Healthwise

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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH

We should all be delighted at the advances now being made by scientists, researchers and the medical profession. For 2011 we continue to highlight some of the latest developments in health and medicine. 

Oily fish plus milk to fight dementia

A recent report shows that people with diets which are high in oily fish and milk are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

The Archives of Neurology has reported that the antioxidant properties of vitamin E, found in milk as well as in eggs and avocado, could fight the onset of the brain disorder by helping to protect the nervous system.

Separate research at the University of Exeter showed that adults with reduced levels of vitamin D were more likely to develop the thinking and memory problems associated with Alzheimer’s. Vitamin D is found in oily fish such as sardines, salmon and tuna.

Warning on candesartan

Candesartan is used extensively across the UK to treat high blood pressure. However, a report from Oslo University in Norway, published in The Lancet, indicates that if the drug is taken after someone has had a stroke, it can cause problems leading to kidney failure or other problems such as low blood pressure and dizziness

The report concluded that candesartan did not give any benefit to patients following a stroke and “may even be harmful”.

Good news for people with blood group O

Researchers from the Cardiovascular Institute at Pennsylvania University have reported that the same gene that gives people the blood group of “O” also gives them some protection against heart attacks.

The study involved a comparison between nearly 6,000 people who had suffered a heart attack against over 7,000 people who were suffering from a level of coronary heart disease but had not actually had an attack.

New treatment for cause of blindness

Dry age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of blindness in the UK.

Now researchers at the Universtiy of Kentucky in the US have found that sufferers of AMD also have low levels of a specific protective enzyme in their eyes. The research found that the activity of this enzyme (called DICER1) was dramatically reduced in the retina in the eye of people suffering from AMD.

More good news about pomegranates

Pomegranates have already been hailed as a superfruit. Now recent tests in the Department of Internal Medicine at Ohio State University show that chemicals in the fruit called ellagitannins block the production of oestrogen which can cause cancer cells to grow.

The research showed that fairly high levels of ellagitannin compounds are needed to have real effect and this is unlikely to be able to be achieved through diet alone. However, Professor Gary Stoner, who led the research, said that consuming more pomegranates might certainly help to give some additional protection against cancer development.

More research is being undertaken.

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