Nutrition News
Facts and findings from the world of food
Spinach worked for Popeye, and it could be useful for you, too. The dark green leaves are rich in folate, which is a known blood-flow booster, and may help improve your sexual health and function. In fact, a study has linked low blood folate levels with erectile dysfunction.1 As well as folate, spinach packs a decent amount of magnesium, which can also help stimulate blood flow and maintain healthy testosterone levels.
FAT LOT OF GOOD
An increase of just one per cent in blood levels of omega-3 fats is associated with an increase in life expectancy of almost five years.4 To put that into perspective, being a regular smoker takes on average 4.7 years off your life expectancy, so the benefits of upping your omega-3 intake could be about on par with quitting smoking. Nuts, seeds, oily fish or algae oils are all excellent sources.
TAKE YOUR TIME
A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour showed that when choosing food, the brain processes taste perception first, taking about twice as long to factor in health information. No surprise then, that when researchers gave participants more time to choose, they tended to opt for more healthy options.
DON’T GET BURNED
When meat is cooked at high temperatures, such as sizzling sausages on the barbecue, a complex chain of reactions is set off, ending in the production of compounds known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These have been shown to damage DNA, and a large review of 39 individual studies has confirmed a relationship between HCAs and risk of colorectal cancer.2 Every now and then is fine, but try not to overdo it.
CHAM DOWN
Getting good sleep is quickly being recognised as one of the simplest things you can do to dramatically improve your health and performance. Regular exercise, healthy diet and limiting caffeine intake are all recognised ways to improve sleep quality, but a large review study has found that chamomile can also be a useful tool.3 Within just two weeks, daily chamomile intake can significantly improve sleep quality and generalised anxiety disorders. It’s thought to be thanks to a compound called apigenin, a naturally occurring flavonoid with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.