Multivitamins Might Prolong Life
- NEW -
June 03, 2009 - By preserving protective ends of DNA, aging might be slowed, study suggests. Multivitamins may help women live longer by preventing parts of their DNA from shortening, a new study has found.

About 1 in 9 US kids use alternative medicine
January 21, 2009 - Just like their parents, kids are taking herbal supplements from fish oil to ginseng, a sign of just how mainstream alternative medicine has become. More than one in nine children and teens try those remedies and other nontraditional options, the government said Wednesday in its first national study of young people's use of these mostly unproven treatments.

Localized prostate cancer rarely helped by hormone therapy
July 30, 2008 - Medical castration to treat localized prostate tumors does not prolong survival and its side effects far outweigh any potential benefit for most patients, researchers reported today.

Vitamin Supplementation Found to Benefit Hemodialysis Patients
July 25, 2008 - A retrospective study involving 83 patients undergoing hemodialysis (3 x 4 hr/weekly), treated with erythropoietin (EPO) and who also received supplementation with pyridoxine (20 mg/d), folic acid (10 mg/week), and vitamin C (60 mg/d), found that they have increases in blood hemoglobin (from 100 to 110 g/L), erythrocyte vitamin B6 (from 30.4 to 16.4%), erythrocyte folic acid (from 343.3 to 734.5 ng/mL), and plasma vitamin C (from 63.5 to 88.3 micromol/L).

Green tea's Alzheimer Protection Gets More Support
April 25, 2008 - Green tea catechins may inhibit the loss of reference and working memory linked to plaque formation in the brain, says research from Japan, adding to claims that the beverage may help ward off Alzheimer's. The study focused on the role of the antioxidant potential of green tea and its constituents to counter the oxidative stress induced by a build up of beta-amyloid protein.

Green tea shows superbug-battling potential
April 1, 2008 - Green tea can boost the potential of antibiotics to battle superbugs and other bacterial strains and even make previously antibiotic-resistant bacteria susceptible to treatment, according to "surprised" Egyptian scientists.

Zinc Helps Elderly Ward Off Pneumonia
October 29, 2007 - Maintaining normal zinc concentrations in the blood may help prevent pneumonia in elderly nursing home residents, a new study shows. A team at Tufts University looked at 617 people 65 and older in 33 nursing homes in the Boston area. They found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.

Vitamin C May Benefit Persons with the Metabolic Syndrome
A randomized, double-blind, crossover design study conducted by researchers at Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, determined that Vitamin C infusion is associated with an inverse correlation between the changes in flow-mediated dilation (FMD and oxidative stress in patients with metabolic syndrome. The authors concluded that oxidative stress may play a role in the impairment of arterial dilation in persons with the metabolic syndrome. Treatment with antioxidants that counteract oxidative stress - such as vitamin C - may benefit this population.

Bird flu: Abuse of Tamiflu can create resistant strains, says study
October 3, 2007 - Swedish scientists say that Tamiflu -- the frontline weapon in any bird-flu pandemic -- cannot be broken down by sewage systems and this could help the virus mutate dangerously into a drug-resistant strain.

Mom's Low Cholesterol Tied to Preemie Births
October 1, 2007 - While lower cholesterol is generally considered by conventional medicine a good thing, new research suggests that very low cholesterol levels in pregnant women may harm the health of the fetus. Nutritional deficiencies and genetics may be to blame, researchers suggest.

Drugs That Lower Cholesterol Also Beneficial For Eye Disease
September 20, 2007 - Statin drugs that help lower cholesterol may also be beneficial in preventing glaucoma progression according to the Wiley-Blackwell journal - Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. However, there was no significant effect on the eye disease if the subject had taken statin drugs together with aspirin or just aspirin alone.

Daily allowances for vitamins need to be changed, study says
July 13, 2007 - New recommended daily allowances for micronutrients need to be set if European regulation on the maximum levels of vitamins and minerals is to be successful, a study has said. The work by Dr Jaap Hanekamp and Professor Dr Aalt Bast, published in Environmental Liability, concludes that current recommended daily allowances (RDAs) are an inadequate tool to manage a "healthy lifespan."

Vitamin C may boost folate supplement response
July 11, 2007 - Supplementation with vitamin C may increase the uptake of a folic acid derivative, suggests new research from Belgium. The research indicates that simultaneous supplementation could improve blood folate levels, and could have implications for folic acid fortification, with the signs indicating that it will be introduced in the UK soon.

Update on Research and Publications by Dr. Rath’s Research Institute
Recently, our research team published three important scientific papers.

Dr. Rath's Avian Flu research presented in Paris, France
At the 2nd International Conference on Avian Influenza in Humans in Paris, France, Dr. Rath's research scientists - in collaboration with University of Beirut - presented research findings regarding the effects of specific nutrient combinations on the avian flu virus. This study has shown that nutrients applied in synergy show significant improvement in the signs and symptoms of avian flu virus in chickens within 10-14 days. There was a 64% reduction in the immune response to the viral proteins indicating that the nutrient mixture considerably reduces the infectivity of the virus, with complete absence of toxicity signs, proving the safety of this combination.

Vitamin C -- a Nutritional Approach to Managing Exercise-induced Asthma
April 11, 2007 - A new study from Indiana University has found that large doses of vitamin C can stem the cycle of inflammation that contributes to exercise-induced asthma, a wheezing and tightness of the chest that can occur after rigorous exercise. The study, involving asthma sufferers who have EIA (exercise induced asthma), found that participants who had taken 1,500 mg of ascorbic acid for two weeks showed improved post-exercise lung function and a decreased concentration of biomarkers in their urine related to airway inflammation. This included the infamous leukotrienes, which play a key role in the inflammation that can lead to EIA

Nutrient Combo May Curb Hearing Loss
March 30, 2007 - Taken together, magnesium and vitamins A, C, and E may help protect the ears from noise-induced hearing loss. So say scientists including Colleen Le Prell, PhD, of the University of Michigan's Kresge Hearing Research Institute.

Zinc supplements may cut deaths among low-income kids
Mar 16, 2007 - Daily zinc supplements reduced the risk of death among children aged 12 to 48 months by 18 per cent, says a clinical trial set in Zanzibar.

Study: Vitamin C helps prevent senile cataracts
March 3, 2007 - Eating foods rich in vitamin C helps to prevent the development of senile cataracts, according to the results of a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey. The survey of about 40,000 people aged between 45 and 64 was conducted. Men and women in the group with the highest daily median vitamin C intake of 211 milligrams were found to have a 35 percent lower chance of getting a cataract.

Vitamin D deficiency common in IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) kids
29/11/2006 - Children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and could benefit from supplements to avoid the health problems associated with not getting enough of the vitamin.

Green tea improves blood lipid levels, say scientists
27/11/2006 - Regular consumption of the antioxidant rich green tea could reduce blood lipid levels and cut the risk of developing heart disease, suggests a small trial from Portugal.

Women on the Pill Could Benefit From Q10, Vitamin E
June 7, 2006 - A new study shows that taking supplements, such as coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E, is beneficial for women taking oral contraceptives. Oral contraceptive pills deplete the body of many important nutrients.

Vitamin C could reduce inflammation
March 8, 2006 - A diet rich in sources of vitamin C could cut the level of markers for inflammation by 45 percent, a result that needs verifying by additional studies, says a new study.
A food-frequency questionnaire was used to quantify vitamin C intake from dietary and supplemental sources, and related to blood levels of certain markers linked to inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP) and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA).
“Plasma vitamin C, fruit intake, and dietary vitamin C intake were significantly and inversely associated with mean concentrations of C-reactive protein, an acute phase reactant, and t-PA antigen, a marker of endothelial dysfunction,” wrote lead author Goya Wannamethee from the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. High blood levels of vitamin C were associated with a 45 percent reduced risk of inflammation (with respect to CRP levels), and high fruit intake was related to a 25 per cent reduced risk of inflammation. “Plasma (but not dietary) vitamin C also showed inverse associations with both fibrongen concentrations and blood viscosity,” reported Wannamethee.

Supplements for over 50s may boost diet deficiency
September 18, 2007 - Men and women over the age of 51 who regularly take dietary supplements are more likely to get adequate amounts of several vitamins and minerals than those who do not, a study suggests.

Lutein/zeaxanthin again linked to lower AMD risk
September 11, 2007 - Supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin has once again been associated with a lower risk for age-related macular degeneration, according to a new report.

One Billion People Don't Get Enough Vitamin D
July 19, 2007 - Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem that can lead to a number of serious health conditions, but it can be prevented, says one expert. People get vitamin D from sun exposure, diet and supplements. Yet vitamin D deficiency is all too common.

Green Tea May Offer Protection From Bladder Inflammation
May 20, 2007 - Green tea may help protect against bladder inflammation, a new study says. "Although further studies are needed, the results indicate herbal supplements from green tea could be a treatment option for various bladder conditions that are caused by injury or inflammation," the researchers said.

Green Tea May Help Prevent Autoimmune Diseases
April 25, 2007 - Researchers studied an animal model for type I diabetes and primary Sjogren's Syndrome, which damages the glands that produce tears and saliva. They found significantly less salivary gland damage in a group treated with green tea extract, suggesting a reduction of the Sjogren's symptom commonly referred to as dry mouth. Dry mouth can also be caused by certain drugs, radiation and other diseases.

Selenium supplements could slow age-related cognitive decline
February 2, 2007 - The decline of mental function that naturally occurs with age may be increased by falling selenium levels, suggests new research from France. The epidemiological study, published in the current issue of the journal Epidemiology stresses the importance of this nutrient with antioxidant properties. “Because brain oxidative stress is a cause of cognitive impairment, selenium, which is an antioxidant, may protect against cognitive decline,” said the lead author.

Higher folate levels linked to lower Alzheimer's risk
January 9, 2007 - An increased intake of folate by diet and supplements may halve the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, suggests new research from the US.

Green Tea Could Protect Against Alzheimer’s
March 01, 2006 - Drinking more than two cups of green tea a day could cut the risk of dementia by half, claims a population-based study of elderly Japanese subjects.

Questions raised over vitamin C's cold benefits
July 18, 2007 - A review of 30 studies has concluded that a daily vitamin C supplement does not offer protection from common colds, adding to the ongoing debate about the vitamin efficacy on colds. The review, published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, looked at studies conducted over several decades and included more than 11,000 people who took daily doses of at least 200 milligrams. The reviewers report that the vitamin did little to reduce the length or severity of a cold.

Merck HIV vaccine failure puts cold virus on trial
- NEW -
November 8, 2007 - Merck & Co's failed HIV vaccine may actually increase the risk of infection and the latest data raises questions over whether the cold virus used as a delivery technique was at fault. The old pharma giant released new data from the STEP study, one of two Phase II trials the investigational vaccine, V520, was undergoing, at a meeting of the HIV vaccine trials network (HVTN).

Merck's experimental AIDS vaccine fails
September 21, 2007 - As reported by media, a 'promising experimental AIDS vaccine' failed to work in a large international test, leading the developer to halt the study. Merck & Co. said Friday that it is ending the enrollment and vaccination of volunteers in the study, which was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Multivitamins pills may boost baby's birth weight
April 5, 2007 - Supplementation with multivitamins during pregnancy may boost the birth weight of newborns, and should be considered for all expectant mothers in developing countries, says a major clinical trial.