Daily consumption of tea may protect the elderly from cognitive decline, study suggests

Date: March 16, 2017

Source: National University of Singapore

Summary: 

Tea drinking reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older persons by 50 per cent and as much as 86 per cent for those who are genetically at risk of Alzheimer's, new research suggests.

A cup of tea a day can keep dementia away, and this is especially so for those who are genetically predisposed to the debilitating disease, according to a recent study led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

The longitudinal study involving 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older has found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50 per cent, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86 per cent.

The research team also discovered that the neuroprotective role of tea consumption on cognitive function is not limited to a particular type of tea -- so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black or oolong tea.

"While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person's risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life," explained Asst Prof Feng.

He added, "Based on current knowledge, this long term benefit of tea consumption is due to the bioactive compounds in tea leaves, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine. These compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and other bioactive properties that may protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."

In this study, tea consumption information were collected from the participants, who are community-living elderly, from 2003 to 2005. At regular intervals of two years, these seniors were assessed on their cognitive function using standardised tools until 2010. Information on lifestyles, medical conditions, physical and social activities were also collected. Those potential confounding factors were carefully controlled in statistical models to ensure the robustness of the findings.

The research team published their findings in scientific journal The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging in December 2016.

Future Research

Asst Prof Feng and his team are planning to embark on further studies to better understand the impact of Asian diet on cognitive health in aging. They are also keen to investigate the effects of the bioactive compounds in tea and test them more rigorously through the assessment of their biological markers and by conducting randomised controlled trials or studies that assign participants into experimental groups or control groups randomly to eliminate biased results.

Story Source:

Materials provided by National University of Singapore. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

L. Feng, M. -S. Chong, W. -S. Lim, Q. Gao, M. S. Z. Nyunt, T. -S. Lee, S. L. Collinson, T. Tsoi, E. -H. Kua, T. -P. Ng. Tea consumption reduces the incidence of neurocognitive disorders: Findings from the Singapore longitudinal aging study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 2016; 20 (10): 1002 DOI: 10.1007/s12603-016-0687-0

Cite This Page:

National University of Singapore. "Daily consumption of tea may protect the elderly from cognitive decline, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 March 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170316093412.htm>.

Study tallies extra calories Americans consume in their coffee, tea

Date: January 30, 2017

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summary:

More than 160 million people in the US drink coffee or tea on a regular basis, and many of them use sugar, cream, flavored syrups or other calorie-laden additives in their drinks of choice. A new analysis reveals just how much Americans are adding to their caloric intake by spicing up or sweetening their coffee or tea.

See more at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170130133353.htm

Yoga may have health benefits for people with chronic non-specific lower back pain

Date: January 11, 2017

Source: Wiley

Summary:

Yoga may lead to a reduction in pain and functional ability in people with chronic non-specific lower back pain over the short term, compared with no exercise, a new systematic review suggests. However, researchers advise that more studies are needed to provide information on long-term effects.

See more at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170111213238.htm

Ancient Chinese malaria remedy fights TB

Date: December 19, 2016

Source: Michigan State University

Summary:

A centuries-old herbal medicine, discovered by Chinese scientists and used to effectively treat malaria, has been found to potentially aid in the treatment of tuberculosis and may slow the evolution of drug resistance.

A centuries-old herbal medicine, discovered by Chinese scientists and used to effectively treat malaria, has been found to potentially aid in the treatment of tuberculosis and may slow the evolution of drug resistance.

In a promising study led by Robert Abramovitch, a Michigan State University microbiologist and TB expert, the ancient remedy artemisinin stopped the ability of TB-causing bacteria, known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, to become dormant. This stage of the disease often makes the use of antibiotics ineffective.

The study is published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

"When TB bacteria are dormant, they become highly tolerant to antibiotics," Abramovitch said, an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Blocking dormancy makes the TB bacteria more sensitive to these drugs and could shorten treatment times."

One-third of the world's population is infected with TB and the disease killed 1.8 million people in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or Mtb, needs oxygen to thrive in the body. The immune system starves this bacterium of oxygen to control the infection. Abramovitch and his team found that artemisinin attacks a molecule called heme, which is found in the Mtb oxygen sensor. By disrupting this sensor and essentially turning it off, the artemisinin stopped the disease's ability to sense how much oxygen it was getting.

"When the Mtb is starved of oxygen, it goes into a dormant state, which protects it from the stress of low-oxygen environments," Abramovitch said. "If Mtb can't sense low oxygen, then it can't become dormant and will die."

Abramovitch indicated that dormant TB can remain inactive for decades in the body. But if the immune system weakens at some point, it can wake back up and spread. Whether it wakes up or stays 'asleep' though, he said TB can take up to six months to treat and is one of the main reasons the disease is so difficult to control.

"Patients often don't stick to the treatment regimen because of the length of time it takes to cure the disease," he said. "Incomplete therapy plays an important role in the evolution and spread of multi-drug resistant TB strains."

He said the research could be key to shortening the course of therapy because it can clear out the dormant, hard-to-kill bacteria. This could lead to improving patient outcomes and slowing the evolution of drug-resistant TB.

After screening 540,000 different compounds, Abramovitch also found five other possible chemical inhibitors that target the Mtb oxygen sensor in various ways and could be effective in treatment as well.

"Two billion people worldwide are infected with Mtb," Abramovitch said. "TB is a global problem that requires new tools to slow its spread and overcome drug resistance. This new method of targeting dormant bacteria is exciting because it shows us a new way to kill it. "

Story Source:

Materials provided by Michigan State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Huiqing Zheng, Christopher J Colvin, Benjamin K Johnson, Paul D Kirchhoff, Michael Wilson, Katriana Jorgensen-Muga, Scott D Larsen, Robert B Abramovitch. Inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DosRST signaling and persistence. Nature Chemical Biology, 2016; DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2259

Cite This Page:

Michigan State University. "Ancient Chinese malaria remedy fights TB." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 December 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161219115556.htm>.

Chinese herbal treatment shows signs of effectiveness in bone marrow recovery

Date: December 15, 2016

Source: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Summary:

A Chinese herbal regimen called TSY-1 (Tianshengyuan-1) TSY-1 increased Telomerase activity in normal blood cells but decreased it in cancer cells, research has demonstrated. Telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the production of telomeres, which play an important role in the regulation of normal cell division. These results indicate that Telomerase-based treatments may be of significance in treatments for both blood cell deficiency and cancer.

UCLA researchers have found that a Chinese herbal regimen called TSY-1 (Tianshengyuan-1) increased telomerase activity in normal blood cells but decreased it in cancer cells. Telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the production of telomeres, which play an important role in the regulation of normal cell division. These results indicate that telomerase-based treatments may play an important role in treating both blood cell deficiency and cancer.

More than 80 percent of cancers have increased telomerase activity, and other medical conditions are also associated with decreased or abnormal telomerase function. The ability to increase or decrease telomerase activity has important implications for treating cancers in which insufficient numbers of blood cells are produced. When a person's bone marrow is unable to keep up with the need for healthy blood cells, bone marrow failure is triggered. Bone marrow failure affects about seven in 100,000 people annually.

TSY-1 has been used in China for many years to treat aplastic anemia, a condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells and myelodysplastic syndrome or preleukemia; both are associated with telomerase abnormality.

The five-year study, led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Jianyu Rao, measured the ability of TSY-1 to affect telomerase activity in cancer cells lines, including one known as HL-60, as well as normal peripheral blood mononuclear and hematopoietic stem cells. Rao's team used various approaches, including assays of telomerase activity, measurement of cell growth, and gene expression profiling of TSY-1 treated cells, to determine how it acts. The results showed that the target of TSY-1 activity is the TERT gene. TERT is the major regulatory component of telomerase activity.

The findings provide the foundation and support for further clinical studies to demonstrate the clinical benefit of this treatment for cancer and blood cell deficiencies.

The study is published online in the journal OncoTarget.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. Original written by Reggie Kumar. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. "Chinese herbal treatment shows signs of effectiveness in bone marrow recovery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 December 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161215081238.htm>.

Fruits and vegetables' latest superpower? Lowering blood pressure

Dietary potassium linked with lower blood pressure

Date: April 5, 2017

Source: University of Southern California - Health Sciences

Summary:

A new study links increased dietary potassium with lower blood pressure.

Fresh fruits and vegetables.

Credit: © Serghei Velusceac / Fotolia

Eating potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, beans, bananas -- and even coffee -- could be key to lowering blood pressure, according to Alicia McDonough, PhD, professor of cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).

"Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure," McDonough says, "but evidence suggests that increasing dietary potassium may have an equally important effect on hypertension."

Hypertension is a global health issue that affects more than one billion people worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that hypertension is responsible for at least 51 percent of deaths due to stroke and 45 percent of deaths due to heart disease.

McDonough explored the link between blood pressure and dietary sodium, potassium and the sodium-potassium ratio in a review article published in the April 2017 issue of the American Journal of Physiology -- Endocrinology and Metabolism. The review looked at population, interventional and molecular mechanism studies that investigated the effects of dietary sodium and potassium on hypertension.

McDonough's review found several population studies demonstrating that higher dietary potassium (estimated from urinary excretion or dietary recall) was associated with lower blood pressure, regardless of sodium intake. Interventional studies with potassium supplementation also suggested that potassium provides a direct benefit.

McDonough reviewed recent studies in rodent models, from her own lab and others, to illustrate the mechanisms for potassium benefit. These studies indicated that the body does a balancing act that uses sodium to maintain close control of potassium levels in the blood, which is critical to normal heart, nerve and muscle function.

"When dietary potassium is high, kidneys excrete more salt and water, which increases potassium excretion," McDonough says. "Eating a high potassium diet is like taking a diuretic."

Increasing dietary potassium will take a conscious effort, however. McDonough explains that our early ancestors ate primitive diets that were high in fruits, roots, vegetables, beans and grains (all higher in potassium) and very low in sodium. As a result, humans evolved to crave sodium -- but not potassium. Modern diets, however, have changed drastically since then: processed food companies add salt to satisfy our cravings, and processed foods are usually low in potassium.

"If you eat a typical Western diet," McDonough says, "your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure." When dietary potassium is low, the balancing act uses sodium retention to hold onto the limited potassium, which is like eating a higher sodium diet, she says.

But how much dietary potassium should we consume? A 2004 Institute of Medicine report recommends that adults consume at least 4.7 grams of potassium per day to lower blood pressure, blunt the effects of dietary sodium and reduce the risks of kidney stones and bone loss, McDonough says. Eating ¾ cup of black beans, for example, will help you achieve almost 50 percent of your daily potassium goal.

McDonough recommends developing public policies to increase intake of dietary potassium from plant-based sources. She also advocates adding potassium content to nutrition labels to help raise consumers' awareness of economical sources of potassium.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Southern California - Health Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Alicia A. McDonough, Luciana C. Veiras, Claire A. Guevara, Donna L. Ralph. Cardiovascular benefits associated with higher dietary K vs. lower dietary Na evidence from population and mechanistic studies. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology And Metabolism, 2017; 312 (4): E348 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00453.2016

Cite This Page:

University of Southern California - Health Sciences. "Fruits and vegetables' latest superpower? Lowering blood pressure: Dietary potassium linked with lower blood pressure." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 April 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170405130950.htm>.

Doctors should discuss herbal medication use with heart disease patients

Date: February 27, 2017

Source: American College of Cardiology

Summary:

Physicians should be well-versed in the herbal medications heart disease patients may take to be able to effectively discuss their clinical implications, potential benefits and side effects—despite a lack of scientific evidence to support their use, according to a review paper.

Physicians should be well-versed in the herbal medications heart disease patients may take to be able to effectively discuss their clinical implications, potential benefits and side effects -- despite a lack of scientific evidence to support their use, according to a review paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Herbal medications do not require clinical studies before being marketed to consumers or formal approval from regulatory agencies, so their efficacy and safety are rarely proven. In the U.S., herbal medications can only be found unsafe by the Food and Drug Administration after they have caused harm. Still, they remain popular among heart disease patients for their potential cardiovascular benefits. A recent survey said 1 in every 5 people will take an herbal or dietary supplement in their lifetime.

Researchers in this review paper looked at 42 herbal medications that have a possible indication for treating one or more cardiovascular condition, including hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, thromboembolic disorders or peripheral artery disease. They then selected 10 of the most commonly used in cardiovascular medicine to discuss possible indications, biological and clinical data, and safety concerns.

The researchers said that despite all the clinical evidence on these herbal medications, there is an overall lack of evidence available, and it is not always possible to clearly establish a cause-effect link between exposure to herbal medications and potential side effects.

They concluded that because of the popularity of these medications and the potential for drug interactions or other safety concerns, physicians should start a conversation around herbal medication use to effectively counsel their patients. Many patients don't volunteer information on their herbal medication use to their doctor because they do not perceive them as drugs. Physicians are also unlikely to regularly gather correct information on their use. However, herbal medication use has been associated with poor adherence to conventional medications, which is a serious concern.

"Communicating with the patient is a crucial component of the process," said Graziano Onder, MD, PhD, senior author of the review paper and an assistant professor in the department of geriatrics, neurosciences and orthopaedics of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome. "The pros and cons of specifics herbal medications should be explained and their risk-benefit profile properly discussed."

Researchers said physician education is an important consideration as well, since the study of alternative medicine is not part of medical school curriculums in the U.S. Obtaining the necessary knowledge to provide better care for patients around the use of herbal medications is solely up to the physician.

"Physicians should improve their knowledge of herbal medications in order to adequately weigh the clinical implications related to their use," Onder said. "Physicians should explain that natural does not always mean safe."

The authors have no relevant disclosures to report.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American College of Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Rosa Liperoti, MD, PHD, MPH, Davide L. Vetrano, MD, Roberto Bernabei, MD, Graziano Onder, MD, PHD. Herbal Medications in Cardiovascular Medicine. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, VOL. 69, NO. 9, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2016.11.078

Cite This Page:

American College of Cardiology. "Doctors should discuss herbal medication use with heart disease patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170227152033.htm>.

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Araçá-boi

Ou valorizamos ou elas somem. Araçá-boi. Eugenia stipitata. Foto: @jessicatyamashita #frutífera #frutasnativas #frutas

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Lavandula em Santo Antônio do Pinhal, SP

Texto:

Gleiciane Gabrielli - Massoterapeuta- acadêmica de Agronomia - Universidade de Taubaté 

Marcos Roberto Furlan - Eng. Agrônomo - Universidade de Taubaté, Faculdade Cantareira

A família Lamiaceae fornece inúmeras plantas de interesse medicinal e alimentício, além de aplicações na indústria de cosméticos. Dentre os seus gêneros, há cerca de 40 espécies de Lavandula, como a Lavandula angustifolia Mill e a Lavandula dentata L. Essas duas espécies são originadas do Mediterrâneo, onde se desenvolvem como subarbustos perenes, florescem sem dificuldades, são eretas e formam grande ramificação.

No Brasil, são encontradas algumas plantas com o nome de alfazema ou de lavanda. As que pertencem ao gênero Lavandula possuem usos pela população como ornamentais, na medicina tradicional, em artesanatos e na cosmética. No entanto, as consideradas mais eficientes para produção de óleos essenciais utilizados em cosméticos não são comuns no país.

Em cidades de clima mais ameno como as localizadas nos Estados do Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina, e em alguns municípios de São Paulo, como Santo Antônio do Pinhal, é comum, inclusive de ser encontrada nas praças e ruas, a espécie Lavandula dentata (foto 1). O florescimento dessa espécie é comum no Brasil, ao contrário de algumas variedades de L. angustifolia. 

Ambas possuem aroma semelhante, o que contribui para a confusão na identificação. No entanto, as folhas de L. dentata são diferentes, e tem a ver com o epíteto específico "dentata" (foto 1). As folhas de L. angustifolia possuem bordas lisas. Portanto, não é complicado diferenciar as duas espécies

.

Foto 1. Lavandula dentata.