According to Dutch researchers at the Universiteit Maastricht, the antioxidant mineral selenium appears to have a protective effect against prostate cancer. Selenium is a trace mineral that pays important roles in detoxification and antioxidant defence mechanisms in...
Blog
Orange Power: Citrus compound lowers bad cholesterol
A compound found in the peels of citrus fruit has the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs, and without side effects, according to a study by US and Canadian researchers. The joint study identified a class of compounds isolated...
Oats and Celiac Disease: Study suggests patients should avoid them
Most patients with celiac disease can eliminate their symptoms, but at a price: lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. This means no wheat, rye, barley, and, until recently, no oats. Then some recent studies suggested that oats did not cause the intestinal...
Nutrients Protect Prostate: Lycopene and vitamin E found to inhibit tumours
A study by Dutch and German researchers has provided evidence that lycopene may be able to inhibit the growth of prostate tumours and that its effect may be enhanced if it is combined with vitamin E. A number of studies already show that high intake of lycopene – a...
More Fish for Better Behaviour? Study links low omega-3s and hostility
Researchers report that adolescents who have a higher intake of fish oils tend to be less hostile than those who have a low intake. And since hostility has been shown to predict both the development and manifestation of coronary disease, fish oil may also reduce heart...
Mineral Medicine: Zinc helps kids recover from pneumonia
The addition of zinc to standard antimicrobial treatment may accelerate recovery from pneumonia, say researchers in this week's issue of the Lancet. Pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children less than five years old. Zinc is reported to...
Mind Mineral? Iron status as baby may influence mental abilities later
Teens who suffered iron deficiency as infants are likely to score lower on cognitive and motor tests, even if that iron deficiency was identified and treated in infancy, a new University of Michigan study shows. Researcher Betsy Lozoff, who has studied iron deficiency...
Menopause Memory Trial: Herbs to be put to the test
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are investigating whether hormone therapy and two herbal products can lessen memory and other cognitive problems experienced by menopausal women. "Decline in mental skills and difficulty remembering things, finding...
Memory Test: Ginkgo trial will look at benefit for early dementia
UK Researchers at the Imperial College London and St Mary's Hospital are set to explore the effectiveness of gingko as a treatment for early dementia. The study of 250 patients aged over 55 will seek to find out whether GPs can help patients by prescribing the...
Making Cancer Treatment Better: Vitamin E found to reduce mouth sores
Most patients who undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancers suffer from painful mucositis (mouth sores) which may lead to interruptions in radiation therapy and reduced tumour control. In a recent study, scientists looked at the effect of vitamin E on...