Nuts reduce risk of heart disease
Filed Under News April 28, 2007
A number of human studies have reported that a frequent consumption of nuts is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. In the Adventist Health Study, people who ate nuts one to four times per week had a 25 percent reduction in risk of heart disease while those who ate nuts five or more times per week experienced a 50 percent reduction in risk, compared to people who ate nuts less than once a week. Furthermore, in the Nurses’ Health Study, women who ate nuts frequently had a 39 percent lower risk of fatal heart disease compared with those rarely eating nuts.
As a result, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved a claim for some nuts to be designed as useful for preventing heart disease. Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts were all given the green light since they contain only one to two grams of saturated fat per ounce. On the other hand, Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts, which have slightly more saturated fat (three to five grams per ounce), did not receive the FDA approval, although they are still considered healthy food. To date, no nut has been proven to be better than another.
Clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of diets containing about two ounces of almonds, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or walnuts to significantly lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels about ten to 15 percent. A study done at Harvard showed that a consumption of nuts or peanut butter five or more times a week may also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 20-25 percent.
In addition to containing good fat, nuts also contain significant levels of vitamin E as well as phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phytosterols, substances known to provide protection against cancer and heart disease. Walnuts are different from other nuts in that they provide a rich source of omega-3 fat. This makes walnuts also useful for lowering triglycerides and the risk of stroke.
Flavonoid Stymie Inhibitory Proteins
Filed Under News April 27, 2007
Flavonoids positively impacted breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)—an ABC transporter compound known to cause drug resistance in numerous diseases, including cancer and leukemia—according to a study from Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy and the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research.
Researchers studied the effects of flavonoids on human leukemia K562 cells transduced with BCRP or fellow ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp), as well as on human epidermoid carcinoma KB-3-1 cells transfected with multi-drug resistance-related protein-1 (MDRP-1). Researchers screened 32 flavonoid compounds against the three proteins; 20 were found to be active. The compounds significantly affected BCRP but showed only low anti-P-gp activity; none of the tested flavonoids inhibited MRP1. Researchers concluded the tested flavonoids selectively inhibit BCRP only. The study was published in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology (DOI: 10.1007/s00280-007-0426-7).
Flavonoid supplement market
Filed Under News April 27, 2007
According to Business Insights, the market potential for flavonoids in the dietetic and nutritional supplement market is in excess of $862m for 2007, with annual increases of 12 per cent.
Flavonoid-rich diets may help reduce heart disease
Filed Under News April 25, 2007
Foods rich in flavonoids — from apples and pears to dark chocolate and red wine — may help shield postmenopausal women from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke, a new study shows.
Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds, found in many plant-based foods, and have been hypothesized to protect the heart by reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol and reducing inflammation, Dr. Pamela J. Mink of Exponent, Inc., and colleagues note. But studies investigating heart health and flavonoid levels in the diet have had mixed results, they add in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers used three newly available databases from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine the flavonoid contain of foods, the researchers analyzed results of food questionnaires on diet from 34,489 postmenopausal women participating in the Iowa Women’s Health Study.
Mink and colleagues specifically examined the association between the amount of flavonoids the diet and heart disease and death over a 16-year period. The new information allowed the researchers to look at both total flavonoids and seven different subclasses of the plant compound.
Three subclasses of flavonoids, anthocyanidins, flavanones, and flavones, were linked to a significantly reduced risk of heart disease, blood vessel disease or cardiovascular disease mortality, the researchers found. Risk reductions ranged from 10 percent, for anthocyanidins and heart-related mortality, to 22 percent, for flavanones and heart disease.
Specific foods also were linked to risk reductions in heart, blood vessel disease and mortality as well, including bran, which provided a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke; apples, pears, and red wine, which cut both cardiovascular and coronary heart disease risk; grapefruit, which cut coronary heart disease risk, and strawberries and chocolate, tied to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
The findings are not definitive, and should be replicated in other prospective studies including large numbers of subjects, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2007.
Dark Chocolate May Lighten the Load on Arteries
Filed Under News April 24, 2007
Dark chocolate may also boost the function of vital endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels, a new U.S. study suggests.
Cocoa is rich in a group of antioxidant compounds called flavonoids, which are also found in fruits and vegetables, wine and green tea. Research suggests that consumption of foods rich in flavonoids may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Yale Prevention Research Center in Connecticut, included 45 healthy people with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 35 kg/m2. The participants were divided into three groups that ate either eight ounces of cocoa without sugar; cocoa with sugar; or a placebo.
BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI reading of 25-29.9 is an indicator of overweight, while a reading of 30 or more indicates obesity.
For six weeks, the participants underwent endothelial function testing. This was done by using high frequency ultrasound to measure the ability of the brachial artery (which runs from the shoulder to the elbow) to relax and expand in order to accommodate increased blood flow — a test called flow mediated dilation (FMD).
The study found that FMD improved significantly (2.4 percent) in the group that consumed cocoa with no sugar, compared with 1.5 percent in the group that ate cocoa with sugar. There was a 0.8 percent decrease in FMD in the group that ate the placebo.
“In this group of healthy adults with BMI between 25 and 35 kg/m2, dark chocolate ingestion over a short period of time was shown to significantly improve endothelial function, leading our team to believe that greater benefit may be seen through a long-term, randomized clinical trial,” co-investigator Dr. Valentine Yanchou Njike said in a prepared statement.
“While the findings from this study do not suggest that people should start eating more chocolate as part of their daily routine, it does suggest that we pay more attention to how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods might offer cardiovascular benefits,” Njike said.
Onions with a Nutritional Not Pungent Punch
Filed Under News April 16, 2007
An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist is trying to bring out the best in onions—their copious heart-healthy compounds, good-for-the-body antioxidants and soluble fiber—while still retaining what consumers love most about the veggie: its sweet, mildly sharp taste.
The scientist, Michael Havey of the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit at Madison, Wis., considers onions to be one of the most important health-promoting, or functional, foods. They contain three different groups of health-enhancing compounds: thiosulfinates, fructans and flavonoids.
The thiosulfinates that give onions their pungency are also a great boon to the body’s bloodstream. The vegetable world’s answer to aspirin, these blood-thinning compounds can bust up platelets that might otherwise form troubling plugs at sites of vascular damage.
Fructans are a source of soluble fiber shown to reduce rates of colorectal cancers. And onions’ flavonoids, such as quercetin, show proven antioxidant activity.
But to get optimal amounts of these beneficial compounds, onion lovers need to reach for denser, more pungent varieties. The popular “sweet and mild” onion varieties contain a lot of water, which dilutes their nutrient content.
To help him package all of the onion’s desirable taste and nutrient qualities into one bulb, Havey is pinpointing which genes are linked to various healthful nutrients.
He and colleagues have found several genes of importance, including one they recently discovered that helps onions accumulate the fibrous fructans. The more fructans there are, the more heart-healthy thiosulfinates there’ll be, too.
Havey has also identified a gene that coordinates the buildup of sucrose in onion bulbs. This means it may be possible to boost the veggie’s naturally sweet flavors, while still increasing the compounds that are linked to good health.
Read more about ARS vegetable research in the latest issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Flavonoid Supplementation and Endothelial Function
Filed Under News April 10, 2007
Flavonoids are one of the many classes of natural chemicals found in a variety of foods. People with the highest flavonoid blood levels have the lowest rates of coronary heart disease. This is considered one of the reasons why high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with lower rates of heart disease, although it is not known if taking a flavonoid supplement provides the same protection as eating fruits and vegetables.
The purpose of this study is to determine if a particular flavonoid supplement, called Isotonix OPC-3, taken on a daily basis, will improve the function of arterial vessels. Arteries normally constrict after eating a high-fat meal. This study will examine the potential of the OPC-3 to lessen this constriction response.
Benefits of Antioxidants
Filed Under News April 10, 2007
Antioxidants protect our cells from damage caused by molecules called oxygen-free radicals. These oxygen-free radicals induce aging and are one of the major causes of disease. Because of their function in cell protection, the benefits of antioxidants are far-reaching and not contained to a single aspect of our health.
The most common types of antioxidants are bilberry, bioperine, boron, calcium, carotenoids, chondroitin sulfate, chromium, CoQ10, essential fatty acids, flavonoids, gamma-oryzanol, garlic, gingko baloba, glucosamine sulfate, grape seed extract, green tea, iron, isoflavones, kava, magnesium, malic acid, N-acetylcysteine, potassium, probiotics, quercetin, red wine extract, S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM), selenium, St. James Wort, taurine, tumeric, vitamins B, C, E, and zinc.
