healthbriefs
Eye Health Nutrients Also Aid the Brain
The Five-Second Rule Debunked T
he five-second rule is a belief that food that falls to the floor can be safely eaten as long as it’s picked up quickly. Research- ers from Rutgers University, in New Bruns- wick, New Jersey, sought to test its veracity. Four different food items were tested, including watermelon, bread and butter, plain bread and gummy candy, using four different surfaces—stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood and carpet. Each surface was contaminated by bacteria and completely dry before the
L
utein and zeaxanthin are known key carotenoids for eye health, filtering out harmful high-energy blue wave- lengths of light and helping to protect and maintain cells comprising the eye. The human body does not make enough of either nutrient, so we must get them from supplements or food sources such as kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, corn, green peas, broccoli, romaine lettuce, green beans and eggs. Researchers from the University
of Georgia, in Athens, investigated the relationship between levels of lutein and zeaxanthin and cognitive function. They measured the levels of each nutri- ent in the retinas of 43 older adults with a mean age of 72 and asked that the subjects learn and recall pairs of unre- lated words. The study found that those with higher levels of both nutrients did better on the test, suggesting that the enhanced neural efficiency that comes from consuming these nutrients leads to better brain function.
scientists dropped each item for one second, five, 30 and 300 seconds. A total of 128 separate scenarios were repeated 20 times each and 2,560 measurements were taken and analyzed for contamination. The results proved that longer contact time resulted in more bacterial contam- ination, but there were also cases of instantaneous contamination, which disproves the five-second rule. The wet surface of a watermelon yielded the most contamina- tion and gummy candy the least. The surface tests yielded surprising results, with carpet transferring significantly fewer bacteria than tile and stainless steel, while wood floors exhibited varied results.
The secret of getting
ahead is getting started. ~Mark Twain
natural awakenings March 2017 13
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