Projects
STUDY SPOTLIGHT
Human clinical trial to investigate the effects of a high rosmarinic acid spearmint tea on measures of disease activity and cartilage degradation in rheumatoid arthritis
*Researchers:
Laima Kott
Amanda Wright
Alison Duncan
Hilary Tulk
Summary:
As 4.5 million Canadians live with some form of arthritis, at an estimated cost of $18 billion per year, developing alternative therapies to aid in alleviating the inflammation and symptoms associated with arthritis is an exciting area of growth for the functional foods and natural health product sector.
Through research in the Department of Plant Agriculture (Kott), a spearmint plant containing 15-20 times more rosmarinic acid than native mint has been developed. Rosmarinic acid is a compound found in many herbal plants, including rosemary and spearmint, and has been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
In this study, the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit (Wright, Duncan, Tulk), in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences has partnered with the Department of Plant Agriculture to test the efficacy of a high rosmarinic acid spearmint tea in improving measures of physical function, disease activity, cartilage degradation and inflammation in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.
*This project is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs under the Food for Health Research Program 2010. A-HA is supporting this research project through dissemination and partner development activities.
To learn more about other A-HA research projects, visit each of our theme areas listed below:
Mealtime Environment - "Living to Eat"
Enhancing Diets for Older Adults