Mom Always Said to Eat your Broccoli!

An article in the online Cancer Research journal reminds us to eat our broccoli -- Mom is always right. . .

A concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal model by more than half. . . This finding reinforces human epidemiologic studies that have suggested that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is associated with reduced risk for bladder cancer. . .

There is strong evidence that the protective action of cruciferous vegetables derives at least in part from isothyiocyanates (ITCs), a group of phytochemicals with well-known cancer preventive activities. >Full Story: ScienceDaily

The animals were given amounts of ITCs that are much higher than typically consumed daily by humans, however, the authors postulate that humans may require much lower amounts of ITCs to protect against bladder cancer. Other cruciferous vegetables containing ITCs include kale, collard greens, cabbage, and others.

Sweetener Worse than Sugar for Dieters?

Some recent animal data reported in the journal Behavioral Sciences suggests that consumption of artificial sweeteners may promote increased caloric intake by interfering with the body's normal response to sweet taste. . .

. . . rats [were given] set amounts of yogurt sweetened with either sucrose or saccharin, plus an unrestricted supply of ordinary rat food and water. Five weeks later, the saccharin-fed rats had eaten more food, gained more weight and put on more body fat than the others. The researchers also found that giving the sucrose-fed rats a high-calorie chocolate pudding treat made them eat less afterwards, whereas the saccharin-trained rats showed less restraint in what they ate next. >Full Story: NewScientist

Americans consuming foods containing sugar-free sweeteners increased from 70 million to 160 million between 1987 and 2000. Although these data don't prove a cause and effect relationship, obesity in the U.S. has increased from 15% to 30% over the same time period. Surgar-free food for thought. . .

Ginkgo Biloba -- Help or Harm

From the current online journal of Neurology comes a study of the impact of ginko biloba on memory in 118 men and women aged 85 and older. . .

. . .Ginkgo biloba, the popular herbal supplement widely promoted as a memory enhancer, offered no clear-cut protection against memory loss. . . and a small but disturbing pattern showed up in those who took the herb extract during the three-year study. . ."Seven had TIAs (transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes) or stroke," said study author Dr. Hiroko Dodge, an assistant professor of public health at Oregon State University. Exactly why this happened requires further study, she added. >Full Story: HealthDay News

Although the study is probably too small to be considered conclusive, it is a reminder that treatment with drugs, herbals, or other alternative medicines is always a risk-benefit decision. . .

. . . Experts are awaiting the results of a much larger, multi-center trial based at the University of Pittsburgh. That trial compared the effects of the herb [ginkgo biloba] with a placebo in 3,000 people to see if ginkgo biloba helped prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. >Full Story: HealthDay News

We'll be waiting.