JAMA Strikes Again!

In typical JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) fashion, the February 28, 2007, issue featured an article trashing antioxidants, titled, "Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention."

The print and electronic media were all over it immediately, with dramatic headlines, designed to scare rather than inform:

• Death by Vitamins
• Antioxidants May Kill
• Vitamins Could Be Killing You
• Some Antioxidant Supplements Linked to Lethality
• Study Says Antioxidant Pills Can Kill

First of all - this is not a new study. It is merely a new look at numerous, previously conducted studies - a meta-analysis. Not to be deterred by a paucity of negative studies on nutritional supplements, the authors of this study offer up a masterpiece in statistical manipulation. In the first place, they appeared to have a preconceived notion of the outcome they were looking for, judging by this sentence from the Comments section of the study: "Our findings support and extend our previous findings regarding antioxidant supplements and increased mortality."

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The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) is significantly greater in higher latitudes, whether north or south of the equator. This striking fact has lead researchers to investigate if the lower exposure to ultraviolet light from sun exposure in these latitudes, and a resultant seasonal vitamin D deficiency, contributes to the higher risk of MS. In a recent issue of the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers reported "high circulating levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of multiple sclerosis."

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and others examined serum vitamin D levels in 257 MS cases and 514 controls, all of who were Army or Navy personnel. They found a significant protective effect of higher blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, including a 51-percent reduction in incidence of MS in individuals with blood levels of 100 nmol/L or higher. The researchers did not find any African-American patients or controls with levels this high, and thus they found no protective effect of higher vitamin D levels in these participants, or in Hispanics involved in the study.

Exposure to UV rays from sunlight and the subsequent biochemical production of vitamin D in the body is the primary source of vitamin D in humans. People with darker skin tone are more protected from sunburn because of the higher melanin content of their skin; however, they also create less vitamin D and thus have lower levels of this nutrient that is essential for bone density and immune function.

This study is a prospective study; i.e., one that examines a correlation between a nutrient and a disease and therefore cannot determine causality. But with the totality of the recent research on vitamin D, it appears moderate sun exposure and/or supplementation with vitamin D can improve one's risk for MS.

Munger KL, Levin LI, Hollis BW, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA 2006(23):2832-2838.

Acupuncture May Offer Alternative to Vioxx® and Celebrex®
With the hubbub over prescription NSAIDs - namely Vioxx® and Celebrex® - leading to increased risk for heart attacks and strokes, both physicians and patients are scrambling to find alternatives for the relief of pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis. Against this backdrop, the report of an NIH-sponsored study on the affect of acupuncture for osteoarthritis couldn't have been more timely....more

Unnecessary Concern Raised Over Vitamin E Safety
The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published an article entitled Meta-Analysis: High-Dosage Vitamin E Supplementation May Increase All-Cause Mortality. This is a very dramatic statement, to say the least. The problem, however, is that there is no substantial basis for it. As is the case in many studies, this incompetent and shoddy work has garnered the attention of a news media that usually takes press releases from journals such as the Annals of Internal Medicine at face value, rather than delving into the specifics of the article. Consequently, the media attention created by the report has stirred up unnecessary fear regarding the safety of vitamin E supplementation....more

An article published in the November 4 issue of Nature reported a decline in the krill biomass in the Antarctic. As Thorne Research carries a krill oil product, some of our customers may be concerned about how harvesting krill may affect the environment.....more

Merck Recalls Vioxx®- Patients Seeking Alternatives
On September 30, 2004, pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck voluntarily recalled the arthritis drug Vioxx from the market, after results from a clinical trial indicated patients taking the drug had an increased risk of potentially deadly cardiovascular side effects. Vioxx, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was being studied for its potential effect on colon polyp recurrence in people who had previously been diagnosed with colon polyps; however, researchers found the risk of a heart attack or stroke doubled in patients taking Vioxx for 18 months.....more

L-Carnitine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine Improve Sperm Motility in Infertile Male Patients
L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine are necessary for mitochondrial beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids, providing for their central role in cellular energy production. The highest levels of L-carnitine in the human body are found in the epididymal fluid, reaching 2,000 times the level in circulating blood. To initiate sperm motility the epididymal epithelium secretes L- carnitine into the epididymal lumen.....more

Green Tea component Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) Kills Leukemia Cells
Increased and abnormal angiogenesis have consistently been detected in the marrow of patients with hematological disorders. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key mediator of uncontrolled proliferation of vessels that develop in a chaotic fashion. Lee et al have established that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells synthesize and release VEGF as a survival mechanism. CLL cells also express VEGF receptors, subsequently creating a bone marrow microenvironment that sustains the survival and proliferation of leukemic cells.....more

Antioxidant Vitamins Combat Age-related Macular Degeneration
Estimates indicate a significant reduction of age-related macular degeneration
Recent research by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) group published in the current issue of Archives of Ophthalmology1 estimates a significant reduction in the number of persons developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) during the next five years in patients supplemented with a high-dose antioxidant/zinc supplement. The study concluded that if all Americans over age 55 at risk for developing advanced AMD took a high-dose antioxidant and zinc supplement, more than 300,000 out of 1.3 million people (approximately 23%) would avoid vision loss. This could translate to a potentially significant impact on public health in the United States....more

Bursting The Analytical Bubble
Alternative Medicine Review, Volume 9, Number 4.
And you thought when you learned the truth about Santa Claus it ruined your day. Read on. . . .
Practitioners, retailers, and the public are currently suffering through an unrelenting barrage of claims and certifications from companies who claim they meet "cGMP" (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and all their products are "independently" tested. It makes for great press, and the official "independent" analyses look very impressive and oh-so reliable.....more