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Examine | Case Reports: Documenting an Anomaly08.16.10
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The Numbers Game08.16.10
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Case Study: Under the Knife08.16.10
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Case Study: Automated Success08.16.10
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Evolving Care08.16.10
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Focus On: Interventional Radiology | Seeing the LightFocus On: Interventional Radiology
08.16.10
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First Read: Conflict of InterestFirst Read
08.16.10
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In the News08.16.10
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Technology Spotlight: Gaining GroundTechnology Spotlight
08.16.10
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Product Preview08.16.10
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Raspberries Are Berry Good Antioxidants
Antioxidants are believed to have substantial health benefits, and raspberries in particular are a good source. In fact, raspberries may have 10 times more antioxidants than tomatoes or broccoli. Further, raspberries contain some specific antioxidants that are found almost nowhere else.
In a study published in a recent issue of BioFactors, researchers from Plant Research International, Wageningen, the Netherlands, discuss specific compounds found in the berry, some appropriate methods for assaying the antioxidant concentration and the biochemistry of antioxidant uptake in humans.
"Raspberries contain vitamin C and anthocanines," says Jules Beekwilder, PhD, "but these can also be found in other products. However, approximately 50 percent of the antioxidant effect of raspberries is caused by ellagitannins. These you find in small doses in strawberries and practically nowhere else."
The authors describe a special testing method for analyzing the antioxidant activity of raspberries. They point out that any beneficial effects will likely come from rapid chemical reactions between the antioxidant and the target molecule in the body. In a standard testing procedure, these rapid reactions may be missed, leading to confusing or conflicting results. By measuring these reactions in a 30-second window, a clearer picture of antioxidant capacity can be developed.
Because raspberries spoil rapidly, the study discusses the effect of storage and processing on the antioxidant content of the fruit. While flash freezing in liquid nitrogen and storage at -20 degrees Celsius destroys much of the vitamin C, the antioxidant capacity remains. Processing the berry into jams may alter some of the antioxidants, however most of the valuable compounds remain.
There is also some evidence that certain raspberry cultivars or varieties are higher in antioxidant capacity than others. The authors suggest that selective plant breeding could result in "extra healthy" raspberries, but that consumers tend to favor a better tasting and cheaper berry.
According to Beekwilder and his colleagues, "It is clear that raspberry, like several other fruits and vegetables such as tomato, strawberry, kiwi and broccoli, represents a valuable contrasting source of potentially healthy compounds and can represent an important component of a balanced diet."
— IOS Press
The Virtues of Vinegar
For more than 10,000 years, vinegar has claimed its place in homes all over the world, and its uses have proven to be countless. Take a look at just a few of the simple cleaning projects that can be easily tackled with white distilled vinegar:
- Wipe with full-strength vinegar to cut grease
- Dilute with water to remove grease and grime on mini-blinds
- Mix with water and spray on kitchen counters to keep ants away
- Use full-strength to clean chrome fixtures
- Brew full-strength to clean your coffee maker
- Dilute with water and use with a cloth to clean starch buildup off of your iron
- Spray full-strength to get rid of unwanted grass
- Boil in a pan with water to freshen air and remove odors
- Dilute with water and sprinkle on pet-stained carpet
- Mix with salt and baking soda to unclog drains
- Dilute with water and spray on mirrors for a streak-free reflection
- Mix with olive oil to remove glass water rings on wood furniture
— Vinegar Institute
Grape Expectations
Grape seed extract lowered the blood pressure of patients who participated in a University of California (UC)-Davis study of the benefits of the supplement on people with high blood pressure.
Conducted by UC Davis cardiovascular researchers, the study was the first human clinical trial to assess the effect of grape seed extract on people with metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease, including high blood pressure, excess abdominal body weight, high blood cholesterol fats and high blood sugar.
The one-month study involved 24 male and female patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. The patients were divided into three groups of eight. The first group received a placebo, while the second and third groups received 150 mg and 300 mg, respectively, of a new grape seed extract. All participants' blood pressure was automatically measured and recorded for 12 hours after ingestion.
"Participants in the two groups receiving grape seed extract experienced an equal degree of reduced blood pressure. The average drop in systolic pressure was 12 mm. The average drop in diastolic pressure was 8 mm," says the study's lead researcher, C. Tissa Kappagoda, MD, PhD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the preventive cardiology program at UC Davis.
Kappagoda adds that the group taking 300 mg of grape seed extract also had reduced serum oxidized LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
"Generally, the higher their initial oxidized LDL level was, the greater the drop by the end of the study," he says. The extract has received the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) certification from the U.S. FDA and has no known side effects.
The UC Davis research team has recently embarked on a second placebo-controlled human clinical study of grape seed extract, looking at its benefits for pre-hypertension patients with systolic pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 89 mmHg. Three previous studies in animal models by this team have indicated that grape seed extract may also prevent atherosclerosis.
— UC-Davis Health System
Taking the Bite out of Bug Bites
Itchy, red swollen bumps on the skin are an all-too-familiar summer sign that bugs – and bug bites – are flourishing.
That annoying itch may be a good sign, however.
"Itchy is normal; tender is not," when it comes to bug bites, says Robin Carder, MD, assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Tenderness, she cautions, may be a sign the bug bite is becoming infected and deserves more medical attention.
"The main thing to watch for would be whether the bite is secondarily infected. It is normal for a bug bite to be a little red or swollen, and it may even blister," Carder says. "But the lesion should be more itchy than sore. If it becomes tender, that may be a sign of infection."
The Southwest's bug-bite season generally runs from March to October, although summer is definitely the worst span.
Mosquitoes and chiggers are the most common causes of insect bites in the region, and the bites are relatively easy to treat with over-the-counter remedies.
"Antihistamines like Benadryl™ (either the oral or the topical form) can be very effective in relieving the itch and decreasing the swelling, or hive-like response," Carder says. Topical steroids, such as hydrocortisone, also work well. Both can be found in touch sticks that can make it easier to target the affected area.
— UT Southwestern Medical Center
What Is Trans Fat?
It's easy to be confused with all the conflicting information about fat these days. Just when we get used to avoiding saturated fats and looking for polyunsaturated fats, officials are changing the food labels to include "trans" fats. But what exactly is a trans fat and why are trans fats bad? To understand this issue, it's nice to understand a little of the chemistry involved.
Fats are composed mostly of carbon and hydrogen with a little bit of oxygen, too. A long chain of carbon atoms with oxygen at the end in a particular arrangement is a fatty acid. There is a different name for each fatty acid based first on how many carbons are in the chain and how they are joined together. Fats have three fatty acids attached to a molecule called glycerol, which is why it's called a triglyceride.
Each carbon atom can have one or two hydrogen atoms attached. If the fat has all the hydrogen it can hold, it is called "saturated;" if not, it is "unsaturated." Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature and we usually call them "oils." As fats become more saturated, they tend to be more solid at room temperature.
Animal fats, such as butter, are high in saturated fat. Vegetable oils in their natural state are typically unsaturated and are liquid. In an unsaturated fat, two adjacent carbons with only one hydrogen atom a piece can have the hydrogen on the same side, called a "cis" configuration or on opposite sides, called a "trans" configuration.
So, trans fats are unsaturated. For years we have been told that unsaturated fats are better for us, so why the change?
Most naturally occurring unsaturated fats are in the cis configuration. About a century ago, the process of hydrogenation of fats was developed and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil was first marketed as Crisco.
Hydrogenated oils are more saturated with hydrogen, making them more solid and less subject to deterioration. Foods made with hydrogenated oils retain freshness longer, giving them much longer shelf lives – a benefit for manufacturers who worry about the quality and taste of a product. Unfortunately, artificially hydrogenated fats are trans fats.
Recent studies have found that trans unsaturated fats raise levels of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol and lower levels of HDL or the "good" cholesterol.
Food labels have listed "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils" for years. Since it is listed as an unsaturated fat, it is difficult to determine how much is present. In order to help consumers identify what types of fats are present in foods, the U.S. FDA now requires manufacturers to list the amount of trans fat separately, although if the food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, it can be labled "trans fat free."
— Penn State News
Sack Your Snacking Habit
Do you find yourself snacking throughout the day? "For many of us, snacking is a habit that often has little to do with hunger," says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) clinical psychologist Joshua Klapow, PhD.
To curb the snacking habit, Klapow suggests the following: "Keep a food diary for one week to record what you eat, and when you eat it. Also write down what you were doing at the time you ate and whether or not you were actually hungry. This will help you identify a pattern. For example, some people tend to snack while watching television. Once you know your snacking patterns, substitute other activities that make it hard to eat such as exercising while watching television or playing with your children."
— UAB
