Learn To Get Healthy

A recent study done by USDA scientist found that artichokes, beans, and acai berry were among the best foods to find the highest levels of the disease fighting compound known as antioxidants.

It was also confirmed that already well-known high antioxidant foods such as cranberries and blueberries–the researchers also found that Russet potatoes, pecans and even cinnamon are all excellent–although lesser-known, sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants are thought to fight cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

“The bottom line is the same–eat more fruits and veggies,” says Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D., a chemist and nutritionist with the USDA’s Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, Ark., and lead author of the study. “This study confirms that those foods are full of benefits, particularly those with higher levels of antioxidants. Nuts and spices are also good sources.”

This is the most comprehensive and complete study ever done on foods with antioxidants as the USDA used high tech equipment and analyzed more foods than in the previous studies. The researchers analyzed over 100 foods like acai berry, fruits, vegetables, spices and nuts.

The foods were analyzed and measured for the concentration levels of antioxidants and the capacity per serving of the antioxidants. Research showed the top fruits were the acai berry, cranberries, blueberries, and black berries. The highest levels found in the nut category were walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans–Russet potatoes, beans, and artichokes were found to have the highest level antioxidant concentration in the vegetable category.

ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and oregano were found to have high amounts of antioxidants. Spices are usually consumed in small amounts, even though many are high in antioxidants.

The data should prove useful for those seeking to add more antioxidants in their diet. You must still use caution as the total antioxidant capacity of the foods does not necessarily reflect their potential health benefit, which depends on how they are absorbed and utilized in the body.

At the moment, there are no government guidelines for people to know many antioxidants to take and what kinds of antioxidants to consume in their daily meals–this is also the case with vitamins and minerals. A major barrier to such guidelines is a lack of consensus among nutrition researchers on uniform antioxidant measurements.

It is encouraged for the time being to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that have a high concentration of amino acids like acai berry.

Two types of patients that were diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s showed contrasting results when dealing with the patients brain size-patients with a high physical regimen had larger brains than the patients with that had low levels of activity.

The study was conducted by finding 121 subjects that were sixty years of age and higher and were monitored with a fitness test by treadmill and a brain scans that looked at the white matter, grey matter, and total volume of the brain. Of the 121 participants, 57 were diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s while the rest did not have dementia

“People with early Alzheimer’s disease who were less physically fit had four times more brain shrinkage when compared to normal older adults than those who were more physically fit, suggesting less brain shrinkage related to the Alzheimer’s disease process in those with higher fitness levels,” says study author Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The results remained the same regardless of age, gender, severity of dementia, physical activity and frailty. There was no relationship between higher fitness levels and brain changes in the group of people without dementia.

“People with early Alzheimer’s disease may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly and potentially reducing the amount of brain volume lost. Evidence shows decreasing brain volume is tied to poorer cognitive performance, so preserving more brain volume may translate into better cognitive performance,” Dr. Burns said.

“This is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Burns.

Dr. Burns also makes clear that people should be cautious when interpreting the study results because scientists only observed the standard measure of fitness at one point in time.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, the University of Kansas Endowment Association, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Oppenheimer Foundation.