Blueberries have greater antioxidant content than common fruits such as apples, bananas, and more commonly consumed fruits according to Cornell University researchers. They measured the ability of the fruits to protect the cell in a test they developed known as CAA (Cellular Antioxidant Activity); this moves the measure out of the test tube (the ORAC level of protection) and beyond into the realm of the effects in the body. Pomegranates, blackberries, raspberries and cranberries also performed well in the tests that measured cellular antioxidant activity in 25 fruits.

Enjoying a glass or two of red wine daily may slash your risk of developing lung cancer by 60 percent if you’re a male smoker. An antioxidant compound in red wine may be protective of lung cancer, particularly among smokers,” said Chun Chao, Ph.D., a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, California. The study collected information on over 84,000 men aged 45 to 69 years old in California’s healthcare system over the years 2000 to 2006; 210 of them developed lung cancer.

Abdominal obesity or having an "apple-shaped," rather than a "pear-shaped" body at middle-age seems to increase the risk of dementia as you age, California researchers from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, in Oakland report and the link between abdominal obesity and increased dementia risk doesn’t seem to be due to overall body weight and the presence of diabetes or cardiovascular disease; simply put – a big belly in middle-age is linked to dementia as you age. The investigators assessed weight, waist measurements, and other factors, in 6583 men and women who entered the study between 1964 and 1973. Over 36 years of follow-up, 1049 of these men and women developed dementia.

Researchers at the Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences in Japan wanted to evaluate the ability of Green Tea to cut the risk of stroke in humans because research shows that the higher the intake of Green tea the lower the risk of stroke related death. In America stroke is the third greatest cause of dying each year. The scientists compared Green Tea intake with roasted tea leaf intake and the risk of stroke in 6358 Japanese adults (2087 men and 4271 women) aged 40-89 years without a history of stroke or heart disease enrolled in the study from 1998 to 2003.

Scientists at the world-renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm evaluated data on 51,823 postmenopausal women in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. They found that women in the top 25% of Flaxseed Lignan intake reduced their risk of developing estrogen or progesterone (hormone dependent) breast cancer by 17%. Protection was strongest for women using hormone replacement therapy.