Health in the Press Monday 27th Jan
Daily Mail: New research shows that women who take multivitamin tablets while trying to become pregnant are more at risk of having a miscarriage. The HFMA have reviewed this story and will not be issuing a statement. The story clearly clarifies that the researchers were unable to say why the trend exists and contains important guidance to readers from Professor Lucilla Poston, head of the Division of Women’s Health at King’s College, London, who urged women not to panic.
She said: ‘It is critical that the data are not interpreted as evidence against current recommendations for folate supplementation.
‘The authors rightly recommend that further studies are needed. In the meantime, supplements should be taken in accordance with current clinical guidelines.’
Daily Mail: Purple tomato juice with extra health benefits is on the way to Britain. The tomatoes, which are genetically modified, have been developed by UK scientists but grown in Canada, where restrictions on GM products are looser. The crop has been produced in an Ontario glasshouse and is set to yield 2,000 litres of tomato juice, for use in research which could pave the way for it to be sold in shops.
Daily Mail: Scientists in Sweden found eating lingonberries could prevent weight gain in people with a high-fat diet. The researchers, at Lund University, discovered the berries almost completely prevent weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet.
They discovered the Scandinavian berries – which are sometimes known as cowberries in the UK – also lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
Daily Telegraph: Studies may have shown that they often do more harm than good, but Gwyneth Paltrow remains a strong advocate of vitamins. The 41-year-old actress professes herself to be a particular fan of fish oils and multivitamins. Along with Peter Sarsgaard, Donna Karan and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paltrow prefers to take the advice of the health guru Dr Frank Lipman, who runs the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York. “He has taught me a lot about nutrition and supplementation over the years,” says Paltrow. “For example, I’ve learnt that we are all pretty much lacking in magnesium [which calms the nervous system] because it’s the last nutrient to form in fruit/veggies when they ripen on the vine and we pick them early to travel. In general, we need more help from vitamins because our diets are lacking.” Paltrow, the wife of the Coldplay singer Chris Martin, says that Dr Lipman’s “fab four” vitamins for everyday use are: 1. Multivitamin; 2. Vitamin D3; 3. Fish Oils; and 4. Probiotics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/10596110/Gwyneth-Paltrow-is-still-a-fan-of-vitamin-pills.html
BBC News, Daily Mail: Researchers writing in the Lancet have said that here is little reason to prescribe vitamin D supplements to healthy adults to reduce the risk of diseases or fractures. The HFMA have reviewed this story and will not be issuing a statement on this occasion. This is due to the story being focused on findings that say there is little justification for prescribing vitamin D supplements to ‘prevent disease’ or for already ‘healthy individuals’. In addition, the researchers also reinforced that at-risk groups, including babies, pregnant women and elderly people, are still advised to take supplements.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health/
The Independent: A genetically modified crop boosted with a dietary supplement could be grown for the first time in Britain as early as this year following a request by scientists to conduct a controversial field trial at a heavily-protected research site in Hertfordshire.
Daily Mail: High protein diets such as Dukan increase the risk of kidney disease and painful stones.
© Omegatransfer | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos