Antioxidant News and Research

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Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules made by the process of oxidation during normal metabolism). Free radicals may play a part in cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other diseases of aging. Antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins A, C, and E, and other natural and manufactured substances.

Drink tea instead of soft drinks to avoid tooth erosion

Today, the average size soft drink is 20 ounces and contains 17 teaspoons of sugar.

25 Nov 2008

Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function may lead to antioxidant therapy to prevent cardiovascular disease

Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving. EPCs are now being studied as biomarkers to assess the risk of future cardiovascular disease and as potential agents for vascular regeneration.

25 Nov 2008

Helping diabetics through the holiday season

November ushers in American Diabetes Month - not only a time to be thankful for bustling basic and clinical research underway on the disease, but also the unofficial start of the holiday season.

20 Nov 2008

Hydrogen sulfide could be used to treat humans with heart failure

At low concentrations, the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide protects the hearts of mice from heart failure, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

12 Nov 2008

Vitamins C and E do not prevent cardiovascular disease in men

Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplements reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events in a large, long-term study of male physicians, according to a study in the November 12 issue of JAMA.

10 Nov 2008

Fat tissue found to produce melanin

A two-year study conducted by researchers at George Mason University, INOVA Fairfax Hospital and the National Cancer Institute may open the door to new therapies for combating chronic diseases associated with obesity, a condition that affected more than 33 percent of American adults in 2005-06 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7 Nov 2008

Pine bark extract reduces jetlag

A new study published in the journal of Minerva Cardioangiologica reveals Pycnogenol, pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, reduces jetlag in passengers by nearly 50 percent.

6 Nov 2008

Folate, vitamin B6 and B12 do not appear to affect cancer risk

A daily supplementation combination that included folic acid and vitamin B6 and B12 had no significant effect on the overall risk of cancer, including breast cancer, among women at high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study in the November 5 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 Nov 2008

Antioxidants reduce the toxic effects of lead

A research study carried out by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) proves that administering natural antioxidants can reduce the effects of lead poisoning in animals during the gestation and lactation periods. The study suggests that it could also be effective in humans.

31 Oct 2008

Earlier jaundice treatment decreases brain injury in preterm infants

A study from a National Institutes of Health research network found that an early treatment to prevent severe newborn jaundice in extremely early preterm infants reduced the infants' rate of brain injury, a serious complication of severe jaundice.

30 Oct 2008

Melanin shows potential as new drug target for obesity

As millions of Americans gear up for the Thanksgiving holiday, a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, may provide some relief for those leery of having a second helping.

29 Oct 2008

Grapes may aid a bunch of heart risk factors

Could eating grapes help fight high blood pressure related to a salty diet? And could grapes calm other factors that are also related to heart diseases such as heart failure? A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests so.

29 Oct 2008

Review of health benefits of grape polyphenols

A growing body of research data suggests that consuming foods rich in polyphenols from grapes - including red wine - helps reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review article in the November issue of Nutrition Research.

28 Oct 2008

Purple tomatoes the latest in the arsenal against cancer

British scientists have developed purple tomatoes which they believe may possibly help fight cancer.

27 Oct 2008

Genetically modified tomatoes rich in anthocyanins

Researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Great Britain, in collaboration with other European centres participating to the FLORA project, have obtained genetically modified tomatoes rich in anthocyanins, a category of antioxidants belonging to the class of flavonoids. These tomatoes, added to the diet of cancer-prone mice, showed a significant protective effect by extending the mice lifespan. The research has been published in the 26 October issue of Nature Biotechnology.

26 Oct 2008

Sunshine could help fix male infertility

Australian fertility experts say a dose of daily sunshine could help men with fertility problems and they suggest couples struggling to conceive should consider getting out in the sunshine more often.

22 Oct 2008

People lacking essential antioxidants and sunlight more likely to develop advanced macular degeneration

People who lack essential antioxidants, and who have high levels of sunlight exposure, have a higher risk of developing advanced macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study published today in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology. AMD is the leading cause of poor vision in the UK.

20 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to Reata's pancreatic cancer drug

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that RTA 402 has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. RTA 402 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with pancreatic cancer, and is also in Phase 2 development for chronic kidney disease.

16 Oct 2008

Combo of sunlight and low antioxidant levels leave seniors at risk of eye disease

European research has revealed that blue light exposure from the sun combined with low plasma levels of antioxidants may contribute to certain forms of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

14 Oct 2008