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Edible mushrooms are a versatile functional food and have been touted as a way to preserve youth, longevity and overall health for centuries. Now nutrition researchers from Arizona State University and Pennsylvania State University are finding that they may even help boost the immune system and reduce inflammation, especially in the colon. Keith R. Martin, ASU assistant professor in nutrition, along with his Penn State colleagues, experimented with various types of mushrooms, from the more common white button to the exotic like shiitake and oyster, to see what sort of effect they had on the immune system. Their paper was published in late February in BMC Immunology, a peer reviewed online journal. "We found that the white button mushroom seemed to be the most effective in boosting the immune system, which is good because they are the most affordable," said Martin.

A comparison of egg consumption with other modifiable coronary heart disease lifestyle risk factors: a relative risk apportionment study. Barraj L, Tran N, Mink P. Risk Anal. 2009 Mar;29(3):401-15. Epub 2008 Nov 4. PMID: 19000074 DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2008.01149.x Our analysis shows that the combination of modifiable lifestyle risk factors accounts for less than 40% of the population CHD mortality. For the majority of U.S. adults age 25+, consuming one egg a day accounts for <1% of CHD risk. Hence, focusing on decreasing egg intake as an approach to modify CHD risk would be expected to yield minimal results relative to changing other behaviors such as smoking and other dietary habits.

The April issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research published the results of a trial conducted by scientists at Tokyo University of Science, the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and Johns Hopkins University which determined that the isothiocyanate sulforaphane, a compound that occurs in high amounts in broccoli and its sprouts, helps suppress infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers and many cases of stomach cancer. The trial is the first to demonstrate an effect for broccoli against H. pylori in humans.

A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology. Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). It is marketed heavily as a dietary supplement using a selection of unsubstantiated, 'not-quite-medical' claims that tend to characterize this field. A large part of this campaign has been built around the belief that benfotiamine is lipid-soluble and, therefore, more physiologically active. Scientific research led by Dr Lucien Bettendorff of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Liège, Belgium, has entirely disproved these claims.

Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations are negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D concentrations in healthy women. Peterson CA, Heffernan ME. J Inflamm (Lond). 2008 Jul 24;5:10. PMID: 18652680 doi:10.1186/1476-9255-5-10 Conclusion Serum 25(OH)D status is inversely related to TNF-α concentrations in healthy women, which may in part explain this vitamin's role in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases. Results gleaned from this investigation also support the need to re-examine the biological basis for determining optimal vitamin D status.

"Results indicated that mice on diets supplemented with flaxseed meal and flaxseed oil had, on average, 45 percent fewer tumors in the small intestine and the colon compared to the control group." The scientists published their research findings in February in the academic peer-reviewed international journal Nutrition and Cancer.

In your 2 minutes of fame, tell us (and Obama) what needs to be done to fix health care. We are now taking submissions of 2 minute videos, telling us (and the new administration) your concerns and ideas about the future of healthcare and Health 2.0.

Alcohol and genetic polymorphisms: effect on risk of alcohol-related cancer. Druesne-Pecollo N, Tehard B, Mallet Y, Gerber M, Norat T, Hercberg S, Latino-Martel P. Lancet Oncol. 2009 Feb;10(2):173-80. Review. PMID: 19185835 doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70019-

Safety evaluation of topical applications of ethanol on the skin and inside the oral cavity. Lachenmeier DW. J Occup Med Toxicol. 2008 Nov 13;3:26. PMID: 19014531 doi:10.1186/1745-6673-3-26

On the epidemiology of influenza. Cannell JJ, Zasloff M, Garland CF, Scragg R, Giovannucci E. Virol J. 2008 Feb 25;5:29. Review. PMID: 18298852 doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-29

Vitamin D in preventive medicine: are we ignoring the evidence? Zittermann A. Br J Nutr. 2003 May;89(5):552-72. Review. PMID: 12720576

Vitamin D protects bone, preserves muscle strength, and regulates cell growth and energy metabolism. It also offers some protection against cancer and other disease, but are these effects really important for health and life expectancy? The answer seems to be a resounding yes.

A signalling pathway that influences how sensitive cancer cells are to the beneficial effects of dietary restriction is described in this week's Nature. Dietary restriction - eating less calories while maintaining essential vitamins and minerals - can extend lifespan, and reduce cancer incidence and growth. But some types of cancer cell are more sensitive to the anti-growth effects of dietary restriction than others, Nada Kalaany and David Sabatini report. The effect hinges on the activity of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. If the pathway is active, dietary restriction has no effect on cancer cells. However, if the pathway is inactive, tumours are sensitive to dietary restriction.

Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, according to background information in the article. Treatment options exist for those with severe cases of the disease, but the only known prevention method is to avoid smoking. Recent studies have drawn a connection between AMD and blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are associated with dysfunction of the blood vessel lining, whereas treatment with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid appears to reduce homocysteine levels and may reverse this blood vessel dysfunction.

Martineau AR, Wilkinson RJ, Wilkinson KA, Newton SM, Kampmann B, Hall BM, Packe GE, Davidson RN, Eldridge SM, Maunsell ZJ, Rainbow SJ, Berry JL, Griffiths CJ. A single dose of vitamin D enhances immunity to mycobacteria. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007

Liu PT, Stenger S, Tang DH, Modlin RL. \nCutting Edge: Vitamin D-Mediated Human Antimicrobial Activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Dependent on the Induction of Cathelicidin.\nJ Immunol. 2007 Aug 15;179(4):2060-3.\nPMID: 17675463 [PubMed - in pr

Pittas AG, Lau J, Hu FB, Dawson-Hughes B. \nThe role of vitamin D and calcium in type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis.\nJ Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jun;92(6):2017-29. Epub 2007 Mar 27. Review.\nPMID: 17389701 [PubMed - indexed for MEDL

Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Davies KM, Recker RR, Heaney RP. \nVitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial.\nAm J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.\nPMID: 17556697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Wicherts IS, van Schoor NM, Boeke AJ, Visser M, Deeg DJ, Smit J, Knol DL, Lips P. \nVitamin D status predicts physical performance and its decline in older persons.\nJ Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jun;92(6):2058-65. Epub 2007 Mar 6.\nPMID: 17341569 [PubMed