ACS.org - Black rice can be an economical alternative source of anthocyanins for health conscious consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh blueberries and blackberries, according to a report from scientists at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Black rice is a variety of rice that received the moniker “Forbidden Rice” in ancient China because nobles commandeered every grain for themselves and forbade the common people from eating it.

“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, La., who reported on the research. “If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health promoting antioxidants.”

Like fruits, “black rice” is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants, natural phytochemicals (related to polyphenols) that show promise for fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Food manufacturers could potentially use black rice bran or the bran extracts to boost the health value of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods, Xu and colleagues suggested. Brown rice is the most widely produced rice variety worldwide. Xu noted that many consumers have heard that brown rice is more nutritious than white rice. The reason is that the bran of brown rice contains higher levels of gamma-tocotrienol, one of the vitamin E compounds, and gamma-oryzanol antioxidants, which are lipid-soluble antioxidants. Numerous studies showed that these antioxidants can reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) - so called “bad” cholesterol - and may help fight heart disease.

Brown rice is the most widely produced rice variety worldwide. Rice millers remove only the outer husks, or “chaff,” from each rice grain to produce brown rice. If they process the rice further, removing the underlying nutrient rich “bran,” it becomes white rice.

Xu and colleagues analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the southern United States. In addition, the lipid soluble antioxidants they found in black rice bran possess higher level of anthocyanins antioxidants, which are water-soluble antioxidants. Thus, black rice bran may be even healthier than brown rice bran, suggested Dr. Xu.

The scientists also showed that pigments in black rice bran extracts can produce a variety of different colors, ranging from pink to black, and may provide a healthier alternative to artificial food colorants that manufacturers now add to some foods and beverages. Several studies have linked some artificial colorants to cancer, behavioral problems in children, and other health problems.

Black rice is used mainly in Asia for food decoration, noodles, sushi, and pudding. Dr. Xu said that farmers are interested in growing black rice in Louisiana and that he would like to see people in the country embrace the use of black rice.

WPI.edu - Expanding their scope of study on the mechanisms of bacterial infection, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have reported the surprise finding from a small clinical study that cranberry juice cocktail blocked a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from beginning the process of infection.

The data was reported in a poster presentation at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in Boston on August 23, 2010, by Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering at WPI. “Most of our work with cranberry juice has been with E. coli and urinary tract infections, but we included Staphylococcus aureus in this study because it is a very serious health threat,” Camesano said. “This is early data, but the results are surprising.”

The virulent form of E. coli that Camesano studies is the primary cause of most urinary tract infections. Strains of S. aureus can cause a range of “staph infections” from minor skin rashes to serious bloodstream infections. One particular strain of Staph, known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a growing public health problem in hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions because it doesn’t respond to most antibiotics.

To cause an infection, bacteria must first adhere to a host, then gather together in colonies to form a biofilm. In the current study, Camesano recruited healthy female students at WPI to drink either cranberry juice cocktail (rich in polyphenols) or a placebo fluid that looked and tasted like cranberry juice. The subjects provides urine samples at prescribed intervals after drinking the juice or placebo, and those samples were incubated in petri dishes with several strains of E. coli and a single strain of S. aureus. Camesano’s team stained the bacteria with a special dye, then used a spectrophotometer to measure the density of the bacterial colonies in the dishes over time. Their analysis showed that the urine samples from subjects who had recently consumed cranberry juice cocktail significantly reduced the ability of E. coli and S. aureus to form biofilms on the surface of the dishes.

“What was surprising is that Staphylococcus aureus showed the most significant results in this study,” Camesano said. “We saw essentially no biofilm in the staph samples, which is very surprising because Staph aureus is usually very good at forming biofilms. That’s what makes it such a health problem.”

With E. coli, Camesano’s focal point is the small hair-like projections known as fimbriae, which act like hooks and help the bacteria latch onto cells that line the urinary tract. Camesano has shown that exposure to cranberry juice causes the fimbriae on E. coli to curl up, blunting their ability to attach to cells. S. aureous, however, doesn’t have fimbirae, so there must be other reasons why the cranberry juice affected its biofilm formation in the study. “These results do create more questions than answers,” Camesano said. “We believe this is an important new area to explore, and we are now thinking about how best to proceed.”

Since bacterial adhesion is required for infection, Camesano hopes that better understanding of the specific mechanisms and forces involved in biofilm formation will help inform future studies aimed at identifying potential drug targets for new antibiotics. The data may also be useful in studies aimed at engineering the surfaces of invasive medical devices like catheters to make them more resistant to bacterial adhesion.

Related story at iHealthBulletin News:

How cranberry juice fights urinary tract infections

S-adenosyl methionine (SAM-e), an over-the-counter dietary supplement, can be an effective, relatively well-tolerated, adjunctive treatment for adults with major depression who do not respond initially to their treatment with antidepressant medication, according to a new study conducted by investigators at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. SAM-e is a naturally occurring, sulfur-containing amino acid derivative that functions as a methyl donor in the brain and body (other methyl donors include vitamin B12, folate, and trimethylglycine [TMG]). SAM-e is thought to be better absorbed when taken on an empty stomach.

The study, “S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAMe) Augmentation of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors for Antidepressant Nonresponders With Major Depressive Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial,” is the first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted on SAMe in a population of patients with major depressive disorders. A total of 73 adults were enrolled in this six week study and randomly assigned to the placebo control group or the SAMe treatment group (target dose: 800 mg/twice daily). SAMe, in combination with standard depression treatment, was more effective than antidepressant treatment alone in improving measures of depression and remission rates of patients with significant clinical depression. SAMe-treated subjects had a greater response rate (36.1 percent vs 17.6 percent for placebo) and remission rate (25.8 percent vs 11.7) than the placebo-treated group.  SAMe was well-tolerated with no reported adverse reactions.

“With each study we continue to gain a better understanding of SAMe’s role in treating depression.  This new finding, albeit preliminary and in urgent need of replication, suggests significant, clinically meaningful differences in outcome among patients who had SAMe added to their antidepressant medication treatment compared to those taking a placebo with their medication,” said George Papakostas, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of treatment-resistant depression studies in the Department of Psychiatry at MGH, lead author of the current study.  “These findings provide preliminary support for the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of SAMe as an additive therapy for patients with major depressive disorders who do not respond to antidepressant treatment alone.  Continued research, however, is urgently needed to more definitively further our understanding of the role of SAMe in the treatment of adults diagnosed with depression. Adjunctive SAMe therapy is promising, but cannot yet be recommended for wide-spread clinical use,” said Papakostas.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded the study.  Pharmavite LLC, the manufacturer of Nature Made SAM-e Complete and the leading distributor of SAMe supplements in the United States, provided the SAM-e supplements and placebo pills used in the study. The primary outcome measure for the study was the response rates according to the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM–D).

To date, at least 40 clinical trials have been conducted on SAMe directly and in combination with traditional antidepressant medications. Studies have evaluated SAM-e’s use in naturally restoring a healthy mood to the most recent research for treating major depressive disorders. This current study follows a pilot study published in 2004 in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, which concluded that antidepressants used in combination with SAMe were significantly more effective in relieving depression than medication alone.

In an accompanying editorial, J. Craig Nelson, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University California, San Francisco, wrote, “The study of Papakostas, et al. is persuasive. It is the first adjunctive treatment trial of SAMe and the first placebo-controlled trial of oral SAMe since 1993. The era of development for new amine reuptake inhibitors appears to be coming to a close. Some novel approaches appear to be dead ends. SAMe offers a novel mechanism of treatment action and opens up a new area for future exploration. Of course this clinical trial requires replication. And there are numerous other questions about long-term safety and efficacy, comparisons with other adjunctive agents, and selection of appropriate patients. But demonstration of a new treatment for depression with a novel mechanism is exciting news.”

Reference: George I. Papakostas, M.D., et al. S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAMe) Augmentation of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors for Antidepressant Nonresponders With Major Depressive Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial. Published online July 1, 2010 and in print in the August issue of Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167:942-948.

AACR.org - Selenium, a dietary trace mineral, may help to prevent the development of bladder cancer.

According to results of a study published in the September 2010 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, selenium intake is associated with decreased risk of bladder cancer.

“The lower the levels of selenium, the higher the risk of developing bladder cancer,” said lead researcher Núria Malats, M.D., Ph.D., leader of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Center.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that is incorporated into about 25 proteins, called selenoproteins. Most of these selenoproteins are enzymes with antioxidant properties that prevent cellular damage caused by the by-products of oxygen metabolism, according to Malats.

The main dietary sources of this micronutrient are plant foods grown in selenium-rich soils, animals who graze on these soils, and selenium-enriched products (including over-the-counter multivitamin and selenium supplements). Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, and other foods that supply some dietary selenium include shrimp, salmon, crab meat, halibut, pork, beef, whole wheat bread, and brown rice.

Using data from seven previously published studies, Malats and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate selenium levels measured in serum and toenails and the risk of developing bladder cancer. The data included individuals mostly from the United States, but also from Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands.

The researchers noted a significant protective effect of selenium, mainly among women, which they believe may result from gender-specific differences in the mineral’s accumulation and excretion in women.

“Although our results suggest a beneficial effect of high selenium intake for bladder cancer risk, more studies are needed to confirm these findings before an enforcement of high selenium intake is recommended,” Malats said.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention Editorial Board Member Elizabeth A. Platz, Sc.D., M.P.H., said, “these findings provide a valuable lead for what to do next to understand if there is a role for selenium supplementation in bladder cancer prevention.”

The next research step is to address the dose-response relationship. Addressing this relationship is of public health importance for setting recommended daily intakes for selenium and for targeting subsets of the population for selenium supplementation, added Platz.

Selenium Study Highlights:

• 39 percent reduced risk of bladder cancer from selenium intake; benefit greater for women.
• Selenium benefits and effects may vary according to individual’s characteristics.

NIH-funded scientists at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio are finding that certain phytochemicals, or natural plant compounds (like resveratrol), when given in combinations, may suppress damage that can cause skin cancer.

The substances, which occur naturally in grapes, berries, walnuts and a number of other plant-based foods, were tested on mice that had been genetically manipulated to be sensitive to skin cancer initiation and promotion/progression. Given in combination, even at low doses, the phytochemicals proved protective.

“On the basis of our research, supplements and creams or sunscreens may be developed, tested in humans and then used to prevent skin cancer,” said Zbigniew Walaszek, Ph.D., research associate professor of pharmacology at the Health Science Center.

The natural agents - available as dietary supplements - include resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, and grape seed extract (rich in certain polyphenols). Others are calcium D-glucarate, a salt of D-glucaric acid, which is present in the human bloodstream and in many fruits and vegetables, and ellagic acid, found in a host of berries and in walnuts.

Synergistic effects of phytochemicals

Each of these compounds works in a different way, so giving them in combination is most protective. Scientists have administered the agents both topically and in the diet.

In one study, the team induced skin cancer by shaving the backs of rodents and applying a chemical that produces a genetic mutation. This was done twice a week for four weeks. At the same time, researchers applied topical resveratrol and fed the mice diets supplemented with various combinations of the plant substances.

The team evaluated several outcomes, including thickness in the outer layer of the skin. An increase in thickness indicates that precancerous cells are multiplying. Researchers also monitored mutations in Ha-ras, an oncogene that is a biomarker of cancer initiation, and inflammation, which is important in tumor promotion.

Even low doses of plant agent combinations produced protective effects, while the plant substances given individually produced markedly less benefit.

Preventing epithelial cell transformation to cancer

Dr. Walaszek’s colleague and wife, Margaret Hanausek, Ph.D., research associate professor of pharmacology, said the findings hold great potential for those most at risk for skin cancer and other cancers involving epithelial cells, including lung cancer.

“The combined inhibitory effects of different plant chemicals are expected to be particularly beneficial to, for example, smokers, former smokers or individuals with heavily tanned skin, who carry thousands of cells already initiated for malignant transformation,” Dr. Hanausek said.

Research scientist Magdalena Kowalczyk, Ph.D., agreed: “Described combinations may be very useful in the prevention of skin cancer and other epithelial cancers in humans, achieving a high efficacy and potency with reduced side effects.”

The team continues to look for the best combinations of the natural agents in suppressing different events during skin cancer development, she said.

Future directions in phytochemicals versus cancer research

Researchers acknowledge that not all information - for example, effects on organs such as the lungs - can be gleaned from a skin cancer model. But they say it is an exciting start.

“Our next step is to go to an ultraviolet B light model of skin cancer initiation and confirm our results,” Dr. Walaszek said (Courtesy of EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS).

Reference: Synergistic Effects of Combined Phytochemicals and Skin Cancer Prevention in SENCAR Mice. Magdalena C. Kowalczyk, Piotr Kowalczyk, et al. Published online first January 26, 2010; doi: 10.1158/1940-6207. CAPR-09-0196 Cancer Prevention Research February 2010 3; 170.

Illinois.edu - A group of “professional couch potatoes,” as one researcher described them, has proven that even moderate exercise – in this case walking at one’s own pace for 40 minutes three times a week – can enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat declines in brain function associated with aging, and increase performance on cognitive tasks, especially those involving the so-called “executive functions” of the brain.

The study, funded by the NIA/NIH, and published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, followed 65 older adults, aged 59 to 80, who joined a walking group or stretching and toning group for a year. All of the participants were sedentary before the study, reporting less than two episodes of physical activity lasting 30 minutes or more in the previous six months. The researchers also measured brain activity in 32 younger (18- to 35-year-old) adults.

Rather than focusing on specific brain structures, the study looked at activity in brain regions that function together as networks.

“Almost nothing in the brain gets done by one area – it’s more of a circuit,” said University of Illinois psychology professor and Beckman Institute Director Art Kramer, who led the study with kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley and doctoral student Michelle Voss. “These networks can become more or less connected. In general, as we get older, they become less connected, so we were interested in the effects of fitness on connectivity of brain networks that show the most dysfunction with age.”

Neuroscientists have identified several distinct brain circuits. Perhaps the most intriguing is the default mode network (DMN), which dominates brain activity when a person is least engaged with the outside world – either passively observing something or simply daydreaming.

Previous studies found that a loss of coordination in the DMN is a common symptom of aging and in extreme cases can be a marker of disease, Voss said.

“For example, people with Alzheimer’s disease tend to have less activity in the default mode network and they tend to have less connectivity,” she said. Low connectivity means that the different parts of the circuit are not operating in sync. Like poorly trained athletes on a rowing team, the brain regions that make up the circuit lack coordination and so do not function at optimal efficiency or speed, Voss said.

In a healthy young brain, activity in the DMN quickly diminishes when a person engages in an activity that requires focus on the external environment. Older people, people with Alzheimer’s disease and those who are schizophrenic have more difficulty “down-regulating” the DMN so that other brain networks can come to the fore, Kramer said.

A recent study by Kramer, Voss and their colleagues found that older adults who are more fit tend to have better connectivity in specific regions of the DMN than their sedentary peers. Those with more connectivity in the DMN also tend to be better at planning, prioritizing, strategizing and multi-tasking.

The new study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine whether aerobic activity increased connectivity in the DMN or other brain networks. The researchers measured participants’ brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tasks at the beginning of the study, at six months and after a year of either walking or toning and stretching.

At the end of the year, DMN connectivity was significantly improved in the brains of the older walkers, but not in the stretching and toning group, the researchers report.

The walkers also had increased connectivity in parts of another brain circuit (the fronto-executive network, which aids in the performance of complex tasks) and they did significantly better on cognitive tests than their toning and stretching peers.

Previous studies have found that aerobic exercise can enhance the function of specific brain structures, Kramer said. This study shows that even moderate aerobic exercise also improves the coordination of important brain networks.

“The higher the connectivity, the better the performance on some of these cognitive tasks, especially the ones we call executive control tasks – things like planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity, working memory and multitasking,” Kramer said. These are the very skills that tend to decline with aging, he said.