Vitamin E, Nuts and Antiaging

Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that helps protect against cell damage, has been found to provide therapeutic benefit in a variety of diseases, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Pecans are among the top 15 dietary sources of antioxidants, including Vitamin E.

Thomas B. Shea, from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and colleagues completed a series of laboratory studies on three groups of mice specifically bred to demonstrate severe decline in motor neuron function that are commonly used in studies of amyotropic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a type of motor neuron degenerative disease. Each of the three animal groups was fed a control diet or one of two diets containing different amounts of pecans ground into their food. The researchers employed standard testing methods to determine how well the mice scored relative to motor neuron functions both before and after they were put on one of the three diets.

The mice that were given a diet supplemented with pecans displayed a significant delay in decline in motor function, as compared to the mice receiving no pecans. The mice that got the most pecans fared best, while both pecan groups fared significantly better than those whose diets contained no pecans. The researchers commented, “These findings suggest regular consumption of pecans may provide significant nutritive and antioxidant benefits for your body.”

—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net

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