CLINICAL UPDATE - COQ10 A NEW BIOMARKER FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE?
In this study, 22 patients with Parkinson’s Disease were compared to 88 age-matched controls that did not have Parkinson’s.  Functional levels of several antioxidants – coenzyme Q10, glutathione, selenium, vitamin E and lipoic acid – were measured using SpectraCell’s micronutrient testing.  A deficiency of CoQ10 occurred in 32% of Parkinson’s patients while only 8% of controls were deficient in coQ10.  Interestingly, this was not true for any other antioxidants, leaving authors to conclude that measuring coQ10 status could determine which Parkinson’s patients would benefit from coQ10 supplements, which has proven to slow the progression of Parkinson’s in various clinical trials. (Journal of Neurological Science, April 2012; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, December 2011)

LINK to ABSTRACT Coenzyme Q10 deficiency in patients with Parkinson's disease.
LINK to ABSTRACT Coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson's disease.

CLINICAL UPDATE - LOW VITAMIN D AND TESTOSTERONE IS A DEADLY COMBINATION
Testosterone and vitamin D was measured in over 2000 men. Those with a deficiency in both vitamin D and testosterone were more than twice as likely to have a fatal cardiovascular event and over 1 ½ times as likely to have a fatal event that was non- cardiovascular related. (Clinical Endocrinology, February 2012)

LINK to ABSTRACT Combination of low free testosterone and low vitamin D predicts mortality in older men referred for coronary angiography.

CLINICAL UPDATE - SMALL CHANGES IN OMEGA 3 INDEX = BIG CHANGES IN DEPRESSION RATES
Omega 3 index and fatty acids were measured in 150 adolescents that had been hospitalized for depression and compared to 161 controls.  For a 1% increase in the omega 3 index, teenagers were 28% less likely to have severe depression.   The omega 3 index is a measure of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoeic acid (DHA) in red blood cells, which is correlates to fatty acid content in other tissues as well. (Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, April 2012)

LINK to ABSTRACT Red blood cell fatty acids are associated with depression in a case-control study of adolescents.

CLINICAL UPDATE - CHOLINE STATUS OF MOM AFFECTS HORMONE LEVELS IN OFFSPRING
Pregnant women were given either 930 or 480 mg/day of choline in their third trimester.  After twelve weeks, the group with higher choline intake had babies with less cortisol in their blood, possibly to due improved methylation of DNA in the placenta, which was also measured.  The authors concluded that maternal choline intake affects genes in the offspring that regulate cortisol production. (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, May 2012)

LINK to ABSTRACT Maternal choline intake alters the epigenetic state of fetal cortisol-regulating genes in humans.

CLINICAL UPDATE - INTRAVENOUS VITAMIN C REDUCES SHINGLES PAIN
In this study, 16 practioners gave vitamin C intravenously to 67 patients with symptomatic herpes zoster pain.  The dosage was 7.5 grams per 50 mL administered for two weeks.  Pain and skin eruptions associated with the shingles (herpes zoster) virus were significantly reduced for up to 12 weeks following injections. (Medical Science Monitor, April 2012)

LINK to ABSTRACT Intravenous Vitamin C in the treatment of shingles: Results of a multicenter prospective cohort study.
 
CLINICAL UPDATE - TRANS FATS LINKED TO AGGRESSION
Dietary intake of trans fat was estimated (via dietary survey) on 945 men and women and each rated their irritability and aggressive behaviours with a standardized test.  The authors of the study concluded that ‘this study provides the first evidence linking dietary trans fatty acids with behavioural irritability and aggression.” (PLoS One, 2012)

LINK to ABSTRACT Trans fat consumption and aggression.
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