PRESS RELEASE - VITAMINS & MINERALS JUNE 1ST 2007
The Health Products Association has noted a review article in the 28th February 2007 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The conclusions of the review article suggest that treatment with betacarotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality. The researchers added that the potential roles of vitamin C and ...
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HPA BLACK COHOSH POSITION STATEMENT
1. The HPA executive has been monitoring scientific literature and the opinions and statements of associations and regulatory authorities abroad, relating to the safety of Black Cohosh (Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma) and whether label warnings relating to these safety issues should be placed on products that contain Black Cohosh.
2. ...
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SA CAMS INDUSTRY BOOMING
PRELIMINARY results from a business survey commissioned by the HPA point to an increase in financial growth for the CAMS industry from R2,3 billion in 2003 to R4 billion in 2007 and to a growth among participating companies of 27% for 2006/2007.Although less than a third of HPA members participated, their responses have been used to ...
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NATURAL MEDICINE MAGAZINE
Natural Medicine magazine is a South African publication that serves as a valuable vehicle on the uses and benefits of natural medicine. It provides practical information to the general public, healing practitioners and those in the natural medicine industry. Specialist articles are written by professionals with ...
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PAIN RELIEVING MINT
A team from Newcastle University in the UK has proven in a study on mice that Brazilian mint (hyptis crenata) has pain relieving qualities equal to commercially available analgesics. Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat various ailments. To ensure they used the treatment method prescribed by these ...
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HIGH DOSE SUPPLEMENT DIRECTIVE DELAYED
The EU draft amendment of the maximum permitted levels (MPLs) for nutrients in food supplements has been delayed until January 2010. The health supplements industry in the UK and various EU states - as well as numerous retails outlets - could be under threat if the MPLs are set too low. The UK lobby group, Consumers for Health Choice (CHC) ...
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FLAX OIL MAY PROTECT AGAINST OSTEOPOROSIS
Flaxseed oil could help protect against the development of osteoporosis according to an Egyptian study. Mer Harvi and colleagues at the National Research Center, in Cairo, Egypt, tested the effect of dietary flaxseed oil in female rats that were rendered diabetic and/or had their ovaries removed to mimic menopause. They established that the ...
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ANTIOXIDANTS COULD DIMINISH DNA DAMAGE
People exposed to ionising radiation - from both natural and made-made sources - are at risk of DNA damage. Airline flight crew workers are exposed to higher average doses than any other worker, according to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). Now scientists from the US National Institutes of ...
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CRN ENCOURAGES RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR
Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), believes that most of the problems that burden the US dietary supplements industry are self-generated. As an association committed to consumers, CRN is critical of unscrupulous companies who put prescription drugs into products, market substandard products and ...
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LOW MATERNAL FOLATE LEVELS LINKED TO HYPERACTIVITY
Low maternal folate levels have been linked with an increased risk of the development of attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity in children in a study, conducted by Dr Wolff Schlotz and colleagues from the University of Southampton in England. It included children of 100 mothers who took part in an earlier study of prenatal nutrition and ...
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SKIN BENEFITS FROM SUPPLEMENTS
Ageing skin can be rejuvenated with the aid of a dietary supplement containing coenzyme Q10, antioxidants and minerals, according to research conducted at the Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand. Sixty female subjects were randomly assigned to either the supplement, manufactured by Australian-based nutritional supplement manufacturer ...
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REDUCE FRACTURE RISKS WITH VITAMIN C
Researchers at Tufts University, Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Health have established that vitamin C could protect against hip and nonvertrbral fracture risks. They evaluated data from 929 participants in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study who were part of the original Framingham Study cohort. Dietary questionnaires ...
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STRAWBERRY POWDER SHOWS CHOLESTEROL CUTTING POTENTIAL
A freeze-dried strawberry powder supplied by the California Strawberry Commission has been found to cut cholesterol levels by approximately five percent and decrease by 14 percent levels of malondialdehyde - a marker of oxidative stress. Researchers led by Arpita Basu from Oklahoma State University conducted the study on 16 women with three ...
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SUPPORT THE HPA - WE PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE HEALTH PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
HPA Executive Secretary Deirdre Allen is calling on stakeholders in the health products industry to subscribe to and support the HPA in its ongoing endeavour to establish a reputable and robust industry in South Africa. In this letter, she outlines the challenges facing the health products industry and the advantages of being ...
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OBESITY-INDUCED GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE REDUCED WITH CHILLI EXTRACT
A study with mice has established that capsaicin, the compound that gives red pepper its heat, may prevent the development of diabetes-like symptoms in obese people. South Korean researchers, led by Rina Yu from The University of Ulsan, fed male obese mice a high-fat diet for 10 weeks and the separated them into two groups: Both continued to ...
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OMEGA-3 COULD LOWER RISK OF AMD
A new study from the UK National Eye Institute supports earlier findings that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the leading cause of legal blindness for people over 55 years of age in the Western world, according to AMD Alliance International. For the study, lead researcher John Paul ...
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AMINO ACID MAKES TEETH STRONG
A simple amino acid is the key to strong teeth. Scientists led by Tom Diekwisch, professor and head of oral biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry have discovered that the amino acid proline could offer clues on how to engineer tooth enamel. Proline is repeated in the centre of proteins found in tooth enamel. When ...
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POLYPHENOLS FROM PAPER WASTE
Pulp and paper processing waste is an unlikely source for health products. However a Lausanne-based Swiss company is recovering polyphenols from an Indian paper company's facility in the Punjab, employing a method based on hydrolysis to extract an unadulterated form of the polyphenols from wheat, straw, sarkanda as well as bagasses grass ...
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BEAT THE BLUES WITH GREEN TEA
Dr Kaijun Niu, at Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, and colleagues have found that men and women aged 70 and older who drink four or more cups of green tea daily are 44% less likely suffer from depression. As several prior studies have linked green tea consumption to reduced levels of psychological distress, ...
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VITAMIN C BOOSTS STEM CELL RESEARCH
New research suggests that Vitamin C may help adult cells generate embryonic-like stem cells. The researchers found that vitamin C boosted the process in both human and mouse cells. However, they say that the process doesn't work very well Senior study author Duanqing Pei, of the South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative ...
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LYCHEE EXTRACT MAY PROMOTE FAT LOSS
Researchers from Hokkaido Information University, Sapporo Bio-S, and Amino Up Chemical Company in Japan report that a commercially available lychee extract may reduce abdominal fat in people with metabolic syndrome and a lead to improvements in overall health. For the study, 18 volunteers aged between 25 and 59 were recruited. All had a waist ...
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MILK THISTLE COULD REDUCE CHEMO-INDUCED LIVER INFLAMMATION
A small study led by researcher Dr. Kara Kelly, from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City has established that the herb milk thistle can reduce liver inflammation caused by chemotherapy. For the study, Kelly's team randomly assigned 50 children undergoing ...
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LIPOSOME ENCAPSULATION BOOSTS CURCUMIN BENEFITS
A new Japanese study strongly suggests that using liposomes, (little microcapsules made from phospholipids), to encapsulate curcumin can quadruple the body's absorption of this substance. Curcumin has numerous health benefits, but much of the compound is destroyed by gastric juices in the digestive system. As a result, little gets into ...
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ANTI-AGEING MARKET
In a report entitled "The Market for Anti-Ageing Foods", Leatherhead Food Research has revealed that the anti-ageing food market has huge potential. Although interest and activity in anti-ageing foods and drinks has started to rise, it is still highly fragmented and mainly confined to products fortified with antioxidant vitamins and ...
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SHARING NUTRIENT INFORMATION
Accurate nutrient information is vital for companies wanting to compile health claim dossiers under the European Union's health claims system. To assist in this process, some companies have decided to pool nutrient information and make it available at a fee to interested parties. One firm doing this is the French Consultanct, NutraVeris, ...
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NEW VITAMIN C DISCOVERY
A new research discovery published in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal reports that vitamin C reverses abnormalities caused by Werner syndrome gene, including cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart failure and high cholesterol. In the research report, a team of Canadian scientists show that vitamin C stops and even reverses ...
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NERVE PAIN NUMBED BY NUTMEG
A clinical trial conducted at the University of the West Indies has ascertained that a spray containing nutmeg could help relieve the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy. This condition results when the nerves become damaged by too much sugar in the blood and affects up to 70% of diabetics. The nutmeg compound is sprayed on the affected area ...
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INCREASING DEMAND FOR NUTRACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS
A research report entitled "World Nutraceutical Ingredients", conducted by The Freedonia Group claims that global demand for nutraceutical ingredients will reach $21.8bn by 2013. According to the report the most promising growth categories are soy protein nutrients, functional food and beverage additives lutein, lycopene, omega-3 ...
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CRN RESPONDS TO GINKGO BILOBA STUDY
In response to the publication of a study, "Ginkgo biloba for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Older Adults," published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement industry, issued the following statement: Statement ...
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GINGER ALLEVIATES CHEMO-INDUCED NAUSEA
Ginger root has, for centuries, been used in herbal remedies. It is known for its ability to prevent nausea related to motion sickness, morning sickness and over-indulgence as well as alleviate heartburn, vomiting, stomach cramps and loss of appetite. Now there is evidence that ginger can also prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea. In the largest ...
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WHITE BEAN SUPPLEMENT COULD LOWER FOOD GI
A dietary supplement derived from a white bean may reduce the glycemic index (GI) of foods, according to s study conducted by researchers from the UCL School of Medicine. They studied the effects of the supplement on the GI of white bread in 13 subjects. During in-vitro analysis, the white kidney bean derived supplement called Phase 2 was shown ...
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HOPS COMPOUND COULD AID IN PROSTATE CANCER PREVENTION
Xanthohumol - a natural compound derived from hops - has been found to aid in the prevention of prostate cancer by blocking the male hormone testosterone. Clarissa Gerhauser, Ph.D., group leader of cancer chemoprevention in the Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors at the German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg, Germany, and ...
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CAN POMEGRANATE CHEMICAL COMBAT SUPERBUGS?
A chemical found in pomegranate rind may hold the key to fighting drug resistant infections. Professor Declan Naughton, biomolecular scientist at the University of Kingston, Surrey, and his team created a lotion made of three ingredients - pomegranate rind, vitamin C and a metal salt. They found that this combination produced ...
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SLIMMING PILL RECALL
Yet another weight loss dietary supplement has been recalled in the US after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the product contained undeclared drug ingredients. A FDA laboratory analysis of the GMP Herbal Products supplement Pai You Guo, found undeclared sibutramine, an FDA-approved drug used as an appetite suppressant. ...
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MEDICINAL PLANTS AND EXTRACTS REPORT
The 33rd issue of the Market News Service (MNS) Medicinal Plants and Extracts report was released in December 2009. Prepared by the International Trade Centre, the aim of the report is to promote international trade in medicinal plants and botanical extracts. This new, revised version includes substantially more information on the structure ...
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AAMPS INITIATIVE
The African Association for Medicinal Plants Standards (AAMPS) together with the International Foundation for Science (IFS) have launched a special joint initiative to develop the capacity of young scientists and encourage applied research in the field of quality control, quality assurance and the preparation of standards/monographs for ...
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ANTIOXIDANT COMPOUND REDUCES COLORECTAL ADENOMAS
A selenium-based antioxidant compound has been found to decrease the risk of new polyps developing in the bowels of people who have had colorectal polyps removed. Luigina Bonelli, M.D., head of the unit of secondary prevention and screening at the National Institute for Cancer Research, in Genoa, Italy and his colleagues studied patient aged 25 ...
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HOT FLASHES RELIEVED WITH ST JOHN'S WORT
Marjan Khajehei, of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and her colleagues have conducted a small study on the effects of the herb St John's Wort on menopausal hot flashes. They recruited 100 women aged on average, 50 years old, who had been having moderate to severe hot flashes at least once a day. The women were randomly assigned ...
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HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOY PEPTIDE
A soy peptide that is usually discarded at soy processing plants could have some important health benefits. University of Illinois Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition Elvira de Mejia and her group conducted two studies that established that the soy peptide - lunasin - has the ability to fight leukemia and block the inflammation ...
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VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY DIRECTLY LINKED TO HEART DISEASE
Scientists from the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City claim that they have fresh evidence directly linking vitamin D deficiency to heart disease. For more than a year, the Intermountain Medical Center research team followed 27,686 people who were 50 years of age or older with no prior history of cardiovascular ...
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ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESPONDS TO NUTRIENT COCKTAIL
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Richard Wurtman, MD and his colleagues report that a combination of the vitamin choline, the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and uridine improves the memory of men and women with early Alzheimer's disease. Dr Wurtman ...
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PROBIOTICS REDUCE CHILDREN'S INFECTIONS
Results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 281 children who attend day care centres in Zagreb, Croatia suggest that the probiotic lactobacillus GG (LGG) can decrease the children's risk of upper respiratory infections. The children were randomly allocated to receive LGG at a dose of 109 colony-forming units (CFU) ...
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SEPSIS CONTROLLED WITH FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTATION
Intravenously administered omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish oil have proven beneficial for intensive care patents with sepsis - a potentially lethal blood infection. Researchers at the University of Southampton in England led by Dr Philip Calder randomised 23 patients hospitalised with sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hospital ...
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GLUCOSAMINE COMBINED WITH OMEGA-3 IMPROVES JOINT HEALTH
A new study conducted in Germany has established that the combination of glucosamine sulphate and omega-3 fatty acids achieves better improvements in joint health that glucosamine alone. Lead author of the trial, Dr Joerg Gruenwald, and his co-workers recruited 177 people with moderate-to-severe hip or knee osteoarthritis and randomly assigned ...
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VITAMIN C HELPS PRODUCE STEM CELLS
Stem cell therapy generates a great deal of controversy. One method of stem cell regeneration that avoids the ethical controversy of obtaining cells from human embryos is reprogramming adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This process involves turning on a set of genes, which recent research has aided by the introduction of ...
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COLON CANCER PROTECTION IN SOY COMPOUNDS
Scientists from the Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland report that natural lipid compounds found in soy - sphingadienes (SDs) - may be behind the potential anti-cancer effects of soy. The study's lead researcher Dr Julie Saba and her co-workers showed the effectiveness of the compounds in a mouse model of colon cancer. Their ...
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CHC PRO HIGH-DOSE SUPPLEMENTS CAMPAIGN
A pro high-dose supplements campaign has been launched in the UK by the Consumers for Health Choice (CHC). Tailored to consumers, manufacturers., retailers and practitioners in the UK, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Poland the campaign is aimed, says the CHC ‘at ensuring everyone makes their voices heard at this critical ...
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POMEGRANATE POWER
Numerous health benefits have been attributed to pomegranate juice and pulp. According to a recent study, the oil from pomegranate seeds also has potential - it may prevent the development of diabetes. The research, led by Brian McFarlin from the University of Houston, was conducted on mice that were fed a high-fat diet. The results established ...
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HARVARD SUPPORTS VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION
The necessity of vitamin D for health maintenance is receiving a great deal of publicity as an increasing number of health issues have been linked with vitamin D deficiencies. Now the prestigious Harvard Medical School has endorsed vitamin D supplementation - an usual stance for an institution that supports the theory that vitamin intake should ...
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KUDZU ROOT ALLEVIATES METABOLIC SYNDROME SYMPTOMS
Scientists in Alabama and Iowa suggest that extracts from roots of the kudzu vine could modulate glucose, lipids and blood pressure and may therefore play a role in the prevention or improvement of symptoms related to metabolic syndrome. The researchers, led by J. Michael Wyss used stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats as a model for the ...
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HEAVY FINES FOR MISLEADING CLAIMS
In the United States, marketers of two dietary supplement products - Supreme Greens and Coral Calcium - have been ordered to pay almost $70m for deceptive marketing. According to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Donald W. Barrett and his affiliates had "deceptively touted" the supplement Supreme Greens to treat, cure, or prevent ...
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FISH OIL ACTION CLARIFIED
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London and Harvard Medical School have found an explanation for the beneficial action of fish oils on inflammatory conditions like arthritis. They believe this is due to the body converting the DHA found in fish oils into a chemical called Resolvin D2, which reduces the inflammation. Mauro Perretti, a ...
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CLEAR DIETARY REFERENCE FOR EPA AND DHA OMEGA-3S
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) and a consortium of eight leading scientific, trade, and consumer advocacy organisations have petitioned the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene an expert panel to establish clear dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for the EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. Industry support is ...
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SOY HELPS REDUCE CHOLESTEROL
According to results published in the Journal of Nutrition consumption by diabetics of 40 grams of soy protein isolate (SPI) per day for 57 days resulted in significant reductions in both LDL cholesterol and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol, compared to consumption of the same dose of milk protein. This new study, says study leader ...
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DE-STRESS WITH DARK CHOCOLATE
A small study by German and Swiss researchers has established that about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced the levels of stress hormones in highly stressed people and partially corrected other stress-related imbalances in the body. The study, led by Sunil Kochhar from the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, ...
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QUERCETIN MAY MINIMISE COLON CANCER RISKS
The risk of developing colon cancer could be reduced by increased intake of quercetin according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen, Ireland's National Cancer Registry and the University of Ottawa. Tea is the main dietary source of flavonoids in the UK. Study leader Janet Kyle said that participants were drawn ...
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CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE MAY BENEFIT PEOPLE WITH PRE-DIABETES
In China and other Asian countries, Chinese herbal medicines have been used for decades to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. A recent review, funded in part by NCCAM, examined related clinical trials to see whether scientific evidence supports recommending Chinese herbal medicine as a treatment option for people with pre-diabetes. The ...
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ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTS COULD HELP CELIACS
Findings published in Clinical Biochemistry, reveal that sufferers of celiac disease could benefit from antioxidants and appropriate dietary supplements. Because data concerning the antioxidant status of celiac patients is scarce, researchers from the University of Belgrade set about studying the role of oxidative stress and ...
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OMEGA-3 AND COQ10 COULD BENEFIT KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS
Researchers from University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital report that a combination of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may decrease blood pressure and heart rate in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Study leader Dr Trevor Mori and his co-workers recruited 85 people with CKD (average age 56.5, average ...
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POLYPHENOL POTENTIAL
Research into polyphenols - the antioxidant compounds in fruit and vegetables - is increasing as the ability of these substances to absorb free radicals as well as provide possible protection against certain diseases becomes more apparent. The chemical compounds called phenylpropanoids, includes flavonoids, and hydrolyzable tannins such as the ...
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SOY COMPOUND ALLEVIATES MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS
According to research presented at the North American Menopause Society's 20th annual meeting in October 2009, postmenopausal women who consumed supplements containing a metabolic product of soy known as S-equol experienced a reduction of 59 percent in hot flashes after 12 weeks, "The compound appears to have a promising future role in ...
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MELON EXTRACT COULD HELP EASE STRESS
A French study has revealed that superoxide dismutase (SOD) extracted from melon may help relieve stress and fatigue. Scientists from the University Henri Poincaré and Isoclin, a clinical research organistion teamed up with the French companies Bionov and Seppic to conduct a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study on the ...
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FOLATE FOR HEART HEALTH?
A study by scientists from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, the University of East Anglia, and the Institute of Food Research, has established that supplements of either folic acid or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), the naturally circulating form of folate, could reduce homocysteine levels, improve cardiovascular health ...
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POSTVIRAL OLFACTORY LOSS ALLEVIATED WITH GINKGO
The herb Ginkgo biloba helps improve the ability of glucocorticoid treatment to restore sense of smell following upper respiratory viral infections, according to Korean researchers. The loss of olfactory sense can occur after a common cold infection. It is believed to be caused by neurodegeneration of olfactory neural system cells ...
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AMA BELIEVES MARIJUANA HAS MEDICINAL VALUE
The American Medical Association (AMA) has voted to reverse its long held position that marijuana has no medical value and the group is planning to entirely review its current cannabis policy. The AMA's House of Delegates has adopted a new position which demands that: "Marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance ...
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FOLIC ACID AND IRON SUPPLEMENTATION HELPS REDUCE CHILDHOOD MORTALITY
Parul Christian, DrPH, MSc, and colleagues from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report that children born to mothers who received folic acid and iron supplements during their pregnancies were less likely to die during childhood than children of mothers who did not supplement with these nutrients. This investigation was a ...
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SAFE PHYTOESTROGENS
A meta-analysis from Austria supports the safety of phytoestrogens like soy and red clover isoflavones, revealing that these are not linked to serious side-effects like increased cancer risks and heart problems. The researchers, led by Clemens Tempfer from the Medical University Vienna, looked at all isoflavones, and identified 92 randomised ...
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FDA DECREES 'VITAMINS USEFUL'
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a consumer advisory supporting the use of vitamins. Barbara Schneeman, PhD, director of FDA's Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements recently stated that "Supplements can be useful when they fulfill a specific identified nutrient need that can't be met by food or ...
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US HEALTH INDUSTRY COALITION ADVISES AGAINST USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR SWINE FLU
With swine flu causing panic worldwide, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA) and United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) have endorsed the following unified advisory for marketers and retailers, ...
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PSSA OPEN LETTER AND HPA RESPONSE
Many pharmacists have expressed concern regarding claims made in advertising complementary medicines. In the PSSA Newsletter #14 of 31 March 2009 is an open letter from the PSSA to the Medicines Control Council that deals with the call-up of complementary medicines. Below is the open letter in its entirety. This is followed by a ...
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MONICA FAIRALL-MORRELL - A TRIBUTE
Renowned broadcaster, journalist and media personality, Monica Fairall-Morrell, died on the winter solstice of 21 June, 2009. She had been diagnosed with myeloma in late 2008 and finally succumbed to complications arising from pneumonia. Despite the discomfort of her condition and the side-effects of aggressive treatment, Monica remained ...
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RESVERATROL SHOWS PROMISE AS HRT ALTERNATIVE
A new study has established that resveratrol is the best phytoestrogen alternative to hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women. Phytoestrogens are natural plant substances found in food that exert weak estrogen-like activity, such as daidzein, genistein and glycitein found in soybeans and soy products, coumestrol in mung bean and ...
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CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D PROMOTE COLORECTAL HEALTH
Cell health in the colon and rectum could be normalised by a combination of calcium and vitamin D, thereby offering potential protection from tumour development, according to researchers from Emory University, the University of Minnesota, and the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. They conducted a pilot, ...
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PYCNOGENOL BOOSTS EYE HEALTH
A new study suggests that Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) could improve the eyesight of people with early stage diabetic retinopathy. Researchers from G D'Annunzio University in Italy and Horphag Research (the company behind the pine bark extract), conducted a randomised controlled study with forty-six diabetics. They randomly assigned 24 ...
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DARK CHOCOLATE MAY PROTECT DNA
Italian researchers report that eating dark chocolate containing 860 milligrams of polyphenols, and 58 milligrams of epicatechin, resulted in a 20 per cent reduction in DNA damage two hours after consumption. Led by Angela Spadafranca from the University of Milan and using chocolate supplied by Ferraro, the researchers assigned 20 healthy ...
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SPICES COULD BOOST BREAST HEALTH
Researchers from the University of Michigan report that curcumin (found in turmeric), and piperine (found in black peppers), may reduce the risk of breast cancer formation by stopping the growth of the stem cells that spawn the tumours. The research, conducted in vitro, is apparently the first to suggest these dietary compounds could reduce the ...
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DIETICIANS SUPPORT SUPPLEMENTS
According to the "Life...supplemented" campaign in the US, more than 80% of registered dieticians believe that nutritional gaps in the diet can be filled with dietary supplements. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said that supplements can address their own diet gaps, 96% confirmed that they take supplements and 87% acknowledged ...
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SIMPLY SLIM RECALL RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT BITTER ORANGE
The Medicines Control Council (MCC) has suspended sales of the weight loss product Simply Slim as they believe it may pose significant risks to the South African public. Simply Slim, which is being promoted and sold as a complementary herbal weight loss product, is not registered by the MCC. Sample tests revealed that certain batches of the ...
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COFFEE COULD REDUCE PROSTATE CANCER RISKS
A US study with almost 50,000 men has found that men with the highest intake of coffee had significantly lower risks of developing aggressive prostate cancer. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health used data from the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study to investigate the association between regular and ...
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EXCESS SELENIUM IN SUPPLEMENT LINKED TO HEALTH PROBLEMS
A recent report revealed that in the US in 2008, numerous people fell ill after taking the supplements "Total Body Formula" and "Total Body Mega Formula. They started losing their hair and began suffering from fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea and other symptoms. The symptoms, first reported by patients of a Florida chiropractor who was ...
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EYE HEALTH BENEFITS FROM DIETARY CAROTENOIDS
A new study published in the Institute of Food Technologists' Journal of Food Science, supports the theory that dietary sources of the oxygenated carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, benefit eye health. Carotenoids, a group of pigments found mainly in green leafy vegetables and coloured fruits, are deposited selectively in different ...
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IMPORTED DIET PRODUCTS NOW NEED MCC CLEARANCE
No diet product may be cleared by South African customs if the Medicine Control Council has not analysed the product, a Beeld report states. It notes that the MCC banned the product "Simply Slim" a few weeks ago after it was found to contain the prescription drug sibutramine. Tests have also shown sibutramine in ...
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SHEA TREE EXTRACT COULD AID JOINT HEALTH
An Australian study has indicated that an extract from the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) could be beneficial for joint health. The study - utilising a supplement known as SheaFlex70 - was conducted at the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research in Brisbane, and received funding from BSP Pharma, ...
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TEA AND COFFEE MAY DIMINISH DIABETES RISK
A new review and meta-analysis reveals that drinking three to four cups of tea or coffee a day may cut the risk of developing diabetes by 25%. Reviewers, led by Rachel Huxley from the University of Sydney, Australia, studied data of more than 500,000 individuals with over 21,000 cases of type-2 diabetes from prospective studies. ...
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OMEGA 3 COULD HELP PREVENT PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Researchers from Austria, Switzerland and Australia have established that daily fish oil capsules containing long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may help prevent psychotic disorders in high risk individuals. In a randomised, double-blinded trial, G. Paul Amminger, MD of Medical University of Vienna, and his colleagues gave 81 ...
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POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENT BENEFITS
According to the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial on 42 men and women with mildly elevated blood pressure, potassium supplements can be of benefit to the heart and bones. The participants received potassium chloride for 4 weeks, potassium bicarbonate for 4 weeks, or a placebo for 4 weeks in random order over a 12 ...
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HERBAL VIAGRA WARNING
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has warned the public off all herbal products offering to treat erectile dysfunction. The MHRA issued the warning after global recalls demonstrated that many ‘herbal viagra' products were adulterated with unauthorized pharma ingredients such as sildenafil, tadalafil, ...
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SUPPLEMENTS COULD REDUCE BLADDER CANCER RISK
Researchers, led by Maree Brinkman from The Cancer Council Victoria in Australia, have established that vitamins E and D as well as carotenoids, niacin and thiamine could cut the risk of bladder cancer, particularly in older people and heavy smokers. Brinkman and her co-workers analysed dietary data from 322 people with bladder cancer and 239 ...
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CHOCOLATE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER STROKE RISK
According to the results of a Canadian analysis, higher flavonoid intake from chocolate sources may be associated with lower incident risk of stroke and stroke-related mortality. Sarah Sahib, BScCA, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, along with Gustavo Saposnik, MD, MSc, of St Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto evaluated ...
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BLUEBERRY MEMORY BOOST
A new study from the United States has established that drinking approximately 500 ml of blueberry juice a day can improve learning and word list recall, as well as reduce depressive symptoms in older people with early memory problems. Researchers, led by Robert Krikorian from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center state that their ...
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PINE BARK COULD ALLEVIATE HAEMORRHOID PROBLEMS
A new study has established that French maritime pine bark extract - pycnogenol - could alleviate the pain and bleeding associated with haemorrhoids. Researchers from the University of Munster in Germany- led by Professor Peter Pohdenwald - in collaboration with Italian scientists from G D'Annunzio University, recruited 84 people suffering from ...
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CHC CAMPAIGN FOR HIGH-DOSE SUPPLEMENTS
Sue Croft - Director of the UK group Consumers for Health Choice (CHC) - has urged consumers to take action against the EU Food Supplements Directives that threatens the natural health product industry. The new CHC drive involves distributing one million ‘Time is Running Out" postcards to health stores, gyms, fitness ...
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BITTER MELON REDUCES BREAST CANCER CELL GROWTH
Ratna B. Ray, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pathology at Saint Louis University, and his team, have ascertained that the common dietary supplement bitter melon, (Momordica charanti), can exert a significant effect on breast cancer cell growth. Using human breast cancer cells and primary human mammary epithelial cells in vitro, ...
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HIGH VITAMIN D LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER RISK OF HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES
A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders, which include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Researchers looked at 28 studies including 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including ...
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NIACIN MAY IMPROVE POST-STROKE NEUROLOGICAL FUNCTION
Michael Chopp, PhD, scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute has discovered that niacin (vitamin B3) has a protective function on neuralgic function following a stroke. Dr Chopp and his colleagues tested the effect of extended-release niacin in a rat model of stroke. The animals were given 40 milligrams/kilogram niacin daily ...
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VITAMIN/MINERAL COMBO OFFERS FRACTURE PORTECTION
Results of a large study conducted in the US and Europe has established that dietary supplements that contain vitamin D and calcium could reduce the risk of fractures in all sectors of the population. For the study, led by researchers at Copenhagen University in Denmark, the researchers used data from seven major randomised trials of ...
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PROGESTERONE FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?
According to David Wright, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, progress is being made using progesterone in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. A new double-blind Phase III clinical trial known as ProTECT III (Progesterone for Traumatic brain injury - Experimental Clinical Treatment) will ...
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STROKE DAMAGE INHIBITED BY TOCOTRIENOLS
According to findings of a study conducted on mouse brain cells, tocotrienols - a dietary nutrient derived from palm oil - could prevent stroke related nerve cell death in the brain. Researchers from Ohio State University led by Professor Chandan Sen, established that alpha-tocotrienol, one of eight forms of vitamin E, was able to inhibit an ...
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LOWER CERVICAL CANCER RISK ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIOXIDANT/VITAMIN INTAKE
The intake of beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C and E has been associated with and a lower risk of cervical cancer in a study conducted on Korean women. Mi Kyung Kim of the Republic of Korea's National Cancer Center and colleagues age-matched 144 women diagnosed with cervical cancer with 288 control subjects with no history of the disease. ...
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BLACK COHOSH VINDICATED
An analysis by Health Canada has shown that authentic black cohosh was not involved in the cited cases of adverse events purportedly associated with the herb. Steve Dentali, Chief Science Officer for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) said the summary of liver-related adverse events vindicated black cohosh because the herb was not ...
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CALCIUM MAY PROMOTE LONGEVITY
Swedish researchers have found that men who consumed the most calcium in food were 25 percent less likely to die over the next decade than their peers who took in the least calcium from food. For the study Dr. Joanna Kaluza of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and her colleagues looked at more than 23,000 Swedish men who were 45 to 79 ...
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VITAMIND D VITAL FOR ACTIVATING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Low vitamin D levels have been linked to a variety of diseases. Now Danish researchers have established that vitamin D is vital in activating the immune system's killer T cells. If vitamin D is lacking in the blood, these cells remain dormant. "When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or 'antenna' known ...
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FOLATE MAY REDUCE DEPRESSISON
According to a study led by researchers from the International Medical Centre of Japan in Tokyo, higher blood levels of folate may reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in men by up to 50%. The study also reports that increased levels of the amino acid homocysteine were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms in men. For the ...
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LYCOPENE SUPPLEMENT COULD PROTECT SKIN
The supplement lactolycopene - which is lycopene oleoresin embedded in a whey protein matrix - can apparently boost skin levels of lycopene and beta-carotene which could provide protection against UVA and UVB radiation. Led by Ulrike Blume-Peytavi from Berlin-based CRO the Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, ...
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IADSA ANTIOXIDANT ALERT
Results of a study published in Science Daily claimed that antioxidants can impair muscle function. In response, the IADSA Scientific Alert Service published this information:
Background summary:
The report is about experiments on isolated leg muscles of rat to study muscle
physiology related to the mechanisms of ...
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FISH OIL MAKERS SUED
Fish oil manufacturers in the United States are being sued over the purported toxicity of their supplements. The lawsuit, filed in the San Francisco Supreme Court, claims that the makers and sellers of certain fish oil supplements, which were found to contain high levels of man-made industrial chemicals known as PCB compounds, have failed to ...
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OMEGA 3 COULD DECREASE DENTAL DISEASE
Researchers, led by led by Masanori Iwasaki from Niigata University in Japan, have established that increased levels of omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) may decrease the risk of dental diseases. In what is believed to be the first longitudinal study of the relation between periodontal conditions and dietary omega-3 fatty acid ...
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CAMS BOOM IN UK
UK market research company, Mintel, noted that CAMS is booming in the UK, revealing that the market had grown by 18% from 2007 to 2009 and is expected to increase by 33% by 2013. Growth of this market is attributed to increasing acceptance of complementary and alternative medicines and the fact that many CAMS therapies and products are now ...
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VITAMIN B6 ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER COLORECTAL CANCER RISK
A meta-analysis conducted by Dr Susanna C. Larsson and her colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has found an association between a reduced risk of colorectal cancer and higher levels of the principle active coenzyme form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). For their review the authors selected 9 studies that evaluated ...
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SUPPLEMENTS DECREASE CHILDREN'S ECZEMA RISK
A study from Korea suggests that children with the highest intakes of beta-carotene, vitamin E, folic acid and iron have significantly lower risks of developing the form of eczema known as atopic dermatitis (AD). Researchers from Kyung Hee University in Seoul used both data on intakes of vitamin and minerals, and corresponding biomarkers, in ...
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MISLEADING HEALTH CLAIMS ON US FOOD LABELS
A report in the Financial Times revealed that the US Food & Drug Administration warned 17 food manufacturers that labelling on the packaging of 22 products broke the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. "Warning letters sent to companies such as Nestlé, Gorton's (the largest US producer of frozen seafood), Dreyer's Ice Cream and ...
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GUILTY OF SUPPLEMENT SPIKING
Two sports performance products illegally spiked with a synthetic anabolic steroid were sold by a California-based company between 2005 and 2009. According to a plea agreement filed in US District Court in San Jose, VMG Global pleaded guilty to one charge of introducing unapproved drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead. Supplement ...
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BREAST CANCER OUTCOMES IMPROVE WITH DHA
The omega-3 fatty acid DHA may help improve the survival rate of breast cancer patients by sensitising tumours to chemotherapy, says a French study led by by Dr Philippe Bougnoux from the French Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U921 in Tours. Twenty-five women with breast cancer - and particularly ...
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RED YEAST RICE REDUCES LDL CHOLESTEROL
Findings of a study published in the ‘American Journal of Cardiology' reveal that red yeast rice supplements may reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 21%. Led by Dr Paul Thompson from the University of Connecticut, the researchers collected data on 25 people who received red yeast rice supplements for at least four weeks, based on patient ...
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CHINA RE-LAUNCHES FOOD SAFETY CAMPAIGN
Melamine-tainted milk products have seriously damaged the image of Chinese food safety. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang admits that there are still serious problems in the country's food safety system. To rectify this, the government has re-launched a food safety campaign to focus on the food processing, food additives and health supplements ...
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CAMS PROVISIONS IN OBAMA'S HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL
Several provisions that address CAMS are included in the new Healthcare Reform Bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act embodies details that primarily serve to better incorporate alternative practitioners into the U.S. healthcare system. Included in the final law, Section 4206, are ...
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IADSA LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
Foundations for future IADSA initiatives were implemented during 2009 as the organisation expanded its influence in novel ways and into uncharted regions. With a new Executive Council in place, members have taken on a significant and important role for the future of the dietary and food supplement sector. Globally, IADSA members assisted in ...
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RYE RELIEVES CONSTIPATION
Researchers from the University of Helsinki have discovered that whole-grain rye bread performed better than laxatives and white wheat bread in easing symptoms of constipation. For the study the Finnish researchers, led by Reetta Holma, recruited 51 constipated adults and randomly assigned them to one of five groups: One group received the ...
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SUPPLEMENT SANS HOODIA
A Californian company marketing a supplement claiming to contain the South African plant Hoodia Gordonii has been issued an injunction after tests revealed the supplement contained no hoodia. Ten Californian district attorney offices joined forces to bring an action against Breakthrough Engineered Nutrition, which led to the Solano ...
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SEAWEED MAY AID JOINT HEALTH
Clinical trials conducted in Australia reveal that an extract from brown seaweed may reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis.The study used a Marinova Maritech ingredient which is composed of extract of Fucus vesiculosis (85 per cent), Macrocystis pyrifera (10 per cent) and Laminaria japonica (5 per cent) plus vitamin ...
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HEALTH CANADA SUPPORTS AER MONITORING
As the use of natural health products increases, so does the need for closer monitoring of adverse reactions - specifically to herbal medicinal products. While the general perception is that herbs are low-risk, harm can arise from their inherent toxicity as well as inferior product quality. There is a lack of information on herb toxicity and ...
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BABY DIARRHOEA CURBED WITH ZINC DURING PREGNANCY
While past studies have shown that giving zinc supplements to young children with diarrhoea helps clear up the problem faster, less is known about the effects of zinc in the period before birth. In a new study Dr. Laura E. Caulfield, of the Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public ...
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ARSENIC TREATS BLOOD CANCER
For over 2 000 years, arsenic has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In 1992, a group of Chinese doctors reported that arsenic is utilised to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a blood and bone marrow cancer that has surprisingly high cure rates of over 90 percent in China. Now modern equipment has helped Chinese scientists ...
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SOUND SCIENCE IS A PRIORITY
Numerous important issues were addressed at the IADSA AGM held in Istanbul in February. One of the most significant, according to HPA President Bruce Dennison, is the IADSA 3-year scientific programme. "The main thrust of this programme," explains Dennison, "is the development of scientific support for supplements to provide ...
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PROBIOTICS DURING PREGNANCY MAY REDUCE DIABETES AND OBESITY RISKS
Finnish researchers from the University of Turku report that probiotic supplements during pregnancy may reduce the frequency of gestational diabetes as well as obesity risks later in the child's life. For the first paper to report on the safety aspect of the probiotic intervention, lead researcher Raakel Luoto and her colleagues recruited ...
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MAGNESIUM COULD IMPROVE ASTHMATICS' LUNG HEALTH
According to findings published in the Journal of Asthma daily magnesium supplementation could improve lung function in asthmatics. For the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial Dr Alexandra Kazaks, from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington State, and her colleagues recruited 55 mild-to-moderate asthmatics aged ...
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HPA GENERAL MEETING
A HPA General Meeting will be held on Thursday May 13th, at 15h30 at the Bryanston Country Club. As it is vital for all members - specifically advertisers - to know and understand the implications surrounding the Consumer Protection Act, the highlight will be a presentation entitled "Consumer Protection Act - ...
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ZINC COULD DECREASE ANGER AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN
Scientists from Daigaku Junior College and Seitoku University in Japan report that a daily supplement of 7 milligrams of zinc (as zinc gluconate) can reduce anger and depression in young women. For the study, the researchers recruited 30 young women and randomly assigned them to receive either multivitamins, or multivitamins plus zinc for 10 ...
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RESVERATROL EXHIBITS BRAIN PROTECTION PROPERTIES
Johns Hopkins University researchers have found that resveratrol exerts a protective effect against damage caused to the brain by stroke. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine Sylvain Doré, PhD and colleagues gave mice a modest dose of resveratrol two hours prior to ...
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GUT MICROFLORA AND DIABETES
Studies have already established a link between gut microflora and obesity - finding that thin and fat people have different gut microbial populations. A new study from Denmark has now revealed that gut bacterial populations of diabetics differ from those of non-diabetics. In what is apparently the first study to look at intestinal microbitia ...
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NATURAL THERAPIES FOR SOLIDERS SUFFERING FROM PTSD
Some U.S. soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after long deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated with complementary therapies like aromatherapy and acupuncture. United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, ""We have an experimental unit ... treating soldiers with PTSD and using a number of ...
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CHOLESTEROL LOWERING COMBO
Researchers led by David Jenkins from the University of Toronto have established that the combination of soy protein with prebiotics can reduce levels of LDL-cholesterol. They conducted a small randomised controlled cross-over study that revealed that the LDL reductions were only observed when soy and prebiotics were co-ingested, suggesting ...
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PRETERM BIRTH RISKS DECREASE WITH FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION
According to findings published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, high dose folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, and particularly in the third trimester, may reduce the risk of preterm births by about 7 per cent. However, the Hungarian researchers from the Foundation ...
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CRN IN SWITZERLAND
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has established a new wholly-owned subsidiary headquartered in Manno, Switzerland. The new organisation, to be known as the Council for Responsible Nutrition-International (CRN-I), aims to provide a new forum by which to strengthen current efforts, said Mark LeDoux, one of CRN-I's founding Board ...
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ANTIOXIDANT INTAKE RELATED TO DIABETES RATES
Results of s study conducted by researchers based at the University of Athens indicate that higher total dietary antioxidant intake is correlated with lower levels of glycemic indices in healthy individuals, as well as in pre-diabetic and diabetic people. The scientists say that the observed, protective association of dietary antioxidant intake ...
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CAN SUPPLEMENTS SUBDUE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR?
Violence and aggression in prisoners could be subdued with supplements of vitamins, minerals and omega-3s according to a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial conducted in the Netherlands. The Dutch scientists, led by Ap Zaalberg from the Dutch Ministry of Justice, studied the behaviour of 200 young adult offenders and noted a 34% ...
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WEIGHT REDUCTION LINKED TO MULTIVITAMINS
A Chinese study led by Professor CH Sun from the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University, has established that multivitamin and mineral supplements could assist weight loss and improve blood fat levels in obese women. Ninety-six obese women aged between 18 and 55 were recruited to participate in the 26-week ...
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POST-MENOPAUSAL DEPRESSION RESPONDS TO RED CLOVER
Red clover isoflavones can offer relief to post menopausal women who suffer from anxiety and depression according to a new randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial conducted in Austria. The researchers, led by Markus Lipovac from General Teaching Hospital Korneuburg, recruited 109 post-menopausal women over the age of 40 and randomly ...
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MUSCLE FAT CONNECTED TO VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
Low vitamin D levels have been linked to an accumulation of fat in muscle tissue according to a Canadian study led by Dr Richard Kremer from McGill University. In collaboration with Dr Vincente Gilsanz from the University of Southern California, the McGill researchers recruited 90 young Californian women aged between 16 and 22. They found that ...
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COCOA'S BENEFITS ARE DOSE DEPENDENT
A study from Australia reveals that only regular consumption of high doses of cocoa flavanols can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study - apparently the first to compare the efficacy of cocoa flavanols at different doses on blood pressure - was conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia and University of Adelaide ...
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VITAMIN A INVOLVED IN ENERGY PRODUCTION
The reason why vitamin A deficiency causes so many diseases has been a mystery for decades. An international team of researchers has now ascertained that this vitamin may play a critical role in energy production in cells. Researchers led by Ulrich Hammerling from the Institute for Cancer Research, New York found that vitamin A (retinol) may ...
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MAGNESIUM MAY LOWER COLON CANCER RISKS
An observational study by researchers from Japan's National Cancer Centre has established that magnesium may lower the risk of colon cancer in men - but not in women. The Japanese researchers recruited 87,117 people with an average age of 57 and followed them for about eight years. Dietary intakes were assessed using a food frequency ...
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GINGER ALLEVIATES MUSCLE PAIN
Ginger can relieve exercise-induced muscle pain according to Professor Patrick J. O'Connor of the University of Georgia's College of Medicine and his associates. The researchers compared the effects of daily supplementation with ginger or a placebo in two double-blinded clinical trials. In the first trial, 34 participants received 2 grams raw ...
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ACUPUNCTURE TRIGGERS PAIN-KILLING CHEMICAL
A study funded by the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Program and the US National Institutes of Health has revealed that acupuncture's pain relief activity could be due to the stimulation of the natural pain-killing chemical adenosine. Lead author Dr Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Centre for Translational Neuromedicine at the ...
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UNDERSTAND THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
The Consumer Protection Act is set to change the face of business in South Africa. Businesses may now be held liable for defective products on a no-fault basis and be fined up to R1 million to contravening the provisions of the Act. In order to enable business owners to fully understand all the ramifications of the act, Advocate N.J.Melville ...
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BOOKING IS OPEN FOR THE MIMS COMPLEMENTARY DESK REFERENCE
The MIMS Complementary Desk Reference (CDR) fulfills a vital role in the CAMS industry. Showcasing product information in complementary disciplines ranging from homeopathy through herbalism to nutritional supplements, the publication serves as a handy quick-reference for health-care providers at the critical point ...
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COFFEE MAY HAVE ANTI-DIABETIC POTENTIAL
Scientists from Germany, Finland and Denmark have ascertained that regular coffee drinking could decrease levels of inflammatory markers linked to diabetes. The researchers, led by Christian Herder from Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, explained that their study "represents the first intervention trial to investigate the ...
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GREEN TEA COULD BENEFIT DENTAL HEALTH
According to findings from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study published in Preventive Medicine, drinking green tea could significantly improve dental health. The study authors, led by Yasushi Koyama from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, analysed data from 25,078 people aged between 40 to 64 years. By measuring tooth loss in ...
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RESVERATROL MAY PROTECT AGAINST DIET-INDUCED OBESITY
Resveratrol has been shown to inhibit the growth of fat cells (adipocytes) in human cell cultures by researchers from the University of Ulm in Germany. By studying human fat cells in culture, the researchers demonstrated an ability of resveratrol to inhibit the proliferation of preadipocytes and their differentiation into adipocytes that was ...
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US COURT RULES IN FAVOUR OF FREE SPEECH ON HEALTH CLAIMS
DORKING, UK: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lost its bid to overturn a health claim for selenium-containing dietary supplements In May in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle ruled unconstitutional the FDA's censorship of selenium dietary supplement ...
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SOY LINKED TO POST-MENOPAUSAL FAT LOSS
The potential of soy for treating post menopausal problems has interested researchers for some time. Now a new study has established the possibility that soy supplements could help trim fat in post-menopausal women. The study, which involved 16 African-American women and 17 white women, found that while white women lost more fat around their ...
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ANTIOXIDANTS MAY HELP PRESERVE PHYSICAL FITNESS
Loss of exercise capacity is a result of ageing. However, hope for over-50-somethings increasing their exercise capacity apparently comes in the form of supplements containing a proprietary blend of antioxidants, arginine, citrulline, taurine, alpha lipoic acid, folic acid and vitamins C and E. A study conducted by the University of California, ...
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VITAMIN E DECREASES ECZEMA RISK
A Japanese study conducted by Dr Masayuki Okuda of Yamaguchi University in Ube and colleagues has focused on the effects on vitamin E and A on the allergy-related conditions asthma and eczema. Among 396 10- and 13-year-old children, 240 of whom had eczema, wheezing, or asthma, the researchers found no relationship between a child's risk of any ...
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MULTIVITAMINS DURING PREGNANCY MAY ENHANCE INFANT HEALTH
A study with African American women has found that women who were taking daily multivitamins around the time of conception gave birth to babies who weighed on average half a kilo more than babies from women not taking the supplements. Heather Burris from Harvard University, Allen Mitchell and Martha Werler from Boston University Burris and ...
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FEMALE ATHLETES BENEFIT FROM FOLIC ACID
Apparently 44% of the 3 million female high school athletes and 23 million women runners in the United States suffer from amenorrhea (the cessation of menstruation due to a decline in oestrogen) - a condition that affects young female athletes who have low calorie intake and body fat. This drop in oestrogen levels is similar to that experienced ...
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HIGH DOSES OF VITAMIN D RECOMMENDED FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
Supplements containing 4 000 international units of vitamin D are not only safe for pregnant women, they could help prevent pre-term labour and births and infections. This is according to researchers including Medical University of South Carolina pediatric researcher Carol L. Wagner, MD and vitamin D researcher Bruce W. Hollis, PhD. The ...
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BLACKCURRANT COMPONENT COULD DECREASE LUNG INFLAMMATION
A study from New Zealand reveals that epigallocatechin - a compound in blackcurrants which is a known antioxidant and a major component of proanthocyanidins found in blackcurrants, could reduce inflammation in lung tissue and be beneficial to asthmatics. Researchers from Plant & Food Research Led by Dr Roger Hurst, examined the effects of ...
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ORANGE JUICE FLAVONOIDS COULD MINIMISE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF HIGH-FAT/HIGH CARB MEAL
The significant content of flavonoids naringenin and hesperidin in orange juice could protect against the negative effects of eating high-fat/high-carb meals according to US researchers from the University of Buffalo led by Professor Paresh Dandona. The study revealed that these compounds could exert antioxidant activity and reduce the ...
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MEMORY IMPROVES WITH DHA
Supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may have a very meaningful and important impact on cognitive function in the ageing population, according to Edward B.Nelson M.D.-coauthor of a study to establish the effect of DHA on memory. The Memory Improvement with Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Study (MIDAS) observed 485 individuals aged 55 and ...
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VITAMIN D COULD REDUCE SEASONAL 'FLU
Results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled Japanese study suggest that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the incidence of seasonal ‘flu. Researchers led by Mitsuyoshi Urashima from Jikei University School of Medicine recruited 334 schoolchildren who were randomly divided into two groups. One group received daily ...
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TOXIC SUPPLEMENT RECALL
In the UK, Chinese herbal products containing Aristolochia - a banned herbal ingredient- have been recalled. The specific supplement - Jingzhi Kesou Tan Chuan Wan - had been manufactured in China using Chinese labels but had been over-labelled in English to conceal the fact the products contained extracts derived from the ...
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POLYPHENOLS REDUCE PROSTATE CANCER CELLS
Polyphenols found in tea and wine have been shown to reduce prostate cancer growth by scientists in Toulouse, France. Olivier Cuvillier and his colleagues evaluated the effects of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a tea polyphenol mixture, resveratrol or grapevine extract in cultured prostate cancer cell lines in mice. ...
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AUSTRALIAN HERBAL PRODUCT REVIEW
Thirty one unspecified herbal products have been prioritised for review by the Office of Complementary Medicines (OCM) and Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee (CMEC) in Australia. Another 156 botanicals with some concerns about dosage or method of preparation have undergone review and others have been marked for specific examination. ...
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TEA - THE HEALTHY CUPPA
Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption and concluded that drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits. Contrary to the common belief that tea ...
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GREEN TEA AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Green tea has been studied extensively for its weight management potential, with the compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) highlighted as a key component. Now a new study, led by Frank Thielecke from DSM Nutritional Products, reveals that a low dose of EGCG from green tea can increase fat oxidation by 33 per cent. Thielecke and his ...
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RESVERATROL REMODELS TOXIC ALZHEIMER'S PEPTIDES
Professor Peter M. Tessier and his associates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York report that resveratrol may be able to neutralize improperly folded isoforms of amyloid-beta 1-42, a peptide linked with Alzheimer's disease. For the study, Dr Tessier's team induced amyloid-beta 1-42 peptide to assemble into five ...
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VISION BENEFITS OF LUTEIN AND VITAMIN A
Results of a randomised, controlled,double-blind trial conducted by American scientists reveal that supplementation with lutein and vitamin A could slow vision loss associated with retinitis pigmentosa. Led by Eliot Berson, MD, from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, the researchers recruited 225 non-smoking people with retinitis ...
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PROBIOTIC BACTERIA ALLEVIATE C.DIFFICILE INFECTIONS
Probiotic bacteria have been shown to be effective against diarrhoea associated with C.difficile infection - a complication of treatment with antibiotics - in a new North American study. Study leader Dr Larry Miller and his co-workers recruited 225 hospitalised people receiving antibiotic treatment. The participants were randomly assigned to ...
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MEN'S STRESS LEVELS DECREASE WITH MULTINUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTATION
Researchers from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England report that taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement daily for a month, can improve mental fatigue and stress levels in middle-aged men. Crystal Haskell and colleagues at Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University conducted a double-blinded trial of 215 healthy ...
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CHANGES TO MRA AND CAMS REGULATION
The Medicines Control Amendment Act (72 of 2007) provides for the replacement of the current South African Medicines Regulatory Authority (MRA), by a new South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). This change is regarded as a positive step for the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) industry because the new ...
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BACTERIA BANISHED BY ONION EXTRACT
Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of raw onion flavonoids make these a good candidate for food preservation, according to scientists from the University of Barcelona. The researchers found the compounds derived from onions could inhibit the growth of a range of bacteria that alter foods as well as delay lipid oxidation in emulsions of ...
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GREEN TEA DIMINISHES EYE DISEASES
Research conducted on rats by scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Eye Hospital reveals that green tea catechins are absorbed by the eye tissues and may help protect against eye diseases. According to the authors, oxidative stress causes biological disturbances such as DNA damage and activation of proteolytic ...
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CAN FISH OIL REDUCE BREAST CANCER RISK?
Although they caution that it is too early to recommend fish oil supplement to reduce breast cancer risks, in a study of more than 35,000 postmenopausal women, researchers led by Dr. Emily White, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, found that women who said they regularly used fish oil supplements were less likely than ...
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CINNAMON'S ANTI-DIABETIC POTENTIAL
A Sino-American study funded by the USDA-ARS, Tang-An Medical and Oklahoma State, has added to a growing body of evidence supporting the premise that active compounds in cinnamon may decrease blood sugar levels and be beneficial for diabetes. Researchers, led by Dr Barbara Stoeker from Oklahoma State University, studied the effects of a ...
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VITAMIN K MAY REDUCE LYMPH CANCER RISK
According to findings of a study funded by the US National Cancer Institute that were presented at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), vitamin K may reduce the risk of lymphatic cancer. The Mayo clinic study, led by James Cerham, MD, PhD enrolled 603 patients who were newly diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin ...
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ANTIOXIDANTS ARE GOOD FOR THE HEART
Researchers from Wolfson Medical Centre in Israel have established that supplementation with dietary antioxidants has beneficial effects on sugar and fat metabolism, blood pressure and arterial flexibility in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Study leader Reuven Zimlichman and his colleagues recruited 70 patients from the ...
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VITAMIN E COULD IMPROVE LIVER HEALTH
Researchers from Saint Louis University in the US report that 43 per cent of people with the liver disease non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) who received a daily dose of 800 IU of vitamin E showed significant improvement of the liver, compared with only 19 per cent of those receiving a placebo. Study researcher Brent Tetri, MD said that ...
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RESVERATROL MAY HELP TREAT CHRONIC COLITIS
Resveratrol supplementation has been found effective in the treatment of chronic intestinal inflammation in a Spanish study on mice. The goal of the researchers was to examine the protective/preventive effects of dietary resveratrol intake on chronic dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis to help identify and validate new therapies ...
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FLAXSEED EXHIBITS CANCER FIGHTING POTENTIAL
A review of research into flaxseed has revealed that this substance could protect against various cancers as well as regulate blood sugar levels. An article, published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, evaluated current research on flaxseed and any potential benefits it may have against diabetes and breast, ...
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NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF VITAMIN E
A Swedish study suggests that vitamin E may help prevent cognitive deterioration in elderly people. The researchers, led by Dr Francesca Mangialasche, hypothesised that all eight natural components of the vitamin E family could be important in protecting against Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study was conducted at the Aging Research Center ...
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BRAIN BLOOD FLOW IMPROVES WITH RESVERATROL
Researchers, led by David Kennedy from the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University in the UK, have found that a single dose of resveratrol can boost blood flow to the brain. This new randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study involved 22 healthy adults. Dr Kennedy and his co-workers randomly ...