Health Front
News that's good for you April 2008
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life
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Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been linked to increased risk of gout in two recent studies of more than 60,000 men and women combined. One serving of sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day increased the risk of gout by 45 percent; two or more servings per day increased the risk to 85 percent.
Gout, most common in men over the age of 40, is a joint disease that causes pain and swelling. The incidence of gout in the U.S. has doubled over the last few decades. Replace soft drinks with water or herbal teas, which also taste great iced.
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- "Apple Peel as a Contributo to Whole Fruit Quantity of Potentially Healthful Bioactive Compunds " by B. Lata and K. Tomala, J Agric Food Chem, 12/07
Infant Alert!
A 10-year study of almost 40,000 women revealed that a high intake of lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin E may significantly decrease the risk of developing cataracts. Found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin can also be taken in supplemental form. Foods high in lutein include corn, kiwi, pumpkin, zucchini, spinach, yellow squash, and red seedless grapes. Zeaxanthin is found in orange juice, honeydew, and mango. Egg yolk has high concentrations of both carotenoids, and almonds and hazelnuts are particularly good sources of vitamin E.
Any child with a cold needs plenty of fluids, including chicken soup and gentle herbal teas. Antiseptic chamomile tea soothes and helps children sleep. Add a drop or two of eucalyptus and/or lavender essential oils to olive oil and rub on a child’s chest to relieve congestion.
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- "FDA Confirms Infant-Meds Recall" by Zoe Galland, BusinessWeek, 1/17
- Naturally Healthy Kids: An A to Z Guide for Illness and Wellness " by Jerry Rubin, MD, Dean Prina, MD, Nancy Lataitis, MD, and Jordan R. Klein ($24.95,Partners in Pediatrics, 2006)
- The Parent's Guide to Natural Health Care for Children by Karen Sullivan ($18.95), Shambhala Publications Inc., 2004)
Shopping for Sustainable?
You’re in good company! A new Information Resources Inc. survey reveals that approximately 50 percent of U.S. consumers consider sustainability—as measured by factors including organic, ecofriendly products and packaging, and fair treatment of employees and suppliers—when making purchase selections and deciding where to shop.
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Fruits Protect Against Alzheimer's
Apples, bananas, and oranges appear to provide protection against oxidative stress which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. A new study demonstrates that the antioxidants in these fruits may offer protection against neuronal cell membrane damage which is associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease—the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 13 million people worldwide. The researchers suggest that consuming more apples, bananas, and oranges along with other fruits in our daily diet may reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases.
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- "Effects of Banana, Orange, and Apple on Oxidative Stress-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells" by H.J. Heo et al., Journal of Food Science, 1/08
Green Tea to the Rescue
More good news for green tea drinkers—this antioxidant-rich brew, already reported to reduce the risk of various diseases, may support the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. A recent study found that green tea has antitumor effects in breast cancer cells, inhibiting growth of tumors as well as inducing the death of cancerous cells. These results may help explain why the risk of breast cancer is lower in Asian countries where green tea is regularly consumed.
And that’s not all: A preliminary study shows that green tea and its extracts may be a useful preventative in the development of fatty liver, a condition that increases the risk for liver inflammation and ultimately liver failure. Fatty liver is reportedly on the rise in our country, with nearly 40 million Americans already afflicted. Although weight loss is the primary recommendation for this malady, green tea extracts also appear to stop the buildup of fatty deposits in the liver.
Smokers have even more reason to consider drinking green tea. Regular consumption may offer protection against tobacco carcinogens, and some evidence suggests that drinking more than three cups of green tea a day may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers. Longer term studies are needed to further investigate these findings.
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- "Does the Consumption of Green Tea Reduce the Risk of Lung Cancer Among Smokers? " by W. Liang et al., Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 3/07
- "Green Tea Extract Protects Leptin-Dificient, Spontaneously Obese Mice from Hepatic Steatosis and Injury " by R. S. Bruno et al., J Nutr, 2/08
- "Green Tea Polyphenol and Epigallocatechin Gallate Induce Apoptosis and Inhibit Invasion in Human Breast Cancer Cells" by R.L. Thangapazham et al., Cancer Biol Ther, 9/07
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