Reported September 9, 2003
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Health benefits of drinking tea may be more than skin-deep. Researchers from the University of Minnesota in Austin have developed a new cream, made of tea, they say could fight skin cancer.
Tea contains polyphenols, which researchers say appear to block skin tumors. Polyphenols are found in both black and green teas and, unlike sunblock, work after the skin is exposed to sunlight. The chemicals are thought to decrease levels of the enzyme JNK-2, which naturally increases after skin is exposed to sunlight. Because JNK-2 levels are decreased, researchers believe the polyphenols help inhibit tumor growth. Studies in mice show green tea polyphenols block the skins response to UV light.
Zigang Dong, M.D., from University of Minnesota in Austins Hormel Institute, says the new cream is an important step in improving skin cancer prevention. He says, Topical application of certain tea polyphenols appears to block a key process that leads to skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. About 1 million new cases are reported each year. Previous studies show drinking tea may prevent the disease, but researchers say a topical cream is probably more effective. Dr. Dong says: Drinking tea may help, but youd have to drink a large amount to accumulate in the skin, perhaps as many as 10 cups a day. Its easier to concentrate it in a cream form.
The skin cream could be used alone or combined with sunscreen to maximize skin protection. Dr. Dong says testing in humans could begin within the next few years.
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SOURCE: The 226th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York City, Sept. 7-11, 2003
Kids and Zoloft.
In the healthcare field there are few hot buttons quite as
hot as the word "kids" beside the brand name of a powerful
antidepressant drug. So when I saw a Reuters News headline
that read "Kids Respond Positively to Zoloft, Study Finds,"
my hot button was pushed.
Luckily, I know better than to trust a headline.
As reported in a recent issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association, researchers from the University of Texas
tested the effects of Zoloft on children with "major
depressive disorder," aged 6 to 17 years. For 10 weeks, 189
subjects received daily doses of Zoloft, and 187 received a
placebo. Results showed that 69 percent of the children in
the Zoloft group responded favorably to the medication.
At first glance this would appear to be a ringing success for
Pfizer, Inc., the company that makes Zoloft and the source of
funding for the study. And you can be sure that future Pfizer
promotional materials will report this study as a success.
But here's the reality check: Among the children who took the
placebo, 59 percent experienced a favorable reaction. Karen
Wagner, the lead author of the study, told Reuters that this
impressive showing from the placebo group could be chalked up
to a combination of psychotherapy and the added attention the
patients received during doctor visits.
I wonder if Pfizer executives got a little depressed when
they heard that explanation from their lead author. Because
what Ms. Wagner inadvertently revealed was this: With a
difference in success rate of only 10 percentage points
between the Zoloft group and the placebo group, it would seem
that what these depressed kids really needed was a little
attention and someone to talk to.
And that small margin between the groups is significant,
because 17 subjects from the Zoloft group dropped out due to
side effects that included vomiting, diarrhea, and anorexia.
There was also an alarming tendency toward weight loss among
kids in the Zoloft group.
Now we'll have to watch and see if Pfizer execs have the
audacity to market Zoloft as an anti-obesity drug for kids.
I wouldn't put it past them.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences I
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