Tea for blood sugar control?

Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by Turbo in General

While tea is known to promote general health with phytophenols and antioxidants, according to a professor from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Dr. Jo Ann Carsonm tea can be a thing for blood sugar control too.

According to the professor of clinical nutrition, studies conducted in various centers suggest that incidence of type-2 diabetes in those who take 2 to 4 cups of tea a day (on a regular basis) is very low.

Jo Ann Carson all teas can be included in a healthy diet including the black, white and oolong tea. As per Carson taking iced sugarless tea or sugared iced tea in moderation; either of them will do good to health.

Creamy moves to make ice cream a functional food

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by Turbo in General

Ice cream and functional food? If you thought that these cannot be combined, I beg you to differ. Because according to researchers from the University of Missouri they have found ways to make ice cream as a functional food.

Add fiber, some antioxidants and good amount of probiotics, and it’s done; food can be converted to functional food. As easy as said, it can be.

Here, it should be noted that foods contain just nutrients, and functional foods will in addition have some health-promoting or disease-preventing properties.

According to a professor of food chemistry from the College of Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Dr. Ingolf Gruen, the approach of adding functional ingredient into any food will be multifunctional.

However, the food scientists believe that the ingredients that can make ice cream a functional food could in fact alter the much favored texture and taste of it, so working with flavors that can take and yet not alter too much is what they are currently studying.

It might well take time for people to accept ice cream (with change in taste and texture) as a functional food, but its definitely in the good direction.

Ascorbic acid and sucrose bolster the green tea effects

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Turbo in Health

Ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) and sucrose (common sugar) when added to green tea (which maybe the usual way that green lemon tea is taken) can actually aid in greater absorption of catechins from the tea.

According to researchers from Purdue University, adding ascorbic acid and sucrose (common sugar) to tea increase absorption of catechins, the polyphenols that are rich in tea, especially the green tea.

The catechins are believed as antioxidants that help fight diseases including stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The researchers demonstrated through a digestive model that by adding the two constituents (ascorbic acid and sucrose) catechins absorbed in the blood is three times higher in a person than one who has taken the green tea without adding the ascorbic acid and sucrose.

These findings were elucidated in the journal of Food Research International; the online version.