Vitamin C can cut harmful effects of air pollution

A diet rich in fruits and veggies may lessen the harmful effects of air pollution for people suffering from chronic lung diseases, researchers suggest.

Researchers looked at London hospital patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and found that those with low levels of vitamin C had an increased risk of breathing problems on days when outdoor air pollution levels were high.

“This study adds to a small but growing body of evidence that the effects of air pollution might be modified by antioxidants,” said Michael Brauer, an environmental health scientist at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may protect the body from harmful molecules called free radicals that damage cells. Free radicals can form when air pollution enters the lungs, and evidence suggests they play a role in heart disease, cancer and even respiratory ailments.

Antioxidants can bind to free radicals, counteracting them before they damage cells.

In the new study, researchers at Imperial College in London looked at more than 200 patients admitted to the hospital for asthma or COPD, along with the levels of air pollution on the days before and after they entered the hospital. The majority of patients were between ages 54 and 74, though some were as young as 18. Many of them were former smokers.

Specifically, the researchers looked at levels of “course particulate matter,” which is produced largely through the combustion of fossil fuels.

Results showed that with every increase in course particulate matter of 10 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3), there was a 35 percent increased risk of hospital admission for people with asthma or COPD. However, the risk of admission was 1.2 times greater among people with low levels of vitamin C.

Study researcher Cristina Canova said, “The protective effect of vitamin C was still present after excluding smokers and elderly subjects, implying that the effect of this antioxidant was not explained by smoking or age.” However, the study noted that smokers and older people tend to have lower levels of many nutrients than nonsmokers.

The study is published in the July issue of the journal Epidemiology.

'Green tea can improve brain function in HIV patients'

Catechins, which is present in green tea may help in the prevention of HIV-related brain disorders.

 Green tea and chocolates may help reduce neurological complications linked to HIV, paving way for effective treatment of HIV-related brain disorders, a new study has found.

Research by Joseph Steiner and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University found that a group of plant polyphenols known as catechins, which naturally occur in green tea and the seed of the cacao tree, may help in the prevention of these neurological complications.

The study is published in Journal of NeuroVirology.

Current drug therapy for patients with HIV is unable to control the complete replication of the virus in the brain, and, therefore, is ineffective in the complications associated with neurocognitive impairment in HIV patients.

Previous research has established the critical role of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in supporting the survival and growth of neurons in the brain.

This protein is active in areas of the brain vital to learning, memory and higher thinking. Patients with HIV have been found to have lower levels of BDNF in their brains than healthy individuals suggesting that this could be directly responsible for the cognitive impairment suffered.

In the study, Steiner and colleagues analysed the effects of 2000 compounds, containing both natural substances and FDA-approved drugs, on brain cells in the laboratory.

They identified a series of compounds, which had the potential to help protect neurons in the brain. Nine of these were related to epicatechin, which is found in cocoa and green tea leaves.

Further screening and comparison with resveratrol, the antioxidant found in red wine, specifically identified epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as being the most effective at helping protect neurons by inducing production of BDNF.

The fact that these compounds readily cross the blood-brain barrier further increases their therapeutic potential, as this is often a major stumbling block in the development of therapies directed at the brain.

This provides hope for patients with HIV, as there is currently no neuroprotective therapy available for patients with HIV-associated cognitive impairment. 

Source : The Hindu

Lack of sleep can slow you down

 Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have found that regardless of how tired you think you are, lack of sleep can influence the way you do certain tasks.

If you sleep only for five to six hours, it is bound to affect your work negatively. Experts recommend eight hours of sleep for ideal health and productivity.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have found that regardless of how tired you think you are, lack of sleep can influence the way you do certain tasks.

“Our team decided to look at how sleep might affect complex visual search tasks because they are common in safety-sensitive activities such as air-traffic control, baggage screening and monitoring power plants,” Jeanne F. Duffy at BWH was quoted as saying in the The Journal of Vision.

“These types of jobs involve processes that require repeated, quick memory encoding and retrieval of visual information, in combination with decision making about the information,” added Duffy.

Researchers collected and analyzed data from visual search tasks from a group of participants over one month’s study. In the first week, all participants were scheduled to sleep 10-12 hours per night to make sure they were well rested.

For the following three weeks, the participants were scheduled to sleep the equivalent of 5.6 hours per night and also had their sleep times scheduled on a 28-hour cycle, mirroring chronic jet lag.

The research team gave the participants computer tests that involved visual search tasks and recorded how quickly the participants could find important information, and also how accurate they were.

The longer the participants were awake, the more slowly they identified the important information in the test, the team observed.

Additionally, during the biological night time, 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., participants (who were unaware of the time throughout the study) performed the tasks more slowly than they did during the daytime. 

Source : The Hindu

Good news for chocolate lovers

Source - The Hindu : 
 
Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are known to dilate blood vessels and so allow blood to flow more freely.

People who eat a bar of dark chocolate in the morning and drink a glass of red wine at night are lowering their blood pressure and so prolonging their lives.

Even better would be to also cut down on salt and step up exercise, Adelaide University’s Karin Ried said.

“Eating chocolate reduces blood pressure by about 2-3 millimetres of mercury (while) exercise and other dietary measures can reduce blood pressure by 3-7 millimetres.”

Reid and her team of fellow Australians picked apart 20 studies involving 856 participants that looked at the effect on blood pressure of a daily dose of cocoa for two weeks.

Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are known to dilate blood vessels and so allow blood to flow more freely. “Smaller dosages may be as effective as larger dosages,” she said. But a 100-gram bar of dark chocolate would be a handy dosage.

Flavanols are also present in green tea, dark berries and red wine. Salt is known to elevate blood pressure. Exercise helps reduce blood pressure.

“Dark chocolate has 50-85 per cent cocoa and milk chocolate up to 30 per cent,” Ried said. “As the flavanol content is responsible for blood pressure reduction, cocoa-rich foods are preferable.”

Unsurprisingly, only one in 20 of those who agreed to help the march of science by eating a daily bar of chocolate reported any unpleasant side effects. The study was reported in the Cochrane Library.

Omega-3 Supplements Prevent Kidney Damage in Diabetics

Adults with type II diabetes need to stay in control of their diet and health; otherwise, the disease can degrade every organ in the body - especially the kidneys. Diabetes-induced kidney disease, also called diabetic nephropathy, is one of the most common causes of chronic kidney problems in the West. If left uncontrolled, this disease may lead to death in just several years. The good news is that scientists may have discovered a way to lower the risk of kidney damage - through omega-3 supplements.

Symptoms of diadetic nephropathy
Unfortunately, kidney damage has no obvious symptoms during the early stages. The first sign is high amounts of protein in urine, which is detected through a routine urine lab analysis. This is why it's important to go to your doctor for regular check-ups and get a urine analysis every six months once you get diagnosed with diabetes. Other symptoms include excessively frothy urine, fatigue, hiccups, vomiting, nausea, and swelling of the legs.

Research on omega-3 and diabetic nephropathy
The first association between kidney damage and omega-3 consumption was discovered by English researchers. Using health data obtained from 22,000 elderly patients, they discovered that those who consume the most fish are less likely to develop diabetic nephropathy. As for those who eat fish once a week or less, they were four times more likely to experience the symptoms of diabetic nephropathy when compared to those who ate fish on a regular basis. It didn't matter what kind of fish they were eating as they all seemed to provide the same protective benefit against kidney degradation. Only recently did researchers put two and two together.
In the latest issue of Diabetic Medicine, you'll find a new study from the University of Hong Kong with regards to diabetic nephropathy. They confirmed that omega-3 fatty acids in fish were indeed responsible for the prevention of this complication. This was discovered by measuring creatine levels, a substance secreted by the kidneys; high amounts of creatine indicate damage to the nephron's functions in the kidney. According to the new study, they observed a significant decrease in creatine levels after the patients took fish oil supplements with four grams of omega-3 fats DHA and EPA.

Promote kidney health with omega-3 fats
If you don't like eating fish, you can still enjoy the protective benefits of omega-3 fats by consuming fish oil supplements. While the study used 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, consuming 1-2 grams a day is enough to maintain good health. Stay away from high-cholesterol foods, trans-fats, and omega-6 fat from vegetable oil as these can interfere with omega-3's actions in the body.

Omega-3 Intake improves Kidney Health for Type-1 & Type-2 Diabetes

In a new study, kidney function was improved in type-1 diabetics with the highest average intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), according to findings published in Diabetes Care. The results are based on data from 1,436 participants in a trial including people aged between 13 and 39. Diabetics are known to be at increased risk of kidney disease.

The researchers measured the excretion of the protein albumin in urine. Albumin is the most abundant protein in human serum and in people with kidney problems the protein leaks from the kidney into the urine. A level of 30 mg per 24 hours is reportedly representative of sufficient function. According to the results, people with a higher average intake of omega-3s had albumin excretion levels 22.7 mg per 24 hours lower than people with the lowest average intakes of omega-3.

Results of a double-blind placebo-controlled trial from Hong Kong published earlier this year suggested that supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may improve the kidney health of diabetics. In this study, the researchers evaluated kidney function by measuring creatine levels, with high levels indicative of damage to the functioning of nephrons in the kidney. “Our results showed a significant decrease in serum creatinine level after fish-oil supplement in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients,” stated the researchers in Diabetic Medicine (Vol. 27, pp. 54-60). “Prior studies have [also] suggested that fish-oil supplement has renoprotective effects in diabetes mellitus,” they added.

The Importance of Coconut Oil in the diet

THE HEALTHY SIDE OF NATURAL FATS

The Importance of Coconut Oil in the diet

 

Introduction
For many years the vegetable oil industry and other related politically-biased agricultural groups have been telling us that saturated fats are unhealthy. In fact, it is a common belief that saturated fats are the ‘bad’ fats. Although blanket statements like the previous one are misleading, it now appears that it may be more correct, although still misleading, to say that saturated fats are the ‘good’ fats and unsaturated fats are the ‘bad’ fats. People need to realize that it is the amount and/or the type of saturated or unsaturated fat that can potentially be detrimental. All fats have something beneficial to offer the body, except for non-naturally occurring fats, like the trans-fatty acids.  more........

Nutritional value of Rosella flower tea and benefits for health

Nutritional value of Rosella flower tea and benefits for health:

Nutritional value of Rosella flower tea and benefits for health - Generally, many people familiar with the name Rosela, Rosella or Roselle (Hisbiscus sabdariffa L.). In many medical journals mentioned that Rosella has many benefits for disease prevention. According to research by experts, rosella flowers, especially of a kind flower valvate thick, such as the Red Rosella has a protective effect against cancer and inflammatory diseases, controlling blood pressure, blood circulation and smooth bowel movements.
Read more »

Foods and Beverages that can Help Quit Smoking

Foods and Beverages that can Help Quit Smoking:

Foods and beverages that can help quit smoking - Smoking is one unhealthy habit, but many people are still hard to leave. Many chronic diseases can be caused from smoking, like lung cancer and heart attacks.

Actually there are many ways to overcome nicotine addiction, such as taking pills, therapy, meditation and so forth.

But many of us don't know that there are some foods and beverage that can help quit smoking. Here's eight food and beverage to help you quit smoking.
Read more »

Benefits of Spicy Foods to Prevent Health Problems

Benefits of Spicy Foods to Prevent Health Problems:

Benefits of Spicy Foods to Prevent Health Problems - Are you includes people who like spicy foods? For some people, eating without spicy flavor considered can reduce the sensuous delight. Indeed, many say that spicy foods can be harmful for health, especially digestion problems. But it turns out that spicy foods also have unexpected benefits for health, here's some explanation:
Read more »

5 Nutrients to Boost Your Sex Drive

5 Nutrients to Boost Your Sex Drive:

5 Nutrients to boost your sex drive - Aphrodisiac or sexual stimulant substances have long been used by people around the world to enhance sexual desire. Although there is no scientific evidence of them, but some fruits, herbs and certain foods remain popular.

Although some scientific evidence suggests that the effect of placebo (empty drug or suggestions) are responsible for most of the power of an aphrodisiac, but some foods, beverages, herbs, spices and even certain aroma can actually cause sexual potency in different ways.
Read more »