"health benefits" news and stories

Summer tables are bountiful with blueberries, and studies show they're packing more than just taste.

It's now common knowledge that a glass of red wine can lower the risks of heart disease. Last month, "60 Minutes" covered a story explaining that scientists have identified the substance in wine that protects the heart: resveratrol. Scientists are discovering that resveratrol, in high concentrations, can do a lot more than keep your heart healthy. It can significantly prolong your life.

How much longer can this "fountain of youth" pill extend life? Scientists predict as much as twenty years. Dr. Christoph Westphal states: "Our goal is to prevent and forestall many of the diseases that strike us as we reach 50, 60, and 70. All with one pill." The resveratrol pill works by slowing down genes that control the aging process.

According to our recent Valentine's Day post, you can already purchase resveratol in the form of a necklace. However, if you are now concluding that you can drink enough red wine to get the same benefits, think again. To get the same effects from just one pill, you would have to drink over 1000 glasses of red wine. Nevertheless, this discovery may explain why there is such a low incidence of heart disease in France, despite a high fat diet. So, until the pill becomes available, a glass of red wine with every meal can't hurt.

The February edition of TeaMuse, the newsletter from Adagio Teas has a decent little history of chamomile. Adagio's business is selling tea, so of course they have plenty of good things to say about chamomile, but, nevertheless, I still found some interesting info. For instance, Roman chamomile supposedly got it's name because a 19th century botanist found it growing in the Roman Coliseum. Also, the article cites a study from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showing evidence of chamomile's effectiveness as an anti-inflamatory and ulcer- and cold-fighter. Of course, those folks were drinking five cups of chamomile tea a day.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

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A Spanish biotech company, Puleva Biotech, has isolated and categorized the types of probiotic bacteria in breast milk in an attempt to determine the source and nature of its health benefits to children. The company says that breast milk was previously considered to be sterile, but it has isolated more than 3,000 types of bacteria in their samples. They report that they have determined the health benefits of 4 of these types and the company has come up with a unique way to use them: in yogurt.

The company has developed a yogurt, Puvela Max Defenses, that is enriched with these four strains of probiotic bacteria. Aimed at  children between the ages of four and twelve, the yogurt is intended to provide the some same health benefits to these older children that they received as infants. The four types of bacteria promote a healthy intestine, stimulate the immune system and aid in the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals.