Chocolate may deepen depression

Chocolate may give you short-term pleasure if you crave it. But it’s not an antidepressant, as many people think (Image: iStockphoto)

Chocoholics can happily eat chocolate for pleasure, but for those who are stressed and clinically depressed, the high is short-lived and chocolate may even deepen the downer, a review shows.

The findings, which will be published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, fly in the face of the myth that chocolate is an antidepressant.

The analysis, which is the most comprehensive literature review on how chocolate affects mood, shows that the motivation behind eating chocolate determines which neurotransmitters are activated, and hence your mood.

The review’s Australian authors, from the Black Dog Institute at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, identified two groups of chocolate eaters based on motivation.

They identified the cravers, who eat chocolate as an indulgent pleasure, and the emotional eaters, who use chocolate in a bid to alleviate depression.

Professor Gordon Parker, executive director of the Black Dog Institute and lead author, says cravers see chocolate like a good glass of wine, and anticipating and eating the treat releases ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters.

“Chocolate craving as an indulgent pleasure seems to stimulate the dopamine system in the brain, and provides an enjoyable experience,” he says.

“But the emotional eaters, people who eat chocolate to relieve boredom, stress or clinical depression, are looking for an opioid effect to improve their mood.”

For them, at best chocolate only provides temporary relief, he says. But this is quickly followed by a return to or a worsening of their earlier negative state.

Consuming sweet foods is thought to release the neurotransmitter beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus, which is said to have an opiate effect on the body.

But why the chocolate high is so transient and insufficient to sustain mood in those who eat it for emotional reasons remains unknown.

Busting the myth

The theory that chocolate acts as an antidepressant comes from the common belief that a serotonin deficiency causes chocolate cravings, but the review found no support for this hypothesis.

“It is true that chocolate acts on the same neurological system as serotonin. But you’d have to eat a truck load of chocolate before you have had the equivalent of one antidepressant tablet,” Parker says.

“Our review rejects any possibility that chocolate desired as a way of relieving stress or when feeling down has any antidepressant benefit.”

Stimulants such as caffeine, theobromine, tyramine and phenylethylamine, are also present in concentrations too low to have any significant psychoactive effect, the review says.

For more information about depression, including fact sheets, support and referrals, see the websites for beyondblue, Australia’s national depression initiative, and depressioNet.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 13th May 2009

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Chocolate beer 3000 years old

People were enjoying chocolate 3000 years ago, but in the form of alcoholic brews or beers drunk at births and weddings (Source: iStockphoto)

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People in Central America were drinking beverages made from cacao before 1000 BC, hundreds of years earlier than once thought, a new study shows.

These early cacao beverages were probably alcoholic brews, or beers, made from the fermented pulp of the cacao fruit.

These beverages were around 500 years earlier than the frothy chocolate-flavored drink made from the seed of the cacao tree that was such an important feature of later Mesoamerican culture.

But in brewing this primitive beer, or chicha, the ancient Mesoamericans may have stumbled on the secret to making chocolate-flavoured drinks, the paper says.

“In the course of beer brewing, you discover that if you ferment the seeds of the plant you get this chocolate taste,” says John Henderson, a professor of anthropology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and lead author of the paper.

“It may be that the roots of the modern chocolate industry can be traced back to this primitive fermented drink.”

The cacao bean played an important role in Mesoamerican civilisation, the native civilisation in parts of Mexico and Central America prior to the Spanish exploration and conquest of the 16th century.

The bean was a form of currency in Aztec society, and the frothed chocolate drink made from fermented beans or seeds was central to social and ritual life throughout Mesoamerica.

In the 16th century, invading Europeans acquired a taste for the beverage and brought it back to Europe, which led to the rise of the modern chocolate industry.

An elite drink

The archaeological evidence recovered by Henderson and colleagues from a site in Puerto Escondido in modern-day Honduras suggests that the beer that probably preceded the chocolate beverage was popular among wealthy people at least as early as 1100 BC.

Chemical analysis of residues found on fragments of pottery vessels recovered from the site tested positive for theobromine, a compound found in cacao trees that were limited to Central America.

The vessels were found in the “fancier, bigger houses” in the village of Puerto Escondido in the Ulua Valley in northern Honduras, says Henderson.

He suggests the elite members of society would have drunk the beverage to mark special occasions such as births and marriages.

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New method of gene therapy is developed

FLANDERS, Belgium (UPI) — Flemish scientists say they have developed an improved and safer technique to deliver genes into the body’s cells during genetic therapy.

Gene therapy is the introduction of genetic material into a patient’s cells resulting in a cure or a therapeutic effect, said researchers at the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology in Belgium. The success of gene therapy ultimately depends on the gene delivery vehicles, or vectors, and most vectors have been derived from viruses that can be tailor-made to deliver therapeutic genes. The drawback is some of the viral vectors can induce side effects, including cancer and inflammation.

Now Marinee Chuah, Thierry VandenDriessche, Eyayu Belay and colleagues at the Catholic University of Leuven say they’ve developed a non-viral approach that overcomes some limitations associated with viral vectors.

The technique is based on non-viral genetic elements called transposons — mobile DNA elements — that the scientists constructed to carry therapeutic genes into the target cell DNA, eliminating the need for viral vectors.

“We show for the first time that it is now possible to efficiently deliver genes into stem cells, particularly those of the immune system, using non-viral gene delivery,” Chuah said.

The researchers, in collaboration with Zsuzsanna Iszvak and Zoltan Ivics and colleagues at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin are now testing the technology to treat specific diseases, including cancer and genetic disorders.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 11th May 2009

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Provenge helps in fighting prostate cancer

SEATTLE (UPI) — U.S. scientists have determined sipuleucel-T, a prostate cancer immunotherapy drug, significantly prolongs survival in men with advanced prostate cancer.

A Phase 3 trial showed sipuleucel-T (Provenge) improved survival in men with metastatic disease. The Seattle-based Dendreon Corp., manufacturer of the drug, said compared with placebo, sipuleucel-T extended median survival by 4.1 months and improved three-year survival by 38 percent.

The researchers said Sipuleucel-T successfully exceeded the pre-specified level of statistical significance defined by the study’s design and reduced the overall risk of death by 22.5 percent, as compared with placebo. More than 500 patients took part in the multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

“The ability to boost survival for patients is the gold standard endpoint in prostate cancer clinical trials,” said AUA spokesman Dr. Ira Sharlip, MD. “The ability to give these patients both increased survival and possibly, improved quality of life, is very important.”

Sipuleucel-T is an investigational therapy for men with androgen-independent prostate cancer. It is an active cellular immunotherapy designed to use live human cells to boost a patient’s immune system to elicit a long-lasting response against cancer.

The trial’s results were presented last week in Chicago during the American Urological Association’s annual scientific meeting.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 11th May 2009

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Re-awakened old genes help fight HIV

ORLANDO, Fla. (UPI) — University of Central Florida scientists say they have developed a vaginal cream containing a re-awakened protein that might prevent the transmission of HIV.

Assistant Professor Alexander Cole, who led the study, said his team revived a dormant gene found in humans and coaxed it to produce retrocyclin, a protein that resists the human immunodeficiency virus. Cole said aminoglycosides — drugs commonly used to fight bacterial infections — were used to trigger the production of the sleeping protein expressed by the retrocyclin gene.

“It could make a huge difference in the fight against HIV,” Cole said. “Much more work would be needed to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of this approach. We would certainly have to have human trials, but these findings represent a promising step in that direction.”

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. The disease, most often transmitted sexually, affects 4.3 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The findings from the three-year investigation appear in the journal PLoS Biology.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 9th May 2009

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FDA: Stop using Hydroxycut products

WASHINGTON (UPI) — U.S. officials are warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products because they have been linked to a number of liver injuries.

“The Food and Drug Administration urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk,” Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement. “Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other healthcare professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products.”

The dietary supplements, produced by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y., are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market, the FDA said.

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice, elevated liver enzymes — an indicator of potential liver injury. One patient needed a liver transplant and one person died.

Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle, the FDA said in a statement.

Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low-carb diet aids and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 9th May 2009

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Single gene defect can lead to stroke

HOUSTON (UPI) — U.S.-led scientists say they have, for the first time, identified a single gene defect that can cause aneurysms, coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke.

The international group of researchers, led by Dr. Dianna Milewicz at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, said the discovery of the causal relationship between the mutated gene ACTA2 and artery disease opens the door to a new way of thinking about the vascular system.

“If someone is found to have an alteration or mutation in this gene, we can do screening for vascular diseases, and if diagnosed with disease, they can take medications and undergo surgical approaches to prevent premature death or disability,” said Milewicz. “We need to look at the artery system as a continuous system or organ. We’ve been looking at it the wrong way. If you have this particular genetic mutation, it can present in several different diseases affecting different arteries.”

The study is detailed in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 9th May 2009

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Glaxo’s cervical cancer vaccine

faces US battle

New studies show the vaccine Cervarix blocks the virus that causes cervical cancer, but if it wins approval for U.S. sales, it will face an uphill battle against Gardasil, which has owned the market  for three years.

Cervarix, Glaxo’s vaccine against human papilloma virus or HPV, already is approved in more than 90 other countries, but has been held up by delays in the United States. Several years ago, the British drugmaker was in a neck-and-neck race with rival Merck & Co., Gardasil’s maker, to be first on the U.S. market, but it lost when Gardasil got approved in June 2006.

Late in 2007, U.S. regulators said they wouldn’t approve Cervarix without additional data. from n extensive  study still in progress at the time.

Final results from that 18,000-women study and two others are being presented this weekend at a conference in Sweden on papillomavirus. The data was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration on March 30, and FDA is expected to decide whether to approve Cervarix within several months.

If it does, analyst Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan‘s Ross School of Business, said doctors who have prescribed Gardasil for a few years may see no reason to switch – unless GlaxoSmithKline convinces them its product is much more effective or has fewer side effects.

Both vaccines target the two types of HPV that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, types 16 and 18, and data indicate both are about 98 percent effective. But Merck also has data showing Gardasil blocks two other HPV types that cause most cases of genital warts that Cervarix does not target.

That will be a key factor for doctors, experts said.

“All else being equal, it’s a no-brainer for the doctor, (who) wants to give the most efficacious treatment,” Gordon said.

Despite Merck owning the U.S. market, Gardasil racked up only $262 million in global sales in the most recent quarter, versus $320 million for Cervarix, which has won more contracts from government health programs in other countries.

Partial results of the new Cervarix studies released to The Associated Press indicate it also offers good protection against 12 other HPV types.

One of the studies, which looked at looked at levels of antibodies to some HPV types after study participants were vaccinated with Cervarix or Gardasil, found higher antibody levels induced by Cervarix. But Dr. Gary Dubin, head of one of Glaxo’s clinical development centers, said that doesn’t prove Cervarix is more effective.

New data will be presented at the same conference on Gardasil, indicating it blocks HPV 16 for at least 9 1/2 years, according to Merck. Glaxo has followed women for up to 7 1/2 years and continues to test some to see if they develop cervical lesions or cancer.

Dr. Cynthia Rand, a researcher, pediatrician and associate professor at the University of Rochester Medical School, said Cervarix appears to be effective. But she said the higher antibody levels triggered by Cervarix, compared with Gardasil, might be meaningless. She said doctors don’t know if they will have to give booster shots years from now for either vaccine.

“It won’t change my practice” of giving Gardasil and likely won’t do so for other doctors, said Rand, whose university has patent claims and receives some royalties related to both vaccines. “Pediatricians prefer in general to also protect against genital warts.“

Associated Press

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 9th May 2009

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Study: Social separation stops flu spread

PERTH, Australia (UPI) — An Australian study shows flu interventions must be imposed quickly and must be maintained for a relatively long period if they are to be effective.

University of Western Australia Professor George Milne and colleagues said staying at home, closing schools and isolating infected people within the home should reduce infection, but only if they are used in combination, and activated without delay.

The researchers simulated the effect of social-distancing on the spread of a flu virus within a small town, using a software program engineered by university research fellow Joel Kelso.

“Our results suggest a critical role of combined social-distancing measures in the potential control of a future pandemic,” said Milne. “Non-pharmaceutical social-distancing interventions are capable of preventing less-infectious influenza epidemics and of significantly reducing the rate of development and overall burden of the worst epidemics.”

The research investigated the effects, alone and in combination, of workplace non-attendance, school closure, isolating infected family members inside the home and reducing contact within the wider community.

“While such draconian measures seem unlikely to be mandated given their impact on personal freedom, they appear to have a key role to play in delaying the development of a ‘worst case’ influenza epidemic,” Milne said.

The study appears in the journal BMC Public Health.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 9th MAY 2009

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Potential depression drug target is found

IOWA CITY, Iowa (UPI) — U.S. scientists say they have identified an acid-sensitive brain protein that might become a new drug target for the treatment of depression.

Investigators at the University of Iowa, led by researcher Matthew Coryell and Dr. John Wemmie, said they determined disrupting acid-sensitive ion channel-1a produces antidepressant-like effects in mice. They said that finding might one day benefit people who don’t respond to traditional antidepressants or who can’t tolerate their side effects.

Although animal models can’t reproduce all the symptoms of human depression, the researchers said several behavioral tests show rodents are sensitive to antidepressant treatment, suggesting they address important aspects of the disease.

For example, chronically stressed mice lose their normal preference for sugary drinks and mice repeatedly placed in a pool tend to give up and float rather than swim i hope of escaping. Those mouse behaviors, the researchers said, are thought to reflect hopelessness or despair and loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

Traditional antidepressants are able to restore in mice the preference for sweet treats and reduce the amount of time they float rather than swim.

The researchers said they determined the new treatment works through a different biological pathway than traditional antidepressants, suggesting it may benefit people who do not respond to traditional therapies.

The research appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Sourced and plished by Henry Sapiecha 9th May 2009

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