Scientific Research  
 

 
Study: Folic Acid       Reduces Heart Attack, Stroke

                                                
    

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

 

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.”

Acrylamide Reduced in Wheat Crops…

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

 

 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.

Citrus Peel
Extract May Fight Diabetes...
          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 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.

 

 
 
 
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