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Change in clinical practice would have clear benefits for patients undergoing major bowel surgery, according to analysis. The study provides evidence that giving iron intravenously before colorectal surgery improves outcomes for patients, reducing the need for blood transfusion by 33%. Anemia is a common problem in patients undergoing bowel surgery due to bleeding from the gut and blood loss during the operation. Anemia is also associated with feeling tired and unwell, a slower recovery and other complications after surgery. Blood transfusion is used when blood levels are low, but there has been concern that colorectal cancer patients may have higher...

Resistant starch is a non-digestible fiber that ferments in the large intestine, and consumption of it has previously been shown to have a positive effect on metabolism in animal studies. Now, a four-month randomized controlled trial in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) indicates daily intake of resistant starch can alter gut bacteria composition and lower liver triglycerides and liver enzymes associated with liver injury and inflammation. NAFLD, caused by a buildup of fat in the liver, affects about 30% of the population worldwide. It can lead to severe liver diseases and contribute to other conditions, such as type...

RUSH researchers recently discovered that a muscle-building supplement called beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, also called HMB, may help protect memory, reduce plaques and ultimately help prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. HMB is not a prescription drug or a steroid, but an over-the-counter supplement that is available in sports and fitness stores. Bodybuilders regularly use HMB to increase exercise-induced gains in muscle size and strength while improving exercise performance. HMB is considered safe even after long-term use, with no known side effects. "This may be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to halt disease progression and protect memory in Alzheimer's...

An extract from dahlia flower petals has been found to stabilize blood sugar levels of diabetes patients in clinical trials. Associate Professor Alexander Tups showed that the inhibition of brain inflammation—brought about by the excess consumption of a Western diet—markedly improves blood sugar regulation. His team then went on to discover an anti-inflammatory plant molecule that acts in the brain and potently improves the ability of the body to process blood sugar. "We then found that the dahlia plant is a cultivatable source of this molecule and that it contains two additional plant molecules that enhanced the effect of the...

A study of more than 300,000 adults in the United Kingdom has found support for a causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and mortality. These findings suggest a need for public health strategies to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D in the population. Low vitamin D status has been linked to increased mortality, but mortality in the context of vitamin D deficiency remains unclear. Randomized controlled trials either fail to recruit people with severe deficiency or, because of ethical reasons, are prevented from doing so. Researchers conducted a nonlinear mendelian randomization study of 307,601 participants in the U.K. Biobank to...

In a small study of healthy adults aged 55 and older, 5 mg of melatonin increased total sleep time compared to a placebo. Researchers conducted the study in 24 healthy, older adults to evaluate whether a high-dose or a low-dose melatonin supplement could improve sleep. The team found that the higher dose had a significant impact, increasing total sleep time compared to placebo by more than 15 minutes for nighttime sleep and by half an hour for daytime sleep. The body naturally produces melatonin, which helps regulate a person's sleep-wake cycle with night and day. Melatonin levels peak at night....

Dr Brad Stanfield notes that metabolism goes into steep decline after about age 60. Simultaneously age related disease go straight up in the other direction. He therefor surmises that supplements that improve metabolism have the best chance of improving defensive mechanisms against age related diseases. His top five list consists of 1. NR nicotinamide riboside 2. Melatonin 3. Glutathione precurer L cysteine OR NAC 4. Glutathione precurser L serine (which converts to glycine) 5. Hyerleronic Acid. He mentions that L carnitine may have a role in treating non alcholic fatty liver disease. (If you have a big gut--then likely you...

The level of magnesium in the blood is an important factor in the immune system's ability to tackle pathogens and cancer cells. Researchers from have reported that T cells need a sufficient quantity of magnesium in order to operate efficiently. Their findings may have important implications for cancer patients. Magnesium deficiency is associated with a variety of diseases, such as infections and cancer. Previous studies have shown that cancerous growths spread faster in the bodies of mice when the animals received a low-magnesium diet—and that their defense against flu viruses was also impaired. However, there has so far been little...

An oral supplement intended to stimulate a natural body process appears to promote muscle endurance and mitochondrial health in humans. New research suggests that the supplement, urolithin A, may help improve or prolong muscle activity in people who are aging or who have diseases that make exercise difficult. Urolithin A is a byproduct of a person's gut bacteria and a diet comprising polyphenols found in pomegranates, berries and nuts. The compound also is produced and sold by dietary supplement companies. Supplemental urolithin A has been shown in animal tests and molecular studies of humans to stimulate mitophagy, a process that...

How do they determine who WON in California After a statewide election, each of the 58 counties is required by law to SEND their certified election results to the Secretary of State UP TO 30 DAYS AFTER Election Day. The Secretary of State then has up to 7 DAYS to compile the complete Statement of Vote (SOV), which contains official results from each county. The Secretary of State has until 158 DAYS after Election Day to compile a Supplement to the Statement of Vote (SSOV), which contains more detailed election information from each county. So, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO...

In addition, prevention is not the main focus of the pharmaceutical industry in the US. The reason is because they don’t make money when we are healthy. The same goes for the politician, i.e. they don’t get contributions when there is no crisis. Also, if the media did its job in reporting about the pharmaceutical industry they would not get the advertising funds from the pharmaceutical interests.

Excessive intake of calcium supplements may have adverse effect on health, notes a study.  Postmenopausal and pregnant women, transplant recipients, patients with bulimia (an eating disorder) and individuals on dialysis face the highest risk of developing the calcium-alkali syndrome.  The incidence of the calcium-alkali or the milk-alkali syndrome is growing in large parts, because of widespread use of over-the-counter calcium and vitamin D supplements.  Study authors Stanley Goldfarb and Ami Patel from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (UPSM) recommend changing milk-alkali syndrome's name to calcium-alkali syndrome because it is now associated with a large calcium intake, not just...

Other than the ads that claim Acai Berry is a great diet supplement does any Freepers use it for a reason as a diet supplement in concentrated capsule form? Thanks. Could not find any legit forums when I googled it is all ads promoting the product no real medical info. And I dont count Dr. Oz as a legit resource.

People with asthma and other preexisting lung diseases face an especially exaggerated year-round risk from a deficiency Getting plenty of vitamin D — more than diet can offer — appears to provide potent protection against colds, flu and even pneumonia, a new study reports. Although the amount of protection varies by season, the trend is solid: As the amount of vitamin D circulating in blood climbs, risk of upper respiratory tract infections falls. Though that’s not too surprising (SN: 11/11/06, p. 312), the researchers found one unexpected trend: “In people with preexisting lung disease, such as asthma and chronic obstructive...

Vitamin supplement little more than 'snake oil'June 12,2008 A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology. Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). It is marketed heavily as a dietary supplement using a selection of unsubstantiated, 'not-quite-medical' claims that tend to characterize this field. A large part of this campaign has been built around the belief that benfotiamine is lipid-soluble and, therefore, more physiologically active. Scientific research led by Dr Lucien Bettendorff of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at...

U.S. Army Col. Diana Bodner (left), deputy commander of the 49th Military Police Brigade, prepares to hand the banner to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Sullivan (right), commander of Detachment 1, 732nd Expeditionary Force and Mission Support Group. U.S. Army photo by Spc. William Jones Airmen to Supplement MP Unit at Tikrit Base An Air Force law and order detachment moves to Forward Operating Base Speicher to supplement the U.S. Army’s military police. By U.S. Army Pfc. Cassandra Groce 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 8, 2006 — A U.S. Air Force law and order detachment...

Deepening his personal involvement in an industry that has business pending at the Capitol, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this year helped dietary supplement companies launch a lobbying group. An article in the August 2005 edition of Muscle & Fitness magazine, for which Schwarzenegger serves as executive editor, recounts his attendance at a March 5 meeting at which the lobbying group formed and says the governor remains "a phone call away" from the organization. The meeting took place while legislation was pending that would restrict high school athletes from using some performance-enhancing supplements. The bill still awaits action in the Legislature....

An 80 year old Camden,NJ woman was arrested-walker and all-after she was found to be supplementing her Social Security checks in a manner that did not meet police approval. (Hey ! She could have done worse: She could have taken Helen Thomas' place !)

Curtis E. LeMay is one of the icons of American military history who rivals Mitchell in his importance and controversial career. From middling origins, LeMay did not attend West Point, earning his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1928. Over the next decade he became widely known as one of the best navigators and pilots in the Air Corps. In 1937 he located the battleship Utah in exercises off California and "bombed" it with water bombs, despite being given the wrong coordinates by Navy personnel; the following year he navigated B17s nearly 800 miles over the Atlantic Ocean...

President of Queens Firm Found Guilty of Criminal Contempt For Violating Court Order Not to Market Bogus Cancer Cure Over the Internet ROSLYNN R. MAUSKOPF, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and MARK B. McCLELLAN, M.D., Ph.D., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced today that a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York has convicted Jason Vale, president of the Queens based company Christian Brothers Contracting Corporation ("Christian Bros."), of three counts of criminal contempt in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 401(3). On April 20, 2000, in a civil suit brought...