For instance, over the weekend I was looking at the ingredient lists for a number of cosmetic products, including daily chemical peel products and after peel moisturizers. Many of the products had tea extracts in them, usually called extract of Camellia sinensis. Additionally, tea extracts have been suggested to be helpful for treating skin damaged in cancer patients after radiation.

White tea has been suggested to help with obesity. An extract of white tea has been shown to stop the formation of new fat cells, and to make the existing fat cells start to break down the fat that they contain.

So what is white tea? I had no idea. It made from the same plant as regular tea, but only young still downy white buds and young leaves are used, and not fermented like regular tea. If you are going to make it and drink it, apparently you should not use boiling water. The water used for brewing should be quite a bit cooler than boiling water. This is supposed to be the best for its delicate taste. White tea is lower in caffeine but higher in antioxidants than regular tea.

Another news item suggests that an African tea that is used in traditional Nigeria medicine may help with diabetes. It is made from leaves of the lovely sounding Rauvolfia vomitoria and the fruit of Citrus aurantium. The tea helped mobilize fat, and in a small human trial after 4 months there was better glucose control. The genus Rauvolfia, a tropical evergreen shrub, is widely used in folk medicine and has been shown to lower blood pressure, have psychological effects, be a hypnotic and can irritate those with digestive diseases.

In Asia though the population tends to smoke heavily there is less cardiovascular disease and cancer than in the west. This is known as the Asian paradox. It has been suggested that part of the reason, for the lower levels of these diseases, is the high consumption of tea, particularly green tea.

Green Tea has also been suggested to have antibacterial activity too.

Low calorie and healthy. So, have a cuppa (used in the UK, for a cup of tea).

photo credit: A.Sevik

Technorati Tags: teas, white tea, green tea, Rauvolfia, obesity, fat cells, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, skin, chemical peel, antibacterial

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Macular degeneration is reduced or loss of vision in the center of the visual field. To see what the loss of the middle area of what you are looking at check out the Macular Degeneration Stimulator at the American Society for Ophthalmology website. It is pretty scary.

More information about two types of macular degeneration, wet and dry, how it is detected and treatments can be found on the same website.

Macular degeneration has no cure. There are treatments that can reduce the symptoms, but so far there is nothing available that reverses the damage.

One thing that has been found to lower the risk of macular degeneration, by about 25% is eating a healthy diet.

The AREDS (age-related eye disease study) found that a diet high in vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and the omega-3 fatty acids lowered the risk. Further, those who followed a low glycemic index diet (low carb) which included the above nutrients had the lowest risk.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in eggs and leafy green vegetables, broccoli, garden peas and corn. Zinc is found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and red meat.

A low glycemic index diet is one that does not result in spikes of glucose in the blood. This is basically low carb, but not completely. Some higher carb foods have a low glycemic index because they do not result in a rapid increase of blood glucose. For more information see the Glycemic Index website and look at the database.

Healthy diet = healthy eyes.

photo credit: zachd1_618

Technorati Tags: macular degeneration, zeaxanthin, lutein, zinc, glycemic index, low glycemic index diet, glucose, healthy eyes

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Unfortunately there seems to be much disagreement about what is the best cooking method. Though there is general agreement that different fruits and vegetables react in different ways to the various cooking methods.

Part of the problem is that everybody seems to use their favorite method for measuring antioxidant power. The problem with antioxidants is that there is a range of them, with different structures and different mechanisms of action. So there can be very different methods for analysis.

However, it is clear that some vegetables have increased antioxidant power after cooking. Raw is not always best.

A recent study carried out in Spain, compared the effects of a number of different cooking methods on twenty vegetables.

The six cooking methods were boiling, pressure-cooking, baking, microwaving, griddling (hot pan without oil) and frying.

They found the following

• The highest antioxidant loss was observed in cauliflower after boiling and microwaving, peas after boiling, and zucchini after boiling and frying.
• Green beans, beets, and garlic were found to keep their antioxidant levels after most cooking treatments.
• The vegetables that increased their antioxidant levels after all cooking methods were green beans (except green beans after boiling), celery and carrots.

The researchers in this study suggest that water-based cooking methods most frequently resulted in losses. This is agreement with most, but not all, other studies that have suggested that for many vegetables, in particular brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower boiling is results in loss of some types of antioxidants.

It seems everything just gets more complicated. Do we have to cook all the components of a meal in different ways to get the most beenfit?

photo credit: miheco

Technorati Tags: vegetable, antioxidant power, broccoli, boiling, cooking

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First, a couple of days ago I had a post Should You Consume Less Fish or Fish Oil. This post talked about how the fish stocks have crashed and whole ecosystems will probably get wrecked. It was suggested that plant sources are the way to go. The post talked about how yeast are being engineered to produce high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (Marmite plus, anyone?) and there are algae supplements too. The next post was about camelina, a plant related to rapeseed (canola) which is an excellent source of omega-3’s. So if you are already are or thinking of consuming high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, think about plant sources. Flax meal is good, since it also has high levels of good types of fiber.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been suggested to have a number of benefits including lowering the level of inflammation and lowering triglycerides.

Now, new research suggests that DHA (docosahexanoic or docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid, may slow the growth of solid tumors, and further, both increased the effectiveness of cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug, and reduced the side effects.

This is just one study. If it is confirmed in other cancer models it has another implication. None of us know when a tumor is growing inside us, until starts to affect our health or is discovered accidentally. Perhaps DHA could slow the growth of any as yet undiscovered tumors that we have. Hopefully this research is confirmed.

small> photo credit: Deco Fernandes

Technorati Tags: omega-3 fatty acids, cancer, solid tumor, DHA

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Drinking very hot tea can increase the risk of throat cancer. In northern Iran where they traditionally drink a lot of very hot tea, over a liter (quart) a day, there are high rates of throat cancer. Comparisons showed that in those who drank the hottest tea versus those who drank their tea the coolest, there was an eightfold risk of throat cancer. If you drink really hot coffee or tea perhaps you should let it cool a bit before drinking.

Another reason to get plenty of vitamin D, calcium and exercise. There seems to be a link between vertigo, a type of dizziness, and osteoporosis. Those with osteoporosis had a three times higher risk of vertigo. Vertigo is caused when our inner ear gets disturbed. Benign paroxysomal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one cause. It occurs when calcium crystals in the inner ear get displaced. It is suggested that having osteoporosis makes it more likely that you will get BPPV.

An analysis of a number of previous studies suggests that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of bone fractures. In this analysis increasing calcium intake did not further decreased the risk. Some researchers suggest that the RDA for vitamin D is too low (50 mg per day). There are negative effects when too much vitamin D is consumed, so proceed with caution.

photo credit: Hotplate Arts

[tags] hot tea, throat cancer, steoporosis, vertigo, benign paroxysomal positional vertigo, BPPV, vitamin D[/tags

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Turmeric is a powder obtained from the rhizome (underground stem) of Curcuma longa which is a member of the ginger family. The ginger that we buy in the produce section of the supermarket is the rhizome of the ginger plant.

The powder from the turmeric rhizome is a bright yellow-orange (aptly described as marigold) color, and as well as being found in Indian and other Asian foods, is often used a coloring in many prepared foods (code E100).

Since turmeric powder is dried minimally processed plant material, it contains many many components. So far the compound, found in high levels in turmeric that has been shown to have many health benefits, is curcumin.

Though there are no strong studies in humans, there are several studies in mice that were fed turmeric and many studies in the “test tube” using purified curcumin. In mice turmeric has been shown to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes and reduce the risk of complications of obesity. Diabetes and obesity have a strong inflammatory component and curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it is hypothesized that for diabetics and in obesity that curcumin may reduce the levels of inflammation and improving health out comes.

Curcumin has also been shown to have anti-cancer, antibiotic and antioxidant properties in experiments. Evidence of these properties is anecdotal.

One consideration for tumeric, or any other foodstuff for that matter, is uptake in the gut. Studies with curcumin have suggested that it is unstable in the gut and that very little is found circulating in the blood after eating it. This begs the question; does curcumin have to be in the presence of something else that makes it more stable or makes it more readily absorbed? Do we only need vey low levels of curcumin to get an effect? Does the method of preparation of the turmeric powder itself, the food containing turmeric affect levels in the body? Or something else?

To get benefit from the huge range of nutrients in our foods, perhaps we need to eat a varied diet with different combinations of things. This way, at different times we may get more or less uptake and effective distribution in the body of the different nutrients. Good news for foodies?

photo credit: _william

Technorati Tags: turmeric, curcumin, diabetes, obesity, gut, inflammation

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The main reason for the initial superfood categorization of blueberries was the presence of high levels of antioxidants. Blueberries were found to be high in anthocyanins and other antioxidants. They have the antioxidant, resveratrol, in their skins. Resveratrol is the compound found in red wine that is thought to have a range of health benefits (see this post on resveratrol).

Recently it has been shown that blueberries contain high levels of pterostilbene. This compound is related to resveratrol. It has been demonstrated that one action of pterostilbene is to activate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, or PPAR alpha. This receptor is a target for a class of cholesterol lowering drugs known as fibrates (e.g. Tricor, Lopid). The fibrates will lower cholesterol a significant amount in most people.

Though there are not yet any human studies, since pterostilbene is activating PPAR alpha, which is known to decrease in serum cholesterol, it does seem very likely that blueberries will lower cholesterol in humans.

So, add the cholesterol-lowering effect of blueberries to the evidence that blueberries may slow cognitive decline, perhaps have anti-cancer properties, are anti-inflammatory, and a small amount of evidence that blueberries may lower blood sugar. This provides further evidence that blueberries are a good food to eat as part of a balanced diet.

Blueberries for breakfast every day is a bit over the top. Though they are good for you, they are low in a number of essential nutrients. Balance is the key.

photo credit: Jennlang

[tags]blueberries, lower cholesterol, antioxidants, pterostilbene, resveratrol,

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A potential new weight loss treatment. An antibody has been developed that attacks ghrelin. This hormone is high when hungry and is low when we are full. If it works in humans will suppress appetite. To read more about ghrelin see the post Aging, Carbohydrates, Appetite and Weight Gain.

More good news for those who drink red wine or like red grapes. This seems to be particularly true for the cardiovascular system.

High fat diet could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. Research suggests that diet high in saturated fat and low in omega-3 fatty acids increases the amounts of markers for Alzheimer’s. Another reason to eat fish or flaxseed meal or take fish oil capsules.

photo credit: Andrew Feinberg

Technorati Tags: New Weight Loss Treatment, Red Wine, High Fat And Alzheimers

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Those with Parkinson’s are much more likely to have low levels of vitamin D. It is not clear whether low vitamin D makes you more likely to get Parkinson’s, or whether those with Parkinson’s are getting less sun exposure. However, since a low level of vitamin D is increasingly being implicated in a number of diseases; low vitamin D may be risk factor. Another reason to get sun exposure or take supplements.

The fact that the latest wonder food is packed with antioxidants does not mean that these antioxidants can actually get in the body. One of the newer antioxidant berries is acai. There are now a number of fruit juices and other foods, that are now widely available, that contain acai. Research shows that antioxidants in acai, such as anthocyanins, are readily absorbed by the body. This suggests that acai juice could be a good part of a healthy diet. Apparently it is naturally low in sugar, so make sure there is not a lot of added high fructose corn syrup or sucrose to sweeten it up.

Analysis of vitamins and habits, indicate that washing your hands is more important than taking vitamins for avoiding a cold. Many people will take high does of vitamin C to ward off a cold. The balance of studies suggests that taking vitamin C is ineffective. Plus very high doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea, flushing and disturbed sleep. Frequent washing of hands will wash away the virus. A frequent route for getting a cold is getting the cold virus on your hands, from something such as a door knob, and then touching your face. So it is better to wash away the virus, rather than getting infected and then trying to stop the virus.

photo credit: iateapie

Technorati Tags: vitamin C, Parkinson’s, acai, colds

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Chocolate is known to be high in antioxidants including epicatechin. The first really good evidence that cocoa may be beneficial came from the Kuna Indian population of Panama. Those Indians that lived on islands consumed lots of cocoa, whereas those that lived on the mainland did not drink much cocoa. Those that lived on the islands had much lower rates of heart disease and cancer. It was suggested that the reason was the cocoa. However, of course, there were other differences in the lifestyle and eating habits between the different two populations. So, though it is likely that cocoa was the main reason for the difference it was not conclusive.

There have been a number of studies that have suggested that chocolate is good for us. In a study of smokers it was suggested to slow hardening of the arteries. Another study suggested it can lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. All these studies were done in controlled studies with volunteers being assigned to different groups for comparison.

The newly published study looked at one population of people. In large population studies other confounding factors such as smoking, weight, age and sex can be separated from the parameter being studied. There are 20,000 people from a region of Italy enrolled in a study that is looking at a range of things. One part of the study compared regular chocolate consumption to levels of C reactive protein (hsCRP). C reactive protein is a good marker for the development of cardiovascular disease.

The findings were that those who regularly consumed dark chocolate had lower levels of C reactive protein. The researchers calculated that the lower levels were equivalent to a reduction of cardiovascular risk (heart disease and stroke) of a third for women and a quarter for men.

Interestingly the intake of dark chocolate only needed to be equivalent to about 2/3 of an ounce every 3 days. The researchers suggest that those that had high consumption lost some of the benefit. This study did not look at milk chocolate or consumption of cocoa as a drink.

Perhaps we should think about dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids) as another supplement and take a small amount on a regular schedule.

photo credit: EverJean

Technorati Tags: dark chocolate, cocoa, C reactive protein, hsCRP

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