Australian researchers have identified a link between allergic asthma in 3 to 5 year-old children and exposure to folic acid that their birth mothers took as supplements during late pregnancy. They said the timing of when folic acid is taken in pregnancy might be important.
The study was the work of Dr Michael Davies, associate professor with the Research Centre for the Early Origins of Health and Disease at the Robinson Institute in the University of Adelaide, and colleagues, and is published online in the 15 November issue of American Journal of Epidemiology. Read the rest of this entry »
According to a new study, vegetable consumption may be linked to lower blood pressure due to the presence of a specific amino acid.
The compound in question is glutamic acid, and according to the work conducted at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, boosting its intake may contribute to better health of the circulatory system.
The researchers analyzed data from the International Study on Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure which involved 4,680 people aged between 40-59 in rural and urban populations in China, Japan, the UK and the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »
General health claims for “probiotic” drinks and yogurts have been dismissed by a team of experts from the European Union.
Their opinions will now be voted on by an EU Committee which is drawing up a list of permitted health claims.
Scientists at the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) looked at 180 health claims for the supplements.
They rejected 10 claims and said a further 170 had not provided enough evidence of their effects. Read the rest of this entry »
A new study has found probiotics may help weight loss surgery patients avoid a vitamin B12 deficiency, which is a common side effect of the procedure.
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine followed 44 patients who had gastric bypass surgery. They found that those who received a probiotic supplement everyday for three months following their procedure had a significantly higher weight loss as well as higher levels of vitamin B12 than those who got a placebo pill.
The group who received the probiotics had a 47.6 percent weight loss compared with a 38.5 percent loss in the control group. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s difficult to test for, but new research suggests that zinc deficiencies are widespread across the world, with as many as 12 percent of the total U.S. population and an estimated 40 percent of elderly Americans affected by it.
A new study conducted at Oregon State University finds that even minor zinc deficiencies can cause DNA damage.
“Zinc deficiencies have been somewhat under the radar because we just don’t know that much about mechanisms that control its absorption, role or even how to test for it in people with any accuracy,” said Emily Ho, a researcher at OSU. Read the rest of this entry »
A new study shows that a chemical found in green tea can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown.
The study done by researchers in Hong Kong and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry finds that EGC, a main compound in green tea, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by up to 79 percent.
EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones.
Researcher Ping Chung Leung notes that previous studies have already linked green tea to improved bone health, but says that few have been able to pinpoint the exact chemicals that are responsible for it. Read the rest of this entry »
