Archive for December, 2007

Organic Fruit Juices Contain Up To Ten Times More Flavonoids

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Research at Washington State University supported by The Organic Center has led to the first-ever assessment of the bioavailability of the chiral flavonoids hesperetin, naringenin, and eriodictyol — important antioxidants in citrus fruits and juices. Dr. Neal Davies leads the research team at WSU. Using sensitive techniques, they measured the levels of three [...]

Antioxidants Help Combat Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Associated with Diabetes

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), are a normal consequence of cell respiration and other biological processes. Our bodies make antioxidants to neutralize ROS, and we consume other antioxidants through the diet that help neutralize free radicals and limit their damage to cell walls and DNA. Organic production increases antioxidant levels by, [...]

More research needed for antioxidants

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Ming Hu from the University of Houston issues “a call to arms” for more relevant research into the bioavailability and utilisation of the antioxidants, particularly polyphenols, in order to help “the successful development of polyphenols as chemopreventive agents in the future”.
A vast body of epidemiological studies has linked increased dietary intake of antioxidants from fruits [...]

Almond Phytochemicals

Saturday, December 8th, 2007

Almond’s contain phytochemicals such as sphingolipid, beta-sitosterol, daucosterol, uridine, and adenosine.
Almond also contain’s a protein called amandin. Amandin is a legumin type protein characterized by a sedimentation value of 14S. It is composed of two major types of polypeptides with estimated molecular weights of 42-46 and 20-22 kDa linked via disulfide bonds. Amandin is not [...]

Microwave Cooking Destroys Flavonoids

Friday, December 7th, 2007

Steaming the best way to cook vegetables and microwaving them is the worst, according to a study that compared the nutrients left in broccoli cooked in different ways.
Cristina Garc’a-Viguera’s team at CEBAS-CSIC, one of Spain’s scientific research council centres, in Murcia, measured the levels of antioxidants such as flavonoids left in Broccoli after steaming, pressure [...]

Antioxidants May Prevent Fat Cell Formation

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

Reent research from Taiwan suggests that antioxidants put a halt to fat cell formation, at least in a laboratory.
In the study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 15 phenolic acids and six flavonoids were exposed to mouse cells. Phenolic acids and flavonoids are classes of potent plant chemicals that exert multiple health [...]

Antioxidant Activity of Wild Strawberries

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Dr. Shiow Y. Wang, a plant physiologist and biochemist at the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, led a recent study that investigated the antioxidant capacity and anticancer activity of multiple species of wild strawberries. According to Dr. Wang, “antioxidants are natural plant chemicals that play an important role in promoting human health. [...]