U.S. researchers have found that an antioxidant-rich extract of cinnamon might prove helpful in cutting the risk of diabetes and heart disease among obese or overweight people. The 12-week study was conducted among obese volunteers whose blood glucose values were impaired, a condition known as "prediabetes" that happens when cells resist higher levels of insulin produced by the pancreas when blood sugar rises. Two groups of volunteers received either a placebo or 250 milligrams of a dried water-soluble cinnamon extract twice daily with their normal diet. Blood was then collected after 12 weeks to measure any changes in blood glucose and antioxidants. The study found that the cinnamon extract improved several antioxidant variables by as much as 13 to 23 percent, which correlated with decreases in fasting glucose.

Eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may keep the aging brain healthy in an important way that had gone unnoticed before, according to U.S. animal research. Previous research found that one factor involved in aging is a steady decline in the body’s ability to protect itself against inflammation and oxidative damage, leaving people vulnerable to degenerative brain diseases, heart disease, cancer, and other age-related disorders. In the aging brain “housekeeping” cells called microglia fail to do their work, and debris builds up. But the polyphenols in berries, and possibly walnuts, re-activate the microglia to clean up and recycle toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline. Other fruits and vegetables contain polyphenols, especially those with red, orange, or blue colors from antioxidant pigments termed anthocyanins.

A U.S. study has found that cranberry juice effectively prevents urinary tract infections (UTI), a disorder that costs the healthcare system more than $1.6 billion annually. UTI is a bacterial infection that can arise anywhere between the kidney and the urethra and affects about 33 percent of women. Researchers tested the effect of cranberry juice on E. coli, the most common cause of UTI, by growing strains of the bacteria in urine collected from healthy volunteers before and after drinking cranberry juice cocktail, the most popular cranberry beverage. The scientists concluded that cranberry juice cocktail prevents E. coli within eight hours of consumption from forming a sticky biofilm that allows the bacteria to multiply and promote an infection.

British researchers who analyzed data from six clinical studies found that eating more green leafy vegetables every day can significantly lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings support efforts to promote consumption of vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli as a way to reduce diabetes risk, but cautioned that further research is necessary before specific advice can be given to individuals. The researchers found in the six studies that eating more green leafy vegetables – perhaps an extra 120 grams a day – was associated with a 14 percent decrease in type 2 diabetes risk. They surmised that vegetables such as spinach tend to reduce the diabetes risk because of a higher magnesium content.

A study by Norwegian researchers has found that, compared to normal weight children, overweight children say they more frequently eat healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, fish, brown bread and potatoes as well as low-energy cheese and yogurt, mainly because overweight kids and their parents are more aware of healthy food choices. The study was conducted in 2007 among 924 9-10 year olds. The study found that overweight children tended to drink juice and artificially sweetened soft drinks more often, while normal weight children were more likely to drink carbonated drinks and eat unhealthy foods and processed foods such as burgers, sausages, biscuits, processed pizza and sweets. Lastly, overweight children are less physically active and more likely to have obese parents than normal weight children.

A nine-year study involving nearly 32,000 middle-aged and elderly Swedish women found that those who frequently ate cocoa-rich chocolate were less likely to suffer from heart failure. The data came from health questionnaires that also included questions about dietary habits. According to the study, the women who ate an average of one or two servings a week of cocoa-rich chocolate had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure. Women who ate one or two servings a month had a 26 percent lower risk. However, one serving of cocoa-dense chocolate a day provided no protection from heart failure, probably because of the added calories gained from replacing nutritious foods with chocolate. Further research is needed to determine the optimum dose of chocolate, the researchers said.

U.S. researchers have determined the best health-promoting combinations of the natural antioxidants found in oranges with a possible goal of developing a “super supplement” that would provide the same benefits as eating an orange or drinking orange juice. For the study, researchers examined the interactions of the phenolic compounds chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, luteolin, myricetin, naringenin, p-coumaric acid, and quercetin at the same concentrations found naturally in navel oranges. Phenolic compounds protect against oxidative damage from free radicals that can lead to hardened arteries and heart disease. They analyzed antioxidant capacity and looked for potential antagonistic, additive, or synergistic – working together for better effect – interactions among various combinations. Several combinations were the most synergistic, with hesperidin and naringenin having the greatest impact, researchers concluded.