A relatively low dietary intake of vitamins A and C boosts the risk of asthma, suggested a systematic analysis of the available evidence published ahead of print in the journal Thorax. These findings clash with a large review of the evidence, which was published last year.

Observational studies in recent years have pointed to a link between dietary antioxidant vitamins—A, C and E—and asthma. But the results of clinical trials have proved inconclusive, claim the authors from The University of Nottingham.

In a bid to try and clear up the confusion, they conducted a comprehensive search of major databases of peer-reviewed research, abstracts of conference proceedings on asthma and wheeze, and bibliographies from 1980 to the end of 2007.

They found 40 relevant studies, which had looked at the association between vitamin intake and asthma and wheezing, out of more than 2,600. The pooled results showed that dietary intake of vitamin A was significantly lower among those with asthma than in those who had not been diagnosed with the disease.

The average intake of 182 micrograms each day was equivalent to between a quarter and a third of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A. And vitamin A intake was also significantly lower in those with severe disease than in those with mild asthma, equivalent to around half of the recommended daily amount.

Low circulating levels of vitamin C in the bloodstream and lower dietary intake of foods containing vitamin C were also associated with a 12 percent heightened risk of asthma. Vitamin E intake was not associated with a diagnosis of asthma, but blood levels were significantly lower among those with severe disease compared with those whose symptoms were mild.

This translates into an intake that is 2mg/day or 20 percent lower than the recommended daily amount for vitamin E.

The findings for an association between dietary antioxidants and wheeze were less consistent. The authors pointed out that their research does not conclusively prove cause and effect, but they suggested that the large review published last year, which found no association between antioxidants and asthma risk, was limited in its scope.

The authors wrote in Thorax: “This meta analysis searched only for studies in adults published in English language journals and listed in only one electronic database ... and the analyses were based on a combined outcome of asthma or wheeze.”

They concluded: “Overall, our findings from [the current] systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that low levels of vitamin C intake, and to a lesser extent vitamin A, are consistently associated with asthma risk to a degree that, if causal, would be sufficient to be clinically relevant.”

Eating just one and a half servings of tart cherries could significantly boost antioxidant activity in the body, according to new University of Michigan research reported at the 2009 Experimental Biology meeting in New Orleans. In the study, healthy adults who ate a cup and a half of frozen cherries had increased levels of antioxidants, specifically five different anthocyanins—the natural antioxidants that give cherries their red color.
 
Twelve healthy adults, aged 18-25 years, were randomly assigned to eat either one and a half cups or three cups of frozen tart cherries. Researchers analyzed participants’ blood and urine at regular intervals after they ate the cherries and found increased antioxidant activity for up to 12 hours after eating cherries.
 
“This study documents for the first time that the antioxidants in tart cherries do make it into the human bloodstream and is coupled with increased antioxidant activity that could have a positive impact,” said Sara L. Warber, MD, co-director of University of Michigan Integrative Medicine and principal investigator of the study. “And, while more research is needed, what’s really great is that a reasonable amount of cherries could potentially deliver benefits, like reducing risk factors for heart disease and inflammation.”
 
Previous animal studies have linked cherries and cherry compounds to important benefits, including helping to lower risk factors for heart disease and impacting inflammation. Dr. Warber's colleagues at the University of Michigan have previously shown in animals that cherry-enriched diets can lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce triglycerides, an unhealthy type of blood fat. Other benefits of cherries found in animal studies include a 14 percent lower body weight and less “belly fat,” the type linked with increased heart disease risk and type 2 diabetes.

According to its website at http://dietarysupplementdatabase.usda.nih.gov, the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL), Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, working with the Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH, and other federal agencies, has developed a Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID) to estimate levels of ingredients in dietary supplement products.

This first data release of the DSID (DSID-1) provides access to information on analyzed levels of nutrients in adult multivitamin/minerals (MVMs) used in the US. These estimates were derived from analytical data generated for a representative set of adult MVM products collected from various US locations, it said.

At this time, the DSID is intended primarily for research applications. For each of 18 nutrients, product data were grouped by nutrient levels rather than by product names. Statistical regression analyses were used to estimate mean percent differences from label and variability at specific nutrient levels for each of the eight vitamins and 10 minerals analyzed. These data are appropriate for conducting population studies of nutrient intake, rather than for assessing individual products.

The main features of DSID include data files, a research summary and an adult MVM calculator. Regression equations are available for researchers with expertise to calculate multi-nutrient estimates of adult MVM supplement composition. A user-friendly calculator, which uses the regression equations, is also available as a research tool for those who want to obtain estimates of specific nutrient levels listed on the Supplement Facts labels of a limited number of adult MVMs. These estimates can be saved to build a small database for later use.

Visit the database at http://dietarysupplementdatabase.usda.nih.gov.

BI Nutraceuticals (Long Beach, CA) has reduced the size of its finished goods shipping box, which will result in saving nearly three quarters of a million pounds of wood per year. By shaving one inch off the height of the box, BI can now stack its shipping pallets two boxes high and still fit in a standard 48-inch rack position. This reduces the need for one wooden pallet for every 450kgs of finished goods shipped, an annual reduction of 15,000 pallets or three quarters of a million pounds of wood per year.

“This packaging overhaul is not about going green for the sake of going green, but rather putting in place processes that reflect BI’s corporate philosophy to utilize environmentally-friendly business practices that help protect and preserve our natural resources and provide continued benefits to our customers,” noted George Pontiakos, president and CEO of BI Nutraceuticals. “This initiative saves trees, reduces fuel costs required during shipping and helps our customers more effectively store our ingredients, since a pallet can now hold twice as much BI product.”

BI currently uses an environmentally friendly, high-heat, low-moisture steam sterilization process, Protexx HP®, to sterilize all of its raw materials. Protexx HP is certified organic and leaves no potentially hazardous bi-products. BI will continue to evaluate its current processes and procedures to determine additional ways in which the company can reduce its overall environmental footprint.

For more information, call (310) 669-2100 visit www.binutraceuticals.com.

The USDA will begin its first in-depth survey of organic farming this spring in the form of an eight-page questionnaire on the methods by which crops and livestock are produced, how they are grown and where they are sold.

Questionnaires will be mailed in early May with responses due by mail or internet by June 17, said the Agriculture Department. A report is expected in early 2010. According to Reuters, the 2007 Census of Agriculture counted 20,437 farms with land in organic production and sales of $1.7 billion.

The survey will include farms in transition to organic, noncertified farms and certified organic farms. Producers will be asked which crops and livestock they grow, how many acres are devoted to each and sales figures for them. There also are questions on cost of fertilizer, fuel, seeds, labor, feed, property taxes and other production costs.

Also, they will be asked about farming practices to control pests and weeds, if they limit tillage and if they use animal or “green” manures, and questions about marketing to determine if they use a roadside stand, sell on the internet, contract with grocers or supply goods to a processor.

“This is an opportunity for organic producers to share their voices and help ensure the continued growth and sustainability of organic farming in the United States,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.

OASIS, a trade association sponsoring an organic standard for the US beauty and personal care market, will publish a final draft standard for comments. After a four-week period open for comments, input and discussion, members will vote. To facilitate this effort, OASIS has launched an online web forum for discussion to review and finalize its Organic Health and Beauty standard.

Interested parties may download the Draft OASIS 100 Standard at www.oasisseal.org and may submit comments through the OASIS website or by visiting http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/oasisforum and clicking the link to “Join This Group” in the upper right hand corner. This is a moderated forum.

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