A diet rich in berries may reduce levels of inflammatory markers associated with liver health and metabolic syndrome, says a new study from Finland.

Daily consumption of a range of berries, including lingonberry, sea buckthorn, bilberry, and black currant produced a 23 per cent reduction in levels of an enzyme called alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), a well-established marker of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fatty liver is reportedly on the rise in the US, with between one quarter and one half of Americans, and the prevalence of NAFLD has increased in line with the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Recent findings have also reported that metabolic syndrome, a condition characterised by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism, and linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and CVD, does not develop at all without NAFLD.

Blazing a trail

The new study, led by Dr Heikki Kallio from the Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry at the University of Turku , is said to be the first human trial linking berries to liver function and components of metabolic syndrome.

Kallio and his co-workers recruited 31 women with an average age of 43 and randomly assigned them to one of two groups: Both groups underwent a lifestyle intervention, and one group received a supplement of 163 grams per day of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), sea buckthorn berry (Hippophae rhamnoides, ssp. mongolica, var. Ljubitelskaja), bilberry (V. myrtillus) and black currant (Ribes nigrum). Berries were supplied as food products and intended to replace other snacks. Five Finnish food enterprises manufactured the products, noted the researchers.

At the end of 20 weeks, ALAT levels decreased by 23 per cent in the berry group, which the researchers said could be regarded as “nutritionally significant by enhancing the liver function”.

Furthermore, levels of adiponectin increased, said the researchers. Adiponectin is a protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes, and levels are inversely related to body fat levels.

Berry good potential

“This study showed that the daily consumption of more than 150 g of northern berries in various forms as part of the normal diet had a positive affect on ALAT and adiponectin levels, but the small amount of berries consumed as part of normal diet in lifestyle group was not enough to evoke such an impact,” wrote Kallio and his co-workers.

“Present study results indicate common northern berries and berry products as an effective component of lifestyle modifications aimed at decreasing development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent complications,” they added.

According to the Finnish researchers, the berries may working via non-antioxidative mechanisms, with studies showing no influence on the total antioxidant capacity of blood, but changes to markers of inflammation.

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Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.27
“Berry meals and risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome”
Authors: H-M Lehtonen, J-P Suomela, R. Tahvonen, J. Vaarno, M. Venojarvi, J. Viikari, H. Kallio

Drinking one cup of green tea may improve dental health and reduce the risk of loosing teeth by about 20 per cent, according to a new study from Japan.

And drinking more cups appears to confer additional risk reductions, with five or more cups a day associated with a 23 per cent reduction in risk, according to findings from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study published in Preventive Medicine.

Being an observational study, the findings do not prove causality, but the link does appear to be biologically plausible, state the authors, led by Yasushi Koyama from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. Previous studies have reported that green tea catechins may inhibit the action of oral bacteria linked to development of periodontal disease, they said.

“A number of experimental studies have shown that green tea catechins inhibit oral bacteria, while some experiments have indicated that the concentration of tea catechin conferring the above effect should be more than 100 mg/100 ml,” wrote the authors. “A typical preparation of green tea contains a catechin concentration of 50–150 mg/100 ml.

“Therefore, this amount of catechin contained in one cup of green tea might be sufficient to aid tooth retention,” they added.

Green tea

The majority of science on tea has looked at green tea, with benefits reported for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and certain cancers, improving cardiovascular and oral health, as well as aiding in weight management.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

source: Preventive Medicine
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.01.010
“Association between green tea consumption and tooth loss: Cross-sectional results from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study”
Authors: Y. Koyama, S. Kuriyama, J. Aida, T. Sone, N. Nakaya, K. Ohmori-Matsuda, A. Hozawa, I. Tsuji