Category Archives: Research

Health, Medical, Research, Science

Obesity and the risk of having brittle bones…

RESEARCH AT HARVARD OVERTURNS TRADITIONAL THINKING

According to recent research, being very overweight could put you at risk of brittle bones.

Up until now scientists had thought that carrying a few extra pounds helped to protect bones and prevent fractures.

The researchers believe that instead of protecting bones, the extra fat triggers the formation of cells called osteoclasts which gradually wear them down. They also suspect that if large amounts of fat are stored within the bone it inhibits the production of new bone tissue.

Scientists had assumed that being obese protected bones as fat cells release the hormone oestrogen. This is known to encourage bones to absorb the mineral calcium from the diet, which makes them stronger.

But in the past few years a growing number of studies have dispelled this theory by showing that very overweight adults tend to have thinner bones and a lower bone density.

This latest study by academics at Harvard University in Boston has suggested a cause by claiming that high levels of fat in the bones gradually wear them down.

The research-lead on this study at Harvard Medical School, associate professor Miriam Bredella, said:

… Obesity was once thought to be protective against bone loss. We have found that this is not true. Bone marrow fat makes bones weak. If you have a spine that’s filled with fat, it’s not going to be as strong.

Her study – first published in the journal Radiology – looked at the bones and fat deposits of 106 obese men and women. The researchers used a type of scan called proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure fat in the bone marrow, muscles and liver.

They found that adults with the most fat in their liver and muscles also had the highest levels of fat in their bone marrow, which increases the risk of osteoporosis.

More than three million people in Britain suffer from the disease for which there is no cure.

And in further developments, children as young as eight are showing signs of high blood pressure due to obesity.

Campaigners say these children are putting themselves at high risk of strokes, heart attacks and liver disease in adulthood and should watch their weight and salt intake.

Harvard academics looked at blood pressure readings, weights and diets of 8,300 children aged eight to 17 surveyed between 1999 and 2008. They compared their average results with those of a group of 3,200 similar-aged children who were studied from 1988 to 1994.

Girls in the most recent group were 53 per cent more likely to have higher than normal blood pressure. Some 12.6 per cent had higher than normal readings compared to 8.2 per cent of those surveyed earlier.

The proportion of boys with higher blood pressure rose from 15.8 per cent to 19.2 per cent, an increase of 21 per cent.

British scientists expect the US results would prove to be similar here as so many children are now obese.

A statement issued by the British Heart Foundation, said:

… It’s a real concern to see raised levels at such a young age. Unhealthy habits formed in childhood can be hard to shake off.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

A drug used for treating diabetes could cut risk of developing dementia…

METFORMIN

A drug used to treat diabetes could cut the risk of developing dementia by 20 per cent, a research study has found.

Around 15,000 people aged over 55 diagnosed with the type 2 form of the disease were given the drug metformin over a period of five years.

But when scientists looked back over medical records they found the drug also reduced the chance of those with diabetes developing dementia.

Metformin, one of the most common forms of treatments for diabetes, makes the body more sensitive to insulin, which diabetes sufferers cannot naturally produce.

About 800,000 people in the UK suffer from a form of dementia, with more than half being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Society in the UK said the study results were ‘positive news’ because diabetics are twice as likely to develop dementia as those who don’t have it. The Society has said that whilst this study is encouraging it is still not sure exactly how metformin works with regards to dementia. But it added:

… What is becoming increasingly apparent is the role of insulin in the brain and the way it can regulate the brains behaviour.

Clinical trials are now underway to test metformin as a therapy for both dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

The study by scientists at Kaiser Permanente was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International conference in Boston earlier this week.

A statement issued by the Alzheimer’s Society said that due to the ‘huge cost’ of developing treatments ‘from scratch’ it was important to explore whether existing drugs could also treat dementia.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

Indigestion drugs linked to risk of heart attacks and strokes…

PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs)

Common indigestion drugs used by millions of Britons could increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to research.

Scientists said the drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, can trigger a dangerous rise in chemicals in the body linked with heart disease.

Patients with existing heart problems, such as angina, are at most risk, but healthy adults with no history of such complaints could also be affected, the researchers said.

The number of prescriptions for PPIs such as lansoprazole and omeprazole – sold over the counter as Zanprol – has doubled in recent years to more than eight million a year, costing the NHS around £400 million a year. The exact number of patients on the drugs is not known because some buy them over the counter (OTC) at high street chemists.

PPIs work by blocking the action of cells called proton pumps, which produce stomach acid. Although very effective, they should only be used for a maximum of two months and preferably for between two and four weeks.

But many patients quickly find they cannot live without them and ask for repeat prescriptions from their GP or buy them at the chemist. Previous studies identified a potential link between the drugs and heart problems, although scientists conceded there was no obvious explanation for the connection.

Now experts at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston, Texas, believe they have uncovered the reason why.

After studying samples of human heart tissue, as well as carrying out experiments on mice, they found that PPIs triggered an increase in a chemical called asymmetric dimethylarginine, or ADMA, produced as the body’s cells make proteins.

It can hinder blood flow by blocking the release of nitric oxide, a gas which helps arteries to stay flexible and healthy. The latest findings, published in the journal Circulation, show PPI medicines increase ADMA levels by about 25 per cent and reduce the ability of blood vessel walls to relax by more than 30 per cent.

In a report on their findings, the researchers said that several studies have raised concern that the use of PPIs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (heart disease) may increase their risk of major adverse events.

Dr John Cooke, who heads the research group, says that whilst a plausible biological explanation has now been found to explain this, also added that the ‘surprising effect still needs further investigation’.

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