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Nutraceuticals Research
Nutraceutical: Calcium (dietary vs. supplements)
Indication: Bone Heath
Source: Am J Clin Nutr, May 2007; 85:1428-1433.
Research:
One hundred and eighty-three women participated in a study to determine whether those who get their calcium from dietary sources have healthier bones compared to those that take mainly supplemental forms of calcium. Researchers asked women to detail their diet and calcium intake for a week; they also tested their bone mineral density and urinary concentrations of estrogen metabolites.Results:
Investigators found that women could be divided into three groups: the “supplement group” included women who got at least 70% of their calcium from supplement tablets or pills; the “diet group” got at least 70% of their calcium from dairy products and other foods; and those in the “diet plus supplement group” had calcium-source percentages that fell somewhere between the ranges in the first two groups. The “diet group” took in the least calcium, an average of 830 mg per day. Yet this group had higher bone density in their spines and hipbones than women in the “supplement group,” which consumed over 1000 mg per day. Women in the “diet plus supplement group” tended to have the highest bone mineral density, as well as the highest calcium intake at 1620 mg per day. The hormone estrogen is known to maintain bone mineral density. But the standard form of estrogen is broken down or metabolized in the liver to other forms—some active and some inactive. Urinalysis showed that women in the “diet group” and the “diet plus supplement group” had a higher ratio of active to inactive estrogen metabolites than women in the “supplement group.” Calcium supplements differ in how well their calcium can be absorbed, and this also could play a role in the study’s findings, according to its authors. For example, calcium carbonate tablets need to be taken with a meal so that stomach acid can facilitate absorption, but calcium citrate tablets don’t have this limitation. If the study participants taking calcium carbonate weren’t conscientious about the timing of their supplements, re-searchers believe they might not have received the highest benefit from them.Nutraceutical: Cocoa
Indication: Cholesterol
Source: J Nutr, June 2007;137(6):1436-41.
Research: In this comparative, double-blind study researchers examined 160 subjects who ingested either cocoa powder containing low-polyphenolic compounds (placebo-cocoa group) or 3 levels of cocoa powder containing high-polyphenolic compounds—13, 19.5 and 26 grams per day for low-, middle-, and high-cocoa groups, respectively—for 4 weeks. The aim of the study was to evaluate plasma LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL concentrations following the intake of different levels of cocoa powder in normal cholesterolemic and mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects. The test powders were consumed as a beverage after the addition of hot water twice daily. Blood samples were collected at baseline and 4 weeks after intake of the test beverages for the measurement of plasma lipids.
Results: Plasma oxidized LDL concentrations decreased in the low-, middle-, and high-cocoa groups compared with baseline. A stratified analysis was performed on 131 subjects who had a LDL cholesterol concentrations of > or = to 3.23 mmol/L at baseline. In these subjects, plasma LDL cholesterol, oxidized LDL and apo B concentrations decreased, and the plasma HDL cholesterol concentration increased, relative to baseline in the low-, middle-, and high-cocoa groups. The results suggest that polyphenolic substances derived from cocoa powder may contribute to a reduction in LDL cholesterol, an elevation in HDL cholesterol, and the suppression of oxidized LDL.
Nutraceutical: Cocoa flavanols
Indication: Blood pressure
Source: JAMA, July 4, 2007;298(1):49-60.
Research: Investigators in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study set out to determine the effects of low doses of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate on blood pressure (BP). The study involved 44 adults aged 56 through 73 years (24 women, 20 men) with untreated upper-range pre-hypertension or stage 1 hypertension without concomitant risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 6.3 grams (30 kcal) per day of dark chocolate containing 30 mg of polyphenols or matching polyphenol-free white chocolate, with a goal of determining the change in BP after 18 weeks. Secondary outcome measures included changes in plasma markers of vasodilative nitric oxide (S-nitrosoglutathione) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostane), and bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols.
Results: From baseline to 18 weeks, dark chocolate intake reduced mean systolic and diastolic BP by nearly 3 points and 2 points, respectively. Hypertension prevalence declined from 86% to 68%. The BP decrease was accompanied by a sustained increase of S-nitrosoglutathione by 0.23 (0.12) nmol/L, and a dark chocolate dose resulted in the appearance of cocoa phenols in plasma. White chocolate intake caused no changes in BP or plasma biomarkers. Researchers believe results in this relatively small sample of otherwise healthy individuals with above-optimal BP indicate that inclusion of small amounts of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate as part of a usual diet efficiently reduces BP and improves the formation of vasodilative nitric oxide.
Nutraceutical: Genistein
Indication: Bone density
Source: Ann Intern Med, June 19, 2007;146(12):839-47.
Research: To assess the effects of genistein on bone metabolism in nearly 400 osteopenic postmenopausal women, researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Women in the study had a bone mineral density (BMD) less than 0.795 g/cm2 at the femoral neck and no significant comorbid conditions. After a 4-week stabilization period during which participants received a low-soy, reduced-fat diet, participants were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n = 191) or 54 mg of genistein (n = 198) daily for 24 months. Both the genistein and placebo tablets contained calcium and vitamin D.
Results: At 24 months, BMD had in-creased in genistein recipients and decreased in placebo recipients at the anteroposterior lumbar spine and the femoral neck. Genistein also statistically significantly decreased urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline, increased levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and insulin-like growth factor I, and did not change endometrial thickness compared with placebo. However, more genistein recipients than placebo recipients experienced gastrointestinal side effects and discontinued the study. As far as limitations, the study did not measure fractures and had limited power to evaluate adverse effects. This, however, did not stop researchers from concluding that 24 months of treatment with genistein may have positive effects on BMD in osteo-penic postmenopausal women.
Nutraceutical: Probiotic (Lactobacillus reuteri)
Indication: Eczema and other allergies
Source: J Allergy Clin Immunol, May 2007;119(5):1174-80.
Research: Investigators conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, which was comprised of 232 families with allergic disease, of whom 188 completed the study. The mothers received L. reuteri ATCC 55730 (1 x 108 colony forming units) daily from gestational week 36 until delivery. Their babies then continued with the same product from birth until 12 months of age and were followed up for another year. The primary outcome was allergic disease.
Results: The cumulative incidence of eczema was similar—36% in the treated group vs. 34% in the placebo group. The L reuteri group, however, had less IgE-associated eczema during the second year—8% in the L. reuteri group vs. 20% in the placebo group. Wheeze and other potentially allergic diseases were not affected. Researchers believe although a preventive effect of probiotics on infant eczema was not confirmed, the treated infants had less IgE-associated eczema at 2 years of age and therefore possibly run a reduced risk to develop later respiratory allergic disease.
Nutraceutical: Vitamin C
Indication: Colds
Source: Cochrane Database Syst Rev, July 18, 2007;(3):CD000980.
Research: Researchers pooled data related to the regular ingestion of vitamin C and warding off the common cold among the population. They reviewed 30 published studies involving over 11,000 people who took at least 200 mg of vitamin C daily.
Results: While there was a slight reduction in the duration and severity of common cold symptoms compared with placebo, the degree of effect was so small that researchers deemed the clinical usefulness doubtful. Vitamin C also came up short as a therapeutic agent, as trials of high dose vitamin C at the onset of a cold showed no consistent effect on either the length of a cold or the severity of symptoms. What researchers did find, however, is that those people who are exposed to short periods of extreme physical stress appear to benefit from vitamin C supplementation. In fact, in several trials involving a total of nearly 650 marathon runners, skiers and soldiers taking part in sub-artic exercises, taking vitamin C reduced their risk of catching the common cold by 50%.
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