Form Rides With Function

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - Form Rides With Function

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 06:59:00 -0400

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Form Rides With Function

 

 

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 20, 2005

Dear Reader,

 

A single study proves nothing, no matter how well designed and

executed it may be. But a single study with a key element missing

manages to prove less than nothing.

 

You may have heard the news last week (it was widely reported by the

TV networks) that a Johns Hopkins study in the New England Journal of

Medicine found vitamin E to have no effect on patients with mild

cognitive impairment. Given the scope of the study, this is a

significant finding. Over three years, nearly 770 subjects received

daily doses of 10mg of donepezil (a drug for cognitive impairment), or

2,000 IU of vitamin E, or a placebo.

 

Pretty conclusive, right? Three years - 2,000 IU of vitamin E daily (a

particularly high dose) - and no effect on mild cognitive impairment.

But there was one element missing in this study. And it's a glaring

omission that calls the validity of the research into question.

 

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What's wrong with this picture?

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ANY time you see a placebo-controlled study about vitamin E, this

question MUST be answered: What form of the vitamin was used? I read

the Hopkins study. Again and again vitamin E is referred to without

ever stating the form. This is significant because some studies have

used the synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol form of vitamin E with poor

results. Here's how HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., describes this

form: " This is a molecule shape that the body is not designed to

handle, whereas the 'd' form alone is the one the body is able to use.

It is important to use the 'dl' form only topically. "

 

But the form question doesn't end there because vitamin E also comes

in beta, delta and gamma forms. When these forms are combined with

d-alpha you have mixed tocopherols. The d-alpha form is often used

alone, and that's fine, but in a study when you're putting the

reputation of vitamin E to the test - at 2,000 IUs per day for three

years, no less! - you've got to use the mixed tocopherols. Got to.

 

In the end, the validity of the Hopkins study rests on whether or not

a mix of tocopherols was used, or if dl-alpha was used, or if d-alpha

was used alone. But we simply don't know. If I was the editor of the

New England Journal of Medicine, I'd hand this study back to the

researchers and say, " Come on, guys, this is bush league. You need to

fill in all the details before I consider it for publication. "

 

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Sum of the parts

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To get a better idea of the effect that vitamin E might have on

cognitive impairment, let's look at two previous Johns Hopkins

studies. Note that the first study concerns dietary intake - no

supplements - and the second concerns interviews about supplement

intake. In other words, unlike the new study, neither of these were

placebo-controlled.

 

In study number one (reported in 2002), nearly 580 subjects, aged 60

or older, were followed for more than seven years. After adjusting for

gender, education, and age (all factors that come into play with AD

risk), a diet high in vitamin E was strongly associated with a

significant reduction of Alzheimer's risk. Intake of dietary vitamin C

was somewhat useful in reducing AD risk, but not nearly as effective

as vitamin E.

 

Nearly two years later, another Johns Hopkins team interviewed more

than 4,700 subjects (aged 65 or older) in Cache County, Utah.

Supplement intake was assessed, as well as the prevalence of dementia

and Alzheimer's disease, from 1995 to 1997, and again from 1998 to

2000. The collected data showed that in the first phase, those who

took supplements of vitamins C and E combined had a 78 percent lower

risk of AD. In the second phase, the percentage dropped to 64, but

still indicated a significant level of protection.

 

In addition, subjects who took a vitamin E supplement along with a

multivitamin that contained vitamin C, had a lower AD risk. But

researchers found no evidence of protection among subjects who took

vitamin C or E supplements alone (with no multivitamins), or among

subjects who took multivitamins alone, or multivitamins with B-complex

supplements (with no additional C or E).

 

What's significant here is the recognition that multivitamins are

useful, but key vitamins such as C and E may deserve additional

supplementation.

 

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....and another thing

 

Pure gold. Pure as the driven snow. Pure water.

 

There was a time when the word " pure " meant something. But these days

" pure " is often pure hogwash.

 

For instance, if you've got a water bottle in the house, check the

label. Almost certainly you'll find the word " pure " prominently

displayed. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that it's pure tap water.

 

According to a four-year study released by the environmental advocacy

group National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), bottled water sold in

the U.S. may be no purer than ordinary tap water. Because according to

industry estimates, about 25 percent of all bottled water actually IS

tap water - and some estimates place that percentage much higher.

 

The rest of the bottled waters - the non-tap waters - don't fare much

better because the FDA allows water that's pumped from wells and

treated with chemicals to be called " spring water. "

 

It's a wonder they don't try to market it as " Spring Water Plus! "

 

Obviously, not all spring water or tap water is created equal. In

fact, tap water that's filtered through a first-rate filter will

probably be freer of contaminants than pure spring water - even if it

comes from an actual spring.

 

The NRDC study tested 103 brands of bottled water and found that about

one-third had contaminants that exceeded allowable limits of bacteria,

synthetic chemicals, and even arsenic! So your chance of getting a

little something extra in your bottle of pure water may be

approximately one in three. Those aren't really the odds I'm looking

for when I pick out a bottle that says " pure " on the label.

 

So to be completely certain that your water is free of killer

chemicals, your best bet may be to use a tap filtration system. But

like different sources of water, not all systems are created equal.

William Campbell Douglass, II, M.D., has personally selected a

filtration system that he recommends to his readers. For information

about this system, you can use the link below to read about the

Doulton Water Filter; an easy-to-install, easy-to-clean, ceramic

filter. It's permeated with silver to trap and eliminate bacteria, and

even removes fluoride from your tap water.

 

http://www1.youreletters.com/t/133376/2413923/775191/0/

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Vitamin E and Donepezil for the Treatment of Mild Cognitive

Impairment " The New England Journal of Medicine, published online

4/13/05, scheduled for publication in the June 9, 2005, issue of NEJM,

content.nejm.org

" Reduced Risk of Alzheimer Disease in Users of Antioxidant Vitamin

Supplements: The Cache County Study " Archives of Neurology, Vol. 61,

No. 1, January 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Study: High Doses of Vitamins Ward Off Alzheimer's " Reuters Health,

1/19/04, naturaplus.com

" Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype? " National Resources Defense

Council, nrdc.org