Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that the amino acid glutamine could help heal the damage caused by H. Pylori, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and many cases of stomach cancer. In previous research, Susan Hagen, PhD discovered that glutamine prevented the death of cultured stomach cells caused by ammonia generated by the bacterium H.

Low or deficient levels of Vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 52% according to a new study. The study of 3,262 Chinese people aged between 50 to 70 showed that 94% were vitamin D deficient or insufficient, and 42% of these people also had metabolic syndrome. “Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a condition that is causing a large burden of disease across the globe with particular deleterious impact among the elderly,” said researcher Dr Oscar Franco from Warwick Medical School in England.

Supplementing with magnesium may reduce pressure in people with high blood pressure that already have normal magnesium levels. On the other hand, the supplements had no effect on the blood pressure measurements of individuals with normal blood pressure. The study adds to findings from epidemiological studies which reported that more magnesium, potassium and calcium may reduce the risk of hypertension in certain populations.

Researchers at Tufts University in Boston show that several nutrients combined with a low glycemic index diet have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness among older adults in western nations, and is characterized by the accumulation of drusen in the eye’s macula, which can lead to a loss of central vision. For the current research Chung-Jung Chiu, PhD of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and colleagues analyzed data from 4,003 participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

People with cancer can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea 40% by using ginger supplements, along with standard anti-vomiting drugs, before undergoing treatment, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. About 70% of cancer patients in chemotherapy complain of nausea and vomiting. “There are effective drugs to control vomiting, but the nausea is often worse because it lingers,” said lead author Julie L.