Research & Development In Brief
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Soft gel sterols may reduce cholesterol; cranberry may help prevent UTIs; intermittent iron as effective as daily supplementation in pregnant women; echinacea may ease anxiety.
Soft gel sterols may reduce cholesterol
Daily supplementation with esterified plant sterols/stanols via soft gels significantly lowers low-density lipoprotein levels and provides a delivery alternative to fortified foods, according to a recent study in the journal Nutrition. Researchers from Biofortis Clinical Research in Addison, Ill., and [Pharmavite LLC] found 1.8 grams of plant sterols/stanols in gel caps consumed daily for six weeks lowered the LDL-C levels of participants with hypercholesterolemia 9.2%. The same amount of non-esterified sitostanol-containing phytosterols administered through margarine and chocolate decreased LDL-C by up to 15.5% in previous studies, the authors note. “Although effective, phytosterol-containing foods may be difficult for individuals to incorporate into a cholesterol-lowering diet without altering the macronutrient intake and/or distribution.”
“A plant sterol/stanol soft gel capsule supplement may be a more convenient option that might increase long term use compared with the types of dietary changes needed to incorporate phytosterol-containing foods,” they add. Plant sterols/stanols decrease cholesterol absorption by competing with cholesterol for incorporation into micelles in the intestines and by triggering increased cholesterol excretion and decreased hepatic cholesterol content, they say.
Cranberry may help prevent UTIs
Cranberry-containing products may protect against urinary tract infections in certain populations by blocking the bacteria from attaching to uroepithelial cells, according to a meta-analysis of 13 trials with a total of 1,616 subjects. Researchers led by Chih-Hung Wang, a medical doctor at the National Taiwan University Hospital, also hypothesized subjects who drank cranberry juice, the most effective type of cranberry product in preventing UTIs, may be able to fend off infections in part because they were better hydrated than those taking cranberry capsules or tablets, which were less effective. Another hypothesis is cranberry in juice might have a synergistic effect with unknown substances in the juice that do not occur in the other forms, according to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The downsides of juice compared to other cranberry products is that the high sugar content raises concerns about diabetes and may cause severe gastrointestinal upset, according to the study. However, these do not appear to outweigh the benefits of the juice, which reduced the relative risk ratio of infection to 0.47.
People using cranberry-containing products more than twice daily also had a lower relative risk ratio of 0.58 compared to non-users, according to the study. The researchers note in vitro data suggest cranberry’s ability to block the bacteria from adhering lasts about eight hours after ingestion, which suggests dosing more than twice daily “may be a reasonable choice.”
Intermittent iron as effective as daily
Intermittent supplementation with iron and folic acid by pregnant women reduces the risk of anemia just as effectively as daily supplementation, and reduces side effects, according to a review of 18 trials in the Cochrane Collaboration. Between women who took iron daily and those who took it one to three times a week on nonconsecutive days, there is no clear difference in the rates of anemia at term and low birth weight and premature birth due to anemia, found researchers led by Juan Pablo Pena-Rosas with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, they found women receiving daily supplementation were more likely to develop high levels of hemoglobin concentration in mid- and late-pregnancy, which is associated with increased risk of premature birth and low birth weight. They also note another reason intermittent iron administration might be better is that exposing intestinal cells to supplemental iron less frequently may improve the efficiency of absorption since the mucosal cells are not blocked by iron, which can occur with daily supplementation. Also, an iron-rich environment in the gut and intestines creates oxidative stress that increases the severity and frequency of side effects, which can lower compliance rates. However, because the risks posed by anemia during pregnancy are so high, the researchers qualified that intermittent supplementation may be appropriate only for women who are not anemic and have adequate antenatal care.
Echinacea may ease anxiety
Echinacea, popularly used for purported immune-boosting benefits, might reduce mild anxiety without psychotropic side effects, according to a study in the March edition of Phytotherapy Research. Hungarian researchers found subjects with mild anxiety who took two 20-mg tablets of echinacea extract daily for one week were less anxious than when they took half the dose or no echinacea. State anxiety and trait anxiety, as self-reported using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, fell on average 11.7 and 11.3 points respectively after a week of taking 40-mg echinacea daily. The decrease in STAI scores was more accentuated by the end of the treatment period and was maintained for two weeks after treatment, the researchers added. This is even more effective than the average 81.3-mg daily dose of valerian extract, which is touted for its calming effects, the researchers say. None of the 22 women and 11 men who participated in the study suffered adverse effects, which is in line with echinacea’s well-established safety profile, according to the study. The researchers noted that the study was not placebo controlled. However, patients likely had similar expectations for both treatment regimens, and the data from the low dose treatment reflect the placebo effect but the data from the higher dose do not.