Heart-healthy stuff ingrained in beer

The malt and barley in beer may explain why a glass a day is good for your heart.

An Israeli study, which compared men with heart disease who drank a pale lager every day for a month to those who quaffed mineral water, found that a protein important to blood clotting changed for the better in the beer drinkers. Other studies have shown that alcoholic beverages lower the concentration of the clotting protein, called fibrinogen, but this research shows for the first time that the actual structure of the protein changes. The altered fibrinogen is less stable and less active and so less likely to form clots that could block blood vessels supplying the heart, report an international group of researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s school of pharmacy.

Profiles of the fibrinogen in the blood of 48 men were determined before the monthlong study began. After 30 days, 21 of the 24 beer drinkers had a decrease in fibrinogen and a change in its structure. The clotting protein appeared unchanged in the 24 men who drank an equal amount (11 ounces) of mineral water. The beer drinkers also had a decrease in unhealthy, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an increase in healthy, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

The change in fibrinogen could be the result of polyphenols and flavonoids in malt and barley, the researchers say. Other studies have shown that these dietary antioxidants affect fats and protein. Lead author Shela Gorinstein says her group is going to study wine, which also contains flavonoids, to see if it causes a similar response. The study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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Drinking milk often early in life appears to have lasting benefits

Drinking milk during childhood may build bones strong enough to last a lifetime.

In a study of more than 3,000 women, researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital found that the majority had drunk at least a glass of milk a day as children and teenagers -- and those who had drunk less were twice as likely to break a bone as an adult.

After eliminating the effects of current calcium intake and of estrogen replacement in those who were post-menopausal, the calcium content in the bones of the low-milk group was 5.6% lower and their bone density was 2% to 3% lower than those who had been milk drinkers.

The twofold higher risk of bone breaks in older women who drank little milk in their younger years could account for as many as 11% of the fractures caused by osteoporosis. “Getting enough calcium in your diet as an adult is important for your bones, but it doesn’t completely make up for your diet during childhood,” says lead author Heidi J. Kalkwarf, associate professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

The study was published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Protecting a baby’s umbilical area from infection

Because newborns often room with their mothers, and both go home 48 hours or so after delivery, some hospitals no longer swab the baby’s umbilicus with bactericidal solutions. Instead they may use the “dry method,” in which the skin around the cord is cleaned with soap and water and allowed to air-dry.

The possibility of infection, though, hasn’t gone away. Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver compared 384 babies whose umbilical cord stumps were treated the old-fashioned way with 382 babies treated with the dry method.

Various types of bacteria (E. coli and staph) were much more likely to be found growing in the cord stump of the dry-care group than those swabbed with the germ-killing solution.

And the only case of omphalitis, a rare infection of the umbilical region, occurred in a newborn who was treated with the dry method.

No matter which method is used, parents should call the doctor if they notice any redness, swelling and warmth in the skin within half an inch or so of the umbilical cord stump, says lead author Patricia A. Janssen, a professor of epidemiology.

The study was published in the January issue of Pediatrics.