Archive for 2009

In the News: Eating red grapefruit may reduce risk of osteoporosis

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

A new study from Texas A&M University in America has suggested that eating red grapefruit may reduce the risk of osteoporosis by boosting bone density. Researchers found that feeding red grapefruit pulp to rats with thinning bones significantly slowed down the rate at which bone cells died – perhaps by boosting levels of immune boosting, disease fighting antioxidants.

The other possibility, from my point of view, is that although grapefruits are thought of as acidic fruits, which they are as we eat them, after digestion they create an alkaline effect. The more acidic the diet becomes with too much animal protein, sugar, caffeine etc, the more calcium is leeched from the bones. So by making the diet more alkaline …

In the News: Vitamin D deficiency can increase Caesarean risk

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Pregnant women who are deficient in vitamin D are more likely to need a Caesarean, according to the latest study from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Centre, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Researchers checked the blood levels of vitamin D in pregnant women. In total 253 women were enrolled in the study, of whom 17% had a Caesarean section. Some 28 per cent of women with low levels of vitamin D had to have a surgical delivery compared with 14 percent of women with high levels. The researchers also believe…

In the News: Vitamin B12 supplements reduce risk of depression

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Scientists at the University of Western Australia found that adults who took regular does of vitamin B12 supplements were less likely to suffer mental health problems in old age.

It seems that the supplements lower the amount of homocysteine in the blood, high levels of which have been linked to heart disease and mood swings and other disorders. This can be reduced fairly quickly by taking…