Page 68 - BBC - The Scientific Guide to a Healthier You
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DIET
IS FOR The nectar from the
Manuka tree in New
I IRON Zealand can be
Iron deficiency is the most common made into honey
nutritional deficiency in the world, but
in the UK it’s rare because flour, cereals
and some other foods are fortified with
iron. A 2012 study found that adult
women may be mildly iron deficient
even if they are not medically anaemic,
and taking iron supplements reduced
how tired they felt. The effect was
very small, however, and too much
iron is certainly harmful. Accidental
overdoses of iron supplements are IS FOR IS FOR
a leading cause of child poisoning K KRILL OIL M MANUKA HONEY
deaths in the US, so keep your tablets Red krill oil comes from the shrimp- Honey is a broad spectrum antibiotic,
locked safely away. like crustaceans that whales eat. It but we still don’t fully understand
contains eicosapentaenoic acid and how it kills bacteria. Manuka honey
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docosahexaenoic acid, commonly is made from the nectar of the New
known as omega-3 fatty acids – well Zealand Manuka tree and has the
known for reducing the risk of heart strongest antibacterial effect. But lab
St John’s Wort is
a good natural disease. It’s claimed that krill oil is studies have so far failed to translate
antidepressant
more effective than fish oil, but the this into significant benefits in human
evidence is much less conclusive. It may patients. Manuka honey dressings
be that the slightly different chemical might shorten healing times slightly
composition of the omega-3 in krill for moderate burns, but the evidence
oil means it’s more easily absorbed. for other wounds is quite weak.
But, even if that’s true, it would only
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mean you need a smaller dose to
achieve the same effect.
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IS FOR
L L-CARNITINE
IS FOR Carnitine is an amino acid used by
J ST JOHN’S WORT virtually all your cells in the release
Large-scale reviews of studies involving of energy. It’s produced in the body,
St John’s Wort have concluded that it so normally there’s no need to take
is more effective at treating depression it as a supplement. There is some
than standard antidepressants. The evidence that taking L-carnitine (which
results of individual trials vary wildly, is the biologically active form) can
though, in part because the amount of improve sperm function and it may also
the active ingredient in St John’s Wort help repair muscle damage following
tablets can differ from the amount exercise. Research doesn’t support
claimed on the bottle by a factor of other claims that it boosts athletic
two or more. performance or increases muscle mass.
L-carnitine is thought
to help repair muscle
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68 BBC SCIENCE FOCUS MAGAZINE COLLECTION
