Nuts about walnuts

Sprinkle some walnuts on your salad this evening. Your heart will thank you.

When it comes to heart health benefits, roasted and raw walnuts rule the roost, a new study shows.

Researchers from the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa., compared the amount of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in nine types of roasted and raw nuts and two types of peanut butter. They also tested just how effective the antioxidants in the nuts are in regard to heart health using lab analysis.

A clear winner emerged from the nutty bunch: the walnut.

The findings appear in the journal Food & Function.

Whether roasted or raw, walnuts beat the competition. Walnuts were loaded with the highest amount of polyphenols. These compounds are believed to reduce heart disease risk by lowering levels of blood cholesterol, improving blood flow, and cooling the inflammation that’s been linked to heart disease. What’s more, nuts -- which are high in fat -- don’t necessarily lead to weight gain.

Walnuts not only have the most polyphenols, but they also have the most potent polyphenols, the researchers say.

Raw and roasted nut runner-ups
After raw walnuts, polyphenol amounts found in nuts in descending order are:

1. Brazil nuts
2. Pistachios
3. Pecans
4. Peanuts
5. Almonds
6. Macadamia nuts
7. Cashews
8. Hazelnuts

Among roasted nuts, the runners-up were:

1. Brazil nuts
2. Hazelnuts
3. Peanuts
4. Pecans
5. Cashews
6. Macadamia nuts
7. Almonds
8. Pistachios

The bottom line?

“Nuts are a nutritious snack and food additive, providing both nutrients and ... antioxidants, which provide significant health benefits,” the study authors conclude.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756486?sssdmh=dm1.748809&src=nldne

Structured exercise good for type 2 diabetics

Structured exercise training, including aerobic, resistance, or both, is linked to a greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in patients with diabetes, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Current guidelines recommend that patients with type 2 diabetes should perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and should perform resistance exercise 3 times per week," write Daniel Umpierre, MSc, from the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre in Brazil, and colleagues.

The investigators searched MEDLINE, Cochrane-CENTRAL, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, LILACS, and SPORTDiscus databases from January 1980 through February 2011 and retrieved 4191 articles. Inclusion criteria were enrollment of patients with type 2 diabetes in randomized controlled trials lasting at least 12 weeks that compared change in haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels with structured exercise training or physical activity advice vs a control group. Structured exercise training regimens could include aerobic and/or resistance training, or both, and physical activity advice could be given with or without dietary cointervention.

Two independent reviewers extracted data and evaluated quality of the 47 included randomized controlled trials, which enrolled a total of 8538 participants. A random-effects model allowed determination of pooled mean differences in HbA1c levels between the intervention and control groups.

Compared with control participants, those assigned to structured exercise training (23 studies) had a reduction in HbA1c level of −0.67% (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.84% to −0.49%; I2 , 91.3%). Furthermore, reductions in HbA1c levels vs control participants were observed with structured aerobic exercise (−0.73%; 95% CI, −1.06% to −0.40%; I2 , 92.8%), structured resistance training (−0.57%; 95% CI, −1.14% to −0.01%; I2 , 92.5%), and both combined (−0.51%; 95% CI, −0.79% to −0.23%; I2 , 67.5%).

Decrease in HbA1c levels was 0.89% for structured exercise durations of more than 150 minutes per week vs 0.36% for structured exercise durations of 150 minutes per week or less.

In 24 studies of physical activity advice, this particular intervention was associated with lower HbA1c levels vs the control group (−0.43%; 95% CI, −0.59% to −0.28%; I2 , 62.9%). For combined physical activity advice and dietary advice, reduction in HbA1c level vs control was −0.58% (95% CI, −0.74% to −0.43%; I2 , 57.5%), whereas physical activity advice alone was not associated with changes in HbA1c level.

"Structured exercise training that consists of aerobic exercise, resistance training, or both combined is associated with HbA1c reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes," the study authors write.

Limitations of this study include unblinded data extraction, creating potential bias; a high degree of heterogeneity in the meta-analyses; and generally low quality of the studies, reflecting an increased risk for bias in some studies.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior partially supported this study. Two of the study authors have disclosed various financial relationships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Servier, Abbott, Aventis, Bioassist, and/or Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Pahor is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/742225

Virgin olive oil and fish oils fight acute pancreatitis

Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol – present in a particularly high concentration in virgin olive oil– and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids – found in fish – affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology. Therefore, oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol can be considered potential functional ingredients, as they may prevent or mitigate this disease.

Such was the conclusion drawn in a study conducted by a research group at the University of Granada Physiology Department, where the researchers examined the role of the Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage.

These scientists developed an in vitro experimental model that allows scientist to evaluate how changes in the membrane fatty acid composition in vivo –caused by a change in the type of fat ingested– affect the ability of cells to respond to induced oxidative-inflammatory damage with cerulein (acute pancreatitis).

This is the first study to examine how fatty acids and antioxidants affect the cellular mechanisms that respond to local inflammation in the pancreas. The University of Granada scientists have evaluated the role of antioxidants from a preventive approach, that is, by using an experimental model in mice in which cell damage is induced after pretreatment with these nutritional components.

The author of this study, María Belén López Millán affirms that “there is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes. The antioxidant (phenolic compounds) and antiinflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids) effects of diet components (nutrients and bioactive compounds) prevent/mitigate the pathological incidence of oxidative-inflammatory processes”.

The author reminds us that the Mediterranean diet has been recognized by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage “and it is important to provide scientific evidence that explains its beneficial effects on health”.

The results of this study –which has been coordinated by professors Mariano Mañas Almendros, María Dolores Yago Torregrosa and María Dolores Mesa García– have been partially published in the journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.

Source: http://scienceblog.com/51249/virgin-olive-oil-fish-fatty-acids-help-prevent-acute-pancreatitis/

Gold kiwifruit reduces cold symptoms

Adding gold kiwifruit to your diet may lead to less suffering from symptoms of common illnesses such as colds, research suggests.

A study led by Plant & Food Research has shown that eating gold kiwifruit is beneficial in reducing some cold symptoms in healthy, older people (65 years+). The research, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, shows that eating gold kiwifruit daily significantly reduced the duration and severity of some cold symptoms, including sore throats and head congestion.

“This study shows that the micronutrients provided by regular eating of gold kiwifruit appear to be important in reducing symptoms of colds and other upper respiratory infections,” says Dr Denise Hunter, one of the researchers involved with the study. “While we do not know what compounds produce these results, these findings suggest that eating gold kiwifruit on a regular basis throughout the winter period may reduce the severity of some cold symptoms.”

“This study shows that eating certain fruits can have measurable effects on the health and wellness of an individual,” says Dr Kieran Elborough, General Manager Science, Food Innovation. “This research demonstrates that gold kiwifruit are a functional whole food, providing a level of protection against the symptoms of cold and flu. This supports our ongoing research into functional foods from fruits and vegetables that enhance the wellness of individuals, either as whole foods or as functional ingredients.”

The 20 week study was conducted over the winter and spring period, and tracked the health of 37 healthy older people. The participants were asked to eat four ZESPRI® GOLD Kiwifruit daily for four weeks then switch to banana (or vice versa) with a four week kiwifruit/banana free period prior to each treatment period. Blood samples were tested for levels of plasma antioxidants and changes to immune function at the beginning, end and every four weeks throughout the study.

The results showed a reduction in self-reported cold symptoms with gold kiwifruit compared to banana, with sore throat symptoms reducing from 5.4 to 2.0 days and head congestion from 4.7 to 0.9 days. Head congestion symptoms were also reported to be less severe during the gold kiwifruit period. Consumption of gold kiwifruit also led to higher concentrations of plasma vitamin C and antioxidants, as well as maintaining normal levels of plasma immune and inflammatory factors.

The research was funded by ZESPRI® International Limited, and was conducted in association with the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health at Massey University. ‘Hort16A’, marketed as ZESPRI® Gold Kiwifruit, was developed by Plant & Food Research, and the Institute receives a royalty based on sales.

A presentation of the research, recorded at the Functional Food Symposium 2011, can be found at www.youtube.com/plantandfood.

Denise C. Hunter, Margot A. Skinner, Frances M. Wolber, Chris L. Booth, Jacelyn M. S. Loh, Mark Wohlers, Lesley M. Stevenson and Marlena C. Kruger Consumption of gold kiwifruit reduces severity and duration of selected upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and increases plasma vitamin C concentration in healthy older adults. British Journal of Nutrition, Available on CJO 2011 doi:10.1017/S0007114511006659


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Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1112/S00075/gold-kiwifruit-each-day-reduce-cold-symptoms.htm 

Eggs offer many health benefits

Perhaps you've skipped this breakfast gem for fear of raising your cholesterol. Free yourself from that misconception and indulge in the treasure that a good ol' egg has to offer. Three eggs per day over a 12-week period for obese participants on a carbohydrate restricted diet actually lowered the bad LDL cholesterol and raised the good HDL(1). Another study showed that two eggs per day for six weeks did not affect cholesterol levels or brachial artery endothelial function (2). Yet another study demonstrated that people eating equal to or more than 4 eggs per week had lower cholesterol levels than those eating less than or one egg per week (3).

That aside, eggs are packed with vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6, B9, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline (4). Now, when you think choline, think brains and babies. One egg supplies 20% of the daily recommended intake of choline, and it is used as a building block for phospholipids used in all cell membranes and is particularly integral in brain and nerve health. Share with all pregnant women you know that choline from eggs is essential for proper fetal brain development and decreased neural tube defects, and it is a necessary constituent in breast milk. In addition, choline proves important in: memory function, reducing breast cancer risk, and maintaining normal homocysteine levels. It also lowers: plasma C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin 6. In fact, in one study, lack of dietary choline resulted in fatty liver, muscle damage and some organ dysfunction (5).

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the carotenoids that imbue the bright sunshine to the yolk, so think eyes and a healthy macula when the rays beam your way. Lutein levels from eggs beat both cooked spinach and lutein supplements by three times in blood serum, and 12 weeks of eating eggs increased subjects' zeaxanthin serum levels and macular pigment (6,7).

Tryptophan and tyrosine are two amino acid egg antioxidants. Tryptophan, with a little help from a carbohydrate meal, crosses the blood brain barrier and is converted to serotonin. Serotonin, a potent mood enhancer (as many anti-depressants induce elevated levels of) can be then converted in the pineal gland to melatonin, which promotes sleepiness(8). Tyrosine is a precursor to epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and thyroid hormones all modulating your go-go, good feelings, and alertness.

Now before you go out and buy out the market, keep in mind that pasture raised, free-grazing hens produce a superior quality egg and are less prone to salmonella contamination (9). Free hens lay eggs with 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta-carotene, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, and 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids (10).

A great bargain, eggs are easy on the wallet and packed with goodness. So, be brave, be an egghead, and see what these capsules of dense nutrition can do for you.

1.Mutungi G, Ratliff J, Puglisi M, et al. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet. J Nutr 2008;138:272-6.
2.http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...
3.Song WO, Kerver JM. Nutritional contribution of eggs to American diets. J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:556S-62S.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)
5.http://www.cholineinfo.org/pdf/you_...
6.http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/...
7.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136...
8.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypto...
9. http://www.naturalchoices.co.uk/Sal...
10. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real...

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034557_eggs_health_benefits_cholesterol.html#ixzz1iXvx3CGM

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Tamiflu-resistant influenza virus spreading in Australia

A variation of the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) influenza virus that is resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu, Roche) appears to be spreading in Australia, at least in the state of New South Wales, according to a letter to the editor published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The report adds extra weight to a recent analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that shows an uptick in the same oseltamivir-resistant influenza strain in the United States. If such resistance becomes widespread, it would deprive clinicians of a tried and true antiviral drug to treat serious influenza infections.

The 2 new studies on antiviral resistance comes on the heels of a CDC report released December 23 that describes yet another way in which influenza viruses are mutating. The CDC has disclosed that since July 2011, 12 patients have been infected with a swine-origin A(H3N2) virus that borrows a gene from the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus (the latter virus is now considered seasonal, and seasonal influenza vaccines are designed to guard against it).

In the Australian study, 29 (16%) of 182 patients infected with the pandemic influenza virus between May 2011 and August 2011 harbored a version of the virus that was oseltamivir-resistant, write Aeron Hurt, PhD, a researcher at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues. The 182 patients hailed from the New England–Hunter region of New South Wales. Of the 29 patients with the oseltamivir-resistant virus, only 1 had received the antiviral medicine before a virus sample was collected.

According to earlier studies, the oseltamivir-resistant virus is detected in less than 1% of patients with the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus who have not been treated previously with the antiviral. In addition, "transmission has been documented only in closed settings or settings involving close contact with infected persons."

Among the patients with the resistant strain, 2 had shared a short car ride, and 8 belonged to 4 households with 2 members each. The remaining 19 patients had no known epidemiological link with each other. Most of the 29 patients lived within 31 miles of the city of Newcastle.

The virus strains of these 29 patients were closely related, "suggesting the spread of a single variant," Dr. Hurt and colleagues write.

Although the virus was resistant to oseltamivir, it was still susceptible to the antiviral medication zanamivir (Relenza, GlaxoSmithKline).

The Australian study was conducted during that country's influenza season, coinciding with winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The authors write that as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, public health authorities there should rapidly analyze pandemic virus strains from the outset to determine whether an oseltamivir-resistant version is spreading.

Resistant strains in the United States no longer linked to prior drug exposure
Public health authorities in the United States do not need too much nudging to watch for antiviral resistance. On December 19, Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC journal, published an article online reporting that from October 2010 through July 2011, 1.0% of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains tested resistant to oseltamivir, up from 0.5% during the 2009 to 2010 influenza season.

Although the increase is small, the epidemiology behind the numbers suggests a low level of community transmission of the rogue virus, according to the authors. During the 2009 to 2010 influenza season, most patients with the resistant virus had been previously exposed to the antiviral drug, and many were severely immunocompromised, which may have increased the risk of developing resistance during oseltamivir treatment. During the 2010 to 2011 period, however, the opposite was true: most patients with the resistant virus had no history of oseltamivir exposure.

The authors call the rise of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains with oseltamivir resistance "concerning," in light of how prepandemic versions had mutated to gain this edge. They note that the prevalence of such oseltamivir-resistant strains had risen to 12% in the 2007 to 2008 influenza season, and had topped 99% in the 2008 to 2009 season. This increase was not linked to prior exposure to the antiviral drug.

The loss of oseltamivir from the clinical arsenal would leave physicians and patients with only 1 effective antiviral drug, zanamivir, to treat a severe infection caused by the pandemic virus now in seasonal circulation, write the authors. They note that more than 99% of the strains of this virus are "inherently resistant" to the adamantane family of antivirals.

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Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756204?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne

Yerba Mate linked to higher bone density in women

Postmenopausal women who consumed yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tea had higher bone mineral density (BMD) compared with women who did not drink the tea, Andrea Conforti, MD, from the Program for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Mendoza, Argentina, and colleagues report in the January 2012 issue of Bone.

Yerba mate is a xanthine-containing beverage that is popular in South America. It may be prepared as an infusion of dried leaves steeped in hot water and then filtered. More commonly, it is consumed through a metal straw inserted into a dried gourd containing the leaves, over which hot water is poured repeatedly, and it was these users who were included in the study. By this method, the tea contains caffeine at a concentration of about 330 mg/L.

In this cross-sectional, observational study, investigators identified postmenopausal women in the osteoporosis program who drank at least 1 L of yerba mate tea daily for at least 5 years (n = 146) and matched them by age and time since menopause with an equal number of women who did not drink yerba mate tea. Both groups were fairly sedentary, defined as not being in a program of physical exercise.

The 2 groups were well matched for age, time since menopause, height, body mass, and calcium intake. However, the tea drinkers had a body mass index 1.1 kg/m² greater than the nondrinkers.

Current or former cigarette smokers, women who consumed more than 50 g of alcohol per week, those currently receiving hormone replacement therapy, those who had received bisphosphonate treatment for more than 6 months, or those who received chronic corticosteroid treatment were excluded.

One of the investigators, who was blinded to the yerba mate drinking status of each participant, performed the analysis of all the BMD measurements.

Measuring BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the researchers found that the tea drinkers had 9.7% greater lumbar spine BMD compared with non–tea drinkers (0.952 g/cm² vs 0.858 g/cm², respectively; P < .0001), as well as 6.2% greater femoral neck BMD (0.817 g/cm² vs 0.776 g/cm², respectively; P = .0002). By a multiple regression analysis, the researchers found that in addition to body mass index, drinking yerba mate tea was the only variable that significantly correlated with BMD at these sites (P = .0028).

Although the yerba mate group had higher lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD at all ages compared with control patients, the slopes of the regression lines for BMD vs age did not differ between the groups, indicating that loss of BMD over time was similar for the tea-drinkers and the control participants.

At the time of DXA scanning, the number of low-impact bone fractures was similar between the groups (13 for tea drinkers and 17 for control patients; P = .5637).

The authors conclude that chronic consumption of yerba mate tea was associated with greater BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, "suggesting a protective effect of this tea on bone mass of postmenopausal women." They also note that their earlier hypothesis that yerba mate consumption, based on other investigators' reports of a deleterious effect of caffeine on BMD, "should be rejected."

Limitations of the study are its retrospective nature, participants' self-reports of yerba mate consumption, and that the study participants were a selected population of postmenopausal women in a program for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. Results may not be generalizable to younger women, men, or children.

The study was supported by Obra Social de Empleados Públicos, Mendoza, Argentina. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756242?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne 

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