The researchers were studying the impact of too much sugar with high-fructose corn syrup in particular on rats, who have similar brain chemistry to humans.

The inexpensive liquid is six times sweeter than cane sugar and is commonly added to processed foods such as soft drinks.

It is a healthy suggestion to stay off from the sweet stuff because it contains high amounts of fructose which slows the brain that could make you dull according to researchers.

The suggestion follows tests in the laboratory comparing high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar and a common ingredient in processed foods, with omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid memory and learning.

At the start of the study, published in the Journal of Physiology, the University of California team tested how well the rats navigated a maze, placing landmarks to help them learn the way.

In that rats’ experiment, one group had a sugary diet for six weeks and another was fed healthily.

Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall the route.

Study co-author Professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said the rats fed just a sugary diet were slower and their brains had declined.

He said, ‘Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.

However, the good news is that eating nuts and fish such as salmon can counteract this disruption.

‘Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,’ said Prof Gomez-Pinilla. ‘Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.’

Professor Gomez-Pinilla recommends naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which contain relevant antioxidants.

According to him he is concerned about ‘high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.’

A closer look at the rats’ brain tissue suggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence the brain cells.

The authors suspect that eating too much sugar like fructose could block insulin’s ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar for the energy required for processing thoughts and emotions.

The soluble compound is found in some of the fruits, vegetables and other plant foods.

Sources of rutin are asparagus, citrus fruits, berries, apples (peelings). Apart from that, black or green tea, buckwheat and many other food items derived from plants are found to contain rutin in fair amounts.

Rutin have been shown to have an inhibiting effect on cancer cell metabolism and protects against cardiovascular disease.

Being an antioxidant, rutin attaches to metal ions like, iron and prevents the reactions that form free radicals, which are responsible for some of the major health problems like, cancer.

Rutin can help reduce tumors in colon cancer and has a preventative effect in diabetes.
It inhibits the formation of cataracts and can be used to treat and prevent the symptoms of asthma and allergies.

It is good for the circulatory system, as it makes the capillaries stronger and improves blood circulation.

Rutin also acts as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting. Harvard researchers found that the chemical helped block a potentially dangerous enzyme involved in the formation of blood clots.

This enzyme called protein disulphide isomerase is released very quickly when blood clots form in the arteries and veins.

Professor Robert Flaumenhaft, from the Harvard Medical School said: ‘Rutin proved to be the most potently anti-thrombotic compound that we ever tested in this model.

‘Clots occur in both arteries and in veins. Clots in arteries are platelet-rich, while those in veins are fibrin-rich. This discovery suggests that a single agent can treat and prevent both types of clots.’

Blood clots, or thromboses, occur in arteries and vein and restrict the flow of blood. They can become dislodged and move to other parts of the body.

If a clot occurs in one of the main arteries leading to the heart it causes a heart attack.

A clot occurring in an artery leading to the brain causes a stroke.

Rutin as a flavonoid is found to be beneficial in controlling and preventing hemorrhoids, varicose veins and skin bruising.

Rutin aids the body in utilizing vitamin c and maintains the level of collagen in the skin, to prevents signs of aging, such as wrinkles and skin damage.

It has also an anti-inflammatory properties, which are good for alleviating inflammation caused by diseases. It may be beneficial in reducing venous edema of the legs.

Unlike cow’s milk there is no need to homogenize goat’s milk. While the fat globules in cow’s milk tend to separate to the surface, the globules in goat’s milk are much smaller and will remain suspended in solution.

When individuals have sensitivity to cow’s milk, goat’s milk can sometimes be used as an alternative.

In a study from the University of Granada in Spain of last year, ‘Goat’s milk may boost iron absorption more effectively than cow’s’.

The study also found goat’s milk contained higher levels of zinc and selenium, which help the immune system.

It has also found goat’s milk contained a significant amount of oligosaccharides, compounds that reach the large intestine undigested and act like prebiotics, enhancing the growth of healthy ‘probiotic’ gut flora that wards off infections.

According to Jennifer Lowe of the British Dietetic Association, ‘both cow’s and goat’s milk contain similar levels of calcium and most other vitamins and minerals.’

However, when it comes to vitamin B12, which is important for the formation of healthy red blood cells, cow’s milk wins hands down.

‘Half a tumbler of cow’s milk contains nearly two thirds of the recommended daily intake, you’d have to drink nine times that amount of goat’s milk to get the same levels,’ says Lowe.

Some children given goat’s milk have been found to have B12 deficiency, symptoms include fatigue and weakness.

Furthermore, goat milk patrons claim that those with an allergy to cow’s milk can happily pour goat’s milk on their cereal.

But this may not be the case, according to Lowe.

If you have an allergy to cow’s milk, around five per cent of the UK population is thought to be affected, you’re likely to have a similar response to goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk, too.

‘The protein that causes an allergy is very similar in all these types of milk,’ says Lowe.

However, some other initial studies suggested that specific proteins known to cause allergic reactions may have been present in cow’s milk in significant quantities yet largely absent in goat’s milk.

Allergy to cow’s milk has been found in many people with conditions such as recurrent ear infections, asthma, eczema, and even rheumatoid arthritis. Replacing cow’s milk with goat’s milk may help to reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions.

People who claim to be intolerant to lactose, the natural carbohydrate in milk, often swap cow’s for goat’s milk.

But Lowe points out that, ‘the two actually contain similar levels of lactose, 4.1 per cent in goat’s compared with 4.7 per cent in cow’s, so switching to goat’s milk won’t make any difference to your symptoms.’

Instead those people with a lactose intolerance should opt for a dairy-free alternative such as soya milk.

But could goat’s milk help you shed the pounds when it has less calories than that of cow’s?

It’s true that its fat globules are generally smaller than those in cow’s milk so the body’s digestive enzymes can break it down more rapidly, however, there’s no confirmed link with reduced abdominal bloating.

There’s been a 40 percent rise in demand for goat’s milk for children in recent years, the result of an increase in the numbers said to be either allergic to dairy or unable to digest it.

Unfortunately, goat’s milk is lacking in several nutrients that are necessary for growing infants , the proteins are too concentrated for young children to digest and some sources of it are unpasteurized, raising the risk of bacterial infection, diarrhea and sickness.

But for older children and adults, however, goat’s milk can be an excellent calcium-rich alternative to cow’s milk as, in addition to calcium, it contains many of the same nutrients found in cow’s milk.

According to the Department of Health, ‘Infant formulas and follow-on formulas based on goats’ milk protein have not been approved for use in Europe’.

A research done in Mexico, the world’s largest avocado producer, the oil from avocado has demonstrated its power to combat destructive rogue oxygen molecules.

These are particularly common inside mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses in our cells that turn the food we eat into energy.

Many ‘antioxidant’ chemicals in vegetables and fruits such as carrots and tomatoes can mop up free radicals, but they can’t make their way inside mitochondria, but those in avocado can.

“The problem is that the antioxidants in those substances are unable to enter mitochondria,” said Mr Cortes-Rojo, from the University Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo in Morelia, Mexico.

‘So free radicals go on damaging mitochondria, causing energy production to stop and the cell to collapse and die.’

Unstable free radicals are natural waste products of metabolism but may be generated in greater numbers due to factors such as pollution, tobacco smoke and radiation.

They wreak havoc in the body, triggering chain reactions that destroy cell membranes, proteins and even DNA.

But the active ingredients in the avocado’s oil tackles the destructive force of free radicals which damage cells as we age, scientist say.

Experiments on yeast showed that avocado oil was effective against mitochondrial free radicals. Yeast cells treated with the oil were able to survive high exposure to iron, which triggers production of huge numbers of the molecules.

“These results could be attributed to the fact that avocado oil caused accelerated respiration in mitochondria, which indicate that the use of nutrients for producing energy for cell functions remains effective even in cells attacked by free radicals,” said Mr Cortes-Rojo.

Previous research conducted at Morelia General Hospital had shown that avocado lowers blood levels of cholesterol, and certain fats linked to diabetes.

Avocado oil is similar in composition to olive oil, consumption of which is associated with unusually low levels of chronic disease in some Mediterranean countries.

It becomes more readily available and biologically active when it comes from processed tomatoes with a small amount of cooking oil added.

People who have diets rich in tomatoes, which contain lycopene, appear in some studies to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer, especially cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach.

Tomatoes are the most concentrated food source of lycopene, although apricots, guava, watermelon, papaya, and pink grapefruit are also significant sources.

Studies that looked at lycopene levels in the blood found that levels were higher after people ate cooked tomatoes than after they ate raw tomatoes or drank tomato juice.

This suggests that lycopene in cooked tomato products such as tomato sauce or paste may be more readily absorbed by the body than lycopene in raw tomatoes.

Eating lycopene-rich vegetables and fruits together with a small amount of oil or fat (for example, salad oil or cheese on pizza) increases the amount of lycopene absorbed by the intestines.

Dr. Mridula Chopra and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth tested the effect of the nutrient lycopene on the simple mechanism through which cancer cells hijack a body’s healthy blood supply to grow and spread.

They found that lycopene, which is what gives tomatoes their red color, intercepts cancer’s ability to make the connections it needs to attach to a healthy blood supply.

The research, which is published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed a significant increase in lycopene levels in blood and semen samples after subjects ate 400g (14oz) of processed tomatoes for two weeks.

Cancer cells can remain dormant for years until their growth is triggered through the secretion of chemicals which initiate the process of linking cancer cells with endothelial cells which act as healthy gatekeeper cells lining blood vessels.

This allows the cancer cells to reach out and attach to the blood supply.

In the laboratory experiments, lycopene was shown to disrupt this linking process, without which cancer cells cannot grow.

They claim to boost health in various ways including raising energy levels to allowing the body to focus on self-healing.

But David Bender, an emeritus professor of nutritional biochemistry, has belied such suggestions in an article entitled ‘The Detox Delusion’, published in the Society of Biology magazine, The Biologist.

In it, he says the term ‘detox’ has gone from describing a chemical reaction involved in the production of urine to a ‘meaningless marketing term’ and takes apart the claims made on behalf of detox diets.

He says that they are at best unfounded, more likely demonstrably false, and at worst dangerous.

Professor Bender, of University College London, writes: “I am not sure what ‘self-healing’ is and the idea of ‘raised energy levels’ is nonsense.

“The whole philosophy of detox is based on the unlikely premise that accumulated toxins cause a sluggish metabolism, weight gain, general malaise and so on.

“Weight gain is due to an imbalance between food consumption and energy expenditure. There is no magic shortcut for weight loss, you have to eat less and exercise more. It’s that simple.”

A new study found that a fatty acid found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and seafood such as prawns and mussels can boost memory function by 15 per cent.

Over a six month period 176 healthy adults were given supplements containing DHA an Omega-3 fatty acid of which during this time memory and cognitive function were assessed and compared to a placebo group.

It is believed that fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega 3 fatty acid found in fish and seafood is one of the most highly concentrated fats in the brain.

It could be key in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common forms of dementia characterized by a decline in mental abilities, such as memory and reasoning and often associated with increasing age.

Lead researcher Professor Welma Stonehouse of Massey University in New Zealand said: ‘This is the first robust study to show that a DHA-rich supplement can improve some aspects of memory functioning in young healthy adults.

‘The cognitive functions shown to be affected by the DHA-rich fish oil, namely memory and working memory, are among the most important functions of our brains for numerous everyday activities, such as working, driving, shopping, studying, playing sports, etc.

‘Maintaining brain health and getting your brain to perform at its optimal capacity is just as vital as maintaining physical well being and health.’

DHA, is one of the most highly concentrated fats in the brain and known to play a vital role in the structure and functioning of the brain.

But as the body cannot effectively make this fatty acid it must be consumed as part of the diet.
Researchers highlighted that as many people fail to eat enough fish and seafood, the brain’s performance is potentially compromised.

The study showed that male participants who took a DHA supplement demonstrated 15 per cent faster working memory while women had a seven per cent improvement in the speed of episodic memory.

Professor Stonehouse added: ‘These findings contribute to the growing body of research showing that omega-3′s play a very important role in brain function throughout the life cycle, even in healthy cognitively intact individuals.’

This is one of the few studies to investigate the effects of DHA on cognitive function in healthy adults with no pre-existing cognitive disorder.

Dementia affects around 570,000 people in England, with Alzheimer’s disease responsible for around 60 per cent of dementia cases.

The National Health Service (NHS) states a healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish.

Researchers at Boston University found people who got plenty of choline in their diets performed better on memory tests and were less likely to show brain changes associated with dementia.

‘Your lifetime diet may make a difference in how your brain ages,’ said senior researcher Dr. Rhoda Au.

For the latest study, Dr. Au combed through the results from a long-running heart health survey.

The study found, men and women in the top quarter for choline intake performed better on the memory tests than those in the bottom quarter.

People with higher choline intake at the outset were also less likely to show areas of ‘white-matter hyper-intensity’ in their MRI brain scans.

Findings suggest that people with lower choline intakes were more likely to be on a ‘pathway’ toward mental decline than their counterparts with higher intakes.

Choline, the nutrient is a precursor to the brain chemical acetyl-choline, which plays a key role in memory and other cognitive functions; low acetyl-choline levels are associated with Alzheimer’s.

Eating fish may enhance blood flow to the brain which could stave off dementia in later life, researchers have discovered.

The results seem encouraging though, taking omega-3 or fish oil supplements may not have an impact on the mental performance of young adults, the researchers at Northumbria University say, but the increased blood flow to the brain it caused could be important for older people.

According to lead researcher Dr Philippa Jackson, the evidence suggests that regularly eating oily fish may prevent cognitive decline and dementia, and increased blood flow to the brain may be a mechanism by which this occurs.

”If we can pinpoint both the behavioral and brain blood flow effects of this fatty acid in older healthy people, then the benefits for those with mental degenerative conditions associated with normal aging could be that much greater,” Jackson said.

Researchers now plan to conduct a study on omega-3 use in people aged 50 to 70.

The wild variety usually sprouts from droppings of bats and birds on a newly open cleared upland or rolling terrain farm.

They are those variety common locally, whose fruits are oblong shape, in clusters and smaller in sizes (5″ long and 3″ in diameter) compared to the domesticated variety but it is very sweet when ripe.

Some farmers propagate them commercially for market and domestic consumption. The unripe fruit is used as vegetables in Filipino cuisine like tinola (chicken soup) and delicacy like achara (salad).

When ripe, its flesh can be served or eaten directly or it can be scraped and mixed it with ground ice with milk to form a milk shake or as fruit juice in a blender which can be a very refreshing treat during summer time.

According to Food and Nutrition Institute (FNRI) of The Department Science and Technology (DoST), papaya is rich in nutrients as well as a good source of antioxidants such as folic acid, fiber, carotenes, vitamin C and E.

Antioxidants promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer.

It contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is widely used in tenderizing meat. This knowledge has been applied in the Filipino practice of cooking meat with raw papaya to make it tender and digestible. Papain is also used as a digestive aid and is assumed to have an anti-inflammatory benefits.

It is also a good source of fiber which lowers cholesterol levels and helps in easing the discomforts of constipation. This fiber is able to bind cancer toxins in the colon and keep them away from the healthy colon cells.

Papaya helps in the prevention of atherosclerosis, diabetes and heart disease. Folic acid found in papaya is needed for the conversion of a substance called homocysteine, an amino acid.

If unconverted, homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and if levels get too high, it is considered a significant risk factor to heart attack and strokes.

Vitamins C and E found in papaya are all associated with reduced risk of colon cancer. The pigment in the fruit called carotene, is similar to that of carrots and squash.

Carotene in food is converted into vitamin A which promotes good eyesight. Papaya is also an ideal food for those with difficulty in chewing and swallowing.

The papaya has a low glycemic index (GI) of 49 making it good for diabetics. Glycemic index is classified as low (<55), medium (56-70) and high (>70).

Low-GI foods have been shown to have reduced postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses and improve the overall blood glucose and lipid concentration in non-diabetics and diabetic patients. One small slice of ripe papaya or three-fourths (3/4) cup contains 40 kilocalories.