Important Research On How Antioxidants From Tea
(Polyphenols-EGCG) Are Beneficial For Diabetes
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) could play a role in
attenuating low density lipoprotein (LDL) and glycation
in high-glucose, diabetes-like conditions.
Polyphenols such as the catechin EGCG are understood
to make up around 30 per cent of the dry leaf weight for
green tea; EGCG is thought to be one of the most beneficial
catechins. Recent research on its benefits for diverse conditions
such as arthritis, mental distress, oral health and weight loss.
A body of research has already investigated a possible link
between green tea consumption and diabetes risk, and
tea-drinking may bring modest benefits for glucose homeostasis
and help keep the cardiovascular system healthy.
For a new study in the journal Food Chemistry, researchers from
Taiwan set out to determine the anti-oxidant and antiglycation
effects of EGCG under high glucose conditions that diabetes.
To mimic the in vivo situation, the human plasma was
preincubated with EGCG. The LDL was then isolated and
its resistance to oxidation was challenged.
The researchers observed an effective increase in LDL
resistance to oxidation; a dose-dependent inhibition of HG-
mediated long-term glycation of LDL to oxidation was also
observed in the LDL-bound ECGC.
"This study suggests that loading plasma with EGCG is an
efficient way to increase the content of this phytochemical in
LDL, which may imply favourable in vivo activity of EGCG in
diabetes," they wrote in Food Chemistry.
They observed a different mechanism at work from conventional
biological activities shown by polyphenols (free radical scavenging
and chelating action for metal ions). It seemed to possess a
"rather specific and somewhat different degree of antiglycative
action and lipoprotein binding activity."
Source: Food Chemistry
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) binds to low-density lipoproteins
(LDL) and protects them from oxidation and glycation under
high-glucose conditions mimicking diabetes
SIMPLY BETTER HEALTH
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Vitamins D & E Show Brain Benefits
Research Demonstrates How Antioxidants,Carotenoids and
Vitamins Help Promote Improved Cognitive and Mental Function.
Eating food rich in vitamin E may reduce the risk of developing
dementia, while insufficient levels of vitamin D may
increase the risk of cognitive decline, report two
new studies...
People who consumed the highest average intakes of vitamin
E from the diet were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia
than people with the lowest average intakes, according to new
data published in the Archives of Neurology.
The benefits are reportedly related to the antioxidant activity
of vitamin E, postulate scientists from the Erasmus Medical
Center in Rotterdam, the Netherland, which counters the
oxidative stress induced by a build up of beta-amyloid protein.
The build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits is associated
with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative
stress. This is related to a loss of cognitive function and an
increased risk of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia
and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide.
The study follows another group of encouraging findings from a
Swedish study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease,
which found that a combination of different vitamin E forms could
help prevent cognitive deterioration in advanced age.
There are eight forms of vitamin E: Four tocopherols (alpha, beta,
gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta).
Alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) is the main source found in
supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol
(gamma-Toc) is the most common form in the American diet.
Study Details:
For the new study, the Rotterdam-based scientists analysed data
on the intakes of antioxidants - vitamins C and E, beta-carotene
and flavonoids - in 5,395 people aged 55 and older.
Questionnaires and meal-based checklists were used to establish intakes of these micronutrients.
The participants were followed for about 10 years, during which
465 people developed dementia, of which 365 cases were for
Alzheimer's disease. After crunching the numbers, the researchers
calculated that people with an average intake of 18.5 milligrams of
vitamin E per day were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia
than the people with an average of 9 milligrams per day. On the
other hand, no associations were observed for dietary intake levels
of vitamin C, beta-carotene and flavonoids.
"The brain is a site of high metabolic activity, which makes it
vulnerable to oxidative damage, and slow accumulation of such
damage over a lifetime may contribute to the development of
dementia," wrote the authors. "In particular, when beta-amyloid
(a hallmark of pathologic Alzheimer's disease) accumulates in
the brain, an inflammatory response is likely evoked that produces
nitric oxide radicals and downstream neurodegenerative effects.
Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that may help to
inhibit the pathogenesis of dementia."
D and Cognitive Decline:
The current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine also carries
new data from British researchers, who report that seniors with
low levels of vitamin D may be at an increased risk of cognitive
decline.
Our cognitive performance declines naturally as we age, but new
data from a research team at the University of Exeter in England
indicated that insufficient levels of vitamin D may accelerate this decline. The Exeter-based scientists analysed vitamin D levels
from blood samples of 858 adults aged 65 or older. Cognitive tests
were undertaken at the start of the study, and again after three and
six years. The data showed that severe vitamin D deficiency, were
associated with a 60 percent increase in the risk of substantial
cognitive decline.
"If future prospective studies and randomized controlled trials
confirm that vitamin D deficiency is causally related to cognitive
decline, then this would open up important new possibilities for
treatment and prevention," concluded the researchers.
The scientists said it was now time to test the various hypotheses
generated by observational studies of vitamin D in order to
establish the potential public health benefit of raising vitamin D
levels.
"Very importantly, such trials will also provide an opportunity
to systematically assess potential harms of vitamin D
supplementation, an issue that has been largely overlooked or
dismissed. We should invest in trials that provide the best possible
evidence on the benefits and risks of vitamin D before we invest
in costly, difficult and potentially unrewarding interventional
strategies," they added.
Sources: Archives of Intern Medicine
Vol. 170, Issue 13,
"Vitamin D and Risk of Cognitive Decline in Elderly Persons"
Vitamins Help Promote Improved Cognitive and Mental Function.
Eating food rich in vitamin E may reduce the risk of developing
dementia, while insufficient levels of vitamin D may
increase the risk of cognitive decline, report two
new studies...
People who consumed the highest average intakes of vitamin
E from the diet were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia
than people with the lowest average intakes, according to new
data published in the Archives of Neurology.
The benefits are reportedly related to the antioxidant activity
of vitamin E, postulate scientists from the Erasmus Medical
Center in Rotterdam, the Netherland, which counters the
oxidative stress induced by a build up of beta-amyloid protein.
The build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits is associated
with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative
stress. This is related to a loss of cognitive function and an
increased risk of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia
and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide.
The study follows another group of encouraging findings from a
Swedish study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease,
which found that a combination of different vitamin E forms could
help prevent cognitive deterioration in advanced age.
There are eight forms of vitamin E: Four tocopherols (alpha, beta,
gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta).
Alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) is the main source found in
supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol
(gamma-Toc) is the most common form in the American diet.
Study Details:
For the new study, the Rotterdam-based scientists analysed data
on the intakes of antioxidants - vitamins C and E, beta-carotene
and flavonoids - in 5,395 people aged 55 and older.
Questionnaires and meal-based checklists were used to establish intakes of these micronutrients.
The participants were followed for about 10 years, during which
465 people developed dementia, of which 365 cases were for
Alzheimer's disease. After crunching the numbers, the researchers
calculated that people with an average intake of 18.5 milligrams of
vitamin E per day were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia
than the people with an average of 9 milligrams per day. On the
other hand, no associations were observed for dietary intake levels
of vitamin C, beta-carotene and flavonoids.
"The brain is a site of high metabolic activity, which makes it
vulnerable to oxidative damage, and slow accumulation of such
damage over a lifetime may contribute to the development of
dementia," wrote the authors. "In particular, when beta-amyloid
(a hallmark of pathologic Alzheimer's disease) accumulates in
the brain, an inflammatory response is likely evoked that produces
nitric oxide radicals and downstream neurodegenerative effects.
Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that may help to
inhibit the pathogenesis of dementia."
D and Cognitive Decline:
The current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine also carries
new data from British researchers, who report that seniors with
low levels of vitamin D may be at an increased risk of cognitive
decline.
Our cognitive performance declines naturally as we age, but new
data from a research team at the University of Exeter in England
indicated that insufficient levels of vitamin D may accelerate this decline. The Exeter-based scientists analysed vitamin D levels
from blood samples of 858 adults aged 65 or older. Cognitive tests
were undertaken at the start of the study, and again after three and
six years. The data showed that severe vitamin D deficiency, were
associated with a 60 percent increase in the risk of substantial
cognitive decline.
"If future prospective studies and randomized controlled trials
confirm that vitamin D deficiency is causally related to cognitive
decline, then this would open up important new possibilities for
treatment and prevention," concluded the researchers.
The scientists said it was now time to test the various hypotheses
generated by observational studies of vitamin D in order to
establish the potential public health benefit of raising vitamin D
levels.
"Very importantly, such trials will also provide an opportunity
to systematically assess potential harms of vitamin D
supplementation, an issue that has been largely overlooked or
dismissed. We should invest in trials that provide the best possible
evidence on the benefits and risks of vitamin D before we invest
in costly, difficult and potentially unrewarding interventional
strategies," they added.
Sources: Archives of Intern Medicine
Vol. 170, Issue 13,
"Vitamin D and Risk of Cognitive Decline in Elderly Persons"
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Vitamin D May Cut Risk For Parkinson's Disease
Important New Research Further Demonstrates The
Benefits of Vitamins For Cognitive and Mental Function
High blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk
of developing Parkinson's disease by 67 per cent,
compared with low levels of the "sunshine vitamin"
says a new study from Finland.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health
and Welfare in Helsinki analysed data from 3,173
Finnish men and women aged between 50 and 79. Over
an impressive 29 years of follow-up, the researchers
documented 50 cases of Parkinson's disease. The
study is reported to be the first longitudinal
analysis of vitamin D status and the risk of
Parkinson's disease.
Writing in the Archives of Neurology, the authors
note that the exact mechanism is unknown,
but postulated that vitamin D may be exerting
a benefit through antioxidant activities,
regulation of calcium levels, detoxification,
modulation of the immune system
and enhanced conduction of electricity through neurons.
"Our results are in line with the hypothesis
that low vitamin D status predicts the development
of Parkinson disease," write the researchers.
"Because of the small number of cases and the
possibility of residual confounding, large cohort
studies are needed. In intervention trials
focusing on effects of vitamin D supplements,
the incidence of Parkinson disease merits follow up."
The study has been described "the first promising
human data to suggest that inadequate vitamin D
status is associated with the risk of developing
Parkinson's disease" and "further work is needed
in both basic and clinical arenas to elucidate the
exact role, mechanisms and optimum concentration of
vitamin D in Parkinson's disease." Parkinson's disease
is a degenerative condition affecting movement and
balance in more than one million Americans each
year, a figure expected to rise due to aging populations.
The disease affects nerve cells in several parts of
the brain, particularly those that use the chemical
messenger dopamine to control movement.
Previous studies have shown that the part of the
brain affected most by Parkinson's, the substantia
nigra, contains high levels of the vitamin D receptor,
which suggests vitamin D may be important for normal
functions of these cells.
The new study involved the measurement of vitamin D
levels in over 3,000 people. The data showed that
people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were three
times more likely to develop Parkinson's, compared
to the group with the highest levels.
"In the interim, data from interventional studies of
fractures and falls appear to justify optimizing vitamin
D levels to greater than 30 to 40 nanograms per millilitre,"
they concluded.
Source: Archives of Neurology
Volume 67, Issue 7, Pages 795-797
"Beyond Vitamin Status - Is There a Role for Vitamin D
in Parkinson Disease?"
Benefits of Vitamins For Cognitive and Mental Function
High blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk
of developing Parkinson's disease by 67 per cent,
compared with low levels of the "sunshine vitamin"
says a new study from Finland.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health
and Welfare in Helsinki analysed data from 3,173
Finnish men and women aged between 50 and 79. Over
an impressive 29 years of follow-up, the researchers
documented 50 cases of Parkinson's disease. The
study is reported to be the first longitudinal
analysis of vitamin D status and the risk of
Parkinson's disease.
Writing in the Archives of Neurology, the authors
note that the exact mechanism is unknown,
but postulated that vitamin D may be exerting
a benefit through antioxidant activities,
regulation of calcium levels, detoxification,
modulation of the immune system
and enhanced conduction of electricity through neurons.
"Our results are in line with the hypothesis
that low vitamin D status predicts the development
of Parkinson disease," write the researchers.
"Because of the small number of cases and the
possibility of residual confounding, large cohort
studies are needed. In intervention trials
focusing on effects of vitamin D supplements,
the incidence of Parkinson disease merits follow up."
The study has been described "the first promising
human data to suggest that inadequate vitamin D
status is associated with the risk of developing
Parkinson's disease" and "further work is needed
in both basic and clinical arenas to elucidate the
exact role, mechanisms and optimum concentration of
vitamin D in Parkinson's disease." Parkinson's disease
is a degenerative condition affecting movement and
balance in more than one million Americans each
year, a figure expected to rise due to aging populations.
The disease affects nerve cells in several parts of
the brain, particularly those that use the chemical
messenger dopamine to control movement.
Previous studies have shown that the part of the
brain affected most by Parkinson's, the substantia
nigra, contains high levels of the vitamin D receptor,
which suggests vitamin D may be important for normal
functions of these cells.
The new study involved the measurement of vitamin D
levels in over 3,000 people. The data showed that
people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were three
times more likely to develop Parkinson's, compared
to the group with the highest levels.
"In the interim, data from interventional studies of
fractures and falls appear to justify optimizing vitamin
D levels to greater than 30 to 40 nanograms per millilitre,"
they concluded.
Source: Archives of Neurology
Volume 67, Issue 7, Pages 795-797
"Beyond Vitamin Status - Is There a Role for Vitamin D
in Parkinson Disease?"
Monday, August 2, 2010
Western Diets Turn on Fat Genes
How Energy-Dense Foods May Activate Genes That Ultimately Make People Obese
Those extra helpings of gravy and dessert at the holiday table are
even more of a problem to your waistline than previously thought.
According to a new research report recently appearing online in
The FASEB Journal, a diet that is high in fat and in sugar actually
switches on genes that ultimately cause our bodies to store too
much fat.
These foods strike you with a double-whammy as the task of converting
high-fat and high-sugar foods to energy is made even more difficult because
these foods also turn our bodies into fat-storage containers.
In the research report, scientists show that foods high in fat and sugar stimulate
a known opioid receptor, called the kappa opioid receptor (KOR), which plays
a role in fat metabolism. When this receptor is stimulated, it causes our bodies
to hang on to much more fat than they'd do otherwise.
According to the researchers involved in the study, "the data presented here
support the hypothesis that overactivation of the kappa opioid receptors
contribute to the development of obesity, especially during prolonged consumption
of high-fat, calorically dense diets."
To make this discovery, the research team conducted tests in two groups
of laboratory subjects. One group had the kappa opioid receptor genetically
deactivated and the other group was normal. Both groups were given a high fat,
high sucrose, energy dense diet for 16 weeks. While the control group gained
significant weight and fat mass on this diet, those with the deactivated receptor
remained lean. In addition to having reduced fat stores, those with the deactivated
receptor also showed a reduced ability to store incoming nutrients.
Although more work is required, this research may help address the growing
obesity problem worldwide in both the short-term and long-term. Most importantly,
this research provides more proof that high-fat and high-sugar diets should be
avoided. In the long-term, however, this research is even more significant, as
it provides a specific target for developing therapies for preventing obesity and
helping obese people slim down.
"In times when food was scarce and starvation an ever-present threat, an
adaptation that allows our bodies to store as much energy as possible during
plentiful times was probably a lifesaver. Conversely, by removing that opioid
receptor, we may have found a way to keep us from eating ourselves to death."
concluded the researchers.
FASEB (The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology)
publishes online, Stanford University Library.
Those extra helpings of gravy and dessert at the holiday table are
even more of a problem to your waistline than previously thought.
According to a new research report recently appearing online in
The FASEB Journal, a diet that is high in fat and in sugar actually
switches on genes that ultimately cause our bodies to store too
much fat.
These foods strike you with a double-whammy as the task of converting
high-fat and high-sugar foods to energy is made even more difficult because
these foods also turn our bodies into fat-storage containers.
In the research report, scientists show that foods high in fat and sugar stimulate
a known opioid receptor, called the kappa opioid receptor (KOR), which plays
a role in fat metabolism. When this receptor is stimulated, it causes our bodies
to hang on to much more fat than they'd do otherwise.
According to the researchers involved in the study, "the data presented here
support the hypothesis that overactivation of the kappa opioid receptors
contribute to the development of obesity, especially during prolonged consumption
of high-fat, calorically dense diets."
To make this discovery, the research team conducted tests in two groups
of laboratory subjects. One group had the kappa opioid receptor genetically
deactivated and the other group was normal. Both groups were given a high fat,
high sucrose, energy dense diet for 16 weeks. While the control group gained
significant weight and fat mass on this diet, those with the deactivated receptor
remained lean. In addition to having reduced fat stores, those with the deactivated
receptor also showed a reduced ability to store incoming nutrients.
Although more work is required, this research may help address the growing
obesity problem worldwide in both the short-term and long-term. Most importantly,
this research provides more proof that high-fat and high-sugar diets should be
avoided. In the long-term, however, this research is even more significant, as
it provides a specific target for developing therapies for preventing obesity and
helping obese people slim down.
"In times when food was scarce and starvation an ever-present threat, an
adaptation that allows our bodies to store as much energy as possible during
plentiful times was probably a lifesaver. Conversely, by removing that opioid
receptor, we may have found a way to keep us from eating ourselves to death."
concluded the researchers.
FASEB (The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology)
publishes online, Stanford University Library.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Black Tea Compounds Show Anti-Allergy Potential
Here's one for all of you who suffer from those dreadful allergies. So sorry ididn;t find this earlier this summer.
Black Tea Compounds Show Anti-Allergy Potential
Research Further Demonstrate How Naturally-Occurring
Antioxidants, Carotenoids, Phytochemicals From Teas and
Plant Extracts Affect The Immune system
Theaflavins are beneficail natural compounds found in black tea
and may reduce allergic response in people with sensitive skin and
related conditions, suggests a new study. In the laboratory, subjects
fed extracts from black tea were found to produce fewer inflammatory
compounds on exposure to an allergen, while antioxidant levels in
the blood were also maintained by the tea compounds. The findings
are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Interest in tea and its constituents has bloomed in recent years,
with the greatest focus on the leaf's polyphenol content. Green tea
contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable
polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by
fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is
semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea.
The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are
epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC),
epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC).
Allergy Classifications:
Most of the studies have focussed on green tea and its constituents,
most notably EGCG. The new study looked at theaflavins from black
tea in a mouse model of type IV allergy. Unlike many other types of
allergy, the type (type IV) tested in this new study directly involves
the immune system's T-cells and not the participation of antibodies.
According to background information in the article, type IV allergy
is known as delayed type hypersensitivity, with appearance of the
allergic response occurring 12 to 24 hours after exposure. Contact
dermatitis is an example of type IV allergy.
Exposure to the allergen is said to trigger the release of
pro-inflammatory cytokines by type 1 T helper (Th1) cells. Such
increases were prevented when sensitised laboratory subjects
were fed various theaflavins from black tea, according to the new
findings.
Study Details:
Researchers from Japan's Numazu National College of Technology
and Nagoya Women's University examined the effects of two black
tea theaflavinL: theaflavin-3-gallate and theaflavin-3,3-digallate
(TFDG) on type IV allergy in the laboratory subjects.
When the theaflavins were injected into the skin of the ear, the
researchers noted "significant preventive effects against type IV
allergy".
Furthermore, when administration orally at a level of 50 mg per kg
of body weight, similar preventive effects were observed, said the
researchers. Control subjects not fed the black tea compounds
experienced with increases of proinflammatory cytokines like
interleukin-12 (IL-12), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). When subjects were fed the
theaflavins, however, the increases were not observed, added the
researchers.
"The anti-allergic mechanisms of action of theaflavins involve
inhibition of the fluctuations of cytokines and maintenance of
antioxidant status in allergic subjects," wrote the researchers.
The black tea theaflavins were supplied by Unilever Japan.
Source: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Published online: "Preventive effects of black tea theaflavins
against mouse type IV allergy"
Black Tea Compounds Show Anti-Allergy Potential
Research Further Demonstrate How Naturally-Occurring
Antioxidants, Carotenoids, Phytochemicals From Teas and
Plant Extracts Affect The Immune system
Theaflavins are beneficail natural compounds found in black tea
and may reduce allergic response in people with sensitive skin and
related conditions, suggests a new study. In the laboratory, subjects
fed extracts from black tea were found to produce fewer inflammatory
compounds on exposure to an allergen, while antioxidant levels in
the blood were also maintained by the tea compounds. The findings
are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Interest in tea and its constituents has bloomed in recent years,
with the greatest focus on the leaf's polyphenol content. Green tea
contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable
polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by
fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is
semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea.
The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are
epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC),
epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC).
Allergy Classifications:
Most of the studies have focussed on green tea and its constituents,
most notably EGCG. The new study looked at theaflavins from black
tea in a mouse model of type IV allergy. Unlike many other types of
allergy, the type (type IV) tested in this new study directly involves
the immune system's T-cells and not the participation of antibodies.
According to background information in the article, type IV allergy
is known as delayed type hypersensitivity, with appearance of the
allergic response occurring 12 to 24 hours after exposure. Contact
dermatitis is an example of type IV allergy.
Exposure to the allergen is said to trigger the release of
pro-inflammatory cytokines by type 1 T helper (Th1) cells. Such
increases were prevented when sensitised laboratory subjects
were fed various theaflavins from black tea, according to the new
findings.
Study Details:
Researchers from Japan's Numazu National College of Technology
and Nagoya Women's University examined the effects of two black
tea theaflavinL: theaflavin-3-gallate and theaflavin-3,3-digallate
(TFDG) on type IV allergy in the laboratory subjects.
When the theaflavins were injected into the skin of the ear, the
researchers noted "significant preventive effects against type IV
allergy".
Furthermore, when administration orally at a level of 50 mg per kg
of body weight, similar preventive effects were observed, said the
researchers. Control subjects not fed the black tea compounds
experienced with increases of proinflammatory cytokines like
interleukin-12 (IL-12), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). When subjects were fed the
theaflavins, however, the increases were not observed, added the
researchers.
"The anti-allergic mechanisms of action of theaflavins involve
inhibition of the fluctuations of cytokines and maintenance of
antioxidant status in allergic subjects," wrote the researchers.
The black tea theaflavins were supplied by Unilever Japan.
Source: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Published online: "Preventive effects of black tea theaflavins
against mouse type IV allergy"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)