For more than 2500 years, wolfberries (Lycium barbarum, or more popularly known as Goji berries) have been used as a natural remedy in many Asian countries, especially for “nourishing the kidney and the liver”. In recent years, beverages containing Goji fruit extracts or juice gained tremendous popularity throughout the world. Although Goji soft drinks were shown to have high antioxidant activity in test tube systems and even animal models, little is about their actual effect on the human antioxidant defense system.
When ingested by healthy elderly test subjects (120 ml per day) for 30 days, a standardized Goji fruit juice (GoChi, …read more

Let’s see if you know your fact vs marketing-myths, when it comes to weight loss supplements.
Is the African herb hoodia an effective appetite suppressant?
Do green tea supplements burn fat?
Are all supplements out there in the market safe?
Natural weight-loss supplements don’t have side effects. Correct?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, I think you need to learn the facts.

The holidays are already upon us, but don’t let the last minute gift shopping, meal planning and merry indulgence strain your gastric health. Here are some tips from Hollywood nutritionist and probiotic Align endorser Ashley Koff, R.D.:
Image published with permission.

Selenium, a micronutrient essential for human health, is often considered as a magic bullet for the prevention of age-related diseases, especially cancer. However, in the SELECT study, published in the journal JAMA on December 9, selenium supplementation in middle-aged, healthy men did not seem to help reduce the occurrence of prostate cancer. Even in combination with vitamin E, a compound often praised for its antioxidant and hence disease-preventive potential, selenium did not show any significant effect.
Notweworthy, the study confirms data from the EPIC study (December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) which also did not detect any …read more

Beta-alanine is a dietary supplement that benefits not only athletes and body builders but also helps boost the muscle endurance among the elderly, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Before (pre) and after (post) the supplementation period, participants performed a discontinuous cycle ergometry test to determine the PWCFT [physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT)]. Results: Significant increases in PWCFT (28.6%) from pre- to post-supplementation were found for the BA treatment group (p<0.05), but no change was observed with PL treatment. These findings suggest that ninety days of BA supplementation …read more

The efficacy of Hypericum or St. John’s wort in treating clinical depression is fraught with controversy. Scientific evidence regarding its efficacy is inconsistent; while some studies indicate it may help in treating mild depression, some other studies indicate that St. John’s wort was no more effective than placebo in treating major depression.
And to muddle things even further, yet another review has been published in the Cochrane Library, suggesting that St. John’s wort extracts tested in trials

are superior to placebo in patients with major depression;
are similarly effective as standard antidepressants;
and have fewer side effects than standard antidepressants.

I’m sure there  are …read more

Resveratrol is a compound that has been featured quite often in this blog, mainly for its benefits on cardiovascular health and other aging-related maladies.
A new study indicates that its powers extend to liver health, too. According to the results of an animal trial, resveratrol, a compound naturally found in grape skin and berries, may also help treat fatty liver, a condition associated with excessive alcohol consumption. It is characterized by the build-up of excess fat in the liver cells, which may lead to inflammation and liver damage.
Could the resveratrol in red wine protect the liver form the negative effects of …read more

In a study involving seniors (age 60-80 years), vitamin K1 supplementation has been noted to help reduce the development of insulin resistance, and subsequently, diabetes, in men. Such supplementation benefits were not seen among the elderly women included in the study.
These observations build on previously published reports that vitamin K may have an effect on diabetes development via the vitamin K-dependant protein osteocalcin:
By “knocking out” these genes in mice so that they could not function, the animals lacking a functional osteocalcin gene gained fat, showing that osteocalcin helps regulate the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and release it …read more

A new study published in European Heart Journal (doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn409) reports that isoflavones– compounds naturally found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers, but also available as a dietary supplement– may help prevent cardiovascular disease among stroke patients by enhancing the functioning of the arteries, specifically, the flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (main artery in the arm).
[The researchers] found that 12 weeks of isoflavone supplement, at a dose of 80 mg a day, significantly improved brachial FMD and, therefore, vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients who had suffered an ischaemic stroke (a stroke caused by blood clots or other obstructions).
The researchers also …read more

A new study in mice indicates that quercetin, naturally found in plenty of fruits and veggies, helps resist flu, particularly among those who are physically fatigued and thus more susceptible to succumbing to sickness.
Although this study was done with mice, a recent human study found that people who took quercetin suffered fewer illnesses following three days of exhaustive exercise compared to those who did not. Unlike the mouse study, the humans were not inoculated with a virus.
“This is the first controlled experimental study to show a benefit of short-term quercetin feedings on susceptibility to respiratory infection following exercise stress,” said …read more