Five Fab Foods

PHILADELPHIA (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For years, nutrition experts have studied and debated the potential health benefits of a variety of foods. Here are five foods with benefits that may surprise you.

First up: Asian chefs use red yeast rice in their cuisines. A new study of 5,000 heart attack survivors found a purified version of the extract may cut the risk of a second, fatal heart attack by nearly half.

"The usual, under the best of circumstances, is to have a 20-, maybe 30-percent reduction in events," David Capuzzi, M.D., Ph.D., an endocrinologist and lipid specialist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Capuzzi says the results of the red yeast rice trial are very encouraging, but he does not advise people to run out and buy the over-the counter supplements available now. The red yeast rice preparation researchers tested was a very pure form of the product that is not yet available for use in the United States.

They've gotten a bad rap, but eggs can protect your eyes. The yolks contain antioxidants that may reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

foods "Eggs are not the bad food that we once thought they were," Sherri Flynt, R.D., M.P.H., Community Relations Manager at Florida Hospital Center of Nutritional Excellence in Orlando, Fla., told Ivanhoe.

That cup of Joe keeps you awake, but a new study found people who drink coffee on a regular basis are also up to 80-percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

How about honey to help your child's cough?

"What we found was the children who took the buckwheat honey had the greatest improvement over the previous night than the other two groups," Ian Paul, M.D., a pediatrician from Penn State Children's Hospital at Hershey Medical Center, told Ivanhoe.

Honey can also be used to calm adults' coughs. Kids had better results with a spoonful of the dark honey than with over-the-counter meds or nothing at all. However, honey should not be given to children who are under 1 year.

foods A recent study shows chocolate milk is more effective than sports drinks in helping endurance athletes recover. "It's got more, seven-times more, potassium than Gatorade, and it's got the same amount of sodium as Gatorade. Those are the two key electrolytes people are always concerned with," Emily Rubin, R.D., L.D.N., a registered dietitian from Thomas Jefferson University Digestive Disease Institute in Philadelphia, said.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

Rick Cushman

Media Relations Representative

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 955-2240

Richard.cushman@jefferson.edu