New study supports EGCGs, green tea's major polyphenol, ability to aid weight loss

Preadipocytes eventually mature into full blown adipocytes (fat cells). In this study EGCG inhibited the maturing of preadipocytes to fat cells by inhibiting an enzyme in the fat cell called Cdk2. Inhibiting this enzyme prevents the cell from progressing into a mature adipocyte that can swell by absorbing fat (this in turn makes you wider and heavier) and also inhibits the formation of additional fat cells. The study is published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine improves neuropathy caused by anticancer drugs

Cancer chemotherapy drugs commonly cause immune system suppression and kidney toxicity. The are also toxic to nerve tissue and commonly cause nerve damage (neuropathy). Nerve damage commonly causes discontinuation of these drugs or a decrease in dosage preventing the full therapeutic effect on the tumor. In this study, 27 patients with chemotherapy induced nerve damage caused by either paclitaxel and/or cisplatin were treated with intravenous Acetyl-L-Carnitine daily for 14 days on average. There was significant improvement of nerve damage in 73% of the patients. The study was performed at Bellaria Hospital in Bologna and is published in the March-April issue of the Italian oncology journal Tumori.

Both Acetyl-L-Carnitine and NAC prevented hearing damage caused by loude-repetitive noise

The cochlea in the ear converts vibrations into nerve impulses, that the brain then converts to sounds. In this study, laboratory animals had their hearing damaged by loud noise impulses (150 decibels for 150 repetitions). Acetyl-L-Carnitine was supplemented to one group of animals twice a day for two days before exposure to noise, and again one hour before, and one hour after noise exposure, and again twice a day for two days after noise exposure, NAC was supplemented the same way to a second group of animals. A third group of animals received inactive placebo the same way. Three weeks later it was found that the hearing in the Acetyl-L-Carnitine group and the NAC group was much better than the placebo group. The health of the cochlea was also much better with fewer damaged hairs needed to pick up vibrations. The study was performed at the Hough Ear Institute in Oklahoma City and is published in the March 2005 issue of the journal Acta Otolaryngolica.