Food Folklore Come True
Folklore: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Fact: Apples can combat cancer, stroke and heart disease and help lungs. New Harvard research finds 20% less heart disease in apple eaters. In test tubes, apple antioxidants slowed the growth of human cancer cells 50%. The peel has the most antioxidants.
Folklore: Fish is brain food.
Fact: Omega-3 fats in sardines, herring, salmon and tuna make brains smarter, happier and less diseased. In new research, young adults who ate fatty fish were 20% less hostile than non-eaters. Older people who ate fatty fish at least monthly had 60% less Alzheimer’s disease than non-fish eaters.
Folklore: Cherries cure gout.
Fact: Eating 45 Bing cherries cut blood urate levels (a sign of gout) 15% in women, says University of California, Davis, research. Other signs of inflammation (including blood C-reactive protein) also sank.
Folklore: Eggplant helps hearts.
Fact: In studies, eggplant cuts cholesterol and discourages artery clogs. Now USDA scientists find eggplant flesh is packed with a potent antioxidant, chlorogenic acid, which fights bacteria, viruses, cancer and cholesterol. Eat the skin; it has antioxidants, too.
Folklore: Cranberries prevent bladder infection.
Fact: Research says drinking 1 cup of cranberry juice three times a day for a year cut repeated urinary tract infections in women up to 50%. Concentrate tablets also work but may increase the risk of kidney stones, Stanford University researchers say. Sorry, but in existing infections, cranberries may not help much.
This EatSmart column is reprinted from USAWEEKEND Magazine and is copyrighted by Jean Carper. It cannot be reprinted without permission from Jean Carper.
