Saturday, 2 March 2013

Today’s Usage Tip: Fruits effective for Fibromyalgia

If you have ever enjoyed the sweet yet sour taste of an apple, then you have enjoyed firsthand the benefits of malic acid in food. Malic acid is what is called an acidulant, meaning its presence gives a sharp, tangy taste to food. A natural acid found in fruits, malic acid is also used to give a long-lasting sour flavor to candies and other foods. In addition to its value as a flavoring, malic acid is associated with a number of health benefits, including being an essential component in giving energy to the body as well as helping reduce pain in those with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia Explained
Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic pain that has no known cause or cure at this time. Some symptoms include irritable bowel syndrome, urinary frequency, numbness, tingling, anxiety and headache, according to New York University Langone Medical Center. There is also pain in 11 of 18 specific points on the body. Some proposed natural treatments for fibromyalgia besides malic acid include SAM-e, 5-HTP and capsaicin. However, studies for these treatments have shown mixed results.

Fruits
Whether a fruit tastes acidic or not, malic acid is present in some level in all fruits. When measured in terms of weight per volume, malic acid is most present in apples, which can have as much as 75 percent w/v of malic acid. Nectarines also contain anywhere from 44 to 63 percent w/v and bananas have as much as 56 percent w/v of malic acid.
Other fruits that contain significant amounts of malic acid include watermelon, pineapple, apricots, gooseberries, raspberries, cherries, lemons, grapes, prickly pears, mangoes, kiwi fruits, strawberries, blackberries and even tomatoes.
Malic acid is a substance that the body can synthesize on its own but is found primarily in apples. It plays an important role in creating adenosine triphosphate from your food, according to Healthwise. ATP is the body's primary source of energy. Preliminary studies point to malic acid as potentially helpful to people who have fibromyalgia. In this disease, the body might have difficulty converting malic acid and that could account for some symptoms. However, malic acid has yet to show any real promise.


Dosages
Since the body can make malic acid, there is no recommended daily intake. Malic acid dosages can range from 1,200 mg to 2,800 mg. For a study into fibromyalgia, 1,200 mg per day was combined with 300 mg of magnesium per day for four weeks, according to New York University Langone Medical Center. The study resullts, published in the "Journal of Rheumatology" in 1995, showed no difference between the groups that took the malic acid and the placebo in fibromyalgia symptoms. The dosage was increased to 1,600 mg of malic acid and 400 mg of magnesium for a further six months, but the study was not blinded or controlled at this point. The subjects did, however, experience a reduction of symptoms from the malic acid at the higher doses, but this result could be due to a placebo effect since the study was not as rigorous as the initial phase.

Safety Issues
Malic acid is a relatively safe supplement. Use with caution if you are taking a medication to lower your blood pressure because malic acid can also affect your blood pressure, according to Wellness.com. Loose stools are reported at higher doses, but it is usually attributed to the high amounts of magnesium given with the malic acid. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should not use malic acid because no tests are available regarding the safety for these populations.

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