A UK study has found consuming broccoli can reverse damage caused to the heart blood vessels of diabetics due to the presence of a sulphur compound known as Sulforaphane. Researchers from the University of Warwick concluded the compound could function as a “dietary activator”, and thereby “prevent biochemical dysfunction and related functional responses of endothelial cells induced by hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar)”.  Endothelial cells form a thin layer on blood vessel walls and these cells actively respond to changes in blood flow allowing blood vessels to open up or dilate; this helps prevent blood vessel damage, hardening of the arteries, and high blood pressure.

     People who use monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than people who don’t use it to be overweight or obese even though they have the same amount of physical activity and total calorie intake, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health study published this month in the journal Obesity.      Researchers at UNC and in China studied more than 750 Chinese men and women, aged between 40 and 59, in three rural villages in north and south China. The majority of study participants prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods.

     Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become a major public health problem around the world due to its increasing prevalence, long duration, caregiver burden, and high financial cost of care. Acetyl-choline is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial part in learning and memory. The degeneration of acetylcholine-containing neurons in the forebrain has been implicated in the symptoms of AD.

     Harvard researchers report their finding of a lower nonfatal heart attack risk associated with increased blood plasma levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and, DPA, an intermediary between EPA and DHA.      The researchers utilized data from 32,826 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study between 1989 and 1990. Dietary questionnaires were filled in to estimate intake and blood samples were analyzed for omega-3 fatty acids EPA, DHA, DPA, and ALA levels in plasma and red blood cells.

     An enriched extract of the herb Boswellia serrata has been proven to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis and that patients taking the herbal remedy showed significant improvement in as little as seven days.      Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis; it commonly affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips, along with the hands, wrists, feet and spine. The symptoms include pain, stiffness and limited movement.