BBC NEWS | Health | Organic food ‘better’ for heart
Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops, US research suggests.A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant.
Flavonoids have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.
I have found that many organic products seem to taste better. Some would argue that I am imagining the difference, but so what? In my mind, the better taste justifies the added cost.
To me it only makes sense that I should be minimizing my intake of fertilizers and pesticides. I don’t need much other justification, though I am not surprised to find them.
ScienceDaily: Tart Cherries Can Alter Factors Linked To Heart Disease And Diabetes, Animal Study Suggests
Tart cherries may be good for more than just making pie, according to new data from an animal study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers and presented recently at a major scientific meeting.
Tart cherries may be good for more than just making pie, according to new data from an animal study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers and presented recently at a major scientific meeting. (Credit: Photo by Brian Prechtel; Courtesy of USDA/Agricultural Research Service)
In a study involving rats, the researchers report that animals that received powdered tart cherries in their diet had lower total cholesterol, lower blood sugar, less fat storage in the liver, lower oxidative stress and increased production of a molecule that helps the body handle fat and sugar, compared with rats that didn’t receive cherries as part of an otherwise similar diet. All of the rats had a predisposition toward high cholesterol and pre-diabetes, but not obesity.
I have been getting some very tart freeze-dried cherries for my megamuffins recently. Wonder if they work?
Dairy, Fruits And Veggies May Help Smokers Quit
Smokers reported that consuming milk, water, fruits and vegetables worsened the taste of cigarettes, while consuming alcohol, coffee and meat enhanced their taste, according to the scientists.The findings could lead to a “Quit Smoking Diet” or to development of a gum or lozenge that makes cigarettes less palatable, said lead study investigator Joseph McClernon, Ph.D., an assistant research professor of medical psychiatry at the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research.
“With a few modifications to their diet — consuming items that make cigarettes taste bad, such as a cold glass of milk, and avoiding items that make cigarettes taste good, like a pint of beer — smokers can make quitting a bit easier,” McClernon said.
No wonder smoking and bars go hand-in-hand. Problem for smokers is, it is so much easier to eat the things that contribute to smoking than those that help you quit.
Pomegranate Juice May Be Good For The Prostate And Heart, Reports The Harvard Men’s Health Watch
Two recent studies suggest that pomegranate juice may help fight prostate cancer. In one study, scientists grew cells from highly aggressive cases of human prostate cancer in tissue cultures. Pomegranate fruit extracts slowed the growth of the cultured cancer cells and promoted cell death. The researchers then implanted the cancer cells in mice. A group of mice that received water laced with pomegranate juice developed significantly smaller tumors than the untreated animals. In a preliminary study of men with prostate cancer, pomegranate juice lengthened patients’ PSA doubling time (the longer the doubling time, the slower the tumor is growing) from 15 months before treatment to 54 months on the juice.Preliminary results in test tubes, animals, and humans suggest that pomegranates may also have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. Studies show that pomegranate juice can protect LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidative damage. The juice has also been shown to slow the progression of plaques in mice with atherosclerosis. Results from two small clinical studies are even more intriguing, showing that carotid artery thickness decreased and cardiac blood flow improved in pomegranate juice drinkers. However, preliminary research also suggests that pomegranate juice may interact with certain medications, much like grapefruit juice does.
I have been alternating between pomegranate and grapefruit juice with breakfast.
When I fight authority, authority always wins. Part of the reason is that the “gummint” has access to nuclear weapons as well as the ability to garnish my wages. Yet many Americans ignore this and continue to fight authority.
Americans still refusing to eat their veggies - Diet & Nutrition - MSNBC.com
Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that’s remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday.That’s “well below” the government’s goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and three of vegetables each day by 2010, said Dr. Larry Cohen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our recommendation is to follow the government’s recommendation while it still is a recommendation. The last thing any of us needs is IRS agents coming around with fresh produce.
When I fight authority, authority always wins. Part of the reason is that the “gummint” has access to nuclear weapons as well as the ability to garnish my wages. Yet many Americans ignore this and continue to fight authority.
Americans still refusing to eat their veggies - Diet & Nutrition - MSNBC.com
Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that’s remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday.That’s “well below” the government’s goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and three of vegetables each day by 2010, said Dr. Larry Cohen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our recommendation is to follow the government’s recommendation while it still is a recommendation. The last thing any of us needs is IRS agents coming around with fresh produce.