Flavonoids may improve mental health
Filed Under News July 28, 2007
Diet rich in flavonoids, compounds in fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea and chocolate, could reduce the decline in mental function associated with age, says a new study from France.
“This study raises the possibility that dietary flavonoid intake is associated with better cognitive evolution,” wrote lead author Luc Letenneur in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers, from France’s Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and the Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, recruited 1,640 subjects with an average age of 77 and free of dementia at the start of the study and assessed dietary intakes of flavonoids using food frequency questionnaires four times over 10 years.
After adjusting the results for potential confounding factors, such as age, sex, and educational level, Letenneur and co-workers report that flavonoid intake was associated with both better cognitive performance at the start of the study and better evolution of mental performance over time.
Subjects with the highest flavonoid intakes (between 13.6 and 36.9 milligrams per day) were found to have better cognitive function than those with the lowest intakes. After ten years of follow-up, it was found that, while those with the lowest intakes had lost an average of 2.1 points on the MMSE, subjects with the highest intakes had lost only 1.2 points.
“We showed that higher intake of flavonoids from food may be associated wit a better cognitive evolution over a 10-year period. Whether this reflects a causal association remains to be elucidated,” wrote the researchers.
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 165, Number 12, Pages 1364-1371; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm036
“Flavonoid Intake and Cognitive Decline over a 10-Year Period”
Authors: L Letenneur, C Proust-Lima, A Le Gouge, JF Dartigues and P Barberger-Gateau
Ten-Year Comparison of the Influence of Organic and Conventional Crop Management Practices
Filed Under News July 21, 2007
Healthful Compounds in Tomatoes Increase Over Time in Organic Fields. Levels of flavonoids increase over time in crops grown in organically farmed fields, according to a long-term study details at,
http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/doilookup?in_doi=10.1021/jf070344%2B
UK Superfood sales rise
Filed Under News July 10, 2007
Blueberries have been topping shopping lists with sales soaring up by 132 per cent in the past two years. Britons have spent £95 million on the purple berries since 2005.
The “dramatic” trend has been linked to greater consumer awareness of their benefits and a marketing push from major food retailers.
Nielsen’s business insight director Jonathan Banks said: “Blueberries contain antioxidants which help with circulation, keeping the heart healthy and maintaining youthful-looking skin. These are all important to today’s health and youth-conscious consumer.”
Green tea sales rose by 45 per cent to more than £16 million in the past two years.
Sales of non-dairy soy drinks have risen 50 per cent since May 2005 to more than £70 million.
Nielsen’s data is taken from its Scantrack service, which monitors checkout scanners at supermarkets and convenience stores in more than 74,000 outlets across Britain.
Apple Juice Phytochemicals May Help Asthma Sufferers
Filed Under News July 5, 2007
The European Respiratory Journal’s latest issue reports that drinking apple juice daily may reduce wheezing in children suffering from asthma. The UPI reports that the research was conducted by the National Heart and Lung Institute of Great Britain
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease. Asthma causes the airway to become constricted and inflamed. This usually happens from some sort of trigger. The trigger can be cold or warm and humid air, allergens, pollutants in the air, exercise, or stress. In children, asthma triggers are usually viruses such as a cold.
A researcher said that phytochemicals in apples could be the reason for the effectiveness of apple juice, UPI reports. The phytochemicals could reduce inflammation in the trachea. This inflammation is a common trait in both wheezing incidents and asthma. Researchers do not know why apples eaten whole don’t provide the same benefit.
Phytochemicals include flavonoids that are being researched the world over for their health benefits. Some studies have shown flavonoids to be effective at protecting cells from damage and from hardening of the arteries. Excellent sources of flavonoids are both green and white tea, onions, and cooked tomatoes. UPI reports that asthma researcher Dr. Mike Thomas told the BBC in an interview that some evidence suggests that a diet rich in anti-oxidants in general is effective for people who suffer from asthma.
The UPI reports that the University of Aberdeen in Scotland released a related report recently. The report stated that pregnant women who consume large amounts of apples could protect their baby from developing asthma.
Antioxidants may help reduce chemotherapy effects
Filed Under News July 5, 2007
U.S. researchers say antioxidants may reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy.
The report, which is to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago next week, said antioxidants may improve survival rates and tumor response by helping patients complete prescribed treatment cycles, The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment said Friday in a release.
In 18 of 30 studies evaluated, patients who received oral or intravenous antioxidant supplements experienced significantly lower toxicity. The report said glutathione, melatonin and vitamin E showed the most consistent and promising effects. Vitamin A was the only antioxidant that showed significantly greater toxicity.
Dr. Keith I. Block, co-founder and medical/scientific director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, was the lead author. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, co-wrote the report.
