberg.
Although depression has a strong biological basis, people’s thoughts and the meaning they bring to them, play a major role, she tells Lifescript.
Mindfulness “can help someone feel that they’re an active, rather than a passive, participant in their treatment, and to challenge the mind to encompass more pleasurable and positive alternatives.”
Muscle Health
Botox May Cause Muscle Weakness
Injections of botulinum toxin A, better known as Botox, can result in muscle weakness throughout the body – even in places far from the injection site, according to a new study by the University of Calgary in Canada.
In a study to be published in The Journal of Biomechanics, researchers report that animals repeatedly injected with Botox experienced muscle atrophy and loss of contractile tissue (muscle tissue that can contract), even in limbs that hadn’t been injected.
The toxic bacteria is best known as treatment for wrinkles, but its ability to “freeze” muscles also makes it useful for some serious health conditions. This study focused on its use for children with cerebral palsy who can’t control their muscle contractions.
Kinesiology student Rafael Fortuna, lead author of the study, tells Lifescript that he was surprised at the degree of muscle loss and atrophy in non-injected limbs. He believes the findings raise important questions about long-term therapeutic use of Botox.
“Patients must be aware that this toxin might cause some side effects on muscles that are far away from the injection site,” he says.
Still, he adds, “cerebral palsy patients have shown improvement in their quality of life after Botox injections, so it could be that the benefits outweigh the risk.”
More research is necessary to answer questions the study raises, he adds. “We’re still trying to understand how it can travel through the body and if the muscle can recover after Botox injections – we’re testing this right now.”
Any muscle-weakening results from cosmetic applications of Botox, which use much smaller doses, haven’t been studied.
Stroke
Growing Nerve Fibers Could Reverse Damage
A new treatment that “jump-starts” growth of nerve fibers could reverse a significant amount of damage caused by strokes, according to a study in an upcoming issue of the journal Stroke.
The therapy disables a protein called Nogo-A, which is meant to prevent runaway nerve growth. As a result, nerve fibers known as axons grow on the affected side of the body, restoring movement and other function.
Stroke-affected rats regained 78% of their ability to grab food pellets following the therapy.
The report concludes that anti-Nogo-A therapy “may benefit not only patients in the early stage of stroke recovery but also patients in later stages who suffer from neurological disability due to brain damage from stroke or other causes.” Until now, little could be done to reverse stroke-related brain damage, especially after the first day.
The pharmaceutical company Novartis has also begun testing anti-Nogo-a therapy on patients paralyzed by spinal-cord injuries.
Brain Health
Walking Now May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Later
A daily walk may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have determined.
When healthy adults walked a total of six miles a week, they had a 50% reduction in the risk of getting Alzheimer’s over 13 years, according to lead researcher Cyrus Raji, Ph.D., a University of Pittsburgh radiologist.
Researchers used MRI scans to see how regular physical activity affected the structure and volume of the brain. Walking seemed to preserve brain volume, which is associated with a lowered Alzheimer’s risk.
Of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), brain atrophy and further cognitive decline was reduced by 50% among those who walked five miles weekly.
About half of those diagnosed with MCI ultimately develop Alzheimer’s.
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