An increased consumption of flavonoid-rich cocoa and soy isolated protein may decrease blood pressure and improve heart health, and drinking Green Tea improves cholesterol but other flavonoids in food sources are not as effective, according to a new meta-analysis. There is a wealth of studies reporting beneficial effects for the compounds from chocolate, soy and tea reports lead author Lee Hooper from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.      Hooper and co-workers included 133 trials in their meta-analysis.

 A combination of fish oils, red yeast rice and other lifestyle changes reduced cholesterol levels by the same amount as a daily statin pill, according to new research. Levels of LDL-cholesterol were reduced by 42.4 per cent following consumption of the fish oil and red yeast rice combination, compared to reductions of 39.6 per cent in the statin group, according to results of a randomized trial published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "These results are intriguing and show a potential benefit of an alternative, or naturopathic, approach to a common medical condition," said David Becker, MD, from the University of Pennsylvania Health System.         Becker and co-workers recruited 74 people with hypercholesterolemia and randomly assigned them to receive a daily statin dose of 40mg a day of simvastatin or the fish oil (EPA 2106 mg/d, DHA 1680 mg/d) and red yeast rice.

     Research conducted by Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Pathology David Sinclair, PhD and colleagues confirms that the compound Resveratrol given to mice at middle-age reduces some of the degenerative conditions of aging and improves health in a manner similar to that of caloric restriction. Dietary restriction is a well-studied research technique which has shown consistent benefits in health and longevity in a variety of experimental models using animals as advanced as chimps. "In this study, we wanted to determine whether or not Resveratrol, which imparts many of the same health benefits as caloric restriction in mice, does so by inducing a physiology similar to dietary restriction," Dr Sinclair commented.

Lycopene is the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color. Lycopene supplements may be as effective as statins in reducing the formation of plaques in the arteries that cause atherosclerosis according to the results of a newly published study using rabbits. The role of lycopene in heart health and in reducing the risk of certain cancers is supported by a body of research.

A few cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease, Greek researchers said on Wednesday. The study shows further evidence of the potential health benefits from a brew already linked to a reduced risk of a range of cancers and other conditions.      Specifically, the study showed that green tea improves blood flow and the ability of arteries to relax, said Charalambos Vlachopoulos, a cardiologist at the Athens Medical School in Greece who worked on the study.