JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 NEWS

January - Levy and Hyman reviewed “Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders” (Child Adolesc. Psychiatric Clin. N. Am.24, 117-143 (2015) Abstract). They concluded “there are still few data on the potential efficacy of CAM in autism, and no evidence-based recommendation could be done so far for the use of such therapies.”

January - A study in New Zealand found no evidence that fluoridation of water has a negative effect on neurologic development or IQ (Broadbent et al., Am. J. Pub. Health 105, 72-76 (2015) Abstract).

January - More than 37,000 women were followed for an average of 16 years in the Women’s Health Study. Use of multivitamins had no effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease (Rautiainen et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 101, 144-152 (2015) Abstract). The authors point out that the subjects may have already been better nourished than the general population.

January - Another large study of supplements followed 35,000 men for an average of 5.6 years. Selenium and/or vitamin E did not show any benefit for preventing cataracts (Christen et al., JAMA Ophthalmol. 133, 17-24 (2015) Abstract).

January - A review concluded that probiotics appear to be useful in preventing upper respiratory tract infections in children (Ozen et al., Expert Opin, Biol. Ther. 15, 9-20 (2015) Abstract).

January - Lee and others reviewed tai chi for treating type 2 diabetes (Maturitas 80, 14-23 (2015) Paper). They concluded that “the existing evidence is not convincing enough to suggest that tai chi is effective for managing patients with T2DM.”

January - A meta-analysis “suggested overall benefits of EGb 761 [a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba] for stabilizing or slowing decline in cognition of subjects with cognitive impairment and dementia” (Solfrizzi and Panza, J. Alzheimers Dis. 43, 605-611 (2015) Abstract).

January - A clinical trial by Lopes de Paula and others (J. Altern. Complement. Med. 21, 22-30 (2015) Abstract) concluded that cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) “might be beneficial in patients with advanced cancer by improving their quality of life and reducing fatigue.”

January – A review by Chisholm concluded that “Although more research is needed, probiotics should be considered a useful and safe alternative to antibiotics” for recurrent urinary tract infections in women (Urol. Nurs. 35, 18-21 (2015) Abstract).

January 9 - Marketers of Speak and Speak Smooth products have reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission News release. The company “made unsupported claims that the supplements develop and maintain normal, healthy speech and language capabilities in children, including those with verbal apraxia.” The products contained vitamins and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

January 15 - Paganini-Hill, Kawas, and Corrada published results from the “Leisure World Cohort Study” (Am. J. Epidemiol. 181, 120-126 (2015) Abstract). Nearly 14,000 members of a retirement community were followed for 32 years, during which more than 13,000 of them died. “Neither dietary nor supplemental intake of vitamin A or vitamin C nor supplemental intake of vitamin E was significantly associated with mortality.”

January 15 - Stephen Barrett published “Some Notes on the Groton Wellness Center.” The Center offers so-called “Biological Dentistry.” Dr. Barrett concludes that the Center “offers dozens of tests and treatments that have not been substantiated by scientific research and, in my opinion, lack a plausible rationale.”

January 20 - A meta-analysis by Zheng and others concluded that “intermittent, high dose vitamin D may not be effective in preventing overall mortality, fractures, or falls among older adults” (PLoS ONE 10, e0115850 (2015) Paper).

January 26 - The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with several companies promoting green coffee bean extract Press release. The companies were charged with making deceptive claims that were unsupported by scientific evidence, such as that large amounts of weight loss could be achieved without diet and exercise. The product was promoted on the Dr. Oz show. A “Respectful Insolence” Blog by “Orac” discussed the matter further: “here is a story showing the producers of The Dr. Oz Show either to be gullible or incompetent” by having a guest discuss the product without realizing that he “had a financial relationship to the products he was recommending.”

February - Chlorogenic acid, found in green coffee extracts, has been marketed for treatment of hypertension. Onakpoya and others conducted a review and meta-analysis of its effectiveness (J. Human Hypertension 29, 77-81 (2015) Abstract). While reductions in blood pressure were found, “The size of the effects of CGA is moderate and the clinical relevance is uncertain.”

February - A review by Hwang and Shin (J. Altern. Complement. Med. 21, 61-68 (2015) Abstract) concluded that aromatherapy appears to be effective in promoting sleep.

February 2 - Gliedt and others published “Chiropractic Identity, Role and Future: a Survey of North American Chiropractic Students” (Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 23, 4 (2015) Paper). The authors found that “A majority agree (35.6%) or strongly agreed (25.8%) the emphasis of chiropractic intervention is to eliminate vertebral subluxations/vertebral subluxation complexes” (ideas which are not recognized by scientific medicine). In a Commentary, Ernst criticized the report for its “dismal” response rate and use of a questionnaire that was not validated. Also, “If anything, these findings seem to suggest that chiropractors want to join evidence based medicine, but on their own terms and without giving up their bogus beliefs, concepts, and practices.”

February 3 - A Story by A. O’Connor was entitled “New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers.” Store brands of herbal supplements at four major retailers were examined; it was found that “four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels...medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers...and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.”

February 24 - Yuan and others performed a meta-analysis of trials of traditional Chinese medicine (including more than 11,000 subjects) for neck pain and low back pain (PLoS ONE 10, e0117146 (2015) Paper). They concluded that “Acupuncture, acupressure, and cupping could be efficacious in treating the pain and disability associated with CNP [chronic neck pain] or CLBP [chronic low back pain] in the immediate term. Gua sha, tai chi, qigong, and Chinese manipulation showed fair effects, but we were unable to draw any definite conclusions.”

February 25 – Bill Sukala has written a Critique of a fictitious disease called “pyroluria.” According to proponents, pyroluria “is a genetically-determined chemical imbalance associated with haemoglobin synthesis,” leading to excessive production of kryptopyrroles, vitamin B6 and zinc deficiency, and numerous symptoms such as depression and anxiety. However, these claims are not supported by scientific evidence.

Additions to Earlier Months

September, 2014 – Burton-Freeman and Sesso compared effects of lycopene supplements to those of lycopene obtained from tomato-based foods (Adv. Nutr. 5, 457-485 (2014) Abstract). Tomato was more beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk factors, except for blood pressure; in this case, lycopene supplements were better.

October 20, 2014 – Prominent brain scientists and psychologists endorsed "A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community." According to the statement, "claims promoting brain games are frequently exaggerated and at times misleading...there is little evidence that playing brain games improves underlying broad cognitive abilities, or that it enables one to better navigate a complex realm of everyday life."

December, 2014 – Curtis and others performed a meta-analysis of trials of vitamin E supplementation and mortality in health people (Cardiovasc. Drugs Ther. 28, 563-573 (2014) Abstract). The trials included more than 140,000 participants. There was no effect of vitamin E supplements on mortality.