BBC SCIENCE FOCUS MAGAZINE COLLECTION 69DIET5Coenzyme Q-10 can
help treat high
blood pressureNettle root has
been found to help
combat hay fever
and osteoarthritisGETTY, ALAMY
N
IS FOR
NETTLE
Some evidence exists that stinging
nettle root is effective against male
urination problems caused by an
enlarged prostate, such as difficulty
urinating or incontinence. We don’t
know how this works yet, because
other studies have shown that nettle
definitely doesn’t actually reduce the
size of the prostate. Nettle also has
an antihistamine effect and some
studies have found that it helps against
osteoarthritis and hay fever.RATING
O
IS FOR
ODOURLESS GARLIC
Diets naturally high in garlic are
known to be associated with low
incidence of colon cancer and there
is some evidence that taking garlic in
an odourless capsule form provides
the same protection. Garlic capsules
also seem to lower blood pressure
slightly, but we still don’t know if
this results in fewer deaths from heart
disease. And an extensive study at
Stanford, published in 2007, found that
garlic, in any form, does not reduce
blood cholesterol.RATING
P
IS FOR
PRIMROSE OIL
Extracted from the seeds of the evening
primrose plant, it contains gamma-
linolenic acid, which is also found
in borage oil and blackcurrant oil.
Evening primrose has been heavily
promoted in the past as a treatment for
pre-menstrual syndrome and eczema.
But the US National Institute of Health
and the Food and Drug Administration
both agree that there isn’t enough
ev idence to suppor t eit her cla i m. Some
studies did find a benefit, but these
have subsequently been criticised as
poorly designed. Most of the research
in support of evening primrose was
sponsored by Efamol Ltd (a company
that marketed the supplement) and the
British Medical Journal has since called
evening primrose oil “the remedy for
which there is no disease”.RATING
Q
IS FOR
Q-10
Produced naturally in the body,
coenzyme Q-10 is used by the
m itoc hond r ia i n you r cel ls to produce
energy. Studies show that it can be an
effective treatment for chronic heart
failure or high blood pressure. But the
evidence for its usefulness against a
wide range of other diseases, such as
cancer and fibromyalgia, is currently
fairly inconclusive.RATING