Blueberries May Counteract Exercise Damage

Skeletal-muscle damage can be caused by unaccustomed or excessive exercise, and researchers have observed muscle dysfunction occurring due to an increase in reactive oxygen species, a.k.a. free radicals. Roger D. Hurst, from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, and colleagues exposed developing skeletal-muscle fibers, or myotubes, to various concentrations of fruit extracts along with two compounds that induce cellular stress. They found that blueberry extract protects muscle fibers in a dose-dependent fashion. The researchers suggest that the two antioxidant compounds, which contain malvidin galactoside and malvidin glucoside, “may be beneficial in alleviating muscle damage caused by oxidative stress.”

Hurst, R.D., et al. (2010). Blueberry fruit polyphenolics suppress oxidative stress-induced skeletal muscle cell damage in vitro. Mol Nutr & Food Res. 54(3): 353-363.

Almond Skins for Gut Health

Prebiotics are food ingredients that aid metabolism in the intestinal tract, and some studies have suggested that they help manage metabolic diseases in overweight and obese individuals. Giuseppina Mandalari, from the Institute of Food Research in the United Kingdom, and colleagues studied the effects of natural and blanched almond skins and found that eating almond skins upped the numbers of good bacteria, specifically Clostridium coccoides and Eubacterium rectale, in the gut. Explaining that almond skins contain a lot of dietary fiber and are high in plant-cell-wall polysaccharides, which provide the body with energy through fermentation and absorption of short-chain fatty acids, the team concludes, “Dietary fiber from almond skins altered the composition of gut bacteria, and almond skins resulting from industrial blanching could be used as potential prebiotics.”

Mandalari, G., et al. (2010). In vitro evaluation of the prebiotic properties of almond skins (Amygdalus communis L.). FEMS Microb Let. 304(2): 116-122.

—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net

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Dr. Robert M. Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP has spearheaded the development of numerous international medical organizations and corporations. Dr. Goldman has served as a Senior Fellow at the Lincoln Filene Center, Tufts University; as an Affiliate at the Philosophy of Education Research Center, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, He is Clinical Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea Medical University; and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Central America Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Goldman holds the positions of Visiting Professor, Udayana University School of Medicine, Indonesia; Visiting Professor, Huazhong University of Science & Technology Tong Ji Medical School, China; Visiting Professor, The Wuhan Institute of Science & Technology, China; Visiting Professor at Hainan Medical College, China; and Visiting Professor, School of Anti-Aging, Aesthetics and Regenerative Medicine, UCSI University, Malaysia. Dr. Goldman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Physicians and a Board Diplomat in Sports Medicine and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Goldman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Physicians and a Board Diplomat in Sports Medicine and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine. He has overseen cooperative research agreement development programs in conjunction with such prominent institutions as the American National Red Cross, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and the FDA’s Center for Devices & Radiological Health.

Dr Goldman was awarded the 2012 LifeTime Achievement Award in Medicine &Science. Dr. Goldman is the recipient of the ‘Gold Medal for Science, the Grand Prize for Medicine, the Humanitarian Award, and the Business Development Award. He received honors from Minister of Sports and government Health officials of numerous nations. In 2001, Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch awarded Dr. Goldman the International Olympic Committee Tribute Diploma for contributions to the development of sport & Olympism.

In addition, Dr. Goldman is a black belt in karate, Chinese weapons expert, and world champion athlete with over 20 world strength records, he has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Some of his past performance records include 13,500 consecutive situps and 321 consecutive handstand pushups. Dr. Goldman was an All-College athlete in four sports, a three time winner of the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Physical Fitness Award, was voted Athlete of the Year, was the recipient of the Champions Award, and was inducted into the World Hall of Fame of Physical Fitness. Dr. Goldman was awarded the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Goldman is Chairman of the International Medical Commission overseeing sports medicine committees in over 184 nations. He has served as a Special Advisor to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. He is founder and international President Emeritis of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the cofounder and Chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Dr. Goldman visits an average of 20 countries annually to promote brain research and sports medicine programs.