AFP Health Reviews

Miles White, Chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories recently wrote about the importance of drug patents for the future of medicine. He began by talking about a case settled by Abbott and the South American country of Brazil. Brazil felt that the price of Abbotts AIDS medication Kaletra, the most widely used AIDS medication, was too high and patients could not afford it. They were threatening to break Abbotts patent and produce a generic version locally in order to treat more patients. The two sides reached an agreement as Abbott agreed to significantly reduce the price per patient and the government agreed to honor the patent.

White points out that while this situation ended well for both parties involved, this issue should not be forgotten. He writes, we cannot let the agreement end discussion of the ideas involved; it is essential that we consider their implications so as to avoid situations that might not be so fortunately resolved. What hangs in the balance is how the world will continue to develop the medicines it needs.

He also writes about the need for a balance to exist between innovation and access to medicine:

The negotiation raised a well-worn chorus of criticisms of the patent system, but failed to address the underlying question: how would our society continue to progress without it? The problem is that our global needs and global systems are in conflict. This threatens to harm one goal, innovation, in the name of another, access to medicine. Access is the goal the world cares about and one taken seriously by innovator companies (those that conduct research and development of new medicines) that have made significant contributions to this end across the developing world – from building healthcare infrastructure in Africa, to drastic price cuts that have benefited a wide range of countries, including Brazil. But it must be recognized that access is inseparable from innovation: without access, innovation is meaningless; without innovation, there is nothing to have access to.

White concludes by quoting President Abraham Lincoln, The patent system added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius. The patent system exists so that innovation can continue. So scientists discoveries are protected.

The number of people who are considered obese has reached more than two billion around the world according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet. The same study reveals that this is a significant increase from the 875 million obese people recorded in 1980.

The study adds that the prevalence of obesity is highest in the developed world. The United States, China, India, Russia, and Brazil were the top five countries with the most number of obese people. Next were Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

The study is considered to most comprehensive to date. Experts from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation based in Washington, D.C. lead the way in the conduct of the study. The research took into consideration data from various surveys like those from the World Health Organization as well as articles regarding obese people around the world.

The same research urged governments to join hands and fight various risk factors like lack of physical activity and excessive calorie intake.

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Antioxidant is a broad term used to describe a group of minerals, vitamins, carotenoids and polyphenols. They protect the body from cell-damaging free radicals. Vitamins A, E, C and the mineral selenium are well known antioxidants. Lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene are carotenoids that have high antioxidant nutrition and give many vegetables and fruits their color.

Beta-carotene is found in carrots and pumpkins and is what gives them their vibrant orange color. You can find lutein in leafy green vegetables. It is important in eyesight. Red fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, contain lycopene. Eating a colorful diet gives you the variety and nutritional value you need.

So why are they called antioxidants? The name represents the mechanism by which they help prevent disease. In humans, a small but significant percentage of oxygen molecules in the body will become electrically charged due to natural cellular activity and/or exposure to environmental factors like tobacco smoke and radiation.

The oxygen molecule becomes a “free radical” as it undergoes this process of oxidation. Free radicals are highly reactive as they try to steal electrons from other molecules, including DNA and cellular membranes. This chain reaction of free radicals can damage cells, which may play a role in the development of certain conditions like heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants, however, stop the chain-reaction by giving up electrons and neutralizing free radicals so that they cannot induce any more oxidative damage.

Many studies have shown the link between free radicals and several degenerative diseases associated with aging. Thus, it is possible that antioxidant nutrition can be beneficial in reducing the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, immune dysfunction, cataracts, stroke, and macular degeneration.

There is an abundance of Vitamin A in liver, dairy and fish. Vitamin C is found in bell peppers and citrus fruits while Vitamin E is plentiful in oils, fortified cereals, seeds and nuts. The mineral selenium can be found in Brazil nuts, meats, tuna and plant foods. You will find lutein in green vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas and kale.

Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and papaya are all good sources of lycopene. Beta-carotene is abundant in sweet potatoes, carrots and squash. If you are not getting enough in your diet, the next step you may want to consider is nutritional supplements.

To find more information regarding antioxidant nutrition, you can use a search engine on the web, or do some research at your local library. Getting solid nutritional information regarding supplements is the first step in creating your knowledge base.