Low cholesterol levels associated with Alzheimer's disease

This study was published in Collegium Antropologicum 2011 Jan;35 Suppl 1:115-20

Study title and authors:
Serum lipid levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Presećki P, Mück-Seler D, Mimica N, Pivac N, Mustapić M, Stipcević T, Smalc VF.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21648320

The mini–mental state examination (MMSE) is a 30-point questionnaire that is used for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. Any score greater than or equal to 27 points (out of 30) indicates normal cognition. Scores between 10-19 indicate the presence of Alzheimer's disease and scores of nine or less indicate severe Alzheimer's disease.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of cholesterol levels with Alzheimer's disease. The study included 50 women, aged 56-96 years, who had their cholesterol levels compared with 58 age matched healthy women. Patients with Alzheimer's disease were subdivided into two groups of 19 patients in the middle (MMSE 10-19) and 31 patients in the severe late (MMSE 0-9) phase of Alzheimer's disease.

The study found:
(a) Total cholesterol levels were significantly lower in all patients with Alzheimer's disease than in healthy subjects.
(b) Patients in the severe late stage of Alzheimer's disease had significantly lower total cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol and Triglyceride levels than healthy subjects.
(c) Patients in the severe late stage of Alzheimer's disease had significantly lower cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol levels than patients in the middle stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Presećki concluded: "Lipid (cholesterol) levels are reduced in female patients with Alzheimer's disease compared to lipid values in elderly female healthy controls ...and serum lipid levels are the lowest in patients in the late stage of Alzheimer's disease."

Links to other studies:
Alzheimer’s patients have significantly reduced levels of cholesterol and fats in the brain
High cholesterol levels associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimers disease
Low cholesterol levels are associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's

Low cholesterol levels associated with increased cardiovascular deaths

This study was published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science 2012 Jan;27(1):58-63

Study title and authors:
Low cholesterol is associated with mortality from cardiovascular diseases: a dynamic cohort study in Korean adults.

Bae JM, Yang YJ, Li ZM, Ahn YO.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22219615

This study was conducted to evaluate the association of  cholesterol levels with cardiovascular diseases deaths. The study included 12,740 adults aged 40 to 69 years who were followed for 15 years.

The study found:
(a) Those with high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels below 41 mg/dL (1.06 mmol/L) had an 139% increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to those with high density lipoprotein levels (HDL) cholesterol above 59 mg/dL (1.52 mmol/L).
(b) Those with cholesterol levels below 160 mg/dL (4.13 mmol/L) had a 69% increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to those with cholesterol between 200-240 mg/dL (5.17-6.2 mmol/L).

Bae concludes: "Based on the results of this study, caution should be taken in prescribing statins for primary prevention among people at low cardiovascular risk".

Links to other studies:
Low cholesterol increases the risk of death by 75% after a heart attack
Low levels of low density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are associated with higher death rates in patients with acute heart failure
Low cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates



Healing Back Pain

I've put off writing this post for many years because I know it will be controversial.  But we're a few days from Christmas, and I also know this post will be a wonderful gift for some people.

Chronic or intermittent pain, often located in the back, neck, and/or buttocks, is a major driver of personal suffering and reduced productivity in the US and other affluent nations.  While pain can obviously have a variety of structural causes, such as sprained ankles or bruising, garden-variety back pain usually doesn't.  I've come to believe that such pain is usually psychosomatic in nature-- in other words, caused by the brain but resulting in physical signs and symptoms in the body.  It's widely accepted that a person's mental state can affect pain perception, but this idea goes further.  Pain isn't just exacerbated by a person's mental state; it's often entirely caused by it.

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Statins cause flu-like symptoms

This paper was published in Medical Science Monitor 2002 May;8(5):CR384-8

Study title and author:
Flu-like response on statins.

Sinzinger H.
Wilhelm Auerswald Atherosclerosis Research Group (ASF), Vienna, Austria. helmut.sinzinger@univie.ac.at

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12011782

This paper describes five patients who developed flu-like symptoms after starting statin therapy.

(i) The patients reported a flu-like response on statins with very severe symptoms of exhaustion, weakness, aching muscles and joints and raised body temperature.
(ii) These symptoms started within three weeks of starting statin therapy.
(iii) The symptoms appeared even in the lowest available dose of statins.
(iv) Only three of the patients had elevated creatine kinase levels.
(v) Four of the patients had elevated 8-epi-prostaglandin-F(2 alpha) levels, (an indication of muscle damage).
(vi) The patients discontinued the statins and within five weeks their symptoms completely disappeared.

Sinzinger concluded: "This set of data is absolutely new as it shows for the first time that flu-like symptoms may be due to statin use."

The use of a statin may be associated with the occurrence of polymyalgia rheumatica

This study was published in PLoS One 2012;7(7):e41289

Study title and authors:
Statin-associated polymyalgia rheumatica. An analysis using WHO global individual case safety database: a case/non-case approach.

de Jong HJ, Saldi SR, Klungel OH, Vandebriel RJ, Souverein PC, Meyboom RH, Passier JL, van Loveren H, Cohen Tervaert JW.
Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22844450

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a condition that causes pain, stiffness and inflammation in the muscles around the shoulders, neck and hips.

 

The objective of the study was to assess whether there is an association between statin use and the occurrence of polymyalgia rheumatica in the spontaneous reporting database of the World Health Organisation. The study was conducted on a case/non-case basis on individual case safety reports in the WHO global individual case safety reports database (VigiBase). Case reports containing the adverse event term polymyalgia rheumatic were defined as cases. Non-cases were all case reports containing other adverse event terms.

The study found that statin were 1,321% more frequently reported as the suspected cause of polymyalgia rheumatica compared to non-cases.

de Jong concluded: "The results of this study lends support to previous anecdotal case reports in the literature suggesting that the use of a statin may be associated with the occurrence of polymyalgia rheumatic".

 

  

Links to other studies:

Statin use linked to musculoskeletal diseases, joint pain and injuries

Statins increase the risk of chronic muscle diseases by 286%

Statins are associated with an approximate doubling of the risk of muscle disease

Anti-aging secrets and beauty solutions of the world famous artists

Discover the secrets of anti-aging and beauty secrets of artists and celebrities in the world.


Every woman, even the modern man wants to keep looking younger and want to have a bright face, healthy, and well-groomed skin. You do not need to worry. It has now been discovered her secret. Continue reading this article until the end and discover its secrets to the final sentence of this article.

Whether we idolize them or criticize their behavior, there’s no denying that celebrities now are the epitome of beauty. But how come they are often mistaken for their age- at their flattery at that. Well, let’s find out some secrets why celebrities look younger than they are.

Eating lots of citrus and vegetables

Greens and citrus like lemons, grapefruit, and oranges are high in Vitamin C, a natural antioxidant. This wonder worker serves as a primary ingredient of collagen, a glue-like protein that binds cells together to form tissues, and makes up about 25% of the whole-body protein content. 

The secret of anti-aging. Image: 7-themes.com

Collagen production is vital to skin suppleness, firmness and averts the onset of premature wrinkling. Collagen is, in fact, a much-endorsed ingredient in facial moisturizers and hand lotions Therefore, the more citrus and veggies celebs eat, the softer their skin becomes.

Avoiding excessive alcohol

Celebrities going in and out of rehabs due to alcoholism look worn-out and spoiled. That is why a lot more celebrities keep their alcoholic intake to a minimum. Despite the sparkling delight it brings, alcohol causes skin damage and loss of moisture due to its dehydrating effects. In turn, this will cause sagging and wrinkling of skin.

A High School Musical star says its even better to soak one’s self o he beach without sun protection that drinking too much of alcohol.

Alcohol causes dilatation of the blood vessels in the skin and every time you drink, the blood vessels will dilate and stay permanently dilated until they lose their tone. Abusing alcohol will also deplete the body of Vitamin A, an important antioxidant.

Avoiding Coffee

Despite its antioxidant content, too much coffee causes skin dehydration, and even causes the body to eliminate needed liquids and minerals. It causes skin to look like crepe paper and have very little elasticity if you pinch it up into a peak. A country music diva even shared that drinking too much coffee stains her teeth and causes little winkles around her eyes to look horrible.

Celebrities who drink coffee suggest drinking a cool glass of water after a cup of coffee.

Drinking LOTS of Water

No one can dispute the role good hydration plays to a healthier skin. If hydration does not come from sodas or alcohols and only from clean water, then it has potentially helpful effects on your skin. Furthermore, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which leaves skin looking better.

Paris Hilton disclosed that she drinks more than ten glasses of water a day cause if not she notices her skin to look dull, vapid, and gray.

Limited exposure to sunlight

More exposure to sunlight puts the skin at higher risk for aging caused by free radicals. But if you cannot avoid it, use a quality high sun protection factor lotion.

A former Mickey Mouse club member uses SPF50 on her neck and face and SPF35 on her body to develop nice brownish tan where she likes.

Beautiful skin. Image: truongton.net

Moisturizers

Lastly, for celebrities, using a night time moisturizer is the simplest yet one of the most necessary parts of their beauty routine. They choose a night cream with proven age-fighters like retinol.

If applied at night, this will reduce the effect of aging and the environment on your skin.

Great news. 

Do you want to have the secret of eternal youth and beauty as has been enjoyed by artists and celebrities around the world? However, if you do not have time to prepare and carry out tips as mentioned above, then you can do this alternative. 

Now have available a variety of anti-aging solutions and secrets to having a beautiful face and skin healthy at the same time. Get information about the secret of youth and natural beauty for yourself. Please click. 

Discover the secret now. 

New Evidence Strengthens the Link Between Hypothalamic Injury, Obesity, and Insulin Resistance

Obesity involves changes in the function of brain regions that regulate body fatness and blood glucose, particularly a region called the hypothalamus.  My colleagues and I previously showed that obesity is associated with inflammation and injury of the hypothalamus in rodent models, and we also presented preliminary evidence that the same might be true in humans.  In our latest paper, we confirm this association, and show that hypothalamic injury is also associated with a marker of insulin resistance, independently of BMI.

Introduction

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The association between statins and prostate cancer

This study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2007 Nov;16(11):2226-32

 

Study title and authors:

Cholesterol-lowering drugs and prostate cancer risk: a population-based case-control study.

Murtola TJ, Tammela TL, Lahtela J, Auvinen A.

School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, FIN-33014, Finland. teemu.murtola@uta.fi

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18006910

This study evaluated the association between cholesterol-lowering medication use and prostate cancer risk. The study included all newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases in Finland during 1995 to 2002 and matched controls (24,723 case control pairs).

The study found:
(a) Those taking statins had a 7% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins.
(b) Those taking fibrates had a 5% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking fibrates.
(c) Those taking other cholesterol lowering medications (resins and acipimox) had a 16% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking cholesterol lowering medications.
(d) Those with 14-167 cumulative daily doses of statins had a 6% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins.
(e) Those with 915-6,781 cumulative daily doses of statins had a 13% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins. 

2015 Vegan Gift Guide

Things have been silent around here for a while (same old, same old) and although I don't plan on updating much more in the future, I thought it would be nice to do a little vegan gift guide now that it's the holiday season. You see I have been struggling quite a lot trying to fully transition to a vegan lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I've completely sworn off meat, dairy, eggs, honey and whatnot but I'm still surprised to find out how many different things in our everyday life contain animal products. That is why I've compiled this miniature guide to help you find your loved ones 100% cruelty free but nonetheless awesome Christmas presents.

Hopefully you'll find this guide helpful and perhaps even get some ideas for your own wish list. If you'd like to leave your own recommendations below, I would be more than happy to read them! So let's get to it!

1. Daniel Wellington Nato Strap Watches

I. Love. These. Watches. Classy, timeless and gorgeous timepieces that will make the perfect gift for anyone in your family! Literally everyone, as they have both small ones and big ones, ladies' and men's, classic styles and bolder colours. They also offer free shipping worldwide and my very own promo code "TILDASDW" will get you 15% off until January 15th! Yay! (Also, go for the Nato Wristbands to stay vegan!)

2. CLEAN Perfumes

Let's be honest, we can't always be bothered trying to find specialty vegan store and brands to buy all our stuff. As much as I love visiting these shops, it can really be a pain in the ass to have to go halfway across Stockholm just to find a vegan perfume. Enter CLEAN perfumes,  100% cruelty free, mainstream and absolutely wonderful! My favourite is the White Woods pictured above but all of their scents are beautifully fresh and well, clean. A vegan must-have.

3. Handmade Heroes Beauty and Skin Care

I was lucky enough to receive an adorable little care package from Handmade Heroes a while ago, filled with some of their vegan beauty products. Pictured above are their green clay face mask, coconut lip scrub and two different lip tints. The gorgeous packaging aside, I've genuinely enjoyed using these products and the lip scrub is so natural that you can eat it. It actually tastes really nice hehe. Though I would suggest you don't have it all for an afternoon snack. That would be a total waste of lip scrub.

4. Vegan Chocolate

Nowadays there are numerous vegan chocolate brands to choose from and getting your loved ones their chocolate fix doesn't have to involve any cow's milk whatsoever. I have included a few of my favourite kinds above, namely Pana Chocolate, The Raw Chocolate Company, Lovechock and Squarebar.  The Pana Chocolate is amazingly silky and has a softer texture than the other tree while The Raw Chocolate Company and Lovechock are both more like traditional dark chocolate but -obviously- better. My absolute favourite would have to be Lovechock's Mulberry Vanilla. Lastly we have the Squarers which are actually more of a chocolate coated vegan protein bar but I had to include them on this list as well as they're just so darn delicious. One of the best,most indulgent vegan protein bars out there!

Hope you've enjoyed reading this post and that you'll all have the best holiday season surrounded by family and friends! Much love to you all!

Statins associated with a 21% increased risk of Alzheimer's

This study was published in the Archives of Neurology 2005 Jul;62(7):1047-51

Study title and authors:
Statin use and the risk of incident dementia: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Rea TD, Breitner JC, Psaty BM, Fitzpatrick AL, Lopez OL, Newman AB, Hazzard WR, Zandi PP, Burke GL, Lyketsos CG, Bernick C, Kuller LH.
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98101, USA. rea123@u.washington.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16009757

The study investigated the association of statin use and the risk of dementia. Over an average period of 5.3 years, the study analysed 2,798 adults, aged 65 years and older, who were free of dementia at the start of the study.

The study found:
(a) Those who used statins had an 8% increased risk of dementia compared to those who had never used cholesterol lowering drugs.
(b) Those who used statins had an 21% increased risk of Alzheimer's compared to those who had never used cholesterol lowering drugs.



Links to other studies:
Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia
Statins have a significant negative impact on quality-of-life
Statin use associated with a 60% increased risk of dementia