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Wednesday, April 16, 2008 — Once again, the medical authorities are advising us NOT to take nutritional supplements. This time the effort comes from the United Kingdom. A group of scientists reviewed several dozen health research studies that had covered antioxidant supplements — Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, Vitamin C, the antioxidant mineral Selenium and Vitamin E. The study is linked below.*

The reviewed studies included 67 different efforts that involved over 232,000 people. Both healthy and unhealthy people were studied. The conclusion of this ‘review of reviews’ was that most of the anti-oxidants were not associated with any positive health benefit, except for Selenium.

Some supplemental anti-oxidants were associated with increased risks of death or cancer — Vitamin A and Beta Carotene increased risks by 16% and 7% respectfully, while Vitamin E increased risks of cancer by 4%. Vitamin C did not increase risks, but did not reduce them either. Selenium decreased risks about 9% in men for prostate cancer. Smoking tobacco products was also associated with most of the increases.

THE MAGIC BULLET THEORY

What’s the problem with this new review? Simple. All of these so-called scientific studies that were included in the review were testing the particular supplement the same way, making the same error in judgment — they were looking for a magic bullet.

They were asking “Does adding this supplement to the diet help prevent disease?” Seems like an innocent enough question, right?

Wrong.

When you add a single nutrient to your diet, especially in large quantities, you unbalance a finely tuned biological system. The body is built to operate within certain normal limits. When you upset the balance by adding too much of a particular nutrient, you risk exceeding those limits.

Further, most antioxidants work synergistically. Each operates as a biochemical ‘cog’ in the bio-gears that run your body. Adding one antioxidant without its synergistic partners, and without the cofactors that it needs to function within the body, is certainly not helpful. Why would it be?

When scientists design a study that adds large quantities of any particular nutrient into a balanced system, they are going to ‘discover’ the same result for each added unbalancing compound. They will prove that in health there are NO MAGIC BULLETS.

THE FIX IS IN

Interestingly, the way these studies are setup pre-determines their outcomes.

How should they be studied? They should test people to see if they are deficient in any particular nutrient. Then, for those people only, they should add that nutrient, plus any and all known cofactors and synergistic partner nutrients. Then they should report the results of this practice on the participants.

Even these scientists must already know that people who take a broad range of dietary supplements, in addition to eating a healthy diet, are generally healthier than those who do not. Thousands of studies demonstrate the wisdom of eating a healthy diet and taking a wide range of supplements.

However, taking merely one or two, or even a few supplements in large quantities is obviously NOT a good idea. Why that should be news to anyone is a good question.

So, why are we seeing so many of these “Magic Bullet” quasi-scientific reviews and stories in the news? Because there are powerful interests in the medical, pharmaceutical and health-industry world which desire us to believe that ‘natural cures’ don’t work, while ‘traditional medicine’ does.

The world is full of ‘traditional medicine’ snake-oil salesmen (and women). The magic bullets they are selling are patented. The profits in today’s patented magic bullet medical system are unthinkably enormous. Billions and billions are transferred from our pockets to the owners of the patents on the magic bullets of today’s acceptable, authoritarian sales people.

BILLIONS FOR BULLETS

Today’s patented medicines are the world’s most profitable businesses. Altogether, the patented medical drug business is a TRILLION DOLLAR industry.

This mega-industry overpowers the economies of each of the world’s large countries, as well as all the small nations. It dictates the laws regulating medical commerce, the directions of future research, and the regulations for the practice of medicine itself.

Governmental regulatory bureaus are staffed with people who received their scientific and medical education under subsidies from patent holding drug companies. The medical schools and universities where researchers and physicians undertook their scientific training and education were heavily subsidized by pharmaceutical profits from Magic Bullet Medicine.

Pharmaceutical company representatives — sales people — actually pay doctors to listen to their pitches during sales calls they make in the doctor’s office. Since laws restrain them from paying in cash, they pay with so-called ‘free samples’, other valuable gifts, free dinner invitations, tickets to conventions, lectures, and invitations to speak at events for which the are paid directly. As many as 1/3 of physicians in some specialties have lectured at drug company sponsored events and been paid by the drug companies to do so. See this 2007 article in The Journal of the American Medical Association about payments to doctors.
Because insurance payments to physicians are so low these days, doctors rely on drug rep payments as a major portion of their real income. For some physicians, this can amount to the equivalent of thousands of dollars per month.

Doctors are graded by the pharmaceutical patent owners, and rewarded on a sliding scale according to the number of prescriptions they give to their patients for certain drugs. The data comes from a national prescription database which contains patient info, doctor info and drugs prescribed. Every prescription filled at a pharmacy is entered into the database, which is made available to the drug companies.

Should this system be changed? Well that is a very controversial issue. But that it exists is not. Our system works to ensure the sales of patented ‘magic bullet’ drugs.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that medical research is oriented to support the magic bullet theory. Nor should it surprise anyone that non-patented magic bullets receive bad reviews by researchers whose education, salaries, and social life all center around patented wonder drugs.

THE MISSING QUESTION

The one question we can be certain that will seldom be asked is — “Are patented drugs generally helpful?” In other words — “Are there ANY magic bullets for health?”
Heaven forbid that we actually figure out that nobody has a magic bullet, a wonder drug or single therapy that will simplify our search for health and youthfulness — compressing the answer into a single pill or a handful of pills.

No matter who tells you they have found a magic bullet for health, don’t believe them.

Health requires a perfect balance of about 50 different nutrients — vitamins, minerals, fiber, fluids, antioxidants, fats, proteins, carbohydrates — all of which can be found freely in common vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans, spices, water, and yes… a few more behaviors including regular exercise, fresh air, exposure to sunlight, and support from companions, loving companionship from friends and family.

There is no magic bullet. Your doctor doesn’t have one, and neither does any vitamin company nor drug store.

The Greek doctor Hippocrates, remembered as the Father of Medicine, said it best thousands of years ago: “Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.”

If you’re already sick, then a few pills may help. But that’s a very dangerous road. Tread it with caution.

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*Source: Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases Bjelakovic G, Nikolova D, Gluud LL, Simonetti RG, Gluud C. Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD007176. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007176

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Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2006 May 10;

Authors: Lachiver ED, Abatzoglou N, Cartilier L, Simard JS

The agglomeration tendency of dry pharmaceutical mixtures containing various concentrations of Xylitab((R))100 (Xylitol), calcium carbonate precipitated (CCP) and magnesium stearate (MgSt) was evaluated statistically as a function of mixing time. A Ro-Tap tester was employed to mix the three pharmaceutical components, and the agglomerates formed were measured with respect to their weight and size. An experimental design was devised and applied to structure and then statistically analyze the results. Xylitab was found not to be influential in the formation of agglomerates, but aided in deagglomeration when mixed with other components. CCP and MgSt formed agglomerates over time and showed positive interactions favouring agglomeration. The agglomerates started to fracture when they reached a critical size, at which stage the particles’ attraction forces (cohesion forces) were weaker than both gravity and inertia. It has been shown and quantitatively demonstrated that the mixing time and ingredient concentrations of a three-component pharmaceutical mixture can affect agglomeration tendency.

PMID: 16797949 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Rescue treatment and prevention of asthma using magnesium throat lozenges: Hypothesis for a mouth-lung biologically closed electric circuit.

Med Hypotheses. 2006 Jun 22;

Authors: Eby GA

In the rescue treatment of acute asthma, injected and inhalant magnesium are relatively weak having demonstrated value only in severe illness, although theoretical and laboratory considerations suggest that magnesium should be strongly effective as an asthma rescue agent. It was hypothesized that a mouth-lung biologically closed electric circuit (BCEC) exists capable of nearly instantly transporting positively charged magnesium ions from the mouth and throat into the lungs. One hundred milligram magnesium (magnesium chloride) 4-g throat lozenges producing 100+ mM magnesium ion concentration in saliva were tested to determine if they had beneficial effects in asthma rescue and prevention. Subjects were selected based solely on need for asthma rescue, and lozenges were used as needed. Case histories are presented showing the nearly immediate effect of magnesium chloride throat lozenges in terminating and preventing asthma attacks. Throat lozenges containing magnesium chloride produced much more rapid and stronger benefits than has been reported for inhaled and injected magnesium. An added benefit from magnesium chloride lozenge treatment of asthma was relaxation. In this first report of its kind, magnesium chloride throat lozenges appeared to provide rescue benefits in the treatment of asthma equivalent to pharmaceutical asthma drugs. Countering these benefits, strong ionic magnesium solutions greatly increase rhinovirus, herpesvirus and Candida albicans in vitro, and appear to worsen these infections in humans. Magnesium lozenges releasing concentrated magnesium ions appear contraindicated during common colds, oral herpes infections, chronic rhinosinusitis, oral and respiratory infections in general, and their use must immediately be terminated if respiratory or oral symptoms worsen. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trials in people without respiratory or oral infections are needed to determine magnesium lozenge safety, and the extent by which drug treatment of asthma can be reduced.

PMID: 16797866 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Tacrolimus-associated hypomagnesemia in renal transplant recipients.

Transplant Proc. 2006 Jun;38(5):1320-2

Authors: Navaneethan SD, Sankarasubbaiyan S, Gross MD, Jeevanantham V, Monk RD

BACKGROUND: Since hypomagnesemia occurs frequently in tacrolimus treated patients, we studied the correlation between renal magnesium wasting and tacrolimus blood levels in renal transplant patients. METHODS: Serum magnesium, fractional excretion of magnesium (FEMg), and 24-hour urinary excretion of magnesium were measured in 41 transplant patients and 10 healthy volunteers for correlation with tacrolimus level. RESULTS: Of tacrolimus-treated patients, 43% displayed hypomagnesemia. FEMg (7.42+/-3.59% versus 1.88+/-0.43%) and 24-hour urinary excretion (112.36+/-51.43 mg/dL versus 6.7+/-2.79 mg/dL) were significantly higher among tacrolimus-treated patients than controls. Magnesium replacement did not influence FEMg or 24-hour urinary magnesium excretion. Tacrolimus level was the best predictor of 24-hour urinary magnesium excretion and FEMg. Serum magnesium levels correlated inversely with tacrolimus concentrations and creatinine clearance. CONCLUSION: Hypomagnesemia in renal transplant recipients results from renal magnesium wasting. Tacrolimus levels and renal function impact on the excess renal magnesium excretion. Studies of longer duration are warranted to assess the long-term effects of this early posttransplant hypomagnesemia.

PMID: 16797291 [PubMed - in process]

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A woman with red eyes and hypokalemia: A case of acquired Gitelman syndrome.

Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2006 May;118(7-8):239-242

Authors: Schwarz C, Barisani T, Bauer E, Druml W

Gitelman syndrome is a rare hereditary disorder of the thiazide-sensitive NaCl transporter in the distal renal tubular cells, but mimicking of such hereditary tubular disorders has been described in different autoimmune diseases (Sjögren syndrome, SLE, …). A 62-year-old woman with painful red eyes and sicca syndrome presented at the ophthalmological department. The diagnostic evaluation identified a Sjögren syndrome with early endophthalmitis as the reason for the red eyes. Results of laboratory examination indicated severe hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis and hypomagnesemia, although this had not been seen years earlier. Together with the urine analysis, a rare case of an acquired Gitelman syndrome was diagnosed. Substitution with potassium and magnesium improved the initial symptoms of weakness, but renal electrolyte wasting persisted even after treatment of Sjögren syndrome. In patients with autoimmune disease, laboratory analysis of serum electrolytes should be performed because different acquired tubular disorders can lead to severe hypokalemia.

PMID: 16794762 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Vascular Action of Cocoa Flavanols in Humans: The Roots of the Story.

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2006 Jun;47 Suppl 2:S99-S102

Authors: K Hollenberg N

Diet patterns are widely recognized as contributors to hypertension. Widely studied potential contributors include intake of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, soluble fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, alcohol, protein, and calories. We add to that list the effect of dietary flavanols present in certain cocoas, which have sufficient activity on vascular nitric oxide to influence blood pressure control. Kuna Indians who live on islands near Panama have little age-related rise in blood pressure or hypertension. On migration to Panama City, blood pressure rises with age, and the frequency of essential hypertension matches urban levels elsewhere. We have identified a specific food that probably makes an important contribution to cardiovascular status. Island-dwelling Kuna drink more than 5 cups of flavanol-rich cocoa per day and incorporate that cocoa into many recipes. Mainland Kuna ingest little cocoa, and what they take is commercially available and flavanol-poor. The flavanol-rich cocoa activates nitric oxide synthase in vitro and in intact humans in the doses that the Kuna employ. Vasodilator responses to flavonoid-rich cocoa are prevented or reversed by the arginine analog, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. Island-dwelling Kuna have a 3-fold larger urinary nitrate:nitrite than do Mainland dwellers. As endothelial dysfunction is central to current thinking on cardiovascular pathophysiology, a food that enhances endothelial function could have broad implications. The list of candidate conditions that might be influenced is impressive, ranging from atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus to hypertension and preeclampsia, to vascular dementias and end-stage renal disease. The next decade will be interesting.

PMID: 16794463 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Synthesis and characterization of one-dimensional MgO nanostructures.

J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2006 May;6(5):1447-52

Authors: Kar S, Chaudhuri S

Magnesium oxide (MgO) nanowire arrays, nanoribbons, two- and three-dimensional network like nanostructures were prepared by the simple thermal evaporation of Mg powder with and without using catalyst at a relatively low temperature. The non-catalytic approaches favor the formation of network like nanoforms whereas the catalytic approaches favors the formation of one-dimensional nanowire arrays and quasi one-dimensional nanoribbons depending on the temperature and vapor concentrations of the growth site. The diameter and length of the MgO network like columns varied within 40-50 nm and approximately 200 nm respectively. The MgO nanowires produced by the catalytic approach had diameter within 20-30 nm and length approximately 2 microm. Whereas the widths of the nanoribbons varied within 50-100 nm and their length were of the order of a few hundred micrometers. The nanoforms were single crystalline and cubic in phase. The products were characterized by the X-ray diffraction study, energy dispersive analysis of X-ray study, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence measurements to explore the structural, compositional, morphological, and physical properties of the MgO nanoforms.

PMID: 16792379 [PubMed - in process]

Determination of magnesium in foods by single-sweep polarography.

J AOAC Int. 2006 May-Jun;89(3):782-5

Authors: Xiangchun Z, Lirong W, Yan Z, Guanghan L, Peng Z

In KOH, the Mg(II)-bromopyrogallol red (BPR) complex produced a very sensitive polarographic wave at -1.30 V. The wave height was linear with the concentration of Mg(II) in the range of 0.05 to 2 microg/mL. The detection limit was 0.01 microg/mL. The electrochemical behavior of Mg(II)-BPR was studied by electrochemical and spectrophotometric methods. Experiments proved that the polarographic wave of Mg(II)-BPR was due to the reduction of BPR in the Mg(II)-BPR complex. The method, which was sensitive, selective, and simple to perform, was used to determine magnesium in foods, and the results were consistent with those obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy.

PMID: 16792076 [PubMed - in process]

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Magnesium supplementation in the treatment of dementia patients.

Med Hypotheses. 2006 Jun 19;

Authors: Ozturk S, Cillier AE

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Many risk factors have been defined in the literature, and the roles of environmental factors, nutrition, some vitamins and trace elements have been investigated. The role of magnesium (Mg) in dementia and other degenerative disorders has been the focus of increased attention in recent years. Concentration of Mg affects many biochemical mechanisms, which consist of N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor response to excitatory amino acids, stability and viscosity of the cell membrane and toxic effects of calcium. Mg usage with drugs like memantine, which has an influence via Mg, can be useful in dementia treatment. According to the results of these studies, Mg support can facilitate learning and result in improvement in other symptoms. Memantine use has shown some benefit in moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease or for vascular dementia. Mg in the treatment of dementia facilitates learning and contributes to improvement in other symptoms; used in conjunction with memantine it may serve to increase memantine’s symptomatic and neuroprotective effects, via its influence on NMDARs.

PMID: 16790324 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Microradiography as a tool to detect heavy metal uptake in plants for phytoremediation applications.

Microsc Res Tech. 2006 Jun 20;

Authors: Reale L, Lai A, Bellucci I, Faenov A, Pikuz T, Flora F, Spanò L, Poma A, Limongi T, Palladino L, Ritucci A, Tomassetti G, Petrocelli G, Martellucci S

In this paper, an application of contact microradiography with soft X-rays for detecting the uptake site of heavy metal in the whole plant leaves is investigated. The X-ray source is a laser-plasma one based on an Nd:glass laser. The soft X-ray radiation emitted from the plasma laser targets of magnesium, iron, and copper can be strongly absorbed in the leaves’ regions rich in iron, magnesium, and copper. This absorbance could point to structures in the leaves where these heavy elements are found. In this work, leaves treated with copper sulfate diluted in water at 1, 2, and 5% were imaged by using a copper target, in order to evaluate differences with untreated control leaves. Our results showed that this methodology highlighted the presence of copper in the treated leaves. This new methodology should detect heavy element pollutants inside plants and it should also be a useful analytic tool in phytoremediation studies. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2006. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 16788990 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Oral magnesium supplementation in asthmatic children: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jun 21;

Authors: Gontijo-Amaral C, Ribeiro MA, Gontijo LS, Condino-Neto A, Ribeiro JD

Objective:To investigate the long-term effect of oral magnesium supplementation on clinical symptoms, bronchial reactivity, lung function and allergen-induced skin responses in children and adolescents with moderate persistent asthma.Design:A double-blind randomized parallel placebo-controlled study.Setting and subjects:The patients were recruited from the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy and Immunology, and followed at the Center for Investigation in Pediatrics at State University of Campinas Hospital, Brazil. Thirty-seven out of 72 patients met the study criteria. There were no dropouts.Intervention:The 37 patients (aged 7-19 years, 19 males) were randomized in two groups: magnesium (n=18, 300 mg/day) and placebo (n=19), during 2 months. Both patient groups received inhaled fluticasone (250 mug twice a day) and salbutamol as needed. The primary outcome was bronchial reactivity evaluated with methacholine challenge test (PC20).Results:After a follow-up of 2 months, the methacholine PC20 for testing bronchial reactivity has augmented significantly in the magnesium group only. The skin responses to recognized antigens have also decreased in patients treated with magnesium. The forced vital capacity (FVC), the forced expiratory volume at first second (FEV1), the forced expiratory flow at 25-75 and the FEV1/FVC ratio were similar in both groups. The magnesium group presented fewer asthma exacerbations and used less salbutamol compared to the placebo group.Conclusions:Oral magnesium supplementation helped to reduce bronchial reactivity to methacholine, to diminish their allergen-induced skin responses and to provide better symptom control in pediatric patients with moderate persistent asthma treated with inhaled fluticasone.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication, 21 June 2006; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602475.

PMID: 16788707 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Decolourization of azo dyes using magnesium-palladium system.

J Hazard Mater. 2006 May 12;

Authors: Patel R, Suresh S

Magnesium-palladium system was found to efficiently decolourize reactive black 5, sunset yellow FCF and tartrazine dyes. There is complete loss of visible range absorption peaks and extent of colour removal exceeded 95% within 24h of reaction. There is appearance of new peak(s) in the UV region and/or gradual and significant shift of the lambda(max) in the UV range during 1-24h of reaction of dyes with Mg/Pd system. LC-MS analyses following the reaction of dyes with magnesium palladium system suggest reductive cleavage of azo bonds and formation of amines as the end products. Kinetic analyses of dye decolourization indicate that the reaction follows first order kinetics. Agreement between the experimental and predicted Michaelis-Menten plots for the decolourization of reactive black 5, sunset yellow FCF and tartrazine dyes by Mg(0)/Pd(4+) system, suggests the correctness of Michaelis-Menten model for the prediction of dye decolourization rates by Mg(0)/Pd(4+) system. Our investigations reveal that Mg(0)/K(2)PdCl(6) system is more effective in decolourizing dyes as compared to Mg(0)/Pd(0)-alumina or Mg(0) alone. Results obtained from reuse experiments suggest that Pd(0) pellets have the potential for recycling which will make the treatment process cost effective. Mg(0)/Pd(4+) system was found to be efficient in decolourizing mixture of drimarene, remazol and procion dyes as well as raw effluent generated by textile dye manufacturing company.

PMID: 16787700 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Ventricular tachycardia associated with hereditary magnesium-losing nephropathy.

Int J Cardiol. 2006 Jun 22;

Authors: Trung Phan T, Osman F, Jones A, El-Gaylani N

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) can be a life threatening condition which can be caused by an underlying electrolyte disturbance, such as hypomagnesaemia. Causes of electrolyte disturbances, such as magnesium losing nephropathy, should be identified early to allow correct management of the underlying cause of the cardiac arrhythmia.

PMID: 16806539 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]