Getting old and going senile is basically a cliché. Everyone thinks it’s going to happen to them, and for many of us it will.

So can you stop it? Maybe. A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition claims daily consumption of grape juice may improve memory in older people.

For the research, scientists tested the effects on Concord grape juice on brain function.

Results showed improved verbal learning and enhanced verbal and spatial recall after the 12 week experiment.

The study was small, only 12 participants, but researchers believe polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant in Concord grape juice, help “mop up” harmful compounds in the body that contribute to the aging process.

Scientists note the strongest improvement was in verbal learning.

But Concord grapes aren’t the only source of polyphenols. Polyphenols are present in many plant foods, like berries, tea, olive oil, cocoa, coffee, walnuts, peanuts, pomegranates, and even popcorn.

Via Nutra Ingredients.

Image credit: HubPages

Maybe we’re not all the same after all–at least when it comes to diet and health.

Because new research claims meat and fat heavy diets for controlling diabetes actually raises the risk of diabetes, but the effect varies among ethnic groups and gender.

Writing in the journal Diabetes Care, experts found that Japanese and American women in the study had a higher risk of developing diabetes on a high fat diet than their Hawaiian counterparts.

Hawaiian women showed no strong association between a high fat diet and diabetes.

For the study, a high fat diet included things like meat, cheese, eggs, and refined grains.

Men did not fair so well. Men with the highest consumption of high fat foods were 40% more likely to get diabetes, even after considering other factors like age, weight and exercise habits.

And to make the whole issue even more confusing, diets rich in vegetables help protect Japanese and white men from diabetes, but not native Hawaiian men.

But despite the schizophrenic results, scientists still recommend consuming more fruits and vegetables than foods in the high fat group.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Reading Country Club

Staying on the road all night long might help truck drivers make deadlines and schedules, but skipping sleep may harm their diet.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health found truck drivers who get adequate sleep are more likely to eat healthier.

Surveyed truckers getting enough sleep reported eating an average of 3 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Getting plenty of sleep also cuts down junk food, like sugary drinks and snacks.

But truckers driving around tired reported eating fewer fruits and vegetables, from 3 servings down to 2. Lack of sleep also increased the amount of sugary snacks and drinks truck drivers consumed each day.

Researchers believe good sleep schedules may help influence better dietary habits. So they encourage workplace programs promoting sleep as an important part of employee health.

But they’re not talking about sleeping on the job, especially if you’re driving!

Via Reuters.

Image credit: E-Mancipate

It sounds obvious. Eating fatty foods, raises cholesterol, clogs arteries, and then WHAM you have a heart attack.

Shouldn’t be a surprise when it happens, but for millions of people it’s a real shocker.

So, a new study aims to clarify the risk, in case you didn’t know.

Published in the journal Circulation, a new study found people with high non-HDL cholesterol, which includes LDL, or bad, cholesterol had 13% higher risk of heart attack.

But on the other hand, individuals with high HDL, or good, cholesterol had a 25% lower risk of heart attack.

So researchers suggest cholesterol altering therapies for both HDL and LDL cholesterol should be considered for heart patients.

Foods that lower bad cholesterol, because they don’t have any, are fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats, like omega 3’s, contained in things like walnuts, have been shown to be cardio-protective.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: CarbonNYC

For both overweight and normal weight individuals eating foods like fruits, vegetables, red wine, and tea offer protection against colon and rectal cancers.

Writing in the International Journal of Cancer, scientists suggest flavonoids, plant chemicals that eliminate carcinogens, may help ward off cancer.

In the study, researchers estimated flavonoid intake in more than 120,000 men and women, ages 55 to 69, off a survey about their diets.

Scientists discovered after 13 years nearly 1,500 men and over 1,000 women developed colon or rectal cancer.

But participants, both overweight and normal weight, consuming more catechins and flavonols, other flavonoids found in loods like berries, tea, red wine, apples, pears, and other plant foods, had lower risk of cancer.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Easy Bingo

You remember the mashed potatoes plopped onto your tray with an ice scream scoop and endless piles of tater tots, right?

That’s the school lunch most of us know, and that’s not going to cut it anymore.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) says meals need more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and less salt. Plus more skim and low-fat milk.

An IOM committee was formed to make recommendations to the government to help revise current school lunch programs.

Ultimately the IOM’s suggestions will be made into regulations, and schools will be required to adhere to them or risk not getting reimbursed for school meals.

The IOM’s major recommendations include reducing sodium in school lunches to 740 milligrams, today’s average is 1,600 milligrams; meals must contain one cup of fruit and three-quarters to one whole cup of vegetables; half of all breads and pasta should be whole grain; milk should only be skim or 1%; and meat limited to only two ounces.

But money is a major issue. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains cost more than potato flakes, churros, and cheese burgers under heat lamps.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: USA Today