Five powerful health benefits of eating pomegranate!

Years ago pomegranates were considered exotic. Like Mandarin oranges they were precious imports brought over on ships for a once-a-year treat at Christmas. But in recent years, as you might have noticed, the pomegranate has been designated a “superfood” (foods with the highest nutritional values). And it truly is super with its high dietary fibre and folate, vitamin C and vitamin K. Since ancient times, the fabulous fleshy seeds were used for fertility, but it turns out they do so much more.

Five powerful health benefits of eating pomegranate!

Five reasons the pomegranate is a superfood:

1. You can reduce joint pain and inflammation with pomegranates. At the source of any joint pain is always a cascade of enzyme reactions that lead to the body triggering inflammation and ultimately pain. Pomegranates have been shown to halt the enzyme reactions before the inflammation is able to occur and reduce pain as a result.

2. Pomegranates have been used to treat malaria. In ancient Indian culture, this was the only remedy that was available for the treatment of malaria because of its powerful anti-parasitic properties. Remember to stock up on pomegranates before your next tropical destination vacation to ward off those pesky parasites.

3. Pomegranates are anti-viral. Protect yourself during those winter months by stocking up on pomegranates. The anti-viral component of these fruits is so powerful that it’s been studied as an alternative treatment of HIV, with promising results.

4. Pomegranate plant flowers can be used to lower cholesterol. Pomegranate flowers contain an oil called oleanolic acid that improves the metabolism of free triglycerides found in the blood. These triglycerides are what lead to the collection of LDL cholesterol and blockage of arterial walls leading to atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the artery walls) increasing your susceptibility to heart disease.

5. Pomegranates protect your cardiovascular system. For plaque to begin to form on your arteries, there first must be damage to the arterial walls caused by free-radicals. Pomegranates contain powerful antioxidants that eat up these free radicals and target the lining of your blood vessels and prevent them from damage. The ultimate prevention food!

Source; chatelaine


Eating grapes reduces knee pain

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Suffering from knee pain? Adding grapes to your diet can help you lessen that excruciating knee pain.

Daily grape consumption may help alleviate pain associated with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee and improve joint flexibility and overall mobility, a research said.

This is possible because of polyphenols (antioxidants) found in grapes.
“Our findings provide promising data that links grape consumption to two very important outcomes for those living with knee osteoarthritis: reduced pain and improvements in joint flexibility,” said Shanil Juma from Texas Woman’s University, US.

During the study, researchers assigned 72 men and women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to either consume grapes in the form of a whole grape freeze-dried powder or a placebo powder.

The results showed that both men and women consuming a grape-enriched diet had a significant decrease in self-reported pain related to activity and an overall decrease in total knee symptoms.
This beneficial effect was more pronounced in females.
Evidence of increased cartilage metabolism was observed in men consuming the grape-enriched diet, the study noted.
Osteoarthritis is more likely to occur in people over 45 years of age, and women are more likely to have osteoarthritis than men.

Source: Yahoo news


Grape seed Extract Kills 76% of Leukemia Cancer Cells in 24 Hours

A new study by Indian origin researcher has revealed that the synthesis of the most active component of grape seed extract, B2G2, encourages the cell death known as apoptosis in prostate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

“We’ve shown similar anti-cancer activity in the past with grape seed extract (GSE), but now we know B2G2 is its most biologically active ingredient which can be synthesized in quantities that will allow us to study the detailed death mechanism in cancer cells,” Alpna Tyagi, PhD, of the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said.

Previous studies have shown the GSE effectiveness against cancer cells and have also shown its mechanism of action. However, Tyagi said that until recently, they didn’t know which constituent of GSE created this effect. This naturally occurring compound, GSE, is a complex mixture of polyphenols and also so far it has been unclear about the biologically active constituents of GSE against cancer cells.

Eventually the group pinpointed B2G2 as the most active compound, but, “it’s expensive and it takes a long time to isolate B2G2 from grape seed extract,” Tyagi says.

The current study reported the success of this effort, including the ability to synthesize gram-quantity of B2G2 reasonably quickly and inexpensively.

The study also showed anti-cancer activity of synthesized B2G2 similar in mechanism and degree to overall GSE effectiveness.

The study was published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

Source: Zee news

 


Drinking three cups of tea a day can cut stroke risk by 20

Drinking three cups of tea a day can cut the risk of a stroke by a fifth, research claims.

An overview of previous studies found Britain’s favourite drink protects against the brain clots that kill 200 people every day.

A new study has revealed that just three cups of tea a day can slash the risk of a stroke by around 20 percent.

Source: Express