Immune inequity in gut may trigger celiac disease

Blocking this compound in mice helped overturn the disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. Vitamin A and retinoic acid, a byproduct of vitamin A used in the acne treatment Retin-A and Roche's former acne drug Accutane, may intensify the problem, acting as a trigger for the inflammatory response, the team said. The findings, published in the journal Nature, propose that an imbalance of compounds like Interleukin 15 that control the immune system could be an underlying cause of food allergies.

"If there is a disregulation in the intestinal environment, this alone can explicate how you can lose tolerance to some food items," Dr. Bana Jabri of the Digestive Disease Research Core Center at the University of Chicago, who led the study, said in a telephone meeting. "It is a first time a pathway has been recognized," she added. Celiac disease is caused by an abnormal immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other foods. It happen in about 1 percent of the population, and can lead to harsh health problems including anemia, poor bone health, fatigue and weight loss.

To study it, the team first had to reconstruct the disease in mice. They knew that many people with celiac disease had high levels of Interleukin-15 in their intestines. When they enlarged levels of this immune system compound in mice, they developed all the early on symptoms of celiac disease. Adding retinoic acid to the combine only made the symptoms worse, reason inflammation and tissue damage. When they blocked IL-15, however, the sick mice reverted to usual and were once again able to tolerate gluten. 

Vitamin D helps avoid Alzheimer's diseases

A new study in International Journal of Neuroscience recommends that vitamin D deficiency intensifies the spatial knowledge deficit in Alzheimer's disease, a ordinary form of dementia. The study led by Taghizadeh M. at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran and colleagues found rats with Alzheimer's disease on a diet without vitamin D did worse in the Morris water maze than their counterparts that inspired a diet supplement with vitamin D. The authors say in their study report that early studies have provide proof that nutrition is associated with neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease.

Specifically, rats deficient of vitamin D displayed a inferior spatial learning capability compared to their counterparts on the vitamin D supplemented diet. On the other hand, vitamin D supplementation did not considerably affect spatial performance. The researchers wrote "although vitamin D shortage strengthens the spatial learning insufficiency in AD, a supplement of 1,25(OH)2D3 does not efficiently underlie the maze performance. It can be finished that subjects with AD (Alzheimer's disease) must be protected from vitamin D inadequacy." An predictable 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease. There be no cure for the disease.

useful links : transport rankings  

Healthy food helps patients battle cancer, cure side effects

Nutritious food cannot cure cancer, but it's a huge ally for those battling a potentially deadly disease. Many of the 1.5 million Americans diagnose with cancer every year successfully assault the uncontrolled, unusual spread of cells with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But those life saving treatments sometimes carry side property altered taste buds, diarrhea or constipation, mouth sores and complexity swallowing that make patients want to push their dinner plate away: "Sometimes presently the smell of food can make you not feel good," says Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical action for the American Cancer Society.

The calories and nutrients in food are critical to building the power and immunities necessary to fight cancer. To avoid malnutrition and chance weight loss, people undergoing treatment and their families require to make every bite count. The National Cancer Institute says people who eat less than five to nine serving of fruit and vegetables a day are at better risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, several types of cancer and diabetes. It only make logic the same benefits apply when a person is undergoing cancer action, says Fran Rinchuse, a clinical dietitian and nutritionist at Tampa's St. Joseph's Hospital.

"More and more, they are finding disease and dietary shortage go hand in hand," she says. Richuse like to concentrate on nutrition as soon as a person is diagnosed. The type of cancer, treatment plan, probable side effects and the person's current nutritional status all must be considered. For example, high-calorie and soaring protein foods may be needed for a person who is losing extreme amounts of weight and muscle mass. "Everyone brings with them a lot of their individual variables to the table," Rinchuse says. The ideal foods should be like those the Cancer Society has recognized as helping decrease the risk of disease: foods low in fat and sodium and filled with vitamins and minerals, such as colorful fruits and vegetables. 


useful links : transport rankings 

Stop the sunscreen, your skin need sunlight

Studies show how insufficient contact between the sun and the skin portends danger, writes ABIMBOLA ADELAKUN.The sun is not just a big hot ball in the sky that dries up wet garments and makes us sweat. It is a highly valuable source of production of Vitamin D; the vitamin that has been known with a whole lot of benefits: from reducing obesity to reducing chances of getting cancer. However, to get Vitamin D to work for one, the skin needs to be exposed to the sun.

Yet, many people would rather not have the sun on their bodies because of sunburn, skin darkening and other discomforts connected with exposure. “Vitamin D is made principally in the skin,” says Dr. Biodun Osinubi, a dermatologist with many years knowledge. “The vitamin is good in the body for so many different things, especially for the control of calcium. Calcium is useful for so many defenses.”

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids formed in the skin of vertebrates after exposure to ultraviolet B light, and is found in a small range of foods such as oily fish and dairy products. It is also available as a supplement in pill form. 

useful links: transport rankings