Hormone Level Linked To Various Diseases

(American Health Newswire) - What do diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and death all have in common? Researchers say it's plasma levels of proneutrotensin, a precursor of the hormone neurotensin.

Neurotensin is an amino acid peptide primarily expressed in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. It regulates both satiety and breast cancer growth in the experimental setting, but little is known about its role in the development of breast cancer or cardiometabolic disease in humans.

Olle Melander, M.D., Ph.D., of Lund University, Malmo, Sweden and colleagues conducted a study to test if a fasting plasma concentration of proneurotensin is associated with future risk of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and death. Proneurotensin was measured in plasma from 4,632 fasting participants of the population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer Study baseline examination 1991-1994. Various models were used to evaluate the relationship between baseline proneurotensin and first events and death during long-term follow-up until January 2009, with median (midpoint) follow-up ranging from 13.2 to 15.7 years depending on the disease.

Proneurotensin was related to risk of new diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular mortality, with a significant interaction between proneurotensin and sex on risk of cardiovascular disease. The authors were quoted as saying, "Exclusively in women, proneurotensin was related to incident diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, total mortality, and cardiovascular mortality. As an observational study, our results do not prove any causation between proneurotensin and cardiometabolic disease and breast cancer."

The researchers note that the elevation of proneurotensin several years before the onset of a disease indicates that proneurotensin may be a marker of underlying disease susceptibility rather than an expression of subclinical disease. The authors admit that the relationships between proneurotensin and all end points were significant in women but not in men. Further research needs to be conducted to find out whether the association between proneurotensin and adverse outcomes are specific to women.

Source: JAMA , October 2012

 How Tomatoes Can Protect You from Stroke

(American Health Newswire) -  Although the health benefits of vegetables and fruits are ingrained in us since childhood, it turns out that certain ones may be even better for our health than we know. In fact, according to a new study eating tomatoes may actually lower a person's risk of stroke.

The study was done in Finland where researchers tested the blood of 1,031 men for lycopene, an important antioxidant found in high amounts in tomatoes. The researchers then followed the men for the following 12 years, during which 67 of the participants experienced a stroke.

Out of the 67 men who had a stroke during the 12 years, 25 of them were amongst the 258 participants with the lowest lycopene levels while only 11 men amongst the 259 participants with the highest lycopene levels experienced a stroke.

These results showed that the participants with the highest lycopene levels were 59 percent less likely to have a stroke than those participants with the lowest lycopene levels. Furthermore, the results were even stronger when just looking at strokes due to blood clots.

"The results support the recommendation that people get more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which would likely lead to a major reduction in the number of strokes worldwide," study author Jouni Karppi, Ph.D., from University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio was quoted as saying.

Although the study also looked at the blood levels of other antioxidants to see if they had an effect on a person's risk of stroke, lycopene was the only one they found to be linked to a lowered risk of stroke.

So start putting tomatoes is whatever you can because it may just help you live a longer and healthier life.

(Source: Neurology, October, 2012) 

Senior Achievement Program Detail 2012