Medicover's Summer Newsletter

Fish oil provides protection against psychotic disorders | Eat away your arteriosclerosis! | The trouble with impotence… | One more cup of (dark roast) coffee for the road… | Seaweed - a weapon against obesity

Fish oil provides protection against psychotic disorders

Fish oil tablets can reduce the risk of being afflicted by psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. A three-month course of the tablets appears to be just as effective as taking standard medication.

Researchers from Austria, Australia & Switzerland believe that the presence of the Omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil has a positive effect on the brain. Omega-3 is already known to be good for the heart.

81 high-risk individuals participated in the study; whilst half the participants took fish oil tablets containing 1.2 grams of Omega-3 for 12 weeks, the other half took placebos. The groups were then monitored over the course of a year in order to see how many participants fell ill. Only 2 members of the fish oil tablet group were afflicted by a psychotic disorder during the period, compared with 11 members of the placebo group. This means that Omega-3 can provide protection against psychotic disorders for one in every four high-risk individuals who receive a dose of the fatty acid.

The researchers note that it would be unreservedly beneficial if the serious side effects often associated with anti-psychotic medication could be minimised by fish oil, but that further research is necessary.

Archives of General Psychiatry

Eat away your arteriosclerosis!

Low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate diets and Mediterranean-style diets are all equally effective in reducing arteriosclerosis.

Researchers from Israel drew this conclusion from a study of 140 overweight volunteers between the ages of 40 and 65, who followed one of the above diets for two years and kept food diaries during the period.

The common carotid artery (neck artery), which transports blood to the brain, was measured both before and after the diet. The amount of fat on the blood vessel wall had reduced by 5%, regardless of which of the diets had been followed. Although this does not sound like a significant reduction, the results are still considered to be positive as it was previously thought that medication was required to reduce the build-up of fat inside blood vessels.

Circulation

The trouble with impotence…

Men who not only suffer from cardiovascular disease but are also impotent are twice as likely to have a heart attack or a stroke as men who are not impotent.

A German study of around 1500 men who were monitored over a five-year period has shown that impotence is one of the factors that can presage cardiovascular difficulties. The researchers who carried out the study therefore recommend that men suffering from impotence should be examined in greater detail and that their treatment should not only be based on their impotence. Furthermore, they would like standard health checks on men over the age of 40 to include impotence tests.

Difficulties in developing an erection can result from constrictions in the vessels that supply blood to the erectile tissue in the penis. These blood vessels are significantly thinner than the heart's coronary vessels and therefore react earlier to constriction. By examining impotent men's heart and blood vessels, appropriate treatment to reduce the risk of a heart attack in the future could be provided.

Circulation

One more cup of (dark roast) coffee for the road…

In contrast to general opinion, dark roast coffee is better for sensitive stomachs than medium roast.

This is due to the creation of a substance known as NMP during the roasting process. NMP reduces the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, according to Austrian & German researchers.

The amount of this protective substance increases as the level of roasting rises. A very dark roast, such as French roast or espresso roast, can contain twice as much NMP as a lighter roast. Approximately 70% of coffee sold in Sweden is medium roast and Swedes drink nearly 160 litres of coffee per person each year.

It is estimated that one in five people avoid coffee due to symptoms of heartburn or stomach ache. Following this new discovery, this group of people may also be able to enjoy coffee without discomfort.

The researchers now intend to continue testing different beans and roasting levels in order to find the most stomach-friendly combination. The aim is for a test group to taste the product later this year.

The American Chemical Society

Seaweed - a weapon against obesity

Seaweed fibres can reduce fat uptake by 75%.

British researchers have discovered that alginate, a natural gel-forming fibre that can be extracted from brown algae such as bladderwrack, prevents the body from absorbing large quantities of the fat present in food. The results have been better than those produced by most anti-obesity medication.

The study was performed in a laboratory using an artificial gut. Over 60 different seaweed fibres were tested, of which alginate proved to be the most effective.

If this positive effect can be reproduced in human stomachs, alginate could be incorporated into regular food products such as bread and yoghurt. This would mean that three-quarters of the fat consumed during a meal would pass straight through the intestinal system without adding to existing body fat.

www.eurekalert.org

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