STUDY: Good ole physical therapy techniques

JOURNAL: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, September 2003

AUTHORS: Dr. Miriam V. Mills

ABSTRACT: Manipulation of the bones and muscles may help children with frequent ear infections.

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COMMENTARY: In contrast to medical doctors, osteopathic doctors or DOs receive special training in the manipulation of bones and muscles. By manipulating these body structures, many DOs believe that a variety of diseases can be cured or at least improved.

The new findings are based on a study of 57 children with recurrent earaches who received routine care alone or combined with osteopathic manipulation for 6 months.

The manipulation consisted of "gentle techniques on areas of restriction." Although the manipulation focused on the head and neck, the entire body was evaluated and treated as needed.

Kids treated with manipulation had fewer earaches and were less likely to require ear tubes than children who received routine care. Also, eardrum exams were more likely to be normal with osteopathic manipulation.

STUDY: Thanks for passing this on Ryan

JOURNAL: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

AUTHORS: Dr. Ajit Varki

ABSTRACT: A non-human molecule found in red meat and milk makes its way into the human system when eaten -- and seems to build up especially in tumors.

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COMMENTARY: The compound, called sialic acid, is found on the surfaces of animal cells but is not found in people, and may be one reason why animal-to-human organ and tissue transplants do not work well. Animals have a version called Neu5Gc, while humans carry Neu5Ac.

But researchers at the University of California San Diego found it does show up in the human body, and showed it can be absorbed from eating red meat and milk.

They also showed that the body produces an immune response against the molecule.

Dr. Ajit Varki and colleagues, reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, say it is too soon to make any recommendations based on their findings.

"The highest amount (of Neu5Gc) was found in lamb, pork, and beef (so-called 'red meat')," the researchers wrote. Levels were very low or undetectable in poultry and fish, vegetables and hen's eggs.

Varki, who is not a vegetarian, noted that many studies have linked a diet rich in meat and milk with cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

"The small amounts of Neu5Gc in normal tissues also raise the possibility that anti-Neu5Gc antibodies are involved in autoimmunity," the researchers said.

Autoimmune disease occur when the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue and include type-1 or juvenile diabetes and some types of arthritis. "In this regard, it is interesting that vegetarian diet has been suggested to improve rheumatoid arthritis," they wrote.

But much research has focused on the fat content of animal fat or byproducts of cooking meat as the cause of disease.

Varki's collaborator Dr. Elaine Muchmore developed an antibody -- an immune system targeting protein -- that would hook onto Neu5Gc. The team found Neu5Gc in human tumor samples and to a much lower degree in healthy tissue.

More tests showed that most people had made their own antibodies that recognized Neu5Gc, and thus could potentially initiate an inflammatory immune response.

Varki and two colleagues drank Neu5Gc purified from pork sources, and the molecule showed up in their urine, blood, hair and saliva.

"We need to find out if there is any association between the presence of Neu5Gc and/or the anti-Neu5Gc antibodies with any disease," Varki said. "This will require large-scale population studies."

In some cases the human immune response was similar to that seen when people are exposed to another animal molecule, this one a cell surface molecule called alpha galactose.

"Meat eating has certainly been a feature of human ancestors for many hundreds of thousands of years," he said.

"Thus, it is indeed possible that humans have developed some kind of tolerance or indifference to Neu5Gc. However, most humans are continuing to make antibodies against Neu5Gc."

It could be that the damage only builds up over years -- and that as people live longer, the consequences make themselves felt.

"However, we are now living longer and the question arises whether the gradual accumulation of Neu5Gc and the simultaneous presence of antibodies against could be involved in some diseases of later life," he said.

STUDY: Get your tummy working or else

JOURNAL: World Allergy Congress

AUTHORS: Dr. Erika Jensen-Jarolim

ABSTRACT: There may be a connection between taking antacids and developing a food allergy.

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COMMENTARY: Individuals taking antacid medications, which affect acid secretion or neutralize the pH within the stomach, may be setting up a situation where harmless food proteins may turn into potential allergens.

Gastric digestion depends on the presence of acid and pepsin, a protein-degrading enzyme activated at high acidic levels. However, elevation of pH levels hinders pepsin secretion, which hampers protein digestion.

The Austrian researchers conducted studies in which they fed mice hazelnut proteins and other typical food allergens. The mice did not develop a food allergy when given these proteins. However, they did develop food allergies in response to these proteins when they were given the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole, or the H-2 receptor blocker ranitidine.

In the animal studies, the mice only developed allergic responses specifically directed at the novel protein, but not to components in their daily diet.

Dr. Jensen-Jarolim explained that the body builds up a tolerance to foods normally consumed, and so it is only when an entirely new food source is introduced that a problem may occur.

She said acid suppression may allow proteins to be introduced that produce an allergic reaction.

STUDY: Look towards natural substances to help pain

JOURNAL: Int J Cancer 2003;106:784-788.

AUTHORS: Dr. James R. Cerhan

ABSTRACT: Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, appears to be associated with a heightened risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), according to a study of more than 27,000 postmenopausal women.

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COMMENTARY: In the September 20th issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. James R. Cerhan of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues note that research in patients with rheumatoid arthritis suggest that NSAIDs are protective against colon cancer but may raise the risk of NHL.

To investigate, the team prospectively studied a cohort of 27,290 postmenopausal women participating in the Iowa Women's Health Study, using data from a questionnaire and a state cancer registry to calculate risks.

Over a follow-up period of 7 years, a total of 131 case of NHL were identified.

Compared with women who did not use NSAIDs at all, the NHL risk ratio for those who used aspirin exclusively was 1.71. For those who used non-aspirin NSAIDs exclusively, the risk ratio was 2.39. The corresponding figure for women who used both types of drugs was 1.97.

A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis carried a risk ratio of 1.75, but there was no significant relationship with osteoarthritis (risk ratio 1.06). Furthermore, the association of NSAIDs use and NHL was independent of a history of rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Cerhan observed that "our findings are provocative as they do raise safety concerns about regular use of these agents.

STUDY:

JOURNAL: Int J Cancer 2003;107.

AUTHORS: Dr. Deborah Watkins Bruner

ABSTRACT: Having a brother with prostate cancer is a stronger risk factor for the malignancy than having other affected family members.

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COMMENTARY: "Unlike the maternal-child pattern that we see with inherited breast cancers, a brother with prostate cancer was associated with a significantly increased risk of the disease compared to a father or any other relative with the disease," lead author Dr. Deborah Watkins Bruner said in a statement.

This may suggest that the risk may be related to shared environmental factors such as dietary exposures or age of onset of disease, which might reveal a stronger genetic risk.

The new findings are based on a systemic review and meta-analysis of 24 studies that looked at the relative risk of prostate cancer when different family members were affected.

Compared with having no family history of prostate cancer, having any relative with the disease raised the risk by 93%. If a first-degree relative was involved a 120% increase in risk was seen, whereas disease in a second-degree relative raised the risk by 88%.

Having a father with prostate cancer was associated with a 2.1 relative risk of the disease. Although high, this was significantly lower than the relative risk seen with an affected brother -- 2.9.

The new findings could be used to better gauge prostate cancer risk and could potentially reduce unnecessary screening and biopsies.

STUDY: EU report warns of risks for disease

JOURNAL: European Research Commission

AUTHORS: Philippe Busquin

ABSTRACT: Fans of tattooing are putting poisonous chemicals into their skin because of widespread ignorance about the substances used in tattooing dyes.

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COMMENTARY: WOULD YOU INJECT car paint into your skin?,” the Commission asked in a statement accompanying its report on the health risks of tattooing and body-piercing.

It said most chemicals used in tattoos were industrial pigments originally used for other purposes, such as automobile paints or writing inks, and there was little or no safety data to support their use in tattoos.

In addition, laws demanding tattoo artists use gloves and sterile needles did not include rules about the dyes, meaning they could be impure and dirty without breaking the law.

The report said that as well as the risk of catching diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, or bacterial infections from dirty needles, tattooing could cause skin cancer, psoriasis, toxic shock syndrome or even behavioral changes. It said two deaths caused by tattooing or body-piercing had been reported in Europe since the end of 2002.

STUDY: Take care of your teeth

JOURNAL: Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:176-181.

AUTHORS: Dr. Rachel Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon

ABSTRACT: In smokers, tooth loss is directly related to the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to the results of a study of male smokers.

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COMMENTARY: The risk of developing pancreatic cancer was 63% higher in smokers who had lost all their teeth, compared with those who had lost fewer than 10 teeth.

Tooth loss may not cause pancreatic cancer; it could simply be a marker for some other factor that leads to the malignancy.

That smokers who have lost all their teeth may have higher oral levels of bacteria, which, in turn, leads to higher gastrointestinal levels.

The investigators examined the medical records of 29,104 male smokers, between 50 and 69 years of age at baseline. The men, who were followed from 1985 to 1997, were asked about their dental health at the beginning of the study.

By the end of the study, 174 men had developed pancreatic cancer, the researchers report.

After adjusting for age, education, and rural versus urban residence, the researchers found that men were 63% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer if they had lost all their teeth (p = 0.02). Tooth loss was not significantly tied to Helicobacter pylori seropositivity.

The findings underscore the importance of good dental hygiene, Dr. Stolzenberg-Solomon said. Previous reports have shown regular use of dental floss and toothpaste is associated with a reduced risk of oral and esophageal cancers, she added.

STUDY: New methods needed

JOURNAL: Science

AUTHORS: Dr. Joseph J. Palermo, Gregory G. Anderson

ABSTRACT: A germ that causes stubborn urinary tract infections may be resistant to antibiotics because it invades the bladder cells and builds a fort-like colony that is impervious to drugs and attack from the body's own immune system.

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COMMENTARY: E. coli bacteria form a biofilm inside cells of the bladder cells of mice. This biofilm is composed of bacteria unified into a colony to resist attack, said Dr. Joseph J. Palermo, a Washington University researcher and a co-author of the study. "The bacteria rest in a matrix like eggs in a carton," said Palermo.

He said this is the first time that a biofilm structure has been found within a cell, and the discovery explains why many patients are unable to ever become completely free of urinary tract infections.

"In a biofilm, thousands and thousands of bacteria work together as sort of a multicellular organism," said Gregory G. Anderson, a co-author of the study. Anderson said the biofilm "is a slimy type of mesh" similar to the slick coating often found on submerged rocks in a stream or pool of water.

If biofilm formation is confirmed in humans, she said, then it adds a new sense of urgency to the need to develop alternate ways to treat stubborn urinary tract infections.

The Washington University researchers said their studies show that individual E. coli bacteria assume different roles within the biofilm, acting like members of a multi-cell organism. Bacteria on the edge of the biofilm can burst out of the host cell and colonize other cells within the bladder wall.

Because the bacteria are within the cells of the bladder, they often are not detected by routine medical tests.

When you check a urine sample for the presence of bacteria, all you are looking for are free floating bacteria.

If there are bacteria in the bladder tissue itself, you are not going to pick them up. Having sterile urine doesn't really give you a picture of what the bacteria state of the bladder is. It makes diagnosis more difficult.

Recurring or highly resistant urinary tract infections are a major medical problem, particularly among women. The infections cause frequent and painful urination, fever and can lead to more dangerous kidney infections.

About 8 million urinary tract infections are diagnosed annually, second only to respiratory infections in the United States. Antibiotics usually knock out the infections, but for many it becomes a problem returning time after time.

STUDY: When to be Pap'ed

JOURNAL: Br J Cancer 2003;88.

AUTHORS: Dr. admin Sasieni

ABSTRACT: A study reported in the British Journal of Cancer calls into question the policy of having a uniform screening interval for cervical cancer among women aged 20 to 64.

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COMMENTARY: Screening intervals vary greatly from country to country.

Many women in Europe, for example, are offered screening only every five years, whereas annual screening is common in North America --a practice the authors consider "overkill." They also question the value of cervical screening in women under age 25.

To determine appropriate screening intervals, the researchers conducted a case-control study comparing the screening histories of 1305 women ages 20 to 69 who had been diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer with those of 2532 age-matched controls.

The data were analysed in terms of time since last negative, and time since last screening smear.

Three-yearly screening offered 84% protection against cervical cancer at ages 40 to 54 compared with 73% with five-yearly screening, and was almost as good as the 88% protection offered by annual screening.

But for women aged 55 to 69, the researchers found little difference between screening every five years (83%), every three years (87%), and annual screening (87%).

In women aged 20 to 39, even annual screening was not as effective (76%) as three-yearly screening in older women, although it was more effective than three-yearly screening (61%) and five-yearly screening (30%).

The results suggest that the present policy of a uniform screening interval for all women aged 20 to 64 should be abandoned in favour of an interval that changes with the woman's age, the authors conclude. They suggest the following for the UK: under age 25, do not screen; 25-49, three-yearly screening; 50-64, 5-yearly screening; 65 and older, only screen those who have not been screened since age 50.

STUDY: Men over 40 should measure their free testosterone

JOURNAL: Diabetes Care 2003;26:1869-1873.

AUTHORS: Dr. Michiaki Fukui

ABSTRACT: Among men with type 2 diabetes, there is an inverse association between serum free testosterone concentration and carotid atherosclerosis.

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COMMENTARY: There is evidence to suggest that low concentrations of testosterone are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in men.

The researchers measured serum free and total testosterone concentrations in 253 type 2 diabetic men, and determined carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque score (PS) ultrasonographically, as well as major cardiovascular risk factors, in a subgroup of 154 patients.

Free testosterone concentration was inversely correlated with IMT (p = 0.0103) and with PS (p < 0.001). Patients with concentrations of free testosterone less than 10 pg/mL had significantly greater IMT (1.01 versus 0.91 mm, p = 0.038) and PS (4.4 versus 2.4, p = 0.0003) than those with higher testosterone levels.

Also, serum free testosterone concentration inversely correlated with age, as well as with age at onset and duration of diabetes.

The investigators found that serum free testosterone correlated with the severity of atherosclerosis regardless of whether the patients had overt cardiovascular disease or not.

STUDY: Watch your glucose levels

JOURNAL: Am J Epidemiol 2003;157:1092-1100.

AUTHORS: Dr. Saydah

ABSTRACT: Impaired glucose tolerance, a known risk factor for diabetes and heart disease, may also increase the risk of cancer death.

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COMMENTARY: For the estimated 15% of US adults with impaired glucose tolerance, the new findings provide yet another reason to modify a sedentary lifestyle.

The finding may also explain why overweight people are more likely to develop cancer, especially colon cancer.

In a study of more than 3,000 adults followed between 1976 and 1980, she and her colleagues found that people with impaired glucose tolerance were nearly twice as likely to die from any type of cancer than were those with normal glucose levels. Their risk of dying from colon cancer, specifically, was more than quadruple that of healthy controls.

After adjusting for age, sex and other factors associated with cancer risk, abnormal glucose tolerance remained strongly associated with cancer mortality.

The reason for the link is unclear. Previous reports have suggested that hyperinsulinemia may promote cancer development, since insulin has been shown to stimulate cell growth, especially colonic epithelial cells.

However, people with overt diabetes were no more likely to die of cancer than were people with normal blood sugar levels

STUDY: The frequency of previously unrecognized adverse drug reactions occurring in recently approved drugs is alarming.

JOURNAL: Journal of the American Medical Association

AUTHORS: Dr. Paul Allen

ABSTRACT: The May 1 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported the results of a study that sought to determine the frequency of previously unrecognized adverse drug reactions occurring in recently approved drugs.

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COMMENTARY: By analyzing volumes of the Physician's Desk Reference published over a twenty-five year period as well as other information, researchers at Harvard University discovered that half of the newly established adverse effects, which include liver, bone marrow and heart damage as well as pregnancy risks, are found within seven years of their approval, and half of the drugs withdrawn were taken off the market within two years following their release.

Study author and primary care physician and researcher at Cambridge Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Dr Karen Lasser, stated, "This study will change the way I talk to patients about the use of new drugs. If there is a safer, effective drug that has been in use for a number of years, I would strongly recommend it over a newer drug whose safety profile is unknown. I would prescribe a new drug only when absolutely necessary, and then watch for adverse effects very, very closely."

The authors attribute the widespread use of new drugs to extensive promotion by pharmaceutical companies. They note that drug companies may fail to conduct the postmarketing studies the Food and Drug Administration requires when a safety issue is discovered during the drug's preapproval phase.

Coauthor Dr. Paul Allen , an internal medicine specialist at Cambridge Hospital and Harvard Medical School, commented, "Twenty million patients, almost 10 percent of the U.S. population, were exposed to the five drugs withdrawn from the market between September 1997 and September 1998. Yet the drug companies push the public and doctors to use new drugs that are more profitable but also more dangerous."

Our stance here at the clinic is to choose alternative safer drugs for our patients. I spend a great deal of time making sure that my patients are safe from drug side effects.

Please beware and be an educated consumer.

STUDY: Get your C

JOURNAL: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2002;165:1299-1303.

AUTHORS: Tricia M. McKeever

ABSTRACT: An orange a day may help keep lung disease away.

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COMMENTARY: In the study, researchers confirmed that people who consume high levels of vitamin C and magnesium tend to have healthier lungs. And for the first time, the research showed that people with high levels of vitamin C intake experience less decline in lung function over time.

By minimizing the decline in lung function as time passes, a diet containing lots of foods rich in vitamin C may lower the odds of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Mounting evidence suggests that vitamin C and other antioxidant vitamins and minerals may be involved in asthma and COPD, a group of illnesses that includes bronchitis and emphysema. Exactly how antioxidants keep lungs healthy is uncertain, though they are known to neutralize DNA-ravaging compounds called free radicals that contribute to aging and disease.

STUDY:

JOURNAL: Am J Hypertens 2003; 16:494-497.

AUTHORS: Drs. Martin G. Myers and Miguel A. Valdivieso

ABSTRACT: Study results indicate that a lot of the white coat effect can be reduced by determining blood pressure (BP) outside the office setting, either by a trained technician or by using an automated recording device.

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COMMENTARY: They found that BP readings obtained with the BpTRU tended to be lower than the readings obtained by the physician and hypertension specialist (P<0.001). The mean readings were 155, 166, and 174 mm Hg, respectively.

Measures taken by the technician (mean 158 mm Hg) was similar to that obtained with the automated device, the authors write.

The highest mean BP readings occurred during the first recording session, a finding that supports prior studies which have shown that BP readings tend to be higher during a visit to a new setting and then fall during subsequent visits.

This study, the researchers say, suggests that the white coat effect associated with BP readings taken by the physician can be partly eliminated by referring patients to non-office settings for automated BP recordings and/or having a technician or nurse take the reading.

STUDY: Not just painful

JOURNAL: Family practice.; 2003 Aug;20(4) p9242

AUTHORS: Janssens H; Van De Lisdonk E

ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between gout on the one hand and cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular risk indicators on the other.

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COMMENTARY: Thirty-five percent of 261 gout patients and 26% of 522 controls

had one or more prevalent cardiovascular diseases.

Compared with controls, patients had a higher prevalence of hypertension (43%versus 18%), hypercholesterolaemia (14% versus 6%) and obesity (56% versus 30%). A total of 170 gout patients without prevalent cardiovascular diseases (compared with 340 controls) had a higher prevalence of hypertension (39% versus 14%), hypercholesterolaemia (8% versus 4%), diabetes mellitus (5% versus 1%) and obesity (52% versus 27%).

Gout was found to be associated with cardiovascular diseases and with cardiovascular risk indicators, without evidence of it being an independent risk indicator itself.

A gout attack should be an incentive to assess the cardiovascular risk profile, when a patient seeks medical help.

I always look at gout as being a warning signal that something else might be going on.

STUDY:

JOURNAL: Journal of Clinical Investigation

AUTHORS: Serge Przedborski

ABSTRACT: A team of researchers, led by Serge Przedborski, at Columbia University in New York, have demonstrated that infusion of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate (D-beta-H to mice suffering from Parkinson disease restored impaired brain function and protected against neurodegeneration and motor skill abnormalities.

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D-beta-HB, already utilized in the treatment of epilepsy, may represent a cheap and easy way to treat Parkinson disease.

COMMENTARY: Przedborski and colleagues administered the neurotoxin MPTP to mice, which caused dopaminergic neurodegeneration and deficits in the mitochondrial electron transport chain reminiscent of Parkinson disease.

Using this model of disease, the authors showed that the infusion of the ketone body D-beta-HB restored mitochondrial respiration and protected against MPTP-induced neurodegeneration and motor deficits. The study supports a critical role for mitochondrial defect in Parkinson disease.

Ketone bodies are already successfully used in the treatment of epilepsy. They are also able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier that often prevents potentially beneficial drugs from entering the brain.

D-beta-HB may therefore be considered as a novel form of neuroprotective therapy in the treatment of Parksinson disease.

STUDY: Maybe Natural is better?

JOURNAL: Archives of Surgery 2003.

AUTHORS: Dr. Lisbet R. Holmich

ABSTRACT: At least 15% of silicone breast implants will rupture within 10 years after implantation.

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COMMENTARY: Although several studies have estimated the rate of implant rupture, none have directly examined the actual rates.

The research team performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing in a group of 186 women who had received silicone breast implants at least 3 years prior. A total of 317 implants were unruptured at the start of the study in 1999. At follow-up in 2001, a total of 280 implants remained in place and 37 had been removed.

The researchers identified 33 (10%) definite ruptures and 23 (7%) possible ruptures that occurred during the study period. Based on this, 5.3 definite ruptures were estimated to occur for every 100 implants each year.

Implant age was one of the strongest predictors of rupture, the authors note. For example, implants that were 6 to 7 years old were nearly three times more likely to rupture than those that were only 3 to 5 year old.

When the analysis was limited to the newest implants--those developed in 1988 or later--the authors estimated that at least 15% will rupture within 10 years of placement. For these implants, the rate of rupture dramatically rises 6 to 8 years after placement.

Although some surgeons advocate routine implant exchange after 10 years, "this may give a false sense of security" since many will have ruptured by that time, the authors note.

STUDY:

JOURNAL:

AUTHORS:

ABSTRACT: An orange a day may help keep lung disease away, new research from the UK suggests.

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COMMENTARY: In the study, researchers confirmed that people who consume high levels of vitamin C and magnesium tend to have healthier lungs. And for the first time, the research showed that people with high levels of vitamin C intake experience less decline in lung function over time.

By minimizing the decline in lung function as time passes, a diet containing lots of foods rich in vitamin C may lower the odds of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the study's authors report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

STUDY:

JOURNAL: Journal of the National Cancer Institute

AUTHORS: Dr. Lawrence S. Engel

ABSTRACT: A few main risk factors account for most stomach and esophagus cancers that occur in the general population.

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COMMENTARY: The current study involved 1143 patients with esophagus or stomach cancer and 695 healthy people. The patients were diagnosed between 1993 and 1995 in Connecticut, New Jersey, or Washington.

The researchers looked at the four main types of cancer that involve the esophagus and stomach: adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, squamous cell cancer of the esophagus, adenocarcinoma of "cardia" region of the stomach, and adenocarcinoma of other stomach areas.

Being overweight accounted for the greatest percentage of esophagus adenocarcinomas--41 percent, the authors state.

The next biggest contributor--ever smoking--accounted for 40 percent of cases. Together, being overweight, ever smoking, reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, and low fruit and vegetable consumption accounted for 79 percent of cases.

Alcohol consumption was responsible for the greatest percentage of esophageal squamous cell cancers--72 percent. Nearly 90 percent of cases could be accounted for by alcohol use, a history of ever smoking, and low fruit and vegetable intake.

For stomach cardia adenocarcinomas, smoking was the biggest contributor, responsible for 45 percent of cases. A history of ever smoking and being overweight together accounted for 56 percent of cases.

For other stomach adenocarcinomas, increased nitrite intake, a compound found in smoked foods, accounted for the greatest percentage of cases--41 percent, the researchers point out.

The rapid rise in the rate of new cases of stomach and esophagus cancers that has occurred in Western populations appears to result from increases in the prevalence of several risk factors that people are capable of changing.

STUDY: Go Green tea

JOURNAL: American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

AUTHORS: Dr Hirofumi Tachibana

ABSTRACT: A compound found in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, blocks one of the receptors involved in the allergic response. Previous studies in rodents have shown that orally administered EGCG helped prevent the allergic response, but its mechanism of action remained unknown. Although other compounds in green tea have been demonstrated to fight allergies, EGCG appears to be the most potent.

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COMMENTARY: EGCG has been discovered to block the formation of two compounds involved in allergic reactions: histamine and immunoglobulin E (IgE). By studying the human white blood cells that release histamine called basophils, the researchers found that a methylated form of EGCG blocks the IgE receptor, involved in the allergic response.

Methylated EGCG provides a stronger response than normal EGCG against allergies, and the researchers state that it is the has the strongest anti-allergy effect of all of the compounds in green tea.

This study reveals yet another of green tea's promising health benefits, in addition to its ability to combat heart disease, cancer, tooth decay and arthritis.