Weight Loss: Researchers Discover Unhealthy Messages Sent by Fat

Are fat cells hijacking your health with unhealthy messages?German researchers have managed to find a way to "listen" to fat cells, and it turns out those fat cells are not playing nice with the rest of the body. The researchers (through an impossibly complicated series of steps that only a pack of Germans could bear to complete) were able to identify 20 new substances secreted by fat and released into the blood stream (which acts as a kind of internal communications network for the body.) These chemical messages sent by fat cells in the form of hormones and other substances can alter fat and sugar metabolism and effect other regulatory processes including appetite, immune responses and vascular maintenance.

 This new research bulds on earlier studies establishing mid-section fat (the spare tire) as an inflammatory organ, releasing inflammatory molecules that can trigger unhealthy immune responses, and have been associated with heart disease and cancer among numerous other disease processes. The authors of this latest study, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, point out that these previously unidentified messages sent by fat cells alter a person's blood chemistry, and are very likely related to the elevated rate of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer in obese people. Now weight loss can be seen as a way to turn down the volume on fats' unhealthy message.

Read the study.

Colon Cancer: Low-Dose Aspirin For Prevention

New research found taking low-dose aspirin reduced the risk of colorectal cancer. In the Scottish study--published in the prestigious American peer-reviewed journal, Gut--5,186 people (half of whom had colon cancer) answered questions about their lifestyle habits. Participants who reported taking low-dose aspirin (75 milligrams) for a year or more were 22% less likely to have colorectal cancer. The reduction was even more clinically significant for those who reported taking low-dose aspirin for more than 5 years: They were 30% less likely to have colorectal cancer.

Prior research has shown taking higher doses of aspirin reduces the risk of colon cancer. But this study is among the first to show that lower doses -- which have less risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding -- may also be effective, Eric Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology for the American Cancer Society explained to Medline Plus, the consumer website for the National Library of Medicine. In the study, a weaker colon-cancer-prevention effect was also noted for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as Advil, Aleve and Motrin. However, NSAIDS carry a higher risk of causing stomach ulcers than aspirin.

Dr. Merrell's Take: "People at high risk for colon cancer (for example, if both parents have had it) should talk to their doctor about taking low-dose aspirin."

Uterine Cancer: Promising New Therapy Uses IUD to Avoid Surgery

The IUD--a contraceptive device that sits on the cervix as a sort of bouncer for the uterus to keep sperm from meeting up with wonton ovaries--has been adapted by a Spanish oncologist to treat a form of cancer of the uterus, avoiding the need for a hysterectomy. The innovative concept has met with early success: After a full year on the new therapy, eight of the 14 women with endometrial cancer (EC) and all but one of the 20 with atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH)--a precursor of EC--were cancer-free. Of these 27 women, nine have gone on to bear children.

Lucas Minig, now at the Madrid Sanchinarro University Hospital in Spain, used a hormone-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) to treat women with endometrial cancer and its precursor. The IUD releases a synthetic form of progesterone, thought to cause cell death at high doses. "By acting directly on the tumour, it avoids painful side effects," Minig told New Scientist. The women also received monthly injections of GnRH, a hormone which halts the production of estrogen, thought to stimulate tumour growth.

Is Your Antacid Wrecking Your Bones?

For many people regularly taking antacids, there may be consequences.A new study in the prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine shows popular antacids Prilosic and Nexium increase the chance of fracturing a bone by a whopping 25%. The drugs, known as proton-pump inhibitors, interfere with the uptake of calcium into bones, and were also found to increase the likelihood of contracting a severe bowel infection called Clostridium difficile (or C-diff) that's hard to treat even with powerful antibiotics. See the Los Angeles Times for a smart summary of the research.

Dr Merrell's Tip: To reduce the risk of developing a bowel infection as a result of using antacids, drink a mixture of one drop oregano oil in a cup of water daily. Oregano has anti-bacterial qualities that can help kill bacteria in the stomach.