nutrition vitamin

You know the definition of the perfectly designed machine.... The perfectly designed machine is one in which all its working parts wear out simultaneously. I am that machine. Frederick Alexander Lindemann
Ginger Root Heals Ailments

The vitamin ginger root offers you a lot of benefits, including the ability to treat headaches and common colds. One of the most common uses of ginger root is the treat an upset stomach, something we all know and hate. Normally in the form of flat ginger ale and crackers, this vitamin could fix even the most upset of stomachs - and fast to boot.

For the last few decades, ancient civilizations have used the vitamin in both cooking form and medicine form. Although the technology back then wasnt close to what it is today, the ancient civilizations knew that ginger root would help prevent ailments ranging from motion sickness to athletes foot. With ginger root having anti-inflammatory properties, it can also make the pain of rheumatoid arthritis less intense. Women that drink ginger tea have said that it helps them eliminate menstrual cramps completely.

What many people dont know, is the fact that ginger root isnt really classified as a root, but instead an underground stem. Even though it is a very useful vitamin and supplement, it is harvested year round just like the hawthorne berry. The harvests, which are obtained roughly five months or so after being planted, are used in the creation of products such as candied ginger and ginger syrup. Harvests that are obtained later can be sold as fresh ginger. The longer the ginger remains in the ground before being harvested, the spicier and hotter it gets.

Keep in mind that not anyone can grow ginger. It takes a special type of soil, which means that it wont grow anywhere. It is normally grown commercially, in large harvests. Ginger is always in high demand, as it serves a lot of useful purposes. From adding spice to food to healing certain ailments, ginger root is easily one of the best vitamins around.

These days, you can buy ginger in the produce department of many grocery stores. Ginger serves many useful purposes, including baking. It can be used with cookies and breads, or used to spice up your jellies and jams. When you shop for ginger root, you should ensure that the gnarly fist like bulb is smooth, the surface hard to the touch, and the weight being somewhat heavy. If the bulb is hard and light in weight, it wont be as good.

When it comes to common ailments, ginger root can be great to have around. It can be used with hundreds of cooking recipes, you can use your creative imagination to make even more uses with it as well. Ginger is used in many fine dining restaurants as well, as it tastes great as a dressing on salads. Serving a lot of healthy purposes, ginger root is one of the best selling items on the market - and easily one of the best tasting supplements out there.

Purple tomato can beat cancer reports a front-page story in the Daily Express, which claims that British scientists have genetically modified tomatoes to create the ultimate healthy superfood. The story features bold claims that the modified tomato could protect against cancer, keep you slim, ward off diabetes and help to safeguard eyesight.

These claims are not actually based on benefits seen in humans, but rather from a small-scale study of mice that were given an extract of genetically modified tomatoes.Researchers created the variety of tomato using genes from a snapdragon plant to produce fruit high in anthocyanins (pigments), which also give the fruit their purple appearance.They found purple tomato supplements increased life expectancy in a small group of mice by an average of 40 days. This study cannot determine what rolethese GM tomatoes might play in preventing disease in humans, as suggested by the Daily Express. Any potential benefits from these GM tomatoes can only be determined by further research.

Where did the story come from?

Dr Eugenio Butelli and colleagues from the John Innes Centre in Norwich and other research institutes across the UK, the Netherlands and Germany collaborated on this study. The work was funded by the European Union, the Centre for Biosystems Genomics (Netherlands) and by the Biological and Biotechnological Science Research Council (UK) The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Biotechnology.

What kind of scientific study was this?This was a laboratory study in which researchers explored methods to increase levels of health-promoting bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins in fruits and vegetables. The benefits of anthocyanins, a type of naturally occurring pigment (polyphenol), are thought to be a result of their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can slow or prevent the oxidation of other molecules in the body.Anthocyanins are found in blackberries and blueberries.

The researchers considered tomatoes an ideal candidate for this type of experiment as previous genetic modification experiments on tomatoes have succeeded in increasing the concentration of flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) in their flesh. Other experiments that increased the levels of a particular enzyme in the tomatoes increased the concentration of flavanoids in the skin by 78 times.

The researchers wanted to breed tomatoes with enhanced levels of flavanoids in their flesh. To do this they used bacteria to transport two genes into tomatoes both of which are responsible for the production of chemicals involved in turning on and off the expression of other genes in cells. These two genes are called Del and Ros1 and are found in the snapdragon, where they work together to turn on the production of anthocyanins.

The genetically-modified tomatoes containing the snapdragon gene were then cultivated and researchers recorded the appearance of the tomato fruit as it grew. Theyalso investigated the total anthocyanin content in the fruit and compared it to non-GM tomatoes. The extra anthrocyanin in the GM tomatoes gives them their purple colour. Researchers also extracted theanthocyanins from GM tomatoes and assessed the antioxidant properties.

In a second part of their experiment they tested whether the GM tomatoes offered an advantage over ordinary tomatoes to mice that were highly susceptible to cancer. Mice missingthe Trp53genespontaneously develop a range of tumours at an early age and are often used to study the effects of potentially cancer-protecting substances. Using these mice, researchers compared the life expectancy of those fed a normal diet, those fed a diet supplemented with 10% red tomato powder and those fed a diet supplemented with 10% purple tomato powder.

What were the results of the study?The genetically modified tomatoes contained higher concentrations of total anthocyanins than ordinary fruit in both the peel and in the flesh. They found that the water soluble extract of the GM tomatoes (which would contain the anthocyanins) had far greater quantity of antioxidants than the ordinary tomatoes.

In the animal experiments in the study, researchers found that the mutant, cancer-prone mice fed an ordinary diet lived an average of 142 days, those fed red tomato supplements lived 146 days, while those fed purple tomato supplements lived 182 days. They conclude that the difference in lifespan was significant between the the mice fed anormal diet and those givenpurple tomato supplement.

What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?

The researchers conclude that they have engineered the highest levels of anthocyanins yet reported in tomato fruit and that these levels appear to be sufficient to give a substantial protective effect against tumour progression. They say theirGM fruit could be used to evaluate the effects of high anthocyanin diets on other diseases. They also suggest that their results support the arguments for inclusion of foods containing high levels of anthocyanins in all long-term dietary regimens.

What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?In this study, the researchers have developed a method to genetically modify ordinary tomatoes so that the resulting fruit contains much higher levels of anthocyanin pigments. These pigments can act as powerful antioxidants, and given that antioxidant properties may be implicated in reducing risk of a variety of diseases, the method will undoubtedly be used in further studies.

Anthocyanins can act as powerful antioxidants, which some claim can reduce the risk of various diseases. The evidence for this is limited. The researchers say that the beneficial activity of anthocyanins may not be linked to their antioxidant properties, which has been claimed in the past. Instead, they may activate defence systems and other reactions that indirectly delay oxidative damage and malignant progression involved in the development of cancers.

As quoted by the Daily Express, Dr Lara Bennet of Cancer Research UK feels that it is too early to say whether anthocyanins obtained through diet could help to reduce the risk of cancer.

The protective benefits of these tomatoes were tested in a group of 20 cancer-susceptible mice. While this part of the experiment found that the purple tomato supplement increased life expectancy, the small sample sizes used mean the results may have occurred by chance. Also until the tomato is tested in humans we cannot be sure that it will offer the same benefits, or that there will not be any unexpected harms.

The researchers novel methods for creating genetically modified fruit and vegetables will pave the way for future studies. However, before the claims that these GM tomatoes can beat cancer can be supported, there must be further research into the health benefits of this technology.

In the meantime current advice is to follow a diet containing five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

It is often used with chronic fatigue, although the way it works can be quite complicated indeed.
Although the technology back then wasnt close to what it is today, the ancient civilizations knew that ginger root would help prevent ailments ranging from motion sickness to athletes foot. Busy lifestyles can make it hard to get the food you need, which is where supplements really come in handy. There are many doctors that have said in the past that vitamin E can indeed prevent cancer, although no documentation or proof has been given to back up such statements. Folic acid is a B vitamin that has been proven to increase energy levels.