While diet and regular aerobic exercise are the best ways to manage weight, a recent study suggests that catechin enriched green tea could encourage weight loss in obese adults. Catechins are powerful antioxidants found naturally in green tea.

The researchers are based at Peking University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Japan’s Kao Corporation. Their findings were published online ahead of print on January 20, 2012, in the Journal of Functional Foods.

Study participants included 118 obese Chinese adults. Half consumed a placebo drink and half consumed an enriched 350 mg green tea beverage consisting of 609.3 mg catechins and 68.7 mg caffeine. Typically, a glass of green tea contains 86 mg of catechins and 40 mg caffeine.

The researchers measured abdominal fat area, body weight and composition at the onset of the study, at week 8 and at week 12. At the end of 12 weeks, the researchers noted reductions in measurement of all three areas in the participants who consumed the enriched green tea, when compared with those in the placebo group.

The researchers believe that the results seen here are a result of the antioxidant properties of the catechins working in tandem with the caffeine.

Catechins have been linked to other health benefits including lower cholesterol, weight loss, improved heart health, aiding in digestion and decreased risk of neurodegenerative diseases. They can also be found in red wine, apples, and berries.

Plant sterols have previously been shown to lower cholesterol levels and now a new study suggests that they might also reduce triglyceride levels. This means that plant sterols may be able to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by improving two of the risk factors for CHD.

The study was conducted by researchers at Unilever R&D and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. It was published online ahead of print on January 12, 2012 in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers examined data from 12 randomized controlled trials that included 935 participants, all of whom had high cholesterol. They found that, with a range of 1.6 grams to 2.5 grams per day of sterol consumption, triglyceride levels were reduced by 6%.

Plant sterols have been previously shown to reduce cholesterol, sometimes by as much as 17%. They can be found in small quantities in fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, cereals and legumes. There are also a number of foods that are fortified with plant sterols, such as spreads, mayonnaise, orange juice and granola bars.

Eating a balanced, healthy diet is the best way to protect your heart against CHD, but if you think you’re not meeting your goals, consider adding a daily supplement to your routine.

When you consider weight loss options, algae probably doesn’t come to mind. In fact, most people in the Western world probably don’t think of algae as food at all, but recent studies have shown that alginate supplements can increase your feelings of satiety and potentially help you lose weight.

The latest in the growing list of investigations into alginate supplements and weight loss comes from researchers at the University of Copenhagen. To be published in the May 15, 2012, issue of Food Chemistry, this is purportedly the first study to examine what the exact ratio of different types of alginates produces the best results.

Alginate is a compound found in the cell walls of brown algae. The three alginates used in the study supplement form a gel that is slow to empty from the stomach. The effectiveness of alginate supplement is depends on the ratio of mannuronic and guluronic acids.

For the study, the researchers used two solutions with different ratios of mannuronic and guluronic acids; 70% mannuronic and 30% guluronic and 40% mannuronic and 60% guluronic.

Eight participants consumed one of the two beverages 30 minutes before breakfast and 2 hours before lunch. The researchers found that the drink that was 40% mannuronic and 60% guluronic produced increased feelings of satiety, lowered the amount that participants wanted to eat, and decreased calorie intake by 10% when compared with the other beverage.

The researchers hope that this study will encourage other institutions to examine the effects of alginate supplements as obesity becomes a worldwide epidemic.

Algae isn’t just good for weight management; research has also shown that it may be effective for a wide range of health benefits including improving blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, boosting immune system, alleviating joint pain, colon and liver health, and boosting the immune system.

In a large scale Danish study that included 20,000 participants, researchers have found that the shortening of telomeres – the tiny caps on the end of DNA strands—can increase your risk of having a heart attack and dying prematurely.

The study was published in the March, 2012 edition of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, who measured telomere lengths using participants DNA samples. They tracked changes in telomere length over time, sometimes for as long as 19 years.

They found that participants with shortened telomeres had a 50% increase in the risk of a heart attack and a 25% increase in the risk of dying prematurely.

The researchers noted that shortened telomeres are not just a result of old age; they can also result from lifestyle factors. Their study showed that smoking and obesity lead to shortened telomeres.

Previous studies have shown that there may be ways to slow the shortening of telomeres. One such study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that individuals with heart disease and a high intake level of marine omega-3 essential fatty-acids had a slower rate of telomere shortening.

A study published in 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that consuming vitamins C, E and D are all associated with longer telomeres. Additionally, a study from the Washington School of Medicine suggests that resveratrol repairs DNA damage. Resveratrol is the nutrient found in red wine, grapes, grape seed extracts, and peanuts.

Osteoporosis is a major affliction that affects 44 million Americans and is characterized by low bone mass. Researchers have discovered that a supplement containing a combination of the soy isoflavone genistein, omega-3 essential fatty-acids, and vitamins D3 and K1 may increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

The researchers are with Creighton University and DSM Nutritional Products. Their study was published online ahead of print on February 3, 2012, in the European Journal of Nutrition

70 women with an average age of 55 were recruited for the study. The women received either a supplement blend or a placebo for 6 months. The supplement contained 30 milligrams of genistein, 800 IU of vitamin D3, 150 micrograms of vitamin K1, and one gram of omega-3 polyunsaturated essential fatty-acids. The omega-3s contained EPA essential fatty-acids and DHA essential fatty-acids with a ratio of 2 to 1.

At the conclusion of the study, the supplement group showed a 0.1% maintenance in bone mineral density (BMD) in the femoral neck, whereas the placebo group showed a decrease in BMD of 1.2%. Additionally, the supplement group had a 2.3% increase in BMD at the Ward’s triangle part of the hip bone, with the placebo group showing a 1.1% decrease.

Other biomarkers of bone health, including alkaline phosphatase and N-telopeptide, increased in the supplement group when compared to levels at the onset of the study. The supplement group also saw higher levels at the conclusion of the study compared to the placebo group.

Osteoporosis affects 4 times as many women as men, however it is an affliction that can strike either gender. In addition to the nutrients listed here, calcium, vitamin K2 and ashwaganda extract have been shown to improve bone health. All of these nutrients are difficult to obtain through diet alone but a daily high quality supplement can boost your blood levels and potentially help reduce the risk of fractures.

Women struggling with high cholesterol levels may want to consider adding more taurine to their diet. According to a study published online ahead of print on February 3, 2012, in the European Journal of Nutrition, a diet high in taurine could significantly reduce their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Taurine is a nutrient your body biosynthesizes from your food. Foods high in taurine include red meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and milk.

Participants included 233 women with coronary heart disease and 223 controls without the disease. All of them were participants in the Women’s Health Study at New York University, where the researchers were based. Taurine serum levels were measured at the onset of the study and then once a year for two years.

After adjusting for outstanding factors, the researchers saw a 34% reduced risk of developing CHD in participants with the highest levels of serum taurine, compared to the participants with the lowest levels.

Most notably, the women with the highest total serum cholesterol levels (at least 250 mgl/mL) and the highest taurine levels saw a 61% reduced risk of CHD, compared to those with the lowest taurine levels.

Taurine has previously been linked with blood pressure regulation, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and bile acid conjugation. If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet or you just want a little extra boost in your taurine levels, consider adding a daily supplement of L-taurine to your diet.

Researchers previously believed that tocopherols (a form of vitamin E) prevent the absorption of tocotrienols (another form of vitamin E). A recent study however shows that oral supplementation with a blend of tocotrienols increases vitamin E levels in the tissues and organs, even when tocotrienols are present.

More notable was the finding that oral tocotrienol supplements (using Tocomin Suprabio®) raised the concentration of tocotrienols in blood to a level 20 times higher than the minimum amount previously shown to protect the brain from damage caused by a stroke.

The scientists noted this is the first study to show that oral tocotrienol supplements can raise tocotrienol levels throughout the body: in the blood, skin, brain, cardiac muscle, adipose and liver.

Conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center, the findings of this study were published in the March, 2012 edition of the Journal of Nutrition.

Participants included 80 adults who represented a mix of healthy subjects and surgical patients. The surgical participants included individuals with heart failure, liver transplants, obese people who had received plastic surgery and epileptics.

The healthy participants all received 400 milligrams of tocotrienol daily for 12 weeks, while the surgery patients were assigned either 400 mg of tocotrienol or 400 mg of tocopherol for the same period of time. The researchers conducted skin biopsies and blood samples at the onset of the study and at the conclusion.

At the end of the 12 week period, the healthy participants showed noticeable increases in skin and blood levels of tocotrienols, as well as a 10-fold increase in tocotrienol levels in fat tissue compared to controls.

Vitamin E comes in eight different forms: four tocoperols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and has been shown to help many aspects of the body. Tocopherol is the most common form in both the American diet and European diets, but tocotrienols are harder to obtain through dietary sources.

Previous studies have shown that vitamin E intake is associated with lower cholesterol, healthier skin, maintaining a proper hormonal balance, and preventing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The scientific community has been at odds over whether magnesium has an effect on blood pressure. Researchers at the University of Herfordshire in the United Kingdom conducted a meta-analysis to address this issue and found that the ability of magnesium to lower blood pressure, while small, was clinically significant.

The study was published online ahead of print on February 8, 2011, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Twenty-two trials were involved in the analysis, with a total of 1,173 participants. Magnesium levels started at 120 mg and ranged up to 973 mg. The trials lasted from 3 to 24 weeks.

The researchers found that supplementation resulted in a 3 to 4 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 2 to 3 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure. They also discovered that supplementation over 370 milligrams daily produced the best results.

Lowering systolic blood pressure by 0.8 to 2 mmHg has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure in blood vessels when the heart is resting. It is represented by the bottom number on a blood pressure reading and anything above 90 mmHg is considered high. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure in blood vessels when the heart is beating and is represented by the top number in a blood pressure reading. Readings above 140 mmHg are considered high.

In addition to blood pressure and heart health, magnesium intake has also been linked to helping with bone development, healthy teeth and detoxification. A supplement is an effective way to get your daily magnesium but there are also many dietary sources of magnesium including green leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains, nuts and milk.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a debilitating disease that usually leaves people blind by the age of 60. It starts with night blindness in the teenage years, progresses through loss of peripheral vision, to tunnel vision, and finally to blindness. Researchers at Harvard University believe they have found the first effective treatment for this condition.

The findings of their study were published online ahead of print on February 13, 2012, in the Archives of Ophtamlmology.

The study examined data from three clinical trials that included 357 individuals with typical retinitis pigmentosa. Over the course of 4 to 6 years, the participants received 15,000 IU per day of vitamin A. Food frequency questionnaires were utilized to determine omega-3 fatty-acid intake levels.

The researchers discovered that consuming at least 200 mg of omega-3 fatty-acids correlated with a 40% slower decline in distance visual acuity. It also correlated with a nearly 50% slower rate of decline in central visual field sensitivity. These results could translate into 18 more years of vision for people with retinitis pigmentosa.

The retina contains rods and cones that act as photoreceptors and transfer light to vision centers in the brain. Rods are specialized to perceive dim light and detect movement and register shapes. Cones function best in bright daylight and allow people to see colors and fine details.

Rods and cones die in the retinas of people with retinitis pigmentosa. Research has shown that rod degeneration results from a deficiency of vitamin A. The researchers believe vitamin A combined with omega-3’s helps people with retinitis pigmentosa by slowing rod degeneration. They suggest taking vitamin A to replenish the rods and omega-3’s to improve delivery of vitamin A to cones.

In addition to eye health, omega-3s have been linked to an impressive number of health benefits, including age-related cognitive decline, improved heart health, alleviating arthritis pain, better moods, improved joint mobility, and aiding your immune system.

Vitamin A has been shown to improve diarrhea and the symptoms of respiratory disease, to slow the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and to reduce the risk of measles. People who are deficient in vitamin A are also at risk for vision problems and many chronic diseases.

What did you eat today? Most Americans would probably respond by saying a lot of processed foods and white flour, and very little fresh fruits or vegetables.

You might want to take a minute to reconsider your diet, as a recent study from researchers at the American Cancer Society suggests that eating more flavonoid rich foods could dramatically reduce your risk of stroke. Fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate, nuts, tea, and red wine are just some of the foods that can supply you with these essential nutrients.

The study, which was published in the February 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, tracked the dietary intake of almost 100,000 adults with an average age of 70 over a period of 7 years. The participants filled out questionnaires regarding their medical history, lifestyle behaviors, and a 152-item food-frequency questionnaire.

The researchers then placed the participants into five groups, depending on the flavonoid levels of their food intake. They discovered that the group with highest flavonoid consumption was 18% less likely to die of heart disease or stroke when compared with the lowest consumption group. Heart disease and stroke are the causes of more than 1/3 of American deaths every year.

The researchers noted that the highest flavonoid consumption group ate 24 servings of vegetables and 20 servings of fruit weekly, making it clear that extremely high levels of fruit and vegetable consumption are not required to reap the benefits seen here.

Flavonoids are the naturally occurring antioxidants which have previously been shown to decrease inflammation, protect our DNA from damage, and improve heart and brain health by increasing blood flow. Try having fruit with yogurt for breakfast, a salad at lunch, and a glass of red wine followed by a small piece of dark chocolate at dinner to increase your flavonoid intake in a delicious way.