A report published on June 4, 2014 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology reveals the outcome of a trial of orally administered eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in FIsh Oil which uncovered a reduction in smoking and tobacco craving among those who received the supplements.

Forty-eight regular smokers were given 2710 mg EPA and 2040 mg DHA, or a placebo for one month. Tobacco craving and number of cigarettes smoked per day were assessed at the beginning of the trial, at the end of the treatment period and 30 days following the end of treatment.

Participants who received omega-3 fatty acids had significantly less craving for tobacco at the end of one month in comparison with initially assessed levels.

Although craving rose in the month following the treatment period, it was still lower than that experienced initially among those who received EPA and DHA. In contrast, participants who received the placebo reported similar craving levels at all time points evaluated. Those who received omega-3 smoked 11.2% fewer cigarettes after one month in comparison to the amount smoked at the beginning of the study.

 Decreased intake of omega-3 fatty acids can affect dopamine neurotransmission,which negatively impacts the function of brain systems associated with reward and dependence. This decrease in function could enhance tobacco craving, making quitting more difficult.

According to a study published in February 2014, vitamin D supplementation reduces pain in subjects with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbance, fatigue and often psychological distress.

The subjects included 30 women with fibromyalgia syndrome and serum calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) levels less than 32ng/mL (80nmol/L). The investigators randomly assigned the women to receive oral supplementation with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) or placebo for 20 weeks. The researchers evaluated the subjects at the beginning of the study, after the 20 weeks supplementation period and again after an additional 24 weeks without supplementation.

The subjects completed several questionnaires including the Short Form Health Survey 36, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and the Somatization subscale of Symptom Checklist-90-Revised.

The researchers determined that the cholecalciferol group had marked reduction in pain over the treatment period, which correlated to scores on the physical role functioning scale of the Short Form Health Survey 36.

The investigators concluded, “Optimization of calcifediol levels in fibromyalgia syndrome had a positive effect on the perception of pain. This economical therapy with a low side effect profile may well be considered in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. However, further studies with larger patient numbers are needed to prove the hypothesis.”

• 2/3 of the candy consumed in the U.S. is eaten by adults…not children.
• A middle school child’s science project found that 70 percent of the time, the average ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than toilet water.
• Up to 27 chemicals can be added to packaged bread without being included on the nutrition label.
• High doses of caffeine can cause auditory and visual hallucinations.
• Salmon sushi was actually originated in Norway…the Norwegians introduced it to Japan.
• Chewing gum was invented 9,000 years ago.
• Men are 10 times more likely to smoke than women.
• The average woman will eat 4.5 to 6.5 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime.
• Excessive sun exposure is responsible for 80 percent of a woman’s wrinkles.
• A 2008 study from Duke University found that women who toss and turn at night have higher insulin and inflammation levels.
• Researchers have found that men are more likely to have nightmares centered around violence or physical aggression, while women’s nightmares focus on relationship conflict.
• The month of May is named for Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility.
• 99.9 percent of any two people’s DNA is identical. It is the mere 0.1 percent that makes us unique.
• According to the Mayo Clinic, illness can trigger nightmares, especially if you have a fever.
• Want to avoid mosquito’s? Avoid bananas. The biting insects are drawn to people who just ate the yellow fruit.

 

An article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition details the findings of New Zealand researchers of higher blood pressure and cholesterol among men and women who consumed the most sugar.

Researchers at the Riddet Institute and the University of Ontago in New Zealand selected forty trials for their analysis, which included a total of 1,699 men and women. Thirty-nine of the studies provided data concerning lipid levels and twelve reported blood pressure. Studies included those in which dietary interventions intended to alter sugar intake in one group of participants were compared to a group with a differing intake. The researchers found an association between increased sugar intake and higher total cholesterol and triglycerides in comparison with levels measured in subjects who had a lower intake, which was particularly strong in subgroup analyses of studies in which no significant difference in weight change occurred between the groups. An association between greater sugar intake and higher systolic blood pressure was observed in trials lasting eight weeks or more.

“This systematic review and meta-analyses provide evidence that dietary free sugars influence blood pressure and serum lipids independently of the effect of sugars on body weight,” Lisa A. Te Morenga and her collaegues conclude. “Although effects of sugars on blood pressure and lipids are relatively modest, our findings support the idea that reducing free-sugar intakes might be expected to reduce blood pressure and serum lipids.”

 An article published on April 29, 2014 in the British Medical Journal reveals an increase in the number of years lived by myocardial infarction (MI, or heart attack) survivors who consume a greater amount of fiber.

Doctoral candidate Shanshan Li of Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues utilized data from 1,840 men enrolled in the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and 2,258 women from the Nurses’ Health Study who had survived an initial heart attack during the studies’ follow-up periods. Dietary questionnaires completed every four years provided information on fiber intake before and after the heart attack. In a pooled analysis of all subjects, those whose post-MI intake of fiber was among the top one-fifth of participants had a 25% lower risk of dying from any cause over a nine year average follow-up in comparison with those whose intake was among the lowest fifth. When fiber was analyzed by source, cereal fiber emerged as significantly protective.

Heart attack survivors who increased their fiber intake from levels consumed before the event also experienced a decrease in all-cause as well as cardiovascular mortality. Among those whose intake of fiber was among the highest one-third prior to and following their events, there was a 27% lower risk of death in comparison with those whose intake was among the lowest third in both phases.

As possible mechanisms supporting the current findings, the authors list reductions in inflammation, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lipid peroxidation, as well as improvements in insulin sensitivity, glycemic control and gut microbiota.

“Future research on lifestyle changes post-MI should focus on a combination of lifestyle changes and how they may further reduce mortality rates beyond what is achievable by medical management alone,” they conclude.