Category: Health/Nutrition

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.

Chocolate as health food? Not exactly, but eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day offers some health benefits.

Chocolate as health food? Not exactly, but eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day offers some health benefits.

The benefits are thought to come from flavonoids in dark chocolate, according to the August issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource. Flavonoids are a naturally occurring antioxidant that also are found in teas, red wine and some fruits and vegetables.

Eating tuna and other types of fish may help lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke in healthy older adults, according to a study published in the August 5, 2008, issue of "Neurology."

Eating tuna and other types of fish may help lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke in healthy older adults, according to a study published in the August 5, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

An estimated 2 million children in developing countries die each year from diarrhea, but simple zinc treatment could reduce the risk of such deaths. Researchers reached this conclusion in a new review of studies involving more than 6,000 children of all ages.

An estimated 2 million children in developing countries die each year from diarrhea, but simple zinc treatment could reduce the risk of such deaths.

Researchers reached this conclusion in a new review of studies involving more than 6,000 children of all ages.

Recently, people have become somewhat confused about 100 percent fruit juice - how much to drink, how much to serve their children. According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, with Baylor College of Medicine, parents should be confident serving their children appropriate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice.

Drinking a glass of 100 percent fruit juice has long been thought of as a healthy daily habit for both adults and children—right up there with brushing your teeth and eating your vegetables. Recently, however, people have become somewhat confused about juice - how much to drink, how much to serve their children - partly because of the natural sweet taste of fruit juice. According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, professor of pediatrics with Baylor College of Medicine, who has conducted research on juice consumption among children, parents should be confident serving their children appropriate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice.

In a diet-focused culture, desserts often get a bad rap. But some can actually be beneficial.

Desserts made with fruit, nature’s natural sweetener, are ideal, healthy after-dinner treats. Reducing the sugar and fats in a recipe can make favorite desserts more healthful and still taste good.

In the July issue of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings," a group of researchers from Pennsylvania examine whether an alternative approach to treating high blood cholesterol may provide an effective treatment option for patients who are unable or unwilling to take statins.

A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety of these medications has been well documented, as many as 40 percent of patients who receive a prescription for statins take the drug for less than one year. Doctors believe that several factors - including cost, adverse effects, poor understanding of statin benefits and patients’ reluctance to take prescription medications long term - may explain why some patients stop taking these medicines. In the July issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of researchers from Pennsylvania examine whether an alternative approach to treating high blood cholesterol may provide an effective treatment option for patients who are unable or unwilling to take statins.

Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. The combination could be potentially dangerous for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an “exaggerated inflammatory response.”

Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Compelling research about the benefits of wild blueberries has prompted a surge of interest in a diet rich in this powerful, nutritious fruit.

The new generation of healthy eaters is eschewing old adages about relying on the usual fruits to keep the doctor away. Instead, they are adopting the wild blueberry as their new dietary favorite. Promising research about the wild blueberry has encouraged today's eaters to go "wild" over the nutrient-rich fruit. New interest in eating well and maintaining health by eating whole foods, natural foods, and organic foods, as well as getting the optimum number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day, has contributed to the swell of interest, prompting many to seek original ways to integrate wild blueberries into their diet.