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Showing posts from February, 2010

Vitamin E May Boost Brain Health After Stroke

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May prevent nerve cell death in the brain following a stroke, suggests new research on this emerging form of Vitamin E. Alpha-tocotrienol, one of eight forms of Vitamin E, was found to inhibit an enzyme from releasing fatty acids that eventually kill neurons, according to findings from a study with mouse brain cells published in the Journal of Neurochemistry. The beneficial effects are observed at low levels of the nutrient, researchers from Ohio State University report following their National Institutes of Health-funded study. "Tocotrienol - a natural dietary form of the nutrient Vitamin E, can be just as effective as drugs or other therapeutic agents, if not more so, in neural protection, opening up new possibilities into prevention and even treatment of stroke and other neuro-degenerative diseases" the researchers noted. The potential neuroprotective effects of nanomolar levels of tocotrienol were first reported a decade ago. This latest study from The Ohio Stat

Mango Fruit Prevents or Stops Certain Colon & Breast Cancers

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Mango Fruit Has Been Found To Prevent or Stop Certain Colon And Breast Cancer Cells, Food Scientists Find... That's according to a new study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S. The tropical mango is an ancient fruit heavily consumed in many parts of the world, known to have beneficial digestive health aspects. The National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies with several U.S. researchers to help determine its nutritional value. As a superfood providing valuable nutrients and enzymes as well as high antioxidant levels, Mango is beneficial to health, similar to blueberry, acai and pomegranate. The research team checked mango against cancer cells anyway, and found it prevented or stopped cancer growth in certain breast and colon cells. " If you look at it from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking super food,"they noted. "It would

Cranberry Now Recognized For Heart Health

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Flavonoid - OPCs (oligomeric procyanidins) Now Recognized As Beneficial for Heart Health... Fruit Sources of Antioxidants, Carotenoids, Phytochemicals Suppling High OPC Flavonoid Levels Are Proven Beneficial For Supporting Cardiovascular Health. Cranberry juice rich in antioxidant procyanidins is effective at boosting the health of blood vessels, thereby supporting previous research supporting the cardiovascular health of such compounds. While the potential heart health benefits of flavonoid-rich diets have been reported previously, there was uncertainty about which specific phytochemicals present in flavonoid-rich foods provide the most the benefits, according to the British and Japanese researchers behind the new study. Findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry indicate that oligomeric procyanidins (OPC) had "by far the most potent effects" on the function of the endothelium (the cells lining blood vessels). The research also

Omega-3 May Slash Psychotic Disorder Risk

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Supplements of omega-3-rich fish oil may reduce the likelihood of developing psychotic disorders in high-risk people, say results of a new clinical trial. Twelve weeks of supplementation with fish oil rich in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) reduced the risk of progression to full threshold psychosis by 22.6 per cent, compared to placebo, according to findings published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The link between omega-3 and cognitive function and behaviour is not new, with various studies reporting beneficial results for the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Some of the more promising data has been reported for DHA, with memory function improvements found for healthy older adults with a decline in cognitive function that occurs naturally with age, and known to precede diseases such as Alzheimer's. The new study is the first of its kind to show benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in a help seeking group at ultra-high risk of psychosis, claim the res