A breakfast of oatmeal may stick to your ribs, but it won't stick to your artery walls. Researchers have identified an antioxidant in oats that suppresses the adhesive molecules which make blood cells stick to artery wall cells.

Scientists at Tufts University in Boston purified compounds called avenanthramides found in oats. When they exposed the avenanthramides to human arterial wall cells, the cells' walls became more "slippery." The ability of blood cells to stick to the arterial walls was reduced significantly, suggesting the oats compound can help reduce the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, which leads to hardening of the arteries.

Oats already have been noted for their ability to lower LDL cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk.

Why You Should Eat Yogurt

Most people eat yogurt because they like it, but studies of yogurt's health benefits show it has plenty more to offer. In a recent report, scientists from Tufts University in Boston concurred there is substantial evidence that yogurt is beneficial for a number of gastrointestinal conditions, including Lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrheal diseases, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Helicobacter pylori infection, and allergies. Yogurt's benefits come from the microflora it introduces into the digestive tract, the improvement of bowel transit, and the enhancement of gastrointestinal immune responses. In a recent study in Israel, scientists fed yogurt to rats with clinically produced arthritis. They noted that yogurt consumption had a "remarkable preventive and curative effect" on arthritis. Republic of China scientists studying the effect of yogurt on Helicobactor pylori bacteria found that regular intake of yogurt "effectively suppressed" H. pylori infection in humans. H. pylori is the main cause of gastric ulcers, and it plays a role in the development of stomach cancer.

Benefiting from Carrots

Carrots are loaded with beta carotene and other healthful carotenoids, but there is a question as to how many of these beneficial chemicals our bodies actually absorb.

Because carotenoids are fat soluble, they must be ingested along with fat to be absorbed by the small intestines and enter the bloodstream. To find out how much fat is necessary for absorption, University of Iowa scientists fed subjects green salads containing carrots and varied the amount of oil in the salad dressing. When nonfat dressings were used, almost no carotenoids were absorbed. Carotenoid levels increased with a low-fat dressing containing 6 mg fat. By far the highest level of serum carotenoids were measured after subjects are a high-fat dressing containing 28 mg canola oil.

Better Cooking Tips

• For healthier baking, substitute Canola oil in recipes that call for margarine or butter. Canola oil contains no cholesterol and is lower in saturated fats and higher in mono- and polyunsaturated fats than many other vegetable oils. Substituting it in baked goods can lower the total fat by 20 to 25 percent.

• When flavoring foods, use no more than three different herbs or spices in a single dish. The exception is Indian cooking, which employs up to 10 spices per dish.

• When cooking a dish containing both meat and vegetables, such as a stew, lower the fat content and increase the healthful phytochemicals by reducing the amount of meat by one third and increasing the amount of vegetables by one third.

• For a fresher flavor in frozen fish, thaw the fish in milk.

• Popcorn will stay fresher and more kernels will cook if it is stored in the freezer.

New Products

Lower Cal Instant Oatmeal

For oatmeal eaters in a hurry, the new Lower Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal has half the sugar of regular instant oatmeal but. still has 100 percent of the healthful oatmeal fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins. The low-sugar product is available in two flavors. Maple & Brown Sugar and Apples & Cinnamon.

Really Blueberry Tea!

A treat for herbal tea and blueberry lovers. A new Blueberry Breeze herbal tea from Celestial Seasonings provides a blast of blueberry flavor and aroma as well as the health benefits of green tea. The all-natural ingredients include hibiscus, natural blueberry flavor, blackberry leaves, blueberries and blueberry leaves.