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Fruits playing key role into better public health

Thursday 21st June 2012
Fruits playing key role into better public health
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When people look to go on a diet to make themselves feel and look healthier, many turn to fruits, not just for the taste, but also for the nutritional value they contain. They are much more than tasty though, as research has revealed their ability to reduce the risk of diabetes, and in some cases, Alzheimer's disease.

Peaches, plums and nectarines have all been highlighted for compounds contained within the fruits that help to fight off obesity-related diabetes cases, while the likes of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries can be beneficial to reducing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Many people going on a diet of sorts ditch their normal sugary snack and replace it with a fruit, which has the ability to reinvigorate their system, as opposed to being weighed down with stodgy treats. However, the fruits maybe doing more good than people are normally aware of.

A team from the Texas AgriLife Research found that all stone fruits such as peaches and plums contained bioactive compounds which were key in being able to combat the "metabolic syndrome" which can lead to the onset of diabetes. The condition can cause inflammation within obese patients, which can then carry on to cause more serious health problems, but the consumption of peaches, plums and nectarines can quell the onset which is brought on by being overweight or obese.

The researchers noted that there were four different types of phenolic groups - anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives and catechins – which all work on different cells – fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells to help combat obesity. By tacking these particles head on, the compounds within the fruit are constantly acting to reduce the risk of diabetes within the patient.

Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, an associate professor at Texas A&M University, said: "In recent years obesity has become a major concern in society due to the health problems associated to it. Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions so all of them are a good source of health promoting compounds and may complement each other."

While stone fruits are key to preventing the likes of diabetes, berry-related nutrients can have the potential to keep a person's mind sharp, and can also prolong the onset of memory loss diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia providing a patient with valuable years before their mind begins to decay.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) discovered that fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries contained a substance known as flavonoid that was found to, during high consumption of these fruits, prolong an older woman's memory life by an average of two and a half years. The team's study which began in 1976, charted the lives of female nurses who were asked to fill in questionnaires at a numerous different stages throughout the course of the study.

Health professionals also screened the women at a number of intervals in 1980, and between 1995 and 2001, to see how well their memory was performing during the intervening years and whether certain life factors had altered the rate in which they lost their memory. The team's research found that those who had regular intakes of berries had a slow rate of memory loss compared to those who did not, but stressed that further studies were needed.

Elizabeth Devore, a researcher in the Channing Laboratory at BWH and lead author of the study, said: "Among women who consumed 2 or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week we saw a modest reduction in memory decline. This effect appears to be attainable with relatively simple dietary modifications."

While many people still only turn to fruits when they are looking to lose weight, there are a plethora of benefits to these foods that patients are largely unaware of and these studies have proved the crucial role fruits play in a person's normal food intake.

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written by Alex Franklin StortfordADNFCR-1780-ID-801390222-ADNFCR

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