A new study paves the way to the possible health benefits of a tangerine flavonoid, nobiletin, in preventing obesity and atherosclerosis.

What are Flavonoids?

Flavonoids, or bioflavonoids as it is called when used in supplements, are a class of plant based compounds. They are polyphenols and a diverse group of phytochemicals that are mostly found in vegetables, fruits and herbs and are responsible for their different colors. They can be found in high amounts in foods such as grains, legumes, nuts, teas, onions, honey and many more. The teas, specifically black, green or white tea, are high sources of a flavonoid known particularly as quercetin. Furthermore, onions contain myricertin and kaempferol; honey has myricertin and quercetin. Other good sources of flavonoid include buckwheat, tangerines, strawberries, blueberries, beans and spinach. However, the composition and concentration of flavonoid in each plant may vary depending on certain factors such as maturity, growing condition, plant part and variety.

There are different types of flavonoids, which may vary depending on the plant source. One of the most important is the flavonoid quercetin as it acts as building blocks for other flavonoids and can be found in foods like apples and onions. There are also flavonoids that can be found in citrus fruits, and among these citrus flavonoids are the compounds hesperidin and rutin which are present in fruits like tangerines, grapefruits and oranges. There are other well known flavonoids that include compounds like PCO (proanthocyanins), polyphenols and genistein which can be found in a variety of food sources and has been known to give great health benefits. The polyphenols, primary source of a class of flavonoid called EGCG (epigallocatechin-gallate) is known to be an effective natural compound to fight cancer.

Health benefits of Flavonoids

Studies have been performed to prove that flavonoids are necessary for human health and may also show some healing potential. This is because flavonoids are known to perform antioxidant activities. Flavonoids are even considered to be more powerful than Vitamin C and Vitamin E in eradicating the body’s free radicals and in preventing cellular damage to the body. They also have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, vasodilatory and antiallergenic effects.

The flavonoid quercetin is the most known compound to provide many health benefits. It suggests delay of the onset of diseases like cancer that is triggered by free radicals. Clinical studies show low rates of pancreatic, lung and breast cancer brought about by the intake of foods with high amounts of quercetin. It can also slow down low density lipoprotein oxidation, thus preventing heart diseases. A recent study conducted in Finland and the Netherlands suggested that people who consume large amounts of flavonoids, especially quercetin, showed a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Quercetin also provides anti-inflammatory action, therefore reducing allergic reactions like sinusitis and chronic asthma. The anti-inflammatory properties of quercetin may also be ideal for the treatment of minor problems like eczema and bug bites, as well as disorders affecting joints, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic gout and the like.

Aside from flavonoids being acquired from the diet, it can also be beneficial as supplements as they strengthen blood vessels. The flavonoids PCO and citrus flavonoids help in repairing problems like chronic hemorrhoids and varicose veins.

Doses of flavonoid supplements will vary depending on the type consumed and the specific condition. However, if long term health is considered, a mixture of quercetin, rutin, and hesperidin will do the job. Instructions on the label must be always followed. To improve the flavonoid’s protective action and taste, it is usually combined with Vitamin C. But still, nothing beats natural sources like grape seeds and green tea where flavonoids are greatly found.

The Study

A new research reports that tangerine flavonoid does not only prevent obesity but also gives protection from type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. It suggests that nobiletin, high concentrations of which are found in tangerine’s white pith, helps maintain healthy levels of glucose, insulin and cholesterol, as well as preventing fat build up.

Dr. Murray Huff, from the Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, and USA vascular biology research group director said that mice treated with nobiletin were originally protected against obesity, but as the study progresses, it shows that it also protected the mice from build up of plaque in arteries which can cause atherosclerosis that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

Nobiletin was observed to prevent fat build up in human cells by the stimulation of gene expression involved in the burning of excess fat, as well as in slowing down the genes responsible for fat manufacture. The authors said that sensitivity to insulin and glucose tolerance in the peripheral tissues and liver were restored by nobiletin and the improvement in these parameters may lead to prevent atherosclerosis.

A second group where the western diet was administered with nobiletin, however, showed no rise or difference in cholesterol levels, glucose and insulin and a normal amount of weight was maintained. It was also monitored that mice fed with nobiletin were found to have less fatty livers and were more insulin sensitive.

According to the researchers, their studies give evidence, both in the physiological and molecular level, that nobiletin has the ability to regulate the metabolism of hepatic lipid and prevent insulin resistance abnormalities. It also corrects dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis and glucose homeostasis and it protects the body from further development of atherosclerosis through a variety of mechanisms.

Dr. Huff cited that the study gives way for future studies in testing the many potential of nobiletin to reduce metabolic syndrome risks and related conditions. However, Huff suspects that tangerines lack enough nobiletin to transfer the same effects that it did to mice to the humans, adding that supplements are most likely required.

They also suggested that inflammation and foam cell formation reduction may as well help in reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, though it was not evaluated in their study.

The research of Dr. Huff was mostly focused on observing the properties of bioactive molecules that are naturally occurring. A research of his two years ago where he discovered a flavonoid called naringenin in grape fruit offered the same protection against obesity and other metabolic syndromes and drew attention internationally. This time, he said that what was interesting was that nobiletin is ten times more potent in its protective effects than naringenin, and this time they have proven that it can also prevent atherosclerosis.

Sources
herbs2000.com
dietaryfiberfood.com
nutraingredients.com

The bilberry, a lesser-known berry to the Western world, makes heart health headlines.

A berry that’s rarely heard from is making headlines in America today, as a recent study suggests that the sibling to the blueberry can help prevent arteries from hardening, potentially protecting people from the most common health problem in the world today.

If you’re at all familiar with the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, then you know all about the new and interesting places, thingamabobs and taste sensations Charlie Bucket and company learn about while there.  Places like Oompa Loompa Land, thingamabobs like Egg-de-cators and taste sensations like snozberries (Said one Veruca Salt, “Snozberry?  What on earth is a snozberry!”).  Well, bilberries are a lot like snozberries—lesser-known, but unlike the snozberry, they actually exist.

As aforementioned, bilberries are related to blueberries in taste, texture and class (both come from the same genus class of species called Vaccinium).  And again, similar to blueberries, they’re chock-full of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which are widely praised for their disease-fighting prowess.

While unfamiliar to most people in the Western world, bilberries aren’t hard to come by in Europe; they’re as plentiful to European fields as corn is to American fields.  Norway, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom region produce copious amounts of bilberries on publicly accessible land, which is to say that anyone and everyone can “come and get ‘em” as they please.  And after this most recent finding, it’s not unreasonable to think there’ll be even more people coming out of the woodwork to scoop up these berry beauties.

French scientists fed three groups of mice the same control diet for 16 weeks, but two of the groups received varying amounts of bilberry extract in addition.  After four months of observation and testing, markers associated with atherosclerosis were significantly less in the two groups fed bilberry extract (i.e. markers=plaque buildup in the arteries).  For example, in comparison to the group not fed the bilberry extract, one group saw a 25 percent reduction in plague buildup, while another saw a 36 percent reduction.

The study is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

As per usual, the researchers downplayed the results, saying more research needs to be done before the findings can be extrapolated.  But lest we forget, this isn’t the bilberry’s first road show; others studies have found them to be effective in treating degenerative diseases relating to arthritis and macular degeneration.

Bilberries are hard to come by in the states.  There’s a select few places that sell bilberries in the Western half of the country where they’re often used in jams and jellies.  That’s not to say they’re not available.  They are, but in supplement form.

Health food stores like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe should carry plenty of bilberry supplements, where bilberry is the primary ingredient, or where it is an added ingredient.  The amount of bilberry used will depend on the product, but if possible, opt for one that’s at least 25 percent anthocyanocides.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
wisegeek.com
naturalhealthontheweb.com
en.wikipedia.org

Lycopene, which is an antioxidant found abundantly in tomatoe sauce, has been shown to increase blood flow.

Every rule has its exceptions.

For example, nine times out of 10, I’d recommend your eating vegetables raw rather than cooked.  That’s because cooked vegetables lack the nutritional might that raw vegetables do, as the heating process knocks out a fair amount of fiber and a vast amount of vitamins (in broccoli for instance, vitamin C content drops 20 percent after boiling).

But one big exception to the cooked versus raw rule is with tomatoes .  Because tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that produces more of a certain antioxidant when it’s cooked rather than left in raw form.

The antioxidant I speak of is lycopene.  Lycopene isn’t exclusive to tomatoes (it’s also found in grapefruits and watermelon) but it’s definitely the first source you want to go to for a high dose of it, specifically cooked tomatoes (i.e. tomato sauce or paste).  While you’ll get a good dose of lycopene from a raw tomato, you’ll get four times more from its offshoots, like tomato paste or tomato sauce.

Like other antioxidants , lycopene is known for its disease and free radical fighting.  It’s heralded for being great for the skin, protecting the heart , and fighting off cancer-causing tumors.

And based on the results from a South Korea study, lycopene can add a new function to its already impressive repertoire:  improving blood flow.

After testing the blood samples of approximately 265 women between the ages of 31 and 75, researchers found that those women who had the highest levels of lycopene also had the lowest brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, or baPWV.

BaPWV is a new measurement doctors use to assess someone’s risk for atherosclerosis.  The higher the measurement, the stiffer the blood vessels are.  The lower the number, the more free-flowing blood travels.

The study was conducted by Korean researchers from Yonsei University in South Korea.  It’s published in the appropriately titled journal Atherosclerosis .

This is an exciting find for anyone who enjoys a heaping helping of marinara sauce on a bed of whole wheat pasta, or a smear of organic tomato paste on a toasted English muffin.

How great it is to know that foods we associate with guilty indulgences are actually great for our bodies

As the French say, Bon appetite!

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
lycopene.com