Mercola reviews resveratrol, the grape and red wine polyphenol that extended yeast lifespan in 2003 research by activating the sirtuin1 gene and has since been linked to longer life in worms, flies, fish and mice, and to anti-cancer and cardiovascular effects in other studies.
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Phytochemicals
Plant compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids and polyphenols, and what they do.
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Phytochemicals
Elderberry fruit extract may help fight H1N1 flu
In lab tests, an elderberry fruit extract blocked H1N1 infection at an IC50 of 252 micrograms/mL, with its flavonoids binding directly to virions. Two compounds the researchers synthesised inhibited the virus at concentrations they call comparable to Tamiflu and amantadine.
Phytochemicals
Flavonoids reduce ovarian cancer risk
Harvard's Margaret Gates compared 1,141 women with ovarian cancer to 1,183 without and found those eating more apigenin — in celery, parsley, red wine and tomato sauce — were less likely to develop it. She stresses more research is needed before anything is definitive.
Phytochemicals
Nigella sativa extract may prevent pancreatic cancer
Thymoquinone, the main compound in Nigella sativa oil, almost completely shut down several inflammatory cytokines in pancreatic cancer cells and blocked NF-kappaB, outperforming trichostatin A, Thomas Jefferson researchers reported at the AACR 2009 meeting.
Phytochemicals
Lettuce carotenoids affected by UV light in greenhouse
In an Agricultural Research Service greenhouse study, supplemental UV-A plus UV-B light sharply raised carotenoid and chlorophyll levels in green leaf lettuce while slightly lowering them in red varieties, which instead produced more phenolic compounds.
Phytochemicals
Nutrient supports bone health over time
Among 213 men and 390 women averaging 75 years old in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study, carotenoid intake was associated with some protection against bone mineral density loss over four years, at the hip in men and the lumbar spine in women. Other bone sites showed no significant link.
Phytochemicals
Berry compound reduces aging effect
Aged rats fed the berry and grape compound pterostilbene reversed measurable effects of aging on brain function and behavior, ARS and Tufts scientists report. Improved working memory tracked with pterostilbene levels in the hippocampus.
Phytochemicals
Broccoli compound may help prevent respiratory inflammation
In a Clinical Immunology study, 65 volunteers took broccoli or alfalfa sprout preparations for three days. Those given 100 grams or more of broccoli sprouts showed significantly higher antioxidant enzymes in nasal airway cells, with 200 grams producing the largest increases.
Phytochemicals
Vegetable-based drug could suppress melanoma
Penn State researchers swapped selenium for sulfur in isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables and report in Clinical Cancer Research that the resulting isoselenocyanates inhibited tumor growth in mice by 50 to 60 percent at very low doses, more safely than conventional therapy.
Phytochemicals
Resveratrol may prevent breast cancer
In laboratory tests, resveratrol at 10 umol/L, roughly the amount in a glass of red wine, suppressed the formation of estrogen-DNA adducts, an early step researchers link to breast cancer. Lead author Eleanor Rogan believes this could stop the progression before it starts.
Phytochemicals
New Study: Pycnogenol® Significantly Reduces Menstrual Pain
A multi-center field study in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine reports women with dysmenorrhea who took Pycnogenol, a French maritime pine bark extract, had less pain and needed less pain medication. Lead researcher Nobutaka Suzuki notes NSAIDs often cause gastric problems.
Phytochemicals
Apple pectin helps metabolic syndrome
In Zucker rats, a diet with 10 percent highly methoxylated apple pectin cut cholesterol about as much as beta-glucan did, and produced larger drops in body weight, triglycerides and blood glucose. Whether the same holds in people has not been tested.
Phytochemicals
Green tea extract fights genital and perianal warts
In a trial of 502 adults with anogenital warts, 57.5 percent using 15% sinecatechins ointment and 56.3 percent using the 10% version cleared all warts within 16 weeks, against 33.7 percent on placebo. The authors call the green tea extract effective and well tolerated.
Phytochemicals
Eating lots of flavonoids may reduce risk of lung cancer in smokers
Among 2,590 middle-aged Finnish men followed 16.2 years, those with the highest flavonoid intake were 73 percent less likely to develop lung cancer, and every case occurred in a current or former smoker. No protective link appeared for prostate or colorectal cancer.
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