Saturday, January 30, 2016

Natural food additive annatto may prevent skin cancer

A nutritional compound may provide protection against skin cancer from inside out, unlike sunscreens. A recently published study in Free Radical Biology and Medicine has revealed that researchers at the University Of Arizona College Of Pharmacy have come across a compound, bixin, in natural food additive annatto, which prevents cancer cell formation and skin damage from UV radiation in mice.

Moreover, UK’s NHS has approved a new drug to treat advanced skin cancer cases. Researchers have confirmed that patients taking the drug Nivolumab, also known as Opdivo, survive much longer than when on traditional chemotherapy. The one-year survival rate for Nivolumab was 73 percent whereas that of chemotherapy was only 42 percent.

In the new study, Georg Wondrak, PhD, associate professor, and Donna Zhang, PhD, professor, both members of the University of Arizona Cancer Center believe that in future, bixin can be valuable in preventing and treating human skin cancer.

The researchers injected mice with bixin and exposed them to UV radiation. Similarly, un-injected mice were also exposed. It was seen that mice injected with bixin experienced much less severe skin damage caused by the radiation.

Bixin is bright reddish orange in colour and is found in annatto, which is a natural condiment and food colouring substance. Annatto is derived from the achiote fruit seeds. Annatto has been a very common latin American ingredient for cooking since pre-Columbian era. Annatto is also known as achiote.

As per Dr. Wondrak, this discovery is unique as bixin is not like a sunscreen applied to the skin but a nutritional factor. It prevents sun damage by inducing cells to produce protective antioxidants and repair factors.

Moreover, the compound bixin does not kill skin cancer cells but prevents them from forming altogether. The research is truly compelling as it deals with a commonly consumed food substance.

According to EurekAlert, there is another important point that is good news. As bixin is a safe food additive and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it would require fewer testing to apply on humans. It would be highly interesting to see whether the compound prevents UV skin damage and skin cancer in humans.


From: http://www.msn.com/

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Leafy vegetables may lower glaucoma risk

People who eat more green leafy vegetables, a good source of nitrate, may significantly decrease their risk of developing glaucoma, according to a large study.

Based on long-term data for more than 100,000 U.S. adults, those who consumed the most nitrate – mostly from green vegetables like kale and spinach – were 21 percent less likely than those who ate the least nitrate to develop open-angle glaucoma by the time they were in their 60s and 70s.

Open-angle glaucoma, which affects about 1 percent of the U.S. population, usually starts with loss of vision at the periphery due to fluid build-up and optic nerve damage.

Impaired blood flow is implicated in the condition, the study team points out in JAMA Ophthalmology, and nitrates can be converted in the body to nitric oxide, which improves blood flow.

“Nitric oxide signaling is important for maintaining optimal blood flow, and some evidence suggests that it may also be important for keeping eye pressure low,” said lead author Jae H. Kang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

The researchers used data on more than 63,000 women followed from 1984 to 2012 in the Nurses’ Health Study, and more than 41,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2012.

The participants were over age 40 at the beginning of the study period, had no open-angle glaucoma to start with, reported regular eye exams and completed dietary questionnaires including how often they ate green leafy vegetables like iceberg and romaine lettuces, kale, mustard greens, chard or spinach.

Based on these questionnaires, researchers calculated intakes of nitrate and of various groups of foods. They found that dark leafy greens were the biggest source of the nutrient, contributing 57 percent of the nitrate in the participants’ diets.

The men and women were divided into five groups by their intake of greens and of nitrate, ranging from an average of one-third serving of leafy greens (80 milligrams nitrate) per day for the lowest-level consumers to an average one and a half servings of greens (240 milligrams nitrate) per day on the high end.

By 2012, there were a total of 1,483 cases of open-angle glaucoma diagnosed.

Risk differences based on nitrate consumption were very similar to those based on leafy-vegetable consumption.

People who ate the most leafy greens were 18 percent less likely than those who consumed the least greens to develop any form of open-angle glaucoma, and 48 percent less likely to develop the so-called paracentral form of the disease, which is particularly associated with blood flow, the authors note.

In the study, people who consumed more nitrate also had higher consumption of other nutrients, exercised more, smoked less and were leaner, but the authors adjusted for these factors when calculating the risk differences linked to nitrate and greens.

“The pro of increasing one’s dietary nitrate intake is that, by far, vegetables are the biggest source of dietary nitrate, and vegetables are part of a healthy diet,” Kang told Reuters Health by email. “Higher dietary nitrate intake has been linked to lower blood pressure, better blood circulation and better athletic performance.”

But some people, like those with kidney stones or those taking warfarin to prevent blood clots, need to avoid foods like spinach, kale and collard greens, Kang cautioned.

Glaucoma is a “silent” disease and usually does not cause symptoms or visual complaints until late in its development. African Americans and the elderly are at increased risk of glaucoma.

“This is the first study to evaluate dietary nitrate in relation to glaucoma, so this study does not establish cause and effect relations,” Kang said. “However, for overall health, increased consumption of vegetables, including green leafy vegetables, is important – only about 20 to 30 percent of adults meet the daily recommendation put forth in the U.S. dietary guidelines of 2 to 3.5 cups of vegetables per day.”


From: http://www.msn.com/

Aged garlic extract protects your heart

Garlic has once again been singled out for its health virtues by recent American research, published in the Journal of Nutrition. The study found that aged garlic extract supplements reduced the amount of dangerous plaque accumulated in the arteries, slowing the progression of heart disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of garlic as an adjuvant to the dietary management of hyperlipidemia (a high level of lipids in the blood), in the prevention of age-related vascular changes (atherosclerosis) and in mild cases of hypertension.

"This study is another demonstration of the benefits of this supplement in reducing the accumulation of soft plaque and preventing the formation of new plaque in the arteries, which can cause heart disease," said Matthew J. Budoff, a lead researcher at LA BioMed. This plaque is often rich in lipids (cholesterol). Over time, it obstructs blood vessels and restricts blood flow.

Causes include lifestyle factors (smoking, obesity, stress, lack of exercise, oral contraception, alcoholism), genetic factors (family history of stroke, being male, menopause), metabolic disease (high cholesterol, diabetes, gout) and high blood pressure.

The researchers studied 55 patients aged 40 to 75 diagnosed with metabolic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Participants were screened at the start of the study to measure coronary plaque volumes, as well as the volume of fat and calcium in their arteries. Then, over the course of a year, one group took a placebo while the other group was given a 2.4 mg dose of aged garlic extract per day.

One year later, the "garlic eaters" had slowed the total accumulation of plaque by 80%, reduced its density and seen plaque levels regress.

Other health benefits of garlic include antibacterial and antifungal properties, which can be useful in cases of gastroenteritis or fungal infections caused by candida albicans.


From: http://www.msn.com/