The American Gastroenterological Association issued the following news release: A healthy and balanced diet, as well as probiotics, have been known to be helpful in preserving gastrointestinal health for quite a long time. But it is only recently that the underlying mechanisms have become somewhat clearer. A rapidly increasing body of knowledge promises to further clarify the effects of our daily food on the gut microbiota and to indicate more targeted applications of probiotics in the near future. This was one of the topics presented at the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, FL. On March 8 and 9, 2014, internationally leading […]

The Food and Drug Administration has known for years that people who read nutrition labels eat healthier than those who do not. But the FDA only last year discovered this: One of the main reasons people don’t read labels on food packaging is that they’re confusing – and many of those consumers are the ones fighting weight problems. So we applaud the FDA’s first update to nutrition labeling in two decades. The changes, announced Thursday, make serving sizes better reflect what consumers actually eat, not some ideal or arbitrary serving. They also add a line for the amount of manufactured sugars added to foods, important […]

The word cannabis stirs a lot of emotion in people today — some positive and plenty negative. But whatever your beliefs are, one thing is for sure: There are definitely health benefits to these plants. Despite all the legal issues and controversy surrounding cannabis, we decided to look at the heart health benefits of hemp seeds. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised. Interested in what we found? Then let’s dive in. Hemp Oil Contains Omega-3s, Sterols, and Oleic Acid In a recent study, Spanish researchers analyzed the chemical composition of hemp seed oil and found a mix of heart-healthy compounds. […]

A presentation at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting, held in Philadelphia from April 26 to May 3, 2014, revealed a protective effect for high plasma levels of vitamin C against the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke is characterized by bleeding in the brain and, although less common than ischemic stroke, is associated with a greater risk of mortality. “Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, specifically a plasma vitamin C concentration of less than 11 micromoles per liter, and may have hemorrhagic manifestations,” write authors Stéphane Vannier, MD, of Pontchaillou University Hospital in Rennes, France and colleagues. […]