PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Increased consumption of folic acid can reduce birth defects but blood levels in Canadians are now high

2010-12-14
(Press-News.org) Folic acid can reduce birth defects including neural tube defects, congenital heart disease and oral clefts but some speculate high intakes of folic acid may be associated with adverse events such as colorectal cancer, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100568.pdf.

This study, conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and The Hospital for Sick Children, is the first of its kind in more than three decades, to examine the folate status of Canadians including a subset of women of childbearing age. Red blood cell folate concentrations were examined in 5248 Canadians aged 6 to 79 years based on survey data representing around 96% of the Canadian population. After adjusting for age, sex and socio-economic status, the study found that less than 1% of Canadians showed folate deficiencies and 40% showed high folate concentrations. However, in the subset of women of childbearing age, 22% were below the concentration considered safe to guard against neural tube defects.

"Some medical practitioners argue that many women of childbearing age need high-dose folic acid supplements and that doubling the level of folic acid fortification in the food supply should be considered," writes Cynthia Colapinto, CHEO Research Institute, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Ottawa, Ontario and coauthors. "This argument has sparked considerable debate because folic acid fortification targets women of childbearing age by exposing the entire population to high levels of folic acid. Given the absence of folate deficiency in the general population and the apparent shift toward Canadians having high serum folate concentrations, there appears to be little rationale for doubling folic acid levels in the Canadian food supply".

Folate deficiency is almost completely absent in the Canadian population, though high folate concentrations exist.

"Correction of folate deficiency and improved folate status, in part through fortification, has been associated with positive health outcomes such as the dramatic reduction in neural tube defects," write the authors. "However, given speculations about the possible adverse effects associated with high levels of folic acid, including increased risk of certain cancers in those with pre-existing neoplasms, further attempts to improve the folate status of Canadian women of childbearing age by increasing fortification levels should be approached cautiously."

The authors conclude that although folic acid is beneficial for women of childbearing age, some people may have undesirable results so ongoing monitoring of the folate status of Canadians and the relationship between folic acid and health outcomes is needed.

INFORMATION: END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Disease-management programs shown to improve diabetes care

2010-12-14
Disease-management programs, which may include patient education, psychological intervention, dietary education, self-monitoring and telemedicine, can improve diabetes care, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091786.pdf. The study, by French researchers, included 41 randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and 2009 with a total of 7013 patients. The findings showed that disease-management programs are more effective than usual care in reducing glycated hemoglobin levels ...

Sleepless honey bees miscommunicate, too, research at the University of Texas at Austin shows

Sleepless honey bees miscommunicate, too, research at the University of Texas at Austin shows
2010-12-14
VIDEO: This movie spotlights one waggle dance by a forager that had been sleep-deprived the previous night. The average dance angle of this dance is superimposed over the dancer and variance around... Click here for more information. AUSTIN, Texas—In the busy world of a honey bee hive, worker bees need their rest in order to best communicate the location of food to their hive mates, research from The University of Texas at Austin shows. "When deprived of sleep, humans ...

Protein restores learning, memory in Alzheimer's mouse model

Protein restores learning, memory in Alzheimers mouse model
2010-12-14
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, U.S.A. (Dec. 13, 2010) — Scientists at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio restored learning and memory in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model by increasing a protein called CBP. Salvatore Oddo, Ph.D., of the university's Department of Physiology and Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, said this is the first proof that boosting CBP, which triggers the production of other proteins essential to creating memories, can reverse Alzheimer's effects. The finding, reported this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides ...

Quantifying fragmentation of medical information

2010-12-14
Boston, Mass. – It's widely recognized that fragmentation of medical information is a problem in health care, but the extent of the problem and how many patients may be at risk haven't been well quantified. In a new retrospective study, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston looked at adult acute care in Massachusetts and found that of 3.6 million adults visiting an acute care site during a five-year period, almost a third sought care at two or more different hospitals. These patients accounted for more than half of all acute care visits in the state, as well as more ...

A benefit of flu: protection from asthma?

2010-12-14
The number of people with asthma has increased sharply over the past few decades. It has been suggested that this is a result of decreased childhood exposure to microorganisms. A team of researchers — led by Dale Umetsu, at Harvard Medical School, Boston; Michio Shimamura, at the University of Tsukuba, Japan; and Petr Illarionov, at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom — has now provided concrete evidence in mice to support this idea and identified an underlying mechanism to explain this protection, which the team hope could be exploited to develop ways to prevent ...

New approaches needed for treating chronic myeloid leukemia

2010-12-14
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was transformed from a fatal disease to a chronic condition by the development of a drug known as imatinib, which targets the protein that drives this disease (BCR-ABL). However, imatinib does not cure patients, they must take the drug lifelong, as disease recurs if they stop taking it. This is because imatinib does not kill all the CML cells; some, which are known as CML stem cells, persist. A key to therapeutically targeting CML stem cells is knowing whether they rely on BCR-ABL to persist. Answers to this will determine whether more effective ...

JCI online early table of contents: Dec. 13, 2010

2010-12-14
EDITOR'S PICK: A benefit of 'flu: protection from asthma? The number of people with asthma has increased sharply over the past few decades. It has been suggested that this is a result of decreased childhood exposure to microorganisms. A team of researchers — led by Dale Umetsu, at Harvard Medical School, Boston; Michio Shimamura, at the University of Tsukuba, Japan; and Petr Illarionov, at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom — has now provided concrete evidence in mice to support this idea and identified an underlying mechanism to explain this protection, which ...

Soda taxes: Weight loss benefit linked to household income

2010-12-14
DURHAM, N.C. – Imposing higher taxes on sodas and other sweetened drinks may generate a lot of money – but would lead to only minimal weight loss among most people and would have no effect on weight among consumers in the highest and lowest income groups, according to new research from Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School. The study, led by Eric Finkelstein, PhD, associate professor of health services at Duke-NUS, looked at the differential impact on calories and weight of a 20 percent and 40 percent tax on sodas and other sweetened beverages ...

Scientists unravel more details of plant cell-wall construction

2010-12-14
UPTON, NY - One big challenge in converting plants to biofuels is that the very same molecules that keep plants standing up make it hard to break them down. Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory are unraveling details of how plant cells' structural supports - their cell walls - are made, with the hope of finding ways to change their composition for more efficient biofuel production. In a paper to be published the week of December 13, 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe ...

Ovarian cancer clue: Methylation-mediated suppression of a key pathway is found

2010-12-14
December 14, 2010 – Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecological cancers. To better understand the disease and improve therapies, researchers are investigating how deregulation of genes across the genome could be contributing to malignancy. In a study published online today in Genome Research (www.genome.org), scientists have identified age-related gene-specific accumulation of DNA methylation that suppresses a critical cellular pathway contributing to ovarian carcinogenesis, information that will be crucial for future translational research. Epigenetic ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

The Drug Target Discovery Institute of Korea University successfully held opening symposium

UNM astronomers confirm new gas giant exoplanet with help from citizen scientists worldwide

Electrochemical catheter hub could prevent bloodstream infections

Spotting bad batteries before they malfunction

Grip strength gives researchers a new handle on psychosis

Metals found in disposable e-cigarette vapor could pose health risks

Disposable e-cigarettes more toxic than traditional cigarettes

Technical refinement in airway surgery: Wrapping tracheobronchial anastomoses

Understanding how a key protein helps aggressive blood cancer grow, paving the way for targeted therapies

Uncovering the role of vitamin C in skin regeneration

Advancing regenerative agriculture: TUdi unveils new digital tools for soil health monitoring

More staff addressing mental health in schools buffers toll of growing up in disadvantaged communities

Still top cause of death, the types of heart disease people are dying from is changing

Scientists detect deep Earth pulses beneath Africa

As fewer Americans die from heart attacks, more succumb to chronic heart disease

Guidance issued for GPs managing weight-loss injection patients

Low-cost carbon capture? Bury wood debris in managed forests

Scientists unravel mystery of Mycetoma grain formation

Exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity

How a propolis compound with health benefits interacts with cell membranes: Study reveals nymphaeol a in action

Flawed impact metrics jeopardize EU deregulation plans, study finds

New study calls for rethink on alcohol policy

New Danish research centre to make designed proteins with vast potential

Thin-film research enters new era with innovative AI approach

Smart amplifier enabler for more qubits in future quantum computers

Following the tracks of an extremely adaptive bacterium

New ‘designer drugs’ pose growing threat to road safety in the US

Tackling depressive symptoms in high school students by honing emotional and social skills

One in five US foods and drinks contain synthetic dyes, study shows

One in five packaged foods and drinks sold in the United States contains synthetic dyes, study shows

[Press-News.org] Increased consumption of folic acid can reduce birth defects but blood levels in Canadians are now high