An Australian preclinical study in rats highlights the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits of purple carrots, the newest superfood containing 28 times the anthocyanins than the familiar orange variety. Rats were fed a high-fat, high-carb diet that imitated the unhealthy Western diet over a 16-week period. The rats gained weight, developed high blood pressure, became glucose intolerant (pre-diabetic) and ended up with damaged livers and hearts. The researchers turned everything around, however, in the final eight weeks of the study by adding purple carrot juice to the diet. The rats returned to good health. The scientists plan human trials for later this year, but an extract of purple carrot juice is already being sold in New Zealand pharmacies.

Eating three portions of whole grain foods a day significantly reduces cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged people, mainly by lowering blood pressure, a U.K. clinical study has found. Researchers divided 206 healthy middle-aged men and women into two groups: one group ate three servings of whole grain foods a day; the control group ate refined grain foods. After 12 weeks, the researchers measured lipid and inflammatory marker concentrations, insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure. They found that systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly reduced (by 6 and 3 mm Hg, respectively) in the whole grain foods group compared with the control group. “The observed decrease in systolic blood pressure could decrease the incidence of coronary artery disease and stroke by 15% and 25%, respectively,” the researchers concluded.

The active ingredient that gives hot peppers their heat also induces relaxation in blood vessels and reduces hypertension, a new Chinese study has found. The compound capsaicin, one of the more plentiful components of chili peppers, was fed to hypertensive rats for seven months. The compound was found to activate the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel in the lining of blood vessels, which increased the production of nitric oxide. The gas molecule is known to protect blood vessels from inflammation and dysfunction. The researchers concluded that “TRPV1 activation through chronic dietary capsaicin may represent a promising intervention of lifestyle in high-risk populations with hypertension and related vascular disorders.”

U.S. researchers who tested a commercial compound containing 33 natural nutrients, medicinal mushrooms, minerals, and herbs on animal prostate cancer cells have found that it stops abnormal cell growth and induces programmed cell death (apoptosis). The compound, known as ProstaCaid, was tested in low concentrations on both hormone sensitive and hormone resistant prostate cancer cell lines at very low concentrations. Herbal extracts in the compound include turmeric root, saw palmetto berry, grape skin, pomegranate, pumpkin seed, pygeum bark, sarsaparilla root, green tea, and Japanese knotweed. Natural polyphenols include quercetin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and ellagic acid, all shown to have anticancer potential. The researchers will conduct further studies in animals and humans to determine if the product can be used to prevent or treat prostate cancer.

The polyphenol ellagic acid, an antioxidant found mostly in berries and pomegranates, protects the skin from collagen breakdown and thus wrinkling as a result of sun exposure when taken orally or applied topically, a Korean study in mice has found. According to the researchers, when applied to the skin of hairless mice, ellagic acid lessened ultraviolet ray-induced skin roughening and thickening that causes wrinkles. The compound also prevented collagen destruction and skin reddening (inflammation). The researchers concluded that “dietary and pharmacological interventions with berries rich in ellagic acid may be promising treatment strategies interrupting skin wrinkle and inflammation associated with chronic UV exposure leading to photoaging.”

A study from www.MyVoucherCodes.co.ukfound that consumers in the UK were unsure about the meaning of “organic food”. Nearly 20 percent of respondents thought it meant “low fat” and another quarter admitted that they didn’t know. 12% thought it meant “expensive”. Only a quarter of respondents said they bought organic food, and over half said it was too expensive. Consumers were also uncertain about their food’s nutritional content: although over 40% said that they regularly checked labels, over 10% said they didn’t know where to find that information.  Mark Pearson of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk said that a significant proportion of British shoppers regard organic items as health food or diet food. He believes supermarkets should do more to get the organic message over to consumers.

Unilever’s new promotion in Brazil, called "Try Something New With Omo”, involves adding a GPS device to 50 of its Omo detergent packages. The device will track buyers of the special boxes to their homes, where they will be given a pocket video camera and invited to a Unilever-sponsored outdoor fun day. The campaign, for a product that can already be found in 80% of homes in the country, aims to get people talking about its new stain-fighting version of Omo. The GPS device activates when the box is removed from the shelf. The website experimentealgonovo.com.br will include a map locating the winners, as well as photos of the winners and videos of the teams pursuing the GPS-implanted boxes. The technology for the promotion costs less than $1 million.

A new agreement between Dubai Municipality and Unilever involves closer cooperation on product safety and testing. The head of the Municipality delegation that visited Unilever’s Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC) in England said the visitors were focusing on the impact of products on consumers and the environment, and the discussions extended to product labeling, storage, and misuse of products. The visit should also help the Municipality head off the spread incorrect information about the products. Unilever holds around 30% of the personal care market in the UAE and 45% of its skin care and cleansing sales. 

L'Oreal Paris has partnered with YouTube to build Destination Beauty, a video channel designed for supporters of the most popular beauty and personal care video bloggers. Part of a year-long marketing campaign co-designed by media agency Universal McCann, the channel will feature L'Oreal-sponsored content from partners, such as makeup experts like Lauren Luke and Kandee Johnson, as well as Seventeen Magazine. Supported by Google through ads on YouTube and the Google Display Network, the video channel is created in response to the explosion in beauty videos online — 15 of the most viewed channels on YouTube, which has recently reached the two-billion-views-daily milepost, are classified under the "Beauty" category. The channel will feature weekly videos of tips on beauty-related topics, and will include products from L'Oreal and its competitors.

Chinese shoppers are turning away from catalogs and are buying more online, providing a strong growth platform for e-commerce sites in the country backed by venture capital. In the first six months of 2010, six such e-commerce companies raised over $180 million. The sites attracting venture capital include retailers and wholesalers. One of the largest deals involved Beijing-based VANCL Co., a clothing retailer, which received $50 million of financing from a number of backers. The e-commerce trend is supported by the growth in credit card ownership and usage. Online transactions increased more than 100 percent between 2008 and 2009; most were customer-to-customer transactions. The country’s top retailers are just starting to take advantage of the trend: only 3 percent of the top 1000 retailers have launched online.