Hot MedFax

Sorry to burst your bubble but a new study says all that hype about dark chocolate and red wine and berries is just that.  Hype. Turns out they no more protect us from heart attack, cancer and stroke than M&Ms and Coke. Resveratrol, the antioxidant found in these foods and beverages, once thought to be the elixir of long life, has, suddenly, turned out not to be such a godsend, after all. Scientists have found that those who eat and drink the stuff  live no longer than and are just as likely to develop cardiovascular disease or cancer as those who eat or drink smaller amounts of the antioxidant, according to newswise.com. “The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn’t stand the test of time,” the Web site quotes Richard D. Semba, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study described May 12 in  JAMA Internal Medici...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Yes, Kelly Clarkson. Or is it everything that kills me makes me feel alive? Rap Genius. But what if what didn't kill you actually kept you alive?  And living longer? The reality is that it's not the antioxidants that allow us to age more slowly but the toxins.  That's right, toxins. According to newswise.com, "M any people believe that free radicals, the sometimes-toxic molecules produced by our bodies as we process oxygen, are the culprit behind aging. Yet a number of studies in recent years have produced evidence that the opposite may be true." Now a research team has found that  free radicals – also known as oxidants – act on a molecular mechanism that, in other circumstances, tells a cell to kill itself. McGill researchers found that this same mechanism -- which causes cells to die so they don't become cancerous or to kill off viruses that have invaded he cell -- when stimulated in the right way...

Love dark chocolate and been think you've been conned into eating it because it's "healthy." I know, my friends and family laughed at me, too.  But it's true ; a new study has confirmed it.   Turns out  certain bacteria in the stomach "gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart," newswise.com reports. “We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the ‘good’ ones and the ‘bad’ ones,” explained Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study’s researchers, at newswise.com. “The good microbes. . . feast on chocolate,” she added. “When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory.  When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke,” said John Finley, Ph.D., who led the work. He noted that cocoa powder, an ingredient in chocolate, c...

According to smartplanet.com, hops could one day be used for dental problems like gum disease and cavities.  Apparently the antioxidants that aren't used in the actual beer can help with these health issues. "Those antioxidant polyphenols are contained in hop leaves, called bracts," Janet Fang writes. "Now, Japanese researchers say they’ve identified some of the substances that could be responsible for these healthful effects." Back in the 1800s shippers found that higher proportions of the hops, or extracts from bracts, in beer kept bacteria from spoiling it, kind of like an antiseptic effect. When exposed to hops extract, Fang explains, bacteria couldn't survive. Over time, research has come to show that bracts "stop the bacteria responsible for inflammation leading to gum disease from being able to stick to surfaces -- thus preventing the release of bacterial toxins. In addition to prevention, bracts also removed plaque from teeth," Fa...

Coffee's topped the hit list again.  Now it's as a memory prod.  According to newswise.com, " Regardless of the routine, the consumption of caffeine is the energy boost of choice for millions to wake up or stay up. Now, however, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have found another use for the stimulant: memory enhancer." Scientists have found that caffeine has a positive effect on long-term memory in humans. The study showed that  caffeine enhances certain memories at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed. I don't know about you but for years, seemed like coffee was the devil's brew. It was bad for pregnant women and those wanting to be; it caused sleeplessness; it raised blood pressure and cholesterol, and could speed up your heart. It can make you jittery and cause dehydration. Yes, it can do all these things.   But in recent years it's now become the elixir of -- well everything.   "Even though fruits and vegetables are both...

You're probably as sick of reading about the things that will extend life as I am about writing about them.  But the latest wonder drug is niacin , a simple ingredient that's in cereal, only now it's being touted as a life-extending elixir that will increase your lifespan by 10%, at least according to medicaldaily.com. Let's get to the best part of all.  The Web site reports that it can even fool your body into thinking it's exercised. "In experiments with roundworms, the nutrient was shown to extend a subject’s lifespan by 10 percent," John Ericson writes. He says the international research team behind the discovery believes that the findings may hold true for us, too, as "the roundworm’s metabolic pathway is similar across many other organisms." The last time I looked, I wasn't a roundworm.  But it's not all peaches and cream for niacin.  Apparently what the nutrient can, and can't, do has long been the topic of controversy...

Sad, but true.  Antioxidants won't make it easier to have a baby.  Cure cancer.  Or help you live longer. Studies for some time have shown that these elements are not the miracle drug we once thought they were -- though my husband (who doesn't believe in doctors, but then, he's a dentist) still gulps a handful of supplements every day and this most likely won't stop him. But according to a story at yahoo.com, a recent fertility study contradicted an earlier one that showed that partners of men who took antioxidants seemed to get pregnant more easily.  The new study, though scientists admitted it was of low quality, completely turned that treatment advice on its head. You partner can take all the antioxidants he wants but it's probably not going to get you pregnant. As someone who sought out every old wives' tale under the sun -- cut out diet soda (cyclamates), stop using the microwave, drink red raspberry leaf tea -- to get pregnant, I kno...