Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Researchers working from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana released a study showing that the carotenoid astaxanthin may improve performance and increase energy output of competitive cyclists.

The findings were published in the November 2011 issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

The small study included 21 competitive cyclists between the ages of 18 and 39. Half of the cyclists consumed 4 mg/day of an astaxanthin extract and half consumed a placebo over the course of 28 days.

After the 28 day supplementation period, the participants fasted for 10 hours and then completed a 2 hour exhaustion ride, before completing a 20 km time trial. This ensured that their bodies would rely on fat oxidation and not carbohydrates during the time trial.

Only 14 of the bikers completed the study, 7 in each group. The group that received the astaxanthin extract showed a 5% (2 minute) improvement in time and a 15% (20 watt) improvement in power output. The group that received the placebo showed minimal improvements.

The researchers pointed out that the dietary restrictions of this study make it hard to generalize the findings for a broader group. They also noted that the exact mechanism responsible for the positive effects from astaxanthin is unknown at this time.

Astaxanthin has been shown to improve eye, skin and joint health and boost cognitive function. If you’re looking to increase your dietary intake of astaxanthin, consider consuming more salmon and rainbow trout, krill, and red-pigmented vegetables and fruits.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A preliminary study from researchers at the University of California at Irvine shows that goji berry juice may help slim waist lines and increase metabolic rate in overweight individuals.

The findings were published in October 2011 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

The small study included 8 overweight adults with an average BMI of 29 kg/m2 and an average age of 35. The researchers conducted two tests: one examined energy expenditure or metabolic rate and the other examined the effect of goji berry juice on the waistline.

In the first test, all of the participants were given 1 ounce, 2 ounces, and 4 ounces of goji berry juice and a placebo on separate occasions. Energy expenditure was measured 1 hour post intake. The researchers noted a 10% increase in energy expenditure when 4 ounces of the juice were consumed compared to when the placebo was consumed. No significant effect was seen at the lower doses.

In the second test, half of the participants received 4 ounces per day of goji berry juice for 14 days, while the other half received a placebo. At the end of two weeks, the goji berry juice group had a reduced waist circumference of 2.16 inches, whereas the placebo group showed a 0.35 inches reduction.

Goji berry juice has been used in Asian holistic medicine for thousands of years. It is believed to have a positive effect on vision, kidney and liver functioning, and to help reduce the effects of aging.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Cognitive decline as we age was once considered inevitable, but researchers are finding that there may be ways to slow it and possibly even prevent it. Recently, researchers from Australia discovered that an herbal supplement combining more than 50 vitamins minerals, antioxidants, and plant extracts may improve memory in mature women.

The researchers were based at the NICM Collaborative Centre for Neurocognition at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. The findings were published in the journal Psychopharmacology online ahead of print on October 18, 2011.

Study participants included 56 mature women suffering from cognitive decline. Half of the group consumed the herbal supplement and half the group consumed a placebo. The herbal supplement contained, among other ingredients, calcium, magnesium, CoQ10, ginkgo, St. Mary’s thistle, grape seed and turmeric.

After 16 weeks, the group that took the herbal supplement showed higher mental functioning, as measured by response times during memory and attention tasks. The researchers also noted a decrease in homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is associated with dementia.

The researchers concluded that supplements may help with cognitive decline, but they could not identify which components of the herbal supplement used contributed to the positive effects seen in this study.

Previous studies have shown that multivitamins may aid in weight loss, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and boost general physical health. Other studies have also shown that the cells of people who routinely take multivitamins actually have a younger biological age.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the number one cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 55. If you’re concerned about damage that might already have been done to your eyes, then this new study from the Veterans Association Hospital in Chicago has good news: supplements of zeaxanthin and supplements of lutein may improve symptoms of AMD.

The study was published in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Optometric Association.

Lutein and zeaxanthin create the yellow pigmentation of the macula, which is the part of the eye that provides protection from damaging blue light. If the yellow macular pigment is too thin, blue light can penetrate the retina and cause long term damage.

Participants in the study included 60 war veterans with an average age of 74.9 years, all with mild to moderate AMD. In a randomized, double-blind trial the participants were separated into three groups:

1. One group received 8 mg of zeaxanthin daily

2. One group received 9 mg of lutein daily

3. One group received a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin

Vision tests were conducted at the 4 month, 6 month, 8 month marks and at the conclusion of the study after one year.

All of the groups showed improvement in vision, as could be seen in their improved ability to drive at night and improved eye chart reading between 1.5 and 8.5 lines. Blind spots also improved.

Interestingly, the group receiving the combination supplement of zeaxanthin and lutein showed less improvement in terms of raising macula pigment optical density (MPOD). The higher the MPOD , the greater the amount of blue light filtering that will occur.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only carotenoids able to build macular pigment. If your diet is low in fruits and vegetables, or if you smoke cigarettes and regularly consumer alcohol, you are at higher risk for developing AMD. Consider consuming more green vegetables, corn, and egg yolk to increase your intake of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Vitamin C from dietary sources may help prevent re-hospitalization and death for heart failure patients, according to a recent study from the University of Ulsan in South Korea.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session, which took place the week of November 12th, 2011.

The study included 212 individuals—one third of whom were women—with an average age of 61. All of the participants had already suffered from heart failure.

The participants kept track of their daily food intake for four days. A software program was used to calculate how much vitamin C they were getting through dietary sources. 39% were not getting the recommended amount of this essential vitamin.

In addition to measuring vitamin C intake, the researchers also conducted blood tests to determine levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that has been linked to heart disease.

The researchers then followed all of the participants for one year. Sixty-one participants or 29% of the group was hospitalized or died from heart problems during that time frame. The participants who had low vitamin C levels ended up in the hospital or died more quickly than those with higher vitamin C levels.

It is important to note that these results were linked to vitamin C obtained from food sources. Previous studies have shown that vitamin C supplements do not improve the health of people with heart failure.

These results could be a result of the antioxidants found in vitamin C that help combat inflammation in the body. The researchers noted that these benefits could also come from the fact that people who consume a lot of fruits and vegetables are generally healthier overall.

Vitamin C has been linked to immune system function, heart health, brain health, eye health and improved mood. It can be found in high levels in citrus fruits and dark leafy greens such as cantaloupe, oranges, kiwis, papaya, broccoli and kale.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Numerous studies have shown a link between red wine and heart health benefits. Now, researchers with the Research Laboratories at the Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura in Italy have released a study suggesting that beer may also be beneficial to heart health.

The findings were published in the European Journal of Epidemiology on November 11, 2011.

This meta-analysis examined 16 studies published through March 2011. Twelve of the studies directly compared the cardiovascular effects of wine and beer while the other four examined one or the other alcohol.

The researchers found that one glass of wine per day lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 31%. Two glasses of beer per day lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 42%.

The researchers noted that the heart health benefits associated with beer disappeared with high consumption. They recommend that beer be consumed in moderation and combined with healthy foods.

Previous studies have linked beer with raising HDL (or “good”) blood pressure, protecting against type 2 diabetes, and preventing dementia. Researchers believe that these positive health benefits are a result of the vitamins, minerals, and alcohol present in beer.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

One in 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. A recent study from Oslo University Hospital in Norway has found that kiwis may help lower blood pressure.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting on November 15, 2011.

Participants in the study included 118 adults—50 men and 68 women—with an average age of 55 and slightly elevated blood pressure. While ideal blood pressure is 120/80, the participants had blood pressure in the range of 128/85.

The researchers randomly assigned each person to eat either three kiwis or one apple daily for eight weeks.

Participant’s blood pressure levels were monitored using 24-hour ambulatory monitoring, which is considered to be more precise than measuring during a single point in time. The group that ate kiwi had systolic blood pressure levels that were 3.6 millimeters lower than the group that ate apples. Systolic blood pressure is the upper reading in a blood pressure measurement and it represents the pressure on the heart when it is beating.

The researchers cautioned that this is a small study and more investigation needs to occur before they can say definitively that kiwi fruit lowers blood pressure. They did, however, recommend that people consider adding kiwi fruit to their daily fruit intake.

The researchers believe the blood pressure lowering properties of kiwi are due to high levels of the antioxidant lutein present in kiwi. In addition to lutein, kiwis have high fiber content and more vitamin C than oranges.

Kiwi fruit has also been linked to prevention of asthma, prevention of wheezing and coughing, and prevention of colon cancer.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Vitamin D has been linked with the prevention of a number of chronic diseases. Now a study from the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center in San Francisco suggests that vitamin D may help reduce global mortality rates by lowering the risk of such diseases.

These diseases account for over half of the global mortality rate and include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, and diabetes mellitus.

The findings were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in July, 2011.

The researchers interpreted data from various studies examining the effects of vitamin D and UVB light on individuals in 6 geopolitical regions. They wanted to see how 25-hydroxoy vitamin D (25(OH)D) serum levels corresponded with vitamin D sensitive diseases.

The researchers found that increasing 25(OH)D serum levels from 21.6 to 44 ng/ml would reduce the vitamin D-sensitive disease mortality rate by approximately 15%. Specifically, African female mortality would be reduced 7.6% and European female mortality would be reduced 17.3%.

Male mortality rate was on average 0.6% lower than female mortality rate. All six regions showed a 2 year increased life expectancy.

Vitamin D has been linked to a wide variety of health benefits, including reductions in skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, improved cardiovascular health, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Dietary vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but those of us living in the northern parts of the world usually need more vitamin D than we are able to get from sunshine alone. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Arthritis can be a crippling condition that inhibits mobility and causes constant pain. According to a recent joint study by researchers at the VA Medical Center and at the University of Pennsylvania, tart cherry juice may help ease the symptoms of arthritis of the knee.

The findings were published on November 9, 2011, in Arthritis Care & Research, the official journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

59 participants with arthritis participated in the study. They were split into two groups. For six weeks, one group consumed two 8 ounce bottles of tart cherry juice daily. Each bottle contained the equivalent of 45 tart cherries. The other group consumed Kool-Aid doctored with a clouding agent to resemble the cherry juice.

After the initial six week period, all of the participants went through a one week “washout” period, during which they didn’t consume either the tart cherry juice or the placebo.

The two groups then alternated for an additional six weeks. Those who had previously consumed the tart cherry juice consumed the placebo during this time, and those who had consumed the placebo consumed the tart cherry juice.

During the time the participants consumed the tart cherry juice, the researchers noted improved WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster University Arthritis Index) scores and significantly decreased hsCRP levels (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). No relief of symptoms was noted during the time the participants consumed the placebo.

WOMAC is a group of standardized questionnaires assessing the pain, joint stiffness, physical, social, and emotional functioning of people with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation and reduced levels corresponded with fewer arthritis symptoms.

Tart cherries have a high level of antioxidants. They have been associated with reducing inflammation, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and lowering the risks of certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and diabetes.

Be sure the tart cherry extract you consume is tested for potency. This is especially important if you’re drinking tart cherry juice, as some juices may be watered down.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Probiotics are well known for improving gastrointestinal and immune health, now it appears heart health can be added to the list. A new study from Jiangnan University in China suggests that probiotics may lower total cholesterol, largely by lowering the “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

The article was published in Nutrition and Metabolic Cardiovascular Diseases online ahead of print on September 17, 2011.

The study examined data from 13 trials, each of which was testing the efficacy of probiotic supplements, The 485 participants had a wide range of cholesterol levels, ranging from normal to high.

Compared to the placebo or control group, the researchers found that those taking probiotics experienced a 6.4 mg/dl decrease in total cholesterol, on average.

This included a 4.9 mg/dl drop in LDL cholesterol and a 3.95 mg/dl decrease in triglycerides, on average.

It is also noteworthy that the average “good” or HDL cholesterol level remained virtually unchanged, declining just 0.1 mg/dl.

From this data, the researchers concluded a diet rich in probiotics can decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in people with normal, borderline high or high cholesterol.

Probiotics have been linked with other health benefits, including weight loss, improved digestion, a stronger immune system, and a reduced risk of chronic disease.

Probiotics can be found naturally in many foods, such as yogurt, milk and sauerkraut. You may also consider taking a high quality supplement but make sure it is packaged to block light, air and moisture which can easily kill probiotics.