Scientific
Research
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Study: Folic Acid Reduces Heart
Attack, Stroke…
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| A new study
published in the British Medical Journal provides further
evidence that lowering levels of the amino acid homocysteine can
reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And, since the B
vitamin folic acid has been shown to reduce homocysteine levels,
“Increasing intake of folic acid would be a relatively cheap and
simple way of reducing heart disease,” according to researchers. The
researchers analyzed a variety of previously published studies and
concluded that homocysteine as
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a
cause of cardiovascular disease “explains the observations
from all the different types of study” and that “no single
alternative explanation can account for all the observations. Since
folic acid reduces homocysteine concentrations…it follows that
increasing folic acid consumption will reduce the risk of heart
attack and stroke by an amount related to the homocysteine reduction
achieved.” |
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 Acrylamide
Reduced in Wheat Crops… |
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According to a
recent report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry,
researchers at the University of Reading in the U.K. found that
wheat grown in fields low on sulfer had much higher concentrations
of asparagines – an amino acid that, along with sugars, forms
acrylamide during cooking. Acrylamide, a chemical linked to cancer
and other possible ill effects, naturally occurs during
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the
baking or frying process of starchy foods. Since being identified in
2002, scientists have tried to find ways to reduce or eliminate the
amount of Acrylamide in foods without losing the appealing flavor
that comes from browning. Researchers speculate that ensuring that
crops have plenty of sulfur could reduce acrylamide in foods without
changing the flavor. |
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 Citrus
Peel
Extract May Fight Diabetes... |
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Supplementing daily with an extract from citrus peel may help ward
off diabetes in humans, suggests an animal study. Polymethoxylated flavones(PMFs), extracted from citrus peel, have
been reported to help reduce cholesterol levels, but researchers
conducting this study claim it's the first to look in detail at the
benefits and report the positive effects on inflammation. For
the study, published in the journal Life Sciences (2006, vol. 79, no
4: 365-373), 28 hamsters on a
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fructose-rich diet (which induced
hyperglyceridimia and insulin resistance) were divided into four
groups and fed one of four diets: chow; a control fructose diet;
fructose plus low-dose PMFs (62.5 milligrams per kilograms body
weight per day); or fructose plus high-dose PMFs (125 milligrams per
kilograms body weight per day). After four weeks on these
diets, both PMF groups showed a significant decrease in serum
triglycerides and cholesterol levels compared to the fructose-fed
hamsters. |
