Research on Chocolate, Wine, and other Antioxidant Rich Foods Highlighted by American Chemical Society Symposium

The health benefits of antioxidants found in some food such as chocolate, tea, red wine, fruits and vegetables was the topic presented at a symposium by the American Chemical Society during its 246th National Meeting & Exposition.

Antioxidants are substances that are known to have health benefits that include reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. These protect cells against molecules produced by the body that damages cells known as free radicals.

The symposium,"Phenolic Derivatives for Food and Human Health", focuses on the antioxidant substances found in red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, coffee, tea, and other foods and dietary supplements that are believed to bring about a healthy and long life.

Topics during the symposium include:

• The healthful effects of curcumin, found naturally in the spice, turmeric
• Substances in dried ginger that kill cancer cells
• How large intestine microbes interact with cranberry antioxidants in the diet
• Using biotechnology to make more effective antioxidants

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

High Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Promotes Calm, Positive and Happy Behavior

Research published in the British Journal of Health Psychology show that high fruit and vegetable consumption promotes a happier and positive mood behavior among young people.

Fruits and vegetables are the dietary source for phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that are produced by plants.

There is wide belief that phytochemicals like anti-oxidants and carotenoids have a beneficial effect on the body. Laboratory studies suggest that these nutrients may reduce the risk of cancer. Most claims covering phytochemicals are just observational studies. Without any evidence based study, the US FDA restricts the promotion of health claims of the product.

Despite this, anti-oxidants like resveratrol (an anti-oxidant with anti-aging claims) are fast becoming popular over the counter nutritional supplement.

A recent study also published in the British Journal of Health Psychology showed a lower risk of depression in people with high carotenoid levels.

Coffee Lowers Risk of Depression While Diet Drinks Increase Risk

Research suggests that drinking coffee can lower the risk of depression by 10% while sweetened drinks specially diet sodas can increase it.

Depression is the overall feeling of sadness, unhappiness, or just being miserable. Aside from the emotional change, depression also causes people to lose interest in their favorite activities, change their eating behavior (either loss of appetite or overeating), and have trouble concentrating. In some cases, the person can be harmful to himself or herself and may need counselling.

Most people feel this way at one time or another for short periods, especially during stressful or emotional events. This type of depression is not classified as a psychiatric disorder but more of a normal reaction to a life changing event. It can also be a symptom of a medical condition or a side effect from taking certain medications.

Clinical depression or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is different as it is classified as a mood disorder. The person also experiences the same symptoms of normal depression but lasts longer than a few days and interferes with the daily life of the person. Clinical depression requires a minimum of two weeks in this state for diagnosis but it may last for weeks and even months.

Aside from the feeling of sadness, this type of depression may bring out suicidal tendencies, anger, mood swings, and irrational behavior.

The exact cause of clinical depression is unknown but doctors believe it is linked to chemical changes in the brain triggered by stress, medication, or both. There are cases that doctors believed to be hereditary in nature.

Treatments for clinical depression range from medication (antidepressants), psychotherapy and even Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

How Estrogen Influence Female Mood Swings and Psychology

Estrogen are a group of compounds that affect the physiologic changes induced by the reproductive hormones on females. They are the primary female sex hormones and are naturally synthesized by the human body.

Levels of estrogen not only affect the human body physically, but as studies prove, it also can be a major influence on a person psychologically.

Women's emotional responses can vary significantly premenstrually. They may become depressed or grumpy during menstruation or the premenstrual phase, known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Roughly 75% of reproductive-age women report premenstrual mood swings or physical discomfort. Brain scans show a significant increase in activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex related to emotional processing premenstrually, even if women's emotional responses do not vary significantly.

The relationship between estrogen and emotion was first investigated over 100 years ago, and it has been shown that estrogen can improve mood. Research has shown that during prepuberty, boys are twice as likely as girls to need psychotherapy. However, the opposite is true postpubertally. Women are twice as likely to develop anxiety or depressive disorders compared to men.