Breastfeeding a child may lower a woman's risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes in women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that was published online ahead of print and will appear in the February issue of Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association. The protective association was even stronger for women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, according to the study's lead author, Erica Gunderson, PhD, an epidemiologist and research scientist at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
Breastfeeding a child lowers risk by 39 to 56 percent (depending on the duration of breastfeeding) for women without gestational diabetes, and 44 to 86 percent (depending on the duration of breastfeeding) for women with gestational diabetes, researchers said. Investigators looked at durations that included 0-1 month of lactation up to greater than 9 months of lactation.
Previous research has shown that lactating women have more favorable blood levels of glucose and lipids within several weeks after delivery than women who were not lactating. Other studies have reported much weaker protective associations of breastfeeding with the presence of Metabolic Syndrome and diabetes in middle-aged and older women.
Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, this 20-year prospective study is the first to measure all components of Metabolic Syndrome both before pregnancy and after weaning in women of childbearing age, enabling researchers to examine breastfeeding in relation to new onset of Metabolic Syndrome, explained Gunderson.
"The findings indicate that breastfeeding a child may have lasting favorable effects on a woman's risk factors for later developing diabetes or heart disease," she said, explaining that the benefits don't appear to be due to differences in weight gain, physical activity, or other health behaviors. However, in this study, less belly fat and higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C) were characteristic of women who did not develop Metabolic Syndrome, Gunderson said.
Among the 704 women who were aged 18 to 30 years at enrollment, had never previously given birth and were free of Metabolic Syndrome before all their pregnancies, there were 120 new cases of Metabolic Syndrome after pregnancies during 20 years of follow-up.
"The Metabolic Syndrome is a clustering of risk factors related to obesity and metabolism that strongly predicts future diabetes and possibly, coronary heart disease during midlife and early death for women," Gunderson said.
"Because the Metabolic Syndrome affects about 18 to 37 percent of U.S. women between ages 20-59, the childbearing years may be a vulnerable period for its development. Postpartum screening of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease may offer an important opportunity for primary prevention."
Recent studies suggest a stronger link between Metabolic Syndrome to diabetes than coronary heart disease.
Another recent Kaiser Permanente study by Gunderson published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in August 2009 found that women with gestational diabetes are 2.5 times more likely to develop Metabolic Syndrome after pregnancy.
Gunderson explained that further research is needed to learn more about the mechanism(s) through which lactation may influence risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Further research also is needed to learn about whether lifestyle modifications, including lactation duration, may affect development of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, particularly among high-risk groups, such as women with a history of gestational diabetes.
This study was part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, a multi-center, longitudinal, population-based, observational study designed to describe the development of risk factors for coronary heart disease in young black and white adults recruited from four geographic areas in the United States: Birmingham, Ala..; Chicago; Minneapolis; and Oakland.
This study is part of Kaiser Permanente's larger ongoing effort to research and promote the health benefits of breastfeeding. For example, Kaiser Permanente's South Sacramento, Hayward and Fremont facilities have received the international recognition by the World Health Organization and UNICEF as Baby-Friendly™ birth facilities for offering an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Additional investigators on the study include: David R. Jacobs, Jr., University of Minnesota Division of Epidemiology and Community Health and University of Oslo, Department of Nutrition; Vicky Chang, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research; Cora E. Lewis, University of Alabama Birmingham, Division of Preventive Medicine and the Diabetes Research and Training Center; Juanran Feng, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research; Charles P. Quesenberry, Jr., Kaiser Permanente Division of Research; and Stephen Sidney, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study was funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health (Contracts # N01-HC-48047, N01-HC-48048, N01-HC-48049, N01-HC-48050, and N01-HC-95095, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Career Development Award, Grant number K01 DK059944 from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases) and a Research Award from the American Diabetes Association.
Source: Danielle Cass
Kaiser Permanente
воскресенье, 25 сентября 2011 г.
воскресенье, 18 сентября 2011 г.
Healthy Women With High Cholesterol At Increased Risk Of Stroke
Healthy women with no history of heart disease or stroke significantly increase their chances of having a stroke if they have high cholesterol, according to a study of more than 27,000 women published in the February 20, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Our findings further underscore the importance of cholesterol levels as a risk factor for stroke, even if you have no history of heart disease and are otherwise healthy," said study author Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD, with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
The 11-year study involved women from the United States and Puerto Rico who were part of the Women's Health Study. All of the women were health care professionals who were at least age 45, had no history of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other major illness. Cholesterol levels were taken at the beginning of the study.
According to researchers, 282 strokes occurred during the 11-year period, meaning nine out of every 10,000 women had a stroke each year. The study found a strong association between total cholesterol levels and later stroke.
"Our findings show otherwise healthy women with high cholesterol were more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to healthy women with lower cholesterol levels," said Kurth. "Our data strongly supports the notion that cholesterol levels are a biologic risk factor for stroke and that avoiding unfavorable cholesterol levels may help prevent stroke."
Kurth said there were several limitations to the study, including that cholesterol levels were measured only once and that participants in the study were all health professionals and mostly white.
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and grants from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and the Leducq Foundation.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit aan.
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
1080 Montreal Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55116
United States
neurology
"Our findings further underscore the importance of cholesterol levels as a risk factor for stroke, even if you have no history of heart disease and are otherwise healthy," said study author Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD, with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
The 11-year study involved women from the United States and Puerto Rico who were part of the Women's Health Study. All of the women were health care professionals who were at least age 45, had no history of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other major illness. Cholesterol levels were taken at the beginning of the study.
According to researchers, 282 strokes occurred during the 11-year period, meaning nine out of every 10,000 women had a stroke each year. The study found a strong association between total cholesterol levels and later stroke.
"Our findings show otherwise healthy women with high cholesterol were more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to healthy women with lower cholesterol levels," said Kurth. "Our data strongly supports the notion that cholesterol levels are a biologic risk factor for stroke and that avoiding unfavorable cholesterol levels may help prevent stroke."
Kurth said there were several limitations to the study, including that cholesterol levels were measured only once and that participants in the study were all health professionals and mostly white.
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and grants from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and the Leducq Foundation.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit aan.
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
1080 Montreal Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55116
United States
neurology
воскресенье, 11 сентября 2011 г.
Cardiovascular, Breast Safety Study Of Libigel In Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
Michael C. Snabes, MD, PhD, vice president of clinical development of BioSante Pharmaceuticals, will be presenting an overview of a key study in the LibiGel® (testosterone gel) development program at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco at the Moscone Center on Sunday, June 15, 2008. The poster, titled "A Cardiovascular And Breast Safety Study Of Libigel® In Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD): Study Design And Description Of Endpoints," is co-authored by investigators and consultants at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Berry Consultants, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
A news conference will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2008, during which reporters are invited to view the poster and discuss LibiGel and the described study with Dr. Snabes.
BioSante is conducting the safety study, in post-menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's request is in line with the call for more safety data from the Endocrine Society, a medical specialty society that focuses on endocrine and metabolic diseases.
Dr. Snabes noted the significance of this precedent-setting study. "This seminal clinical trial, to examine the long-term effects of testosterone in post-menopausal women, may be one of the first large, cardiovascular event-driven, pre-approval studies undertaken in the absence of clear safety signals."
BioSante expects to enroll and test approximately three thousand post-menopausal women between the ages of fifty and eighty and who have at least one cardiovascular risk factor. The primary safety outcome for this trial is the effect of treatment on the incidence of cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular-related death, heart attack, and stroke. The incidence of invasive breast cancer is a co-primary safety endpoint, and investigators also will look for benign breast masses and non-invasive breast cancers. Patients will be assessed for hirsutism, acne, and voice or skin reactions, as well as blood testosterone levels during each study visit.
HSDD is characterized by low libido and a general lack of interest in sex. If safety endpoints are met and the FDA approves the drug, LibiGel will become the first FDA-sanctioned treatment specifically indicated for HSDD in menopausal women. BioSante anticipates FDA approval some time during 2010 or 2011.
Female sexual dysfunction can arise from many causes, including relationship problems, the use of prescription pharmaceuticals, disease, or chemical imbalances. HSDD has been treated successfully and safely with testosterone for many years, albeit to date not approved for that use. In a completed Phase II study LibiGel showed excellent safety and efficacy. However, FDA recently has become concerned with the cardiovascular and cancer risks associated with broad classes of drugs, among them potential therapies for FSD. The Phase III safety study is designed to confirm LibiGel's long-term safety.
The placebo-controlled study will examine the effect of LibiGel in post-menopausal women at a dose of 300 micrograms per day over twelve months. BioSante specifically will focus on cardiovascular events and the incidence of breast cancer. After twelve months BioSante plans to apply for FDA approval through a New Drug Application (NDA). FDA requires BioSante to follow the study group for an additional forty-eight months, after NDA submission and potential approval, to compare the occurrence of cardiac events and breast cancer between the treatment group and a matched group of women who receive a placebo gel.
LibiGel® is a 1% testosterone gel that women apply, once a day, to their upper arm. The pea-sized volume of gel is carried rapidly through the skin, from where it delivers a steady dose of testosterone to the blood.
Although testosterone is thought of as a male hormone, it also is found in women at levels appropriate with their age. Researchers believe that testosterone levels, which fall with increasing age, may control a woman's sexual desire. For example, a woman in her forties has about half the level of blood testosterone as a woman in her twenties.
The incidence of HSDD also increases with age and after certain surgical procedures. Approximately 14% of premenopausal women between the ages of twenty and forty-nine reported symptoms of HSDD, compared with 26% of women who had had their ovaries surgically removed. Similarly, the incidence of HSDD rises to 9% for "naturally" menopausal women. LibiGel® is designed to restore testosterone levels in post-menopausal women to levels that are considered normal to maintain a healthy libido.
Study results that bear out previous safety findings finally should lay to rest safety concerns regarding testosterone treatment in women, and lead to the approval of the first safe, effective treatment specifically indicated for HSDD in menopausal women.
For more information, log on to BioSantepharma.
BioSante Pharmaceuticals
BioSantepharma
A news conference will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2008, during which reporters are invited to view the poster and discuss LibiGel and the described study with Dr. Snabes.
BioSante is conducting the safety study, in post-menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's request is in line with the call for more safety data from the Endocrine Society, a medical specialty society that focuses on endocrine and metabolic diseases.
Dr. Snabes noted the significance of this precedent-setting study. "This seminal clinical trial, to examine the long-term effects of testosterone in post-menopausal women, may be one of the first large, cardiovascular event-driven, pre-approval studies undertaken in the absence of clear safety signals."
BioSante expects to enroll and test approximately three thousand post-menopausal women between the ages of fifty and eighty and who have at least one cardiovascular risk factor. The primary safety outcome for this trial is the effect of treatment on the incidence of cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular-related death, heart attack, and stroke. The incidence of invasive breast cancer is a co-primary safety endpoint, and investigators also will look for benign breast masses and non-invasive breast cancers. Patients will be assessed for hirsutism, acne, and voice or skin reactions, as well as blood testosterone levels during each study visit.
HSDD is characterized by low libido and a general lack of interest in sex. If safety endpoints are met and the FDA approves the drug, LibiGel will become the first FDA-sanctioned treatment specifically indicated for HSDD in menopausal women. BioSante anticipates FDA approval some time during 2010 or 2011.
Female sexual dysfunction can arise from many causes, including relationship problems, the use of prescription pharmaceuticals, disease, or chemical imbalances. HSDD has been treated successfully and safely with testosterone for many years, albeit to date not approved for that use. In a completed Phase II study LibiGel showed excellent safety and efficacy. However, FDA recently has become concerned with the cardiovascular and cancer risks associated with broad classes of drugs, among them potential therapies for FSD. The Phase III safety study is designed to confirm LibiGel's long-term safety.
The placebo-controlled study will examine the effect of LibiGel in post-menopausal women at a dose of 300 micrograms per day over twelve months. BioSante specifically will focus on cardiovascular events and the incidence of breast cancer. After twelve months BioSante plans to apply for FDA approval through a New Drug Application (NDA). FDA requires BioSante to follow the study group for an additional forty-eight months, after NDA submission and potential approval, to compare the occurrence of cardiac events and breast cancer between the treatment group and a matched group of women who receive a placebo gel.
LibiGel® is a 1% testosterone gel that women apply, once a day, to their upper arm. The pea-sized volume of gel is carried rapidly through the skin, from where it delivers a steady dose of testosterone to the blood.
Although testosterone is thought of as a male hormone, it also is found in women at levels appropriate with their age. Researchers believe that testosterone levels, which fall with increasing age, may control a woman's sexual desire. For example, a woman in her forties has about half the level of blood testosterone as a woman in her twenties.
The incidence of HSDD also increases with age and after certain surgical procedures. Approximately 14% of premenopausal women between the ages of twenty and forty-nine reported symptoms of HSDD, compared with 26% of women who had had their ovaries surgically removed. Similarly, the incidence of HSDD rises to 9% for "naturally" menopausal women. LibiGel® is designed to restore testosterone levels in post-menopausal women to levels that are considered normal to maintain a healthy libido.
Study results that bear out previous safety findings finally should lay to rest safety concerns regarding testosterone treatment in women, and lead to the approval of the first safe, effective treatment specifically indicated for HSDD in menopausal women.
For more information, log on to BioSantepharma.
BioSante Pharmaceuticals
BioSantepharma
воскресенье, 4 сентября 2011 г.
Eating Habits Of Female Footballers And Consequences For Sporting Activity
For a week Ms Gravina evaluated players from the first two Athletic teams (Superleague and National League), in order to observe their eating habits and where they could improve. The evaluation lasted a week and the studies were carried out on the days prior to the match, on the same day of the game and after the match. Using this data she wrote her PhD thesis: Estudio nutricional en mujeres futbolistas de ?©lite y su relaci??n con los cambios hematol??gicos, de estr?©s oxidativo y da?±o muscular tras jugar un partido de f??tbol (Nutritional study of top-class women footballers and the relation with changes in haematology, oxidative stress and muscular damage after playing a football match).
Playing football game triggers a whole series of reactions in the human body. With the leucocytes or white blood cells, for example, Ms Gravina was able to observe that, due to the physical exertion involved, those of the neutrophyle type increased in number while the lymphocytes diminished. Moreover, the resulting lack of lymphocytes facilitates infections. Also notable was the muscular and cell damage involved and the alterations in electrolytes and hormones.
At the same time, Superleague players have greater antioxidative capacity than those of the second team, meaning more effective muscular contraction, less risk of inflammation and greater capacity of organisms to combat the toxicity of free radicals. Nevertheless, it has to be taken account that the body receives greater punishment at matches than in the second team fixtures suffering greater cell damage, rupture of red blood cells, tiredness and dehydration.
Those in the Superleague, somewhat better
In order to carry out physical activity correctly it is essential to have the required nutrients for the body. According to Ms Gravina, this depends on eating habits and nutrition.
According to the researcher, the eating habits of the Superleague players are better than those of the second team. They ingest less protein and fat and more fibre. Moreover, the percentage majority of energy consumed due to physical exertion comes from carbohydrates and not fat. In any case, neither of the teams eat correctly. To start with, they do not ingest sufficient carbohydrate. Moreover, their hydration is insufficient and this causes an increase in heartbeat. The percentages of electrolytes are also inappropriate, as they ingest too little potassium and too much (double the required amount) of sodium and chloride. As Ms Gravina pointed out, potassium is fundamental to guarantee electrolytic equilibrium, essential for correct neuronal transmission and for the mechanisms in active transport.
Moreover, Ms Gravina also observed deficiencies in those substances that make metabolism possible. Players from both teams lacked folic acid, vitamin D, calcium, iodine and fluoride; moreover, those in the second team did not have sufficient magnesium. The researcher wished to underpin that these nutrients are highly important for sportspeople: vitamin D, calcium and fluoride for the bones, iodine for the metabolic process in general and magnesium for the various functions that affect muscular functions.
Enhancing performance by changing eating habits
Given all this, in the view of Ms Gravina, effective measures can be taken that affect nutrition and enhance sporting performance, and she makes a number of proposals to this end. For example, the number of red blood cells increases with greater ingestion of proteins, folic acid and vitamin C. To counteract the inflammation caused by physical activity, she points to vitamins, carotenoids and certain vegetable-source substances. In order to combat oxidation, on the other hand, she mentions carbohydrates and fibre and certain vitamins and vegetable-source substances. As regards reducing cell damage, she proposes, amongst other things, ingesting fibre and carotenes. With these and other examples, Ms. Gravina has tried to demonstrate that, through developing new eating strategies, body changes caused by sport activity can be reduced, thus enhancing performance.
Source: Elhuyar Fundazioa
Playing football game triggers a whole series of reactions in the human body. With the leucocytes or white blood cells, for example, Ms Gravina was able to observe that, due to the physical exertion involved, those of the neutrophyle type increased in number while the lymphocytes diminished. Moreover, the resulting lack of lymphocytes facilitates infections. Also notable was the muscular and cell damage involved and the alterations in electrolytes and hormones.
At the same time, Superleague players have greater antioxidative capacity than those of the second team, meaning more effective muscular contraction, less risk of inflammation and greater capacity of organisms to combat the toxicity of free radicals. Nevertheless, it has to be taken account that the body receives greater punishment at matches than in the second team fixtures suffering greater cell damage, rupture of red blood cells, tiredness and dehydration.
Those in the Superleague, somewhat better
In order to carry out physical activity correctly it is essential to have the required nutrients for the body. According to Ms Gravina, this depends on eating habits and nutrition.
According to the researcher, the eating habits of the Superleague players are better than those of the second team. They ingest less protein and fat and more fibre. Moreover, the percentage majority of energy consumed due to physical exertion comes from carbohydrates and not fat. In any case, neither of the teams eat correctly. To start with, they do not ingest sufficient carbohydrate. Moreover, their hydration is insufficient and this causes an increase in heartbeat. The percentages of electrolytes are also inappropriate, as they ingest too little potassium and too much (double the required amount) of sodium and chloride. As Ms Gravina pointed out, potassium is fundamental to guarantee electrolytic equilibrium, essential for correct neuronal transmission and for the mechanisms in active transport.
Moreover, Ms Gravina also observed deficiencies in those substances that make metabolism possible. Players from both teams lacked folic acid, vitamin D, calcium, iodine and fluoride; moreover, those in the second team did not have sufficient magnesium. The researcher wished to underpin that these nutrients are highly important for sportspeople: vitamin D, calcium and fluoride for the bones, iodine for the metabolic process in general and magnesium for the various functions that affect muscular functions.
Enhancing performance by changing eating habits
Given all this, in the view of Ms Gravina, effective measures can be taken that affect nutrition and enhance sporting performance, and she makes a number of proposals to this end. For example, the number of red blood cells increases with greater ingestion of proteins, folic acid and vitamin C. To counteract the inflammation caused by physical activity, she points to vitamins, carotenoids and certain vegetable-source substances. In order to combat oxidation, on the other hand, she mentions carbohydrates and fibre and certain vitamins and vegetable-source substances. As regards reducing cell damage, she proposes, amongst other things, ingesting fibre and carotenes. With these and other examples, Ms. Gravina has tried to demonstrate that, through developing new eating strategies, body changes caused by sport activity can be reduced, thus enhancing performance.
Source: Elhuyar Fundazioa
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