MAY-JUNE 2014 NEWS

KCAHF member Jamie Hale published an essay, “All-Natural Mythology.” Hale notes that many natural chemicals present in food may be toxic. Comparing “organic” and conventional foods, he states that while qualitative differences are found, “it is premature to conclude that either food system is superior to the other with respect to safety or nutritional composition.”

May – As part of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), effects of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and lutein plus zeaxanthin (xanthophylls) on cardiovascular outcomes were studied in more than 4000 participants followed for an average of five years (Writing Group for the AREDS2 Research Group, JAMA Intern. Med. 174, 736-771 (2014) Abstract). The authors found no decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease from the supplements.

May – Ernst and Lee compared results of randomized controlled trials of Asian traditional therapies to non-randomized studies (Int. J. Clin. Pract. 68, 655-658 (2014)). They found that the latter gave positive results more frequently, indicating that they are more likely to be false positives. This is what would be expected for interventions that are not effective.

May – Ali-Hassan-Sayegh and others reviewed studies of antioxidant supplements for prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery (Interact. Cardiovasc. Thorac. Surg.18, 646-654 (2014) Paper). They concluded that N-acetyl cysteine, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin C prevented atrial fibrillation. The fatty acids and vitamin C also reduced the length of hospital stay.

May 1 – A review entitled “Effects of Yoga on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors” (Cramer et al., Int. J. Cardiol. 173, 170-183 (2014) Abstract) concluded: “Yoga seems to be effective in improving most modifiable biological cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, yoga can play a role in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease…However, the implications for clinical practice are limited by the low methodological quality of the included trials.”

May 2 – A news item in Science (344, 454 (2014)), referring to an April 26 Story, noted that an Italian prosecutor has concluded that the stem cell therapy provided by the Stamina Foundation is a criminal activity, defrauding patients and exposing them to health risks. “The report says that no clinical studies were done, that cells were injected under nonsterile conditions,” among other problems.

May 7 – A Cochrane Collaboration Review of acupuncture for epilepsy (Cheuk and Wong, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., CD005062 (2014)) concluded that “Available RCTs [randomized controlled trials] are small, heterogeneous and have high risk of bias. The current evidence does not support acupuncture for treating epilepsy.”

May 7 - Makrides and others reported a four-year followup of a study of prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (JAMA 311, 1802-1804 (2014) Paper). The results indicated that DHA provided no benefit in early childhood development.

May 16 - In his Blog, E. Ernst discussed a popular U.S. conspiracy theory: many people believe that the FDA is suppressing alternative medicine because of pressure from drug companies. In fact, notes Ernst, “BIG PHARMA seems to be all keen to jump on the alternative bandwagon and make a few quick bucks from the gullibility of the consumer.” In addition, “universities, charities, and other organisations in health care bend over backwards in order to accommodate as much alternative medicine as they can possibly get away with in view of the often embarrassing lack of convincing evidence for the treatments in question.”

May 19 – According to a Press release, “The Federal Trade Commission has sued a Florida-based operation that capitalized on the green coffee diet fad by using bogus weight loss claims and fake news websites to market the dietary supplement Pure Green Coffee. Popularized on the syndicated talk show The Dr. Oz Show, green coffee bean extract was touted as a potent weight loss treatment that supposedly burns fat.”

May 22 – A Blog entry by S. Gavura on the Science-Based Medicine site is entitled “Beware the Integrative Pharmacy.” Gavura criticizes the increasing offering of unscientific products such as homeopathic remedies in retail pharmacies. He concludes, “It’s the ‘anything for a buck’ model, otherwise known as the ‘integrative’ pharmacy. In this model, the retail practice of pharmacy becomes a loss-leader to get customers into stores, and there is a growing disconnect between the practice of dispensing and selling prescription drugs, and the rest of a pharmacy’s offerings. The pharmacy is a retailer first, and abandons any scientific standards or justification for products and services offered.”

May 22 – A Cochrane Collaboration Review examined oral herbal therapies for osteoarthritis (Cameron and Chrubasik, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., CD002947 (2014)). The authors concluded that “Evidence for the proprietary ASU [avocado-soyabean unsaponifiables] product Piasclidine® in the treatment of osteoarthritis symptoms seems moderate to high for short term use, but studies over a longer term and against an apparently active control are less convincing. Several other medicinal plant products, including extracts of Boswellia serrata, show trends of benefits that warrant further investigation in light of the fact that the risk of adverse events appear [sic] low. There is no evidence that Piasclidine® significantly improves joint structure, and limited evidence that it prevents joint space narrowing.”

May 23 – Heel, a manufacturer of homeopathic remedies, announced that it would stop marketing its products in the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 31, 2014 Press release. The company had been the focus of two class-action lawsuits.

June - An essay by Baker was entitled “Why Dietary Supplements?” (Pediatrics 133, e1740-e1741 (2014) Excerpt). This was commenting on a study by Li and others (e1533-e1540 Abstract), which suggested that a supplement formulation including prebiotics could improve the health of preschool-aged children. Baker points out several difficulties in recommending such supplements. “Should the focus for healthy children be on supplements or on foods to achieve fewer infections?” There were too many components studied to know which ones had beneficial effects, and we don’t know the long-term effects.

June – A Feature article by R. Mukhopadhyay in ASBMB Today (June, pp. 24-31) was entitled “Vitamin D: How Much is Enough?” According to the article, there are “several clinicians who are convinced that an unrecognized vitamin-D deficiency is the root of a slew of illnesses that are not limited to bone only.” On the other hand, “Other experts disagree. They say that there is solid evidence to connect vitamin D only to bone health.”

June – A study of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate free acid (HBM-FA) supplementation in resistance training concluded that it “enhances hypertrophy, strength, and power following chronic resistance training, and prevents decrements in performance following the overreaching” (Wilson et al., Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 114, 1217-1227 (2014) Paper).

June – In another study of supplements and resistance training, Cooke and others (Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 114, 1321-1332 (2014) Paper) concluded that “Post-exercise ingestion of creatine monohydrate does not provide greater enhancement of body composition and muscle strength compared to resistance training alone in middle to older males.”

June – Suksomboon, Poolsup, and Yuwanakorn reviewed the use of chromium supplements in diabetes (J. Clin. Pharm. Ther. 39, 292-306 (2014) Abstract). The authors concluded that chromium could provide beneficial effects, and stated that “Diabetic patients with inadequate glycaemic control may benefit from supplementation with chromium.” However, “The long-term benefit and safety of chromium supplement remain to be determined.”

June – Lee and Ernst (Int. J. Clin. Pract. 68, 783-789 (2014) Paper) performed a review of acupuncture for surgical conditions (“prevention or treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting as well as to surgical or postoperative pain”). They concluded that “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that acupuncture is an effective intervention in surgical settings.”

June – Another review of acupuncture concerned its use in labor and birth (Levett et al., Complement. Ther. Med. 22, 523-540 (2014) Abstract). The authors concluded that the use of acupuncture and acupressure in labor “show promise, but further studies are required.”

June – Posadzki and others reviewed the use of yoga for hypertension (Complement. Ther. Med. 22, 511-522-540 (2014) Abstract). It was noted that the evidence “is encouraging but inconclusive.”

June – Another review of yoga dealt with use for asthma (Cramer et al., Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. 112, 503-510 (2014) Abstract). There was no evidence for an effect of yoga beyond sham yoga or breathing exercises. Therefore, “Yoga cannot be considered a routine intervention for asthmatic patients at this point.”

June – Yang, Zhao, and Wang reviewed studies on Chinese massage (tui na) for essential hypertension (Complement. Ther. Med. 22, 541-548 (2014) Abstract). While their analysis suggests that tui na “might be a beneficial adjuvant,” “the results are of limited value due to the clinical heterogeneity and low methodological quality of the included studies.”

June 2 – S. Homola has published an Essay entitled “Chiropractic Defense: Tempest in a Teapot.” Homola, a retired chiropractor, defends the use of scientifically-based chiropractic but criticizes “subluxation theory” and the inappropriate use of spinal manipulation.

June 3 - Several letters in Annals of Internal Medicine (160, 807-809 (2014)) responded to an editorial (“Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements”) by Guallar et al. (159, 850-851 (2013)). It was pointed out that many Americans do not achieve the recommended levels of vitamins through diet alone. Also, results from The Physicians’ Health Study II (PHS II) found that supplements reduced risk of cancer and vision problems. In response, Guallar et al. (160, 809-810) noted that the results of the PHS II were “only weak signals compatible with small or no benefit.”

June 3 - The Center for Inquiry (publisher of the Skeptical Inquirer) has announced a campaign, “Keep Health Care Safe and Secular”. “Pseudoscientific remedies have flooded the health care system...The Food and Drug Administration largely takes a hands-off approach, declining to test homeopathic drugs for efficacy, and major universities and medical centers push ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ on patients at their clinics.”

June 3 - Ponzo, Soldati, and Bo published an Editorial (J. Transl. Med. 12, 158 (2014) concerning supplements of resveratrol. They noted that many studies have only been done in animals; while some human studies have shown promising results, others are “conflicting or controversial”; and the safety of long-term supplementation is unknown. They concluded that “at present, the use of resveratrol as a supplement is not yet justified by the existing evidence.”

June 15 - A review concluded that “the evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating Parkinson’s disease is not convincing” (Kim and Jeon, J. Neurol.Sci. 341, 1-7 Abstract).

June 18 - Another review of acupuncture, dealing in this case with multiple sclerosis, stated that “Although many of the studies suggested that acupuncture was successful in improving MS related symptoms, lack of statistical rigor and poor study design make it difficult to draw any conclusions about the true effectiveness of this intervention” (Karpatkin et al., Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med 2014, 972935 (2014) Paper).