A new study shows that post-menopausal women can lower their risk of heart disease by eating more foods rich in the antioxidant vitamin E. Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studied 54 post-menopausal women who kept track of everything they ate and the vitamin pills they took for six days.

They also measured the time it took the women's low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the so-called "bad" cholesterol, to oxidize. According to the study results, women who had a high intake of vitamin E from food showed a desirable reduction in the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Researchers also noted that taking vitamin E supplements showed no benefit.

"It's possible that vitamins taken in supplement form may block some of the benefits of vitamins taken from food," says lead study author Dr Lori Mosca. "The best scientific evidence we have is that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is protective against heart disease. We can never be sureexactly which nutrient is providing the benefits, and it is likely that several different nutrients are involved. That's why we recommend getting vitamin E from foods."

Foods rich in vitamin E include nuts, vegetable oils, whole grains and wheat germ. The findings of this study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiologists in Orlando.

Chocolate good for heart

Nibbling on those chocolates may be good for the heart after all, suggests a new study that found chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and from Mars Inc., the makers of M&M's and Snickers, report that cocoa helps prevent plaque from building up in the arteries.

They say cocoa contains flavonoids, molecules that act as antioxidants. Researchers identified particular flavonoids in chocolate that block the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the so-called "bad" cholesterol that sticks to arterywalls.

Flavonoids also are found in red wine. Recent research has shown red wine consumption is linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Another study that appeared in the December issue of the British Medical Journal showed eating moderate amounts of chocolate may increase longevity. Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston were prompted to study chocolate because the food had been a staple in the diet of ancient Egyptians, Arabs and Chinese. The new study was presented this week at the American Chemical Society's meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

Job may hit male fertility

Where a man works may affect his ability to reproduce, according to a new European study. Scientists in the Netherlands and Belgium studied the relationship between semen quality and exposure to organic solvents, metals and pesticides that occur in the work environment.

Nearly 900 men who had visited a fertility clinic between May 1995 and September 1996 provided a semen sample and answered questions about theircurrent occupation, work history, lifestyle and medical background. About 100 men provided urine samples that were tested for metals, and 27 of them had urine samples that may have been exposed to organic solvents, metals and pesticides. Researchers found a link between the solvents and abnormal sperm.

A study in the March 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found pregnant women exposed to organic solvents risked the development of malformations in their fetuses. Occupations that bring people in contact with organic solvents, metals and pesticides include health-care professionals, artists, funeral home employees, laboratory technicians, veterinary technicians, agricultural and factory workers. The study on male fertility appears in the April issue of Fertility and Sterility, a journal produced by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.