Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
The FDA has great news for folks troubled by acid reflux disease or painful ulcers. According to a recent ruling, you neednt worry about suffering heart problems from long-term use of 2 popular heartburn drugs
talk about temporary suspension of disbelief!
You can find out how they reached this conclusion in todays Monday Edition of Health News Weekly!
Plus, youll find out why scientists now say having high levels of good cholesterol may not always work to your advantage
Read on to discover these and many other healthy hints!
FDA Approval of Heartburn Drugs Dismisses
Possible Heart Risks
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave a preliminary green light for the continued use of two popular acid reflux drugsPrilosec® (omeprazole) and Nexium® (esomeprazole).
This approval ignores study data suggesting that these drugs can cause irregular heart beats heart failure and even sudden DEATH!
Prilosec® and Nexium® belong to a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Theyre designed to reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces.
Both drugs are used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers.
On May 29, 2007, drug manufacturer AstraZeneca sent FDA and other regulatory agencies their preliminary review of data from two long-term clinical studies.
In the Prilosec® study, which lasted for 14 years, patients took Prilosec® or got surgery to treat their severe GERD. In the ongoing Nexium® study, patients took Nexium® or got surgery to treat their GERD.
AstraZeneca hoped to determine whether drug therapy or surgery was most effective in relieving and preventing recurrence of symptoms of severe GERD.
The results from the studyand analyses from an ongoing study of Nexium®raised concerns that long-term use of these drugs may have increased the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and sudden death.
But the agency reviewed these clinical studies and decided the data do not suggest an increased risk of heart problems for patients.
The FDA says theres no need for healthcare providers or patients to stop prescribing or using these products at this time.
According to a WebMD report, more of the patients treated with Prilosec® had heart problems than the patients who had surgery. Researchers noted a difference between the two groups of patients within the first year of the studywhich continued over time.
Initial data from the Nexium® study suggested a difference between treatments in the rate of cardiovascular events.
But an updated report submitted by AstraZeneca found the number of patients who experienced heart problems was similar in both groups.
Based on everything we know now, said the agency, FDAs preliminary conclusion is that the observed difference in risk of heart attacks and other heart related problems seen in early analyses of the two small long-term studies is not a true effect.
But this same agency release admits these studies were not specifically conducted to assess the risk of heart problems, and patient follow-up is incomplete.
FDA plans to complete its review within three months, and will communicate their conclusions and any recommendations to the public at that time.
Dont Look Now
but Your Good Cholesterol
May Have a Bad Side After All!
Youve probably heard that when it comes to your LDL cholesterol levelsthe lower the better. But new research suggests that high HDL levelslong considered the good cholesterolmay play a role in damaging delicate blood vessels, especially in people with heart disease!
In findings reported at the August 22, 2007 American Chemical Societys annual meeting, researchers explained a new understanding of HDL cholesterols role in maintaining heart health.
Most folks recognize that bad LDL cholesterol forms artery-clogging plaque. In contrast, the good HDL cholesterol was thought to eliminate plaque deposits, explained Dr. Jay Heinecke, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle.
To further explore HDLs role in the body, Heinecke and his colleagues conducted a detailed analysis of the protein composition of HDL. They found 48 proteinsincluding 22 proteins that play a role in cholesterol metabolism and 13 proteins not previously known to exist in HDL.
Dr. Heinecke explained plaque is not the only thing to cause blocked arteries. He said proteins called proteases can cause plaque to ruptureand form clots that can block blood flow.
The good news is
research indicates HDL contains proteins that block harmful proteasesand prevent ruptures from occurring!
The bad news is
the HDL proteins can be different for people who have heart disease and those who dont. This means that for some folks, their good HDL proteins dont offer the same heart protectionand can be considered bad.
These new findings suggest blood tests to measure levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol may not be accurate indicators of cardiac risk. According to a Reuters report, Dr. Heinecke suggests protein composition [in HDL cholesterol] may be a better handle on whether someone is at risk.
Animal studies have found a type of dysfunctional HDL cholesterol, which may damage heart health, Heinecke said. Researchers believe this may have a similar effect in humans
This discovery may explain why Pfizer abruptly ended the trial period for its HDL-boosting drug Torcetrapib in December 2006. The company noted an unusually high incidence of deaths and cardiovascular events associated with the drug during its trial.
Heinecke said researchers need to develop a better understanding of the HDL proteins to develop more accurate tests for heart disease.
Fast Fact
Cranberries have a 100-year history for treating recurrent bladder infections. Clinical trials show these bittersweet berries make urine more acidicwhich prevents bacteria from sticking to the bladder and urethra cell lining. For maximum protection, you might try cranberry pills as well as the juice!
Boost Your Intake of This Nutrient to Combat
Poor Muscle Strength!
You might know that many folks lose muscle mass and strength as they age. But new research suggests that in men and women age 65 and upthis could be aggravated by low dietary levels of the mineral selenium.
The new findings are reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Study results show that in a group of men and women age 65 and upthose with the lowest blood levels of selenium were at greatest risk of poor muscle strength around the hips, knees and hands.
According to a Reuters report, Dr. Fulvio Lauretani and his colleagues at the Tuscany Regional Agency in Florence, Italy, said this study is the first to show an association between plasma selenium concentrations and poor muscle strength in older adults.
The study focused on 891 older adults who gave blood samples and completed a series of muscle-strength tests.
One quarter of participants with the lowest selenium levels were twice as likely to have poor muscle strength as the quarter of adults with the highest selenium levels.
Your body uses selenium to form proteins that act as antioxidants in your body. These antioxidants help protect your cells from damage.
Lauretanis research team said older adults with low selenium may have less of these proteins in their muscleswhich can lead to muscle deterioration.
Loss of muscle mass and strength can cause falls injuries and illness in older adults.
You can boost your selenium intake with nutritional supplementsor by eating foods rich in this mineral.
Some of the best food sources for selenium include:
- Grains
- Brazil nuts
- Beef
- Tuna
The research team said selenium levels should be taken into consideration with other factors such as chronic disease overall calorie intake and weight.
They said future studies should also examine whether selenium supplements slow age-related declines in muscle strength
Health E-Hints
Is Your Skin Dying for its
Next Beauty Treatment?
Before you slather on the next handful of anti-wrinkle creamyou might want to check the label for DMAE. Researchers say this compound may cause a pathological reaction in skin cells and should be studied to determine if it poses a health risk!
DMAE, whose scientific name is 2-dimethylaminoethanol, is often used in creams lipsticks shampoos soaps and even baby lotion. According to a report in the British Journal of Dermatology, researchers at the Universit? Lavals Faculty of Medicine in Quebec City say applying DMAE causes a quick and dramatic swelling of skin cell tissue cavities called fibroblasts.
Researchers noted in the hours following a DMAE applicationcell division either slowed down or came to a screeching halt! Whats more, they noticed a number of fibroblasts DIED after applying the DMAE compound!
The death rate of these skin cells varied according to the DMAE concentration. But scientists noted a general rate above 25% after 24 hours for a DMAE concentration typically found in anti-wrinkle cream. The skin thickening caused by the extreme swelling of fibroblasts is what provides the anti-wrinkle effect.
Dr. Fran?ois Marceau of the DMAE research team said there is little scientific documentation about the pharmacological and toxicological effects of DMAE. He said that the research team is not suggesting DMAE is dangerous, but serious research should begin to study its long-term effects.
Dr. Marceau said DMAE shares a similarity to many cosmetic compounds absorbed through the skin. They flow through your bloodstreamand are either expelled by your kidneys or stored in your liver.
But Dr. Marceau notes that the laws regulating their use are far more lax than those regulating drugswhich your body processes in a similar way!