Vitamin B News and Research

Latest Vitamin B News and Research

People with high RBC folate levels more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes

People with higher levels of folate in their red blood cells were more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes shut down by methylation, a chemical off switch for genes, researchers report in the December issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

22 Dec 2010

New era for anticoagulant therapy

In a Guest Editorial published in the new publication Clinical Investigation, Dr Jeffrey Weitz and Dr John Eikelboom of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada highlight the importance of the approval in October by the FDA of dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa®; Boehringer Ingelheim). This new oral thrombin inhibitor provides an alternative to warfarin for long-term stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

22 Dec 2010

Maternal prenatal supplements boost child's intellectual and motor function

In an area where iron deficiency is prevalent, children of mothers in rural Nepal who received prenatal iron, folic acid and vitamin A supplementation performed better on measures of intellectual and motor functioning compared to offspring of mothers who received vitamin A alone, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2010

Prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increases intellectual, motor function in children

In developing countries where iron deficiency is prevalent, prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increased offspring intellectual and motor functioning during school age, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

22 Dec 2010

Exercise and Vitamin D supplementation most effective in reducing fall among seniors

A systematic review of over 50 clinical trials finds that exercise and Vitamin D supplements are the best ways to reduce the risk of falling in people aged 65 and over. The review is published in the December 21 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine and was commissioned by the US Preventive Services Task Force.

22 Dec 2010

Study on why whole orange is better than components

In time for Christmas, BYU nutritionists are squeezing all the healthy compounds out of oranges to find just the right mixture responsible for their age-old health benefits.

21 Dec 2010

Exciting progress made in MS research during 2010

Exciting advances were made in 2010 in virtually every field of MS research. Progress toward finding new therapies for MS is illustrated by the availability of the first oral disease-modifying therapy for MS. Progress was also made toward finding ways to restore function and improving quality of life and specific MS symptoms through exercise, meditation, rehabilitation and medications, including the first therapy specifically approved to treat a symptom of MS (Ampyra).

20 Dec 2010

Bayer's SAFYRAL oral contraceptive receives FDA approval

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new oral contraceptive (OC), SAFYRAL™ (drospirenone 3 mg/ ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg/ levomefolate calcium 451 mcg tablets and levomefolate calcium 451 mcg tablets). In women who choose an OC for birth control, SAFYRAL raises folate levels for the purpose of reducing the risk of rare neural tube defects (NTDs) in a pregnancy conceived while taking SAFYRAL or shortly after discontinuing it.

17 Dec 2010

Study finds no association between vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels in cardiovascular mortality of older adults

According to New Study Published in The American Journal of Medicine, there is burgeoning public interest in possible wide-ranging health benefits from vitamin D, including cardiovascular health.

16 Dec 2010

Use of vitamin K antagonists is driven by availability of oral formulation

Arlington Medical Resources (AMR), a provider of premier market intelligence for the pharmaceutical and diagnostic imaging industries, finds that, in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, surveyed European cardiologists indicate that use of vitamin K antagonists, as a class, is primarily driven by the availability of an oral formulation, overall low cost and widespread inclusion on European medical society guidelines and hospital formularies.

16 Dec 2010

IOM reconfirms the importance of calcium and vitamin D intake

Recently, the Institute of Medicine examined and reconfirmed the importance of calcium and vitamin D throughout life in a report titled "Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D."

15 Dec 2010

Vented bottles prevent nutrient loss in breast milk and infant formula

A recently published University of Nevada study indicates that both breast milk and infant formula should be protected from the air to reduce the impact of oxidation on essential nutrients, including vitamins A and E. An earlier phase of the study showed similar impacts on Vitamin C.

14 Dec 2010

Vitamin D deficiency flagged as a major concern in South Asia

Bone health experts attending the 1st Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Singapore this week have flagged vitamin D deficiency as a major concern in the region, particularly in South Asia where the problem is especially severe and widespread across the entire population.

14 Dec 2010

BUSM professor wins 2010 Van Slyke Award for seminal contributions to laboratory medicine

Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, a professor at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), is the recipient of the 2010 Van Slyke Award from the American Academy for Clinical Chemistry New York Metro Section.

14 Dec 2010

Majority of brain tumor patients use alternative therapies

Many people with incurable brain tumors use alternative therapies, such as taking vitamins and homeopathy, in addition to their conventional treatments, according to a study published in the December 14, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

13 Dec 2010

$Indian study confirms vitamin D deficiency as risk factor for hip fracture$

Indian study confirms vitamin D deficiency as risk factor for hip fracture

A study from New Delhi India has revealed high rates of vitamin D deficiency among hip fracture patients, confirming the conclusions of similar international studies which point to vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for hip fracture.

13 Dec 2010

Scientists demonstrate triple-drug cocktail for triple negative breast cancer at AACR symposium

A gene target for drug resistance, a triple-drug cocktail for triple negative breast cancer, and patients' risk for carpal tunnel syndrome are among study highlights scheduled to be presented by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists during the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12.

13 Dec 2010

Research programs embody the promise of anti-aging medicine.

Sometimes the value of research lies as much in exposing false remedies as in discovering true breakthroughs. Scientists at the country's first school of gerontology and in laboratories around the University of Southern California do both, mindful of their responsibility to a society focused on healthful aging.

13 Dec 2010

Denosumab delays skeletal-related side effects in patients with breast cancer and bone metastases

For patients with breast cancer and bone metastases, denosumab delayed skeletal-related side effects five months longer compared to those on zoledronic acid, according to results presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12.

13 Dec 2010

Low phosphate diets may increase dialysis patients' risk of premature death

Doctors often ask kidney disease patients on dialysis to limit the amount of phosphate they consume in their diets, but this does not help prolong their lives, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

10 Dec 2010