The Mediterranean Diet

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                               Double Fruit, Veggie Intake With Switch To Mediterranean Diet Plan






ScienceDaily
(Dec. 31, 2008)

— In a new study led by the University of Michigan Health System, women more than doubled their fruit and vegetable intakes and dramatically increased their consumption of "good" fats when they were counseled by registered dietitians and provided with a list of guidelines on the amount of certain foods they should eat each day.

The six-month study of 69 women divided the participants into two groups. In one group, registered dietitians used an "exchange list" of foods that are common in a Mediterranean diet to make a plan for each participant. The new plan maintained the caloric and total fat intakes that the participants consumed at the beginning of the study.

The list included suggested servings, or exchanges, of several categories of foods—such as dark green vegetables, such as spinach, or high-monounsaturated fats, such olive oil. The dietitians also provided counseling on the telephone to help the participants to make the dietary changes, as well as in-person sessions at the start of the study and three months later.

Women in the comparison group continued their usual diet and did not receive any dietary counseling, though they were offered one free dietary counseling session after they completed their part in the study. If their intake of any vitamin or mineral was less than two-thirds of the recommended levels, they were given a list of foods that are rich in that nutrient. They also were given the National Cancer Institute's "Action Guide to Healthy Eating."

Researchers found that the group that followed the exchange-list plan reached the goals of the Mediterranean diet within three months, and maintained the change for the six-month duration of the study. But the comparison group that did not use the exchange list or receive dietary counseling made few dietary changes.

"That tells us that the exchange list was helpful in assisting women to make major changes in their diet, without changes in their caloric or total fat intake," says lead author Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor of Family Medicine at the U-M Medical School. The study appears in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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Djuric—a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center—is also leading a study called Healthy Eating for Colon Cancer Prevention, in which she and colleagues are examining whether a Mediterranean diet can have preventive effects in the colon in persons at increased colon cancer risk. The diet used in the newly published study also should be applicable to prevention of many cancers, such as , breast cancer, Djuric says. More information on the current study, and how to participate in it, can be found at the University of Mcihigan Engage Web site.

Mediterranean diets have been associated with health benefits such as lower risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer, Djuric notes. Recent studies also have suggested that such a diet can increase longevity, but this data is from observational studies of Europeans who followed a traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern. The new research is the first time a method has been devised to achieve the major Mediterranean nutrient intakes using American foods, and American women were able to follow this diet.

Eating patterns in Greece and other Mediterranean countries traditionally have been high in monounsaturated fats, compared with the saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats that are more common in the United States. The Mediterranean diet is also rich in fruits and vegetables.






In this new study, specific suggestions in the exchange list included:



8-10 servings (or exchanges) each day of high monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), such as olive or hazelnut oil, avocado and macadamia nuts

Limits on fats that are low in MUFA, such as corn oil, margarine, tahini, pine nuts and sesame seeds.

One or more servings a day of dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, peas and spinach

At least one exchange per day of garlic, onions and leeks

One tablespoon or more per day of green herbs, such as basil, cilantro, peppermint and sage

One or more servings a day of red vegetables, such as tomatoes, tomato sauce and salsa

One or more servings a day of yellow or orange vegetables, such as carrots, red bell peppers and pumpkin

One or more servings a day of other vegetables, such as artichokes, cucumber, green beans and sugar snap peas

One or more servings a day of vitamin C fruits, such as oranges, mangoes and strawberries

One or more servings a day of other fruits, such as apples, bananas and grapes





Authors: In addition to Djuric, authors of the paper were: senior author Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor at the U-M Department of Family Medicine; Glee van Loon, R.D., who was a research dietitian at U-M; and from the Karmanos Cancer Institute: Katherine Radakovich, M.D., R.D., Nora M. DiLaura, M.S., R.D., and Lance K. Heilbrun, Ph.D.



Funding: American Institute for Cancer Research; National Institutes of Health Cancer Center Support Grants; and the chemistry laboratory of the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center and the General Clinical Research Center at U-M.

Reference: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Dec. 2008, Vol. 108 Number 12, "Design of a Mediterranean Exchange List Diet Implemented by Telephone Counseling."


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Journal reference:

Djuric et al. Design of a Mediterranean Exchange List Diet Implemented by Telephone Counseling. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2008; 108 (12): 2059 DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.09.006
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 MLA University of Michigan Health System (2008, December 31). Women Double Fruit, Veggie Intake With Switch To Mediterranean Diet Plan. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/12/081217101430.htm

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                                                    Mediterranean Diet Leads To Longer Life






ScienceDaily
(Apr. 25, 2005)

— The Mediterranean diet is associated with longer life expectancy among elderly Europeans, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

The Mediterranean diet is characterised by a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and cereals; a moderate to high intake of fish; a low intake of saturated fats, but high intake of unsaturated fats, particularly olive oil; a low intake of dairy products and meat; and a modest intake of alcohol, mostly as wine.



Current evidence suggests that such a diet may be beneficial to health.

The study involved over 74,000 healthy men and women, aged 60 or more, living in nine European countries. Information on diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking, physical activity levels, and other relevant factors was recorded. Adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was measured using a recognised scoring scale.

A higher dietary score was associated with a lower overall death rate. A two point increase corresponded to an 8% reduction in mortality, while a three or four point increase was associated with a reduction of total mortality by 11% or 14% respectively.

So, for example, a healthy man aged 60 who adheres well to the diet (dietary score of 6-9) can expect to live about one year longer than a man of the same age who does not adhere to the diet.

The association was strongest in Greece and Spain, probably because people in these countries follow a genuinely Mediterranean diet, say the authors.

Adherence to a Mediterranean type diet, which relies on plant foods and unsaturated fats, is associated with a significantly longer life expectancy, and may be particularly appropriate for elderly people, who represent a rapidly increasing group in Europe, they conclude.

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 MLA British Medical Journal (2005, April 25). Mediterranean Diet Leads To Longer Life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2005/04/050425111008.htm

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                               Mediterranean Diet Halves Risk Of Progressive Lung Disease






ScienceDaily
(May 15, 2007)

— A Mediterranean diet halves the chances of developing progressive inflammatory lung disease (COPD), reveals a large study, published ahead of print in Thorax.


COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an umbrella term for chronic progressive lung disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis. It is expected to become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020, with cigarette smoking the primary factor in its development.

The researchers tracked the health of almost 43,000 men, who were already part of the US Health Professionals Follow up Study. This began in 1986 and involved more than 50,000 US health care professionals aged between 40 and 75, who were surveyed every two years.

They were asked questions about lifestyle, including smoking and exercise, diet and medical history. Dietary intake was assessed in detail every four years. Eating patterns fell into two distinct categories: those who ate a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish (Mediterranean diet); and those who ate a diet rich in processed foods, refined sugars, and cured and red meats (Western diet).

Between 1986 and 1998, 111 cases of COPD were newly diagnosed. The Mediterranean diet was associated with a 50% lower risk of developing COPD than the Western diet, even after adjusting for age, smoking, and other risk factors.

And men who ate a predominantly Western diet were more than four times as likely to develop COPD, even after taking account of other influential factors. The higher the compliance with a Mediterranean diet, the lower was the risk of developing COPD over the 12 year period. Conversely, the higher the compliance with the Western diet, the higher was the risk of developing COPD.


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Adapted from materials provided by BMJ Specialty Journals, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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 MLA BMJ Specialty Journals (2007, May 15). Mediterranean Diet Halves Risk Of Progressive Lung Disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/05/070515074923.htm

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                                         Can A Mediterranean Diet Help Prevent Colon Cancer?






ScienceDaily
(June 14, 2007)

— Are all healthy eating plans the same when it comes to cancer prevention? Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center are beginning a study to look at whether diet can impact a person’s risk of developing colon cancer. Specifically, the researchers will compare a Mediterranean diet – high in olive oil, nuts and fish – with a standard healthy eating plan.


“Overall eating patterns appear to be more important for cancer prevention than intakes of specific nutrients or food groups. We hope this study will give us an indication of the benefits that a person’s diet can have on health, especially in terms of reducing the risk of colon cancer,” says Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor of family medicine at the U-M Medical School and principal investigator on the Healthy Eating for Colon Cancer Prevention study.

The study will look at adults age 21 or older who have had colon polyps, colon cancer or a family history of colon cancer. Researchers hope to recruit 120 participants over three years. Participants will be randomly assigned to follow either the Mediterranean diet or the Healthy People 2010 diet for six months. A dietitian will work closely with each participant by telephone. Participants can choose foods they prefer from recommended food group lists.

The Mediterranean diet focuses on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, fish and olive oil. High fat meats and processed foods are limited. The comparison diet is the Healthy People 2010 diet, which is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ plan for healthy eating. The Healthy People 2010 diet involves eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and a moderate fat intake with limits on saturated fat.

Study participants assigned to the Mediterranean diet will be encouraged to limit polyunsaturated fats from foods such as corn oil in favor of monounsaturated fats from olive oil, nuts and fatty plant-based foods such as olives. Mediterranean diet participants will also be expected to eat seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, including herbs, and get protein primarily from low-fat sources such as poultry, fish and legumes.

Previous studies have linked the Mediterranean diet to reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. Some evidence suggests the Mediterranean diet causes changes in the colon that would prevent cancer.

U-M researchers recently concluded a study of 70 women ages 25-65 who were randomly divided between following a Mediterranean diet or following their usual dietary habits. The researchers found the study participants were able to stick to the Mediterranean diet throughout the study. The women following a Mediterranean diet decreased the amount of polyunsaturated fat they ate by 50 percent while increasing the amount of healthy monounsaturated fats by the same amount. The women also ate twice as many fruits and vegetables as those following their regular diet. This doubled the blood levels of carotenoids, which are antioxidant micronutrients from fruits and vegetables. 

Researchers believe changes in dietary fatty acids from the higher monounsaturated fat intake with a Mediterranean diet will decrease the levels of certain proteins in the body that are linked to the development of colon cancer. At the same time, other cancer-protective compounds are expected to increase because of the Mediterranean diet.

In addition to following the diet plan, study participants will be screened in person three times during the six-month study.


In addition to Djuric, U-M study investigators are Dean Brenner, M.D., professor of internal medicine and pharmacology; Mack Ruffin, M.D., professor of family medicine; and Kim Turgeon, M.D., clinical associate professor of internal medicine.

Funding for the study is from the National Institutes of Health.


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Adapted from materials provided by University of Michigan Health System.
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 MLA University of Michigan Health System (2007, June 14). Can A Mediterranean Diet Help Prevent Colon Cancer?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/06/070613112349.htm

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                            Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer






ScienceDaily
(Sep. 11, 2007)

— A Mediterranean diet may help people with Alzheimer's disease live longer than patients who eat a more traditional Western diet.

The study followed 192 people with Alzheimer's disease in New York for an average of four and a half years. During that time, 85 of the people died. Researchers found that those who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 76 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who followed the diet the least.

"The more closely people followed the Mediterranean diet, the more they reduced their mortality," said study author Nikos Scarmeas, MD, MSc, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and member of the American Academy of Neurology. "For example, Alzheimer's patients who adhered to the diet to a moderate degree lived an average 1.3 years longer than those people who least adhered to the diet. And those Alzheimer's patients who followed the diet very religiously lived an average four years longer."

Previous research by Scarmeas and his colleagues demonstrated that healthy people who eat a Mediterranean diet lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Studies have also shown that healthy people who follow a Mediterranean diet live longer than those who eat a more traditional Western diet, higher in saturated fat and meats and lower in fruits and vegetables.

"New benefits of this diet keep coming out," said Scarmeas. "We need to do more research to determine whether eating a Mediterranean diet also helps Alzheimer's patients have slower rates of cognitive decline, maintain their daily living skills, and have a better quality of life."

The Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish, monounsaturated fatty acids; a low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, meat and poultry; and a mild to moderate amount of alcohol.

The study is published in the September 11, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University.


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Adapted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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 MLA American Academy of Neurology (2007, September 11). Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/09/070910162411.htm

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                Strict Mediterranean Diet Can Help Reduce Deaths From Major Chronic Diseases






ScienceDaily
(Sep. 12, 2008)

— Sticking to a full Mediterranean diet provides substantial protection against major chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.

A 'score' based on adherence to the Mediterranean diet could be used as an effective preventive tool for reducing the risk of premature death in the general population, say the authors.

The Mediterranean diet from populations bordering the Mediterranean Sea has a reputation for being a model of healthy eating and contributing to better health and quality of life. It is rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish, but low in meat, dairy products and alcohol.

Previous research on the Mediterranean diet suggests that it has a protective role in cardiovascular disease and cancer, but no study has reviewed all the available data for a possible association between sticking to the Mediterranean diet, premature death, and the occurrence of chronic diseases in the general population.

A team of researchers from the University of Florence assessed 12 international studies, which collectively included more than 1.5 million participants whose dietary habits and health were tracked for follow-up periods ranging from three to 18 years.

All the studies examined the concept of using a numerical score to estimate how much people stuck to the diet, called an 'adherence score'.

The researchers found that people who stuck strictly to a Mediterranean diet had significant improvements in their health, including a 9% drop in overall mortality, a 9% drop in mortality from cardiovascular disease, a 13% reduction in incidence of Parkinson and Alzheimer's disease, and a 6% reduction in cancer.

The researchers suggest that keeping an 'adherence score' based on "a theoretically defined Mediterranean diet could be an effective preventive tool for reducing the risk of mortality and morbidity in the general population."

The results of this study have important implications for public health, particularly for reducing the risk of premature death in the general population, conclude the authors.

The findings confirm the current guidelines and recommendations from all major scientific institutions that encourage a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for the prevention of major chronic diseases.


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 MLA BMJ-British Medical Journal (2008, September 12). Strict Mediterranean Diet Can Help Reduce Deaths From Major Chronic Diseases. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/09/080912075204.htm

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       Mediterranean Diet And Physical Activity Each Associated With Lower Death Rate Over 5 Years






ScienceDaily
(Dec. 11, 2007)

— Eating a Mediterranean diet and following national recommendations for physical activity are each associated with a reduced risk of death over a five-year period, according to two reports in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Both studies use data from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, which began when questionnaires were returned from 566,407 AARP members age 50 to 71 in six states between 1995 and 1996.

In one study, Panagiota N. Mitrou, Ph.D., then of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., and now of the University of Cambridge, England, and colleagues used a nine-point scale to assess conformity with the Mediterranean diet in 380,296 of the participants (214,284 men and 166,012 women) with no history of chronic disease. Components of the diet included vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish, ratio of monounsaturated fats, alcohol and meat.

During five years of follow-up, 12,105 participants died, including 5,985 from cancer and 3,451 from cardiovascular disease. Those with higher Mediterranean diet scores were less likely to die of any cause or of cancer or heart disease.

In another study, Michael F. Leitzmann, M.D., Dr.P.H., also of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues analyzed the results of two questionnaires on physical activity from 252,925 of the participants (142,828 men and 110,097 women). Of those, 7,900 died during follow-up. Compared with being inactive, individuals who performed the amount of moderate physical activity recommended in national guidelines (at least 30 minutes most days of the week) were 27 percent less likely to die and those who achieved the goal for vigorous physical activity (at least 20 minutes three times per week) were 32 percent less likely to die. Smaller amounts of physical activity also appeared to be associated with a 19 percent reduced risk of death.


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Adapted from materials provided by JAMA and Archives Journals, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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 MLA JAMA and Archives Journals (2007, December 11). Mediterranean Diet And Physical Activity Each Associated With Lower Death Rate Over 5 Years. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/12/071210163349.htm

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                 Mediterranean Diet And Healthy Lifestyle Associated With Significant Reduction In Death Rate






ScienceDaily
(Sep. 23, 2004)

— Individuals 70 to 90 years old who adhered to a Mediterranean-type diet and several healthy lifestyle habits had a more than 50 percent lower death rate than those who did not, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Because of the cumulative effect of adverse factors throughout life, it is particularly important for older persons to adopt diet and lifestyle practices that minimize their risk of death from illness and maximize their prospects for healthful aging, according to background information in the article. Dietary patterns and lifestyle factors are associated with death from all causes, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, but few studies have investigated these factors in combination.

Kim Knoops, M.Sc., of Wageningen University, the Netherlands and colleagues investigated the single and combined effect of a Mediterranean diet (rich in plant foods and fish, low in meat and dairy products, and with a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids), being physically active (approximately 30 minutes of activity per day or more), moderate alcohol use, and nonsmoking on all-cause and cause-specific death in European elderly individuals. The study, HALE (Healthy Ageing: a Longitudinal study in Europe), was conducted between 1988 and 2000 and was comprised of individuals enrolled in the Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly: a Concerned Action (SENECA) and the Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Elderly (FINE) studies. It included 1,507 apparently healthy men and 832 women, aged 70 to 90 years in 11 European countries.

The researchers found that adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 23 percent lower risk of all-cause death; moderate alcohol use, a 22 percent lower risk; physical activity, a 37 percent lower risk; and nonsmoking, a 35 percent lower risk. Similar results were observed for death from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Having all four low risk factors lowered the all-cause death rate by 65 percent. In total, 60 percent of all deaths, 64 percent of deaths from coronary heart disease, 61 percent from cardiovascular diseases, and 60 percent from cancer were associated with lack of adherence to this low-risk pattern.

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(JAMA. 2004; 292:1433-1439. Available post-embargo at http://www.jama.com)

Editor's note: This study, based on the HALE project, was supported by a grant from the European Union (to co-author Mr. Kromhout).


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Adapted from materials provided by Journal Of The American Medical Association.
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 MLA Journal Of The American Medical Association (2004, September 23). Mediterranean Diet And Healthy Lifestyle Associated With Significant Reduction In Death Rate. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from



http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2004/09/040922071339.htm 

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                                               Garlic May Ward Off Heart Woes





By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
Tue Oct 16, 11:45 PM ET
 


TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Garlic lovers, take heart: The pungent root may promote healthier responses in blood vessels.

 
 
So say researchers who found that compounds in garlic cause tissues or blood vessels to release a chemical called hydrogen sulfide. In large quantities, this compound can be deadly, but it's also an essential molecule within the body, causing blood vessels to relax and reducing dangerous inflammation.


But how you take your garlic matters, the research showed. "If you prepare it in certain ways, you can lose the compounds that cause it to release hydrogen sulfide, so that helps explain why there has been such great variability in studies," noted senior researcher David Kraus, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.


His team published its findings in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


In the array of garlic health studies, more than half have shown some positive effect, but that effect has tended to be small, and some trials have even shown negative health effects, Kraus noted. Some of his team's experiments used juice extracted from supermarket garlic. Human red blood cells exposed to tiny amounts of the juice began emitting hydrogen sulfide. Most hydrogen sulfide production took place at the membrane of the red blood cells, although a fraction was made within the cells.


When working with garlic, Kraus first crushes the clove. He then waits for the reaction that produces the compounds that trigger hydrogen sulfide release. "We usually let the garlic crush for 15 minutes," he said.


Other studies of garlic's health effects have failed, Kraus said, because they look for activity that is impossible -- a reduction in blood cholesterol levels, for example. One such trial was done by Christopher D. Gardner, a nutrition scientist and assistant professor at Stanford University's Prevention Research Center in California.


"We used real raw garlic and two commercial supplements in doses higher than people are advised to take," Gardner noted. "We assumed that at least one of the three would work. These were people whose LDL ['bad'] cholesterol was elevated. We worked with 192 people for six months, and they [LDL cholesterol levels] didn't budge, not even a bit, month after month."


According to Gardner, Kraus' work now offers a reason for that failure, because hydrogen sulfide has no effect on cholesterol.


Another expert urged caution in interpreting the Birmingham team's results.


Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the State University of New York, Albany, has also done extensive work on garlic. He called the paper "provocative" but expressed some concerns.


For example, he said, "the benefits of garlic on cardiovascular disease remain controversial, because they have not been established by the gold standard method of placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical studies," he said.


It's also uncertain that garlic's purported beneficial effects are due to the mechanism described in the new report, Block added. Clinical trials are needed to help prove that point, he said.


According to Block, Kraus' team, "should be more conservative in over-extending some of their conclusions in the absence of additional work." However, "their work does represent a significant advance in the science of this amazing, ancient, ever-popular herb," he said.


Kraus stressed that his study only looked at the effect of fresh garlic, not garlic supplements. "What we are proposing is that you eat a garlic-rich diet," he said. "We haven't really tried to look at supplements yet."


"Garlic-rich" has different meanings, depending on the part of the world being studied, Kraus added. "In the Middle East, that would be 5 to 10 cloves of garlic a day," he said. "If you go to the Far East, it would be even higher." 

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                                        Coffee Beans May Be Newest Stress-Buster





By Ed Edelson,
Health Day Reporter -
Fri Jun 13, 2008

95% of users found this article helpful.- FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Just sniffing that first hot cup of coffee in the morning may help ease some stresses you might be feeling, a South Korean trial indicates.


When rats inhaled the aroma of roasted coffee beans, a number of genes were activated, including some that produce proteins with healthful antioxidant activity, the researchers reported.


"The meaning of it is not totally clear yet," said Dr. Peter R. Martin, director of the Institute of Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University. "What it does show is that coffee smells do change the brain to some degree, and it behooves us to understand why that is happening."


The findings, from a team led by Han-Seok Seo at Seoul National University in South Korea, were expected to be published in the June 25 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.


The experiment was done with laboratory rats, some of whom were stressed by being deprived of sleep. The researchers did detailed genetic studies that showed the activity of 11 genes was increased and the activity of two genes was decreased in the rats that smelled the coffee, compared to those who did not. In effect, the aroma of the coffee beans helped ease the stress of the sleep-deprived rodents.


The experiment provides "for the first time, clues to the potential antioxidant or stress-relaxation activities of the coffee bean aroma," the researchers wrote.


And they added, "These results indirectly explain why so many people use coffee for staying up all night, although the volatile compounds of coffee beans are not fully consistent with those of the coffee extracts. In other words, the stress caused by sleep loss via caffeine may be alleviated through smelling the coffee aroma."


"They used the latest in technology to see how brain expression of RNA changed," Martin said. RNA is the molecule that carries out the instructions encoded in genes. "This is just the beginning of a very interesting line of investigation," he added.


The aromatic compounds responsible for coffee's odor may be antioxidants, "but they are not the same as the major antioxidants that are in the drink," said Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.


Chemically, the antioxidants in liquid coffee are polyphenols, Vinson said. Those in the aroma are heterocycle compounds containing sulfur or nitrogen atoms.


"There are two ways to get things into your system, and the quickest way is to smell them," Vinson said. "Caffeine gets into the brain via the blood stream. Here, aromatic molecules get into the brain through the olfactory system. The levels in the air are parts per million, so obviously these are minor components in the air. But they are doing something."


Previous studies have shown that coffee consumption can reduce depression and suicide risk, as well as relieve stress, effects generally attributed to the caffeine in coffee, the researchers noted. But while some 900 compounds that float away from the bean have been identified, this is the first study to assay their possible effects, they added.


It's too early to recommend that people feeling stress sniff coffee to ease their way, Martin said. But, he added, "people who don't even drink coffee are fascinated by the odor of it. Ever since my little boy was two years old, he has loved the odor of coffee. I have always thought that coffee has some mystic quality, and there is some deep historical basis for it."


More information


The latest on coffee health research is available from the Coffee Science Information Centre.

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You know it's good for you in other ways, but could eating your broccoli also help patients
with chronic lung disease?

It just might.

(Credit: iStockphoto)

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                                                 COPD? Eat Your Veggies






ScienceDaily
(Sep. 18, 2008) —

You know it's good for you in other ways, but could eating your
broccoli also help patients with chronic lung disease?

It just might.



According to recent research from Johns Hopkins Medical School, a decrease in lung concentrations of NRF2-dependent antioxidants, key components of the lung's defense system against inflammatory injury, is linked to
the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in smokers. Broccoli is known to contain a com-
pound that prevents the degradation of NFRP.

COPD is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and affects more than 16 million Americans.

In this study, researchers examined tissue samples from the lungs of smokers with and without COPD to determine
if there were differences in measured levels of NRF2 expression and the level of its biochemical regulators, including KEAP1, which inhibits NRF2, and DJ-1, which stabilizes it. Dr. Biswal had previously shown that disruption in NRF2 expression in mice exposed to cigarette smoke caused early onset of severe emphysema.

When compared to non-COPD lungs, the lungs of patients with COPD showed markedly decreased levels of NRF2-dependent antioxidants, increased oxidative stress markers, a significant decrease in NRF2 protein with no change
in NRF2 mRNA levels (indicating that it was expressed, but subsequently degraded), and similar KEAP1 levels, but a marked decrease in the level of DJ-1.

"NRF2-dependent antioxidants and DJ-1 expression was negatively associated with severity of COPD," wrote principle investigator, Shyam Biswal, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Therapy directed toward enhancing NRF2-regulated antioxidants may be a novel strategy for
attenuating the effects of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of COPD."

While clinical trials to date of antioxidants have been disappointing in improving the clinical course of patients
with COPD, this study points to a possibility of benefit from restoring NRF2 levels in damaged lungs by reducing
the action of KEAP1, which is an inhibitor of NRF2. "ncreasing NRF2 may also restore important detoxifying enzymes to counteract other effects of tobacco smoke," wrote Peter Barnes, D.M., of the National Heart and
Lung Institute in London, in the accompanying editorial. "This has been achieved in vitro and in vivo by isothio-
cynate compounds, such as sulforaphane, which occurs naturally in broccoli and [wasabi]."

Sulforapane has been shown to be able to restore antioxidant gene expression in human epithelial tissue in which
DJ-1 has been reduced. Isothicyanate compounds such as that found in broccoli inhibit KEAP1, and thus prevent
it from degrading NRF2, according to Dr. Barnes.

"Future studies should target NRF2 as a novel strategy to increase antioxidant protection in the lungs and test its ability to decrease exacerbations and improve lung function in patients with COPD," concluded Dr. Biswal.

John Heffner, MD, past president of the ATS, commented that "mounting evidence over several decades under-
scores the importance of oxidant-mediated damage for the development of COPD in addition to other lung dis-
eases. This study adds greater precision to our understanding of the specific antioxidants that may protect the
lung against emphysema to allow clinical trials based on valid pathophysiologic principles."

The findings were published in the second issue for September of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.


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                                      Fishy diet may protect against clogged arteries






JULY 28, 2008
 
Mexico City (Reuters) - A diet rich in oily fish, which contains omega 3 fatty acids, may be why middle-aged men in Japan have fewer problems with clogged arteries than white men and men of Japanese descent in the United States, a study has found.
 
The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that Japanese men living in Japan had twice the blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of atherosclerosis compared to middle-aged white men or Japanese-American men living in the United States,

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque inside the arteries. Over time, they harden and narrow the arteries and can lead to serious problems like heart attacks and stroke.

"The death rate from coronary heart disease in Japan has always been puzzlingly low," said Akira Sekikawa, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, in a statement.

"Our study suggests that the very low rates of coronary heart disease among Japanese living in Japan may be due to their lifelong high consumption of fish."

Japanese eat about 3 ounces (85 grams) of fish a day on average, while Americans eat fish perhaps twice a week. Nutritional studies show that intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish averages 1.3 grams per day in Japan, compared to 0.2 grams per day in the United States.

Earlier studies by Sekikawa's team showed that Japanese men had significantly less cholesterol build-up in their arteries despite similar blood cholesterol and blood pressure readings, similar rates of diabetes and much higher rates of smoking.

But it was unclear whether Japanese men were protected by strong genes, a high-fish diet or some other factor.

In this study, Sekikawa's team recruited 868 randomly selected men aged 40 to 49. Of these, 281 were Japanese from Kusatsu in Japan, 306 were white men from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and 281 were third or fourth generation Japanese-Americans from Honolulu, Hawaii.

"Our study clearly demonstrated that whites and Japanese-Americans have similar levels of atherosclerosis, which are much higher than in the Japanese in Japan," Sekikawa said.

"This indicates that much lower death rates from coronary heart disease in the Japanese in Japan is very unlikely due to genetic factors."




(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; editing by Robert Hart)