Vitamin E Is Critical For Repair Of Damaged Muscle

Research in animals conducted in Georgia (U.S.) confirms that vitamin E is crucial to repair of injured muscle, a fact that should cheer body builders as well as sufferers from muscular dystrophy, diabetes-related muscle weakness, and brain trauma from athletics, and military or road injuries. Without vitamin E, the plasma membrane of cells will not heal properly. The plasma membrane keeps a cell from spilling its contents and controls the entry and exit of nutrients, waste, etc. That’s especially important for muscle cells, which are constantly subject to tear. Finding the physiological significance of vitamin E is important, but the researchers cautioned that "the major medical significance here is yet to be uncovered."

"The antioxidant requirement for plasma membrane repair in skeletal muscle. ", Free Radical Biology and Medicine, June 05, 2015

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked To Better Cognitive Ability In At-Risk Adults

U.S. researchers who tested the cognitive flexibility of 40 healthy – but Alzheimer’s at-risk – older adults found that those who ate more omega-3 fatty acids had healthier brains. The area of the brain region that contributes to cognitive flexibility (anterior cingulate cortex) was larger in the omega-3 eating adults and they performed better on cognitive flexibility tests. All participants carried the gene variant APOE e4, a biomarker for a higher risk of developing late onset Alzheimer’s. The researchers cautioned that the findings suggest, but do not prove, that eating fish oils enlarges the anterior cingulate cortex and improves cognitive flexibility in older people.

"Anterior cingulate cortex mediates the relationship between O3PUFAs and executive functions in APOE e4 carriers. ", Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, June 05, 2015

Fasting, Rather Than Frequent Snacking, Can Lead To Weight Gain

A U.S. study in mice finds that limiting eating to one large meal a day, compared to eating several small meals, is more likely to lead to insulin resistance in the liver, prediabetes, and weight gain. The liver doesn’t respond to insulin signals telling it to stop producing glucose; the excess blood glucose tends to be stored in the abdomen as fat. That stored visceral fat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The findings suggest that human dieters should not skip meals to save calories because that causes large fluctuations in insulin and glucose. That in turn results in weight gain, rather than weight loss.

"Short-term food restriction followed by controlled refeeding promotes gorging behavior, enhances fat deposition, and diminishes insulin sensitivity in mice. ", The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, June 05, 2015

Traces Of Monsanto Herbicide Discovered In South Africa’s Bread, Maize Meal

Governments around the world are moving to restrict, or outright ban, the use of a herbicide known as glyphosate because research has shown it to be carcinogenic in animals, and there is evidence it is harmful to humans. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden have all banned or limited glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. But glyphosate use in South Africa has been growing: the country has been slow to act on health warnings, there is almost no regular monitoring, and the herbicide continues to show up in bread and maize meal. Half of South Africa's maize crop and all of its soy crop are genetically modified, which means glyphosate has to be used in cultivation.

"Toxins in your bread", Times Live (New Zealand), May 19, 2015