In my opinion, the best medicine is food - and it's also the best way to prevent illness in the first place. From time to time, I will be posting articles that look at the latest research on foods that help prevent or treat common health issues.
Virgin Olive Oil and a Mediterranean Diet Fight Heart Disease by Changing How Our Genes Function
Everyone knows olive oil and a Mediterranean diet are associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, but a new research report published in the July 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal offers a surprising reason why: These foods change how genes associated with atherosclerosis function.Read more.
"Knowing which genes can be modulated by diet in a healthy way can help people select healthy diets," said Maria Isabel Covas, D.Pharm., Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group at the Institut Municipal d'Investigacio Medica in Barcelona, Spain. "It is also a first step for future nutritional therapies with selected foods."
Journal Reference:
V. Konstantinidou, M.-I. Covas, D. Munoz-Aguayo, O. Khymenets, R. de la Torre, G. Saez, M. del Carmen Tormos, E. Toledo, A. Marti, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, M. V. Ruiz Mendez, M. Fito. In vivo nutrigenomic effects of virgin olive oil polyphenols within the frame of the Mediterranean diet: a randomized controlled trial. The FASEB Journal, 2010; DOI: 10.1096/fj.09-148452
Dark chocolate appears to lower blood pressure
Chocolate is something that no one can resist be it a kid or adult. Eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks seemingly has significant effects. Experts reveal hypertension a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease may be treated by dark chocolate and flavanol-rich cocoa products.Read more. One note on this one - it only work if your blood pressure is high. If you have normal blood pressure, it just tastes good, although the flavanols are good for you. Unfortunately, no journal reference was given.Previous analysis revealed that blood pressure may be lowered by consuming cocoa-rich foods. However several studies shared conflicting results. The new study sums up current evidence about the effect of flavanol-rich cocoa products on blood pressure among hypertensive and normotensive individuals.
Tea tree oil may aid in treating skin cancer
Australia seems to report maximum cases of skin cancer with approximately 434,000 Australians being treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers every year. A ray of hope does appear as The University of Western Australia (UWA) apparently revealed that tea tree oil can be utilized as a fast, cheap, safe and effective treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers and precancerous lesions.Read more.Initiated by UWA’s Tea Tree Oil Research Group the investigation continued for three years. The scientists apparently identified solid tumors grown under the skin in mice. These mice were treated with a tea tree oil formulation assumed to make way for inhibition of tumour growth and tumor regression within a day of treatment. The scientists were unable to detect tumors within three days.
Reference:
Greay SJ, Ireland DJ, Kissick HT, Heenan PJ, Carson CF, Riley TV, Beilharz MW. (2010). Inhibition of established subcutaneous murine tumour growth with topical Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol; Feb 21: PMID: 20577741.
Beetroot seemingly decreases high blood pressure
Beetroot juice is considered to be a healthy drink because it probably contains many vital vitamins and minerals. Investigators from the Barts and The London School of Medicine have mentioned that drinking 500ml of beetroot juice a day can aid in reducing blood pressure. The scientists have also shed light on the fact that these findings may provide suggestions of vital importance for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.Read more.The authors affirmed that the ingestion of dietary nitrate present in beetroot juice and green, leafy vegetables reduce blood pressure. Initially vegetable-rich diets were ascertained to contain antioxidant vitamin. But this study has highlighted one more reason to increase vegetables and beetroot juice in the daily diet.
Reference:
Webb AJ, Patel N, Loukogeorgakis S, Okorie M, Aboud Z, Misra S, Rashid R, Miall P, Deanfield J, Benjamin N, MacAllister R, Hobbs AJ, Ahluwalia A. Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008 Mar;51(3):784-90. Epub 2008 Feb 4.
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