Antioxidants

Winter special: 5 fruits you must have to boost immunity

Winter is a time when those whacky cold winds can give you cold and flu and other seasonal health disorders. So one needs to have not just a healthy diet, but also consume fruits as they are packed with the necessary vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help fight infections and boost immunity to fight against diseases.

All those scrumptious cakes and candies might attract you, but that best-tasting foods just add to one’s calorie intake and don’t help otherwise.

So, here is a list of five super-foods one must indulge in this winter:

Oranges: They are packed with Vitamin C and just one orange can supply 116.2% of the daily value of Vitamin C which helps prevent colds and recurrent ear infections.

Kiwi: Kiwi is a rich source potassium and antioxidants and help boost immunity and keep blood pressure in check.

Tangerines: This sweet and sour fruit is advisable especially for heart patients as it helps fight against bad cholesterol and clean trans-fat.

Pomegranate: This is one fruit which is highly recommended for those who are anaemic as it helps stimulate blood production. Also, it is helps prevent ageing of skin.

Cranberries: It is a rich source of antioxidants, Vitamin C and necessary fibre which helps boost immunity during winters.

Source: inagist

Six health benefits of carrots

One of the world’s healthiest foods is Carrot. Carrots are a great way to infuse good nutrition and flavor into your diet. With this power food, you get vitamin A and a host of other powerful health benefits.

– Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the liver which is further converted to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision.

– Beta-carotene in carrot acts as an antioxidant to cell damage done to the body through regular metabolism thus it helps slow down the aging of cells.

– Carrots have not only beta-carotene but also alpha-carotene and lutein which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

– Studies show that carrots reduce the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.

– Vitamin A and antioxidants in carrots protect the skin from harmful effects of sun rays. Vitamin A prevents premature wrinkling, acne, dry skin, pigmentation, blemishes, and uneven skin tone.

– Carrots also considerably reduce cholesterol levels because the soluble fibers in carrots bind with bile acids.

Source: Health me up

Rosemary and spearmint extract stave off Alzheimer’s disease

A new study has revealed that enhanced extracts made from special antioxidants in spearmint and rosemary reduces deficits caused by mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said that although the study suggested that eating spearmint and rosemary is good for you, their experiments were in an animal model and she doesn’t know how much- or if any amount- of these herbs people would have to consume for learning and memory to improve.

Farr tested a novel antioxidant-based ingredient made from spearmint extract and two different doses of a similar antioxidant made from rosemary extract on mice that have age-related cognitive decline.

She found that the higher dose rosemary extract compound was the most powerful in improving memory and learning in three tested behaviors. The lower dose rosemary extracts improved memory in two of the behavioral tests, as did the compound made from spearmint extract.

Further, there were signs of reduced oxidative stress, which is considered a hallmark of age-related decline, in the part of the brain that controls learning and memory.

“Our research suggests these extracts made from herbs might have beneficial effects on altering the course of age-associated cognitive decline,” Farr said. “It’s worth additional study.”

The study was presented at Neuroscience 2013.

Source: Zee News