Maconha e hortênsia

MACONHA e as HORTÊNSIAS  muitos jovens estão FUMANDO folhas secas de Hydrangeas como substituto da CANNABIS. Com efeitos similares (porém potencialmente mais tóxica) a planta é LEGAL no mundo inteiro e enfeita muitos jardins brasileiros.

Veja matéria no Le Monde: 

http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2014/02/05/horticulture-stresse-fumez-vos-hortensias/

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O que uma MOLÉCULA e um DEUS tem em comum?

ATROPOS e ATROPINA: na mitologia grega era uma das Moirais - as 3 irmãs que teciam o fio da vida. Atropos era a responsável por cortar o fio - decidir como uma pessoa morre. ATROPINA é alcaloide da Atropa belladonna, planta que era usada por italianas para dilatar suas pupilas. Esta molécula possui ação fisiológica muito ampla e uma molécula essencial para a indústria farmacêutica. Saiba mais em http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropine

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Pinus podem resfriar a atmosfera

DESCOBERTA: PINUS podem RESFRIAR a ATMOSFERA! 

Artigo da NATURE mostra que, graças à intensa liberação de compostos orgânicos voláteis, o aerossol formado sobre florestas de pinus reflete a radiação solar e pode diminuir a temperatura local do ar.

Leia em

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7489/full/nature13032.html

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Amazônia está no centro dos fatores de risco em recursos disponíveis no Brasil para o futuro

Combate ao desmatamento na Amazônia e mais investimentos na intensificação da produção agropecuária são dois fatores vitais para manter a segurança dos recursos disponíveis no Brasil para o futuro. É o que aponta o estudo Earth Security Index, que mediu riscos em matéria de recursos disponíveis em diversos países. O índice apresenta de forma visual oito áreas críticas para a estabilidade de longo prazo de cada nação, entre elas a água, alimentação, energia e a pressão fiscal (inflação, instabilidade) e demográfica.

No caso do Brasil, o estudo destaca o impacto do desmatamento na Amazônia sobre os padrões de chuva no sul do país – a floresta amazônica libera vapor de água, que acaba descendo em forma de chuva a centenas de quilômetros de distância. Embora o impacto da perda de florestas ainda não seja completamente conhecido, sabe–se que os setores da agricultura, geração de energia e seguros podem ser os mais afetados. ”O Brasil precisa olhar para os efeitos que o desmatamento terá sobre as mudanças climáticas, que já está afetando o setor de seguros por eventos climáticos extremos. Em 2011, o custo dos desastres climáticos no Brasil foi de U$ 4,7 bilhões”, explica o sociólogo argentino Alejandro Litovsky, autor do estudo, fundador e diretor executivo da Earth Security Initiative.

O índice mostra que o Brasil perdeu cerca de 11 milhões de hectares na Amazônia entre 2005 e 2010, taxa que diminuiu em quase 80% entre 2004 e 2012 graças a uma combinação de esforços que incluiu mais rigor na triagem de produtores para receberem financiamento, o monitoramento do desmatamento via satélite em tempo real por parte do governo e de ONGs como o Imazon, e o fortalecimento de leis ambientais. Já em 2013 os números novamente mostram um aumento de 28% com relação a 2012.

Dessa forma, produzir mais na zona rural – sem desmatar novas áreas – é fator crucial para sustentar a atividade econômica sem devastar mais a Amazônia. Citando estudo do Imazon, o índice revela que a produção pecuária a Amazônia é quatro vezes menor do que o seu potencial. “Unir o aumento na eficiência do uso da terra e, por exemplo, investimentos na preservação de florestas intactas é de interesse crescente tanto para empresas de commodities, investidores financeiros e ONGs”, conclui Litovsky.

Clique aqui para ler o estudo na íntegra (em inglês).

Clique aqui para dados sobre desmatamento.

Clique aqui para acessar estudo do Imazon sobre intensificação da produção pecuária.

Informe do Imazon, publicado pelo EcoDebate, 28/02/2014

Link:
http://www.ecodebate.com.br/2014/02/28/amazonia-esta-no-centro-dos-fatores-de-risco-em-recursos-disponiveis-no-brasil-para-o-futuro/

Alimento biofortificado rende mais que a média nacional, apesar da seca

Alana Gandra - Repórter da Agência Brasil Edição: Stênio Ribeiro

Pequenos agricultores rurais do município de Magé, que receberam da Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos ramas de batata-doce biofortificada para plantio, obtiveram colheitas acima da média, apesar da estiagem que se estendeu por cerca de 40 dias na região, no início deste ano. O cultivar enriquecido pode representar nova opção de renda para esses agricultores.

Fazendo uma projeção pela área que foi plantada “e pelo rendimento” alcançado, o pesquisador da Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, José Luiz Viana de Carvalho, disse à Agência Brasil que o resultado “deu acima da média nacional”, que são oito toneladas por hectare, de acordo com a Embrapa Hortaliças. Segundo Viana, se plantada em uma escala maior, a produtividade atingiria em torno de dez toneladas. “É sinal que, se a gente der um tratamento, um carinho na criança, a gente vai conseguir, e muito, melhorar o que fez”, externou.

O município de Magé integra o grupo de cidades do Rio de Janeiro que recebem cultivares biofortificados, dentro da Rede BioFORT. Os outros municípios fluminenses parceiros do projeto são Pinheiral e Itaguaí. A biofortificação é um processo de cruzamento de plantas da mesma espécie, também conhecido como melhoramento genético convencional, que gera cultivares mais nutritivos. O objetivo é diminuir a desnutrição e propiciar maior segurança alimentar por meio de maiores níveis de ferro, zinco e pró-vitamina A na dieta da população, sobretudo a mais carente. 

Colheita de batata-doce biofortificada no município de Magé (RJ)Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil

A Rede BioFORT abrange 59 municípios de nove estados: Maranhão, Piauí, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Rondônia e Pará. Os alimentos cujo valor nutricional vêm sendo enriquecido pelos técnicos da Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos englobam hortaliças, grãos e raízes. Ao todo, são oito culturas no Brasil: arroz, feijão comum e feijão-caupi (fradinho), milho, trigo, batata-doce, mandioca e abóbora.

Para ser viabilizado, o projeto deve contar com a participação de outros atores, além da Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, destacou Carvalho. No caso de Magé, por exemplo, o plantio da batata-doce biofortificada pôde se tornar realidade graças a acordo firmado entre a unidade da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) e a prefeitura de Magé, por meio da secretaria municipal de Agricultura Sustentável e da Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Emater-RJ).

Carvalho acredita que Magé tem todas as condições para apoiar a agricultura familiar. A cidade já é um polo produtor de hortaliças. Ele disse que a ideia é continuar atuando para melhorar a produtividade de alimentos enriquecidos na região. O secretário municipal de Agricultura Sustentável de Magé, Aloísio Sturm, quer dar continuidade à parceria com a Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos nesse projeto de biofortificação.

“Tudo que a Embrapa trouxer para nós é bem-vindo, porque a gente conhece a Embrapa, sabe da importância de suas pesquisas, e a gente está aqui para multiplicar os resultados que a Embrapa faz acontecer”, manifestou Sturm. Ele disse que, para os pequenos produtores, novidades como essa podem significar oportunidades boas de mercado; inclusive quanto à merenda escolar, porque "o nosso foco com essa batata biofortificada é a merenda escolar”.

A batata-doce biofortificada tem polpa de cor alaranjada e casca vermelho-arroxeada, de superfície lisa. O agricultor Matheus Cardoso Teixeira, que participou do projeto em Magé, na Fazenda Pau Grande, disse que “a batata-doce é muito boa porque, com as 15 ramas que recebi da prefeitura, em convênio com a Embrapa, plantei o equivalente a 2 metros de canteiro e colhi 8 quilos”. Se tivesse plantado uma batata-doce comum, Matheus informou que não teria colhido mais que 4 quilos do alimento.

 
O agricultor Laerte Luiz da Rosa colhe a primeira safra de batata-doce biofortificada no município de Magé (RJ)Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil

O produtor Laerte Luiz da Rosa, de 54 anos, dedicou toda a sua vida à agricultura familiar e quis participar do projeto. Ele colheu 15 quilos de batata-doce enriquecida na primeira vez que plantou. ”Achei a batata-doce biofortificada muito boa”, disse ele, e adiantou que na segunda safra, que deve colher no início de março, espera retirar em torno de 60 caixas para comercializar no mercado. Em relação ao paladar, foi categórico: “É muito bom. Está aprovado”.

Data: 27.02.2014

Link:
http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/economia/noticia/2014-02/alimento-biofortificado-rende-mais-que-media-nacional-em-mage-apesar-da

Acupuntura Veterinária: nova especialidade reconhecida pelo CFMV

O Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária (CFMV) reconheceu mais uma especialidade da profissão: a Acupuntura Veterinária. A concessão do título partirá da Abravet (Associação Brasileira de Acupuntura Veterinária) e a exigência para o candidato será aprovação em prova escrita e análise de currículo. A Resolução 1051/2014, que regulamenta a matéria, foi publicada nesta quinta-feira (27).

Na opinião do presidente do CFMV, Benedito Fortes de Arruda, os profissionais estão em busca de mais conhecimento, para oferecer aos animais qualidade de vida e longevidade. “Um especialista tem a capacidade de diagnosticar doenças com mais precisão. Acredito que esse novo cenário no mercado de pets, que cresce a cada ano, pode ser um reflexo, também, da exigência dos proprietários de animais, que estão cada vez mais cuidadosos”, declarou. Benedito acrescenta que a cautela para o credenciamento das instituições deve-se à preocupação dos Conselhos Federal e Regionais de Medicina Veterinária com a segurança do animal e do dono. “Nosso objetivo é garantir que os títulos de especialistas sejam concedidos sob critérios rígidos e por instituições reconhecidas. Dessa forma, quem obtiver a titulação estará apto para prestar um atendimento com excelência”, concluiu.

Link:
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Medicina Veterinária Tradicional Chinesa

Guidelines for the appropriate use of herbal medicines

http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/Guidelines_Appropriate_Use_of_Herbal_Medicines.pdf?ua=1

Research guidelines for evaluating the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines

http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/Research_Guidelines_Evaluating_the_Safety_and_Efficacy_Herbal_Medicines.pdf?ua=1

Medicinal plants in Papua New Guinea

http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/Part1_MedicinalPlantsinPNG.pdf?ua=1

Medicinal plants - in Mongolia

http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/Medicinal_Plants_in_Mongolia_VF.pdf?ua=1

Grape seed promise in fight against bowel cancer

Date: February 14, 2014
Source: University of Adelaide
 

Summary:

Research has shown for the first time that grape seed can aid the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells as well as reducing the chemotherapy’s side effects.

University of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that grape seed can aid the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells as well as reducing the chemotherapy's side effects.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers say that combining grape seed extracts with chemotherapy has potential as a new approach for bowel cancer treatment -- to both reduce intestinal damage commonly caused by cancer chemotherapy and to enhance its effect.

Lead author Dr Amy Cheah says there is a growing body of evidence about the antioxidant health benefits of grape seed tannins or polyphenols as anti-inflammatory agents and, more recently, for their anti-cancer properties.

"This is the first study showing that grape seed can enhance the potency of one of the major chemotherapy drugs in its action against colon cancer cells," says Dr Cheah, researcher in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine.

"Our research also showed that in laboratory studies grape seed taken orally significantly reduced inflammation and tissue damage caused by chemotherapy in the small intestine, and had no harmful effects on non-cancerous cells. Unlike chemotherapy, grape seed appears to selectively act on cancer cells and leave healthy cells almost unaffected."

The researchers used commercially available grape seed extract, a by-product of winemaking. Tannins extracted from the grape seed were freeze-dried and powdered. The extract was tested in laboratory studies using colon cancer cells grown in culture.

The research showed grape seed extract: • showed no side effects on the healthy intestine at concentrations of up to 1000mg/kg; • significantly decreased intestinal damage compared to the chemotherapy control; • decreased chemotherapy-induced inflammation by up to 55% • increased growth-inhibitory effects of chemotherapy on colon cancer cells in culture by 26%

"Our experimental studies have shown that grape seed extract reduced chemotherapy-induced inflammation and damage and helped protect healthy cells in the gastrointestinal tract," says Dr Cheah. "While this effect is very promising, we were initially concerned that grape seed could reduce the effectiveness of the chemotherapy."

"In contrast, we found that grape seed extract not only aided the ability of chemotherapy to kill cancer cells, but was also more potent than the chemotherapy we tested at one concentration."

Co-author and project leader Professor Gordon Howarth says: "Grape seed is showing great potential as an anti-inflammatory treatment for a range of bowel diseases and now as a possible anti-cancer treatment. These first anti-cancer results are from cell culture and the next step will be to investigate more widely."

Fellow co-author and joint lead researcher Dr Sue Bastian, Senior Lecturer in Oenology, says: "These findings could be a boost to the wine grape industry as it value adds to what is essentially a by-product of the winemaking process."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Adelaide. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
 

Ker Yeaw Cheah, Gordon Stanley Howarth, Susan Elaine Putnam Bastian. Grape Seed Extract Dose-Responsively Decreases Disease Severity in a Rat Model of Mucositis; Concomitantly Enhancing Chemotherapeutic Effectiveness in Colon Cancer Cells. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (1): e85184 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085184

Cite This Page:

University of Adelaide. "Grape seed promise in fight against bowel cancer." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140214092004.htm>.
 

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140214092004.htm 

Antibiotics don't prevent complications of kids' respiratory infections

Date: February 18, 2014
Source: Health Behavior News Service
Summary:

Antibiotics are often prescribed for young children who have upper respiratory tract infections, however, a new evidence review found no evidence to support this practice. The researchers explained that children's immature immune systems leave them vulnerable to many infections. URIs, which are mostly caused by viruses and typically run their course in 2-14 days, usually manifest themselves as coughs, but may also be accompanied by infections of the ears, sinuses or lungs. With this in mind, the researchers suggest that there is no evidence to support the use of antibiotics to prevent bacterial complications from most upper respiratory infections.

 

Full story:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140218153724.htm

Peru's Manu National Park sets new biodiversity record

Date: February 20, 2014
Source: University of California - Berkeley
 

Summary:

When it comes to amphibian and reptile biodiversity, the eastern slopes of the Andes mountains in South America stand out. A new survey of 'herps' in and around Manu National Park in Peru recorded a greater biodiversity -- 287 species, some new to science -- than any other protected area in the world, including the previous leader in Ecuador. Since its creation 41 years ago, Manu National Park has become recognized as globally irreplaceable: it was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Preserve in 1977 and a World Heritage Site in 1987.

This is a new species of stream lizard from the genus Potamites. These aquatic lizards forage in streams in the cloud forest from 900 to 2000 meters elevation. Their ability to operate at low temperatures in high-elevation streams (i.e., around 2000 meters) is very unusual among lizards.
Credit: Alessandro Catenazzi, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Peru's treasured Manu National Park is the world's top biodiversity hotspot for reptiles and amphibians, according to a new survey published last week by biologists from the University of California, Berkeley, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIU-Carbondale) and Illinois Wesleyan University.

The park, which encompasses lowland Amazonian rain forest, high-altitude cloud forest and Andean grassland east of Cuzco, is well known for its huge variety of bird life, which attracts ecotourists from around the globe. More than 1,000 species of birds, about 10 percent of the world's bird species; more than 1,200 species of butterflies; and now 287 reptiles and amphibians have been recorded in the park.

"For reptiles and amphibians, Manu and its buffer zone now stands out as the most diverse protected area anywhere," said study coauthor Rudolf von May, a post-doctoral researcher in UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

Despite the park's abundant and diverse animal life, von May said, not all is well in the preserve. The devastating chytrid fungus has caused a decline in the number of frogs there, as it has elsewhere around the world, while deforestation for subsistence living, gold mining and oil and gas drilling are encroaching on the buffer zone around the park.

"All of this is threatening the biodiversity in the park and the native peoples who live in settlements in the park," von May said. At least four Amazonian tribes and a nomadic group of hunter-gatherers known as Mashco-Piro live within the confines of Manu National Park and its buffer zone.

Von May, a native of Peru, and coauthor Alessandro Catenazzi, an assistant professor of zoology at SIU-Carbondale, have spent more than 15 years each scouring the park and its surrounding areas for frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians -- all amphibians -- as well as for reptiles such as snakes, lizards, turtles and caimans. The field work in the park and its buffer zone, augmented by other, more limited surveys published previously, allowed the team to compile a list of 155 amphibian and 132 reptile species, including a handful of species new to science. Taxonomist and coauthor Edgar Lehr, assistant professor of biology at Illinois Wesleyan University, collaborates frequently with von May and Catenazzi on frog taxonomy and studies of amphibian declines and conservation.

Record-breaking biodiversity

The researchers listed the 287 species of reptiles and amphibians in the most recent issue of the journal Biota Neotropica. The previous record for the most diverse protected area for reptiles and amphibians was in Yasuní National Park in Ecuador, which hosts 150 amphibian and 121 reptile species, according to a 2010 study.

"There is no place like Manu where we can preserve such an exceptionally large amount of biodiversity, as well as the evolutionary processes that contribute to maintain and promote biodiversity," said Catenazzi, a former postdoctoral researcher in UC Berkeley's Department of Integrative Biology. "It is our responsibility to make sure this biological legacy is passed on to the next generations."

To assemble the list, the team surveyed multiple elevations and examined hundreds of museum specimens collected at dozens of locations in Manu National Park and its buffer zone. Analysis of DNA sequences and frog calls allowed the team to identify additional species.

World Heritage Site

While the high species diversity can be partially attributed to the large area and steep topographic variation within Manu National Park, the finding is noteworthy, von May said. He and his colleagues estimate that the park represents only 0.01 percent of the planet's land area, but houses 2.2 percent of all amphibians and 1.5 percent of all reptiles known worldwide.

Since its creation 41 years ago, Manu National Park has become recognized as globally irreplaceable: it was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Preserve in 1977 and a World Heritage Site in 1987. Herpetologists -- experts in reptiles and amphibians -- first surveyed the region in the 1970s, primarily along the road that connects the city of Cuzco to villages in the cloud forests of the Kosñipata Valley. Starting in the '80s, research was broadened to include remote lowland rainforest locations, such as Cocha Cashu Biological Station, inside the park. Subsequent expeditions have continued to reveal new species of amphibians and reptiles, especially in the cloud forest and high-Andean grasslands, which are rich in endemic species, Catenazzi said. One of the most recent discoveries was the glass frog Centrolene sabini, the world's 7,000th known amphibian species.

The research team predicts that additional species will be described in the upcoming years as a result of increased use of DNA analysis, study of frog calls and other techniques.

The full paper is available online at: http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n4/en/fullpaper?bn02813042013+en

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. The original article was written by Robert Sanders. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
Catenazzi, A.etal. The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru. Biota Neotropica, 2013, 13(4): 269-283

Cite This Page:

University of California - Berkeley. "Peru's Manu National Park sets new biodiversity record." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220095005.htm>.

 

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220095005.htm

Roots to shoots: Hormone transport in plants deciphered

Date: February 20, 2014
Source: DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory

Summary:

The protein essential for relocating cytokinins from roots to shoots has now been identified. The regulating hormone distribution mechanisms in plants have been identified before, but there was a poor understanding of how they worked. This new research could lead to sustainable bioenergy crops with increased growth and reduced needs for fertilizer.

Biochemist Chang-Jun Liu with Mingyue Gou, Huijun Yang, Yuanheng Cai and Xuebin Zhang, whose work could lead to sustainable bioenergy crops with increased growth and reduced needs for fertilizer.
Credit: Image courtesy of DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory

Plant growth is orchestrated by a spectrum of signals from hormones within a plant. A major group of plant hormones called cytokinins originate in the roots of plants, and their journey to growth areas on the stem and in leaves stimulates plant development. Though these phytohormones have been identified in the past, the molecular mechanism responsible for their transportation within plants was previously poorly understood.

Now, a new study from a research team led by biochemist Chang-Jun Liu at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory identifies the protein essential for relocating cytokinins from roots to shoots.

The research is reported in the February 11 issue of Nature Communications.

Cytokinins stimulate shoot growth and promote branching, expansion and plant height. Regulating these hormones also improves the longevity of flowering plants, tolerance to drought or other environmental stresses, and the efficiency of nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Manipulating cytokinin distribution by tailoring the action of the transporter protein could be one way to increase biomass yield and stress tolerance of plants grown for biofuels or agriculture. "This study may open new avenues for modifying various important crops, agriculturally, biotechnologically, and horticulturally, to increase yields and reduce fertilizer requirements, for instance, while improving the exploitation of sustainable bioenergy resources," Liu said.

Using Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to mustard and cabbage that serves as a common experimental model, the researchers studied a large family of transport proteins called ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which act as a kind of inter- or intra-cellular pump moving substances in or out of a plant's cells or their organelles. While performing gene expression analysis on a set of these ABC transporters, the research team found that one gene -- AtABCG14 - is highly expressed in the vascular tissues of roots.

To determine its function, they examined mutant plants harboring a disrupted AtABCG14 gene. They found that knocking out this transporter gene resulted in plants with weaker growth, slenderer stems, and shorter primary roots than their wild-type counterparts. These structural changes in the plants are symptoms of cytokinin deficiencies. Essentially, the long-distance transportation of the growth hormones is impaired, which causes alterations in the development of roots and shoots. The disrupted transport also resulted in losses of chlorophyll, the molecule that transforms absorbed sunlight into energy.

The team then used radiotracers to confirm the role of the AtABCG14 protein in transporting cytokinins through the plants. They fed Carbon-14-labeled cytokinins to the roots of both the wild-type and mutant seedlings. While the shoots of the wild-type plants were full of the hormones, there were only trace amounts in the shoots of the mutant plants, though their roots were enriched. This demonstrates a direct correlation between cytokinin transport and the action of AtABCG14 protein.

"Understanding the molecular basis for cytokinin transport enables us to more deeply appreciate how plants employ and distribute a set of signaling molecules to organize their life activity and for their entire body building," Liu said.

"From a biotechnology view, manipulating the activity of this identified transporter might afford us the flexibility to enhance the capacity and efficiency of plants in energy capture and transformation, and the storage of the reduced carbon, or the ability of plants to adapt to harsh environments, therefore promoting either the production of renewable feedstocks for fuels and bio-based materials, or grain yields to meet our world-wide food and energy demands."

This work was completed in concert with researchers from Palacky University & Institute of Experimental Botany, and St. John's University. It was funded by DOE's Office of Science and the National Science Foundation toward understanding plant cell wall biogenesis and functions of ABC transporters, respectively.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Kewei Zhang, Ondrej Novak, Zhaoyang Wei, Mingyue Gou, Xuebin Zhang, Yong Yu, Huijun Yang, Yuanheng Cai, Miroslav Strnad, Chang-Jun Liu. Arabidopsis ABCG14 protein controls the acropetal translocation of root-synthesized cytokinins. Nature Communications, 2014; 5 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4274

Cite This Page:

DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory. "Roots to shoots: Hormone transport in plants deciphered." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220132530.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220132530.htm

Why dark chocolate is good for your heart

Date: February 27, 2014
Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
 

Summary:

It might seem too good to be true, but dark chocolate is good for you and scientists now know why. Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis. What's more, the scientists also found that increasing the flavanol content of dark chocolate did not change this effect.

Dark chocolate. It might seem too good to be true, but dark chocolate is good for you and scientists now know why.
Credit: © Andris T / Fotolia

It might seem too good to be true, but dark chocolate is good for you and scientists now know why. Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis. What's more, the scientists also found that increasing the flavanol content of dark chocolate did not change this effect. This discovery was published in the March 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal.

"We provide a more complete picture of the impact of chocolate consumption in vascular health and show that increasing flavanol content has no added beneficial effect on vascular health," said Diederik Esser, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Top Institute Food and Nutrition and Wageningen University, Division of Human Nutrition in Wageningen, The Netherlands. "However, this increased flavanol content clearly affected taste and thereby the motivation to eat these chocolates. So the dark side of chocolate is a healthy one."

To make this discovery, Esser and colleagues analyzed 44 middle-aged overweight men over two periods of four weeks as they consumed 70 grams of chocolate per day. Study participants received either specially produced dark chocolate with high flavanol content or chocolate that was regularly produced. Both chocolates had a similar cocoa mass content. Before and after both intervention periods, researchers performed a variety of measurements that are important indicators of vascular health. During the study, participants were advised to refrain from certain energy dense food products to prevent weight gain. Scientists also evaluated the sensory properties of the high flavanol chocolate and the regular chocolate and collected the motivation scores of the participants to eat these chocolates during the intervention.

"The effect that dark chocolate has on our bodies is encouraging not only because it allows us to indulge with less guilt, but also because it could lead the way to therapies that do the same thing as dark chocolate but with better and more consistent results," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Until the 'dark chocolate drug' is developed, however, we'll just have to make do with what nature has given us!"

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
 

D. Esser, M. Mars, E. Oosterink, A. Stalmach, M. Muller, L. A. Afman. Dark chocolate consumption improves leukocyte adhesion factors and vascular function in overweight men. The FASEB Journal, 2013; 28 (3): 1464 DOI: 10.1096/fj.13-239384

Cite This Page:

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. "Why dark chocolate is good for your heart." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140227092149.htm>.
 

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140227092149.htm

Family meals do more than put food on the table: Benefits of cooking, eating as a family

Date: February 24, 2014
Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
 

Summary:
Make mealtime a family time has tangible benefits. If you can get together for meals even a few times a week, family meals mean healthier eating – and more. For National Nutrition Month®, all families are encouraged to make a commitment to eating more meals together and “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.”

Make mealtime a family time. If you can get together for meals even a few times a week, family meals mean healthier eating -- and more. For National Nutrition Month®, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages all families to make a commitment to eating more meals together and "Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right."

"Research shows that family meals promote healthier eating -- more fruits, vegetables and fiber; less fried food; and often fewer calories," says registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy spokesperson Angela Ginn. "This year's National Nutrition Month theme, 'Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right,' reminds families to return to the basics of healthful eating by returning to the family dining table."

"And family meals do much more than put healthy food on the table. Beyond preparing the meal itself, we sometimes forget that mealtimes offer time to talk, listen and build family relationships. And it's a chance for parents to be good role models for healthful eating," Ginn says.

Ginn offers ideas for adding more family meals to any family's routine:

• Start slowly. "However many meals you eat as a family now, add one more to your weekly schedule. If school nights are too hectic for a family dinner, make it a leisurely weekend breakfast or lunch. After a few weeks, add another family meal to your schedule," Ginn says.

• Plan tasty menus together. "Putting together a family meal does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Let every member of the family choose a favorite item and build simple, delicious meals around them. Even small children can pick a main dish like tacos or pasta, a vegetable like a green salad or cooked carrots and sliced apples or fruit salad for dessert," Ginn says.

• Set the right mood. "Food is just one important part of mealtime. Your table setting can improve the mealtime mood with very little expense: a candle, colored napkins and wipe-clean plastic tablemats for children," Ginn says.

• Talk! "The conversations families have while eating together have a huge impact, as you share experiences and ideas, and pass along family values. Pick topics that are positive and allow everyone to talk. Even toddlers like to discuss topics like 'What is your favorite color?' or 'What made you laugh today?'" Ginn says.

• Turn off the TV, phones and anything else that makes noise. "They create distractions that can throw off any family's mealtime routine," Ginn says. "Declare mealtime a TV- and phone-free zone, except for emergencies, of course. Instead, put on some background music, played at low volume, to add a relaxing atmosphere."

No matter your children's ages, parents and caretakers can find countless resources and a wide range of information about eating right -- all backed by the unequalled expertise of nutrition professionals like registered dietitian nutritionists -- at Kids Eat Right (www.KidsEatRight.org), a joint initiative of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Academy's Foundation. "Kids Eat Right helps families shop smart, cook healthy and eat right," Ginn says.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Family meals do more than put food on the table: Benefits of cooking, eating as a family." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140224092015.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140224092015.htm

Acupuncture holds promise for treating inflammatory disease, study shows

Date: February 23, 2014
Source: Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Summary:

Electroacupuncture may reduce inflammation that causes sepsis death, a recent study has shown. This research shows physical evidence of acupuncture's value beyond any that has been demonstrated before, and also shows potential benefits not just for sepsis, but for treating other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Crohn's disease. While investigating acupuncture mechanisms, the researchers also have determined that fenoldopam, a dopamine receptor agonist, also shows promise as a pharmaceutical sepsis treatment.

Research led by Luis Ulloa of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School suggests there may be future treatments for deadly inflammation using either acupuncture or medications.
Credit: Rob Forman - Rutgers Today
When acupuncture first became popular in the western hemisphere it had its doubters. It still does. But over time, through detailed observation, scientists have produced real evidence that ancient Chinese practitioners of the medical arts were onto something.

Now new research documents a direct connection between the use of acupuncture and physical processes that could alleviate sepsis, a condition that often develops in hospital intensive care units, springs from infection and inflammation, and takes an estimated 250,000 lives in the United States every year.

"Sepsis is the major cause of death in the hospital," says Luis Ulloa, an immunologist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School who led the study, which has been published by the journal Nature Medicine. "But in many cases patients don't die because of the infection. They die because of the inflammatory disorder they develop after the infection. So we hoped to study how to control the inflammatory disorder."

The researchers already knew that stimulation of one of the body's major nerves, the vagus nerve, triggers processes in the body that reduce inflammation, so they set out to see whether a form of acupuncture that sends a small electric current through that and other nerves could reduce inflammation and organ injury in septic mice. Ulloa explains that increasing the current magnifies the effect of needle placement, and notes that electrification is already FDA-approved for treating pain in human patients.

When electroacupuncture was applied to mice with sepsis, molecules called cytokines that help limit inflammation were stimulated as predicted, and half of those mice survived for at least a week. There was zero survival among mice that did not receive acupuncture.

Ulloa and his team then probed further, to figure out exactly why the acupuncture treatments had succeeded. And they made a discovery that, on its face, was very disappointing. They found that when they removed adrenal glands -- which produce hormones in the body -- the electroacpuncture stopped working. That discovery, on its face, presented a big roadblock to use of acupuncture for sepsis in humans, because most human cases of sepsis include sharply reduced adrenal function. In theory, electroacupuncture might still help a minority of patients whose adrenal glands work well, but not many others.

So the researchers dug even deeper -- to find the specific anatomical changes that occurred when electroacupuncture was performed with functioning adrenal glands. Those changes included increased levels of dopamine, a substance that has important functions within the immune system. But they found that adding dopamine by itself did not curb the inflammation. They then substituted a drug called fenoldopam that mimics some of dopamine's most positive effects, and even without acupuncture they succeeded in reducing sepsis-related deaths by 40 percent.

Ulloa considers the results a double triumph.

On the one hand, he says, this research shows physical evidence of acupuncture's value beyond any that has been demonstrated before. His results show potential benefits, he adds, not just for sepsis, but treating other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Crohn's disease.

On the other hand, by also establishing that a drug reduced sepsis deaths in mice, he has provided an innovative roadmap toward developing potential drugs for people. That roadmap may be crucial, because no FDA-approved drug to treat sepsis now exists.

"I don't even know whether in the future the best solution for sepsis will be electroacupuncture or some medicine that will mimic electroacupuncture," Ulloa concludes. The bottom line, he says, is that this research has opened the door to both.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Rafael Torres-Rosas, Ghassan Yehia, Geber Peña, Priya Mishra, Maria del Rocio Thompson-Bonilla, Mario Adán Moreno-Eutimio, Lourdes Andrea Arriaga-Pizano, Armando Isibasi, Luis Ulloa. Dopamine mediates vagal modulation of the immune system by electroacupuncture. Nature Medicine, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nm.3479

Cite This Page:

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. "Acupuncture holds promise for treating inflammatory disease, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140223131620.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140223131620.htm

Selenium, vitamin E supplements can increase risk of prostate cancer in some men

Date: February 21, 2014
Source: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Summary:

High-dose supplementation with both the trace element selenium and vitamin E increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. But importantly, this risk depends upon a man’s selenium status before taking the supplements. "Men using these supplements should stop, period. Neither selenium nor vitamin E supplementation confers any known benefits -- only risks," the lead author stated. "While there appear to be no risks from taking a standard multivitamin, the effects of high-dose single supplements are unpredictable, complex and often harmful. There are optimal levels, and these are often the levels obtained from a healthful diet, but either below or above the levels there are risks."

A multi-center study led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that high-dose supplementation with both the trace element selenium and vitamin E increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. But importantly, this risk depends upon a man's selenium status before taking the supplements.

These findings, published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, are based on data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, or SELECT, a rigorously executed, randomized and placebo-controlled trial conducted by the SWOG cancer research cooperative group that involved more than 35,000 men. The study sought to determine whether taking high-dose vitamin E (400 IU/day) and/or selenium (200 mcg/day) supplements could protect men from prostate cancer.

The trial, which began in 2001 and was designed to last 12 years, stopped early, in 2008, because it found no protective effect from selenium and there was a suggestion that vitamin E increased risk. While use of the study supplements stopped, men were still followed and after an additional two years the men who took vitamin E had a statistically significant 17 percent increased risk of prostate cancer.

Selenium supplementation increased cancer in men with high selenium status at baseline

When the study started, there was some evidence that selenium supplementation would not benefit men who already had an adequate intake of the nutrient. For that reason, researchers measured the concentration of selenium in participants' toenails and planned to test whether selenium supplementation would benefit only the subset of men with low selenium status at baseline. Instead, they found that taking selenium supplements increased the risk of high-grade cancer by 91 percent among men with high selenium status at baseline. When selenium supplements were taken by men who had high selenium status to begin with, the levels of selenium became toxic.

Taking vitamin E increased cancer risk in men with low selenium status at baseline

The study also found that only a subgroup of men was at increased risk of prostate cancer from taking vitamin E. Among men with low selenium status at baseline, vitamin E supplementation increased their total risk of prostate cancer by 63 percent and increased the risk of high-grade cancer by 111 percent. This explained one of the original SELECT findings, which was that only men who received vitamin E plus a placebo pill, and not those who received both vitamin E and selenium, had an increased prostate cancer risk. Selenium, whether from dietary sources or supplements, protected men from the harmful effects of vitamin E.

"Many people think that dietary supplements are helpful or at the least innocuous. This is not true," said corresponding and first author Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., a faculty member in the Public Health Sciences Division of Fred Hutch. "We know from several other studies that some high-dose dietary supplements -- that is, supplements that provide far more than the daily recommended intakes of micronutrients -- increase cancer risk. We knew this based on randomized, controlled, double-blinded studies for folate and beta carotene, and now we know it for vitamin E and selenium."

The data for the current analysis compared the effect of selenium and vitamin E, taken either alone or combined, on prostate cancer risk among 1,739 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and, for comparison purposes, a random sample of 3,117 men without prostate cancer who were matched to the cases by race and age.

The bottom line: The study showed no benefits to any men from either selenium or vitamin E supplements, and for significant proportions of men in the study these supplements were harmful.

"These supplements are popular -- especially vitamin E -- although so far no large, well-designed and well-conducted study has shown any benefits for preventing major chronic disease," Kristal said.

No known benefits -- only risks

"Men using these supplements should stop, period. Neither selenium nor vitamin E supplementation confers any known benefits -- only risks," he continued. "While there appear to be no risks from taking a standard multivitamin, the effects of high-dose single supplements are unpredictable, complex and often harmful. Taking a broad view of the recent scientific studies there is an emerging consistency about how we think about optimal intake of micronutrients. There are optimal levels, and these are often the levels obtained from a healthful diet, but either below or above the levels there are risks."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Alan R. Kristal, Amy K. Darke, J. Steven Morris, Catherine M. Tangen, Phyllis J. Goodman, Ian M. Thompson, Frank L. Meyskens, Jr, Gary E. Goodman, Lori M. Minasian, Howard L. Parnes, Scott M. Lippman, and Eric A. Klein. Baseline Selenium Status and Effects of Selenium and Vitamin E Supplementation on Prostate Cancer Risk. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, February 2014 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djt456

Cite This Page:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "Selenium, vitamin E supplements can increase risk of prostate cancer in some men." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140221184525.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140221184525.htm

Chemical transport in plants likened to that of humans

Date: February 21, 2014
Source: Missouri University of Science and Technology

Summary:

Plant roots and certain human membrane systems resist chemical transport in much the same way, say researchers. This similarity could make it easier to assess chemical risks for both people and plants, and may even lead to a new approach to testing medications. "A plant's root is similar to the blood-brain barrier and intestine of humans," say the researchers. "It's amazing when you think about it -- plants and animals evolved separately but somehow developed comparable structures to control transport of water and dissolved chemicals."
 

Plant roots and certain human membrane systems resist chemical transport in much the same way, indicates new research from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Credit: Image courtesy of Missouri University of Science and Technology

Plant roots and certain human membrane systems resist chemical transport in much the same way, say researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology in a recent journal article. This similarity could make it easier to assess chemical risks for both people and plants, and may even lead to a new approach to testing medications.

"A plant's root is similar to the blood-brain barrier and intestine of humans," says Matt A. Limmer, a doctoral student in environmental engineering at Missouri S&T. "It's amazing when you think about it -- plants and animals evolved separately but somehow developed comparable structures to control transport of water and dissolved chemicals."

These systems all act as barriers to outside substances, allowing some in and repelling others. A substance's movement through a plant, or translocation, is measured by how efficiently it moves from the root to the plant's shoot.

Considering the multitude of chemicals used in industry, testing each to determine how well it moves through a plant would be an exhaustive undertaking. Instead, using computer models, Limmer studied measurements of 110 compounds using 21 types of plants with a method originally applied to orally administered pharmaceuticals, Christopher A. Lipinski's "rule of five."

"Lipinski's rule of five looks at the commonality of drugs that work," says Limmer. "It shows that drugs are more likely to be absorbed by the human intestine if the compounds have five or fewer hydrogen bond donors, 10 or fewer hydrogen bond acceptors, and a molecular mass of less than 500, among additional similar constraints."

Limmer says that this "rule of five" has successfully predicted the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of compounds, and has been used to speed up the discovery of new drugs.

"These rules are popular because they're so easy to implement and the parameters are easy to calculate," he says. "In risk assessment we usually take a tiered approach. Our study would be a first pass: Does this chemical appear to pose a concern to the food chain? If so, we need to try something else or gather experimental data."

Limmer's findings have been published in the February 2014 issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. His paper "Plant Translocation of Organic Compounds: Molecular and Physicochemical Predictors," was co-authored by Dr. Joel B. Burken, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of Missouri S&T's Environmental Research Center.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Missouri University of Science and Technology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Matt A. Limmer, Joel G. Burken. Plant Translocation of Organic Compounds: Molecular and Physicochemical Predictors. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2014; 1 (2): 156 DOI: 10.1021/ez400214q

Cite This Page:

Missouri University of Science and Technology. "Chemical transport in plants likened to that of humans." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140221150413.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140221150413.htm 

Evidence mixed on the usefulness of echinacea for colds

Date: February 20, 2014
Source:Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health

Summary: 

For people seeking a natural treatment for the common cold, some preparations containing the plant Echinacea work better than nothing, yet “evidence is weak,” finds a new report.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:EchinaceaPurpureaMaxima1a.UME.JPG

For people seeking a natural treatment for the common cold, some preparations containing the plant Echinacea work better than nothing, yet "evidence is weak," finds a new report from The Cochrane Library. The evidence review revealed no significant reductions in preventing illness, but didn't rule out "small preventive effects."

The six authors conducted reviews on this subject in 1998, 2006 and 2008 and wanted to do an update to include several new trials conducted since then. "We've been doing this for so long and are very familiar with past research -- which has been mixed from the very beginning," said author Bruce Barrett, M.D., Ph.D. in the department of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

The research team reviewed 24 randomized controlled trials to determine whether Echinacea was a safe and effective cold prevention and treatment. Trials included 4631 participants and 33 preparations, along with placebo. Echinacea products studied in these trials varied widely according to characteristics of three different plant species, the part of the plant used and method of manufacturing.

People who get colds spend $8 billion annually on pharmaceutical products, including supplements such as Echinacea, Barrett noted. The authors' meta-analyses suggest that at least some Echinacea preparations may reduce the relative risk of catching a cold by 10 to 20 percent, a small effect of unclear clinical significance. The most important recommendation from the review for consumers and clinicians is a caution that Echinacea products differ greatly and that the overwhelming majority of these products have not been tested in clinical trials.

Barrett added that "it looks like taking Echinacea may reduce the incidence of colds. For those who take it as a treatment, some of the trials report real effects -- but many do not. Bottom line: Echinacea may have small preventive or treatment effects, but the evidence is mixed."

"The paper does support the safety and efficacy of Echinacea in treating colds and highlights the main issue of standardizing herbal medicines," commented Ron Eccles, Ph.D., director of the Common Cold Centre & Healthcare Clinical Trials at Cardiff University's School of Biosciences in Wales.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
Marlies Karsch-Völk, Bruce Barrett, David Kiefer, Rudolf Bauer, Karin Ardjomand-Woelkart, Klaus Linde. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000530.pub3

Cite This Page:

Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health. "Evidence mixed on the usefulness of echinacea for colds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220131358.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220131358.htm

Strawberries lower cholesterol, study suggests

Date: February 25, 2014
Source: Plataforma SINC

Summary:
A team of volunteers ate half a kilo of strawberries a day for a month to see whether it altered their blood parameters in any way. At the end of this unusual treatment, their levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly reduced, according to the analyses conducted by Italian and Spanish scientists. Several studies had already demonstrated the antioxidant capacity of strawberries, but now researchers conducted an analysis that revealed that these fruits also help to reduce cholesterol.

The consumption of strawberries lowered levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in an experiment with volunteers.
Credit: SINC
A team of volunteers ate half a kilo of strawberries a day for a month to see whether it altered their blood parameters in any way. At the end of this unusual treatment, their levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides reduced significantly, according to the analyses conducted by Italian and Spanish scientists.

Several studies had already demonstrated the antioxidant capacity of strawberries, but now researchers from the Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM, Italy), together with colleagues from the Universities of Salamanca, Granada and Seville (Spain), conducted an analysis that revealed that these fruits also help to reduce cholesterol.

The team set up an experiment in which they added 500 g of strawberries to the daily diets of 23 healthy volunteers over a month. They took blood samples before and after this period to compare data.

The results, which are published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, show that the total amount of cholesterol, the levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL or bad cholesterol) and the quantity of triglycerides fell to 8.78%, 13.72% and 20.8% respectively. The high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol) remained unchanged.

Eating strawberries also improved other parameters such as the general plasma lipid profile, antioxidant biomarkers (such as vitamin C or oxygen radical absorbance capacity), antihemolytic defences and platelet function. All parameters returned to their initial values 15 days after abandoning 'treatment' with strawberries.

As Maurizio Battino, researcher at UNIVPM and Director of the study, said: "This is the first time a study has been published that supports the protective role of the bioactive compounds in strawberries in tackling recognised markers and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases."

The researcher admits that there is still no direct evidence about which compounds of this fruit are behind their beneficial effects, "but all the signs and epidemiological studies point towards anthocyanins, the vegetable pigments that afford them their red colour."

The research team confirmed in other studies that eating strawberries also protects against ultraviolet radiation, reduces the damage that alcohol can have on the gastric mucosa, strengthens erythrocytes, or red blood cells, and improves the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

In fact, this year they will publish another study in the journal 'Food Chemistry' in which they will demonstrate that consuming strawberries increases the antioxidant function of blood flow, erythrocytes and mononuclear cells.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Plataforma SINC. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal References:

José M. Alvarez-Suarez, Francesca Giampieri, Sara Tulipani, Tiziana Casoli, Giuseppina Di Stefano, Ana M. González-Paramás, Celestino Santos-Buelga, Franco Busco, Josè L. Quiles, Mario D. Cordero, Stefano Bompadre, Bruno Mezzetti, Maurizio Battino. One-month strawberry-rich anthocyanin supplementation ameliorates cardiovascular risk, oxidative stress markers and platelet activation in humans. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2014; 25 (3): 289 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2013.11.002

Sara Tulipani, Tatiana Armeni, Francesca Giampieri, José M. Alvarez-Suarez, Ana M. Gonzalez-Paramás, Celestino Santos-Buelga, Franco Busco, Giovanni Principato, Stefano Bompadre, José L. Quiles, Bruno Mezzetti, Maurizio Battino. Strawberry intake increases blood fluid, erythrocyte and mononuclear cell defenses against oxidative challenge. Food Chemistry, 2014; 156: 87 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.01.098

Cite This Page:

Plataforma SINC. "Strawberries lower cholesterol, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225101256.htm>.

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225101256.htm