At the end of the study, researchers found that greater calcium intake was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. This association was strongest for calcium from supplements and nondairy food sources, with a 27% decrease in cancer risk for participants taking supplements than for nonusers of supplements. The results for dietary calcium were less clear. Although milk and dairy products include calcium and other anticarcinogenic compounds such as vitamin D and conjugated linoleic acid, dairy foods also contain components that may trigger cancer development, such as saturated fat or insulin-like growth factor.

Calcium reduces the risk of colon cancer in two ways. "Calcium can reduce risk of colorectal tumors by binding bile and fatty acids in the bowel, thus reducing exposure of colonic epithelium to these potentially carcinogenic compounds, or by acting directly on colonic epithelium, influencing cellular differentiation, apoptosis, and associated proliferative activity, probably mediated by the calcium-sensing receptor," the study authors write.

This research was part of larger well known program known as the Nurses Health Study which has provided an abundance of data on dietary health to date. This prospective research was conducted based on knowledge of the effect of folate on endothelial cell function. Previous studies showing that folate supplementation can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Two large cohorts of women were previously established, one of 93803 women aged 25-42, the other of 62260 women aged 30-55. These women completed comprehensive dietary questionnaires every 4 years and from that information, folate intake was rather accurately calculated. As well, if a diagnosis of hypertension had been made over the previous 2 years, it was also indicated in the biennial medical questionnaire. In many cases, medical record review was used to confirm the diagnosis. The data for this experiment was analyzed over an 8 year period beginning in 1991.

The results showed that in the younger cohort, folate intake was indeed associated with a lower risk of hypertension. Consumption of 1000ug/d or more of total folate (dietary and supplementation) had a 46% and 40% reduction in the risk of incident hypertension after adjusting for multiple confounders versus women who only consumed less than 200ug/d and 400ug/d respectively. The results were similar, but not as great, in the older cohort of women. Further analysis revealed that the supplemental folate was responsible for the significant reduction in risk of hypertension, while dietary folate alone had no statistically relevant effect.

The authors conclude that "Higher total folate intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of incident hypertension even after controlling for a large number of covariates including dietary intake, physical activity, BMI, and family history." Interestingly, the results showed a greater association in the younger cohort of women. The authors explain the effect of supplemental folate may be due either to bioavailability or being able to attain higher levels of folate. This is the first prospective study to report an association between folate intake and the risk of incident hypertension.

The significant outcome of the 2005 research study can possibly impact public health recommendations. The conclusion the researchers made was that higher intakes of folate decrease the risk of hypertension, especially in young women.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004, vol 79, issue 6), found that a daily intake of CLA supplements reduced body fat by an average of 9 percent and increased lean body mass by an average of 4 percent. Scientists at the Scandinavian Clinical Research in Kjeller, Norway, administered a CLA mixture containing 80% trans-10, cis-12 and cis-9, trans-11 isomers, administered either in the triacylglycerol or FFA form, or a placebo (olive oil) to 3 groups of randomly assigned subjects. The researchers measured body fat mass changes by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There were no specific lifestyle restrictions.

After 12 months, researchers found that CLA supplementation significantly lowered body fat mass in comparison with the placebo group and tended to increase the lean body mass. This effect of CLA on body fat mass and lean body mass was independent of diet or exercise. In addition, body fat loss appeared to be greatest in people with the highest body mass index (BMI) and body fat mass, especially in women, who generally have a greater fat to body weight ratio than men.

According to the study authors, "high compliance and a low dropout rate indicate good tolerance of CLA supplementation." They found that the CLA side effects, mostly described as mild gastrointestinal reactions, were no greater than those taking the olive oil placebo.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of English and non-English articles using MEDLINE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (1960-2005), and EMBASE (1991-2005), as well as searching reference lists and abstracts presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research from 1995 to 2004. A meta-analysis of only randomized controlled trials was performed using only trials with oral Vitamin D supplementation and a minimum follow-up of 1 year and more than a total of 1 fracture in each trial. The mean age of the subjects had to be above 60 years and the primary or secondary outcome of the trials was required to be hip or nonvertebral fractures.

In the primary analysis, 7 randomized controlled trials of subjects with a mean age of 79 years were reviewed. Two dosage levels of Vitamin D were separated to provide more homogeneous data. When the dosage level was between 700-800 IU per day of vitamin D, the risk of hip fracture was reduced by 26% compared to calcium or placebo. A dosage level of 400 IU daily had no effect on reducing hip fracture. For any nonvertebral fracture, the meta-analysis revealed a 23% reduction in fracture using a dose of 700-800 IU per day of vitamin D compared to calcium or placebo. Again, the lower dose of 400 IU daily had no significant effect on incidence of nonvertebral fractures.

The authors of the study concluded that "oral vitamin D supplementation in the range of 700 to 800 IU/d should reduce the risk of hip or any nonvertebral fracture by approximately 25%." They also state that "Vitamin D appears to have a beneficial effect on muscle strength and balance mediated through highly specific receptors in muscle tissue" and affects bone loss, potentially explaining the effectiveness of Vitamin D in fracture prevention.

Researchers found that after one month of treatment, the Celebrex participants showed more reduction in pain that the SAMe group. However, after two months of treatment, there was no significant difference between both groups. "SAMe has a slower onset of action but is as effective as celecoxib in the management of symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Longer studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of SAMe and the optimal dose to be used," the study authors conclude.