October 11, 2011
Stevia is eventually going to be approved in Italy
Used for centuries in South America and some Asian countries,
Stevia is a plant that attracts considerable attention from the food industry for its use as sweetener especially after that Coca cola co. and Pepsi co. started to use one of its extract as ingredient of their soft drinks.
The genus Stevia is composed of 240 shrubs and herbs of the Asteraceae family.
The most famous specie is Stevia rebaudiana, well known for its sweet leaves with a licorice-lke after taste.
Extracts of the Stevia rebaudiana with a 95% purity of rebaudioside A (Reb A) were given the FDA thumbs up in the US in late 2008.
In Europe the EU declined approval for dried stevia in 2000, however, saying more research was needed.
In January 2011, EFSA revised their consumer exposure estimates.
Stevia is a plant that attracts considerable attention from the food industry for its use as sweetener especially after that Coca cola co. and Pepsi co. started to use one of its extract as ingredient of their soft drinks.
The genus Stevia is composed of 240 shrubs and herbs of the Asteraceae family.
The most famous specie is Stevia rebaudiana, well known for its sweet leaves with a licorice-lke after taste.
Extracts of the Stevia rebaudiana with a 95% purity of rebaudioside A (Reb A) were given the FDA thumbs up in the US in late 2008.
In Europe the EU declined approval for dried stevia in 2000, however, saying more research was needed.
In January 2011, EFSA revised their consumer exposure estimates.
For high consumers, the estimates are up to four times the EFSA established Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 4 mg per kg body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day).
The revised exposure estimates for high consumers are: children from 1.7 to 16.3 mg/kg bw/day; adults from 5.6 to 6.8 mg/kg bw/day.
Wim Debeuckelaere of the Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG Sanco) stated in June 2011 that stevia is on schedule for approval by the EC before the end of 2011 at the latest.
Meanwhile, France approved 97% rebaudioside sweeteners, under a clause that allows pre-emption of EU approval for a two year period.
Industrial suppliers of stevia sweeteners are moving in to take advantage of these opportunities starting from Jan 2012.
But in Italy, the extracts and dried portions of the plant cannot currently be used as food ingredient yet and they are sold in strange ways, like "bath salts".
Stevia leaves and exstracts counts no calories and consequently they have a low glycaemic index (which means it does not cause the same spike in blood sugar levels as sucrose and other refined carbohydrates).
So Stevia and its extracts can be considered elective sweeteners for diabetic patients.
30 years of free use in Japan seems to confirm the safety profile.
So Stevia and its extracts can be considered elective sweeteners for diabetic patients.
30 years of free use in Japan seems to confirm the safety profile.
Some positive effects on blood pressure and glicemic control are currently scientifically investigated.
I personally tested both the dried leaves and the rebaudioside extracts and I was astonished by the sweetener power. Beeing hundreds of time more sweet than sugar you need only very low quantities to change the taste of drinks and foods.
I personally don't like the persistence af sweet taste after (sometimes) minutes of use but the problem can be solved using lower quantities.
Licorice-like after tast can be avoided using different extracts but some people like it.
October 10, 2011
Gastrointestinal Health and OTC sales in Italy
Looking at the OTC sales in Italy (Q1-2 2011) we can see that gastrointestinal health accounts for about 50%.
We can find a low dosed probiotic at 3° and 4° position, for about 4.9 million boxes and rectal glycerin formulations for constipation at position 9° and 10° for more than 3 million boxes.
Italians seems not much interested in quality looking at this data.
Infact they prefer to use a rectal formulation for the acute constipation instead of a prebiotic with adaptogen effects.
They ignore Ministero della Salute guidelines on the use of probiotics that recommend to use only live organisms and a dose of at least 10billion a day for the adults.
As usual, first 2 positions are strongly held by diclofenac and paracetamol brands that may have well known side effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
We find first antiacid at position 17° with 1 million boxes sold. Antiacids are generally safe but patients should not ignore possible interactions with frequently prescribed drugs like antibiotics tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones or bisphosfonates.
A recent study published on "Drug" described "Clinically significant drug interactions with antacids: an update"
The authors explain that antiacids-drug interactions are more frequent now that antiacids are sold without prescription and suggestions from health care professionals.
Antiacid-drug interactions can be more important if the antiacid is coupled with a proton pump inhibitor and the mechanisms can be a gastric pH-dependent by H2RAs and a cation-mediated chelation by antacids.
We can find a low dosed probiotic at 3° and 4° position, for about 4.9 million boxes and rectal glycerin formulations for constipation at position 9° and 10° for more than 3 million boxes.
Italians seems not much interested in quality looking at this data.
Infact they prefer to use a rectal formulation for the acute constipation instead of a prebiotic with adaptogen effects.
They ignore Ministero della Salute guidelines on the use of probiotics that recommend to use only live organisms and a dose of at least 10billion a day for the adults.
As usual, first 2 positions are strongly held by diclofenac and paracetamol brands that may have well known side effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
We find first antiacid at position 17° with 1 million boxes sold. Antiacids are generally safe but patients should not ignore possible interactions with frequently prescribed drugs like antibiotics tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones or bisphosfonates.
A recent study published on "Drug" described "Clinically significant drug interactions with antacids: an update"
The authors explain that antiacids-drug interactions are more frequent now that antiacids are sold without prescription and suggestions from health care professionals.
Antiacid-drug interactions can be more important if the antiacid is coupled with a proton pump inhibitor and the mechanisms can be a gastric pH-dependent by H2RAs and a cation-mediated chelation by antacids.
Adiposity in children and its correlation with BP
The effect of adiposity on blood pressure in children is minimal until the body mass index reaches the 85th percentile, at which point it intensifies, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in Hypertension.
Wanzhu Tu, Ph.D. followed 1,111 children for 4.5 years. Blood tests and BP were measured.
"There is a marked intensification of the influence of adiposity on BP when children reach the categories of overweight and obese. Among the possible pathways, leptin may be a potentially important mediator acting through the sympathetic nervous system (reflected in heart rate)," the authors write.
BMI was used in this study to meaure adiposity but a new index can give furter information about the real fat percentage.
This new index is called Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and it is calculated using Hip circumference and Height.
Try to calculate your BAI and compare it with your BMI.
Here you can calculate your BMI
Are the 2 indexes telling you the same story?
Wanzhu Tu, Ph.D. followed 1,111 children for 4.5 years. Blood tests and BP were measured.
"There is a marked intensification of the influence of adiposity on BP when children reach the categories of overweight and obese. Among the possible pathways, leptin may be a potentially important mediator acting through the sympathetic nervous system (reflected in heart rate)," the authors write.
BMI was used in this study to meaure adiposity but a new index can give furter information about the real fat percentage.
This new index is called Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and it is calculated using Hip circumference and Height.
Try to calculate your BAI and compare it with your BMI.
Here you can calculate your BMI
Are the 2 indexes telling you the same story?
Iron deficiency in obese people linked to inflammation
It is difficult to think at obesity as a condition linked to nutritional carencies because we normally think that it is caused by excess of nutrients.
Obesity is not caused by excess of nutrients
It is caused by excess of empty calories and bad fats.
The paradox is that you can also witness nutritional carencies like hypoferremia (iron deficiency) in obese people.
A clinical trial with 172 healthy non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m2), and 234 obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) has been conducted to understand mechanisms involved in the hypoferremia of obesity. Results are published here.
Researchers found in obese patients:
- inadequate bioavailable iron relative to body weight
- diminished intestinal absorption
- decreased iron bioavailability induced by inflammatory adipokines
This study confiirms that obesity is a condition where inflammatory pathways are over-activated and nutritional carencies can be present despite the excess of food intake.
Falsely normal ferritin concentrations are commonly found and are likely increased by chronic inflammation. So this marker if measured alone can be misleading in obese people.
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Obesity is not caused by excess of nutrients
It is caused by excess of empty calories and bad fats.
The paradox is that you can also witness nutritional carencies like hypoferremia (iron deficiency) in obese people.
A clinical trial with 172 healthy non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m2), and 234 obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) has been conducted to understand mechanisms involved in the hypoferremia of obesity. Results are published here.
Researchers found in obese patients:
- inadequate bioavailable iron relative to body weight
- diminished intestinal absorption
- decreased iron bioavailability induced by inflammatory adipokines
This study confiirms that obesity is a condition where inflammatory pathways are over-activated and nutritional carencies can be present despite the excess of food intake.
Falsely normal ferritin concentrations are commonly found and are likely increased by chronic inflammation. So this marker if measured alone can be misleading in obese people.
October 08, 2011
Probiotics and Longevity: New Theory
Very interesting theory tries to link probiotics use and longevity.
The article is published on the current issue of Medical Hypotheses
(Volume 77, Issue 4 , Pages 469-472, October 2011).
Authors think that Probiotics-induced increase of large intestinal luminal polyamine concentration may promote longevity
We read from the abstract that: "Many mechanisms contribute to senescence, such as telomere shortening in replicative cells, cumulative damage to DNA leading to genomic instability, and oxidative damage to molecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS). These include chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammageing), a major risk factor for ageing and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and type II diabetes"
The article is published on the current issue of Medical Hypotheses
(Volume 77, Issue 4 , Pages 469-472, October 2011).
Authors think that Probiotics-induced increase of large intestinal luminal polyamine concentration may promote longevity
We read from the abstract that: "Many mechanisms contribute to senescence, such as telomere shortening in replicative cells, cumulative damage to DNA leading to genomic instability, and oxidative damage to molecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS). These include chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammageing), a major risk factor for ageing and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and type II diabetes"
The authors discuss in this article the rationale and recent evidence for probiotic-induced upregulation of intestinal luminal polyamine (PA) production in the extension of lifespan by preventing inflammageing.
US Trends on Health and Nutrition from HHS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released findings from its Final Review for Healthy People 2010 on October 6, 2011.
Download the Healthy People 2010 Final Review
In this interesting report we can find interesting statistical data regarding health of U.S. population, what's happened in the last 10 years and how much health target have been achieved or not.
Of course these data can not be extended to European population but can be used as indicators of trends in western populations.
I recommend the section regarding nutrition where we can find (for example) data on
calcium intake and iron deficiency in population.
For example we see that iron deficiency is about 9% in general population up to 36% in low income pregnant women.
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Download the Healthy People 2010 Final Review
In this interesting report we can find interesting statistical data regarding health of U.S. population, what's happened in the last 10 years and how much health target have been achieved or not.Of course these data can not be extended to European population but can be used as indicators of trends in western populations.
I recommend the section regarding nutrition where we can find (for example) data on
calcium intake and iron deficiency in population.
For example we see that iron deficiency is about 9% in general population up to 36% in low income pregnant women.
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