A cafeína pode proteger contra cancro da pele

Descoberta poderá levar a desenvolver protectores solares mais eficazes 

Cafeína protege dos efeitos nocivos do sol. Um estudo levado a cabo em ratos sugere que a cafeína altera a actividade de um gene envolvido na destruição de células com DNA danificado e com a possibilidade de se tornar cancerígeno. A equipa de investigação, da Rutgers University (New Jersey, EUA), avança que a descoberta poderá levar a melhor prevenir o cancro da pele. A doença pode ser causada por excesso de exposição aos raios ultravioletas. O trabalho foi publicado ontem na Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Allan Conney , do departamento de Biologia Química e líder do estudo, ao saber que a cafeína tinha estes benefícios, queria saber que o mecanismo molecular específico seria responsável pelo efeito protector da cafeína. O investigador suspeitava já que o gene ATR pudesse estar envolvido e, por isso, decidiu testar a sua teoria em ratos geneticamente modificados, que tivesse deficiência de genes ATR, expondo-os a raios ultravioletas até desenvolverem cancro de pele. Após 19 semanas de exposição solar, descobriu que os roedores tinham desenvolvido 69 por cento menos tumores do que aqueles que tinham genes ATR a funcionar normalmente, aparecendo três semanas depois nos ratos geneticamente modificados em relação ao outro grupo de estudo. Já após 34 semanas de exposição, todos eles tinham tumores, a maioria revelou ter um tipo chamado de carcinoma das células escamosas ou carcinoma espinocelular – o que sugere a possibilidade de a cafeína ter um efeito inibidor em cancro de pele induzido pela exposição solar. A equipa de investigação afirma mesmo que o composto químico tem ainda “propriedades com um efeito de protector solar”. 

(Estrutura molecular da Cafeina) 

2011-08-16

Fonte: http://www.cienciahoje.pt/index.php?oid=50493&op=all

Origem: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/08/08/1111378108

Reduced Dietary Salt for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Cochrane Review)

Background Although meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of salt reduction report a reduction in the level of blood pressure (BP), the effect of reduced dietary salt on cardiovascular disease (CVD) events remains unclear.

Methods We searched for RCTs with follow-up of at least 6 months that compared dietary salt reduction (restricted salt dietary intervention or advice to reduce salt intake) to control/no intervention in adults, and reported mortality or CVD morbidity data. Outcomes were pooled at end of trial or longest follow-up point.

Results Seven studies were identified: three in normotensives, two in hypertensives, one in a mixed population of normo- and hypertensives and one in heart failure. Salt reduction was associated with reductions in urinary salt excretion of between 27 and 39 mmol/24 h and reductions in systolic BP between 1 and 4 mm Hg. Relative risks (RRs) for all-cause mortality in normotensives (longest follow-up—RR: 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58–1.40, 79 deaths) and hypertensives (longest follow-up RR 0.96, 0.83–1.11, 565 deaths) showed no strong evidence of any effect of salt reduction CVD morbidity in people with normal BP (longest follow-up: RR 0.71, 0.42–1.20, 200 events) and raised BP at baseline (end of trial: RR 0.84, 0.57–1.23, 93 events) also showed no strong evidence of benefit. Salt restriction increased the risk of all-cause mortality in those with heart failure (end of trial RR 2.59, 1.04–6.44, 21 deaths).We found no information on participant's health-related quality of life.

Conclusions Despite collating more event data than previous systematic reviews of RCTs (665 deaths in some 6,250 participants) there is still insufficient power to exclude clinically important effects of reduced dietary salt on mortality or CVD morbidity. Our estimates of benefits from dietary salt restriction are consistent with the predicted small effects on clinical events attributable to the small BP reduction achieved.

A more detailed review has been published and will be updated in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [Taylor RS, Ashton KE, Moxham T, Hooper L, Ebrahim S. Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) 2011, Issue 7 (see www.thecochranelibrary.com for information). This is a version of a Cochrane review, which is available in The Cochrane Library. Cochrane systematic reviews are regularly updated to include new research, and in response to feedback from readers. The results of a Cochrane review can be interpreted differently, depending on people's perspectives and circumstances. Please consider the conclusions presented carefully. They are the opinions of review authors, and are not necessarily shared by The Cochrane Collaboration.

Rod S. Taylor, Kate E. Ashton, Tiffany Moxham, Lee Hooper and Shah Ebrahim

From more: http://www.nature.com/ajh/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ajh2011115a.html