Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Cranberries have long been used to prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Researchers with the Department of Urology at Hospital Foch in France recently conducted a study to test whether cranberries would be effective in preventing chronic UTI’s.

The study was published in the April 2010 issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology.

UTIs are one of the most common types of bacterial infection, and the most common among mature adults. Women are also particularly susceptible and one in five will have at least one UTI in her lifetime.

For the study, researchers gave 15 patients with a history of repeated urinary tract infections cranberry juice for an average of 32 months. During the treatment period the researchers observed a decrease in the number of positive urine cultures which would indicate a decrease in urinary infection.

These results are likely due to the fact that cranberries have an “anti-adhesion” effect on harmful bacteria in your body. These properties help flush harmful bacteria out of your body by preventing them from sticking to your teeth, intestinal walls, stomach lining and urinary tract.

Due to their high level of antioxidants, cranberries not only protect against UTIs, they may also help reduce your risk of stomach cancer, ulcers and prevent the formation of plaque on your teeth.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A study was recently presented at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) which found that vitamin K may slash the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a life threatening disease that affects white blood cells and causes tumorous growths. According to the American Cancer Society there are 50,000 new cases of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the US every year.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Mayo clinic and included 603 participants with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 1,007 healthy control subjects with no cancer.

All of the participants completed food questionnaires in order to determine intakes of vitamin K both from food sources and supplements.

Based on the data the researchers were able to determine that people with high intakes of vitamin K (over 108 mg) had a 45% reduced risk of developing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. This protective effect was apparent when vitamin K was consumed through normal dietary sources as well as from supplement sources.

Vitamin K has been receiving an increasing amount of attention due to various other health benefits ranging from bone and joint health to reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

Due to all of these new findings, experts are urging the creation of new daily recommendations for vitamin K, which actually comes in two main forms: K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. Both vitamin K1 and K2 can also be found in supplement form.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A study recently published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Stroke found that women may be able to slash their risk of having a stroke if they walk just a couple of hours each week.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston analyzed data from nearly 40,000 women aged 45 and older for the study. The women reported their physical activity levels at the beginning of the study (1992-1995) and periodically throughout the study.

After an average follow-up of 12 years the researchers documented 579 strokes among the participants.

They found that women who were the most active were 17% less likely to have a stroke.

These findings are not exactly new news as physical activity has long been associated with reductions in stroke risk. What is significant about this study is that the researchers found walking may be especially important.

The researchers compared women who walked at least 2 hours a week (at any pace) to those that did not. They found an impressive 30% reduction in stroke risk among women that walked.

They also found that women who walked at a pace of at least 3 miles per hour further reduced their risk of stroke by an additional 7%.

This study adds to evidence showing that low-moderate intensity exercise is beneficial for heart health and reducing the risk of stroke. There are also a number of other things you can do to improve heart health and reduce the risk of stroke such as consuming more B vitamins and magnesium and maintaining a healthy bodyweight.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

According to a recent study conducted by Danisco, probiotics may counteract the negative effects of a high-fat diet and reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The study has not yet been published but the findings were presented the week of April19th, 2010 at the Keystone Symposium on Diabetes in Canada.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by central obesity, hypertension and disturbed insulin and glucose metabolism. People suffering from metabolic syndrome are at a much higher risk for, heart disease, and suffering a heart attack.

The American Heart Association defines metabolic syndrome as having three or more of the following:

1. A waistline greater than 40” for men or 35” for women

2. Good (HDL) cholesterol under 40mg/dL for men or 50mg/dL for women

3. Triglyceride levels over 150mg/dL

4. Blood pressure over 130/85mm Hg or the use of blood pressure medicine

5. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein

6. Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance

For this study, researchers gave diabetic mice on high fat diets a strain of probiotic called B420. After the mice were given the strain, the researchers observed lower levels of inflammation. The mice also metabolized glucose more effectively which reduces the risk of obesity.

Although further studies are expected to confirm this association, probiotics have previously been shown to provide a host of health benefits, especially for people over 60 because levels of friendly bacteria in our gut tend to decrease as we age.

Some of these benefits include reducing the risk of chronic disease, improving digestion and boosting immune system function.

One way to increase probiotic levels is by consuming more yogurt and cultured milk products. You can also try incorporating a quality probiotic supplement into your diet. Make sure the supplement contains several probiotic strains and is packaged to block light, air, and moisture, which can easily kill probiotics.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Berries have far ranging health benefits due to their high levels of protective phytochemicals and flavanoids. According to a new study by researchers at the University of Kuopio in Finland, those benefits may also include blood sugar control.

Their findings were published in the April 2010 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.

The study included 12 participants between 25-69 years of age. All of the participants were screened beforehand via blood tests and questionnaires. The questionnaires determined previous and current diseases, current medication, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity and use of nutritional supplements.

Each participant was given two separate meals separated by 5 days. Both meals contained a similar profile and amounts of available carbohydrates, and contained 250 ml water, 35 g sucrose, 4.5 g glucose and 5.1 g fructose.

However, the first meal also included a berry puree made of bilberries, blackcurrants, cranberries and strawberries, and sweetened with sucrose.

The researchers found that after the berry meal the participants had a lower glycemic response, meaning their blood glucose levels spiked much less. A high glycemic response after eating is associated with an increased risk of obesity, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers believe that the berries reduced digestion and/or absorption of sucrose, resulting in the lower glycemic response.

Although these findings are still in the early stages, the researchers are hopeful that further research will verify the ability of berries to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Previous studies have found an association between various berries and decreasing the risk of bladder infections, improving your vision and reducing the risk of some cancers.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Many people realize the benefits of cutting saturated fatty acids from your diet. However, according to a recent analysis of 21 separate studies, replacing those fats with the wrong foods can be even more detrimental to your health.

Researchers from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark conducted the analysis which included over 50,000 men and women who had never experienced heart attacks. Their findings were published in the April 2010 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Over the course of a twelve year follow-up approximately 2000 heart attacks were recorded.

The researchers found a significant increase in heart attack risk among participants that replaced foods containing saturated fats with foods that have a high glycemic index (GI). Specifically they found that every additional 5% of a person’s total caloric intake that came from foods with a high GI resulted in a staggering 33% increase in heart disease risk.

The researchers also found that replacing foods containing saturated fats with foods that have a medium GI had no effect on heart disease risk. Replacing foods high in saturated fats with foods with a low GI value was associated with a lower heart disease risk.

The GI value of a food is calculated by measuring how fast the carbohydrates it contains raise blood sugar levels. Foods such as artichokes, avocados and peanuts are low GI foods and therefore have little impact on blood sugar fluctuations. High GI foods include white bread, pretzels, potatoes and pasta.

The easiest way to reduce your intake of high glycemic foods is by eating foods that are high in fiber and less refined.

This study shows that although cutting your saturated fat intake has clear benefits, those benefits can quickly diminish if you don’t replace those fats with the right foods.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

B vitamins such as folate and B6 may reduce the risk of death due to heart problems and stroke, according to researchers at Osaka University in Japan.

Their findings were published in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The researchers analyzed data on 23,119 men and 35,611 women between 40 and 79 years of age that took part in the Japan Collaborative Cohort study.

The participants completed questionnaires about their dietary habits during 14 years of follow-up. During that time 986 of the participants died from stroke and 424 died from heart disease.

When the researchers compared participants with the highest intake of folate and B6 to those with the lowest they found a significantly lower number of deaths from heart failure in men. They also found significantly fewer deaths from stroke and heart disease in women.

The researchers believe that folate and B6 may fight cardiovascular disease by lowering homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels are believed to cause damage to the inner linings of arteries, promoting blood clots.

B vitamins play a very important role in many essential functions in the human body including nervous system function, red blood cell formation, and hormone function. They are also linked to reducing the risk of depression, hearing loss and birth defects.

Our bodies do not naturally synthesize the vitamin so the only way to get our B vitamins is from dietary sources.

B vitamins like B6 and folate are found naturally through a variety of foods including leafy green vegetables, dried beans, lentils and peas.

The man-made version of folate is called folic acid and it can be found in supplement form and as an additive in foods like bread, cereal and grains.

Be sure to cook your foods correctly to get the optimum amount of B vitamins; for instance, steaming instead of boiling vegetables is always best.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A combination of vitamin A and a nutrient called lutein may slow vision loss according to a recent study published in the April 2010 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Lutein is a nutrient found in numerous foods and is most common in green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale as well as egg yolks and animal fat.

For the study, researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary recruited 225 non-smoking people between 18 and 60 years of age. All of the participants had an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which refers to a group of hereditary eye disorders that lead to progressive vision loss.

At the start of the study, the participants were divided into two groups. One group received vitamin A only (1,500 micrograms) or vitamin A plus lutein (12 mg per day) for four years.

According to the researchers, under normal conditions someone with Retinitis Pigmentosa would lose their mid-peripheral vision by age 51. Participants that took the lutein plus vitamin A saw that extended to age 61, a significant increase.

A number of studies have previously linked lutein to eye health and these findings further extend that research. Vitamin A, on the other hand, has been shown to have benefits that included skin health and keeping the cells in our body energized and active.

You can find Vitamin A (and lutein) in supplement form, and you can also get plenty of vitamin A through diet alone. Some of the top sources of vitamin A include:

• Beef liver

• Egg yolk

• Cheddar cheese

• Fortified milk

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Having low levels of vitamin B6 may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by a staggering 50% according to a recent study from Japan.

The study was performed by researchers with the School of Public Health at the University of Tokyo. Their findings were published in the March 2010 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.

For the study the researchers assessed intakes of vitamin B6 in 249 people with Parkinson’s disease and compared them to 368 people with no neurogenerative conditions.

After adjusting for possible confounding factors, the researchers found no link between Parkinson’s disease and low levels of folate, vitamin B12 and riboflavin. However, low levels of B6 were associated with a significant increase of 50%.

These findings support a similar study conducted in 2006 by researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. That study included more than 5,000 participants over 55 years of age and found that people with high intakes of vitamin B6 had a 54% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Vitamin B6 plays an important role in many essential functions in the human body including nervous system function, red blood cell formation, and hormone function. Our bodies do not naturally synthesize the vitamin so the only way to get our B vitamins is from dietary sources.

B6, as well as the other B vitamins, have also been shown to promote cell growth, support metabolism and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Being deficient in these important vitamins can potentially lead to brain shrinkage, high homocysteine levels and birth defects.

It is easy to increase your intake of these vitamins by eating more vitamin B rich foods or taking a quality supplement. Some foods rich in B vitamins include broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, tuna and salmon. Many milk and flour products are also fortified with B vitamins.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recently funded a study which found that omega-3’s may improve the kidney health of diabetics. These findings are significant because diabetics have a considerably higher risk of developing kidney disease.

Researchers from the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge (UK) conducted the study and their findings were published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The researchers recruited 1,436 diabetics between 13 and 39 years of age for the study.

To evaluate kidney disease risk, researchers measured the level of a protein called albumin in the urine of the participants. Albumin is normally filtered by our kidneys but when they aren’t working properly small amounts of the protein can leak into urine.

Over 6.5 years of follow-up, the researchers found significantly lower levels of albumin on average among participants with high intakes of omega-3 fatty acids.

This study builds on a number of previous studies including one published by Hong Kong researchers earlier this year. Their findings showed that supplements of omega-3’s reduce levels of a protein called creatine among diabetics. Creatine levels are directly linked to kidney damage which can lead to kidney disease.

The link between omega-3’s and benefits for diabetics is quickly growing but even if you are not diabetic, omega-3s can be extremely beneficial. These essential fatty acids have been associated with a number of health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, reducing the risk of dementia risk and even improving your mood.

You can increase your omega-3 intake by eating more oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. If you don’t care for fish, a high quality fish oil supplement will work as well. Look for one that’s certified for purity and potency so you can be sure it doesn’t contain dangerous contaminants. Also be sure that the product will deliver at least 650mg of the most important omega-3s, EPA and DHA.