Everyday Foods May Yield Medicinal Benefits

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Causey added that more studies are currently in the works.

Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of the department of nutrition and metabolism within the department of endocrinology at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, expressed support for the preliminary findings.

"All [these foods] certainly have the possibility to do what the researchers saw," he said. "The pine nut, in particular, has been noted before as an appetite-controller, so their finding makes sense. The question would be, 'Is it enough to make a clinical difference?' And it could very well do that. The chives finding is not surprising either ... and could be a great idea to help cope with a meal that maybe we shouldn't have eaten. And many blood pressure medications -- particularly the earlier ones -- started off from natural plant sources. So, all of these findings seem reasonable."

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While agreeing that the research holds considerable promise, Lona Sandon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, cautioned that the use of food to alleviate medical concerns is not always as simple as it seems.

"For example, they've been looking at grapes for years, so it's not that surprising, but I'm concerned that the extract alone is not the best choice," said Sandon, who is also assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. "There are so many components in the grape that act together synergistically to give you the biggest bang for your buck, that if you take one out you may not be getting the full benefit for your health."

"And although I'm not that familiar with the pine nut research," added Sandon, "I would want to know how much you would have to eat to get this result, because if it's a lot then you're taking in a lot of fat and calories to get the appetite-suppressing effect. As well, while adding chives might be an organic way to protect produce, it's not a replacement for what we do in the kitchen: washing hands, proper storing of food at proper temperatures, and the need to cook foods at proper temperatures."

More information

For more on food and health, visit the American Dietetic Association (www.eatright.org#Vitamins ).

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