OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS MAY BE HELPFUL FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS(ASD)

In the study 10 children between the ages of four & seven with ASD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV), were given 1 gram of Omega-3 per day for 12 weeks. Each child received two 500mg capsules that contained 190 mg of EPA & 90 mg of DHA.

The children were evaluated before, during, and after treatment using The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and Children’s Psychiatric Rating Scale (CPRS).

Of the 9 subjects who completed the study, 8 showed improvement of about 33% on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). None of the children experienced any side effects although 1 child deteriorated when he stopped taking the omega-3 after six weeks but improved when he began again.

The study showed the children showed improvement in core symptoms including sociability and speech.

For more on Omega-3 Fatty Acids, see http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081510.htm

Women with Higher Magnesium Levels Reduce Their Risk of Sudden or Arrhythmic Cardiac Death

In 1980 a prospective study (a study that starts in the present and continues forward in time) of 88, 375 women who were free of disease was conducted.Over the 26-year follow-up 505 cases of sudden or arrhythmic death were documented. The relative risk of sudden cardiac death was found to be significantly lower in women in the highest quartile (a value which divides the data into four equal parts), as compared to the lowest quartile of dietary magnesium.


Levels of plasma magnesium, assessed in a nested, case-control analysis including 99 sudden cardiac death cases and 291 subjects matched for age, ethnicity, smoking and presence of Cardiovascular Disease, and who were also inversely associated with sudden cardiac death . Each 0.25-mg/dL (1 SD) increment in plasma magnesium was associated with a 41% reduced risk of sudden cardiac death.

This study was conducted by Chiuve SE, Korngold EC, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, at The Center for Arrhythmia Prevention, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA).

Their conclusion "In this prospective cohort of women, higher plasma concentrations and dietary magnesium intakes were associated with lower risks of SCD. If the observed association is causal, interventions directed at increasing dietary or plasma magnesium might lower the risk of SCD."

For more on magnesium, see http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081501.htm

PILL FREE AND PAIN FREE

In his book “3 Minutes To A Pain-Free Life” Dr. Joseph Weisberg explains how chronic pain is caused by small microtraumas  of your muscles and joints from seemingly harmless everyday actions.


Dr. Weisberg’s method involves six 30-second therapeutic movements that combat chronic pain. By eliminating the root cause, and directly targeting and healing the microtraumatic effects for chronic pain, these 30-second therapeutic movements will prevent their harmful accumulation.

So if you suffer from chronic pain try “3 Minutes To A Pain-Free Life” Dr. Joseph Weisberg & Heidi Shink.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Shown to be Associated With Low Omega-3 Fatty Acid Index and Cardiovascular Risk factors

A case-controlled study of 166 adults, 86 were inpatients with major depressive disorder but without cardiovascular disease and the other 80 were age and sex matched healthy controls with various conventional risk factors of cardiovascular disease. These risks included high triglycerides (152 mg/dL vs 100 mg/dL), fasting glucose (96 mg/dL vs 87 mg/dL) greater waist circumference (97 cm vs 87 cm), and higher BMI (26 vs. 24 kg/m(2))) were found to be more prevalent in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), while the omega-3 index (3.9% vs. 5.1%) and levels of individual omega-3 fatty acids were significantly lower in patients with MDD. Additional information showed that having an omega-3 index less than 4% was found to be associated with higher concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine called IL-6.


This study was conducted by Baghai TC, Varallo-Bedarida G, Born C, Häfner S, Schüle C, Eser D, Rupprecht R, Bondy B, von Schacky C.at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.

Their conclusion: "Our results support the employment of strategies to reduce the cardiovascular risk in still cardiovascularly healthy MDD patients by targeting conventional risk factors and the Omega-3 Index." These r esults suggest that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in order to improve the Omega-3 index, in such a population, may be beneficial.

To Improve Mild Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Try L-Citrulline

Supplementation with L-citrulline in a dose of 1½ grams daily for 1 month was shown to improve ED in a placebo-controlled, single blind study of 24 men with mild ED. Only 2% of the placebo group showed an improved erectile hardness score compared to 50% of the L-citrulline group. The L-citrulline group also showed an increase in the mean number of intercourses per month.


This study was conducted by Cormio L, De Siati M, Lorusso F, Selvaggio O, Mirabella L, Sanguedolce F, Carrieri G at the University of Foggia, Italy

Their conclusion, "Although less effective than phosphodiesterase type-5 enzyme inhibitors, at least in the short term, L-citrulline supplementation has been proved to be safe and psychologically well accepted by patients. Its role as an alternative treatment for mild to moderate ED, particularly in patients with a psychologically fear of phosphodiesterase type-5 enzyme inhibitors, deserves further research."

Creatine Levels are Lower in Vegetarians

Creatine is found mostly in meat, fish and other animal products. This is why creatine levels are known to be lower in vegetarians.


Creatine is an endogenous (made by the body) substance that is present in every human cell. It functions as an energy storehouse. Creatine is required for physical and mental exertion.

Due to it’s key role in the provision of energy, the influence of Creatine on cognitive functioning was examined, contrasting the effect in omnivores and vegetarians.

A random, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted by Benton D & Donohoe R at the Department of Psychology, University of Swansea, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK. involved 128 young adult females.  They were supplemented with creatine (20 g/d) for a period of 5 days. The Creatine supplementation was found to improve memory in the vegetarian subjects, and decrease the variability in the responses to a choice reaction-time task in both vegetarian and omnivorous subjects. These results suggest that vegetarian young women may benefit from supplementation with creatine.

For more information see Micronized Creatine

Marine Sources of the Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA & DHA and Improved Breast Cancer Prognosis

A recent study of 3, 081 women who were diagnosed & treated for early stage breast cancer indicated that dietary supplementation with EPA & DHA may be associated with reducing the risks of additional breast cancer events & all-cause mortality. The study followed up with the women after about 7.3 years and after adjusting for confounders (a factor that can influence a trial or experiment, leading to unexpected outcomes that improperly skew the results.) showed that the women with higher intakes of EPA & DHA from marine sources had a 26% reduced risk of breast cancer events & a 41% reduced risk of all-cause mortality compared to the women with lower intake.

R. E. Patterson, S. W. Flatt, V. Newman, L. Natarajan, C. L. Rock, C. A. Thomson, B. J. Caan, B. A. Parker, and J. P. Pierce, the authors of this study conclude, "The investigation indicates that marine fatty acids from food are associated with reduced risk of additional breast cancer events and all-cause mortality."

See my "Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids" newsletter for more information.