Recent researches on apple juice

Apples are a widely consumed, rich source of phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes.

Cloudy, less processed apple juice contains up to four times the antioxidants found in highly processed, clear apple juice, according to a new Polish study appearing in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

The researchers made both cloudy and clear juice from the apples -- Champion and Idared varieties  and then tested for levels of plant antioxidants called polyphenols. Oszmianski and colleagues found that the cloudy juice contained as much as four times the antioxidants as the clear juice.

The new study suggests that eating and drinking apple juice, can protect the brain from the effects of oxidative stress – and therefore antioxidant-rich foods should be eaten regularly, according to Thomas B. Shea, PhD from University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research, whose study was just published in the latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Based on these epidemiological studies, it shows that apples may play a large role in reducing the risk of a wide variety of chronic disease and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general.

Apples were most consistently related with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type II diabetes when compared to other fruits and vegetables and other sources of flavonoids. Apple consumption was also positively associated with increased lung function and increased weight loss (Nutrition Journal 2004, 3:5)
Recent researches on apple juice

Coffee and cancer

Coffee is widely consumed worldwide, and is substantial evidence from both laboratory and animal studies suggest its ability to reduce the risk of cancer.

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases. The carcinogenic potential of coffee has been investigated in several long term animal bioassays.

Studies suggest those who enjoy a cup of coffee every day or nearly daily have a lower risk for liver cancer than those who rarely sip a cup.

Feeding high levels of coffee as part of the diet did not produce tumors in either rats or mice (Nehling & Debry 1996).

On the contrary, some studies reported that instant coffee resulted in a decreased incidence of spontaneous tumors (Stadler 1990). The presence of antioxidants in coffee can explain the anticancer property of the beverage, but there are other compounds which might be involved.

According to the scientists, caffeine and caffeic acid, major coffee constituents have been shown to suppress mammary tumor formation in animal models and to inhibit DNA methylation in human breast cancer cells, respectively.

Coffee may also reduce risk through decreasing inflammation and influencing estrogen metabolism.

Research by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina reported that cafestol and kahweol, which are naturally occurring diterpenes in coffee, have proved to have anti-carcinogenic properties.
Coffee and cancer

Coffee consumption and Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive, movement disorder generally accepted as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer disease.

Caffeine seems to have a protective result against Parkinson’s disease. 8004 Japanese American men who age were 45 – 68 years were enrolled in Longitudinal Honolulu Heart Program study between 1965 and 1968 by amount of coffee intake and by total dietary caffeine intake.

The findings indicated that higher coffee and caffeine intake was associated with a significantly lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease. The data suggested that the mechanism was related to caffeine intake and not to other nutrients contained in coffee.

An inverse association of both coffee and caffeine consumption and Parkinson’s disease has been reported in many case control and cohort studies.

A 22 year prospective study of 6710 Finnish men and women, age 50-79 at the outset of the study reported that those consuming 10 or more cups of coffee per day had a relative risk of 0.26 of developing Parkinson’s disease relative to those who did not drink coffee (Eur J Clin Nutr 2007).

The interaction of caffeine with the adenosine receptors on regular basis seems to provide protection to the brain cells from neurodegenerative disease, promoting long term health of the central nervous system. This effect of coffee is most dramatic in the case of Parkinson’s disease.
Coffee consumption and Parkinson’s disease

Drinking Tea

Human beings have a long history of tea plant cultivation and tea drinking. Drinking tea is a daily ritual for million of people. Tea seems to dispel the heat and bring of instant cooling, together with a sense of relaxation.

Addition to this pleasure, tea also provides a number of health benefits.

Research has shown that drinking tea is possibly more beneficial to the body, while it puts liquid into the body tea also is loaded with antioxidants. Water of course does not have antioxidants to add to its replenishment of the body.

British studies have shown that for women tea drinking will help strengthen bones and prevents his fractures.

Some of the research that has been done with tea and its antioxidants have given some proof that it may help to guard against certain types of cancer, weight loss and it may even help protect against the onset of Alzheimer's, along with other diseases.

Antioxidants bond harmful oxygen-containing molecules in the body called free radicals and peroxides that otherwise could damage DNA, cell membranes, and other cell components.

In addition to this, various research studies appear to indicate that tea may even reduce the relative risk for diabetes as well as improve insulin sensitivity.

Tea catechins lower blood sugar levels by inhibiting the action of amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starches such as carbohydrates and coverts them into glucose.

There is research on tea and its possibility of lowering the incidence of skin cancers plus the ability to aid smokers in recovering and repairing damaged cell structure. The result of epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in men and women by up to 60%.

Another wonderful benefit from drinking tea is it is rich in natural fluoride and prevent tooth decay. It is important to avoid using sugar in tea for this benefits to be maximized. Tea catechins prevent growth of bacteria that also cause tooth decay and the formation of plaque.

The Ancient Chinese and Tibetans may not have had out modern scientific and medical instruments, but they have a long tradition of health and healing knowledge that we can learn from even today.

There has also been research done into the types of antioxidants in black tea and green tea, while they both have antioxidants they are different types of antioxidants and are equally healthy for the body and guarding against disease.
Drinking Tea

Coffee as a Healthy Drink

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Over 500 billion cups are consumed annually. Coffee is currently grown in over fifty countries and is second only to petroleum in global trade activity and value.

Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink. Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, coronary heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

It also reducing the risk of several cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.

Habitual coffee consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Coffee contains antioxidants that help control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease.

Larger quantities of coffee seem to be especially helpful in diabetes prevention. In a report that combined statistical data from many studies, researchers found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day had a 28 percent reduced risk compared with people who drank two or fewer. Those who drank more than six had a 35 percent risk reduction.

There was study in Amsterdam that components in coffee seem to help the body metabolize sugar, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes, which affects 130 million people worldwide.

Some studies show that cardiovascular risk also decreases with coffee consumption. Using data on more than 27,000 women ages 55 to 69 in the Iowa Women’s Health Study who were followed for 15 years, Norwegian researchers found that women who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent compared with those drinking no coffee at all.

The antioxidants found in coffee have been found to inhibit inflammation and thereby reduce risk of cardiovascular and other inflammatory disease in post menopausal women.

The most protective effect was found at a dose of 1 to 3 cup of coffee per day.

In males, consumption of 8 or more cups of coffee a day reduce d the risk of cerebral infraction (stoke) when compared to non coffee drinkers.

In another analysis, published in July in the same journal, researchers found that a typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges.

A study published in January in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, for example, suggests that the amount of caffeine in two cups of coffee significantly decreases blood flow to the heart, particularly during exercise at high altitude.

Researches caution that coffee is not for everyone and that people with hypertension, children, elders and pregnant women are most susceptible to adverse affects.
Coffee as a Healthy Drink