A Grape a Day Keeps the Eye Doctor Away

grapes-449678_960_720While many people enjoy grapes and probably think they are good for your health – it might be surprising to learn just how good for your health they actually are. Researchers at the University of Miami have found that they can actually reduce the risk of going blind later in life.

The researchers found that the fruit protects against a chemical process that is called oxidative stress, something that releases harmful molecules into the retina. As Professor Abigail Hackam of the University of Miami explained,

“Adding grapes to the diet actually preserved retinal health in the presence of oxidative stress in this study.”

The research was published in the journal Nutrition and was based on a study with mice who were either fed freeze-dried whole grape powder or a regular control diet. With the grape enriched diet, both retinal structure and function were preserved.

As the professor explained, “These results are very exciting and build on the growing evidence that suggests a very real benefit for grape consumption and eye health.”

Certainly, many studies have shown the benefits of eating grapes, but none have focused before on eyesight.

Can Coffee Fight Off Multiple Sclerosis?

cappuccino-593256_640A rather strange article recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry shows that large amounts of caffeine just might help you to prevent multiple sclerosis. Two studies were conducted. One from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, looked at 1620 adults with MS and 2788 without the disease. The second study, conducted through Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and the University of California, Berkeley looked at 1159 people with MS in the US and 1172 healthy people.

Everyone was asked about their coffee consumption and how long they had been drinking coffee. The researchers then extrapolated out the coffee intake at and before the start of MS symptoms in those who developed the disease, compared with those who didn’t.

What they found was that the risk of MS was consistently higher among those who drank fewer cups of coffee every day – in both studies. This was even after taking into account other factors. In the Swedish study, they found that those who drank at least 900ml of coffee every day had a 28% to 30% lower risk of MS than did the non-coffee drinkers. In the American study, they found a 26% to 31% lower risk among those who drank more than 948ml daily at least five years prior to the start of symptoms.


As they concluded, “Lower odds of MS with increasing consumption of coffee were observed, regardless of whether coffee consumption at disease onset or five or 10 years prior to disease onset was considered. In accordance with studies in animal models of MS, high consumption of coffee may decrease the risk of developing MS.”

Certainly, more studies are necessary. But, as Dr. Emma Gray, head of clinical trials at the MS Society said, “While more studies are needed in this area, we welcome any research that offers new insights into risk factors for MS.”

5% Weight Loss Can Have a Huge Impact

tape-403591_960_720In a fascinating new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the greatest benefit of weight loss in obese patients apparently comes from losing just 5% of their body weight. Published online on February 22 in the journal Cell Metabolism, they found that this relatively small weight loss lowered patients’ risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease while improving the metabolic function in liver, fat and muscle tissue.

As the principal investigator Samuel Klein, MD, director of Washington University’s Center for Human Nutrition said, “Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with 5 percent weight loss. The current guidelines for treating obesity recommend a 5 to 10 percent weight loss, but losing 5 percent of your body weight is much easier than losing 10 percent. So it may make sense for patients to aim at the easier target.”

The study included asking 40 obese individuals to either maintain their body weight or start a diet to lose 5-15% of their body weight. This is thought to be the first time that a trial has separated weight loss outcomes and distinguished between a 5% loss and a 10% or greater loss.

With the 19 volunteers who lost 5% of their body weight, the function of insulin-secreting beta cells improved, the insulin sensitivity in fat tissues improved, the liver and skeletal muscle tissue improved and there was a decrease in total body fat and less fat in the liver.

For the nine participants who then continued to lose weight until the 15% mark, they had some improvements but not in all areas. Their bet cell function and insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue improved, but neither their insulin sensitivity in the liver or the adipose tissue continued to improve.

What they found from this is that, as Klein explained, “Muscle tissue responds much more to continued weight loss, but liver and adipose tissue have pretty much achieved their maximum benefit at 5 percent weight loss.”

Certainly, more research is needed by the initial findings are quite interesting. Klein would like to also study people who have diabetes.

Obviously, having a healthy weight is important. But it’s interesting to note how much the first 5% of that weight loss can have an impact.

That Book Club Might Save Your Life

library-108544_960_720Interestingly, it might be more important for you to chat about your latest book than to get your body moving, say researchers looking at retirement needs. Scientists have found that maintaining social links in old age may help you to live longer.

Tracking a group of 424 English men and women during their first six years of retirement, the scientists found a six-fold difference in mortality rates between the people who were members of at least two social groups from before their retirement and those who stopped attending clubs. The researchers, from the University of Queensland in Australia published their findings in BMJ Open, a UK medical journal.

As they explained, “Retiring from work constitutes a major life transition that most people experience at some point in the course of their life, posing significant challenges to health and wellbeing.”


They found that the number of social relationships that people maintain during their retirement can have more of an impact on life expectancy than exercise, smoking or drinking.

The overall take-away, as explained by the researchers was that: “Practical interventions should focus on helping retirees to maintain their sense of purpose and belonging by assisting them to connect to groups and communities that are meaningful to them.”

Does Poverty Cause Overeating?

cake-pops-693645_960_720Researchers at the Texas Christian University have found that the amount that we eat when we aren’t hungry as adults is directly linked to our family’s income when we were kids.

As researcher Sarah Hill explained, “Our research suggests that people who grew up in relatively impoverished environments may have a harder time controlling food intake and managing their body weight than those who grew up in wealthier environments.”

Published in the journal Psychological Science, the article explains that the researchers did a number of experiments to come to their conclusion. First, 31 non-obese women each received a bowl of chocolate chip cookies and one of pretzels and were told to sample and rate the products. Then, when they finished their ratings, they were told that they could eat as much as they wanted to while waiting for part two. They were then asked to describe their economic situation growing up. Researchers found that women from poorer backgrounds ate more of the goodies than those who came from wealthier homes.

Two more experiments replicated the findings and leave room to ask more questions about need versus desire and the way that our background forms our impulsivity and needs.

Caffeine Just Might be Good for Your Health

chocolate-183543_960_720Those of you who love coffee will love this news. Scientists have found that regular caffeine consumption doesn’t trigger heart palpitations and that it can actually be good for your heart health.

The scientists at the University of California, San Francisco say that people should enjoy their caffeinated drinks and chocolate. As Dr. Gregory Marcus explained,

“Clinical recommendations advising against the regular consumption of caffeinated products to prevent disturbances of the heart’s cardiac rhythm should be reconsidered, as we may unnecessarily be discouraging consumption of items like chocolate, coffee and tea that might actually have cardiovascular benefits. Given our recent work demonstrating that extra heartbeats can be dangerous, this finding is especially relevant.”

This new study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed coffee, tea and chocolate consumption of 1,388 randomly selected people and excluding those with persistent extra heartbeats. 61% of the participants had more than one caffeinated product a day. The researchers didn’t find any differences in the heart beats of those who had caffeine and those who didn’t; and this was true even with more frequent consumption of these products.

As lead author Shalini Dixit said, “This was the first community-based sample to look at the impact of caffeine on extra heartbeats, as previous studies looked at people with known arrhythmias. Whether acute consumption of these caffeinated products affects extra heartbeats requires further study.”

So for now, drink up and eat chocolate in moderation – and enjoy.