Archive for April 27th, 2012
Vitamin D May Affect Lung Transplant Success
April 27th, 2012 | 
Author: Researchers from Loyola University Health System in Chicago found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increase in lung transplant rejection and infections.
Posted in 
Study: Diabetes, obesity raise breast cancer risk after menopause
Overweight postmenopausal women who had a history of diabetes and high cholesterol faced more than nine times the risk of developing breast cancer as those without the conditions, according to a study in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. Researchers also found overweight women with diabetes and a high ratio of fat to muscle were nearly eight times as likely to develop breast cancer.
High glucose, insulin levels cause fatty deposits in heart
Significantly high blood glucose and insulin levels may be the cause of fatty deposits in the hearts of patients with diabetes, a study in Diabetes indicates. Austrian researchers used MRI and spectroscopy on 18 healthy patients and found that an injection of grape sugar, combined with the resulting release of insulin, overexerted the heart's metabolism and led to visible fatty deposits in the heart within six hours.
Vitamin D supplements could benefit patients with hypertension
A Danish study involving 112 patients with hypertension found that vitamin D supplements could be as effective as drugs in reducing blood pressure. Taking vitamin D supplements daily for 20 weeks significantly reduced patients' central systolic blood pressure and lowered their systolic pressure by 6.8 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 1.7 mmHg. The study was presented at the conference of the European Society of Hypertension.
Analysis: Food industry’s lobbying drives U.S. nutrition policy
The food industry spends more on lobbying than nutrition advocates do, and it has dominated policymaking in recent years, according to a Reuters analysis of lobbying efforts. Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said industry push-back led to foot-dragging by the government on tougher food standards.
Changing gut bacteria may help address obesity
French researchers found that mice that received gut bacteria from obesity-prone rats consumed more food, put on more weight and were more obese compared with their counterparts that got the bacteria from obesity-resistant rats. The results, presented at an American Society for Nutrition meeting, suggest altering intestinal bacteria may help reduce the risk of obesity.
Bill seeking stronger FDA oversight of medical devices advances
A Senate panel on Wednesday cleared a bill that would allow the FDA to evaluate the safety of approved medical devices and give conditional approvals dependent on further studies. The measure also would tighten the agency's 510(k) process that permits firms to prove the similarity of their devices to products already approved without needing extensive trials.
Reporter’s Note: Not sure right now if this would help or hinder our efforts. The “conditional approvals” part would likely help; the “tighten the agency's 510(k) process” part might not.