A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE: “Doctor, I have an ear ache.”
2000 B.C. – “Here, eat this root.”
1000 B.C. – “That root is heathen, say this prayer.”
1850 A.D. – “That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.”
1940 A.D. – “That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.”
1985 A.D. – “That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.”
2000 A.D. – “That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!”

Obesity, it has been wryly noted, is a large and growing worldwide problem, and one with hefty consequences: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, and death are just some of the long-term complications associated with excess weight.  Despite the billions of dollars spent on weight-loss products each year, achieving and sustaining weight loss is notoriously difficult.  Does it matter how those pounds are shed?

In this week’s issue of the journal, the SCOUT trial investigators report on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examining the effects of sibutramine (Meridia^TM) on cardiovascular outcomes in 10,744 high-risk overweight and obese patients.  Performed in 16 countries, this trial enrolled patients with a history of cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus with at least one other cardiovascular risk factor.  To assess for early hypertension and tachycardia that would make continued sibutramine use inadvisable, all subjects underwent a 6-week single-blind lead-in period, and were subsequently randomized in a double-blind fashion to continue receiving sibutramine or to receive placebo.  All subjects received individualized diet and exercise advice and optimal medical management of their other cardiovascular risk factors.

Given the known efficacy of sibutramine in inducing weight loss, was it able to reduce cardiovascular events?  The results were surprising.  As expected, sibutramine achieved a 2.4kg greater one-year weight loss than placebo.  But after a mean treatment duration of 3.4 years, the sibutramine group had an unexpected increase in the incidence of the primary outcome, a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and cardiovascular death (11.4% for the sibutramine group versus 10.0% for the control group, p=0.015).  This effect was driven primarily by increases in nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke, and was only demonstrable for patients with a history of cardiovascular disease.

As Drs. Curfman, Morrissey, and Drazen note in an accompanying editorial, this is not the first appetite suppressant to come under scrutiny:  Fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine, and phenylpropanolamine were all removed from the market once information about rare but serious adverse events became apparent after initial FDA approval.

“The results of the SCOUT trial re-emphasize the importance of obtaining reliable data on meaningful outcomes,” says Curfman, “For patients similar to those in this trial, appreciably increasing their cardiovascular risk in order to achieve a modest weight loss is difficult to justify.”

The editorialists note that the FDA advisory committee will meet on September 15 to weigh the risks and benefits of sibutramine, and to determine if it should be subject to new regulatory action – and the SCOUT trial just might tip the scales.

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Pancreatic tumor cells use fructose to divide and proliferate, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that challenges the common wisdom that all sugars are the same.

Tumor cells fed both glucose and fructose used the two sugars in two different ways, the team at the University of California Los Angeles found. They said their finding, published in the journal Cancer Research, may help explain other studies that have linked fructose intake with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancer types.

These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation," Dr. Anthony Heaney of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and colleagues wrote. "They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth."

Americans take in large amounts of fructose, mainly in high fructose corn syrup, a mix of fructose and glucose that is used in soft drinks, bread and a range of other foods. Politicians, regulators, health experts and the industry have debated whether high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients have been helping make Americans fatter and less healthy.

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http://healthfreedoms.org/cancer-cells-feed-on-fructose-study-finds/

Many patients ask me what type of nutritional supplementation I use at home.   I gladly share that I simply supplement my diet with a plant that botanists call "The most nutrient-dense plant on earth".  The Moringa Oleifera Tree has literally changed my family's lifestyle: The way we shop, the way we prepare foods, our cravings/appetites, our spending habits!  Take 15 minutes out of your day and check it out!

Zija: Discovering Moringa