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Research Archive

Welcome to our Chinese medicine and acupuncture research news pages. We add to the content of these pages continuously as more research news comes in. Browse through the complete archive below or use the category links on the right.

Please note that the most twenty recent research archive items are free to view but access to the thousands of items in the archive require a journal subscription.

Mediterranean diet prevents erectile dysfunction in diabetics

Categories: Diet research

Italian researchers have found that in men with type two diabetes, stricter adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED). Five hundred and fifty-five men completed questionnaires on food-frequency and sexual function. The results showed that diabetic men with the highest adherence to a Mediterranean diet were more likely to report a lower pre ...

Virgin olive oil rich in phenol compounds suppresses inflammation

Categories: Diet research

A diet rich in the phenolic components of virgin olive oil can suppress the expression of genes involved in inflammation, which may explain the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease seen in people who follow a Mediterranean diet. In a crossover study, a Spanish team randomised 20 patients with metabolic syndrome (associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes) to t ...

Mediterranean diet may delay need for diabetes drugs

Categories: Diet research

By following a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, newly diagnosed diabetics may be able to postpone their need for medication. An Italian study involved 215 sedentary overweight adults (mean age 52) newly diagnosed with type two diabetes, who were randomised to either a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean-style diet or a low-fat diet for four years. Participants received frequent counselling sessions ...

Mediterranean diet prevents depression

Categories: Diet research

People who follow a Mediterranean diet (rich in monounsaturated fats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish) have a reduced risk of developing depression, according to Spanish research. A cohort of 10,094 healthy participants completed a food frequency questionnaire, on which basis researchers calculated their adherence to a Mediterranean diet. After four and a half years of follow-up, 4 ...

Processed foods linked with depression

Categories: Diet research

UK researchers have discovered a link between processed foods and depression. People who consume a diet rich in high-fat dairy products and fried, refined and sugary foods are at increased risk of developing depression, whereas those whose diet is rich in fish, fruit and vegetables are at lower risk. The analysis, part of the Whitehall II population-based study of middle aged London civil servants ...

Flaxseed protects against osteoporosis

Categories: Diet research

The addition of flaxseed oil to the diet could reduce the risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal and diabetic women. Egyptian researchers looking at mouse models of the two conditions found that the presence of flaxseed oil in feed over a two month period improved serum levels of biomarkers associated with bone health and had a beneficial effect on bone mineral density. The study authors believe ...

Healthy diet helps generate brain cells

Categories: Diet research

Spanish researchers have determined that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids (termed the LMN diet) stimulates neurogenesis - the production and differentiation of the brain's stem cells into various types of new neurones. Mice fed an LMN diet for 40 days (equivalent to five human years) were found to have more newly generated cells in two areas of the brain where neurogenesi ...

Western diet turns on fat genes

Categories: Diet research

A diet high in fat and sugar has a double-whammy effect on the waistline, because it switches on genes that cause fat to be stored, according to new research. This study of mice found that foods that are high in fat and sugar stimulate the kappa opioid receptor, which plays a key role in fat metabolism. When this receptor is stimulated, it causes far more fat storage than would otherwise have occu ...

When you eat as important as what you eat

Categories: Diet research

The Chinese belief that meal timing is important to health is being backed up by Western science. Animal experiments have revealed that the daily expression patterns of thousands of metabolic genes in the liver are more dependent on the timing of food intake than on the body's circadian clock, as previously thought. The results of the US study suggest that the times at which eating and fasting occ ...

Health benefits of Mediterranean diet dissected

Categories: Diet research

A large Greek prospective cohort study (23,349 participants) has investigated the relative importance of the individual components of the Mediterranean diet. The dominant components of the Mediterranean diet that score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and l ...

Diet and heart disease

Categories: Diet research

A systematic review of the evidence for links between dietary factors and coronary heart disease shows that strong evidence supports the association of intake of vegetables and nuts and a Mediterranean diet as protective factors, while intake of trans-fatty acids and foods with high glycaemic index are identified as harmful factors. Moderate evidence exists for a protective effect of fish, marine ...

Vegan nuns have same bone density as meat eaters

Categories: Diet research

A study comparing the bone health of vegan Buddhist nuns with non-vegetarian women has found that their bone density was identical. The cross-sectional study showed that, although vegans had lower dietary calcium and protein intakes than omnivores, veganism did not have adverse effect on bone mineral density and did not alter body composition. (Veganism, bone mineral density, and body composition: ...

Diet and exercise reduce cancer

Categories: Diet research

Over 40% of bowel and breast cancer cases in the UK would be prevented by healthy diet, physical activity and weight maintenance, according to a landmark report that sets out recommendations for policies to reduce the global number of cancer cases. The report, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, published by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), estimates that about 43% of bowel cancer cases ...

Mediterranean diet protects against cognitive decline

Categories: Diet research

Older people who follow a Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and less likely to progress from MCI to Alzheimer's disease (AD). US researchers analysed data from 1393 cognitively normal individuals and 484 individuals with MCI who had a mean age of 77 years. Study participants were given a score of 0 to 9 based on their adherence to a Mediterranean diet. S ...

Thinking increases calorie intake

Categories: Diet research

An American research team has demonstrated that intellectual work leads to a substantial increase in calorie intake. The team measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after three tasks: seated relaxation, summarising text, and completing a series of memory, attention and vigilance tests on a computer. After 45 minutes at each activity, participants were allowed to eat as much as they wa ...

Diet drinks associated with diabetes

Categories: Diet research

Daily consumption of fizzy diet drinks is associated with significantly greater risks for metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and type-2 diabetes, according to an observational study carried out in the USA. Compared with participants who did not drink diet soda, those who drank diet soda at least daily had a 36% greater relative risk for incident MetSyn and a 67% greater relative risk for incident type-2 ...

Dark chocolate may help weight loss

Categories: Diet research

Danish scientists have shown that dark chocolate is far more filling than milk chocolate, lessening subsequent cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods. The investigators used a crossover design to compare the effects of dark and milk chocolate on appetite and subsequent calorie intake, in 16 healthy male volunteers. The subjects fasted for 12 hours before consuming 100g of either dark or milk ch ...

Low-carb diets better at controlling diabetes

Categories: Diet research

Very low-carbohydrate diets, consisting of foods with the lowest-possible glycemic index rating, lead to greater improvement in blood sugar control. In a six-month comparison, 84 volunteers with obesity and type-2 diabetes were randomised to either a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (<20 g of carbohydrate daily; LCKD) or a low-glycemic, reduced-calorie diet (500 kcal/day deficit from weight mai ...

Berry compound reduces effects of ageing

Categories: Diet research

A diet rich in antioxidant compounds from berries and grapes has been shown to reverse cognitive decline and improve memory in laboratory animals of advanced age. In an in vivo study, American scientists tested the effects of seven berry and grape extracts on cell cultures and found that pterostilbene was the most effective at preventing oxidative stress. In the second part of the study, they fed ...

Dark chocolate in moderation reduces inflammation

Categories: Diet research

Dark chocolate contains high concentrations of flavonoids and may have anti-inflammatory properties. An Italian cohort study of 4849 subjects has shown that consuming moderate amounts of dark chocolate can significantly reduce levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Investigators related levels of CRP in participants blood to their usual chocolate intake. A J-shaped curve was o ...