health briefs Eat Fermented Dairy
to Lower Heart Risk Eating and drinking fermented probiotic dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, cheese and sour cream reduces the risk of heart disease for women, report researchers from the Neth- erlands that analyzed data from nearly 8,000 Australian women over a 15-year period. The effect was particularly strong for those that were obese and had Type 2 diabetes, according to the research. “In the process of dairy fermentation, benefi- cial compounds are released that have shown promise for improving glycemic control, blood lipids, cholesterol concentrations and blood pressure,” write the study authors.
A Passion for Women’s Health Gabriela Pichardo, MD
Internal Medicine • Integrative Medicine ~ Women’s Health ~ Hormone-related Issues
~ Gut Health Se Habla Español
Now practicing at West Holistic Medicine
904 West Avenue • Suite #109 • Austin 512.814.0148 •
WestHolisticMedicine.com
Drink Pomegranate Juice to
Protect Fetal Brain Growth About one in 10 babies in utero struggles with a dangerous condition known as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), in which the flow of oxygen and nutrients through the placenta is restricted, hampering development of the growing fetus. Now, a simple solution—of mom drinking an eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice a day—offers hope of a way to reduce infant deaths and lower the need for infant surgery. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, studied 77 mothers with IUGR at St. Louis’ Barnes-Jewish Hospital that received either one cup a day of pomegranate juice or a placebo. Evaluating 55 of the babies’ development with MRIs after birth, researchers found that the babies with pomegran- ate-drinking moms had evidence of both better brain connectivity and development of white matter—tissue through which messages pass in the central nervous system. Pomegranate juice is a rich source of polyphenols, a class of foods also found in nuts, berries, vegetables and teas that’s known to cross the blood- brain barrier and have neuroprotective effects.
January 2020 9
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