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THAT'SNEWS Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Allergies in Children RESEARCHERS FROM THE Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University conducted a recent study linking low vitamin D levels to increased risk of allergies in children. The study, featured in the online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, studied more than 3,100 children and 3,400 adults. Results of the study found no significant correlation between vitamin D levels and allergies in adult samples. However, the results did indicate a higher incidence of allergies in children who had less than 15 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood. By measuring immunoglobulin E levels, a protein produced during allergic reactions, researchers analyzed sensitivity to 17 different allergens. The research linked low vitamin D levels to 11 of the 17 allergens, including both environmental and food allergens. ■ Fish Oil Helps Chemo Patients Maintain Weight ACCORDING TO RESEARCH conducted at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, cancer patients who took fi sh oil were able to maintain or gain weight during chemotherapy. The study followed 40 patients diag- nosed with lung cancer during their initial round of chemotherapy treatment. Of the 40 patients studied, 16 were given 2.2 grams of fish oil per day, while the remaining 24 patients were not. Fish oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, helped maintain weight in 69% of patients, while less than one-third of the patients who did not take fish oil managed to keep their weight up. Weight loss due to waning appetite is a common side effect of chemotherapy, causing fatigue and poor quality of life in many cancer patients. This study was the first to examine new chemotherapy patients, suggesting that early intervention to prevent weight loss may prolong health and allow for a greater number of cancer treatments. ■ ADVERTISERS' INDEX Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer ...........Back Cover Kansas Pathology Consultants, P.A. .....5 Keurig ..............................................................9 Via Christi Clinic ........ Inside Front Cover Via Christi Health ....... Inside Back Cover Wichita Nephrology Group, P.A. ......... 18 18 | Greater Kansas MD NEWS MDNEWS.COM