[new cancer weapon]
New research published in Cancer Cell targets the energy source of cancer cells, potentially making it a powerful weapon to battle most cancers. Thomas Burris, Ph.D., chairman of pharmacology and physiology at Saint Louis University, has found a way to target cancer metabolism so cancer cells cannot grow and divide. Burris and his colleagues created a class of compounds that affect a receptor that regulates fat synthesis, so cells can’t produce their own fat. This cuts off cancer cells’ energy supply. The new compound is called SR9243, and it started as an anti-cholesterol drug candidate. “It works in a wide range of cancers, both in culture and in human tumors developing in animal models,” Burris says. The drug also has a good safety profile, being effective without causing weight loss, liver toxicity or inflammation. “It worked very well on lung, prostate and colorectal cancers, and it worked to a lesser degree in ovarian and pancreatic cancers,” Burris notes. Additionally, it appears that when SR9243 is used with chemotherapy drugs, it increases their effectiveness, as well.
[migraines and stroke in women]
Women who suffer migraines are at increased risk for stroke. More women annually have a stroke than men, and SLU neurologist Dr. Eli Feen suggests that women actively monitor their stroke risk. “Some studies suggest that migraines with visual auras put a person at a higher stroke risk,” he says, noting that more women than men suffer from migraines. “We don’t know specifically how frequently these have to occur to really create a significant risk for stroke.” Feen also cites other factors that increase a woman’s risk of stroke later in life, including: eclampsia or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, certain oral contraceptive pills, hormone replacement therapy and inflammatory diseases like lupus. “Any woman who is concerned about her risk of stroke should take the first, most important step of initiating a conversation with her primary healthcare provider,” Feen says. “I cannot overstate the importance of this!”
[reducing diabetes risk]
A SLU study of sedentary, overweight, middle-aged men and women found that exercise and calorie restriction each provide distinct benefits in managing risk for Type 2 diabetes. Edward Weiss, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics, published findings in Diabetes Care that indicate that the combination of both, however, provides twice the benefits of either alone. “On the surface, it may seem obvious, and yet there are a lot of people who believe that if they maintain a healthy weight, it doesn’t matter what they eat,” Weiss says. “And others have an appropriate food intake but don’t exercise.” Researchers recorded the participants’ insulin sensitivity levels, a marker for diabetes risk that measures how effectively the body is able to use insulin. Both exercise and calorie restriction had positive effects on insulin sensitivity, but the group that did both saw two times the improvement.
[salt & athletes]
Electrolyte drinks are OK, but researchers at SLU have nixed the use of salt or sodium/electrolyte supplements during training and competitions. Meant to replace the sodium lost due to sweat, excessive amounts of salt can be harmful rather than helpful, says Edward Weiss, Ph.D., assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at SLU. “I recommend that athletes use caution with sodium supplementation, especially when daily intakes already exceed the upper safe limit of 2300 mg/day for most Americans,” he says. Athletes have long hypothesized that added salt would lead to more sweat, which would keep them cool and enhance performance, based on the principle of thermoregulation (the body’s process to maintain core temperature). Weiss and fellow researchers found that sodium supplementation did not impact thermoregulation. “While moderate sodium consumption is perfectly reasonable and should be encouraged, high sodium intake is associated with health concerns like hypertension,” Weiss says.