Blueberry leaves can halt hepatitis C virus

Washington: A chemical in blueberry leaves halts reproduction of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which infects 200 million people worldwide and can eventually lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Currently, there is no vaccine for HCV, and though a combination drug regimen can clear HCV infection, this treatment is only about 60 percent effective and poses risks of severe side effects. Hiroaki Kataoka and colleagues at the University of Miyazaki (U-M) in Japan believed that since HCV is localised in the liver and can take 20 years or more to develop into disease, a dietary supplement might help slow or stop disease progression. So they screened nearly 300 different agricultural products for potential compounds that suppress HCV replication and uncovered a strong candidate in the leaves of rabbit-eye blueberry (native to the southeastern US). They purified the compound and identified it as proanthocyandin (a polyphenol similar to the beneficial chemicals found in grapes and wine). Similar chemicals are found in many edible plants, suggesting it should be safe as a dietary supplement. Researchers now hope to explore the detailed mechanisms of how this chemical stops HCV replication. These findings appeared in Friday's edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. (Agencies)


2009-08-10

Health News Fit as a fiddle : Gym mania May 21/2013 : The gym has become the most happening place today as fitness-frenzy takes over the young and old alike. A good sign, but one has to know how to go about it too in order to avoid harm to the body experts say. Anju Munshi reports Many a time in order to stay fit, we just walk into a gym , step on to the treadmill, pick up weights blindly, pull a neck muscle, writhe in pain, but finish the schedule with a glass of chilled water and finally walk out tired yet satisfied. But we may actually have gone against the concept of fitness. For, without an expert's guidance we tend to abuse our bodies, say trainers. This is ... Read More

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