Apples - The Next Superfruit?

A new market survey finds that Americans believe apples should take their place alongside blueberries, cranberries and pomegranates as 21st century superfruit.

The new market survey Apples: The Next Superfruit, prepared by SupermarketGuru.com and The Lempert Report found:

"Shoppers regard apples as one of the top three healthiest fruits and 96 percent view the fruit as a value-based anytime food for both adults and children."

Apples were the first fruit we put on our Whole Food Sources for best liquid vitamins. It comes as no surprise to us that this wonderful fruit is finally getting the positive attention we feel it truly deserves!

Phil Lempert, CEO of Supermarketguru.com and The Lempert Report, says, "Apples are rich in nutrients, especially fiber, are fat, sodium and cholesterol free, and contain a variety of phytonturients, including antioxidants, that play a role in the prevention of disease."

Although we are mindful that the survey was conducted on behalf of the US Apple Association, we cheer its findings.

The February 1866 edition of Notes and Queries magazine included a Pembrokeshire proverb: "Eat an apple on going to bed, And you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread."

This phrase over time became, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Yes! Let's get this wonderful fruit onto the superfruit list!

Mom's Grapefruit Diet - under the microscope

You know, I recall several years ago when my mother decided to go on a diet to shed some inches and pounds. Out of all the diets she tried, only one was successful for her... the "grapefruit diet" she called it. It was also the only diet that didn't limit her food intake, and subsequently didn't limit our meals at home.

Well now, twenty-three years later, it turns out there may be a perfectly good scientifically explained reason her "grapefruit diet" worked so well.

There is a small flavanoid called naringenin, commonly found in grapefruit ...and it is coming under intense scrutiny by scientists from the University of Western Ontario following a recent study which showed surprising results.

Apparently, mice fed a high fat diet and supplemented with the naringenin flavonoid did not gain weight, while other signs of the metabolic syndrome were also prevented, according to findings published in the journal Diabetes.

"The marked obesity that develops in [mice fed a high fat diet] was completely prevented by naringenin," said lead researcher Murray Huff from the University of Western Ontario.

"What was unique about the study was that the effects were independent of caloric intake, meaning the mice ate exactly the same amount of food and the same amount of fat. There was no suppression of appetite or decreased food intake, which are often the basis of strategies to reduce weight gain and its metabolic consequences," he added.

You go, Mom!

Little did we know back then that your instincts were right on the mark.

So... how did her grapefruit diet work?

It was actually quite simple to follow and involved eating just one red (or pink) grapefruit per day. She would cut it in half and eat the first half in the morning (no sugar or sweeteners added) before breakfast and leaving for work. Then, in the evening, before eating dinner she would eat the other half of her daily grapefruit.

Just in case, she also always kept a jug of pulpy, unsweetened, unpasteurized grapefruit juice in the fridge. If or when she ever ran out of fresh grapefruit, she would simply substitute a 6 oz. glass of juice for her morning and evening routine.

Little did she know at the time that she was also benefiting her heart and quite likely, based on this study at least, preventing metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterised by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This story brings to my mind the saying, "mother knows best."

Here's to your health! Cheers!

Superfruits Update

We've added "Exotic Superfruits of the World" to the BLV website and begin with one superfruit that will most likely be receiving a great deal of attention in the next few years: the Amla fruit.

Please note -- there are certain criteria we use before classing any fruit into the superfruit category at BLV:

Although many fruits have certain properties that may be good for certain ailments or conditions, in our definition... superfruits have exceptional properties, extremely high health promoting compounds which could help to fight certain diseases and ailments.*

However, we further believe to be called a SUPERFRUIT rigorous scientific evidence must be available on the health benefits to be gained from including the fruit in one's diet before we consider it for inclusion on this website.

Equally important, because much of the science for superfruits included here will be relatively new, the relative health benefits for each superfruit may change as further research becomes available.

Follow this link to find out "Why We Give Amla the Superfruit Status."

More on Superfruits coming soon!

Resveratrol Good News Bad News

Resveratrol may not be the "magic molecule" everyone once thought it was now that science is finally catching up. New evidence is in regarding resveratrol's effects on the Sirtuin1 gene (also known as the longevity gene Sert1) which could indicate a shocking turnaround.

Many supplement makers (and others) were basing their claims for the red wine molecule, resveratrol, on an outdated 2006 study once published in Nature Magazine which claimed mice lived longer on a resveratrol diet... but apparently, the 60% fat-calorie diet they were fed can't be achieved in humans.

More importantly, a recent 2008 resveratrol study discovered that higher doses of resveratrol can potentially do more harm than good.

For one thing, mice fed high-dose resveratrol did not live as long as mice fed a standard calorie diet. As for the Sirtuin1 gene, over-activation of the Sirtuin1 gene in warm-blooded animals increases the occurrence of heart failure by more than 7.5 fold! [link]

In another study it was found that overstimulation of SirT1 may make brain cells vulnerable to damage. [link]

Some scientists are optimistic that in the near future a pill with resveratrol or something like it could provide the health benefits of a very low-calorie diet. But the new research indicates the drug and the diet regimen don't necessarily work the same way.

The bottom line is -- "it's complicated."

Some studies show resveratrol actually works to protect the heart and brain while improving longevity... others reveal the opposite can be true.

Even so... in one of the older studies, it was revealed mice could not survive long without any resveratrol (SerT1) in their system. Quote:

Mice can't dispense with SirT1 entirely, though. Longo's group found that mice from which the SirT1 gene was removed entirely died young. Calorie restriction did not lengthen their lives as it does for yeast lacking the similar gene, Sir2.

And yet, in a more recent report (released in Oct. 2008), indications are:

The accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of chronic alcohol consumption could be prevented by consuming resveratrol, according to a new study with mice. [link]

So... what to believe?

Is more (concentrated) doses of resveratrol actually better? ...as this biotech firm had hoped?

I guess the key here, at this stage of the science, is... if you drink red wine for your source of resveratrol, perhaps you should drink only in moderation.

Alternatively, resveratrol is present in whole food sources such as grapes, peanuts, and most berries.

In our very humble opinion, whenever we see companies jumping all over themselves to simulate a single molecule, you can bet you will be hearing more and more about it as they try to cash in on what it "might" do... and expect to see more advertising implying how good it is for you.

In this case, we'll stick to whole food sources until this complex puzzle has been truly solved.

The Gap in Life Expectancy

"There is a big gap between 'total life expectancy' and 'healthy life expectancy'," Professor David Richardson, scientific adviser to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN UK), is quoted saying in this recent article.

Professor Richardson points out in his new report that as people age their energy intake declines, making it much more difficult to ensure the micronutrient intake of diet as a whole. Such a deficit in micronutrient intake offers an opportunity for food supplements.

The report focuses on a wide range of health conditions and how the diet and micronutrients may offer protection, including cognitive function, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive function, gut health and immunity, and bone and joint health.

If more attention was placed on improving healthy ageing, the potential economic, health and social burdens could be reduced, said Richardson.

The report, titled "Nutrition, Healthy Ageing and Public Policy", will be available at the "International Perspectives on Dietary Supplement Regulation" workshop on April 17, at Yokohama in Japan, and organised by the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations’ (IADSA) to address the evolution of dietary supplement regulation.

The elderly currently make up 10 per cent of the global population – a figure that is expected to double by 2050, placing increasing demands on public health systems and medical and social services. In 2005 the World Health Assembly addressed the issue by adopting a resolution to strengthen and promote active and healthy ageing.

According to IADSA's healthy ageing report, evidence supports the premise that good nutrition, specific nutrients and other food substances can play a major role in maintaining and enhancing physical and mental performance.

Taking the example of omega-3 fatty acids, Prof. Richardson pointed out that it is "almost impossible" for the elderly population to achieve the recommended intakes from the diet, based on current consumption.

“Increases in healthcare expenditure will outpace economic growth in many countries, so health professionals and policymakers will need to give greater priority to maximising the quality of life of older people and to ensuring the most cost-efficient methods of nutritional support,” said Professor Richardson.

“Healthcare strategies, including the wider use of food supplements, could favourably modify the age-related decline in most organ functions and the development and progression of many chronic diseases.”

Meanwhile, here in the USA, physician and alternative medicine veteran Dr. Julian Whitaker, who runs the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California, pitted mainstream medical practice and the pharmaceutical industry against the potential of the dietary supplement industry to act preventatively.

In this article, he said the medical establishment sets the definitions of disease so that more and more people fall within diseased ranks and need to be medicated.

"You create the conditions, you sell the conditions...," United Natural Products Alliance executive director Loren Israelsen said in his introductory comments. "Whoever defines these terms is likely to win the game."

So far, pharmaceutical companies and their political clout are winning the game, while the public and the dietary supplement industry lose, according to Whitaker.

...Whitaker cited that in 2004, the US spent $1.9mn on national health care expenditure and this figure is set to double over the course of the next decade. Despite this colossal investment, Americans rank 22nd out of 23 countries in terms of their health.

"In order to get people to take these drugs, they have to create fear," said Whitaker, pointing-out that pharmaceutical companies spend $4bn yearly on direct-to-consumer marketing in the US The only other developed country that permits such a practice is New Zealand.

Interestingly, the FDA is currently looking to increase regulations/guidelines on both "supplements" and "funtional foods." More on that in a future post here at BLV Health Watch.