Jon's Health Tips - Sports Drinks

I drink a lots of sports drink while playing soccer – and it really seems to help more than water – I recently switched to a zero calorie drink – with no apparent loss of efficacy. But I had no idea that the question of how sports drinks help was such a mystery – until I read about the research described here:It has long been known that sugary drinks and sweets can significantly improve athletes' performance in endurance events. The question is how?Clearly, 'sports' drinks and tablets contain calories. But this alone is not enough to explain the boost, and the benefits are felt even if the drink is spat out rather than swallowed. Nor does the sugary taste solve the riddle, as artificial sweeteners do not boost performance even when they are indistinguishable from real sugars.Writing in the...

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Palm Oil Not a Healthy Substitute for Trans Fats

Manufacturers are now required to state on food labels the amount of trans fatty acids, also called hydrogenated fats, in packaged foods. Both trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids are associated with elevated heart disease risk factors.Now, authors of an Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-supported study have addressed the question of whether palm oil, whose functional characteristics are similar to trans fats, would be a good substitute for partially hydrogenated fat. Trans fatty acids (trans fats) are created during a hardening process called hydrogenation, which serves to make oils suitable for use in products that require solid fats,...

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Honey Beats Sinusitis

Honey effective in killing bacteria that cause chronic sinusitisHoney is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to research presented during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.The study, authored by Canadian researchers at the University of Ottawa, found that in eleven isolates of three separate biofilms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicicillin-resistant and -suseptible Staphylococcus aureus), honey was significantly more effective...

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Broccoli Sprouts

A small, pilot study in 50 people in Japan suggests that eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months may confer some protection against a rampant stomach bug that causes gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer. Citing their new "demonstration of principle" study, a Johns Hopkins researcher and an international team of scientists caution that eating sprouts containing sulforaphane did not cure infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). They do not suggest that eating this or any amount of broccoli sprouts will protect anyone from stomach cancer or cure GI diseases. However, the study...

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Soy

Soy protein, isoflavones, and cardiovascular health: an American Heart Association Science Advisory for professionals from the Nutrition Committee.Soy protein and isoflavones (phytoestrogens) have gained considerable attention for their potential role in improving risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This scientific advisory assesses the more recent work published on soy protein and its component isoflavones. In the majority of 22 randomized trials, isolated soy protein with isoflavones, as compared with milk or other proteins, decreased LDL cholesterol concentrations; the average effect was approximately 3%. This reduction is very small...

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Berry Compound Reduces Aging Effect

In a new study, aged laboratory animals that ate a diet rich in the berry and grape compound pterostilbene performed better than those in a group that did not eat the enriched diet, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have reported. Pterostilbene reversed measurable negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance.The study was published recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.For the two-part study, the researchers wanted to determine if pterostilbene would be effective in reversing the effects of aging on mature rats.For the first part of the study, they tested seven stilbene compounds...

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How Plants Protect Us from Disease

Everyday foods, beverages, and spices contain healthful compounds that help us fight harmful inflammation. And, in doing that, these phytochemicals--the resveratrol in red wine or the catechins in green, white and black teas, for instance--may also reduce our risk of diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including cancer and diabetes. At the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, Calif., research molecular biologist Daniel H. Hwang conducts studies to solve the complex puzzle of precisely how phytochemicals fight inflammation. His investigations with cells cultured in his laboratory have uncovered probable modes of action used by phytochemicals from red wine, green tea, garlic, curcumin and cinnamon.Hwang's team has found, for example,...

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Jon's Health Tips - Update #4

Once again, more new research reports have been issued on topics I have already discussed than one person could possible keep up with. And yet, somehow, I have. There is more distressing news on the two items I have written about most recently, sodium and folic acid, as well as, of course, more Vitamin D news. And more on Alcohol, Apples, Aspirin, Caffeine, Diet, Exercise, Fish (Omega-3), Green (and Black) Tea.Light to moderate drinking and socialization are jointly good for cardiovascular health• While heavy drinking is associated with a greater risk of stroke, light-to-moderate drinking has been linked to a lesser risk of ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease.• • New findings show that social support may enhance the beneficial effects of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on risk...

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Jon's Health Tips - Selenium/Vitamin E

Selenium is among the many supplements I have used and then stopped using. It was hyped as a prostate cancer preventive – I saw an ad only last week still hyping it that way – but the most recent research – published within the last month and first on the reports below debunks this. (The report adds to the concern about Vitamin E, another supplement I have quit on.)Effect of Selenium and Vitamin E on Risk of Prostate Cancer and Other CancersIn the January 7, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Scott Lippman and associates presented the results of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). This is a phase 3 randomized, prospective, placebo controlled trial evaluating 4 arms; placebo, selenium (200_g/day), vitamin E (400IU/day), or both for prostate...

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