Supplements Behind Bars
Part of the answer to keeping youth out of jail may come in the form of a pill, according to a recent study. When researchers at Oxford University gave maximum-security inmates, aged 18 to 21, daily vitamin supplements, they committed 25 percent fewer offenses compared with the placebo group. The number of serious offenses, such as violence against fellow inmates, dropped 40 percent in the vitamin group compared with no reduction in the control group. The inmates received vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The researchers believe that nutrients are key in the production of neurotransmitters that affect mood and aggression, and that EFAs aid brain function. The research is the first scientific evidence linking nutrition to criminal behavior.

Green Cards
Eco-friendly consumers can honor friends and loved ones by having trees planted in their names with Gift of a Tree greeting cards. Your True Nature Inc., based in Fort Collins, Colo., has partnered with the nonprofit Trees, Water & People, also in Fort Collins, to plant trees in the Magdalena Watershed area in El Salvador, an area featured in the November 2001 National Geographic. For $8.95 retail, consumers get a postcard to mail in requesting a tree be planted and a gold embossed gift card to give to the recipient. The planting area and verification documents can be seen online at www.yourtruenature.com.

Migraine Mitigation
Migraine sufferers may now have another weapon in their anti-migraine arsenal—Co-Q10. A recent study published in Cephalagia, (2002), found that 150 mg of the nutrient taken daily lessened the frequency of the debilitating headaches by an average of 42 percent per month. Co-Q10 appears to work better over time—two-thirds of the subjects had more than a 50 percent reduction in headaches in the second two months of the study. Researchers believe the nutrient plays a role in cell energy production, which may be impaired in migraine sufferers. Co-Q10 did not lessen the severity of the headaches or have any reported side effects. While the results are promising, the study did not have a placebo group, so more research is needed.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXIII/number 9/p. 30