Protective Properties of Green Tea Uncovered

Photo by iStockphoto, Katarzyna Krawiec

Regularly drinking green tea could protect the brain against developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to latest research by scientists at Newcastle University.

The study, published in the academic journal Phytomedicine, also suggests this ancient Chinese remedy could play a vital role in protecting the body against cancer.

Led by Dr Ed Okello, the Newcastle team wanted to know if the protective properties of green tea -- which have previously been shown to be present in the undigested, freshly brewed form of the drink -- were still active once the tea had been digested.

Digestion is a vital process which provides our bodies with the nutrients we need to survive. But, says Dr Okello, it also means that just because the food we put into our mouths is generally accepted to contain health-boosting properties, we can't assume these compounds will ever be absorbed by the body.

"What was really exciting about this study was that we found when green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, the resulting chemicals are actually more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer's development than the undigested form of the tea," explains Dr Okello, based in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University.

SHOULD YOU DRINK COFFEE? IF SO WHAT KIND AND HOW?

by J.E. Block M.D., Phd, FACP

Coffee is consumed as a leisurely relaxing beverage with potential health benefits and a slight concern of harm. But what is the benefit and does it outweigh the risk?  I have been researching the answer for over fifty years. Now I think I have the solution! Coffee has over a thousand chemicals, many formed during the roasting process. The bioactive componds are “boiled down to” caffeine, the Diterpenes (Cafestol and Kahweol) found in the oils, the healthy polyphenols (notably chlorogenic acid), some minerals (a little magnesium and even less potassium) and minimal vitamins. A healthy aspect of coffee is the wonderful aroma, which lasts a few minutes after it is brewed. This is due to aromatic hydrocarbons in the coffee that are rapidly vaporized. In experiments with laboratory rats, it was discovered that coffee aroma orchestrated the expression of more than a dozen genes and changed their protein expression, in ways that reduced the stress of sleep deprivation. Seventy-five percent of coffee’s flavor is smell alone. The grounds remove 85% of heavy metals (lead, copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc) from tap water! They may also capture other heavy metals. Moreover, there are three preparations of coffee that are commonly consumed and worthy of discussion; boiled, unfiltered coffee, filtered coffee.

Manfaat Coklat bagi Kesehatan

source:  jayanegara.com

Kata coklat berasal dari xocoatl (bahasa suku Aztec) yang berarti minuman pahit. Suku Aztec dan Maya di Mexico percaya bahwa Dewa Pertanian telah mengirimkan coklat yang berasal dari surga kepada mereka. Cortes kemudian membawanya ke Spanyol antara tahun 1502-1528, dan oleh orang-orang Spanyol minuman pahit tersebut dicampur gula sehingga rasanya lebih enak. Coklat kemudian menyebar ke Perancis, Belanda dan Inggris. Pada tahun 1765 didirikan pabrik coklat di Massachusetts, Amerika Serikat.

Dalam perkembangannya coklat tidak hanya menjadi minuman tetapi juga menjadi snack yang disukai anak-anak, remaja, maupun orang dewasa. Selain rasanya enak, coklat ternyata berkhasiat membuat umur seseorang menjadi lebih panjang. Suatu studi epidemiologis telah dilakukan pada mahasiswa Universitas Harvard yang terdaftar antara tahun 1916-1950. Dengan menggunakan food frequency questionnaire berhasil dikumpulkan informasi tentang kebiasaan makan permen atau coklat pada mahasiswa Universitas Harvard.

Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence

Although there is a concern regarding the safety of soy food consumption among breast cancer survivors, researchers have found that women in China who had breast cancer and a higher intake of soy food had an associated lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA.

"Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients," the authors write.

Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues examined the association between soy isoflavone intake with breast cancer recurrence and survival. The researchers analyzed data from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based study of 5,042 female breast cancer survivors in China. Women ages 20 to 75 years with diagnoses of breast cancer between March 2002 and April 2006 were recruited and followed up through June 2009. Information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, lifestyle exposures after cancer diagnosis, and disease progression was collected at approximately 6 months after cancer diagnosis and was reassessed at three follow-up interviews conducted at 18, 36, and 60 months after diagnosis. A Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry database was used to obtain survival information for participants who were lost to follow-up.

Music Therapy for Health and Wellness

Music has been studied as an integrative therapy for many conditions.

by Catherine Ulbricht, Pharm.D. 

Source : anneahira.com

Being a pharmacist, you may think I would always suggest a bottle of something for what ails you. However, first and foremost, I believe in the “do no harm” motto when it comes to healthcare. To me, that means to first try the least invasive route to feeling your best as possible, like a stress-preventing measure, special diet, or exercise program before popping a “magic pill.” Lifestyle changes can help prevent adverse effects and interactions associated with some drugs, herbs, and supplements. It may be a cost-effective and comparatively safe addition to your health and wellness regimen. “Do no harm” to your pocketbook as well.For most people, music is an important part of daily life. Some rely on music to get them through the morning commute, while others turn up a favorite playlist to stay pumped during a workout. Many folks even have the stereo on when they’re cooking a meal, taking a shower, or folding the laundry.

Music is often linked to mood. A certain song can make us feel happy, sad, energetic, or relaxed. Because music can have such an impact on a person’s mindset and well-being, it should come as no surprise that music therapy has been studied for use in managing numerous medical conditions. 

New Antioxidants Are 100 Times More Effective Than Vitamin E

L-ascorbic-acid-3D-balls. Source: en.wikipedia.org

An international team of chemists has developed a new family of antioxidants that are up to 100 times more effective than Vitamin E. "Vitamin E is nature's antioxidant and people have been trying to improve upon it for more than 20 years with only marginal success. We have taken a very big step in the right direction," says Ned A. Porter, the Stevenson Chair of Chemistry at Vanderbilt. He supervised the development, which was published in the European journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The university has a patent pending on the new compounds.

Antioxidants are molecules that can counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues and other materials. So far, the new antioxidants have been tested "in vitro" in the test tube. But studies with biological molecules, such as cholesterol, suggest that the new compounds have properties that could make them suitable for dietary supplements. Shortly, Vanderbilt researchers expect to begin the lengthy process of determining how effective the new the compounds are in living animals and whether they have any harmful side effects.

Extract Of Broccoli Sprouts May Protect Against Bladder Cancer

Source : naturalhealth365.com

A concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal model by more than half, according to a report in the March 1 issue of Cancer Research. This finding reinforces human epidemiologic studies that have suggested that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is associated with reduced risk for bladder cancer, according to the study's senior investigator, Yuesheng Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. "Although this is an animal study, it provides potent evidence that eating vegetables is beneficial in bladder cancer prevention," he said.

Soy Isoflavones Not a Risk for Breast Cancer Survivors

Source : wellbody.net

Soy food consumption did not increase the risk of cancer recurrence or death among survivors of breast cancer, according to the results of a study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6.

Researchers investigated the association between soy food intake and breast cancer outcomes among survivors, using data from a multi-institution collaborative study, the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project.

"There has been widespread concern about the safety of soy food for women with breast cancer," said lead researcher Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Soy foods contain large amounts of isoflavones that are known to bind to estrogen receptors and have both estrogen-like and anti-estrogenic effects. There are concerns that isoflavones may increase the risk of cancer recurrence among breast cancer patients because they have low estrogen levels due to cancer treatment. We're particularly concerned that isoflavones may compromise the effect of tamoxifen on breast cancer treatment because both tamoxifen and isoflavones bind to estrogen receptors."

More Evidence That Spicing Up Broccoli Boosts Its Cancer-Fighting Power

source : bingcookingsecrets.com

Teaming fresh broccoli with a spicy food that contains the enzyme myrosinase significantly enhances each food's individual cancer-fighting power and ensures that absorption takes place in the upper part of the digestive system where you'll get the maximum health benefit, suggests a new University of Illinois study.

"To get this effect, spice up your broccoli with broccoli sprouts, mustard, horseradish, or wasabi. The spicier, the better; that means it's being effective," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of nutrition. In the study, when fresh broccoli sprouts were eaten with broccoli powder, the scientists were able to measure bioactive compounds in the blood 30 minutes later. When these peaked at three hours, they were much higher when the foods were eaten together than when either was eaten alone. Urine samples corroborated the blood results, said Jenna Cramer, lead author of the study.

Olive Leaves / Extract For Diabetes And Weight Loss

By J E Block M.D., PhD,FACP

Eating carbohydrates raises your blood sugar; and you probably know you need to avoid them.  But that’s not quite as easy as it sounds, is it? What if there was an easy, natural way to decrease the effect of carbohydrates on your blood sugar? A way that would let you eat a few carbohydrates without suffering the consequences – would you be interested? 

A study from Israel, the land of olive trees, has found that the leaves from olive trees contain several biologically active compounds that have the ability to lower blood sugar. The researchers took 79 men and women with type-2 diabetes, and divided them into two groups. For 14 weeks, one group took just one 500 mg tablet of olive leaf extract each day, while the others took a placebo. Guess what? The patients treated with olive leaf extract had significantly lower A1c levels, indicating that their body was controlling their blood sugar much better than the placebo group. This was without any changes in their diets. They also had lower fasting insulin levels when they woke up in the morning. Now to me, this is even more interesting. 

Polyphenol Antioxidants Inhibit Iron Absorption

Health benefits from polyphenol antioxidants -- substances found in many fruits and vegetables -- may come at a cost to some people. Penn State nutritional scientists found that eating certain polyphenols decreased the amount of iron the body absorbs, which can increase the risk of developing an iron deficiency.

"Polyphenols have been known to have many beneficial effects for human health, such as preventing or delaying certain types of cancer, enhancing bone metabolism and improving bone mineral density, and decreasing risk of heart disease," said Okhee Han, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. "But so far, not many people have thought about whether or not polyphenols affect nutrient absorption."

Growers Can Boost Benefits of Broccoli and Tomatoes

A University of Illinois study has demonstrated that agronomic practices can greatly increase the cancer-preventive phytochemicals in broccoli and tomatoes.

"We enriched preharvest broccoli with different bioactive components, then assessed the levels of cancer-fighting enzymes in rats that ate powders made from these crops," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

The highest levels of detoxifying enzymes were found in rats that ate selenium-treated broccoli. The amount of one of the cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli was six times higher in selenium-enriched broccoli than in standard broccoli powder, she said.

Selenium-treated broccoli was also most active in the liver, reaching a level of bioactivity that exceeded the other foods used in the experiment. "We were intrigued to find that selenium initiated this amount of bioactivity," she said.

Nature's Pharmacy Is Full of Surprises

Millions of Americans are turning to plants and other natural remedies to boost their general health as well as to treat everything from colds and hot flashes to headache and depression. Here's how to use them wisely.

Source : ukardc.org

When in the movie You've Got Mail, brainy bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly (played by America's sweetheart Meg Ryan) comes down with a miserable cold, what does she do? The same thing that millions of other Americans are doing these days: she reaches for the echinacea.

Welcome to the era of flower power. Today, natural therapy is blooming all over the U.S. Dissatisfied with conventional medicine's bureaucracy and coldness, Americans are turning to alternative therapies in record numbers. According to a issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, more patients are visiting alternative practitioners than primary care M.D.s. "People want that sense that they are being heard, listened to and understood," says Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the Austin, Texas-based American Botanical Council, a nonprofit organization devoted to researching the effects of plants. "That's something that conventional medicine can't do, because it can't afford to."

Manfaat Jambu Biji

Jambu biji memang tidak setenar jeruk atau semahal apel. Jika Anda berpikir jeruk adalah yang terbaik untuk vitamin C, Anda perlu mencoba jambu biji. 

Satu jambu biji memiliki 165 miligram (mg) vitamin C. Sementara, satu jeruk hanya mengandung 69 mg saja. Kandungan vitamin C pada jambu biji ini efektif dalam mengobati infertilitas pria. Di bawah kulitnya yang hijau, jambu biji memiliki banyak manfaat yang ditawarkan. Satu buah jambu sehari berguna mengurangi resiko penyakit mulai dari flu biasa, gusi bengkak, tekanan darah tinggi, obesitas, diabetes sampai kanker. 

Kekuatan Mengobati Diri Sendiri

Setiap manusia memiliki kekuatan untuk mengobati diri dari berbagai penyakit, termasuk yang ganas seperti kanker. Namun tak semua orang menyadari potensi itu. Semua benar yang jelas adalah bahwa kita mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengobati diri sendiri dengan berbagai cara dengan kekuatan pikiran bawah sadar banyak orang yang sudah mengalami kesembuhan dengan sendirinya.

Sudah tak terhitung berapa kali Irma Rahayu bolak-balik ke dokter untuk mengobati penyakitnya. Usut punya usut, penyakitnya berpangkal dari masalah pribadi yang tidak terselesaikan. Bersama temannya, Irma mencari metode pengobatan namun tak membuahkan hasil. Sampai akhirnya, Irma menemukan titik terang ketika ia mendalami kembali Alquran yang sering menyebutkan mengenai membenahi energi dan emosi. Keyakinan Irma semakin menguat setelah ia membaca banyak buku medis dan kedokteran. “Di situ disebutkan, 90 persen orang sakit disebabkan faktor emosi yang tidak beres.” 

Wonders of Coffee and Tea

Coffee And Tea Can Reduce The Risk Of Chronic Liver Disease

A study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found that people at high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce their risk for developing chronic liver disease significantly by drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily. This preventative effect was only seen in people at higher risk for liver disease due to heavy alcohol intake, being overweight or having diabetes or iron overload. This is the first study to take a prospective look at the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and chronic liver disease in the general U.S. Population.

"While it is too soon to encourage patients to increase their coffee and tea intake, the findings of our study potentially offer people at high-risk for developing chronic liver disease a practical way to decrease that risk," said Constance E. Ruhl, MD, PhD, who conducted the study with colleague, James E. Everhart, MD, MPH. "In addition, we hope the findings will offer guidance to researchers who are studying liver disease progression."

Benefits of Apples

Bad Cholesterol Can Be Reduced By An Apple Every Day

An apple a day keeps the doctor away seems to be proving right with every passing day as among older people there has been evidence of apples reducing cholesterol, according to a new study.

The study was conducted at the Florida State University where two groups of older women were taken. One group was given dried prunes every single day for about a year and the other group was made to eat an apple every single day.

Green Tea And The 'Asian Paradox'

There is a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer in Asia where people smoke heavily, which may be accounted for by high consumption of tea, particularly green tea, according to a review article published by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

"We do not yet have a full explanation for the 'Asian paradox,' which refers to the very low incidence of both heart disease and cancer in Asia, even though consumption of cigarettes is greater than in most other countries," said Bauer Sumpio, M.D., professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery. "But we now have some theories." 

New Evidence That Green Tea May Help Fight Glaucoma and Other Eye Diseases

iStockphoto By Lilli Day

Scientists have confirmed that the healthful substances found in green tea -- renowned for their powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties -- do penetrate into tissues of the eye. Their new report, the first documenting how the lens, retina, and other eye tissues absorb these substances, raises the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases.

Green Tea Could Modify the Effect of Cigarette Smoking On Lung Cancer Risk

Drinking green tea could modulate the effect of smoking on lung cancer.

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths in Taiwan," said I-Hsin Lin, M.S., a student at Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan. "Tea, particularly green tea, has received a great deal of attention because tea polyphenols are strong antioxidants, and tea preparations have shown inhibitory activity against tumorigenesis."

However, previous studies of green tea have been inhibited by the flaws of the epidemiologic model with its inherent biases. Lin and colleagues enrolled 170 patients with lung cancer and 340 healthy patients as controls. The researchers administered questionnaires to obtain demographic characteristics, cigarette smoking habits, green tea consumption, dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, cooking practices and family history of lung cancer. They also performed genotyping on insulin-like growth factors as polymorphisms on the following insulin-like growth factors: IGF1, IGF2 and IGFBP3, which have all been reported to be associated with cancer risk.