Today's NewsBites

Herbal supplements are no longer just for health-food stores, according to a new report from the American Botani-cal Council trade association: Americans spent a record $335 million in 2009 on herbal supplements in “mainstream market channels” such as supermarkets and drugstores, an increase of 14%. …

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How's that again? You may need more folate to help prevent hearing loss? That's the finding of the Blue Mountains Eye Study, which adds to a small but growing body of evidence linking low blood levels of B vitamins, notably folate, to risk of age-related hearing loss. Australian researchers compared blood levels of folate, vitamin B12 and the amino acid homocysteine to incidence of hearing loss among 2,956 people ages 50 and up. Those with the lowest levels of folate were 34% more likely to suffer hearing loss. People with the most homocysteine — an amino acid, linked to other health problems, that's countered by B vitamins — were at 64% greater risk. Elevated homocysteine levels have been linked to adverse effects on blood flow in the inner ear, which could be a factor in hearing loss with age. No association was seen between B12 and hearing loss. To make sure you're getting enough folate (vitamin B9), eat lots of leafy green vegetables, chick peas, lentils and products made with fortified grains. — Journal of Nutrition…

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Current Articles

Chocolate, which has been getting a lot of good press lately, took a hit recently in its long-standing reputa-tion for improving your mood. It’s not clear if chocolate combats depression, according to a new study in Archives of Internal Medicine, or if the sweet treat actually contributes to the problem.…

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Postmenopausal women can protect their bones by exercising, but adding black cohosh—an herbal supplement thought to have estrogen-like effects—to exercise confers no extra protection. That’s the conclusion of a year-long clinical trial involving 128 women who recently went through menopause.…

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Two new studies point to a link between high blood pressure and increased risk of dementia. In one eight-year study of 1,403 women ages 65 and older, MRI scans revealed that those with hypertension had significantly more “white matter lesions”— indicating weakening of the insulation around nerve cells in the brain necessary for communication. The higher the blood pressure, the more serious the damage.…

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Ask Tufts Experts

 

Do clementines have the same nutritive value as oranges?

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I am a subscriber who is a mild diabetic. My wife serves grape tomatoes at dinner, which are much tastier than regular tomatoes this time of year. I would like your input on the sugar content and nutritional difference between grape and regular tomatoes.

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What are the benefits or cons of bee pollen and natural honey?

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High-protein diets make kidneys work harder—an issue for the more than 20 million Americans who have chronic kidney disease but don’t know it.

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