Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that drinking certain types of tea containing high concentrations of an amino acid called L-theanine may help strengthen the body’s immune system response when fighting off infection. The findings were first...
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Soy Good: Component of soy foods improves blood flow and vessel health
An Italian study has found that a component of soy products, genistein, can bring about improved blood flow and blood vessel health, suggesting that soy can replace hormone therapy, which doctors now warn against because of increased risks of breast cancer, stroke and...
Pregnant Pause: Study suggests caution with ginseng use while pregnant
Researchers from Hong Kong have warned that women should be cautious about using the herbal remedy ginseng in the early stages of pregnancy after a study found abnormalities in rat embryos. They found that embryos exposed to more than 30 micrograms per millilitre of...
How Black Cohosh Works: Herb safe and effective for hot flashes
Black cohosh, an herb increasingly used by women as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy, may reduce hot flashes by targeting serotonin receptors, according to a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The finding, the first to show a...
Fountains of Youth? Key ingredients in Mediterranean diet can extend life
Scientists from Harvard Medical School and Biomol research laboratory in Philadelphia report that two natural substances may hold the key to why those who eat a “Mediterranean diet” seem to be healthier and to live longer. Resveratrol is a polyphenol abundant in red...
Fish Oil Finding: Omega-3 fats help advanced cancer patients
Fish oil may help to prevent the severe wasting and weight loss (cachexia), which characterizes some types of advanced cancer, suggests research in the medical journal Gut. Cachexia is a major factor contributing to the illness and death of patients with advanced...
Curry? Don’t Worry! Ancient spice shown to aid inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, debilitating illnesses characterized by chronic recurrent ulceration of the bowel, abdominal pain, digestive problems, diarrhea or constipation. Some research into the cause of IBD has...
Alzheimer’s and Vitamin E: Vitamin/drug combo appears to slow progression
Combining vitamin E and a drug used to treat mild to moderate dementia may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reports. Researchers at Ohio State University found that after just a year of treatment with vitamin E and the drug donepezil (Aricept),...
Young at Heart? Vitamins improve cholesterol problems in children
An estimated 50 million children have high levels of the "bad" cholesterol -- known as LDL -- that puts them at high risk for suffering heart attacks as adults. Most of these children have inherited disorders causing these abnormal cholesterol levels. Because...
Vitamin Could Save Lives: Low B-1 linked to diabetic kidney disease
Researchers at the University of Essex have discovered a new link to the cause of kidney disease in diabetes sufferers which could save hundreds of lives each year. Professor Paul Thornalley and a team of researchers from the University's Department of Biological...