Researchers at the Department of Ophthalmology, Centre for Vision Research, at the University of Sydney in Australia note that oxidative stress (we take antioxidants to prevent this) is implicated in the formation of cataracts and that long-term intake of antioxidants may offer protection against cataract production. They investigated relations between antioxidant nutrient intakes measured at baseline (the very start of the study) and the 10-year incidence of age-related cataract.      During the years 1992 through 1994 the researchers recruited 3654 people 49 years of age or older into the study.

  Drinking green tea may help prevent painful kidney stones. A new study shows compounds in green tea extract make it more difficult for certain kidney stones to form. Most kidney stones are a type known as calcium oxalate.

Researchers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington , DC , and the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park , Maryland enrolled a range off patients into the study who were at risk of developing a heart attack or stroke. 279 of the patients had known atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and 38 patients were at major risk of developing atherosclerotic coronary artery disease because they had major risk factors such as diabetes, 26 patients had moderate risk of developing it, and 20 patients who were included had moderate evidence of coronary artery disease found through a cardiac ct scan. All patients were on statin drug therapy to reduce their cholesterol and all had an LDL-level under 100 and an HDL of over 50 for men and 55 for women.

  Welcome to a new villain; Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 is the name or Lp-PLA2 for short. Lp-PLA2 hitches a ride with your LDL-cholesterol and is carried around the body through the circulatory system. Lp-PLA2 causes a buildup of waxy residue in the arteries (hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis) and it also makes the plaque unstable and likely to rupture causing a stroke.