Category: Health/Nutrition

Don't believe the bad stuff you've heard about the potato, so says the November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Pity the poor potato. In recent years, the lowly spud’s reputation has been mashed - undeservedly so, according to the November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Criticisms have ranged from high carbohydrate count to its role as a magnet for high-fat toppings that add calories. The truth is, if you skip the sour cream, cheese and butter and don’t fry your spuds, the potato need not be avoided in a healthy diet.

Could eating grapes help fight high blood pressure related to a salty diet? And could grapes calm other factors that are also related to heart diseases such as heart failure? A new University of Michigan animal study suggests so.

A new study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, gives tantalizing clues to the potential of grapes in reducing cardiovascular risk. The effect is thought to be due to the high level of phytochemicals - naturally occurring antioxidants - that grapes contain.

Eating too much fructose can induce leptin resistance, a condition that can easily lead to becoming overweight when combined with a high-fat, high-calorie diet, according to a study with rats. The study also found that leptin resistance can develop silently, that is, with little indication that it is happening.

Although previous studies have shown that being leptin resistant can lead to rapid weight gain on a high-fat, high-caloric diet, a new study is the first to show that leptin resistance can develop as a result of high fructose consumption. The study also showed for the first time that leptin resistance can develop silently, that is, with little indication that it is happening.

Last year, author Cal Orey predicted that during a forthcoming economic shake-up people would forego fancy processed foods and go back to Mother Nature. "More consumers are going to make a comeback with healthful home-cooking," she said. And now, her forecast is becoming a sobering reality around the nation as people cope with the global economic jolt, which include soaring food prices.

The Healing Powers of Olive Oil author-intuitive Cal Orey had just finished baking a chocolate Earthquake Cake infused with olive oil (the recipe is to be used for her new health book) when she read the recent CNN.com article "Chilly Economy Fires Up Home Cooking, Experts Say." The fact is, in August 2007 she predicted on www.earthquakeepi-center.com that a recession (of sorts), was in the works for 2008.

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Researchers met in Maine to continue efforts to understand how Wild Blueberries prevent and/or forestall age-related diseases. Results of clinical trials shared at the 11th annual Wild Blueberries Health Research Summit revealed implications for brain health, investigations into antioxidant effects at the cellular level, and effects of blueberries on insulin sensitivity, markers of oxidative stress, and inflammation and cognitive performance.

Fourteen researchers from hospitals, universities and research groups around the U.S. and Canada met to discuss Wild Blueberry health research at the Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit in Bar Harbor, Maine. The 11th annual meeting took place in August and focused on the results of clinical trials that have implications for brain and cellular health, as well as potential benefits on satiety, and insulin sensitivity.

Leading organic dairy producer chooses probiotic ingredient, GanedenBC30, to power organic probiotic cheese.

Next Generation Organic Dairy, a Wisconsin dairy that makes cheeses made only with certified organic raw milk, today announced the introduction of a new line of gourmet, probiotic-fortified cheese and cheese sticks.

Pregnant women in the US have been advised to minimize their fish intake due to concerns over mercury levels. However, a new study suggests that pregnant women should increase their consumption of low-mercury fish (such as cod, plaice, salmon, herring, and mackerel) to three or more servings per week. In addition, this study adds to the growing body of evidence emphasizing the developmental benefits of breastmilk.

Both higher fish consumption and longer breastfeeding are linked to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Maternal fish consumption and longer breastfeeding were independently beneficial.

Although this press release takes a pro-irradiation stance, we are publishing it because it supplies worthwhile information for our readers.

The Food and Drug Administration’s new (Aug. 22) regulation that will allow irradiation pasteurization to be used on fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce to kill illness-causing bacteria is a step that two Iowa State University professors have long advocated.

In alternative health, açaí is all the rage. While relatively new to the American consciousness, açaí has been around for centuries and has helped many people with its healthful qualities. In order to benefit completely from açaí, however, one must truly understand what it is and what it does.

Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a new study by the University of Florida showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH'-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Açaí is a distinct purple berry indigenous to the Amazon rainforest. The açaí fruit may be found in some of the large palm trees that grow in the thick forest; these trees can reach as high as 82 feet. Unlike cherries, which grow individually in trees, the açaí berry grows in bunches, more like bananas. On average, each palm tree can yield anywhere from three to eight bunches.

Scientists have found that lycopene molecules in tomatoes that are combined with fat and subjected to intense heat during processing are restructured in a way that appears to ease their transport into the bloodstream and tissue.

Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the popular garden staple added disease-fighting power, Ohio State University research suggests.