Top ten clinical research studies with natural products in 2004

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Top ten clinical research studies with natural products in 2004

 

Introduction

 

Science reflects the desire for humans to understand the manner in which nature

functions. In medicine, through science there is emerging a greater appreciation

for the role that vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and other natural

compounds in promoting health and healing. While 2004 produced many noteworthy

clinical studies with natural products, the following reflect the most

significant.

 

The Top Ten Studies in 2004

 

Echinacea does work if you use an effective product

U.S. Government study acknowledges health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 index emerges as the most significant marker for heart disease

Black cohosh extract exerts anticancer effects against breast cancer cell

Combination of Glucosamine and MSM superior to either alone in treating

osteoarthritis

Antioxidant supplementation reduces risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Long-term study shows CLA effective as weight loss aid

Even brief exposure to statin drugs lower CoQ10 levels

Lutein improves vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration

Ginkgo biloba extract continues to show benefits in elderly subjects

 

Echinacea does work if you use an effective product

 

There were four double-blind studies in 2004 that evaluated echinacea

preparations in the treatment of the common cold. In three of these studies, the

echinacea products used were shown to be no more effective than a placebo.

However, one study demonstrated quite clearly that echinacea can be of

significant value in reducing the severity and duration of a cold. The

difference in results from these clinical studies with echinacea is most likely

due to lack of or insufficient quantity of active compounds in the negative

studies.

 

The single most important aspect in getting results from an echinacea product is

to make sure that it is guaranteed to provide sufficient levels of all three

classes of all three key categories of active compounds in their proper ratio.

For example, in the study demonstrating positive results the commercially

available echinacea product used contained standardized levels of alkamides,

cichoric acid, and polysaccharides prepared from freshly harvested Echinacea

purpurea plants showed just how impressive results can be when a high quality

product is used. In the double-blind study, the echinacea preparation or a

placebo was given to 282 subjects aged 18-65 years with a history of two or more

colds in the previous year. Subjects were instructed to start the echinacea or

placebo at the onset of the first symptom related to a cold, consuming 10 doses

the first day and four doses per day on subsequent days for 7 days. The total

daily symptom scores were found to be 23·1% lower in the

echinacea group than in placebo. The researcher concluded that early

intervention with this standardized echinacea product results in reduced symptom

severity in subjects with upper respiratory tract infection. Some people cleared

their cold symptoms up to three times faster than the placebo group.

 

Reference: Goel V, Lovlin R, Barton R, et al. Efficacy of a standardized

echinacea preparation (Echinilin) for the treatment of the common cold: a

randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2004

Feb;29(1):75-83

 

U.S. Government study acknowledges health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

 

According to a detailed evaluation of the scientific evidence, the United States

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that the long chain omega-3

fatty acids, either from fish consumption or supplementation, significantly

reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The review also found other

evidence indicating that fish oil supplementation can help lower high blood

pressure slightly, reduce risk of coronary artery re-blockage after angioplasty,

increase exercise capability among patients with clogged arteries, and reduce

the risk of irregular heart beats—particularly in individuals with a recent

heart attack.

 

Reference: Wang C, Chung M, Lichtenstein A, Balk E, Kupelnick B, DeVine D,

Lawrence A, Lau J. Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular disease.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Pub. No. 04-E009-2, March 2004.

 

Omega-3 index emerges as the most significant marker for heart disease

 

When researchers measure the level of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and

DHA within red blood cells they found that they had discovered one of the most

significant predictor of heart disease. This laboratory value was termed the

Omega-3 Index. An Omega-3 Index of =8% was associated with the greatest

protection, whereas an index of =4% was associated with the least. The Omega-3

Index was shown to be the most significant predictor of coronary artery disease

compared to C-reactive protein; total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol; and

homocysteine. Researchers subsequently determined that a total of a combined

1,000 mg of EPA and DHA daily is required to achieve or surpass the =8% Omega-3

Index target.

 

Reference: Harris WS, Von Schacky C. The Omega-3 Index: a new risk factor for

death from coronary heart disease? Prev Med. 2004 Jul;39(1):212-20.

 

Black cohosh extract exerts anticancer effects against breast cancer cells

 

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is without question the most popular natural

approach to menopausal symptoms. Its popularity has been increasing in part

because of all of the negative press on Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Specifically, last year the National Institutes of Health (NIH) halted a major

clinical trial designed to help settle the debate over whether HRT benefits

postmenopausal women because the results clearly concluded that the risks of

taking combined estrogen and progestin outweighed the benefits and considerably

increased the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and breast cancer.

 

The mechanism of action for black cohosh is thought to be via action on control

centers in the brain and vascular system rather than through any estrogenic

effect. According to detailed review of clinical and pre-clinical data black

cohosh appears to be safe even in women at risk for breast cancer as well as

breast cancer survivors. This position was bolstered even further in 2004 as a

study in human breast cancer cell lines showed black cohosh extract exerts no

proliferative activity on these cells, but actually promotes both estrogen

receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells to commit

cellular suicide (apoptosis).

 

Reference: Hostanska K, Nisslein T, Freudenstein J, Reichling J, Saller R.

Cimicifuga racemosa extract inhibits proliferation of estrogen receptor-positive

and negative human breast carcinoma cell lines by induction of apoptosis. Breast

Cancer Res Treat. 2004 Mar;84(2):151-60.

 

Combination of glucosamine and MSM superior to either alone in treating

osteoarthritis

 

In a double-blind clinical trial, 118 patients with mild to moderate

osteoarthritis were treated three times daily with either 500 milligrams of

glucosamine, 500 milligrams of MSM, a combination of both, or an inactive

placebo. After 12 weeks of treatment, the average pain score had fallen from

1.74 to 0.65 in the glucosamine-only group; 1.53 to 0.74 in the MSM-only group,

and 1.7 to 0.36 in the combination group. The researchers also found that the

combination treatment had a faster effect on pain and inflammation compared to

glucosamine alone.

 

Reference: Usha PR, Naudu MUR. Randomised, double-blind, parallel,

placebo-controlled study of oral glucosamine, methylsulfonylmethane and their

combination in osteoarthritis. Clin Drug Invest 2004;24:353-63.

 

Antioxidant supplementation reduces risk for Alzheimer’s disease

 

Combined use of both vitamin C and vitamin E was associated with a dramatic 78%

reduced prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a population based study. This

finding is not unexpected as the damage to the brain in Alzheimer’s disease is

believed to be the result of significant oxidative damage. The finding that

there was no protection associated with use of either vitamin E or C alone is

not surprising and once again highlights the importance of using a combination

of antioxidant nutrients versus any single antioxidant.

 

Reference: Zandi PP, Anthony JC, Khachaturian AS, et al. Reduced risk of

Alzheimer disease in users of antioxidant vitamin supplements. Arch Neurol

2004;61:82–8.

 

Long-term study shows CLA effective as weight loss aid

 

Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) at a dosage of 4.5 grams per

day was shown in a 12-month double-blind study to help overweight adults

decrease body fat mass and increase lean body mass by as much as 9 percent. This

2004 study, is the first to clearly establish the efficacy of CLA

supplementation in over an extended time period without changes in exercise or

diet.

 

Reference: Gaullier JM, Halse J, Hoye K, Kristiansen K, et al. Conjugated

linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy

overweight humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;79(6):1118-25.

 

Even brief exposure to statin drugs lower CoQ10 levels

 

The fact that cholesterol-lowering drugs in the statin family like Lipitor and

Pravachol reduce coenzyme Q10 levels is well-established. In 2004, a study

better quantified this effect. Dosages of the drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) could

cut CoQ10 levels in the blood to well below normal levels. Researchers also

concluded that inhibition of CoQ10 synthesis by these drugs could explain the

most commonly reported adverse effects, especially fatigue and muscle pain.

 

Reference: Rundek T, Naini A, Sacco R, Coates K, DiMauro S. Atorvastatin

decreases the coenzyme Q10 level in the blood of patients at risk for

cardiovascular disease and stroke. Arch Neurol. 2004 Jun;61(6):889-92.

 

Lutein improves vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration

 

Lutein is the yellow-orange carotene that has been shown to offer significant

protection against macular degeneration – the leading cause of vision loss in

the elderly in the United States and Canada. In 2004, a double-blind study

indicated that 10 mg per day of lutein could actually significantly improve

visual function in people with existing macular degeneration.

 

Reference: Richer S, Stiles W, Statkute L, et al. Double-masked,

placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation

in the intervention of atrophic age-related macular degeneration: the Veterans

LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial).

Optometry. 2004 Apr;75(4):216-30.

 

Ginkgo biloba extract continues to show benefits in elderly subjects.

 

Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) continues to show impressive clinical usefulness in

elderly subjects. In the most significant study with GBE, a dosage of only 120

mg per day was shown to produce a clear demonstrable effect in improving mood

and tasks of everyday living in elderly subjects.

 

Reference: Trick L, Boyle J, Hindmarch I. The effects of Ginkgo biloba extract

(LI 1370) supplementation and discontinuation on activities of daily living and

mood in free living older volunteers. Phytother Res. 2004 Jul;18(7):531-7.

 

**************

 

Michael T. Murray, N.D., is a graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle,

Washington, and the author of over 20 books including his latest How to Prevent

and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine. Dr. Murray is Director of Product

Development for Natural Factors Nutritional Products.

 

 

 

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