Saturated Fats from Dairy Change Gut Bacteria–and May Raise Risk for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The relationship between food and a gastro-intestinal disease might sound simple. But new research is revealing that what we put into our bodies can cause a cascade of complex interactions among various systems—from metabolism to the immune system—that keep us well or make us sick.Milk fats have been identified as a culprit in the rapid and ongoing increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease.

And it appears that a popular component of the classic Western diet—saturated fats—has likely contributed to the increase in colitis cases.

Colitis, swelling of the large intestine that can cause pain and diarrhea, seems to run in families, but not everyone with the genetic risk gets it. So scientists have presumed that an environmental trigger initiates the disease. “Moving from elevated risk to the development of the disease seems to require a second event, which may be encountered because of our changing lifestyle,” according to Eugene Chang, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and co-author of a new study published online June 13 in Nature (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group).

Chang and his colleagues traced how saturated fats, particularly those from dairy, which are also present in many baked goods and processed foods, can change the composition of naturally harmless bacteria communities in the gut. As the balance of species shifts, it can trigger an immune response that results in inflammation and tissue damage.

This research breakthrough points to potential new treatments for IBD.  “The balance between host and microbes can be altered back to a healthy state to prevent or treat these diseases,” lead researcher Eugene Chang told Scientific American. “In essence, the gut microbiome can be ‘reshaped’ in sustainable and predictable ways that restore a healthy relationship between host and microbes, without significantly affecting the lifestyles of individuals who are genetically prone to these diseases.”

So far, researchers don't know how to bring the gut microbiome back into balance, but it's a promising leap forward for a group of diseases that as yet have no cure.

Read more about saturated fats and colitis at scientificamerican.com

Update on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 3:54PM by Kathy

In a related development this week, researchers announced they have produced the first comprehensive genetic map of the microbes that live in or on a healthy human body.

"It's likely this work will lead to new treatments for [the inflammatory bowel disorder] Crohn's disease, new treatments for diabetes and metabolic diseases, new treatments for even other diseases, like eczema," Michael Fischbach, a biologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who wasn't involved in the project told The Wall Street Journal.

Statins Are Linked With Fatigue

from scientificamerican.com

Cholesterol-lowering statins have been credited with preventing countless heart attacks among at-risk adults. More than 20 million U.S. adults now take statins daily, making them some of the top-selling drugs of all time. Recent research, however, has indicated that they might sometimes contribute to cognitive problems, such as confusion and memory loss. And new findings suggest that they might also be to blame for additional fatigue.

The new study followed 1,016 healthy adults, who were randomly assigned to take 20 milligrams of Zocor (simvastatin), 40 milligrams of Pravachol (pravastatin)—both relatively low doses—or a placebo every evening before bed for six months. At the end of the study period, they were asked to rate their energy levels and how they felt after exercising. Those who were taking the statins were more likely to report lower overall energy and more fatigue with exertion than those who had been randomized to the placebo. The findings were reported online June 11 in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Read more about the Archives of Internal Medicine study of statins and fatigue.

Acupuncture Reduces Shortness of Breath for People with COPD

from the Archives of Internal Medicine

In the first placebo-controlled, randomized study of acupuncture as a treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), researchers at Kyoto University in Japan demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture for improvement of shortness of breath with exercise (known as dyspnea on exertion or DOE) as well as increased exercise tolerance in people with COPD. Noted in the journal commentary published with the article, the standardization of acupuncture points used in the study increases the reproducibility of the technique by other practitioners.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a common disease characterized by irreversible limitation of airflow into the lungs) is predicted to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020.  Dyspnea or shortness of breath (also known as hunger for air) is the most fundamental and debilitating symptom of COPD. The severity of dyspnea generally progresses over time in patients with COPD, and dyspnea has been found to be predictive of survival. 

In addition, study participants who received acupuncture had better nutrition at the end of the study than those who did not. Malnutrition is one of the major problems in COPD. In the study, reduced Body Mass Index and protein levels were significantly improved after 12 weeks of acupuncture. 

HIV Drug Prevents Breast Cancer Metastasis in Preclinical Trials

from fiercebiotech.com

The HIV drugs known as CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggest in a preclinical study published in a recent issue of Cancer Research

Such drugs target the HIV receptor CCR5, which the virus uses to enter and infect host cells, and has historically only been associated with expression in inflammatory cells in the immune system. Researchers have now shown, however, that CCR5 is also expressed in breast cancer cells, and regulates the spread to other tissue.

What's more, blocking the receptor with the CCR5 antagonists Maraviroc and Vicriviroc, two drugs that slow down the spread of the HIV virus by targeting the CCR5 co-receptor of the chemokine CCL5, also prevents migration and spread of basal breast cancer cells, the researchers found.

"These results are dramatic," said Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Director of Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, and study senior author. "Our team showed that the CCR5/CCL5 axis plays a key role in invasiveness, and that a CCR5 antagonist can slow down the invasion of basal breast cancer cells."

"This suggests it may prove to be a viable adjuvant therapy to reduce the risk of metastasis in the basal breast cancer subtype," he added.

Basal tumors, which do not express the androgen or estrogen receptors or HER-2, are typically associated with metastasis and often do not respond to hormonal therapies. Current treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, but all demonstrate poor outcomes, thus highlighting the urgent need for a specific targeted therapy for the subtype.

Read more on the HIV drug that may prevent breast cancer metastasis.

Fewer Stillbirths Among Pregnant Women Vaccinated Against Flu

From NIH.gov

Pregnant women who received a flu shot to protect them against the H1N1 swine flu virus had a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and of having a baby small for gestational age, according to a new study.

The researchers examined data from nearly 56,000 single-child births that took place in Ontario, Canada, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

Compared to pregnant women who were not immunized, those who received the H1N1 vaccination were 34 percent less likely to have a stillbirth, 28 percent less likely to deliver before 32 weeks, and 19 percent less likely to have a baby that was small for gestational age.

There was no increase in adverse outcomes for H1N1-vaccinated mothers and their babies during the weeks before and just after birth, according to the researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the CHEO Research Institute, and the University of Ottawa.

The study is published in the June issue of the American Journal of Health.

"These are all significant results, but especially interesting is the finding that the vaccinated mothers were one-third less likely to have a stillborn child," lead author Deshayne Fell, said in a hospital news release. "This is one of the only studies large enough to evaluate the association between maternal flu vaccination and stillbirth -- a very rare event."