With an increasing interest in herbal alternatives to reduce
menopause symptoms after recent warnings about the side-effects of
HRT, medical experts warn that many alternatives do not always have
much success. A report in this month's...
The capacity to mop up harmful oxygen free radicals seems to be
reduced in people with periodontal disease, finds research in this
month's Molecular Pathology. However it is not sure if
antioxidant supplements can improve symptoms...
Coffee drinking raises homocysteine levels and risk factors for
coronary heart disease, finds the latest research which fuels the
ongoing debate on coffee's impact on heart health. Dutch
researchers found that brewed coffee had...
Drinking grape juice may be a better alternative to taking
supplements, say researchers, who report that concord grape juice's
powerful antioxidant effects may offer extra benefits that
supplements do not.
Lifestyle risks for heart disease differ between men and women,
according to French researchers studying the effects of vitamin and
mineral supplements on heart health.
Folic acid could dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease,
deep vein thrombosis and stroke according to researchers in this
week's British Medical Journal. Scientists report that the
vitamin can reduce levels of homocysteine...
Chocolate may actually be good for you, suggests new research
confirming previous studies which show that the flavonols found in
certain chocolates and cocoa can have benefits for heart health.
US researchers reported findings this week from a vitamin E dose
response and time course study which could help supplement
manufacturers to select the appropriate dose of a particular
antioxidant ingredient or formula.
Low levels of lutein and zeaxanthin - carotenoids found in dark
green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale - could contribute
to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to researchers
who believe they have further...
News to demonstrate the need for European governments to focus on
the growing rates of obesity - a new study reveals previous figures
estimating healthcare costs were too conservative and that coronary
heart disease costs the UK a...
International clinical trials within Europe are being hamstrung by
red tape and disparate legal regulations in different countries,
the director-general of one of Europe's leading cancer research
organisations told a Frankfurt...
A scientific report recommends that healthy people should eat
omega-3 fatty acids, especially from fish, to protect their hearts.
The view follows fears of risks from high mercury levels in some
fish but recommends that for older...
Recent research suggests that coffee may be beneficial for heart
health. Now, a team of Swiss scientists say that it is ingredients
other than caffeine which are responsible for the stimulating
effects of the beverage on the cardiovascular...
Elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a blood-marker for
inflammation, is a better predictor of risk for heart attacks than
high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, report researchers
this week.
Many people recognise the dangers of binge and heavy consumption of
alcohol during pregnancy but new research suggests even moderate
drinking during pregnancy is harmful as it can cause both
behavioural and physiological deficits...
Despite the strong evidence suggesting that alcohol, and
particularly red wine, can promote heart health, a new study out
this week shows that drinking raises a woman's risk of breast
cancer by 6 per cent per drink. The British...
Dietary zeaxanthin plays an essential role in protecting the retina
from light damage, report researchers at the Schepens Eye Research
Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
in the US this month.
People who drink wine weekly or even monthly may reduce their risk
of developing dementia, according to new research from Denmark. The
scientists studied more than 1,700 people,aged 65 and over, and
compared their drinking habits...
People who drink coffee regularly are half as likely to develop
diabetes as adults, finds new research published in the latest
issue of British journal The Lancet. The controversial study
shows that caffeine, which actually reduces...
New research backs previous findings that show flaxseed to reduce
the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers from Duke University
Medical Center in the US report that a diet high in the omega-3
rich fibre seems to reduce the size, aggressiveness...
An international team of scientists, evaluating the effectiveness
of zinc therapy on Bangladeshi children, report significantly lower
rates of child morbidity, hospitalisation and non-injury death.
Eating fresh grapes provides the same heart-health benefits touted
for red wine, finds new research published this month by a group of
researchers from the University of Connecticut. The team found that
table grapes from California...
A Mediterranean-style diet could help reduce cardiovascular disease
in Asian populations, especially among Asian people living in
western countries, according to a study by researchers from India
and Israel published in The Lancet...
A team of US and UK-based scientists presented research about an
appetite-reducing hormone found naturally in the body this week.
The findings are seen as an important step towards creating an
obesity-fighting drug.
Yesterday we reported on a major study to investigate a potential
cancer drug based on red wine compounds. However there is also
evidence to show that wine can have harmful effects. Researchers in
France report that heavy wine drinkers...
A Hebrew University parasitologist claims to have shown that a
natural head lice remedy is more effective than the commonly-used
conventional medication. The study is published in the October
issue of the Journal of the Israel Medical...
The University of Leicester in the UK has been selected as one of
the first centres in the world to trial a revolutionary new cancer
prevention drug, based on a natural compound found in red wine.
PC-SPES, a dietary supplement taken by some men to treat prostate
cancer, may compromise the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs
for the disease, such as paclitaxel, according to a new study.
Consumption of garlic, chives, and other allium vegetables may be
associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to a
study carried out by researchers in Shanghai, China.
A Swedish researcher has found that nitric oxide, naturally present
in the body's immune system, may play a positive role in protecting
against tuberculosis. A supplement of the amino acid arginine,
which is found in peanuts,...
New research from Germany suggests that bread, a staple of many
diets, could be a rich source of antioxidants. The study identifies
the crust as a particularly good source of the cancer-fighting
compounds.
People who overeat may end up contributing to the poor health of
their grandchildren, according to Swedish researchers writing in
the current issue of the European Journal of Human Genetics.
Researchers from the US claim the essential mineral zinc may help
protect cells against oxidative damage. Not usually linked to
antioxidant properties, the scientists say that zinc may safeguard
red blood cell membranes against oxidative...
People already eating a healthy diet could lower their cholesterol
even further by using a margarine enriched with plant sterols. A
Japanese study published today reveals the potential heart health
benefits of Flora pro.activ, a functional...
As probiotics find increasing favour with food manufacturers a new
European funded study, PROGID, is set to investigate the impact of
two probiotic strains on easing the symptoms of inflammatory bowel
diseases (IBD).
A non-metallic element found in food and food supplements could
have an impact on the health of ex-smokers. According to a recent
study in the Netherlands, former smokers with high quantities of
selenium in their toenails experienced...
The UK Food Standards Agency is said to be drawing up proposals
which would require restaurants and hotels to provide nutritional
information on their food menus - and it is hoping to introduce the
same measures across Europe.
An EU-funded project has developed new tools that enable more
extensive and rapid analysis of our gut microbiota than has been
possible earlier. Better knowledge of the microbiota may help
scientists to prevent gut diseases or improve...
Worldwide, healthy life expectancy can be increased by five to 10
years if governments and individuals make combined efforts against
major health risks, the World Health Organisation said in its
yearly report this week. It identifies...
A low-cost, fortified, orange-flavoured drink can reduce Third
World deficiencies in essential nutrients such as iron, iodine and
vitamin A, according to new research from the US. The researchers
believe that when the new dietary...
Eating less helps us stay young, report researchers this week.
There is already much evidence to support the theory, but a new
study shows how reduction of calories slows down the ageing process
in the heart and identifies the genetic...
A group of European scientists meeting recently to review and
discuss current knowledge on vitamin E and promising lines of
future research concluded that the vitamin has been underestimated
in the past. They urged further research...
US researchers have discovered that a chemical called nornicotine,
naturally present in tobacco and also produced as a metabolite of
nicotine, may contribute to the pathology of diabetes, cancer,
ageing, and Alzheimer's disease.
Long-term treatment with glucosamine sulphate has been shown to
slow down the progression of knee osteoarthritis, according to a
study by Czech researchers published in the 14 October issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine.
Elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week are at
lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease,
finds a study in this week's British Medical Journal.
In a study in Tanzania, researchers have found that multivitamins
had an influential role in the pregnancies of the large proportion
of HIV-infected pregnant women. Vitamin supplementation
successfully prevented weight-loss, which...
Isoflavone-enriched soy proteins fail to increase bone mineral
density in young women, according to a new study by researchers at
the University of North Carolina in the US. While a small study,
the findings throw into doubt the claims...
With growing interest in the role played by genes on health, the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the US is conducting a
study, called DIGEST, to examine the interplay of genes and diet on
the body's detoxifying machinery.
