Guest guest Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch HSI e-Alert - Special K Tue, 01 Mar 2005 06:59:00 -0500 HSI e-Alert - Special K Health Sciences Institute e-Alert **************************************************** March 01, 2005 **************************************************** Dear Reader, Last month I told you about natural treatments and nutritional support for hepatitis C in the e-Alert " Show of Support " (2/8/05). Hepatitis C is a common blood-borne infection that often develops into cirrhosis (a debilitating liver disease) and can transform into primary liver cancer. But according to a Japanese study, an increased intake of one vitamin may significantly lower the risk of liver cancer in patients with cirrhosis. And as we'll see, this vitamin is also important for anyone with a family history of osteoporosis or arteriosclerosis. ----------- Liver rescue ----------- When researchers in the Graduate School of Medicine of Japan's Osaka City University began their study of vitamin K use among women with cirrhosis of the liver, their goal was to evaluate potential advantages in using vitamin K to prevent bone loss. But the final analysis of data reaped an unexpected benefit, as reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The Osaka team recruited a group of 40 women with viral cirrhosis. Most of the subjects also had hepatitis C. The average age for the group was about 60. For two years, 21 subjects took a daily 45 mg dose of vitamin K2. The other 19 women took a placebo. Of the women in the K2 group, only two developed liver cancer, while nine of the women in the placebo group developed cancer. Larger studies will be needed to confirm any liver cancer preventive benefits of vitamin K2, but because of the length of the study, the researchers feel confident that K2 supplements may reduce the risk of liver cancer by as much as 20 percent in patients with viral cirrhosis. The study also found that vitamin K2 supplementation helped prevent bone loss in women with cirrhosis of the liver. ----------- K for bones ----------- " Do we really need to take a vitamin K supplement? " Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., posed that question in his Nutrition & Healing newsletter, and provided this answer: " If there's a family history of osteoporosis, definitely. There's also enough preliminary evidence to say that if there's a family history of arteriosclerosis ('hardening of the arteries'), you probably should. " When I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., about vitamin K, he told me that K intake also provides another kind of protection: " An old study from the late '40s showed that vitamin K was clearly helpful against tooth decay. But the biggest news more recently has been concerning vitamin K as a strong bone-builder. It seems to not only help with poorly healing fractures, but at the same time helps prevent excess calcium from getting deposited in arterial walls. " The plant-based source of vitamin K (K1, or phylloquinone) seems to have no toxic effects in most any reasonable dose. But the synthetic form (K3, or menadione) has caused some liver toxicity and, rarely, a form of anemia when taken in high doses. There's also K2 (or menaquinones), but K1 and K2 are fine. As usual, it seems best to avoid synthetic forms, if possible. If the individual is on coumadin (blood thinner), he needs to talk with his doctor, as vitamin K can interfere with its effect. " Dr. Wright agrees that vitamins K1 and K2 are " very safe, " and recommends 5 to 15 mg per day. Note that the K2 dosage in the Osaka study was quite higher than that. Nevertheless, the supplement was well tolerated by the Osaka subjects. ----------- In the garden ----------- As for dietary sources of vitamin K, Dr. Spreen tells me that dark, leafy green vegetables, such as kale and carrot tops, are the best for vitamin K1. " The highest amounts of it are in chestnut leaves and fish meal. Spinach leaves, cabbage leaves and cauliflower are also right up there. " In addition to those sources, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, endive, and lettuce are also abundant in vitamin K1, as are olive oil and avocados. Vitamin K1 is converted into K2 in the intestine, but we get some amount of K2 in meat, liver and egg yolk, and fermented products such as yogurt and cheese. And these sources reveal the basic difference between K1 and K2; K1 comes from plant sources, and K2 from animal sources. **************************************************** ....and another thing Sometimes you need someone in your corner. In an Internet Broadcasting Systems (IBS) article titled " Over- Medication Sickens Seniors, " geriatrician Dr. Mary Cohan discusses several problems that I've addressed in previous e- Alerts. For instance, many elderly patients require the care of specialists and end up visiting more than one doctor on a regular basis. When several doctors prescribe different medications, the chances for adverse drug interactions increase, along with the risk of side effects. And here's the disturbing result of that trend: A recent survey revealed that older patients suffering from side effects or adverse interactions account for 20 percent of all emergency room visits. A friend of mine named Jan experienced this very situation with her father who had multiple health problems. In deep frustration, Jan and her family wondered why all of the specialists couldn't get on the same page. It slowly dawned on her that the doctors had no motivation to do so; to each of them her father was just one of many patients who required attention for a few brief minutes at a time. Finally, she and some family members organized and insisted on a joint conference between four different specialists. It was quite difficult to match up their schedules, so the family had to be persistent in scheduling and rescheduling. When the meeting finally took place, two of the doctors realized that some of their prescribed drug therapies needed immediate adjustment. Obviously, her father couldn't have handled this situation on his own. Which brings us to this simple health care tip: Get an advocate. Many patients - especially those who are elderly or who have multiple health problems - need someone to step forward and coordinate their health care. That advocate doesn't need to be a health care professional, they just need to be diligent in asking hard questions, following up on the answers, and making sure that all of the doctors involved are aware of the entire scope of diagnoses, tests, prescriptions, dietary recommendations, etc. Never assume that a hospital or a nursing staff or a doctor's office will do any coordinating of the big picture. Patients with complicated health challenges need an advocate to help do that for them. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute **************************************************** Sources: " Role of Vitamin K2 in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Women with Viral Cirrhosis of the Liver " Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 292, No. 3, 7/21/04, jama.ama-assn.org " Vitamin K Might Prevent Liver Cancer " Serena Gordon, HealthDayNews, 7/20/04, healthfinder.gov " Vitamin K Found to Protect Against Liver Cancer " NutraIngredients.com, 7/21/04, nutraingredients.com " Vitamin K: What's it good for? " Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Nutrition & Healing, Vol. 7, No. 7, July 2000, wrightnewsletter.com " Over-Medication Sickens Seniors " Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc., 8/16/04, thewbalchannel.com **************************************************** Copyright ©1997-2005 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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