Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Friday, 6 September 2019

Cranberry, the Anti-Psychosis Remedy

By Kyle J. Norton

Psychosis is an abnormal condition that causes the inability of the mind to determine what is real and what is not, leading to abnormal behaviors, and emotions.

Most common symptoms of psychosis are false beliefs or delusions and seeing or hearing things that a healthy person does not see or hear.

According to the statistics provided by the US government, in 2017, approximately 46.6 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States are living with mental illness, representing 18.9% of all U.S. adults.

The Mental Health Illness suggested that 3.5% of the American population is experiencing psychosis.

Most common psychotic disorders are

* Schizophrenia: is a serious mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts.

* Schizophreniform disorder is considered the acute case of Schizophrenia with symptoms that occur for a time period of at least one month but no more than six months.

* Schizoaffective Disorder: is a condition with symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia, accompanied by additional periodic symptoms of mood (or affective) disorders.

Besides hearing or seeing something that is not real, other common symptoms of psychosis disorder are a constant feeling of being watched, disorganized or bizarre speech or writing, inappropriate or unusual behavior and strange body movements or positioning.

Some patients may also experience symptoms of a change in personal hygiene, appearance and personality, irrational, angry or fearful response to loved ones and inability to sleep or concentrate.

Conventionally, early diagnosis of psychosis can increase the rate of od successful treatment.

Combination of antipsychotic medication and family intervention, cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive psychotherapy and case management, skills training, and education have been found to induce treatment outcome.

Cranberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub, genus Vaccinium, belongings to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern America and Southern Asia.

Because of its health benefits, cranberry has been cultivated in some parts of the world for commercial profit and used in traditional and herbal medicine to treat wounds, urinary disorders, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments, and liver problems.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of mental disorders associated with illusion, researchers examined the effect of aqueous cranberry extract (ACE) on MK-801-induced psychosis in mice.

The study included selected MK-801-treated mice administered ACE (1 and 2 g/kg, p.o.) for 14 days.

According to tested differentiation of various behavioral parameters and neurochemical estimations such as dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and glycine and markers of oxidative stress such as nitrate levels, psychosis-induced mice exerted a significant elevation of immobility time in forced swim test, locomotor activity, and reduction in time of permanency in rota-rod test, escape latency time in Cook's pole test.

However, after treatment of ACE, MK-801-induced psychosis exerted a significant alteration in above-mentioned behavioral parameters.

Furthermore, ACE also showed a reversal of a significant increase in DA, 5-HT, and NA levels and a decrease in GABA, glutamate, and glycine levels in the brain associated with improved psychotic function against MK-801- mice.

Moreover, ACE-treated mice showed a substantial reduction in acetylcholinesterase, D-amino acid oxidase enzyme activity, and nitrite levels associated with oxidative stress elevated by the administration of MK-801.

Based on the findings, researchers aid, "Treatment with ACE once for 14 days (1 and 2 g/kg) significantly ameliorated the behavioral symptoms in experimentally induced psychosis by virtue of neuromodulation and decreased oxidative stress".

Taken altogether, cranberry may be considered a remedy for the treatment of psychosis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Effect of Vaccinium macrocarpon on MK-801-induced psychosis in mice by Shukla D1, Maheshwari RA1, Patel K2, Balaraman R1, Sen AK. (PubMed)

Navy Beans Normalize the Levels of Blood Cholesterol

By Kyle J. Norton

Hyperlipidemia is a condition associated with abnormally high levels of fat including cholesterol in the blood.

Hypercholesterolemia is a condition characterized by abnormally high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Most cases of hypercholesterolemia is a result caused by either overexpression of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

Cholesterol converted to bile acids is a waxy substance produced by the liver or the dietary sources in moderate amount plays a critical to aid digestive function, build strong cell membranes, produce steroid hormones and vitamin D.

However, excessive amounts of low-density cholesterol in the blood have been found to induce plaque built-up on the arterial wall, leading to heart disease and stroke.

Similar to high blood pressure, people with hypercholesterolemia are asymptomatic. However, patients with familial hypercholesterol may experience symptoms of chest pain with activity. xanthomas, and cholesterol deposits around the eyelids.

Hypercholesterolemia associated with forming plaques on the arterial wall that induces coronary artery disease (CAD), the leading cause of death in the US.

In the US, approximately, 71 million American adults (33.5%) have high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol, and only 1 out of every 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control.

Sadly, 50% of people with hypercholesterolemia are not getting treatment.

Out of many risk factors associated with the risk of hypercholesterolemia, some researchers suggested that aging may have a strong impact on the increased incidence in the US.

Dr. Laura Trapani, the lead scientist wrote, "description of age-related disruption of lipid homeostasis, which particularly affects 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase, the key rate-limiting enzyme".

And, "gender-related dysregulation of this enzyme, providing new evidence for the different mechanisms driving dyslipidemia in elderly men and women. In addition, we introduce pharmacological methods of regulating HMGR and maintaining cholesterol homeostasis".

In other words, aged related dysregulation of 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase enzyme may be the culprit associated with the onset of cholesterolemia in the older population.

The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, popular in both dry and green forms, is very popular in Britain and the US, native to Peru. It is now grown and consumed across the world, due to their numerous health benefits.

With an aim to find a potential ingredient for the prevention and treatment of high blood cholesterol, researchers investigated the navy beans and rice bran efficacy in the regulation of serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults.

The study included children aged 8 to 13 years who are at risk for CVD due to abnormal lipids with total cholesterol ≥180 mg/dL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) <60 mg/dL; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ≥100 mg/dL and HDL <60 mg/dL; or non-HDL >100 mg/dL and HDL <60 mg/dL.

All children received muffins or a smoothie daily that included 0 g NBP or RB (control), 17.5 g NBP, 15 g RB, or a combination 9 g NBP + 8 g RB for 4 weeks.

According to the tested assays received from 38 children who completed the trial (n = 9 control, n = 10 NBP, n = 9 RB, and n = 10 NBP + RB groups),
* Participants in the intervention groups showed a significantly increased intake of NBP and RB at week 4.

* Furthermore, the NBP and NBP + RB groups increased total fiber intake from baseline to week 4 (p=.02 and p=<.01, respectively).

* The levels of HDL-cholesterol was higher in NBP-group participants compared to control at week 4.

The results strongly suggested that navy beans exerted a significant effect on the improvement of blood cholesterol by increasing the serum of HLD in the blood which plays a critical role to lower the total cholesterol and return the bad cholesterol to the liver in the 4-week duration.

Dr. Borresen EC, the lead scientist, after taking other factors into account wrote, "Increasing NBP and/or RB intake is tolerable for children, and our findings suggest higher daily intakes are needed for a longer duration to induce favorable changes across multiple serum lipid parameters".

Taken altogether, the navy bean may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of hypercholesterolemia, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Assess Tolerance and Efficacy of Navy Bean and Rice Bran Supplementation for Lowering Cholesterol in Children by Borresen EC1, Jenkins-Puccetti N2, Schmitz K1, Brown DG1, Pollack A2, Fairbanks A1, Wdowik M1, Rao S1, Nelson TL1, Luckasen G3, Ryan EP. (PubMed)
(2) Age-Related Hypercholesterolemia and HMG-CoA Reductase Dysregulation: Sex Does Matter (A Gender Perspective) by Laura Trapani and Valentina Pallottini. (Hindawi)

Turmeric, a Natural Prevention and Treatment of Inflammation

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a systematic immune response associated with the production of proinflammatory cytokine activated by the white blood cells in the first line of defense.

In the early phase of bodily injury and damage, the reaction of the immune system also encompasses a wide range of pathophysiological responses to minimize tissue damage while enhancing the repair process.

Inflammation also can be caused by viruses and bacteria, some of the most common stimuli of inflammation. However, overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines initiated by the immune system for a prolonged period of time may lead to cells damage and sometimes death of the healthy cells in the infectious site and nearby cells.

Badly enough, some proteins process the duo functions of pro and anti-inflammation. Under abnormal conditions, they can switch from their original action of anti-inflammatory cytokines to pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The complications involved in overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced improper healing for the forming of scars and damage to the tissue of the organ can also affect and limit the organs functioning, such as liver scars caused by hepatitis virus infection.

Malfunctioning immunological responses attack the body tissue can incite inappropriate and chronic inflammation

Believe or not, tissues die from a lack of oxygen or nutrients associated with oxidative stress overload can also cause inflammation.

Chronic inflammation in another hand, caused by the immune response that can not kill off all infectious agents in the acute phase of infection.

Some researchers argued that the evolution of the immune system is to kill off all infectious stimuli or pathogen within 3 - 8 weeks, otherwise, the immune system will adapt to their existence, in another word, chronic inflammation.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belongings to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On findings a potential compound for the treatment of diseases associated with inflammation, researchers examined the efficacy of a hot water extract of C. longa (WEC) or bisacurone, a component of turmeric extract antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

On C57BL/6 mice-induced liver injury by acute ethanol, administration of WEC (20 mg/kg body weight; BW) or bisacurone (60 µg/kg BW) at 30 min before a single dose of ethanol(3·0 g/kg BW), researchers found that plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase elevated in ethanol-treated mice was significantly suppressed by WEC and bisacurone.

Furthermore, mice treated by WEC also protected the hepatic tissue by increasing the levels of antioxidants superoxide dismutase and glutathione.

Moreover, hepatic tissue levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. and associated with reduced levels of oxidation, proteins TNF-α protein and IL-6 mRNA involved in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also inhibited by WEC and bisacurone, compared to control mice.

In other words, WEC and bisacurone protect the liver cell by inhibiting the parameters against the induction of oxidative stress.

Conclusively, researchers said, " oral administration of WEC may have a protective effect against ethanol-induced liver injury by suppressing hepatic oxidation and inflammation, at least partly through the effects of bisacurone".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound bisacurone may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with inflammation, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Hot water extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) prevents non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice by inhibiting hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation by Uchio R1, Murosaki S2, Ichikawa H. (PubMed)
(2) A hot water extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) suppresses acute ethanol-induced liver injury in mice by inhibiting hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine production by Uchio R1, Higashi Y1, Kohama Y2, Kawasaki K1, Hirao T2, Muroyama K1, Murosaki S. (PubMed)

Thursday, 5 September 2019

Bromelain, the Best Antioxidants

By Kyle J. Norton

Antioxidants are stable molecules which play an essential role in the inhibition of oxidation caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are unstable and highly reactive molecules with a single electron in the outermost ring. Therefore, in order to maintain stable, free radicals either donate or intercept an electron from other stable molecules, leading to a chain of reaction that can not be stopped until all single electron in the outermost ring is paired or inhibited by antioxidants.

Overexpression of free radicals and reduced production of antioxidant enzymes by the body induce oxidative stress. Over time, oxidative stress can cause protein, lipid and cell damage, leading to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

There are 2 types of antioxidants. antioxidants enzymes produced by the liver and the dietary sources, inclduing
* Antioxidant enzymes from dietary protein and minerals, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and catalases.

* Antioxidant vitamins found in supplement or daily intake of food. such as vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, and beta-carotene. Most antioxidant vitamin process a free radical scavenging activity.

In other words, they gobble up free radical before they can cause a chain of reaction.

* Antioxidant phytochemicals found mostly in the plant second metabolites including fruits and vegetable, carotenoids, flavonoids, allyl sulfides, and polyphenols.

Believe it or not, in a healthy individual, antioxidants produced by the liver are more than enough to balance the production of free radicals. However, in people with a weakened immune system, intake of antioxidant from dietary sources and supplement may be necessary.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to find a potential ingredient for the treatment of disease associated with oxidative stress, researchers evaluated the ameliorative efficacy of bacoside A and bromelain on oxidative stress biomarkers in serum of dichlorvos intoxicated mice.

The experiment included mice were allocated into six groups. First group received saline as a vehicle; second group was administered with dichlorvos (40 mg/kg b.w.); the third group was administered with bromelain (70 mg/kg b.w.), the fourth group received a dose of bacoside A (5 mg/kg b.w.), the fifth group was given concomitant exposure of bacoside A and bromelain both and mice of the sixth group were exposed to bacoside A, bromelain and dichlorvos for 21 days consecutively.

Group treated with dichlorvos showed a significant increase of oxidative stress biomarkers thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyl content (PCC).

The results suggested that dichlorvos stimulates the production of free radicals in mice.

Bromelain and dichlorvos treated group showed a strong effect in the inhibition of the free radical expression induced by dichlorvos.

Furthermore, co-administration of bromelain and bacoside A in dichlorvos exposed mice also displayed a significant effect in reversing the level of CAT, SOD, GPx and GSH (p < 0.05) which was decreased due to the dichlorvos administration.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Finding of research conclude that concomitant exposure of bacoside A and bromelain was much effective in combating oxidative stress induced by dichlorvos".

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Bacoside A and bromelain relieve dichlorvos induced changes in oxidative responses in mice serum by Agarwal S1, Chaudhary B2, Bist R. (PubMed)

Healthy Food Cucumber, the Potential Free Radical Scavenger

By Kyle J. Norton

Free radical scavengers are antioxidant which inhibit free radicals before they can induce a chain of domino's reaction that has been found to cause protein, lipid and cell damage, leading to cell injury and cell death.

Most common free radical scavengers can be either produced by the host or from the dietary sources, including catalases, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), vitamin A, C, and E.

Oxidative stress is imbalanced of the ratio of antioxidants and free radical. In other words, overexpression of free radicals and low levels of antioxidants in the body can lead to oxidative stress, a major cause of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

In a healthy individual, dietary, antioxidant and antioxidant enzymes produced by the liver are more than enough to counter free radicals produced from all sources.

However, for people with a weakened immune system, intake of antioxidant supplements may be necessary, and in chronic illness patients, antioxidant supplementation at an early stage of illness has been found to improve therapies.

Due to the complexity in treating chronic and critical illness patients, some researchers suggested that

professionals need to understand the mechanism of damage caused by free radicals and free radical scavengers protective activity for the treatment of varied pathological conditions.

The cucumber plant is a species of Cucumis Sativus, belongings to the family Cucurbitaceae and native to Western Asia. It is a creeping vine with roots in the ground and grows up with the support of frames.

With an aim to find a natural compound which processes anti-free radical overexpression, researchers investigated the aqueous fruit extract of Cucumis sativus L. anti-free radical scavenging activities.

In vitro, aqueous fruit extract at 250 and 500 μg/ml showed a significant effect in the inhibition of free radicals through scavenging activity.

Compared to other chemical compounds, The C. sativus fruit extract showed maximum antioxidant and at 500 μg/ml and 500 mg/kg,

The efficacy of the extracts was attributed to the presence of flavonoids and tannins evidenced by preliminary phytochemical screening.

Additionally, in the comparison of carrot, cucumber, and broccoli seed flours extracted with 50% acetone for their free radical scavenging property researcher found that

* Cucumber showed a strong free radical scavenging property against DPPH radical scavenging capacity, oxygen radical absorbing capacity, and hydroxyl radical (HO•) scavenging capacity secondary to the broccoli seed flour extract.

* in ABTS•+ scavenging capacity of 250 μmol TE/g, carrot showed a better effect compared to cucumber.

Based on the findings, Dr. Choe U, the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "The results might be used to promote the value-added utilization of these vegetable seed flours in improving human health".

Taken altogether, cucumber may be used for the treatment of disease associated with oxidative stress, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Free Radical Scavenging and Analgesic Activities of Cucumis sativus L. Fruit Extract by Kumar D1, Kumar S, Singh J, Narender, Rashmi, Vashistha B, Singh N. (PubMed)
(2) Chemical Compositions of Cold-Pressed Broccoli, Carrot, and Cucumber Seed Flours and Their in Vitro Gut Microbiota Modulatory, Anti-inflammatory, and Free Radical Scavenging Properties by Choe U1, Li Y1,2, Gao B2, Yu L1, Wang TTY, Sun J, Chen P, Liu J3, Yu L. (PubMed)
(3) Free radical scavengers in anaesthesiology and critical care by Milind S Hatwalne. (PMC)

Whole Food Tomato Inhibits Colorectal Cancer in Vitro and Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Colorectal cancer is a medical condition caused by irregular cell growth in the tissues of the colon or rectum.

Most cases of colorectal cancer start in the cell on the surface of the inner lining of the colon or rectum, before penetrating into the deeper layer to induce localized tumor.

At the very early stage of colorectal cancer, most patients are asymptomatic due to the very size of the tumor that does not affect the function of the colon or rectum. However, at the advanced stage, the oversize tumor can press on the nearby blood vessels and nerves and affect the organ functioning, leading to severe pain and bleeding and specific symptoms accompanied by the general symptoms shared by other types of cancer.

At this stage, cancer cells can also travel a distance away to infect other healthy tissues and organ, leading to secondary metastasis.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.proximately, in 2019, 101,420 new cases of colon cancer and 44,180 rectal cancer will be diagnosed.

The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 22 (4.49%) for men and 1 in 24 (4.15%) for women.

The 5-year survival rate of people with localized stage colorectal cancer is 90%. However, only 39% of patients are diagnosed at an early stage.

Out of many risk factors associated with the onset of colorectal cancer, some researchers suggested that the widespread of colorectal cancer in the South Korean may be correlated with the promotion of a high-fat diet over the past few decades, particularly in men.

Dr. Kim, Jeehyun, wrote, "In men, total fat intake was not associated with risk of colorectal adenoma. However, the risk of colorectal adenoma increased with higher saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake. The adjusted odds ratio in the highest quintile was 1.71 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–2.91) compared with that in the lowest quintile".

Tomato is red, edible fruit, genus Solanum, belonging to family Solanaceae, native to South America. Because of its health benefits, the tomato is grown worldwide for the commercial purpose
and often in the greenhouse.

In the urgency to find a potential compound for the treatment of colon cancer, researchers investigated the effects of tomato powder (TP) on the development of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal cancer in Wistar rats.

According to the tested assays, TP added to feed at 5% rate decreased the rate of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) associated with the early stage of colon cancer developing and reduces the development of adenocarcinoma and growth of AOM-induced colorectal cancer in rats.

TP supplementation also demonstrated chemopreventive activities against the protein involving in the stimulating production of proinflammatory cytokines in the colon tissues and promoted cancer cells apoptosis.

Based on the findings, Dr. Tuzcu M, the lead scientist wrote, "Our findings identify an intimate connection between dietary supplementation of TP and the decreased risk of colorectal cancer in rats".

And "suggest that consumption of TP would be a natural candidate for the prevention of colorectal cancer in men".

Furthermore, according to the joint study led by the University of Almería, tomato showed significant time- and concentration-dependent inhibitory/cytotoxic effects on HT-29 cells.

Moreover, adding tomato carotenoids and olive oil to HT-29 cell in cultures demonstrated a better inhibitory effect compared to the application of individual compound in CCD-18 normal cells.

In variety comparison, Racimo tomato displayed the most anti-cancer activity against the colorectal cancer cell proliferation compared to others, without affecting the normal CCD-18 cells.

In chemical analysis, olive oil and tomato carotenoids inhibited the HT-29 cancer cell proliferation synergistically compared to no effect of other phenolic compounds.

Taken altogether, tomato alone or combined with olive oil may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Tomato powder impedes the development of azoxymethane-induced colorectal cancer in rats through suppression of COX-2 expression via NF-κB and regulating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway by Tuzcu M1, Aslan A, Tuzcu Z, Yabas M, Bahcecioglu IH, Ozercan IH, Kucuk O, Sahin K. (PubMed)
(2) Phytochemical composition and in vitro anti-tumour activities of selected tomatovarieties by Ramos-Bueno RP1, Romero-González R2, González-Fernández MJ1, Guil-Guerrero JL. (PubMed)
(3) Association between dietary fat intake and colorectal adenoma in korean adults
A cross-sectional study by Kim, Jeehyun, MD; Oh, Seung-Won, MD, MBA, PhD; Kim, Young-Sun, MD, PhD; Kwon, Hyuktae, MD, MPH, PhD; Joh, Hee-Kyung, MD, MPH, PhD; Lee, Ji-Eun, MD; Park, Danbee, MD; Park, Jae-Hong, MD; Ko, Ah-Ryoung, MD; Kim, Ye-Ji, MD. (Medicine)

Broccoli Sprouts, The Neuro-Protective Veggie

By Kyle J. Norton

Neuroprotection an action involved the use of a natural substance to protect the integrity of neurons against damage or death.

In other words, neuroprotection is the process to protect the brain functionings.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a class of conditions associated with the progressive loss of neurons in the brain caused by several mechanisms, including toxicity and oxygen deficiency.

Most common disease associated with neurodegenerative diseases is dementia, a cluster of conditions included Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease, leading to a negative influence the body's functioning, including balance, movement, talking, breathing, and heart function.

There is no single cause of the progressive death of brain neurons. Epidemiologically, genetic preposition, medical condition, such as alcoholism, brain cancer or a stroke in the brain are some of the most common prevalent factors found in patients with neurological diseases

A prolonged period of toxins, toxic chemicals accumulated that affects the brain function also have a strong impact to induce the onset of the disease.

Symptoms of neurotoxicity are totally depending on the degree of toxicity. Some symptoms may take some time to develop. However, in most cases, symptoms may appear immediately after exposure.

Depending on the area and location of neurons damage, weakness or numbness, loss of memory, vision, headache change of cognitive and behavioral and sexual dysfunction are the most common symptoms found in people with neurotoxicity.

According to the WHO, neurological disorders, ranging from epilepsy to Alzheimer disease, from stroke to headache, affect up to one billion people worldwide.

In older adults, the increase in age has been found to affect the progressive onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Hung CW and colleagues wrote, " In the human body, it is estimated that cell division and metabolism occurs exuberantly until about 25 years of age. Beyond this age, subsidiary products of metabolism and cell damage accumulate, and the phenotypes of aging appear, causing disease formation".

And, " Among these age-related diseases, neurodegenerative diseases have drawn a lot of attention due to their irreversibility, lack of effective treatment, and accompanied social and economical burdens".

Broccoli is a mustard/cabbage plant, belonging to the family Brassicaceae. The veggie had large flower heads, usually green in color and the mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves that is evolved from a wild cabbage plant on the continent of Europe.

On finding a potent compound for the protection against brain disease, researchers examined the neuroprotective effect of broccoli sprouts on SH-SY5Y cells.

According to the results of the SH-SY5Y cells used in the study were treated with the fragment Aβ 25-35 by two crude juices of broccoli sprouts containing different amounts of phenolic compounds, researchers found that Aβ-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic cell death were inhibited the administration of both juices.

In other words, both juices protected the integrity of the neurons and inhibited the nuclear chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation induced by Aβ injection.

The efficacy of broccoli sprout juice against the neuro-toxicity was attributed to the modulation of the mitochondrial function and the HSP70 gene transcription and expression that dissociate cytotoxic stress in the neurons.

Furthermore, oxidative stress in the brain tissues was also ameliorated by the juices by increasing the host levels of antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1, thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase.

More precisely, broccoli sprout juice protected the neuron against toxicity by dissociating cytotoxic and oxidative stress.

In the comparison of the neuroprotection of 2 juices, researchers said, "Although the effects of the two juices were similar, the juice enriched in phenolic compounds showed greater efficacy in inducing the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway (involved in systematic inflammatory response)".

Taken altogether, broccoli sprout may be considered a functional food for the promotion of brain health, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Neuroprotective Effect of Brassica oleracea Sprouts Crude Juice in a Cellular Model of Alzheimer's Disease by Masci A1, Mattioli R2, Costantino P2, Baima S3, Morelli G3, Punzi P4, Giordano C5, Pinto A1, Donini LM1, d'Erme M6, Mosca L. (PubMed)

(1) Comparison of Adaptive Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Sulforaphane and its Interconversion Product Erucin in in Vitro and in Vivo Models of Parkinson's Disease by Morroni F1, Sita G1, Djemil A2, D'Amico M3, Pruccoli L3, Cantelli-Forti G3, Hrelia P1, Tarozzi A. (PubMed)
(3) Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases by Hung CW1, Chen YC, Hsieh WL, Chiou SH, Kao
CL. (PubMed)