Immunity Health News

Phytonutrients are

compounds found in plants that are not required for normal functioning of the body but that nonetheless have a beneficial effect on health or an active role in the amelioration of disease. Thus, they differ from what are traditionally termed nutrients in that they are not a necessity for normal metabolism, and their absence will not result in a deficiency disease. What is beyond dispute is that phytonutrients have many and various beneficial health effects. For example, they may promote the function of the immune system, act directly against bacteria and viruses, reduce inflammation, and may also be associated with the treatment and/or prevention of cancer (the focus of this article), cardiovascular disease and any other malady affecting the health or well-being of an individual.

Read about the specific phytonutrients found in different foods and their beneficial properties.

Earlier, I blogged about the Kenyan prostitutes who were immune to HIV.

Having now quit the profession, they have become infected, and scientists are hypothesizing that it was their continued exposure to the virus which was rendering them immune.

Efforts to develop a vaccine remain undaunted, the scientists say.

Read the whole article.

A recent blog post is reporting a study in the British Medical Journal about the potential rise in antibiotic resistance in the general public as a result of overprescription.

The authors believe these results show that prescribing amoxicillin to a child doubles the risk of finding antibiotic resistant strains in that child later. They warn that although this effect is temporary in the individual child, it may be sufficient to sustain a high level of antibiotic resistance in the population.

Read the published study.

The demand for essential oils and oleoresins in products from food to fragrances has generated a $588.4 million industry, and is expected to reach $859.6 million in 2013.

At the same time, because of difficulty in procuring raw material and narrowing profit margins, many manufacturers are turning to synthetic and “nature-identical” flavourings and fragrances for their low cost and “consistent flavour profile.”

“The key factor driving growth in the U.S. essential oils and oleoresins markets is the changing consumer preference towards natural ingredients, especially in the wake of increasing incidences of neuro-degenerative diseases,” observes Frost & Sullivan Research Associate Sneha Pasricha. “Essential oils and oleoresins are exclusively of natural origin and the growing consumer perception that ‘natural products are safe and healthy’ is being further bolstered by well-known scientific institutions as well as the media.”

Furthermore, essential oils and oleoresins are being increasingly utilized in beverages, confectionery, savory, and niche markets like nutraceuticals. The fast growing beverage application segment is the major application area for essential oils and in a bid to capitalize on the trend toward flavored beverages, manufacturers in the beverage segment are quickly developing offerings such as flavored waters, soft drinks, health drinks, fruit-based drinks, and even flavored alcoholic and tea-based drinks. This apart, fragrance applications are also expected to spur demand for essential oils.

Read the whole article.

Astronauts won’t be sharing their next shuttle mission with crustacean colleagues. They will, however, be studying the effects of chitosan-based materials, a polysaccharide found in the shells of crustaceans, in microgravity.

Because the effects of microgravity on immune and wound-healing cells are similar to the body’s response following trauma on Earth, these experiments also offer an opportunity to observe the fundamental genetic responses to these compounds with and without infection.

Researchers will examine the effect of microgravity on human monocytes, which are typically one of the first responders to infection and trauma, and will also be able to monitor the transformations of cells that return from space.

While the space mission is underway, the team will conduct an identical experiment simultaneously on Earth. Following the mission, analyses will be done to compare the space-based and ground-based cellular expression.

Read the whole article.

A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that over 55% of healthy children — up to 68% in winter — have low levels of Vitamin D, putting them at risk for weakened bones and serious disease.

More than 90 percent of African-American children tested had low blood levels of vitamin D, and about a fifth had levels associated with rickets and other diseases of the bones or muscles.

Vitamin D is needed by the immune system, and a deficiency can lead to poor absorption of bone minerals and may contribute to cancer, multiple sclerosis, hypertension and type 1 diabetes.

Read more.

Researchers in India say that the mango peel is a good source of antioxidants, rich in anthocyanins, carotenoids and polyphenols.

Of course, the peel is a little hard to digest. No problem. An extract from the peel is made with acetone. This makes the process of extraction extremely cheap, and cuts down on waste.

Now if they can just figure out a way to utilize that enormouse pit, I’ll really feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.
Read the whole article.

Here’s the link to the whole article.

No mention, though, of whether they’ve had any success with the vaccine in animals. I think if I were the Vietnamese “volunteer” I’d want some assurance going in!

Researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation have used a new approach to rapidly develop and discover a malaria vaccine.

Using information from the recently sequenced parasitic genome, the researchers synthesized hundreds of short α-helical coiled coil protein segments (30-40 amino acids long) that are able to maintain their tertiary (3-d) structure. These proteins are found on the malaria parasite in its erythrocytic phase (when it passes from the liver back into the bloodstream).

Tested with malaria-immune human blood sera, the peptide-specific antibodies inhibited parasite growth in vitro.

Read more about the malaria life cycle.

Read the original research article, published in PLoS ONE.

An interesting blog report on an Israeli study of probiotic supplements given to burn patients. Apparently, in the patients who received the probiotic supplements, “a significant benefit of probiotic supplementation was observed, specifically in those patients which had burns covering 41-70% of their body.”

Furthermore, none of the patients in the probiotic group died of their burns, while five patients died who were in the placebo group.

Read more.