Cm in brief new research from the past fortnight 7

New research into complementary medicine published in the past fortnight looks at fish oil, resveratrol and the link between dark chocolate consumption and cholesterol. Long-term fish oil could slow sinus-node disease Long-term fish oil supplementation slows the progression of age-related sinus-node disease and the resulting burden of atrial fibrillation/tachycardia (AT/AF) in patients with pacemakers, suggests an Australian study published in the International Journal of Cardiology. Researchers from the Departments of Cardiology and Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, concluded that although long-term fish oil supplementation did not suppress AT/AF burden it “may have attenuated its temporal progression related to aging and sinus node disease”. Fish oil cocktail smooths facial lines in post menopausal-women: study A drink containing soy isoflavones, lycopene, vitamin C and vitamin E and given to post-menopausal women with a capsule containing fish oil results in the improved appearance of facial wrinkles shows UK research published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science. The double-blind randomised controlled human clinical study supported by Unilever in the UK, on 166 women found that those on the micronutrient combination had significant reduction in the depth of facial wrinkles linked to “increased deposition of new collagen fibres in the dermis”. Dark chocolate consumption lowers cholesterol in ‘Normal Weight Obese’ women Eating dark chocolate (DC) with at least 70% cocoa on a regular basis raises HDL cholesterol while lowering overall cholesterol in obese women with “normal weight”, an Italian study shows, with the authors concluding the widely consumed stuff could be useful in maintaining a good atherogenic profile.