Summit Total Health

Vitamin B May Prevent Hearing Loss in Men

Hearing loss is by far the most common disorder of the senses, affecting more than 36 million people in the US alone. As it turns out, men are 5 times more likely to have hearing loss than women as they get older. But can this be prevented by diet and vitamin supplements?

Can Cranberry Juice Treat Urinary Tract Infections?

For years folk remedy has taught that cranberry juice can prevent or treat Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). But is there any truth to this?

Towards the beginning of the 20th century doctors thought that cranberry juice could help prevent urinary tract infections because of its acidity. Like vitamin C, it was thought that the acidity of cranberry juice prevented the build up of bacteria within the urinary tract.

However, more recent studies disprove this logic but not the overall idea. As it turns out, cranberry juice can treat UTIs but not because of the reasons that were before thought. Cranberry juice’s effectiveness is not due to its acidity, it’s due to a molecular compound within cranberry juice which prevents bacteria sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.

Does High Fructose Corn Syrup Deserve Its Bad Rap?

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a high-calorie sweetener used to sweeten foods and beverages, especially processed and store-bought foods. It is used because it blends well with most foods while maintaining the same sweetness as table sugar. High fructose corn syrup can be found in a variety of food products including soft drinks, salad dressings, ketchup, jams, sauces, ice cream and even bread.

Similar to sugar, HFCS is made up of 50% fructose, 50% glucose (both containing around 4 calories per gram). Research has shown that there are really no significant differences between HFCS and sugar when it comes to the production of insulin, leptin (the “fat” hormone), ghrelin (the “hunger” hormone), or the changes in blood sugar levels. Studies done on rats showed that both sugar and HFCS can cause resistance of these hormones which leads to diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.

Does Vitamin B Prevent Heart Disease?

There is an ongoing debate in the medical community as to whether vitamin B prevents heart disease. Recently, Cochrane Systematic Review published a review stating that vitamin B pills have no effect on the heart. According to the review, “There is no evidence to support the use of B-vitamins as supplements for reducing the risk of heart attack”.

How would vitamin B affect your heart?

Certain B-vitamins, specifically B12, B9 (folic acid), and B6 affect levels of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. High levels of this molecule are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Eat Vegetables for Your Mind

Researchers have found another reason to eat your vegetables, especially the green ones. A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (August 2009) showed that people who ate about 400 grams of fruits and vegetables a day had better brain performance. These findings were independent of age, gender, body mass index, and level of education.

In another study, researchers from Rush University Medical Center studied how eating vegetables affected the minds of people 65 and older. In the words of Martha Clare Morris, ScD, the study author, “Compared to people who consumed less than one serving of vegetables a day, people who ate at least 2.8 servings of vegetables a day saw their rate of cognitive change slow by roughly 40 percent.” She continued, “This decrease is equivalent to about 5 years of younger age.”