Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Post-menopausal women may be able to decrease the risk of osteoporosis by drinking more lycopene rich tomato juice, says a new study by researchers at the University of Toronto.

The study was published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.

The risk of developing osteoporosis increases significantly as you age and women are 4x more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 70% of women over the age of 80 have osteoporosis.

An abundance of research has already linked vitamin D and calcium to osteoporosis prevention. This new study examined the link between tomato juice consumption and osteoporosis risk.

For the study, the researchers restricted 60 post-menopausal women between 50-60 years of age from consuming lycopene for 1 month. Lycopene is the powerful antioxidant found in various fruits and vegetables and it is especially abundant in tomatoes and wine.

After a 1 month “wash out” period the participants were split into four groups. Over the next four months, each group consumed either a 15mg lycopene supplement, a glass of tomato juice that naturally contains 15mg of lycopene, a gourmet Japanese tomato juice with 35mg of lycopene or a placebo.

By the end of the lycopene free month, there was an increased reobsorption of bone in every participant. Bone reobsorption is the process by which bones are broken down and dissolved into minerals such as calcium, phosphates and salts, and is what weakens the bones and leads to osteoporosis.

After the 4 month supplementation period, the researchers observed a significant decrease in bone reobsorption among the participants who consumed lycopene. They also observed increased antioxidant capacity and decreased oxidative stress parameters.

Beyond bone health, lycopene has also been shown to improve heart health, decrease inflammation and reduce cholesterol.

You can increase your lyopene levels by taking a supplement or by eating more red pigmented foods such as tomatoes, papayas and wine. Certain diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, are also high in lycopene.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Drinking beverages rich in fructose such as soda and sugar sweetened orange juice may increase the risk of gout among women according to a study published recently in the November 2010 issue of JAMA.

Fructose is a simple sugar that is often used to sweeten food and drink products. One of the most popular forms is high fructose corn syrup, used regularly in sodas and processed foods.

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men but is also prevalent among women, particularly after menopause. Gout is characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain and tenderness in joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe.

For the study researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine analyzed data on over 80,000 women who took part in the Nurses’ Health Study.

When they compared women who consumed less than 1 serving of fructose per month to those who consumed 1 serving per day they observed a 74% increased risk of gout among those with higher fructose intake. Women who consumed 2 or more servings per day had a 2.4x increased risk of gout.

They also noted that consumption of sugar sweetened orange juice was linked to an increased risk of gout. Women who consumed one serving of sugar sweetened orange juice per day had a 41% higher risk of gout than those who consumed less than one serving per month.

The researchers noted that these findings are likely due to the fact that fructose consumption increases levels of uric acid, which is directly linked to gout attacks. They also noted that the increase in insulin resistance and circulating insulin levels caused by fructose consumption could also play a role.

This was not the first study to find an association between fructose consumption and negative health effects. Previous studies have found that fructose may increase weight gain, blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

Many foods that make up the daily American diet contain fructose, so the best way to avoid consuming too much is by checking food labels.

Fructose is most commonly found in packaged foods, junk food, fast food and soft drinks, and minimizing consumption of these foods is a good way to reduce the amount of fructose in your diet.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Wild blueberries have been recently declared the most antioxidant packed common fruit on the market. Now, a recent study shows they may improve blood vessel health and lower blood pressure.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Maine, Northwestern University, and the University of Louisville and the results were published in the November 2010 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

For the study, hypertensive rats were fed a wild blueberry diet (8% of total consumption was blueberries) or a control diet for eight weeks.

After eight weeks the rats were given a compound that restricts blood vessels. When the researchers compared the control group to the group given the blueberries they found significantly less restriction in blood flow among the rats in the blueberry group.

Although this study was done in a lab, the researchers are confident that similar findings will be replicable in human studies.

There are numerous other reasons to eat more blueberries apart from their potential for improving blood vessel function and lowering blood pressure. Blueberries have been shown to decrease the risk of dementia, aid in weight management and reduce cholesterol.

They are also easy to add to your diet because they go well with pancakes, salads and smoothies.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

People with high blood pressure may see significant benefits from an extract made from aged garlic according to a study published in the October 2010 issue of the journal Maturitas.

Aged garlic is a concentrated form of garlic that is odorless and even richer in antioxidants than regular garlic.

For the study researchers from the University of Adelaide recruited 50 people with treated but uncontrolled hypertension.

The participants were randomly assigned to receive 3.84 grams of an aged garlic extract in capsule form or a placebo for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study the researchers observed a 10.2 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure among participants given the aged garlic extract. Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading.

The benefit was only observed in participants with initial systolic pressure of 140 or more. No effect was seen in participants with lower initial systolic pressure.

These findings are very promising for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure but further studies with larger populations will be necessary to confirm these results. This is not the first study, however, to look into the potential benefits of aged garlic.

Over 350 studies have been conducted on aged garlic to date, highlighting potential benefits ranging from improving cardiovascular health to boosting the immune system and keeping your mind sharp as you age.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Supplements containing a combination of calcium and vitamin D may decrease the risk of osteoporosis among post menopausal women according to a study published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.

Osteoporosis is a serious health issue characterized by low bone mass which leads to an increased risk of fractures. Women are 4 times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 70% of women over the age of 80 have osteoporosis. These staggering statistics have prompted the WHO to call osteoporosis its biggest global healthcare problem.

In order to delve deeper into the link between osteoporosis and vitamin D/ calcium consumption, researchers from the University of Kuopio in Finland recruited 593 women between 66 and 71 years of age. The women were randomly assigned to receive 800 IU’s of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium supplements or a placebo daily for 3 years.

At the end of the study the researchers observed a 0.84% increase in bone mineral density among the group given the supplements compared to just 0.19% for women given the placebo.

These findings provide further evidence to support the necessity of consuming Vitamin D and calcium, especially as you age. Vitamin D and calcium are best when taken together because they work in a complementary fashion, with calcium supporting bone formation and repair, while vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.

Beyond bone health, Vitamin D has also been shown to protect against mental decline and lower blood pressure.

Calcium has been shown to help with weight loss, skin health, and reducing the risk of ccolorectal cancer and stroke. Some studies have even suggested that calcium intake is associated with longevity.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Men and women aged 60 and over may be able to improve memory by taking supplements of phosphatidylserine (PS) containing Omega-3 fatty acids according to a recent study published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging.

Phosphatidylserine is a natural nutrient found in the cell membranes of neurons and previous studies resulted in preliminary findings linking it to memory and stress regulation.

In order to look deeper into this relationship, researchers had eight men and women aged 60 and over take daily supplements containing 300 mg of PS and 37.5 mg of the two most important omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

After 6 weeks of supplementation, the researchers ran tests to measure memory recall and found that participants given the supplements performed 42% better when asked to recall words after a delay.

The researchers noted that this study supports data from more short term studies conducted previously and should set the stage for large clinical trials on the effects of PS and omega-3 on memory among mature adults.

Although more in depth studies will need to be conducted to confirm the cognitive benefits of PS, omega-3 already has an abundance of science backing its benefits.

An increasing amount of science has found a relationship between omega-3′s and cognitive function but the bulk of research still surrounds its ability to significantly boost heart health. Previous studies have also found that omega-3′s may reduce the risk of age-related vision loss and even help improve your mood.

Taking a high quality supplement is a good way to increase omega-3 intake, just be sure that the supplement you choose is certified for purity and high in DHA and EPA, the two most important omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna are also high in omega-3′s.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A recent meta-analysis by researchers at the Harvard Medical School shows that while vitamin E may provide numerous health benefits, it may have very little effect on stroke risk. The study was published in the November 2010 issue of the British Medical Journal.

For the study the researchers analyzed data obtained from 9 studies with over 115,000 combined participants.

The data from these studies showed that alpha-tocopherol vitamin E decreased the risk of ischemic stroke by 10%. However, it also appeared to increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 22%. When the researchers combined the decrease in ischemic stroke with the increase in hemorrhagic stroke they found almost no association between vitamin E intake and overall stroke risk.

The researchers did note however that the benefits of consuming vitamin E still outweighed the risk. They estimate that for every 1,000 patients who took vitamin E supplementation, there would be 0.8more hemorrhagic strokes and 2.1 fewer ischemic strokes.

Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel bursts inside the brain, leading to bleeding inside the brain which damages nearby brain tissue. In an ischemic stroke, blood supply to the brain is decreased, resulting in dysfunction in the brain tissue in that area.

Although more evidence still needs to be obtained, these findings show that consuming an overabundance of vitamin E may have potentially negative consequences.

It is important to note, however, that most Americans don’t receive the bare minimum daily recommendation for vitamin E, which is an essential nutrient for many reasons.

Vitamin E plays an important role in various functions in the body and has also been linked to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and certain cancers and boosting the immune system. These benefits are largely attributed to the anti inflammatory properties of vitamin E combined with its high level of antioxidants.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

A study published in the November 2010 issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association found that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA may help keep your mind sharp as you age.

The study was titled the “Memory Improvement with Docosahexaenoic Acid Study” and included 468 participants over the age of 50 with mild age-related cognitive decline. The participants were randomly assigned to receive daily supplements containing 900 mg of DHA or a placebo for 24 weeks.

At the end of the 24 week supplementation period the researchers found that participants given the DHA supplement had significant improvements in memory and learning.

The researchers noted that this study provides valuable information on the role Omega-3′s, and specifically DHA, play in cognitive function.

There has been an increasing amount of science showing that having low omega-3 levels increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and this study highlights the necessity of taking a proactive approach and supplementing with omega-3′s before cognitive issues arise.

Beyond boosting cognitive function, there are numerous other benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids. Previous studies have found that these essential fatty acids may help improve heart health, reduce the risk of age-related vision loss and even help improve your mood.

Taking a high quality supplement is a good way to increase omega-3 intake, just be sure that the supplement you choose is certified for purity and high in DHA and EPA, the two most important omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna are also high in omega-3′s.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Women over the age of 70 that eat chocolate at least once per week are significantly less likely to develop heart problems according to a study published recently in the November 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

For the study the researchers had 1,216 mature women estimate their chocolate consumption. The women were then tracked for over a decade.

When the researchers compared women who ate chocolate at least once a week to those who ate chocolate infrequently or never, they found that chocolate consumption appeared to reduce the risk of being hospitalized due to heart disease by 35%. The risk of heart failure dropped even more significantly, with chocolate eaters 60% less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart failure.

This was not the first study to associate chocolate with heart benefits but this particular study showed that it may not take much chocolate to make a difference.

It is important to note that not all chocolate is created equal. In fact, chocolates with a higher percentage of cocoa, such as dark chocolate, tend to be much healthier. This is because darker chocolate has higher levels of flavonols.

Flavonols are the naturally occurring antioxidants found in cocoa which have previously been shown to decrease inflammation, protect our DNA from damage and improve heart and brain health by increasing blood flow. It is important not to overindulge when it comes to chocolate because the high saturated fat content can easily outweigh any antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Researchers from the Department of Periodontics at the College of Dental Sciences in Karnataka, India recently found that lozenges containing probiotics may help treat periodontitis. Their findings were published in the November 2010 issue of the Journal of Oral Microbiology.

Periodontitis, also known as gum disease, is a very common chronic inflammatory disease that creates an infection of the ligaments and bones that support the teeth. This infection can result in bad breath, bleeding gums and loss of teeth.

30 participants with chronic periodontitis were recruited for the study. All of the participants were given the standard treatment for periodontitis called scaling and root planing (SRP) in half of their mouth. The other half of their mouth was left untreated.

After three weeks, the participants were randomly assigned to receive either lozenges containing probiotics or placebo lozenges twice a day for 21 days.

The researchers found that the combination of SRP and the probiotic lozenges was most effective for reducing the severity of periodontitis. The combination was also most effective for reducing gingivitis and plaque.

Probiotic supplements, both alone and in combination with SRP, also reduced levels of pathogenic bacteria by up to 90% compared to other treatments.

Beyond oral health, probiotics have been shown to help aid in weight loss, improve digestion, boost the immune system and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

You can get more probiotics by eating certain foods such as yogurt, milk and sauerkraut. For many people, taking a high quality supplement is an easier approach. If you choose this option, be sure it is packaged to block light, air and moisture which can easily kill probiotics.