Blue-green algae tested for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Blue-Green Algae Tested for Treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis


ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2010) — Nutritional supplementation with Spirulina, a nutrient-rich, blue-green algae, appeared to provide neuroprotective support for dying motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, University of South Florida neuroscientists have found. Although more research is needed, they suggest that a spirulina-supplemented diet may provide clinical benefits for ALS patients.



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A spirulina dietary supplement was shown to delay the onset of motor symptoms and disease progression, reducing inflammatory markers and motor neuron death in a G93A mouse model of ALS. Spirulina, an ancient food source used by the Aztecs, may have a dual antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on motor neurons, the researchers said.
Their study is published in the current issue of The Open Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Journal.
"ALS is a degenerative motor neuron disease," said the study's lead author, Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis, PhD, DSc, assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at USF. "Most available treatments relieve symptoms without altering the underlying disease. However, evidence for oxidative stress has been associated with ALS and, in our past studies, we demonstrated potent decreases in markers of oxidative damage and inflammation in aged rats fed diets supplemented with spirulina or spinach. In this initial study, the diet supplement was fed only to pre-symptomatic mice. Further studies showing the diet supplement's effect on the lifespan of symptomatic ALS mice are needed to prove the treatment's effectiveness."
Specifically, when the USF researchers tested compounds found in blueberries and spirulina for effectiveness in animal models of stroke and aging in past experiments, they noted neuroprotective effects of the nutritional supplements.
The current study compared ALS mice receiving a spirulina-supplemented diet over a 10-week period with mice that did not receive the diet supplementation. The spirulina-fed ALS mice showed reduced inflammatory markers and motor neuron degeneration over that period.
"The focus of our future ALS experiments will include motor neuron counts and an examination of lifespan following dietary spirulina supplementation in symptomatic ALS mice," said study co-author Paula C. Bickford, PhD, a professor in the USF Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair and a senior research biologist at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, Florida.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of South Florida (USF Health), via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.




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Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis and Paula C. Bickford. Short Communication: Neuroprotective Effect of Spirulina in a Mouse Model of ALS. The Open Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 3:36-41 DOI: 10.2174/1875043501003010036

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Eating healthier means living longer

Eating Healthier Means Living Longer


ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2010) — The leading causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. These illnesses may be affected by diet. In a study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers investigated empirical data regarding the associations of dietary patterns with mortality through analysis of the eating patterns of over 2500 adults between the ages of 70 and 79 over a ten-year period. They found that diets favoring certain foods were associated with reduced mortality.



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By 2030, an estimated 973 million adults will be aged 65 or older worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the dietary patterns of a large and diverse group of older adults, and to explore associations of these dietary patterns with survival over a 10-year period. A secondary goal was to evaluate participants' quality of life and nutritional status according to their dietary patterns.
By determining the consumption frequency of 108 different food items, researchers were able to group the participants into six different clusters according to predominant food choices:

"Healthy foods" (374 participants)
"High-fat dairy products" (332)
"Meat, fried foods, and alcohol" (693)
"Breakfast cereal" (386)
"Refined grains" (458)
"Sweets and desserts" (339)

The "Healthy foods" cluster was characterized by relatively higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks, and added fat. The "High fat dairy products" cluster had higher intake of foods such as ice cream, cheese, and 2% and whole milk and yogurt, and lower intake of poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice, and pasta.
The study was unique in that it evaluated participants' quality of life and nutritional status, through detailed biochemical measures, according to their dietary patterns. After controlling for gender, age, race, clinical site, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calorie intake, the "High-fat dairy products" cluster had a 40% higher risk of mortality than the "Healthy foods" cluster. The "Sweets and desserts" cluster had a 37% higher risk. No significant differences in risk of mortality were seen between the "Healthy foods" cluster and the "Breakfast cereal" or "Refined grains" clusters.
According to lead author Amy L. Anderson, Ph.D., Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, the "results of this study suggest that older adults who follow a dietary pattern consistent with current guidelines to consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry and fish, may have a lower risk of mortality. Because a substantial percentage of older adults in this study followed the 'Healthy foods' dietary pattern, adherence to such a diet appears a feasible and realistic recommendation for potentially improved survival and quality of life in the growing older adult population."Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Elsevier Health Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.




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Amy L Anderson, Tamara B Harris, Frances A Tylavsky, Sara E Perry, Denise K Houston, Trisha F Hue, Elsa S Strotmeyer, Nadine R Sahyoun. Dietary patterns and survival of older adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011; 111 (1)

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Component in common dairy foods may cut diabetes risk, study suggests

Component in Common Dairy Foods May Cut Diabetes Risk, Study Suggests


ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2010) — Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and collaborators from other institutions have identified a natural substance in dairy fat that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and so only comes from the diet.



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Reporting in the December 21, 2010, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, investigators led by Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Gökhan S. Hotamisligil, J.S. Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism and chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases at HSPH, explain that trans-palmitoleic acid may underlie epidemiological evidence in recent years that diets rich in dairy foods are linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic abnormalities. Health experts generally advise reducing full-fat dairy products, but trans-palmitoleic acid is found in dairy fat.
The HSPH researchers examined 3,736 participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Cardiovascular Health Study, who have been followed for 20 years in an observational study to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in older adults. Metabolic risk factors such as blood glucose and insulin levels, and also levels of circulating blood fatty acids, including trans-palmitoleic acid, were measured using stored blood samples in 1992, and participants were followed for development of type 2 diabetes.
At baseline, higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity, after adjustment for other risk factors. During follow-up, individuals with higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a much lower risk of developing diabetes, with about a 60% lower risk among participants in the highest quintile (fifth) of trans-palmitoleic acid levels, compared to individuals in the lowest quintile.
"This type of observational finding requires confirmation in additional observational studies and controlled trials, but the magnitude of this association is striking," said Mozaffarian, lead author of the study. "This represents an almost three-fold difference in risk of developing diabetes among individuals with the highest blood levels of this fatty acid."
In contrast to the types of industrially produced trans fats found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been linked to higher risk of heart disease, trans-palmitoleic acid is almost exclusively found in naturally-occurring dairy and meat trans fats, which in prior studies have not been linked to higher heart disease risk.
"There has been no clear biologic explanation for the lower risk of diabetes seen with higher dairy consumption in prior studies. This is the first time that the relationship of trans-palmitoleic acid with diabetes risk has been evaluated," said Mozaffarian. "We wonder whether this naturally occurring trans fatty acid in dairy fats may partly mimic the normal biologic role of its cis counterpart, cis-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that is produced in the body. In animal experiments, cis-palmitoleic acid protects against diabetes."
"Unfortunately, with modern diets, synthesis of cis-palmitoleic acid is now driven by high amounts of carbohydrate and calories in the diet, which might limit its normal protective function. We wonder whether trans-palmitoleic acid may be stepping in as a "pinch hitter" for at least some of the functions of cis-palmitoleic acid," said Mozaffarian.
Hotamisligil, the study's senior author, also emphasized the magnitude of the risk reduction. "This is an extremely strong protective effect, stronger than other things we know can be beneficial against diabetes. The next step is to move forward with an intervention trial to see if there is therapeutic value in people."
Because trans-palmitoleic acid, also known as trans-palmitoleate, is a natural compound, Hotamisligil said that conducting clinical trials should be possible. "This study represents the power of interdisciplinary work bridging basic science with population studies to realize exciting translational possibilities," he said.
Support for the study was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. A subset of additional fatty acid measurements were supported by a Searle Scholar Award.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Dariush Mozaffarian, Haiming Cao, Irena B. King, Rozenn N. Lemaitre, Xiaoling Song, David S. Siscovick, and Gökhan S. Hotamisligil. Trans-Palmitoleic Acid, Metabolic Risk Factors, and New-Onset Diabetes in U.S. Adults. Annals of Internal Medicine, December 21, 2010 [link]

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Injectable and oral birth control do not adversely affect glucose and insulin levels, study shows

Injectable and Oral Birth Control Do Not Adversely Affect Glucose and Insulin Levels, Study Shows


ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2010) — Fasting glucose and insulin levels remain within normal range for women using injectable or oral contraception, with only slight increases among women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as the birth control shot, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) in Galveston.



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The study, published in the January 2011 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology and conducted over three years, is the largest to measure fasting glucose and insulin levels among women using DMPA, oral (desogestrel) contraception and non-hormonal (bilateral tubal ligation, condom or abstinence) methods. Researchers found that DMPA users' glucose levels increased steadily during the first 30 months of use, with the greatest increase occurring during the first six months. The observed increases, which were less than those reported in previous studies, were not significant enough to cause concern.
There are 62 million women of reproductive age in the United States. More than two million American women use DMPA, including approximately 400,000 teens, and more than 11 million use oral contraception.
"Previous studies were limited in scope and offered conflicting results, which led physicians to question whether hormonal contraception could lead to diabetes," says lead author Dr. Abbey Berenson, professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health. "Further studies are needed to determine how women with diabetes are affected by DMPA and oral contraception, but these results are reassuring for non-diabetic women already receiving the shot or on the pill."

A Body of Research on the Effects of Contraception

The findings are the fourth in a series of UTMB Health studies published in Obstetrics and Gynecology that add to the growing literature enabling physicians to better counsel women accurately about the positive and adverse side effects associated with widely used forms of contraception.
Other studies included in the series examined the effect of contraception on weight gain and bone density loss. All of the studies followed a sample of 703 African-American, Hispanic and white women between the ages of 16 -33 years-old from 2001 through 2004 who chose their own contraception method. Researchers also examined such variables as: race and ethnicity, age, parity, duration of use, previous use of contraceptive method, lifestyle behaviors like diet, smoking, drinking and physical exercise, and socioeconomic status.
Findings include:
Contraception and Bone Loss
In a study published in January 2010, Berenson and UTMB Health co-author Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health, examined the relationship between contraception and bone mineral density (BMD) loss. They found:

Nearly half of women using DMPA experienced high BMD loss in the hip or lower spine within two years of beginning the contraceptive.
Women using DMPA who smoke, have low levels of calcium intake and never gave birth were at the highest risk for BMD loss.
High-risk women continued to experience significant loss in BMD during the third year of DMPA use, especially in the hip -- the most common fracture site in elderly women.
Age, race or ethnicity, previous contraceptive use and body mass index (BMI) were not associated with higher BMD loss.

Contraception and Weight Gain
In two separate studies on weight gain and contraception use, published in March and August 2009, Berenson and Rahman found:
Women using DMPA gained an average of 11 pounds and increased their body fat by 3.4 percent over three years.

Women who switched from DMPA to non-hormonal contraception began to slowly lose the weight and fat mass they gained -- nearly four pounds over two years, while those who used oral contraception after the shots gained an average of four additional pounds in the same time span. The amount of weight gained was dependent on length of time DMPA was used, as the rate of weight gain slowed over time.
Twenty-five percent of DMPA users whose weight increased by five percent within the first six months of use, called "early gainers," were at risk for continued, excessive weight gain. The remaining 75 percent ("regular gainers") gained only a small amount of weight or did not observe any change in their weight.
Early gainers -- who went on to gain an average of 24 pounds over three years -- exhibited three major risk factors: a body mass index under 30; having children before starting DMPA; and a self-reported increase in appetite after six months of DMPA use.
On average, early gainers increased their body weight an average of 19 pounds more than the regular gainers, who saw an average increase of five and a half pounds over three years.

A More Informed Physician-Patient Relationship
"Taken together, this body of research helps dispel myths surrounding birth control and shed light on side effects that had been anecdotally reported but not yet proven," says Berenson. "Physicians can now better explain the risks and benefits of various birth control methods and take appropriate action to protect patients' long-term health, which may include switching to another contraception method."
All research was supported by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. Yen-Chi L. Le, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology also contributed to the studies.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Cellular mechanism responsible for chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes uncovered

Cellular Mechanism Responsible for Chronic Inflammation, Type 2 Diabetes Uncovered


ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2010) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that certain T cells require input from monocytes in order to maintain their pro-inflammatory response in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study also showed, for the first time, how a loss in homeostasis in this group of T cells most likely promotes chronic inflammation associated with T2D.



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Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD, an associate professor of microbiology and medicine at BUSM, is the senior author of the study, which is currently featured in an online edition of the Journal of Immunology.
T2D is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the body has high levels of glucose in the blood due to the lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently. The incidence of T2D continues to rise at alarming rates in both children and adults in the United States.
Previous research done in mice has shown that T cells play a critical role in the development of insulin resistance in response to a high fat diet, often leading to T2D. Additional findings indicate that T cells exhibit a pro-inflammatory response more often than an anti-inflammatory response.
Working with human T cells, the team observed that in order for T cells to exhibit the pro-inflammatory response, they required constant interaction with monocytes, indicating that monocytes play an indirect role in chronic inflammation and T2D.
While it is not known what the homeostatic balance levels are between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory T cells, this study indicates the need to restore a balance in order to halt chronic inflammation and T2D.
"The true importance of our observations is the indication that altering balance among immune system cells could be a fundamentally novel treatment for T2D-associated inflammation and perhaps insulin resistance," said Nikolajczyk.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Boston University Medical Center.




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M. Jagannathan-Bogdan, M. E. McDonnell, H. Shin, Q. Rehman, H. Hasturk, C. M. Apovian, B. S. Nikolajczyk. Elevated Proinflammatory Cytokine Production by a Skewed T Cell Compartment Requires Monocytes and Promotes Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes. The Journal of Immunology, 2010; DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1002615

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Novel weight-loss therapies? Scientists identify cells in mice that can transform into energy-burning brown fat

Novel Weight-Loss Therapies? Scientists Identify Cells in Mice That Can Transform Into Energy-Burning Brown Fat


ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2010) — In some adults, the white fat cells that we all stockpile so readily are supplemented by a very different form of fat -- brown fat cells, which can offer the neat trick of burning energy rather than storing it. Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center, which last year led the way in demonstrating an active role for brown fat in adults, now have identified progenitor cells in mouse white fat tissue and skeletal muscle that can be transformed into brown fat cells.



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"This finding opens up a whole new avenue for researchers interested in designing molecules that induce endogenous progenitor cells to differentiate into mature brown fat cells," says Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D., Joslin Investigator and senior author on a paper describing the work published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It's particularly exciting because we found that some of these cells are located in subcutaneous white fat, which could be a very accessible source for them," says Tseng, who is also Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Scientists in her lab carried out in vitro tests of cells in mice found in different fat tissues and skeletal muscle that were marked with a protein called Sca1. When these cells were exposed to a protein called BMP-7, a key factor in brown fat development previously identified by the Tseng lab, many displayed markers of brown fat cells.
Moreover, the investigators showed that conversion rates climbed for progenitor cells in subcutaneous white fat when they were exposed not just to BMP-7 but to the diabetes drug rosiglitazone, which other studies had previously demonstrated aids in brown fat differentiation.
The work also showed that the Sca1-positive progenitor cells identified in various mouse fat depots and muscle tissue differed in their molecular signatures and in how amenable they were to undergoing this transformation.
Additionally, the researchers exposed the isolated precursor cells to BMP-7 in vitro and re-injected them into the mice, where the cells survived and transfigured into mature brown fat. This suggested that cell-based brown fat therapies eventually may be possible if drugs don't pan out.
"We are still looking for the human equivalent of the Sca1 marker for these progenitor cells," notes Tseng. "But we also tested cells isolated from different kinds of human fat, and we found that BMP-7 can induce precursors derived from human white fat to show a marker of differentiated brown fat cells."
"Given that obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic disease, finding new ways to reduce body weight is really essential," she says. "Of course, diet and exercise are still the best approaches for losing weight in the general population, but for people who are genetically predisposed to obesity, or those who already develop detrimental metabolic disorders due to excess body weight, there is an urgent need to develop new interventions for effective and safe weight reduction. These results appear to take a significant step toward using brown fat cells in such therapies."
The paper's lead author is Tim J. Schulz, a postdoctoral scientist in the Tseng lab. Other contributors include Tian Lian Huang, Thien T. Tran, Hongbin Zhang, Kristy L. Townsend, Jennifer L. Shadrach, Massimiliano Cerletti, Lindsay E. McDougall and Amy J. Wagers of Joslin; Nino Giorgadze, Tamara Tchkonia and James L. Kirklandof the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; and Denis Schrier and Dean Falb of Stryker Biotech.
Lead funders for the research were the National Institutes of Health, Harvard Catalyst, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the German Research Foundation and the Eli Lilly Research Foundation.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Tim J. Schulz, Tian Lian Huang, Thien T. Tran, Hongbin Zhang, Kristy L. Townsend, Jennifer L. Shadrach, Massimiliano Cerletti, Lindsay E. McDougall, Nino Giorgadze, Tamara Tchkonia, Denis Schrier, Dean Falb, James L. Kirkland, Amy J. Wagers, and Yu-Hua Tseng. Identification of inducible brown adipocyte progenitors residing in skeletal muscle and white fat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010929108

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Study supports gluten-free diet in potential celiac disease patients

Study Supports Gluten-Free Diet in Potential Celiac Disease Patients


ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2010) — Findings from a new study of 141 adults add to an ongoing medical debate over which patients with symptoms of celiac disease should go on a gluten-free diet. Published in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, the study concludes that people currently diagnosed as "potential" celiac disease patients and not advised to follow a gluten-free diet may not be "potential" patients at all.



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Rather, the scientists found that these patients have the same distinctive metabolic fingerprint as patients with full-blown disease who do benefit from gluten-free diets.
In the study, Ivano Bertini and colleagues explain that celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disorder characterized by the inability to digest a protein called gliadin, a component of gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. The condition causes diarrhea, bloating, and other symptoms in over 3 million people in the United States alone. Treatment is avoidance of foods containing gluten. But the disease is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Definitive diagnosis involves biopsy of the small intestine, showing tissue damage. People with a positive blood test for the condition but no positive biopsy usually are diagnosed as "potential" celiac patients and may or may not be advised to follow a gluten-free diet.
The scientists used magnetic resonance metabolic profiling to analyze the biochemical markers in the blood and urine of 61 patients with celiac disease, 29 with potential celiac disease, and 51 healthy people. They found that those with potential disease largely shared the same profile as those with the confirmed disease and that the biochemical markers in both groups differed significantly from those of the healthy individuals. "Our results demonstrate that metabolic alterations may precede the development of small intestinal villous atrophy and provide a further rationale for early institution of gluten-free diet in patients with potential celiac disease, as recently suggested by prospective clinical studies," the scientists conclude.Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Patrizia Bernini, Ivano Bertini, Antonio Calabrò, Giancarlo la Marca, Gabriele Lami, Claudio Luchinat, Daniela Renzi, Leonardo Tenori. Are Patients with Potential Celiac Disease Really Potential? The Answer of Metabonomics. Journal of Proteome Research, 2010; : 101213161430042 DOI: 10.1021/pr100896s

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