News
Coenzyme Q10 may benefit heart health of patients with heart failure
14 December 2012
According to a new data analysis from the US, increased intakes of coenzyme Q10 may improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure.
17 June 2010
Higher blood levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of lung cancer by about 50 per cent, says a new French study.
Out of 385,747 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the researchers identified 899 people with lung cancer and matched them with 1,770 cancer-free people (1). Based on blood analysis the results showed that increasing blood levels of vitamin B6 were associated with lower risks of lung cancer. A similar risk reduction was observed for the amino acid methionine, which extended to never, former, and current smokers – indicating that smoking habits were not confounding the results. Above-median serum measures of both vitamin B6 and methionine, assessed on average 5 years prior to disease onset, were associated with a reduction of at least 50 percent on the risk of developing lung cancer. In addition, increased serum levels of vitamin B9 (folate) were, when combined with B6 and methionine, associated with a 66 percent lower risk of lung cancer.
As this correlation does not prove causation, more research is needed to clarify the role of B vitamins and methionine in lung cancer, the researchers commented. However, given their involvement in maintaining DNA integrity and gene expression, these nutrients have a potentially important role in inhibiting cancer development, and offer the possibility of modifying cancer risk through dietary changes, they concluded.
One in three Europeans is a smoker, while it is one in five in the US. Tobacco smoke contains 60 compounds which are known carcinogens. The oxidative stress levels of smokers are significantly greater than non-smokers, and as such there is a bigger drain on the levels of antioxidants in the body. A large proportion of lung cancer cases occur among former smokers and a non-trivial number of lung cancer cases occur also among never smokers, particularly among women in parts of Asia.
14 December 2012
According to a new data analysis from the US, increased intakes of coenzyme Q10 may improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure.
19 December 2012
Women with higher blood concentrations of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin may be at reduced risk of breast cancer, says a new data analysis from the US.
19 January 2015
According to a new US study, an adequate supply of B vitamins in women seems to increase their chances of becoming and staying pregnant even when they have high blood concentrations of a common pesticide.