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Health Book Summaires: Arthritis

Arthritis is a disease that causes loss of movement and pain in the joints. Affecting both adults and children alike, over 40 million people in the United States have arthritis, many with chronic pain which affects daily life. Read on to learn more about this debilitating disease and what you can do about it.

1. According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly one in three adults has arthritis or chronic joint symptoms, and arthritis is the leading cause of disability among Americans older than age fifteen.

- David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief



2. Enzyme therapy has been used to treat arthritis for many years, particularly because of the ability of certain enzymes to reduce inflammation.

- Tom Bohager, Everything You Need to Know About Enzymes to Treat Everything from Digestive Problems and Allergies to Migraines and Arthritis



3. The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fibromyalgia often is considered an arthritis-related condition, but it is not a true form of arthritis because it does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints.

- David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief



4. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, afflicts 12 percent of the United States population age twenty-five and older (approximately 21 million people).

- Jonathan W. Emord, The Rise of Tyranny



5. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is related to but distinct from osteoarthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis antibodies are formed against components of bone, cartilage and synovia of joints, and the immune cells of the body attack the joints of most parts of the body, causing inflammation, fibrosis and joint destruction. Although this disease can affect children in the juvenile form of rheumatoid arthritis, most sufferers from arthritis are middle-aged or elderly.

- Kilmer S. McCully, The Homocysteine Revolution

High Fructose Diet May Contribute to High Blood Pressure

Newswise — People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose (sugar) might decrease one’s risk of developing hypertension.

Hypertension is the most common chronic condition in developed countries and a major risk factor for heart and kidney diseases. Researchers are striving to identify environmental factors that might be responsible for the development of hypertension, and they suspect that fructose may play a role. Over the past century, a dramatic increase in the consumption of this simple sugar, which is used to sweeten a wide variety of processed foods, mirrors the dramatic rise in the prevalence of hypertension.

To examine whether increased fructose consumption has contributed to rising rates of hypertension, Diana Jalal, MD (University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center) and her colleagues analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2006). The study involved 4,528 US adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. Study participants answered questions related to their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy. Dr. Jalal’s team found that people who consumed a diet of 74 grams or more per day of fructose (corresponding to 2.5 sugary soft drinks per day) had a 26%, 30%, and 77% higher risk for blood pressure levels of 135/85, 140/90, and 160/100 mmHg, respectively. (A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg.)

“Our study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor for high blood pressure. However, well-planned prospective randomized clinical studies need to be completed to see if low fructose diets will prevent the development of hypertension and its complications,” said Dr. Jalal.

Study co-authors include Richard Johnson, MD, Gerard Smits, PhD, and Michel Chonchol, MD (University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center).

Disclosures: Dr. Richard Johnson is an author of the book, “The Sugar Fix.” All other authors reported no financial disclosures.

Preliminary findings were presented in abstract form at ASN Renal Week 2010 and highlighted in an accompanying press release.

The article, entitled “Increased Fructose Associates with Elevated Blood Pressure,” will appear online at http://jasn.asnjournals.org/ on July 1, 2010, doi 10.1681/ASN.2009111111.

The content of this article does not reflect the views or opinions of The American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s). ASN does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.

Founded in 1966, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is the world’s largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. Comprised of 11,000 physicians and scientists, ASN continues to promote expert patient care, to advance medical research, and to educate the renal community. ASN also informs policymakers about issues of importance to kidney doctors and their patients. ASN funds research, and through its world-renowned meetings and first-class publications, disseminates information and educational tools that empower physicians.

McDonald's Says Chicken McNuggets Sold in China Have `Harmless' Additives

The use of tertiary butylhydroquinone in the fast-food chain’s fried chicken pieces meets Chinese food safety standards, McDonald’s unit in the nation said in an e-mailed statement. “The chemical is toxic to some extent,” the China Daily newspaper quoted Liu Qingchun, a nutritionist at the General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, as saying today. Liu said China’s standards allow its use.

McDonald’s has “strict quality control on all its food,” Jacky Sun, a spokesman for the company said by phone today. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on April 20 called for authorities to “significantly improve” the safety and reputation of domestic foods, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

McNuggets served in the U.S. also contain tertiary butylhydroquinone, a petroleum-based product, and dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent used in cosmetics and other goods. McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan also serves chicken with the additives, which meet Japanese safety standards, Kazuyuki Hagiwara, a spokesman for the company said today. Both chemicals are “harmless,” Sun of McDonald’s China said.

“The State Food and Drug Administration is working with other relevant departments to monitor the products of McDonald’s McNuggets,” the agency said in a statement posted on its website. “The government asks food service providers to strictly follow the national standard use of food additives, and to ensure public food safety.”

Poultry Eaters

Poultry is the second most-consumed meat in China after pork. Demand this year is estimated at more than 12.6 million tons, according to a statement on the industry website China Animal Agriculture Association.

Safety concerns about food have risen in China since contaminated milk powder killed at least six babies in 2008 and sickened about 300,000 children. That same year, pesticide- tainted dumplings imported from China sickened at least 10 people in Japan.

China opened its first 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants faster than any other country outside of the U.S. and is the main focus for investment in the region, Tim Fenton, McDonald’s president for Asia, Middle East and Africa, said in an interview on June 10. The fast-food chain plans to have 2,000 outlets there by 2013, he said.

The company, which opened its first restaurant in Shenzhen in 1990, now has 1,146 stores in China, the world’s third- largest economy.

--Jin Jing, Stephanie Wong in Shanghai, with assistance from Feiwen Rong and Yidi Zhao in Beijing and Naoko Fujimura in Tokyo. Editors: Dave McCombs, Ben Richardson.

Fast food 'fuelling Asia diabetes boom'

Many Vietnamese have diabetes but are unaware of it - and the condition is spreading fast in South East Asia, scientists have warned.

A study by Australian and Vietnamese scientists found about 11% of men and 12% of women in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

This was in addition to the 4% of people who had been diagnosed.

The scientists, from Australia's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, blamed changing lifestyles and fast food.

"Dietary patterns have been changing dramatically in Vietnam in recent years, particularly in the cities as they become more Westernised," said Professor Tuan Nguyen of the Sydney-based institute.

"There are fast food outlets everywhere," he said, adding that similar studies in Thailand reinforced the link.

"Because of that, we feel very confident that we can extrapolate our findings to other parts of South East Asia including Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Laos," he said.

The study was based on a sample of more than 2,000 people.

The condition is caused by high levels of sugar and fat in the diet and inadequate exercise.

The most common form of diabetes can lead to heart disease, vision loss and kidney failure.

Fish oil may reduce risk of breast cancer

PHILADELPHIA — A recent report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, adds to the growing evidence that fish oil supplements may play a role in preventing chronic disease.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash., led by Emily White, Ph.D., a member of the public health sciences division, asked 35,016 postmenopausal women who did not have a history of breast cancer to complete a 24-page questionnaire about their use of non-vitamin, non-mineral "specialty" supplements in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort study.

After six years of follow-up, 880 cases of breast cancer were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry.

Regular use of fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, was linked with a 32 percent reduced risk of breast cancer. The reduction in risk appeared to be restricted to invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease.

The use of other specialty supplements, many of which are commonly taken by women to treat symptoms of menopause, was not associated with breast cancer risk.

This research is the first to demonstrate a link between the use of fish oil supplements and a reduction in breast cancer. Studies of dietary intake of fish or omega-3 fatty acids have not been consistent.

"It may be that the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements are higher than most people would typically get from their diet," White said.

However, White cautioned against gleaning any recommendations from the results of one study.

"Without confirming studies specifically addressing this," she said, "we should not draw any conclusions about a causal relationship."

Edward Giovannucci, M.D., Sc.D., professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and an editorial board member of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, agreed.

"It is very rare that a single study should be used to make a broad recommendation," said Giovannucci. "Over a period of time, as the studies confirm each other, we can start to make recommendations."

Still, fish oil continues to excite many, as evidence emerges about its protective effect on cardiovascular disease and now cancer.

Harvard researchers are currently enrolling patients for the randomized Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (also called VITAL), which will assess the impact of fish oil supplements and vitamin D on cancer, heart disease and stroke.

The researchers plan to enroll 20,000 U.S. men aged 60 years and older and women aged 65 years and older who do not have a history of these diseases and have never taken supplements.