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

Thursday 24 January 2019

Artichoke, the Potential Anti Metabolic Syndrome Natural Remedy, According to Medical Literature

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a natural ingredient for the treatment of metabolic syndrome with no side effect, according to studies.

A metabolic syndrome is a group of syndromes or diseases associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and types 2 diabetes, including high blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels and excess body fat around the waist.

If you have 3 of the above syndrome you are considered to have metabolic syndrome.

According to statistics, metabolic syndrome is a growing prevalence of chronic conditions, accounting to 17% of all health care cost and directly contributing to the 43% of all deaths in Canada.

In other words, 1 in 5 people in Canada has metabolic syndrome, affecting 19.1% of all Canadian adults.

There are certain risk factors associated with the onset of metabolic syndrome besides the five mentioned above including age, family history of metabolic syndrome, physical activity, and women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Untreated metabolic syndrome epidemiologically may induce complications of chronic illness such as atherosclerosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and kidney diseases.

Some researchers suggested that metabolic syndrome and the widespread obesity in the US may be correlated as they share a hallmark of insulin resistance.

Dr. Keller KB in the differentiation of the metabolic syndrome in obese wrote, "Westernization of diets has been part of the problem. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are being replaced by readily accessible foods high in saturated fat, sugar, and refined carbohydrates".

And, "The metabolic syndrome associated with abdominal obesity, which includes insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and elevated CRP levels, identifies subjects who have an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Twenty to 25% of the adult population in the United States have the metabolic syndrome, and in some older groups this prevalence approaches 50%".

The results strongly suggested that both metabolic syndrome and obesity in the US population are attributed to the Western diet pattern.

In other words, by changing to a healthy diet such as traditional diet, the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome can be decreased substantially.

Artichoke is a perennial thistle of Cynara cardunculus species of the Cynara genus, belonging to the family Carduoideae native to Southern Europe around the Mediterranean.

The herbal plant has been used in traditional medicine as a liver protective and detoxified agent, and to treat digestive disorders, abdominal pain gas and bloating, etc.

Scientists on finding a natural ingredient for the treatment of metabolic syndrome examined the long-term supplementation with dietary luteolin (LU)-enriched artichoke leaf (AR) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and its complications in C57BL/6N mice.

Selected mice were fed a normal diet, an HFD, or an HFD plus AR or LU for 16 weeks.

In the HFD-fed mice, application of AR decreased the adiposity and dyslipidemia by decreasing lipogenesis.

Moreover, AR +LU prevented insulin sensitivity by decreasing the level of plasma gastric inhibitory polypeptide and activity of hepatic glucogenic enzymes and the proteins associated with liver inflammation,

Additional analysis of the effect of AR and LU suggested, although the anti-metabolic syndrome effects of AR and LU were similar, the anti-adiposity and anti-dyslipidemic effects of AR were more pronounced.

The findings strongly support the use of artichoke for the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

In order to know more information of artichoke anti-metabolic syndrome activity, researchers evaluated the protective effect of the ethanol leaves extract of C. scolymus in alloxan induced stress oxidant, hepatic-kidney dysfunction and histological changes in liver, kidney, and pancreas of different experimental groups of rats.

The total of 40 male Wistar rats included in the study were induced to diabetes with a single dose intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)), then the diabetic rats were orally and daily administrated of ethanol extract from C. scolymus at two doses (200-400 mg/kg, b.w) or (12 mg/kg, b.w) with anti-diabetic reference drug, Acarbose for one month.

In vivo, injection of the ethanol extracts from the leaves of C. scolymus (200-400 mg/kg) decreased significantly, the α-amylase levels in serum of diabetic rats associated with a significant reduction in blood glucose rate of 42,84% and 37,91% after 28 days of treatment.

The extracts also induced a significant lowered of plasma total cholesterol (T-Ch) by 18,11% and triglyceride (TG) by 60,47%, low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C) by 37,77%, compared to diabetic rats.

Oxidative stress markers in the liver, kidney, and pancreas also were reduced by the injection of the extracts.

The findings suggested the anti-metabolic syndrome of artichoke was attributed to its anti-hyperglycemic properties, at least partly mediated by antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects

Taken altogether, artichoke may be considered a functional remedy for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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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) Luteolin-Enriched Artichoke Leaf Extract Alleviates the Metabolic Syndrome in Mice with High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity by Kwon EY1,2, Kim SY3, Choi MS. (PubMed)
(2) Protective effects of Cynara scolymus leaves extract on metabolic disorders and oxidative stress in alloxan-diabetic rats by Ben Salem M1, Ben Abdallah Kolsi R2, Dhouibi R1, Ksouda K1, Charfi S3, Yaich M4, Hammami S1, Sahnoun Z1, Zeghal KM1, Jamoussi K4, Affes H. (PubMed)
(3) Obesity and the metabolic syndrome by Keller KB1, Lemberg L. (PubMed)

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Ginger, the Potential Anti Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthmatic Patients

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a pungent spice for the treatment of airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic patients, according to the studies.

Airway hyperresponsiveness is a hallmark of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by the exaggerated response of the airways to nonspecific stimuli.

Asthma is respiratory disease associated caused by the spasms in the bronchi of the lungs, leading to symptoms of difficulty in breathing. In other words, asthma is a disease as the results from an allergic reaction or other forms of hypersensitivity.

Asthma attacks can be dangerous, if not treated immediately. In an asthma attack, the airways become swollen and inflamed, leading to overproduction of mucus, that causes the narrowing of the airway.

According to the statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in the US, or more than 26 million people have asthma, with 8.3 percent of adults and 8.3 percent of children.

The exact cause of asthma is not known. But exposure to various irritants and substances that trigger allergies (allergens), including airborne substances, such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander are most common prevalent risk factors.

Some researchers suggested that widespread obesity may be correlated to the rise of asthmatic cases over the past few decades.

Dr. Sveta Mohanan and colleagues in examing the pathophysiology and implications of obesity and asthma in primary care centers wrote, "Mainstream clinical practice has yet to adopt aggressive management of obesity as a modifiable risk factor in asthma care, as is the case with a risk factor like tobacco or allergen exposure".

And, "Our review suggests that evidence of chronic inflammatory response linking obesity and asthma indicates a need to address obesity during asthma management, possibly using patient-centered approaches such as shared decision making".

The findings strongly indicated a link between obesity and the risk of asthma.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or ginger root, the second superfood used for thousands of years by mankind, is the genus Zingiber, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to Tamil.

The root has been used in traditional and Chinese medicine for the treatment of dyspepsia, gastroparesis, constipation, edema, difficult urination, colic, etc.

Researchers on finding a natural compound for the treatment of respiratory infection with no side effects evaluated the ginger activity on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation.

In isolated human ASM, researchers found that ginger caused significant and rapid relaxation.

In both guinea pig and human tracheas, injection of [6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol induced rapid relaxation of precontracted ASM (100–300 μM) compared to [10]-gingerol failure in the induction of relaxation.

In human ASM cells, exposure to [6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol, blunted subsequent Ca2+ responses to bradykinin (10 μM) and S-(−)-Bay K 8644 (10 μM) associated with the reuptake in airway smooth muscle compared to no response of the [10]-gingerol at a concentration of 100 μM.

Futhermore, in A/J mice, the nebulization of [8]-gingerol (100 μM), 15 minutes before methacholine challenge, significantly attenuated airway resistance, compared with vehicle.

These results suggested that not all compounds from ginger experts a respiratory protective effect through inducing airway smooth muscle relaxation, thus decreasing the symptoms of asthma.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Townsend, the lead scientists said, "these novel data show that ginger and its isolated active components, [6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol, relax ASM, and [8]-gingerol attenuates airway hyperresponsiveness, in part by altering [Ca2+] I regulation".

In order to reveal more information about ginger relaxed airway smooth muscle (ASM) activity, researchers examined the 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, or 6-shogaol bioactive compounds found in ginger potentiate β-agonist-induced ASM relaxation.

In human ASM, the airway issues were relaxed dose-dependently with β-agonist, isoproterenol, in the presence of vehicles, 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, or 6-shogaol (100 μM).

A Significant potentiation of isoproterenol-induced relaxation was observed with each of the ginger constituents. 6-Shogaol showed the largest shift in isoproterenol half-maximal effective concentration.

6-Gingerol, 8-gingerol, or 6-shogaol significantly inhibited PDE4D involved smooth muscle contractility, whereas 8-gingerol and 6-shogaol also inhibited phospholipase C β activity also involved constriction of smooth muscle.

The findings strongly suggested that Isolated components of ginger potentiate βagonist-induced relaxation in human ASM.

Taken altogether, ginger processed a number of bioactive compounds may be considered a functional remedy for the prevention and combined with primary therapy for the treatment of asthmatic symptoms through attenuating air hyperresponsiveness.

1 Matthew E. Siviski,1 Yi Zhang,1 Carrie Xu,1 Bhupinder Hoonjan,2 andCharles W. Emala. (PMC)
(2) Active components of ginger potentiate β-agonist-induced relaxation of airway smooth muscle by modulating cytoskeletal regulatory proteins by Townsend EA1, Zhang Y, Xu C, Wakita R, Emala CW. (PubMed)
(3) Obesity and asthma: Pathophysiology and implications for diagnosis and management in primary care. by Sveta Mohanan, Hazel Tapp, Andrew McWilliams, and Michael Dulin. (PubMed)

Ginger Kills Retinoblastoma Cancer Cells

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have a pungent spice which processes a potential to treat retinoblastoma, according to studies.

Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare form of cancer rapidly developed due to the production of the immature cells of a retina. Retina, composed many layers, is the sensory membrane that lines the inner surface of the back of the eyeball. Most cases of retinoblastoma (Rb) are found in young children.

According to the statistics, provided by the American Cancer Society, approximately 200 to 300 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma each year in the United States. The average age of children affected by retinoblastoma is 2. The disease rarely occurs in children older than 6.

Retinoblastoma diagnosed at the early stage is curable. However, the advanced form of retinoblastoma can be life-threatening.

Epidemiological studies suggested that age and genetic preposition are the 2 most common risk factors associated with the onset of retinoblastoma.

Some researchers suggested that children inherited gene Rb may be associated with the risk of retinoblastoma development.

Dr. Jun Yun and colleagues in examing the epidemiology and Rb1 gene of retinoblastoma said, "Retinoblastoma (Rb) is the most common eye cancer in children and it can be inherited".

And, "In children with the heritable genetic form of Rb, there is a mutation on chromosome 13, called the retinoblastoma 1 (Rb1) gene. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical to the successful treatment of the Rb."

The results strongly suggested that the mutation gene Rb1prevents the protein to carry the function as a negative regulator of the cell cycle, leading to the unbalance between cell growth and development, a major cause of retinoblastoma.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or ginger root, the second superfood used for thousands of years by mankind, is the genus Zingiber, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to Tamil.

The root has been used in traditional and Chinese medicine for the treatment of dyspepsia, gastroparesis, constipation, edema, difficult urination, colic, etc.

Scientists may have found a natural ingredient for the treatment of retinoblastoma with no side effects by examing the gingerol anti-cancer activity on retinoblastoma cancer cells (RB355 Cell Line).

Application of gingerol exerted dose-dependent and time-dependent growth inhibitory effects against the retinoblastoma cells.

The growth inhibitory effects of gingerol were less pronounced against normal fr2 cells. In other words, ginger application inhibited the growth of retinoblastoma cells without affecting the normal epithelial fr2 cells.

Compared to the untreated control cells, gingerol-treated cells at concentrations of 25, 75, and 150 μM had drastic changes in cell morphology, including rounding and withering of cells, with disorganized cell layers, the indications of rupture of the cell membrane and cellular damage.

Furthermore, untreated cells showed normal green fluorescence and gingerol-treated cells showed yellow/red fluorescence captured and classified by the image test.

Moreover, gingerol also displayed an inhibitory activity at a dose-dependent in the G2/M phase cell cycle arrest on RB355 retinoblastoma cells.

In-depth analysis, researchers found that the kitchen spice at concentration-dependent also inhibits the protein expressions involved in cellular functions such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, motility, survival, and intracellular trafficking,

Dr. Bo Meng and colleagues wrote in the final report, "Gingerol exhibits potent anticancer effects in RB355 human retinoblastoma cancer cells and these effects were mediated via apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, and modulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway".

Where PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is an intracellular signaling pathway associated with the cell division cycle.

Taken altogether, ginger processed abundantly bioactive compound gingerol may be considered a functional remedy for the prevention and combined with primary medicine for the treatment of retinoblastoma, pending to the confirmation of large sample size and multicenter human study.

1,A,C,G. (PMC)
(2) Epidemiology and Rb1 gene of retinoblastoma by Jun Yun,1 Yang Li,2 Chang-Tai Xu,3 and Bo-Rong Pan. (PMC)

Ginger, the Best Neuroprotective Functional Remedy

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a pungent spice which processes a potential for the treatment of neurological diseases, according to studies.

Neurological diseases are medical conditions associated with the brain, spinal core, and the nerves of the central nervous system.

Depending on the location of the damage, people with neurological disease may experience symptoms that affect the moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing, or learning.

There are over 600 types of neurological diseases. However, according to the World Health Organization, migraines and Alzheimer’s disease are the 2 most common types of neurological diseases, affecting 326 million and 24 millions worldwide population respectively.

Most common risk factors that cause the onset of the medical condition include genetic preposition, environmental influences, and physical injuries.

Some researchers suggested that an unhealthy lifestyle are the major causes of neurological diseases in North American.

Dr. Null G in examing the lifestyle choice and chronic diseases wrote, "an intervention of diet and lifestyle, including a vegan diet, fruit, and vegetable juices, nutritional supplements, regular exercise, and distressing techniques, would affect 27 subjects with anxiety, depression, poor memory, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, history of stroke, or multiple sclerosis. Several subjects had overlapping conditions".

Therefore, it is clear to all people that following a healthy diet with a high amount of fruits, and vegetables and moderated exercise are the best to reduce the risk of neurological disorder.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or ginger root, the second superfood used for thousands of years by mankind, is the genus Zingiber, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to Tamil.

The root has been used in traditional and Chinese medicine for the treatment dyspepsia, gastroparesis, constipation, edema, difficult urination, colic, etc.

Researchers on finding a natural compound with less cost for the treatment of neurological diseases examined the neuroprotective and memory enhancing effect of [6]-gingerol (GIN), a pungent ingredient of ginger, in an animal model of amnesia.

In cognitive dysfunction C57BL/6 mice induced by the injection of scopolamine (SCO, 1 mg/kg, i.p.), tested mice demonstrated a behavior changes and memory impairments, such as decreased alteration (%).

According to the assay observed after infection of SCO, tested mice also displayed an increased mean escape latency in water maze test, diminished step-through latency in passive avoidance test, and shortened the freezing time in fear condition test,

Application of 6-gingerol at 10 or 25 mg/kg/day not only exerted a clinical statistic in restoring all the changes induced by SCO but also improved the function of neuroactivity.

The results were attributed to the 6-gingerol neuroprotective mechanism in focusing on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), involved the canonical nerve growth factor.

Dr. the lead scientist said, "GIN may have preventive and/or therapeutic potentials in the management of memory deficit and cognitive impairment in mice with amnesia".

In order to reveal more information about ginger neuroprotective effects, researchers investigated the role of 6-gingerol on inhibiting amyloid β protein-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.

Ginger reversed the behavioral dysfunction and prevented Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like symptoms induced by the amyloid-β protein (Aβ) in a rat model.

Pre-treatment with 6-gingerol significantly increased cell viability and reduced cell apoptosis in Aβ1–42-treated cells.

Furthermore, pretreatment of 6-gingerol not only markedly reduced the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), but also inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokine and leakage of enzymes involved turning sugar into energy and high low-density lipoprotein LDH.

Moreover, 6-gingerol also improved the production of antioxidant enzymes produced by the host such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity compared with the Aβ1–42 treatment group.

These findings strongly suggested that 6-gingerol exhibited protective effects on neuron apoptosis induced by Aβ1–42 in cultured PC12 cells by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses and mutated gene expression involved neuronal cell development and enhanced protein functions on the association of cellular process.

Taken altogether, ginger processed abundantly 6-gingerol may be considered a neuroprotective functional remedym, pending to the confirmation of large sample size and multicenterr human study.

1,* Shao-hui Zong,2,* Zhi-yong Zhang,1 Song-wen Fu,1 Ke-ke Li,3 Ye Fang,3Li Lu,1 and De-qiang Xiao. (PMC)
(3) Nutrition and Lifestyle Intervention on Mood and Neurological Disorders by Null G1, Pennesi L2, Feldman M. (PubMed)

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Honey, the Natural Ingredient that Normalizes Your Blood Pressure with No Side Effects, According to Human Studies

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a natural alternative for the treatment of hypertension, according to studies.

Hypertension is a condition of abnormally high blood pressure. It is a member of the cluster conditions associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood.

According to the statistics provided by the American Heart Association, approximately, 103 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure, or 1 in 2 adults in the US have the syndrome.

Bad eating habit, unhealthy lifestyle and certain medical conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea are some of the risk factors of high blood pressure.

However, some researchers suggested that the prevalence of obesity over past few decades may have a strong impact on the increased high blood pressure risk in the US.

Dr. Shu-Zhong Jiang and colleagues in examining the obesity and the high blood pressure risk wrote, "Obesity is a major risk for essential hypertension, diabetes and other morbidity that contribute to the development of kidney disease because it mainly increases tubular reabsorption to impair pressure natriuresis and cause volume expansion,...".

And, "Additionally, obesity causes cardiovascular and renal diseases through several mechanisms including hypertension, hyperglycemia, inflammation, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis, which are disorders that can coexist, particularly in the presence of excess visceral fat to cause metabolic syndrome () and are characterized by alteration in fat metabolism through lipid accumulation".

The results strongly suggested that obesity not only is associated with hypertension but also is the major contributor to the risk of other chronic diseases.

Honey is the miraculous product made by bees using nectar from flowers.

The rich golden liquid It is considered one of healthy sweet food for replacing the use of white sugar and artificial sweetener by many people.

Researchers on finding a herbal remedy for the treatment of hypertension with no side effects examined the honey effect on blood pressure and heart rate.

The study included 50 in healthy male subjects, who were given 20 ml of honey to consume and their systolic SBP, DBP and HR were measured at different intervals; 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the intake of honey.

Honey treatment significantly (p = 0.05) decreased SBP from 117.80±0.88 to 110.20±2.14 after 15 minutes of honey intake.

The blood pressure of the honey treatment was maintained as the reading after 30 minutes of honey consumption was 111.33±2.14, and 60 minutes of honey intake was 110.4±2.08.

The findings clearly suggested that honey has a short-term effect in reducing blood pressure in healthy individuals.

In order to reveal more information about honey anti-high blood pressure activity, researchers investigated the honey effect on blood pressure and heart rate in healthy male and female.

The study included 100 healthy male and female participants who were given 20ml honey orally administered. The basal systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) before injection of honey were taken as the control values.

Diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured at 15, 30, 60 minutes with a digital sphygmomanometer and analog sphygmomanometer as a check.

The results showed that mean SBP decreased significantly in female compared to male at control, after 15, 30 and 60 minutes of oral administration of 20ml of honey.

DBP decreased significantly in female compared to male at control, after 15 minutes and 60 minutes of oral administration of 20ml of honey and HR decreased (p=.05) significantly.

The results indicated that honey has a strong effect in reducing the blood pressure in female compared to the male counterpart, probably due to hormone expression.

Taken altogether, honey may be considered a function remedy for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, particularly in the female, pending to the confirmation of large sample size and multicenter human study.

(2) Comparative Study of Effect of Honey on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Male and Female Subjects Aluko Esther Olusola1*, Olubobokun Titilope Helen1 , I. Bassey Enobong2 and Atang Dara Ezekiel. (British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research)
(3) Obesity and hypertension by Shu-Zhong Jiang, Wen Lu, Xue-Feng Zong, Hong-Yun Ruan, and Yi Liu. (PMC)

Honey, the Heart Friendly Natural Remedy

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a natural alternative for the treatment of heart disease, according to studies.

Heart diseases are a medical condition associated with any disruption of blood vessels and heart function.

There are 5 types of heart diseases, including
* Heart disease affected by the arteries to the heart, such as coronary artery heart disease
* heart disease affected by heart valves function in regulating blood flow such as valvular heart disease
* heart disease affected the electrical conduction such as arrhythmias
* Heart disease affected by heart muscles such as cardiomyopathy
and * Congenital heart disease caused by heart defect at birth

According to the statistics, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, approximately 610,000 people die of heart disease every year.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) kills over 370,000 people annually.

Most common heart disease in North America is CHD, the type of heart disease caused by plaque buildup on artery walls, leading to narrow, thickens and stiffens arteries. Some researchers suggested that the causes of plaque build up on the arterial wall were the results of several factors including an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking.

Dr. Sonia S. Anand and colleagues in examing the risk of heart disease associated with poor diet wrote, "Based on the current evidence, the optimal dietary pattern to reduce CVD is one that emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, and moderate dairy and heart-healthy vegetable oil intake; this pattern will likely reduce the CVD risk by about a third".

And, "This healthy dietary pattern needs also to be low in refined grains, added sugars, trans-fats, SSBs, and red and processed meats. The traditional Mediterranean-type diet provides a well-tested prototype for this healthy dietary pattern".

Researchers not only mentioned that the Western diet pattern associated with the risk of CVD indirectly but also suggested that the diet pattern including the intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, and moderate dairy and heart-healthy vegetable oil in reducing the risk of CVD.

According to the epidemiological studies, regular intake of phenolic compounds is associated with reducing the risk of heart diseases.

Honey exerted coronary heart disease protective effects by the expression of phenolic compounds through several mechanisms, including mainly antithrombotic, anti-ischemic, anti-oxidant, and vasorelaxant effects.

Furthermore, the effect of flavonoids found in honey decreased the risk of coronary heart disease by improving coronary vasodilatation, decreasing the ability of platelets in the blood to clot, and preventing low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) from oxidization.

The results clearly suggested the preventive role of polyphenols of honey against the onset of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

In order to reveal more information about the honey cardioprotective activity, researchers examined the honey effects on blood sugar, body weight, lipid profile, C-reactive protein, nitric oxide, proinflammatory prostaglandins, and homocysteine.

By examing the growing evidence and scientific data, researchers found honey not only demonstrates in the treatment of diabetes, HTN, dyslipidemia, obesity but also has a potential effect against CVD.

Taken altogether, honey may be considered a function remedy for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, pending to the confirmation of large sample size and multicenter human study.

and S A Sulaiman. (PubMed)
(2) Honey and cardiovascular risk factors, in normal individuals and in patients with diabetes mellitus or dyslipidemia by Al-Waili N1, Salom K, Al-Ghamdi A, Ansari MJ, Al-Waili A, Al-Waili T. (PubMed)
(3) Food Consumption and its impact on Cardiovascular Disease: Importance of Solutions focused on the globalized food system. A Report from the Workshop convened by the World Heart Federation by Sonia S. Anand,1,2,* Corinna Hawkes,3,* Russell J. de Souza,4 Andrew Mente,2Mahshid Dehghan,2 Rachel Nugent,5 Michael A. Zulyniak,1 Tony Weis,6 Adam M. Bernstein,7Ronald Krauss,8 Daan Kromhout,9 David J.A. Jenkins,10,11 Vasanti Malik,12Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez,13 Dariush Mozafarrian,14 Salim Yusuf,2 Walter C. Willett,12 andBarry M Popkin. (PMC)

Honey Prevents and Relieves Hangover, Scientists Reveal

By Kyle J. Norton

The traditional medicine suggested that intake of one spoonful honey before and after a drinking party may prevent a hangover.

According to Dr. Zhou, the scientist in the field of TCM, honey processed a cooling, hydrating and revitalizing properties and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for purifying stimulant and a tonic against dizziness and hangover-upset stomachs.

Hangover is unpleasant physiological and psychological effects caused by the (over) consumption of alcohol, according to studies.

Most common symptoms of a hangover include a headache, drowsiness, concentration problems, dizziness, fatigue, and gastrointestinal discomforts.

The exact causes of a hangover are unknown. The most common factor associated with a hangover is the accumulation of acetaldehyde, a highly toxic substance.

The conversion of acetaldehyde is a chemical process as a result of enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) which metabolizes the alcohol intake to acetaldehyde.

Depending on the individual variations in alcohol metabolism, some people may experience worse hangover symptoms than others.

Hangover symptoms are affected by alcohol tolerance which is measured by the bodily responses to the functional effects of ethanol in alcoholic beverages.

CYP2E1, one of the genes has been linked with alcohol tolerance. However, people with high alcohol tolerance are also more likely to develop alcoholism.

Dr. Claire Heit,, the lead scientist in the evaluation of the role of CYP2E1 in alcohol metabolism wrote, "Acetaldehyde (the direct metabolite of ethanol oxidation) contributes to many aspects of the behavioral effects of ethanol. Given acetaldehyde cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, its concentration in the CNS is primarily determined by local production from ethanol".

And, "Catalase and cytochrome P450 2E1(CYP2E1) represent the major enzymes in the CNS that catalyze ethanol oxidation. CYP2E1 is expressed abundantly within the microsomes of certain brain cells and is localized to particular brain regions".

Honey, the rich golden liquid is the miraculous product made by bees using nectar from flowers.

The liquid is considered one of healthy sweet food for replacing the use of white sugar and artificial sweetener by many people.

Scientists on finding a natural and potential compound for hangover relief examined the traditional medicine use of honey for preventing drunkenness and relieving hangover symptoms.

Intoxicated male mice selected to the study were assigned randomly either to low or high doses of lychee flower honey (2.19 or 4.39 g/kg body weight, respectively) that were single orally administrated 30 min before the ethanol intoxication of mice, followed by recording the locomotor activity by autonomic activity instrument and observing the climbing ability after alcohol or 2.19 g/kg honey that was single orally administrated 5 min after the ethanol intoxication of mice, followed by determining the ethanol concentration in mice blood.

Both doses of honey increased the autonomic activity of alcoholized mice.

Futhermore, intoxicated mice treated with 2.19 g/kg honey showed a decrease significantly of the blood ethanol concentration.

Additional differentiation suggested that The anti-intoxication activity of honey is attributed to the effect of the fructose contained in the honey.

Interestingly, honey inhibited hangover symptoms without affecting the levels of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes produced by the host.

The results showed that honey processed a direct anti-hangover activity in a dose time-dependent manner.

Taken altogether, honey may be considered a functional remedy to relieve hangover symptoms caused by alcoholic intoxication, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.