Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Green tea may help lower starchy food blood sugar spikes
Monday, April 28, 2014
Mice fed an antioxidant found in green tea -- epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG -- and corn starch had a significant reduction in increase in their blood sugar -- blood glucose -- levels compared to mice that were not fed the compound, according to Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences.
"The spike in blood glucose level is about 50 percent lower than the increase in the blood glucose level of mice that were not fed EGCG," Lambert said.
The dose of EGCG fed to the mice was equivalent to about one and a half cups of green tea for a human.
Lambert, who worked with Sarah C. Forester, postdoctoral fellow, and Yeyi Gu, graduate student, both in food science, said EGCG was most effective when the compound was fed to the mice simultaneously with corn starch. For humans, this may mean that green tea could help them control the typical blood sugar increases that are brought on when they eat starchy foods, like breads and bagels that are often a part of typical breakfasts.
"If what you are eating with your tea has starch in it then you might see that beneficial effect," Lambert said. "So, for example, if you have green tea with your bagel for breakfast, it may reduce the spike in blood glucose levels that you would normally get from that food."
The EGCG had no significant effect on blood sugar spikes in mice that were fed glucose or maltose, according to the researchers who released their findings in the online version of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. Lambert said that the reason blood sugar spikes are reduced when the mice ate starch, but not these sugars, may be related to the way the body converts starch into sugar.
An enzyme called alpha-amylase that is produced in both the mouth and by the pancreas helps break down starch into maltose and glucose. EGCG may inhibit the enzymes ability to break down the starch, the researchers indicated, since they also found that EGCG reduced the activity of alpha amylase in the pancreas by 34 percent.
If the mechanism holds in humans, this may mean that people who want to limit the blood sugar spike should skip adding sugar to their cup of green tea.
"That may mean that if you add sugar into your green tea, that might negate the effect that the green tea will have on limiting the rise in blood glucose level," Lambert said.
Lambert added that the green tea and the starch would need to be consumed simultaneously. For example, drinking a cup of tea well after eating a piece of toast would probably not change the blood sugar spike.
For the study, researchers separated mice into several groups based on body weight. After a fasting period, the mice were given common corn starch, maltose, or sucrose. One group of mice received EGCG along with the feed, while a control group was not fed the compound.
The researchers then tested the blood sugar levels of both groups.
Lambert said the researchers next step is to test the compound on people.
"The relatively low effective dose of EGCG makes a compelling case for studies in human subjects," the researchers said.
Green Vegetables Stimulate the Innate Immune Response to Guard against Disease
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
We all know that our immune system is the first line of defense against a wide array of potentially deadly pathogens, bacteria and viruses. Yet many people take this crucial defense barrier for granted and do little to ensure that they are adequately protected against a multitude of microscopic invaders.
Researchers publishing the result of a research body performed at the University of Cambridge in the journalCell demonstrate that compounds found in green vegetables, from bok choy to broccoli are the source of a chemical signal that is important to activate a fully functioning immune system. Help protect yourself and your family from maladies ranging from the common cold, influenza to autoimmune diseases and certain cancers by including healthy portions of green vegetables in your daily diet.
Include Ten or More Fresh Vegetable Servings Daily to Boost Immune Health
Prior research indicated the breakdown of cruciferous vegetables can yield a compound that can be converted into a molecule that triggers the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) on cell wall surfaces. Further reports found AhR’s can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in vegetables including broccoli, kale, spinach and many varieties of leafy greens. This action ensures that immune cells in the gut and the skin known as intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) function properly.
Researchers fed otherwise healthy mice a vegetable-poor diet for several weeks were amazed to find that 70 to 80 percent of these protective IEL cells disappeared during this short period. Dr. Marc Veldhoen, lead study author notedthat, “protective IELs exist as a network beneath the barrier of epithelial cells covering inner and outer body surfaces, where they are important as a first line of defense and in wound repair.”It was determined the number of IEL cells can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in cruciferous vegetables.
A Diet High in Sugar and Processed Carbohydrates Lowers System Immune Response
Poor dietary intake consisting mostly of hydrogenated and oxidized fats, sugar and processed foods directly alters the surface receptors of cells lining the digestive tract, responsible for more than 80 percent of our immune response. Researchers commented“individuals fed a synthetic diet lacking this key compound experience a significant reduction in AhR activity and lose IELs. With reduced numbers of these key immune cells, individuals showed lower levels of antimicrobial proteins, heightened immune activation and greater susceptibility to injury.”
Dr. Veldhoen concluded"its already a good idea to eat your greens… the results offer a molecular basis for the importance of cruciferous vegetable-derived phyto-nutrients as part of a healthy diet.”The current recommendation to eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and fruit each day is anemic and insufficient in the light of this important study. Health-minded people will want to include fresh, raw greens at the core of their diet and include 10 or more generous servings each day to boost immune health.
Add Green Tea to Your Anti Aging and Weight Loss Nutrient Arsenal
Friday, April 18, 2014
(Article first published as Add Green Tea to Your Anti-Aging and Weight Loss Nutrient Arsenal on Technorati.)
Would you drink a beverage that has repeatedly been shown to fight cancer initiation and proliferation, prevent damaging genetic mutations and negate the effects of free radicals that cause the outward signs of aging? Green tea and members of the tea family including black and white teas have passed the test of time dating back countless generations and have demonstrated essential health advantages in extensive research studies over the past decade. You can take advantage of the numerous anti-aging benefits from drinking 2 to 4 cups of fresh brewed tea each day.
Most health experts agree that free radicals are the root cause of aging. Free radicals are created through the normal processes of breathing, eating and physical activity. The negatively charged particles rip through the cell nucleus where they can knock out critical components to the DNA sequence. Mutations follow and the risk of many types of cancer is dramatically heightened. Anything that can neutralize these particles before they have a chance to damage our genetic material will slow the aging process and protect us from disease.
Green tea has been shown to provide needed protection against free radicals. The results of a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that subjects that consumed just 2 cups of green tea daily for a month were able to lower their level of DNA damage by 20%. The natural polyphenol in green tea known as ECGC has been shown to be particularly effective in lowering risk in a host of cancer cell lines including prostate, colon, esophagus, bladder and pancreas.
readmore
Green Tea Shields Against Free Radicals
Two Cups of Green Tea Daily Protects Against DNA Damage
ECGC Shown to Halt Cancer Growth
The results of a study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research demonstrated that men with prostate cancer were able to lower predictive markers of cancer progression by as much as 30%. Participants supplemented with 1.3 grams of green tea extract each day which is the equivalent of 12 cups of fresh brewed tea. ECGC has been shown to protect cells from DNA damage and can also inhibit new blood vessel formation that cancer cells need to proliferate.
Green Tea Assists in Weight Management
One of the serious effects of obesity is a dramatic rise in systemic inflammation that leads to the onset of many potentially fatal diseases. The body activates our white T-cells in an attempt to calm the flames of inflammation. Researchers reporting in the British Journal of Nutrition have discovered that T-cells are fewer and less efficient in overweight and obese individuals. When obese subjects were supplemented with ECGC, their T-cell numbers multiplied and were activated to fight inflammation. This boosted immune response against pathogens and assisted natural weight loss efforts.
Many people take aging in stride with the misinformed belief that it is normal and inevitable. Forward thinking alternative health advocates understand that aging is a disease that can be prevented and treated with a healthy diet and targeted natural supplementation. Green tea provides a host of essential polyphenol nutrients that have been used for generations to protect us from disease and the ravages of aging.
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