healthbriefs
November is: National Diabetes Awareness Month
and Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
BROCCOLI HELPS KEEP PROSTATE CANCER AT BAY
An Institute of Food Research study now shows that eating one or more portions of broccoli every week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer and prevent localized cancer from becoming more aggressive. It turns out that broccoli, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, affect genes by changing cell-signaling pathways, thereby reducing the risk of developing and spreading cancer.
The study of 400 men at risk for developing prostate cancer took place over the course of 12 months. Participants ate either 400 grams of broccoli or 400 grams of peas each week, in addition to their normal diet. Based on before-and-after tissue samples taken from their prostate gland, researchers found more changes in gene expression in the men who ate the broccoli than in those eating the peas.
Source: Public Library of Science, 2008
We Are What We Drink
When it comes to weight loss, what we drink may be more important than what we eat. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined the relationship between beverage consumption among adults and weight change, found that weight loss was positively associated with a reduction in liquid calories. They further concluded that calories from beverages had a stronger impact on weight than calories from food.
Experimenting with several categories of beverages, based both on calorie content and nutrition, they discerned that sugar-sweetened beverages were the leading source of liquid calories contributing to unwanted weight gain. These are the same beverages reported to play a significant role in the obesity epidemic currently affecting two-thirds of American adults.
Sleep Alert
New research reveals that insufficient sleep of six hours or less, a common shortcoming of our Western lifestyle, may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance, which in turn may increase the long-term risk of developing diabetes. The link was noted in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Source: The Endocrine Society, 2009
Smell Stress Away
When feeling stressed and tired, take a restorative whiff of bracing lemon, enlivening rosemary or soothing lavender—or any other plant that has a pleasant scent. Scientists in Japan have reported the first scientific evidence supporting the idea that inhaling certain fragrances alters people’s gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that reduce stress.
The effects are attributed to linalool, a fragrant substance present in many plants and plant oils. When inhaled, linalool reduced stress-activated neutrophils and lymphocytes (two types of white blood cells) in the body to near-normal levels and restrained the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive during stressful situations.
In their study, researchers noted that people have inhaled the scents of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce feelings of anxiety, fight inflammation and depression and induce sleep. Today, aromatherapy, or the use of fragrant oils to improve mood and health, is a popular form of alternative medicine. These findings could form a new basis for identifying the best fragrances to smell to dispel stress.
Source: American Chemical Society, 2009
MORE KUDOS FOR NUTS AND MEDITERRANEAN DIET
According to a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association, a Mediterranean diet, with an additional daily serving of mixed nuts, can be helpful in managing some metabolic disorders in older adults. Research focused on metabolic syndrome, a set of metabolic disorders such as abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood glucose levels, all of which increase the risk of chronic disease.
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