IBS AND FOOD SENSITIVITY

A study that contained three parts was performed and published in the Lancet (November 20, 1982:1115-1117) looked at food sensitivity and its role in IBS. In one study, 25 patients with IBS followed a strict elimination diet. For one week their entire diet consisted of one kind of meat and a single fruit. If the IBS symptoms abated, they were to reintroduce one food per day until symptoms occurred. If it seemed that the food created the symptoms, the subjects were challenged with it on three different occasions. Six of the IBS patients were symptom free while on the elimination diet in the first part of the study. They were hospitalized for four days and given only foods that did not cause IBS symptoms, eating the same menu each day. Breakfast was given as a double-blind food challenge.

In the third part of the study, five of the patients were admitted for four days on two different occasions that were four weeks apart. Twice each day the subjects received the food that triggered symptoms disguised and hidden in a soup. Foods that commonly triggered symptoms included wheat, corn, dairy, coffee, tea and citrus. The double-blind and single-blind challenges in the second

and third parts of the study confirmed that the foods triggered symptoms. Plasma glucose, histamine, immune complexes, haematocrit, eosinophil count, or breath hydrogen excretion did not change after challenge or control foods. Rectal prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) did increase, and in a further 5 patients rectal PGE2 correlated with wet faecal weight. Food intolerance associated with prostaglandin production is an important factor in the pathogenesis of IBS.

Research appearing in the Journal

of the American College of Nutrition

(2006; 25(6): 514-22) combined food elimination with probiotics to treat 20 subjects with IBS (according to Rome II criteria). The patients had not responded to standard medical therapies. The elimination diet was based on results from IgE and IgG blood tests for allergies. A stool analysis was also performed. All of the patients had food sensitivities and dysbiotic bacteria according to these tests. In a one-year follow-up, it was found that following a rotation diet was beneficial to these patients.

Source: Biotics Research

VITAMIN K AND ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY

Anticoagulation medication (preventing clots) works by blocking the body’s utilization of vitamin K. Generally, people on the medication are advised to avoid food and supplements that contain vitamin K. Research appearing in Blood (1 November 2004, Vol. 104, No. 9, pp. 2682-2689) looked at the effect vitamin K supplementation had on healthy subjects who were stably taking anticoagulant medication. The subjects were given vitamin K1 supplements, starting with 50 mcg per day for a week and gradually increasing the dosage each week. They found that doses of less than 150 mcg per day had no effect on the drug therapy and that meals containing foods high in vitamin K also had no effect. At doses greater than 150 mcg per day, the “International Normalized Ratio” (INR) would decrease. A reduction in the INR means that the blood is clotting more readily. The authors concluded that eating foods high in vitamin K (like spinach and broccoli) or taking a multiple vitamin that was high in vitamin K, did not interfere with anticoagulant drugs. Other research appearing in Blood (15 March 2007, Vol. 109, No. 6, pp. 2419-2423.) found that patients who were not stable on warfarin treatment (meaning that there was great variation in INR values) tended to be deficient in vitamin K. In the study, patients were given either a placebo or 150 mcg of vitamin K for six months. The group receiving the vitamin K experienced a lower variation in the PNI compared to the placebo group. Of course, those on warfarin therapy should discuss these issues with a doctor and not try to self medicate with supplements.

Source: Biotics Research

AHP Releases Monograph Standards and Therapeutic Compendium for Echinacea pallida Root (Echinacea pallida (Nutt.)

American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® August 19, 2010
and Therapeutic Compendium
Standards of Analysis, Quality Control, and Therapeutics
Tel: 831-461-6318
FAX: 831-475-6219
email: herbal@got.net

The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® (AHP), a California-based non-profit research organization, has released its quality control standards and therapeutic compendium for the botanical dietary supplement Echinacea pallida Root (Echinacea pallida (Nutt.) Nutt.) Each monograph establishes national standards for assuring authenticity, purity, and quality control of the monographed botanical. Accompanying the standards is the AHP Therapeutic Compendium which provides a complete and critical review of the pharmacological and safety data currently available, including information on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, actions, medical indications, historical and modern and traditional use, structure and function claims, dosages, interactions, side effects, contraindications, toxicology, and more.

Echinacea pallida has had a history of a “lost identity”, being either treated as interchangeable with other Echinacea species, or simply ignored in view of the more popular E. purpurea and E. angustifolia. However, discoveries made towards the end of the last century have demonstrated that E. pallida has a unique chemistry profile, and it has even been claimed to have the “highest diversity of constituents” among Echinacea species in general. It follows that the physiologic activity and therapeutic applications of E. pallida may differ from those of other Echinacea species that are more commonly used in trade.

The AHP monograph finally brings clarity to the many uncertainties often associated with the use of E. pallida root. The monograph includes a detailed characteristic of the constituent profile, with an exhaustive focus on ketoalkenynes, the main constituents of interest in the botanical. The analytical methodology developed by AHP is geared towards fast and conclusive differentiation of E. pallida from potential adulterants 2 and other medicinal Echinacea species. The method is based on the unique profile of caffeic acid derivatives typical for E. pallida root.

The Therapeutic Compendium included with the monograph describes the latest on the medicinal applications of the root, as well as historical data. The monograph is released not long after the time when potential bioavailability of ketoalkenynes has been demonstrated. Several in vitro studies have shown a promising activity of these compounds against cancer cells, including reduction of drug resistance. Animal data highlights the possibility of use of E. pallida for decreasing the toxicity of pharmaceutical chemotherapy drugs. These applications echo some of the evidence on the historical use of E. pallida by the Eclectic physicians of the late 19th-early 20th century USA. Together with the more popular and well-known uses, such as for prevention and treatment of respiratory infections, and for control of inflammation, the section provides a comprehensive view of varied, albeit sparsely researched, potential applications of the species. nEchinacea pallida Root concludes the Echinacea series of AHP monographs. Echinacea angustifolia Root was released earlier this year (2010). Also available are Echinacea purpurea Root (2004) and Echinacea purpurea Aerial Parts (2007).

Echinacea pallida Root and the other Echinacea monographs can be ordered http://www.herbalahp. org/order_online.htm Accompanying AHP-Verified Botanical Reference Materials and prices are listed at http://www.herbal-ahp.org/bot_ref.htm

NIH announces five Botanical Research Centers

Studies of the safety, effectiveness, and biological action of botanical products are major focuses for the five dietary supplement research centers selected to be jointly funded by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), two components of the National Institutes of Health. The NIH’s National Cancer Institute is co-supporting two of the five centers.

The competitive awards, approximately $1.5 million each per year for five years, were made to Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La.; University of Illinois at Chicago; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Missouri, Columbia; and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, N.C.

These five interdisciplinary and collaborative dietary supplement centers, known as the Botanical Research Centers (BRC) Program (http://ods.od.nih.gov/Research/BRCProgram), are expected to advance understanding of how botanicals may affect human health. “Eventually, the program may provide data that translates to new ways to reduce disease risk,” explained Paul M. Coates, Ph.D., director of ODS. “Until then, the research from these centers will help the public make informed decisions about botanical dietary supplements.”

“Botanicals are usually complex mixtures of many active constituents,” said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM. “This complexity poses some unique research challenges that these centers are well positioned to address.”

The 2007 National Health Interview Survey shows that about 18 percent of adults reported taking a non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural product, spending about $15 billion on the purchase of these products. These products contain a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet other than vitamins and minerals, such as single herbs or mixtures.

Botanical products, including supplements, are among the most popular and use appears to be on the rise. Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) data show that sales of dietary supplements have steadily increased by about 24 percent from 2003 to 2008. Elderberry supplement sales, for example, grew by almost 50 percent during this time. Furthermore, NBJ forecasts that sales of herbs/botanicals will increase about 19 percent over the next five years. Many of the botanicals proposed for study by the five centers appear on NBJ’s list of Top 100 Dietary Supplements According to U.S. Sales, 2002-2008: Part II. They include plant oils, garlic, soy, elderberry, licorice, black cohosh, St. John’s wort and dong quai. The safety and efficacy of these products has not been adequately studied, despite their widespread use.

In 1999, ODS received funding to develop a botanical research initiative that resulted in the BRC Program. The BRC Program is entering its third five-year cycle. Three of the five centers are renewals; that is, they received funding in the last cycle. The renewed centers are Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, and University of Illinois at Chicago.

Award Highlights

Botanicals and Metabolic Syndrome
Principal Investigator: William Cefalu, M.D.
Institution: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge
Partner Institutions: Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment, Rutgers University, New
Brunswick, N.J.; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

This center was supported from 2005-2010 and in the next five years aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of specific, compelling hypotheses about the molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms by which botanicals, such as Artemisia and St. John’s wort, may reduce the chance of developing conditions that often lead to metabolic syndrome and of developing metabolic syndrome itself. Metabolic syndrome, a grouping of risk factors that may develop into diabetes and heart disease, has always been this center’s focus.

Botanical Dietary Supplements for Women’s Health
Principal Investigator: Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago

This center has been supported for 10 years and has always focused on women’s health. In this new cycle, the center’s mission has evolved to a focus on the safety of botanical dietary supplements, such as black cohosh and licorice, which are widely available. The investigators will study how multi-component mixtures work together; how they are absorbed, distributed and eliminated by the body; how they affect chemical and physical processes within the body; how they interact with drugs; and how they impact women’s own estrogenic hormones.

Botanical Estrogens: Mechanisms, Dose and Target Tissues
Principal Investigator: William Helferich, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Partner Institutions: University of Mississippi, University; Oregon State University, Corvallis;
National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Ark.

This new center will address safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action of botanical estrogens, such as wild yam,
soy and dong quai, currently being consumed by women. The projects will look at biological effects of botanical
estrogens on molecular mechanisms and cellular pathways, and their actions on bone, uterus, breast tissue, breast
cancer metastasis, and cognition.

Center for Botanical Interaction Studies
Principal Investigator: Dennis Lubahn, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Missouri
Partner Institutions: Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis

This new center will look at safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements, such as elderberry and garlic. The center’s main emphasis will be on interactions among five pathways. Signaling pathways describe a group of molecules in a cell that work together to control one or more cell functions. After the first molecule in a pathway receives a signal, it activates another molecule. This process is repeated until the last molecule is activated and the cell function involved is carried out. The function can be normal or abnormal. The primary focus being antioxidant signaling and how it relates to other pathways and mechanisms of action in preventing prostate cancer and deterioration of nerve function, as well as in improving resistance to infectious diseases.

Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention Principal Investigator: Floyd Chilton, III, Ph.D. Institution: Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, N.C. Partner Institutions: University of Colorado Health Sciences, Aurora; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; Bent Creek Institute, Asheville, N.C.; The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

The goal of this renewed center is to delineate the molecular mechanisms by which botanical oils, such as borage oil, may prevent or affect disease (cardiovascular disease, asthma and metabolic syndrome) while focusing on immunity and inflammation. The center will also examine the influence of genetic differences in the metabolism of botanicals to determine the populations where they are most likely to be effective.

The mission of the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, stimulating and supporting research, disseminating research results, and educating the public to foster an enhanced quality of life and health for the U.S. population. For additional information about ODS, visit ods.od.nih.gov.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, train complementary and alternative medicine researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.

The National Cancer Institute leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. More information about cancer, screening, and prevention is available on the NCI Web site at www.cancer.gov or from NCI’s Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.