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This is the sixth issue of TOP NUTRITION NEWSLETTER in 1998. In this issue drugs on obesity, fish oils, magnesium and micronutrients will be presented.

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects many people and often requires long-term treatment to promote and sustain weight loss. As in other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, long-term use of prescription medications may be appropriate for some individuals. While most side effects of prescription medications for obesity are mild, serious complications have been reported. Valvular heart disease has recently been reported to occur in association with the use of certain appetite suppressant medications. As a result of these reports, the manufacturer has voluntarily withdrawn two medications, fenfluramine (Pondimin) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) from the market. There are few long-term studies evaluating the safety or effectiveness of other currently approved appetite suppressant medications. In particular, the safety and effectiveness of combining more than one appetite suppressant medication or combining appetite suppressant medications with other medications for the purpose of weight loss is unknown. Appetite suppressant medications should be used only by patients who are at increased medical risk because of their obesity and should not be used for "cosmetic" weight loss. Please update your knowledge on appropriate medications for obesity. This weight-control information network was updated in March 1998 by the National Institute of Health, U.S.A. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY

The controversial studies on fish oil were presented by unexperienced researchers around the world. One researcher's limited knowledge should not influence the knowledgeable experts around the world who are updating and setting up the National Guidelines. One important advice is to review any research paper whether it is based on internationally reliable randomized controlled study or unreliable and biased open or case studies. This study at least confirmed that omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) had a significant IMMUNOMODULATING effect and prolong the survival of malnourished patients with generalized malignancy.You can answer the question " CAN FISH OIL LOWERS CD4+ COUNT? " by yourself now.

The paper by Itoh and coworkers on magnesium supplementation provides some exciting results. Not only did magnesium supplementation in normotensive, healthy elderly subjects lower blood pressure, but it also decreased LDL cholesterol, raised HDL cholesterol and improved the total:HDL cholesterol ratio significantly. This is good news indeed. If magnesium can be used to lower blood pressure and improve lipid profiles it should become part of our arsenal to prevent, and treat heart disease.

The paper on micronutrient research: the effect of micronutrient supplementation on immune function in the elderly is evident that supplementation with antioxidants and trace elements is important to boost immune function. In the elderly, relatively modest increases in the intakes of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin C, zinc and selenium had a pronounced positive effect on incidence of infections. Our senior citizens could benefit if micronutrient supplementation was used more widely in care centres and homes.

Wish you will enjoy updated information. I will try to update this important issue whenever I can. The information era is not "NO INFORMATION, BUT TOO MUCH INFORMATION". I have selected only the most reliable sources for you. If you have different opinions, please do not hesitate to e-mail [shwewin@thai-otsuka.co.th].