With the warm weather hopefully coming up we’ve got some helpful news on healthy choices, and a way to curb your appetite. We start with the latest study on eggs.
We've all heard the warnings: "watch out for cholesterol" in eggs. A new research in the archives of pediatrics shows eggs contain a lot of "good cholesterol" too. They are also packed with protein and more than a dozen vitamins and minerals. Experts say for most of us: 1 to 2 eggs a day are fine.
In another study this week OJ gets an extra boost. Not only is it good for your body it's good for your skin. In a study of 4,000 volunteers, those who took the most vitamin c had fewer wrinkles! The lead author believes it's the anti-oxidants that help build collagen.
Equal and Splenda watch out. There's new competition on the market. It's called "sweet leaf" and it comes from the South American Stevia plant.
"From this leaf we can extract the sweet glycosides which gives us a white powder 300 times sweeter than sugar,” says Jim May, CEO of Wisdom natural brands. ‘
It's generally considered safe, but it is not FDA approved yet. It’s categorized as a supplement and doctors say pregnant or nursing women should avoid it for now.
Pregnant women should consider taking more salt though. A study by health magazine showed iodine intake in the last 20 years has dropped by 50 percent.
Low levels can slow metabolism, and iodine deficiencies in pregnant women can harm the mental and physical development of a fetus. If you're pregnant talk to your doctor about prenatal vitamins with iodine.
Most of us know green tea is good for us... and now research shows it could help with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea blocks airwaves during the night and among other problems can lead to high blood pressure and brain damage. In lab animals, green tea reduced the level of cell damage.
And last: stronger research on the benefits of peppermint. In the latest study: participants consumed 3,000 fewer calories a week, after being exposed to peppermint. The aroma appears to trigger a sense of fullness after eating, and it improved concentration. Experts suggest chewing sugarless mint gum, or dabbing-on peppermint oil to curb cravings.
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There is promising new research in fighting alcohol addiction. 400 diagnosed alcoholics participated in a new study by the University of Virginia using the drug Topamax.
It showed the drug decreased heavy drinking. Doctors also found it helped volunteers lose weight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure. All problems researchers say often comes hand in hand with drinking. The study appears in Monday's "archives of internal medicine" one of the journals for the American Medical Association.
In another study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the French based research institute Inserm found smoking not only ruins your lungs, it saps you of your memory. This was a big study--10, 000 people participated. Those who smoked scored the worst on memory tests, but once they quit during the study their memory improved and on top of that they started to exercise and eat better.
Last: some promising news for those battling brain tumors. UCLA has been studying a personalized cancer vaccine for 7 years now. It works by combining a portion of the tumor with a patient's own white blood cells.
"This is an exciting new study that is trying to trigger the patients own immune system to recognize the tumor as a foreign object and to attack it and kill it," says Dr. Michael Gruber, Overlook Hospital Neuro-oncology Director
In 19 patients: the 2-year survival rate went from 27 to 50 percent. It's not a guarantee but it does appear to add precious time to a patient’s life.