Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have anti-inflammatory properties and are best known for their joint health benefits. A recent study suggests that they may also lower the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 45%.

The researchers examined data from the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) study, which included 75,137 Washington residents between the ages of 50 and 76. The respondents were placed into one of three groups based on their weekly glucosamine and chondroitin intake during a 10 year period:

1. high use – four days or more per week;

2. low use – fewer than four days per week;

3. non-use.

Participants in the high use group had a 45% reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer when compared to users in the non-use group.

Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington conducted the study. It was published in the June 2013 issue of Cancer Causes Control.
Glucosamine is produced naturally in the body and helps with joint function. Glucosamine supplements have been found to help with osteoarthritis, reducing joint pain and improving joint function.
Chondroitin is found in and around the cells of cartilage, and provides cartilage with strength and resilience. Previous research has found that chondroitin may help ease the pain of arthritis and osteoporosis, lower cholesterol and possibly help with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A recent analysis performed by researchers at the American Heart Association suggests that having a pet may actually reduce a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

After analyzing the data from multiple studies, the researchers found three main contributors to a lower risk of heart disease:

1. Dog owners are 54% more likely to get the recommended amount of daily exercise than non-dog owners.

2. An act as simple as stroking a pet has been shown to lower blood pressure. In fact, according to previous research, pet owners generally have lower blood pressure than people who don’t own pets.

3. People with pets actually handle stress better than people who don’t own pets.

The researchers concluded that pet ownership is associated with a lower risk of CVD but that causality wasn’t definite. They noted that simply owning a dog but continuing to live a sedentary lifestyle would not lower the risk of developing CVD.

The study was published online ahead of print on May 9, 2013, in the AHA’s journal Circulation.

If you’re not a pet owner and don’t plan on becoming one anytime soon, there are other natural ways to reduce your risk of CVD. Previous studies have suggested that supplementation of lycopene, aged garlic, CoQ10, resveratrol, omega-3s, and antioxidants all may improve heart health.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Ashwagandha is an Indian herb that has been used for generations as a folk remedy. The company NutraGenesis has the longest experience producing and selling ashwagandha in the United States, under the name Sensoril™. They’ve recently released the results of five studies showing extensive, targeted health benefits of ashwagandha.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted the first study, which examined the effects of ashwagandha on mental cognition and memory of people with short memory problems and difficulty focusing.

The second study sought to discover whether or not there was scientific evidence behind the traditional use of ashwagandha to relieve stress. The researchers examined the effect of ashwagandha supplementation on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

The study included 80 participants who took Sensoril™ for 60 days. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted a 50% decrease in anxiety scores.

The final three studies focused on heart health. The first of these three looked at the effect of Sensoril™ or Sensoril™ taken together with Indian Gooseberry on endothelial function. The researchers tested lipid profile, inflammation (CRP reduction), glutathione increase, nitric oxide increase and blood sugar balance.

The last two heart health focused studies examined how heart conditions changed when the participants were under cold and mental stress conditions.

None of these studies have been published yet, but the researchers were especially excited about the endothelial function study, as products with endothelial function benefits tend to be high in antioxidants, but Sensoril™ has relatively low antioxidant activity. This suggests that there is another ingredient specific to Ashwagandha that is producing these beneficial effects.

Previous studies suggest that ashwagandha may help with memory, cognitive function and brain health, increase strength, and help with sexual dysfunctions. The best way to consume ashwagandha is by taking a high quality supplement.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Energy drinks have become increasingly popular in the last few years, but recent research suggests that consuming them may be bad for your heart. Specifically, drinking energy drinks was shown to increase systolic blood pressure by 3.5 points and the QT interval by 10 milliseconds.

The QT interval is a segment of the heart’s rhythm as measured by an electrocardiogram. When the QT interval is prolonged, it can cause serious irregular heartbeats or sudden cardiac death.

The analysis included seven studies that had previously been published. The age range of the participants was 18-45 years old.

In the initial part of their analysis, the researchers looked at the QT interval of 93 people who had just consumed one to three energy drinks. They observed a 10 millisecond QT interval difference following energy drink consumption.

The researchers found the increase in systolic blood pressure during analysis of another study pool which included 132 participants. The two discoveries led researchers to caution people with heart problems to be cautious when consuming energy drinks.

The study was conducted by researchers at University of the Pacific in California. It was presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions the week of March 19th, 2013.

There are natural alternatives to energy drinks. Previous studies have shown that goji berry juice, green tea, yerba mate tea, and even vitamin D or a multivitamin supplement can help increase your energy.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Stress can have serious psychological and physical effects. Lifestyle changes can be useful in lowering stress levels, but sometimes additional help is necessary. This study suggests that taking supplements of an Indian herb known as ashwagandha may lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 27.9%.

The study included 64 adults with a history of chronic stress. For 60 days half of the group took 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha while the other half took a placebo.

At the conclusion of the study, the supplement group showed the 27.9% reduction in cortisol, a 72.3% reduction in stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire-28, a 71.6% reduction on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and a 44% reduction on the Perceived Stress Scale.

The study was conducted by researchers at Asha Hospital in India. It was published in the July 2012 issue of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.

Previous studies suggest that ashwagandha may help with memory, cognitive function and brain health, increase strength, and help with sexual dysfunctions. The best way to consume ashwagandha is by taking a high quality supplement.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

What you drink may have an impact on your mental health. A new study has found that individuals who drank 4 or more cans of soda a day were 30% more likely to suffer from depression than those who drank no soda.

Conversely, those who drank 4 cups of coffee per day were 10% less likely to develop depression than those who drank no coffee.

The study included 250,000 individuals who were followed for ten years. The researchers found that the risk of depression was highest in people who drank diet soda, iced tea and fruit punches. They suggested that people may want to cut down the number of sweetened drinks in their diets or replace them with unsweetened coffee.

The study was conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It was presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego the week of January 15, 2013.

Beyond mental health, previous studies have shown that coffee has a number of other health benefits. These benefits are generally attributed to the powerful antioxidants found in coffee called polyphenols and include reducing the risk of developing diabetes, prostate cancer, cirrhosis and oral cavities.

One note to coffee drinkers: be careful how you take your coffee. A double latte with whipped cream and three sugars may provide health benefits, but the high fat and sugar content can have other negative effects.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

In a recent study, researchers looked at blood levels of a marker for inflammation and found that higher levels were associated with a higher risk of depression.

The study included 73,131 adults between the ages of 20 and 100 who participated in the Copenhagen General Population and the Copenhagen City Heart studies. The researchers determined which participants suffered from depression via self-reported antidepressant use, register-based prescriptions of antidepressants and register-based hospitalization from depression.

They then examined blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)– a marker of inflammation—and found a correlation between high levels of CRP and depression. They also found that higher levels of the protein were linked to a higher risk of being hospitalized for depression.

While this study has found a link between depression and inflammation, it does not show that high CRP levels cause mental illness. Larger studies are needed to determine the exact effect of inflammation on depression.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Herlev Hospital in Denmark. It was published online December 24, 2012, in JAMA Psychiatry.

While the most common way to combat inflammation is through anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, there are also natural methods. Previous studies have suggested that omega-3s, foods with high levels of flavonoids, and the compound lycopene may reduce levels of inflammation.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Everyone feels stress at some point in their life and a study from Yale University suggests that stress may actually change the physical structure of the brain’s grey matter, which can lead to later psychological problems and physical manifestations such as higher blood pressure and changing blood glucose levels.

The researchers took MRI scans of 103 healthy adults after interviewing them about recent traumatic life events. The individuals who had most recently gone through traumatic events had markedly lower grey matter. The gray matter in the brain regulates emotions, self-control, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

They concluded that stresses over a lifetime could compound the situation making it harder and harder to deal with future stresses due to the increasingly diminished grey matter.

This study was published on January 9, 2012, in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Previous studies have suggested that high stress levels may also contribute to coronary artery disease. Methods to lower your stress levels include meditation, yoga, and lifestyle changes. Sometimes it’s a simple as taking control of one really difficult aspect of your life and, as this study shows, the effort is well worth it!

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found that high stress is correlated with a 27% increase in the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD)—about the equivalence of a 50 mg/dL increase in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, a 2.7/1.4 mmHg in blood pressure, or smoking five or more cigarettes daily.

The meta-analysis included six studies, all of which used the perceived stress scale to determine the stress levels of a collective 118,696 participants, whose ages ranged from 43-74. After following the participants for 14 years, the researchers found that there was a stronger correlation between stress and CHD in in older adults but no correlation with gender.

The perceived stress scale is a commonly used measure of stress. Participants rate their stress levels with a scale of 0 to 4 in response to 10 questions, with 0 meaning none and 4 an indication of high levels. Individuals with high stress typically have an average score of 20.

The study was published on December 15, 2012, in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Ways to lower stress (and hopefully lower your risk of CHD) include meditation, yoga, tai-chi, and lifestyle changes.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

The ability to stay focused on the present moment may be associated with longer telomere length, and a slowing of the aging process. Telomeres are the caps that cover the ends of DNA and protect your chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are a sign of biological aging.

The researchers examined 239 adults between the ages of 50 and 65 years old, all of whom said their minds tended to wander. Being present was defined as being focused on a current activity rather than thinking about something else while performing the activity.

The researchers assessed the telomere lengths and mind wandering of the participants. They also looked at psychological distress, and well-being.

The participants who reported being more engaged in their activities generally had longer telomeres. The researchers plan further studies to determine if learning to focus would protect or even restore telomere length.

The study was conducted by researchers at University California San Francisco and was published in Clinical Psychological Science on November 15, 2012.

Previous studies have suggested that there are dietary steps you can take to reduce the risk of telomere shortening. Omega-3 supplementation has been shown in more than one study to be effective.

Oily, dark fish such as tuna and salmon are high in DHA and EPA omega-3s. If you don’t like fish or you’re worried about the high mercury levels found in some fish, consider taking a high quality supplement that has been tested for purity and potency.