Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer

Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer, Researchers Report: "ScienceDaily
2008.05.29
— Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers...flavonoids that appeared to be the most protective included catechin, found in strawberries and green and black teas, kaempferol, found in Brussels sprouts and apples, and quercetin, found in beans, onions and apples...flavonoids protect against lung cancer by blocking the formation of blood vessels that tumors develop so they can grow and spread, a process called angiogenesis. They also stop cancer cells from growing, allowing for naturally programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to occur...The antioxidant properties found in the flavonoids also may work to counteract the DNA damaging effects of tobacco smoking, Zhang said, explaining why they affected the development of lung cancer in smokers but not in non-smokers..."The naturally occurring chemicals may be working to reduce the damage caused by smoking," Zhang said."

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Can Celery, Chamomile and Green Peppers Help Cut Brain Inflammation?

Can Celery Help Cut Brain Inflammation? WebMD
2008.05.20
"A compound found in celery and green peppers may help protect against inflammatory brain conditions. The compound, called luteolin, is a potent antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Luteolin belongs to a family of plant molecules called flavonoids, which are found in various vegetables, fruits, and beverages, including chamomile tea...luteolin reduced the inflammation triggered by the bacteria. The researchers also learned that the celery compound blocked a "promoter" to the gene that coded for an inflammatory signaling molecule..."

Plant Flavonoid In Celery And Green Peppers Found To Reduce Inflammatory Response In The Brain: "ScienceDaily (May 20, 2008) — Researchers at the University of Illinois report that a plant compound found in abundance in celery and green peppers can disrupt a key component of the inflammatory response in the brain. The findings have implications for research on aging and diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis...luteolin was shutting down production of a key cytokine in the inflammatory pathway, interleukin-6 (IL-6). The effects of luteolin exposure were dramatic, resulting in as much as a 90 percent drop in IL-6 production in the LPS-treated cells. "This was just about as potent an inhibition as anything we had seen previously," Johnson said..."Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 are very well known to inhibit certain types of learning and memory that are under the control of the hippocampus, and the hippocampus is also very vulnerable to the insults of aging," he said. "If you had the potential to decrease the production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain you could potentially limit the cognitive deficits that result."...

DogVitals powerful antioxidant supplement for dogs - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Black tea may slash Parkinson's disease risk

Black tea may slash Parkinson's disease risk
2008.02.22
" Drinking at least 23 cups of black tea a month, or about three-quarters of a cup a day, may slash the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by a whopping 71 per cent, suggests new research from Singapore. The benefits of the beverage were not linked to the caffeine content, suggest the results of the study of 63,257 Chinese men and women published in the American Journal of Epidemiology...Despite results from previous studies reporting that green tea may reduce the risk of Parkinson's, the new study, reported no benefits among participants of the Singapore Chinese Health Study...Ingredients of black tea other than caffeine appear to be responsible for the beverage's inverse association with Parkinson's disease,"..."A key difference between black tea and green tea lies in the types and amounts of flavonoids. Green teas contain more of the simple flavonoids called catechins. But when black tea is made, the catechins undergo oxidation resulting in the generation of more complex varieties, called thearubigins and theaflavins."..."The underlying mechanisms for this protective effect of black tea on Parkinson's disease remains unclear until further research is done. But drinking even one cup of black tea per day could help to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease,""

DogVitals powerful antioxidant supplement for dogs - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Dark Chocolate Fights Heart Woes

Dark Chocolate Fights Heart Woes - WebMD
2007.11.05
"A Japanese study suggests that dark chocolate can improve blood flow to heart muscle. That'€™s important because improved coronary blood flow mitigates the risk of chronic chest pain, or angina, and heart attacks, says Yumi Shiina...Shiina credits flavonoids, a group of antioxidant compounds also found in red wine, tea, and fruits and vegetables, with dark chocolates healthy effects...The study involved 39 healthy men who ate a 1.4-ounce candy bar of either dark chocolate or white chocolate daily for two weeks...After two weeks, coronary circulation significantly improved in participants who ate dark chocolate...Cacao polyphenol contains four times as many disease-fighting flavonoids per serving than red wine or tea..."

"DogVitals powerful antioxidant supplement for dogs - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Drinking Tea May Slow Bone Loss

Drinking Tea May Slow Bone Loss WebMD
2007.10.08
"...The results, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that women who were regular tea drinkers had higher bone density in two sites in the hip compared with non-tea drinkers...The bone mineral density in tea drinkers was higher than in non-tea drinkers. Tea drinkers also had less loss of bone density over a four-year period compared with non-tea drinkers. These results took into account factors such as smoking history and use of calcium supplements...The researchers did not find a relationship between the number of cups of tea consumed per day and bone mineral density...Previous studies have suggested that phytochemicals in tea, such as flavonoids, may be responsible for the protective effect against bone loss due to their estrogen-like properties."

"DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops

Organic food 'better' for heart BBC 7/5/07 "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...Dr Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist at the University of California, and colleagues measured the amount of two flavonoids - quercetin and kaempferol - in dried tomato samples that had been collected as part of a long-term study on agricultural methods...on average they were 79% and 97% higher respectively in the organic tomatoes than in the conventionally grown fruit...New Scientist magazine reported that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are probably due to the absence of fertilisers in organic farming. Flavonoids are produced as a defence mechanism that can be triggered by nutrient deficiency, such as a lack of nitrogen in the soil. The inorganic nitrogen in conventional fertiliser is easily available to plants and so, the researchers suggests, the lower levels of flavonoids are probably caused by over-fertilisation."

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Red wine protects the prostate

Red Wine Protects The Prostate, Research Suggests ScienceDaily 5/25/07 "... men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine...In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers...when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%...speculation focuses on chemicals—including various flavonoids and resveratrol—missing from other alcoholic beverages. These components have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counterbalance androgens, the male hormones that stimulate the prostate ...The Harvard Men’s Health Watch notes that men who enjoy alcohol and can drink in moderation and responsibly may benefit from a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cardiac death."

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger life