Daily Consumption of Tea Protects the Elderly From Cognitive Decline

Tea drinking reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older persons by 50 per cent and as much as 86 per cent for those who are genetically at risk of Alzheimer’s

Newswise, March 20, 2017 — A cup of tea a day can keep dementia away, and this is especially so for those who are genetically predisposed to the debilitating disease, according to a recent study led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

The longitudinal study involving 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older has found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50 per cent, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86 per cent.

The research team also discovered that the neuroprotective role of tea consumption on cognitive function is not limited to a particular type of tea – so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black or oolong tea.

“While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention.

“Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world.

“The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person’s risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life,” explained Asst Prof Feng.

He added, "Based on current knowledge, this long term benefit of tea consumption is due to the bioactive compounds in tea leaves, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine.

“These compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and other bioactive properties that may protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."

In this study, tea consumption information were collected from the participants, who are community-living elderly, from 2003 to 2005. At regular intervals of two years, these seniors were assessed on their cognitive function using standardised tools until 2010.

Information on lifestyles, medical conditions, physical and social activities were also collected. Those potential confounding factors were carefully controlled in statistical models to ensure the robustness of the findings.

Future Research

Asst Prof Feng and his team are planning to embark on further studies to better understand the impact of Asian diet on cognitive health in ageing. They are also keen to investigate the effects of the bioactive compounds in tea and test them more rigorously through the assessment of their biological markers and by conducting randomised controlled trials or studies that assign participants into experimental groups or control groups randomly to eliminate biased results. 

Florida Peaches Pack a Punch as a Succulent Snack

Newswise, March 20, 2017 --- Florida peaches make for a succulent snack, say consumers surveyed by a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher.

That’s encouraging news for Florida producers trying to expand their reach, not only in the Sunshine State but nationally, said Joy Rumble, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural education and communication.

“I was surprised to see that one of the most common ways people reported eating peaches was as a snack,” Rumble said. “I thought that people would be consuming them as part of a meal such as lunch or in a dish such as cobbler or as a topping, like on yogurt. This finding is encouraging for the Florida peach industry because the Florida peach tends to be smaller than those produced elsewhere. There is an opportunity to position and market the Florida peach as the perfect snack.”

Rumble conducted a national survey of consumers to see if they’re buying peaches and if so, who’s buying them. Her survey results come as Tori Bradley, a graduate student in the UF/IFAS food and resource economics department and Sonia Tighe, director of membership for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, will give a webinar on marketing Florida peaches at 10:30 a.m. March 23. Register here for the webinar.

Rumble’s survey reveals that most consumers nationwide don’t know the dates of Florida’s peach season, which runs from March through May. The survey also showed that consumers really value a peach with the label “Grown in the USA” on it.

As the first domestically available peach of the year, the Florida peach has an opportunity to market and promote the “Grown in the USA” label as well as the “Fresh from Florida” label, Rumble said.

The survey is part of a specialty crop block grant focused on increasing the awareness and marketability of Florida peaches. This grant included a consumer survey and producer/marketer interviews done to inform a marketing plan to increase awareness and preference for Florida peaches.

For several decades, farmers have experimented with growing peaches in Florida, but it was not until recently that varieties of peaches suitable for Florida’s climate have been developed. In 2006, producers estimated that there were only 60 acres of peaches growing in the state. By 2012, the Census of Agriculture recorded 185 Florida agricultural operations growing 776 harvestable acres of peaches and today, growers estimate that the total acres of peaches in Florida has grown to approximately 1,400 acre

.

Despite increased acreage, Florida peaches have yet to gain significant popularity among Florida consumers, Rumble said.

Successful expansion of the Florida peach industry requires increased consumer and retailer awareness of the industry as well as an understanding of these audiences’ preferences for, and barriers to, buying Florida peaches, Rumble said.

The peach varieties growing in Florida tend to be smaller, which has led to a lack of acceptance among consumers and retailers. However, the Florida peach is tree-ripened and is “ready to eat” for the consumer and has higher sweetness than other peaches.

“The popularity of peaches from Georgia and California has overshadowed the entrance of the Florida peach into the marketplace,” she said. “For the Florida peach industry to remain viable and growing, it is essential that the product is effectively marketed, and promoted and that consumer and retailer awareness of the product increases.”

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.

A Hot Cup of Attention Tempered with Chocolate, Please

Cocoa & caffeine are good choices for students and anyone else who needs to improve sustained attention

Newswise, March 13, 2017 — Deep down, we always knew it, but science is proving that cocoa and caffeine are indeed the best marriage ever. Clarkson University researcher Ali Boolani recently completed a study that explores the powers of these two dark delights.

The assistant professor of physical therapy and physician assistant studies teamed up with colleagues at the University of Georgia to examine the “acute effects of brewed cocoa consumption on attention, motivation to perform cognitive work and feelings of anxiety, energy and fatigue.”

In a nearly year-long double-blind study, some lucky test subjects drank brewed cocoa, cocoa with caffeine, caffeine without cocoa, and a placebo with neither caffeine nor cocoa. Then they were asked to do tests to evaluate both cognitive tasks and mood.

“It was a really fun study,” Boolani says. “Cocoa increases cerebral blood flow, which increases cognition and attention. Caffeine alone can increase anxiety. This particular project found that cocoa lessens caffeine's anxiety-producing effects -- a good reason to drink mocha lattes!”

Before you envy the test subjects too much, bear in mind they had to work for the warm drinks.

For example, they were asked to watch as letters flashed across a screen and note when an “X” appeared after an “A.” They also had to point out when odd numbers appeared sequentially, and they were required to do subtraction.

“The results of the tests are definitely promising and show that cocoa and caffeine are good choices for students and anyone else who needs to improve sustained attention,” says Boolani.

Here's the best news for the rest of us: The Hershey Company sponsored the research, so customers logically could see some new or enhanced products on the market as a result.

Boolani and his colleagues -- Jacob B. Lindheimer (War Related Illness and Injury Study Center - VA New Jersey Health Care System), Bryan D. Loy (Oregon Health & Science University), Stephen Crozier (The Hershey Company), and Patrick J. O’Connor (University of Georgia) -- have published a paper about the results of their study in the journal BMC Nutrition.

“I'll be doing some related and follow-up studies at Clarkson to look at differences in natural vs. synthetic caffeine, and other cocoa studies” Boolani adds. “I'm excited about them.”

Heads up. He'll be looking for more test subjects.

Clarkson University educates the leaders of the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as an owner, CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. With its main campus located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the Capital Region and Beacon, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university with signature areas of academic excellence and research directed toward the world's pressing issues.

Through more than 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo and connect discovery and innovation with enterprise.

Raising Dietary Potassium to Sodium Ratio Helps Reduce Heart, Kidney Disease

Limiting sodium and increasing potassium may be key to preventing chronic disease

Newswise, March 9, 2017--Reducing sodium (salt) in the diet has been recommended to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. 

However, in a new review article, University of Southern California researchers found that increasing dietary potassium is as important to improving the risk factors for cardiovascular and kidney disease as limiting dietary sodium. 

The article is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The research team reviewed more than 70 studies related to dietary approaches to regulating high blood pressure and found that the interaction of sodium and potassium is integral to maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. 

The ratio of sodium to potassium excreted as urine is an indication of how much of these minerals is consumed. When dietary potassium intake is elevated, the kidneys—composed of millions of small tubes working together—shift fluid to the area near the end of the tubes where potassium secretes into the urine. 

This shift reduces the amount of sodium and water that’s reabsorbed into the body. In this way, high potassium diet signals the body to reduce the amount of sodium that is retained. 

This circular pattern regulates the levels of both minerals in the body, which in turn helps lower blood pressure. Higher intake and excretion of potassium has also been found to slow the progression of kidney and heart disease.

In addition to analyzing data about the sodium-potassium ratio and its relationship to chronic disease, the research team explored strategies to educate the public about the importance of potassium for blood pressure control and heart health. Suggested policies include:
• Requiring manufacturers to print potassium content on Nutrition Facts labels,
• Promoting low-cost and easily available sources of potassium (milk, dried beans, potatoes, bananas) and
• Encouraging families to cook healthy, plant-based meals together.

“Consuming [an abundance] of [potassium] is a good strategy since our physiology evolved and was optimized to deal with high [potassium] low [sodium] intake, often referred to a Paleolithic diet,” wrote the research team. In other words, the human body functions best with a balance of the two nutrients.

Read the full article, “Cardiovascular benefits associated with higher dietary K+ versus lower dietary Na+: Evidence from population and mechanistic studies,” published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents more than 10,500 members and publishes 15 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.

Study Finds Consumers Willing to Pay More for “All-Natural” Labeled Foods

Newswise, March 9, 2017 – A study published in the Journal of Food Science found that expectations of product quality, nutritional content and the amount of money consumers were willing to pay increased when consumers saw a product labeled “all-natural” as compared to the same product without the label.

Researchers at Ohio State University used virtual reality technology to simulate a grocery store taste-test of peanut butter. In one condition, consumers were asked by a server to evaluate identical products with only one being labeled all-natural. In the other, the server additionally emphasized the all-natural status of the one sample.

In the first condition, expectations of product quality and nutritional content increased, but not liking or willingness to pay additional for the all-natural product.

However, expectations of product quality and nutritional content as well the amount of money subjects were willing to pay increased further when a virtual in-store server identified one of the peanut butters as being made with all-natural ingredients. This result was observed across a diverse group of subjects indicating the broad impact of the all-natural label.

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not provided a clear definition of the phrases “natural” or “all natural”, despite extensive use in U.S. product marketing.

Prior research has indicated that consumers define “natural” primarily by the absence of “undesirable” attributes such as additives and human intervention, as opposed to the presence of specific positive qualities.

“We believe our findings provide sound, evidence-based guidance to the FDA and suggest the term natural be regulated so as to minimize consumer and manufacturer confusion over the term. This will serve to protect America’s consumers and manufacturers by ensuring food labels convey accurate and non-misleading information,” lead author of the study Christopher T. Simons, Ph.D., explained.

View the abstract in the Journal of Food Science here.

About IFT
Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific society—more than 17,000 members from more than 95 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.