Black rice, or ‘Forbidden Rice’ as it was known in ancient China, is a rich source of anthocyanin antioxidants and could offer food manufacturers an alternative to berries for a range of products, including breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods. The results were presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS)

“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge.

“If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health promoting antioxidants,” added Dr Xu.

Market potential

Data from Leatherhead Food International (LFI) shows that the world functional antioxidants market is increasing year on year by around 3 per cent, and was valued at US$ 400 million in 2004, and US$ 438 million in 2007. Europe, the US, and Japan account for 90 per cent of this market.

With flavonoids and polyphenols reported to be 45 per cent of this functional antioxidant market, equivalent to almost US$ 200 million,

Black rice

Dr Xu and colleagues analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the southern United States, and found that, in addition to high contents of gamma-tocotrienol (vitamin E), and gamma-oryzanol antioxidants, black rice bran possess higher level of anthocyanins antioxidants, which are water-soluble antioxidants.

The Louisiana-based scientists also told attendees at the ACS meeting that pigments in black rice bran extracts may also produce a variety of different colors, ranging from pink to black, and offer ‘natural’ options for foods and beverages.

Dr Xu noted that farmers in Louisiana have already expressed an interest in growing black rice and that he would like to see people in the country embrace its use.

Structure is key

Polyphenols, and flavonoids in particular, are not all created equal. For example, scientists from The Ohio State University reported that the structure of anthocyanins, the antioxidant pigments from a range of fruit and vegetables, is key to the cancer fighting abilities.

According to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (doi: 10.1021/jf8005917), certain types of anthocyanins have greater activity against colon cancer than others.

“The chemical structures of anthocyanins do have a significant impact on their biological activity, and data suggest that non-acylated monoglycosylated anthocyanins are more potent inhibitors of colon cancer cell growth proliferation,” wrote lead author Pu Jing.

The researchers cautioned that more research is necessary to explore the role of anthocyanin structure and the chemo-protective effects.

The revamped site will present information about research efforts in the probiotic area; new projects and initiatives undertaken by the IPA and its members.

It is part of a move by the 10-year-old group to raise its profile globally and comes at a time when some regulators and agencies have been raising questions about probiotic marketing, even as probiotic sales continue to grow in most global markets.

The head of the IPA’s marketing committee, George Paraskevakos, said the IPA wanted the IPA website to be the “one-stop-shop” for both industry and consumers, and dismissed suggestions there needed to be a new industry-backed site to perform such a task.

Its profile-raising activities include an annual IPA conference, sponsoring events such as a recent probiotics conference hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences, and working more closely with regulators. It is also involved of a probiotic documentary due for completion this year.

Paraskevakos said the site aimed to do exactly what Henry Dixon, the owner of UK-based food industry PR firm, Barrett Dixon Bell, suggested in a recent NutraIngredients health claims round-table.

ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – has previously been the subject of dietary inquiry. There has been particular attention in the last 3 years to some artificial food colourings, after a study at Southampton University in the UK reported a link between cocktails of colours and hyperactivity in kids. Some research has also investigated the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in improving childrens’ behaviour.

The new study, from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, looked at the dietary patterns of 1800 adolescents from the long-term Raine Study and classified diets into 'Healthy' or 'Western' patterns. The Raine study has been tracking the cohort of individuals in Western Australia since their birth in 1989.

The ‘Healthy’ diet was characterised by high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish, and tended to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids, folate and fibre.

The ‘Western’ diet was characterised by a tendency towards takeaway foods, confectionary, processed, fried and refined foods, and tended to be higher in total fat, saturated fat, refined sugar and sodium.

Led by Dr Wendy Oddy, the team looked at the dietary patterns amongst the adolescents and compared the diet information against whether or not the adolescent had received a diagnosis of ADHD by the age of 14 years.

115 adolescents had been diagnosed with ADHD – 91 boys and 24 girls.

“We found a diet high in the Western pattern of foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern, after adjusting for numerous other social and family influences,” Dr Oddy said.

“When we looked at specific foods, having an ADHD diagnosis was associated with a diet high in takeaway foods, processed meats, red meat, high fat dairy products and confectionery,” Dr Oddy said.

Fats and nutrients?

In an attempt to explain the observations, Oddy said the Western diet may not provide the best fatty acid profile, and that an omega-3 rich diet could be better for mental health and optimal brain function.

“It also may be that the Western dietary pattern doesn't provide enough essential micronutrients that are needed for brain function, particularly attention and concentration,” she said.

Oddy did not discount the possible influence of colours and other additives – nor that there could be a vicious circle between ADHD and poor dietary choices.

“It may also be that impulsivity, which is a characteristic of ADHD, leads to poor dietary choices such as quick snacks when hungry… “This is a cross-sectional study so we cannot be sure whether a poor diet leads to ADHD or whether ADHD leads to poor dietary choices and cravings,” Oddy said.

The researchers say more studies are needed to uncover what is behind the observed link.

Source

Journal of Attention Disorders
Doi:10.1177/1087054710365990

ADHD Is Associated With a ‘Western’ Dietary Pattern in Adolescents

Authors: Amber L. Howard, Monique Robinson, Grant J. Smith, Gina L. Ambrosini, Jan P. Piek, Wendy H. Oddy

A new study from Australia has suggested that ADHD in adolescents could be linked to Western diets, which tend to be high in total fat, saturated fat, refined sugar and sodium.

ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – has previously been the subject of dietary inquiry. There has been particular attention in the last 3 years to some artificial food colourings, after a study at Southampton University in the UK reported a link between cocktails of colours and hyperactivity in kids. Some research has also investigated the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in improving childrens’ behaviour.

The new study, from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, looked at the dietary patterns of 1800 adolescents from the long-term Raine Study and classified diets into 'Healthy' or 'Western' patterns. The Raine study has been tracking the cohort of individuals in Western Australia since their birth in 1989.

The ‘Healthy’ diet was characterised by high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish, and tended to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids, folate and fibre.

The ‘Western’ diet was characterised by a tendency towards takeaway foods, confectionary, processed, fried and refined foods, and tended to be higher in total fat, saturated fat, refined sugar and sodium.

Led by Dr Wendy Oddy, the team looked at the dietary patterns amongst the adolescents and compared the diet information against whether or not the adolescent had received a diagnosis of ADHD by the age of 14 years.

115 adolescents had been diagnosed with ADHD – 91 boys and 24 girls.

“We found a diet high in the Western pattern of foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern, after adjusting for numerous other social and family influences,” Dr Oddy said.

“When we looked at specific foods, having an ADHD diagnosis was associated with a diet high in takeaway foods, processed meats, red meat, high fat dairy products and confectionery,” Dr Oddy said.

Fats and nutrients?

In an attempt to explain the observations, Oddy said the Western diet may not provide the best fatty acid profile, and that an omega-3 rich diet could be better for mental health and optimal brain function.

“It also may be that the Western dietary pattern doesn't provide enough essential micronutrients that are needed for brain function, particularly attention and concentration,” she said.

Oddy did not discount the possible influence of colours and other additives – nor that there could be a vicious circle between ADHD and poor dietary choices.

“It may also be that impulsivity, which is a characteristic of ADHD, leads to poor dietary choices such as quick snacks when hungry… “This is a cross-sectional study so we cannot be sure whether a poor diet leads to ADHD or whether ADHD leads to poor dietary choices and cravings,” Oddy said.

The researchers say more studies are needed to uncover what is behind the observed link.

Source

Journal of Attention Disorders
Doi:10.1177/1087054710365990

Published this week in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the findings suggest that it is multiple components of the vitamin that could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

The role of the vitamin E family in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is unclear, said the researchers, in spite of the strong biological plausibility of a possible protective activity of these micronutrients in age-related cognitive decline and AD.

Their population-based study aimed to evaluate whether higher plasma levels of vitamin E could be protective against Alzheimer’s in advanced age and whether the protective activity could be due to more than just the tocopherol form of the vitamin.

"Vitamin E is a family of eight natural components, but most studies related to Alzheimer's disease investigate only one of these components – tocopherol," said Dr Francesca Mangialasche, who led the study.

"We hypothesized that all the vitamin E family members could be important in protecting against AD. If confirmed, this result has implications for both individuals and society, as 70 percent of all dementia cases in the general population occur in people over 75 years of age, and the study suggests a protective effect of vitamin E against AD in individuals aged 80+."

Participants over 80

Conducted at the Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, in collaboration with the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Italy, the study involved 232 participants over the age of 80. At the start of the study, all participants were dementia-free. After six years, 57 cases of Alzheimer’s were identified.

Blood tests taken at the beginning of the study evaluated all eight vitamin E components. People with higher blood levels of the vitamin were compared with those who had lower levels, to examine whether these two groups developed dementia at different rates.

“The study found that subjects with higher blood levels of all the vitamin E family forms had a reduced risk of developing AD, compared to subjects with lower levels. After adjusting for various confounders, the risk was reduced by 45-54 percent, depending on the vitamin E component,” said the researchers.

Not just tocopherols

These findings support the hypothesis that vitamin E’s protective activity seems to be related to the combination of different forms, rather than α-tocopherol alone, they concluded. This, they said, justifies the “protective effect of dietary intake observed in epidemiological studies and the disappointing results observed in clinical trials.”

"Elderly people as a group are large consumers of vitamin E supplements, which usually contain only ±-tocopherol, and this often at high doses," said Dr Mangialasche.

"Our findings need to be confirmed by other studies, but they open up for the possibility that the balanced presence of different vitamin E forms can have an important neuroprotective effect."

Source: High plasma levels of vitamin E forms and reduced Alzheimer's disease risk in advanced age
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD), 5 July 2010, DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2010-091450
Authors: Francesca Mangialasche, Miia Kivipelto, Patrizia Mecocci, Debora Rizzuto, Katie Palmer, Bengt Winblad, Laura Fratiglioni

Daily supplements of vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and selenium significantly improved the elasticity of arteries, and levels of HDL cholesterol in people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, according to findings published in Nutrition & Metabolism.

“This beneficial vascular effect was associated with an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism as well as significant decrease in blood pressure,” said lead researcher Reuven Zimlichman from Wolfson Medical Center, Israel.

The study involved 70 people with high blood pressure, diabetes, low HDL cholesterol levels, or who were smokers. The average age of the subjects was 62. The participants were randomly assigned to received either a placebo or a daily antioxidant supplement containing vitamin C (1000 mg per day), vitamin E (400 International Units per day), coenzyme Q10 (120 mg per day) and selenium (200 micrograms per day).

Six months later, and the researchers noted that people in the antioxidant group exhibited significant increases in arterial elasticity index, a measure of the flexibility – and therefore the health – of blood vessels. Specifically, the large arterial elasticity index increased from 11 to 12.7 ml/mm Hg x100, while no changes were observed in the placebo group.

Furthermore, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly, with the former dropping from 145.2 to 136.1 mmHg, while the later dropped from 78.4 to 75.0 mmHg, said the researchers.

Significant improvements were also observed in HDL cholesterol levels for the antioxidant group, said the researchers, but not in the placebo group.

How?

Commenting on the potential mechanism, the Israeli researchers note that previous studies have indicated that vitamins C and E may protect DNA from damage, enhance antioxidant defenses and restore the health of the cells lining blood vessels (endothelium). In addition co-Q10 “plays an essential role as an electron carrier in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, improves endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients”. They also note that selenium, via its role in various antioxidative enzymes, “provides significant protection of the coronary artery endothelium against damage by oxidative stress”.