Researchers in Japan analyzed the diets of 23,119 men and 35,611 women between the ages of 40 and 79. They divided participants into five groups based on their intake of folate, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 and followed them for an average of 14 years.

They found that higher consumption of folate and vitamin B-6 was associated with significantly fewer deaths from heart failure in men, and significantly fewer deaths from stroke, heart disease and total cardiovascular diseases in women.

Scientists say that folate and vitamin B-6 may help guard against cardiovascular disease by lowering homocysteine levels. Evidence has shown that high amounts of homocysteine in the body may damage the inner lining of arteries and promote the formation of blood clots.

Sources of folate include vegetables and fruits, whole or enriched grains, fortified cereals, beans and legumes. Vitamin B-6 can be found in vegetables, fish, liver, meats, whole grains and fortified cereals. Both vitamins are also available in nutritional supplements.

According to Reuters, researchers in Canada surveyed 552 men and women with IBD every three months for one year. Among other things, participants reported symptom flare-ups, stressful events and perceived stress.

They found that patients’ risk of a symptom flare-up increased by more than two-fold when they had reported high levels of perceived stress in the preceding three-month period.

In addition, 52 percent of individuals that reported a flare-up had high perceived stress levels in the preceding three months, compared with 29 percent of those who remained symptom-free.

"This is among the first evidence to show that the perception of stress had a direct association with disease course," lead researcher Charles Bernstein, M.D., told the news source.

It’s estimated that as many as 1.5 million Americans suffer from some form of IBD, which is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that causes severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. The most common manifestations of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Among the alternative treatments for IBD are acupuncture and nutritional supplements containing fish oil and aloe vera as well as probiotics and prebiotics.

Researcher Moul Dey screened nearly 3,000 plant extracts for potential anti-inflammatory activity. She found that a plant-derived compound called Phenethyl isothiocyanate, or PEITC, was one among others that showed potential anti-inflammatory activities.

PEITC is found in the Brassica genus of plants, which includes cabbage, cauliflower, watercress and broccoli. Barbarea verna, also known as upland cress or early wintercress, an herb that is used in salads, soups and garnishes, is one of the richest sources of dietary PEITC in Dey’s study.

"I tested this substance in a mouse model that is already established and widely used," Dey said. "What we found is that it not only alleviates several clinical signs of ulcerative colitis—for example, it attenuates the damage that occurs in the colon tissues and colon epithelium, as well as the clinical signs like diarrhea and blood in stool. The weight loss is a major sign in colitis and that was alleviated, too."

Among the natural remedies believed to help treat IBD are acupuncture and supplements such as evening primrose oil, borage oil, fish oil or probiotics.

Researchers from the Division of Diabetes Translation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, studied more than 1,400 adults with the condition. Participants were interviewed on their weight loss and exercise attempts and were given both a fasting plasma glucose test and an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test.

They found that more than 90 percent of Americans with prediabetes don’t know that they have the condition. In addition, only about half of the individuals with prediabetes said they were taking steps to reduce their risk, such as losing weight or exercising more.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), prediabetics have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during prediabetes.

In addition to weight loss and exercise, nutritional supplements containing cassia cinnamon, chromium, ginseng, glucomannan, guar gum, gymnema, magnesium, milk thistle, prickly pear cactus, soy and stevia may be used to treat or prevent type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Northwestern University examined data from the Women’s Health Initiative hormone trials involving 8,745 cognitively normal, postmenopausal women ages 65 to 79.

They found that for every one-point increase in a woman’s body mass index (BMI), her memory score dropped by a point on a 100-point memory test.

In addition, the location of the fat seems to be important. Researchers found women are more likely to suffer from memory problems if her excess fat is around the hips ("pear-shaped") compared to around the waist ("apple-shaped").

Lead researcher Diana Kerwin, M.D., indicated that the reason pear-shaped women experience more memory loss and brain function deterioration than their apple-shaped counterparts is likely related to the type of fat deposited around the hips versus the waist. She said that hormones released by the fat can cause inflammation and may affect cognition.

"The study tells us if we have a woman in our office and we know from her waist-to-hip ratio that she’s carrying excess fat on her hips, we might be more aggressive with weight loss," Kerwin said. "We can’t change where your fat is located, but having less of it is better."

Previous studies have linked high levels of these essential nutrients to Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and other age-related disorders.

"This story of copper and iron toxicity, which I think is reaching the level of public health significance, is virtually unknown to the general medical community, to say nothing of complete unawareness of the public," said researcher George Brewer.

Researchers say that although high levels of both copper and iron are beneficial for the reproductive health of younger individuals, high levels after age 50 could damage cells and contribute to a variety of age-related diseases.

"It seems clear that large segments of the population are at risk for toxicities from free copper and free iron, and to me, it seems clear that preventive steps should begin now," said Brewer.

Among the ways the report suggests to avoid toxic levels of these nutrients are lowering meat intake, avoiding drinking water from copper pipes, donating blood regularly to reduce iron levels and taking zinc supplements to lower copper levels.

The study involved 945 patients with high blood pressure who were enrolled in a workplace antihypertensive treatment program from 1981 to 1998. The patients were given a single antihypertensive medication as part of the study.

Researchers say that a statistically significant percentage of participants actually had increases in their blood pressure readings, despite taking medication. They suggest that doctors could avoid this problem—and select drugs most suitable for their patients—by measuring blood levels of the enzyme renin through a blood test that is becoming more widely available.

"Our findings suggest that physicians should use renin levels to predict the most appropriate first drug for treating patients with hypertension," said lead author Michael Alderman, M.D. "This would increase the likelihood of achieving blood pressure control and reduce the need for patients to take additional antihypertensive medications."

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent high blood pressure.

Researchers from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University studied immune response and respiratory infections in about 600 elderly residents living in nursing facilities in the Boston area.

While a high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations, they found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia, compared to those with low concentrations.

Those with normal blood levels of zinc also had fewer new prescriptions for antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia and fewer days of antibiotic use compared with residents who had low zinc levels. In addition, mortality was lower in those with adequate blood zinc levels.

The findings suggest that giving seniors daily zinc supplements may reduce the risk of pneumonia. However, researchers say that further studies are needed to test the efficacy of zinc supplementation as a low-cost intervention to reduce mortality due to pneumonia among vulnerable populations who already have low zinc levels.

Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others and is available as a dietary supplement. Dietary sources include oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, fortified breakfast cereals and dairy products.

Diabetes is caused when a person has high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin or does not produce enough of the hormone.

The AHRQ found that there were more than 540,000 hospital stays specifically for diabetes and roughly 7.2 million stays for diabetic patients who were admitted for other conditions such as heart disease, kidney damage, infection or foot or leg amputation during the year.

In addition, the study found that hospital stays for people with diabetes cost institutions 25 percent more than stays for people who did not have diabetes.

The disease affects nearly 24 million people in the U.S., and close to 250 million people worldwide.

According to the Mayo Clinic, risk factors for developing diabetes include family history, being overweight, leading an inactive lifestyle, and high blood pressure.

Exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy, balanced diet are among the best ways to prevent diabetes and control blood sugar levels naturally.

According to HealthDay, Virginia Tech researchers studied overweight and obese men and women between the ages of 55 and 75. The participants were divided into two groups – the first followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet, the other was told to drink two cups of water before each meal while following the same diet.

They found that after 12 weeks, individuals in the group who drank water before their meals lost about 30 percent more weight than the non-water drinkers (15.5 pounds vs. 11 pounds).

In addition, researchers say that after the initial 12-week study was over, those who continued to drink water before meals were able to maintain their weight loss and continue to lose more weight.

"Drinking more water is a pretty simple strategy that may be helpful to people trying to lose weight," senior study author Brenda Davy told the news provider. "We’re not saying, ‘Drink more water and the body fat will melt away’. But for people who are trying to lose weight and trying to follow a low-cal diet, it’s something they can do as part of that."

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.