News

Exercise
Hesperidin and curcumin boosted performance and recovery Hesperidin increased antioxidant capacity The antioxidant hesperidin comes from oranges. In this study, 40 amateur cyclists, aged 18 to 55, with healthy weight, took a placebo or 500 mg of hesperidin per day over a period of eight weeks, during which they completed five cycling tests of sustainable and maximum power. Before each of the five tests, participants ate the same breakfast of measured carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. While there was no improvement for placebo, those taking hesperidin saw an increase of 3.2... Read more...
Turmeric vs. Curcumin: What's the Difference?
Most of us didn’t grow up knowing about curcumin. Perhaps you saw someone cooking with turmeric, but just saw it as a nice spice. Today, even though these words show up all over social media, few people can explain what they are, and why they matter when it comes to your health. Unfortunately, not diving into this subject can leave you disappointed and feeling as if you don’t get what all the fuss is about. It’s time to get rid of any curcumin and turmeric confusion and understand how this... Read more...
A NUTRITIONAL APPROACH TO TREATING ACNE
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve got something big coming up—a date with a new special someone, a job interview, or maybe an important presentation. The morning of the event, you look in the mirror and cringe. You’ve got a breakout. Whether acne is an everyday occurrence or an occasional problem, it can impact your life—it’s distressing and annoying. Plus, acne can be painful and lead to scarring. If you’re looking for relief, you can be overwhelmed with the choices that line the drugstore shelves: foaming face washes, pads... Read more...
Good Digestion
Everyday nutrients promote gastrointestinal health Vitamin D protects against cancer People eating the refined diet typical of developed countries may have greater chances for colorectal cancer, with low levels of vitamin D raising chances further. As this study revealed, Black populations in the U.S. are more likely than any other domestic racial or ethnic group to have these issues, and are also more likely to be low in vitamin D. In this study, doctors gave food questionnaires every two years to 49,534 Black women between 1995 and 2017, predicting vitamin... Read more...
Nutrients reduced inflammatory factors and pain in type 2 diabetes
Vitamins D, E, and resveratrol Vitamins D, delta-tocotrienol E, and resveratrol have cholesterol-reducing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, which doctors tested, separately and together, on metabolic markers in type 2 diabetes. In the first phase of the study, 120 participants took a placebo, or individually 10,000 IU of vitamin D, 500 mg of delta-tocotrienol, or 500 mg of resveratrol, half after breakfast, and half after dinner. In the second phase, 56 participants took a placebo or all three nutrients together, also twice per day. All nutrients, separately or together, lowered fasting... Read more...
Early-Stage Discoveries: Amino Acids, Probiotics, Krill Oil
Good results in the lab can lead to larger human trials. Here are some of the most promising recent findings. Amino acids linked to brain health Low-protein diets have a link to poor brain function. In the lab, mice on a low-protein diet had accelerated brain impairment, effects that reversed after supplementing with seven amino acids: leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, isoleucine, histidine, valine, and tryptophan. To find out how, doctors measured gene-level changes that revealed lower levels of kynurenine, an inflammatory factor that amino acids kept from entering the brain, preventing... Read more...
Calm
L-theanine relaxed healthy adults Stress-hormone cortisol levels decreased Humans use the stress response to survive threats, and to help achieve challenging goals, but chronic stress can have negative health effects. In this study, 15 healthy adults reporting moderate levels of stress took a placebo or a single 200 mg dose of L-theanine, pausing for a week, then switching supplement and placebo groups. To induce stress, doctors gave a mental math test before, and 45 minutes after, the supplement. Blood pressure and heart rate increased during the math test, with participants... Read more...
Green Tea for Flu
Researchers reviewed eight green tea extract studies, covering 5,048 participants, and found on average overall, those who regularly consumed green tea extracts were 33 percent less likely to contract the flu compared to placebo. Green tea contains catechins and its constituent, epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG), the active ingredients. A 3.5-ounce brewed cup of green tea typically contains 100 to 150 mg of catechins, and about 80 mg of EGCG. Doctors say gargling with 100 to 280 mg of catechins per day may prevent flu. The European Food Safety Authority says to maintain... Read more...
Women
Nutrients improve pregnancy and perimenopause Pre- and probiotics reduced nausea in pregnancy Elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone in pregnancy alter the microbiome, and may cause nausea, vomiting, and other gut symptoms in 85 percent of expectant mothers. In this study, 32 pregnant women took 200 mg of inulin plus a combination of 10 probiotics in 10 billion colony-forming-units per day, for six days, then stopping for two days. The women answered questionnaires each 24 hours during treatment, reporting significant improvements in daily nausea, vomiting, constipation, and overall quality of... Read more...
Mother & Child
Nutrients, before and during pregnancy, promote healthy births Folic acid, multivitamins, healthy hearts Women who took either folic acid or multivitamins, during or before conception, were more likely to give birth to children with healthy hearts compared to women not taking these supplements. In this study, doctors measured folic acid and multivitamin-mineral supplements in 63,939 mothers with a single birth between 2013 and 2018. Overall, babies whose mothers took folic acid separately, or as part of a multivitamin-mineral supplement, were less likely to have congenital heart defects (CHD), especially critical... Read more...
Exercise
Resveratrol sped recovery after intense exercise Less muscle damage, inflammation, and soreness Physical training coaches use jumping exercises at maximum muscle force to increase power. But untrained athletes may fail to adapt, become overloaded, and sustain muscle damage. In this study, doctors gave 36 untrained men a jumping test designed to cause muscle damage before taking a placebo, 500 mg, or 1,000 mg of resveratrol per day, for seven days before being tested again. After seven days, both resveratrol groups performed as well on the second jumping test as they... Read more...
Mind & Mood
Omega-3 and vitamin D preserved memory in AD, reduced depression Omega-3 preserved memory in AD In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), memory continually deteriorates. In the first phase of this study, 33 people with mild to moderate AD took 2,300 mg of omega-3 fish oil per day, or did not take omega-3 supplements. Doctors tested memory at the start of the study, and again at the end. After three months, memory function remained stable in those with mild AD who had taken omega-3, while declining in those who had not taken the... Read more...