Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

This large study, conducted in Shanghai, China (Cancer Res, 2001;61:7136-7141) looked at 1,321 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and compared them with 1,382 healthy subjects between the ages of 25 and 64. The study found a direct inverse relationship between the amount of folic acid women consumed and the incidence of breast cancer.

Folic acid is a B vitamin found mainly in liver, wheat germ and green leafy vegetables. Researchers found an even more pronounced inverse relationship when considering women who consumed folic acid in addition to other nutrients that work synergistically with this vitamin. These nutrients include the amino acid methionine, and the vitamins B12 and B6.

Tags: Cancer
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A study published in the International Journal of Vitamin Nutrition Research (2001;71(4):217-221) reveals that an increase in the consumption of total carbohydrates to 55%, 65% and 75% of total calories induces a progressive deficiency of vitamin B1. The deficiency is directly proportional to the percentage of total calories derived from carbohydrates. This study does not imply that all carbohydrates should be avoided, only that high-carbohydrate diets trigger this vitamin deficiency. The reason is that thiamin is used up in the body to break down carbohydrates and it is not adequately replenished by any amounts of this vitamin, whether the vitamin occurs naturally or whether it has been added to “enriched” carbohydrate products. This study is particularly interesting for several reasons. First, our diet has been progressively shifting towards higher carbohydrate consumption, and this is especially true in children’s diets. In addition, thiamin deficiency is associated with high anxiety and many of the symptoms of ADHD. Derrick Lonsdale, MD, a proponent of natural treatments for
ADHD, recently published a paper in which he describes successful treatment of many children with ADHD using significant doses of thiamin in addition to dietary management
(Clinical Practice of Alternative Medicine; Volume 2, Number 3, Fall 2001; pages 196-203).

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Diet
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Two new studies published in major medical journals evaluated the effects of essential fatty acids. The first of these studies (Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002;26(2):233-9) looked at forty-one children diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia over a 12-week period. Some of the children received a place bo (olive oil), while others received a mix of essential fatty acids containing EPA, DHA and AA from fish oil, and GLA from evening primrose oil. At the end of the trial period, children treated with essential fatty acids experienced significant improvements while the children taking the olive oil did not improve at all. So are dyslexia and ADHD nothing other than symptoms of fatty acid deficiency? B. Jacqueline Stordy, Ph.D. makes a compelling case for this in her interesting book, The LCP Solution (ISBN 0-345-43872-8). The second study (Am J Psychiatry 2002;159(3):477-9) focused on twenty people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Some of them received a placebo and others fish oil in addition to their antidepressant medication. In the words of the researchers “highly significant benefits of the addition of the omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) compared with placebo were found by week three of treatment”.

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Depression
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