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Nitrates in leafy vegetable diets may lower blood pressure

Nitrates in foods such as spinach, beet root and lettuce may explain why diets such as the U.S. government-recommended DASH diet help lower high blood pressure, according to a small new study. Researchers found that the nitrates help trigger the production of nitric oxide in the body, which relaxes blood vessels.

Study shows moderate alcohol use could prevent arthritis

Researchers found that mice whose water contained 10% alcohol were at a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, but they said they do not know what level of alcohol would be therapeutic in humans. The study says the alcohol may boost the hormone testosterone, which then inhibits a mechanism that releases inflammatory proteins

U.S. breast cancer cases drop sharply after hormones eschewed

A new report suggests women no longer taking hormones to treat menopause symptoms may have led to a 7% reduction in breast cancer rates in the U.S. in 2003. Experts noted the 16 months before the end of 2003 was a period in which women quit menopause-hormone therapy in the wake of a study tying the hormones to an increased risk of tumors

U.S. studies: Popular anticholesterol supplement not effective

The dietary supplement policosanol appears to be no better than a placebo in reducing cholesterol levels, according to new U.S. research published in a journal. Previous studies conducted in Cuba had shown the extract from sugar cane to be as effective as statins, but the new study combined evidence from independent U.S. laboratories showing the supplement was not effective at lowering cholesterol.