Cranberries Enhance Gut Health
Cranberries are best known as a natural remedy
for urinary tract infections, but a new study has
found benefits for the gut. Certain carbohy-
drates in cranberries, called xyloglucans, aren't
digested in the stomach and make their way
to the intestines, where they ferment and
feed beneficial bacteria. Researchers at the
University of Massachusetts and the University
of Rhode Island think that this new discovery
could lead to healthier gut bacteria, which play a
key role in immunity and other aspects of health.
Xyloglucans are a component of the fiber we get
from fruits and vegetables.KIDS’ SELFIES SPREAD HEAD LICE
Of all the possible downsides of smartphones—interrupting family dinners, distracting
drivers, or just wasting our time—who knew that head lice could be another? But that’s
what British researchers at Oxford University found. Head lice spread more easily through
close contact when groups of kids take selfies or crowd together to watch something on
a friend’s electronic device. The upshot: If your child’s school has a lice outbreak, cutting
back on the use of electronic devices with friends can help to end it.natural remedy for eye strain
Computer and phone screens emanate blue light, which penetrates our eyes and contributes to eye strain,
but a natural remedy can help. A combination of antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, are natural filters that
reduce the impact of blue light. A study at the University of Georgia in Athens found that supplements with
these antioxidants helped reduce not only eye strain but also neck pain, fatigue, and headaches among
people who spent at least six hours daily in front of a screen. “After six months of supplementation, we saw
significant reduction, around 30 percent, in these symptoms, and significant improvement in measures of
visual performance and protection,” says lead researcher James Stringham, PhD. This antioxidant combina-
tion is an ingredient called Lutemax 2020, found in many brands of eye health supplements.MORE CHOLINE
FOR MOMS TO BE
The American Medical Association,
which often looks askance at supple-
mentation, wants more choline in
prenatal supplements. Such was
the consensus at the organization’s
2017 annual meeting. Last year,
a study at the University of Illinois
at Chicago found that of the top 25
prenatal supplements, none contained
the daily recommended 450 mg of
choline. Two contained 50 or 55 mg, six
contained 30 mg or less, and the rest
contained none. Choline is necessary
for a healthy pregnancy and prevention
of neural tube and other birth defects.
(^10) • SEPTEMBER 2017
trendWATC H
$1 billion
That’s how much we
spent on gummy vitamins
last year, according to
research by IBISWorld.
Once made just for kids,
gummy supplements now
cater to all ages, and even
though they’re sweet,
some are sugar-free.