Health A-Z

Eat garlic to lower your bad LDL cholesterol

garlic-to-lower-cholesterol

Are you looking for effective, natural ways to lower your cholesterol level? Here’s one – garlic. Garlic is an ingredient that you must be using in your daily food preparations. If not, it’s easily available and you don’t have to necessarily cook it to reap its benefits. In fact, raw garlic is more effective than when cooked.

The medicinal properties of garlic were explored thousands of years ago. But its cholesterol-lowering effect has been controversial with different studies showing conflicting results. Here’s some clinically significant evidence that supports the use of garlic to lower cholesterol.

A study conducted on participants with high cholesterol levels showed that garlic supplementation reduced the blood concentration of total cholesterol in them by 7%. The bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol was reduced by 10% compared to participants taking a placebo. Another study by Ried K and colleagues reported a total reduction of serum total cholesterol by 17?±?6?mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 9?±?6?mg/dL in participants having total cholesterol levels greater than 200?mg/dL who used garlic for more than 2 months. Now, this reduction is of clinical significance amounting for total 8% reduction in cholesterol which has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 38%.

Although researchers suggest that additional studies are needed to confirm the fact, you can still benefit a lot from garlic due to its vast store of sulphur compounds that act as antioxidants and prevent heart disease by scavenging free radicals causing damage to the arterial walls.

Source: the health site

Common blood pressure medication may pose risk to older adults

high bp

Adults over 65 who have recently begun thiazide diuretics are at a greater risk for developing metabolic-related adverse events, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

More than two-thirds of older adults have high blood pressure in the United States and thiazide diuretics are often recommended as the initial medication for these hypertensive patients. Thiazide diuretics primarily inhibit sodium transport in the kidney, leading to urinary loss of sodium and water, which decreases blood pressure. While the risks of this medication are well known, the risks are not well quantified in real-world clinical practice, where older adults who are treated may have a number of other illnesses.

The national observational study, undertaken by a team of researchers at UT Southwestern and the University of California, San Francisco, examined 1,060 adult veterans with hypertension who recently began taking a thiazide diuretic. The study compared them to a similar group of veterans who were not prescribed a thiazide diuretic. The findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

During a nine month period, 14 percent of older adults prescribed a thiazide diuretic developed a metabolic adverse event, compared with 6 percent of adults not prescribed a thiazide diuretic. For every 12 adults who were newly prescribed a thiazide diuretic, one developed a metabolic adverse event that he or she would not otherwise have had.

The three metabolic adverse events that researchers assessed were hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood), hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood), and acute kidney injury (a 25 percent decrease in kidney function from the baseline value before the thiazide diuretic was started).

“Our research quantifies the risks of metabolic adverse events in older adults in real-world, clinical practice shortly after initiating thiazide diuretics,” said Dr. Anil Makam, assistant professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and first author of the study. “From a clinical point-of-view, the implications of these findings help inform doctors of the risks associated with a common medication and their use in older adults.”

While the findings highlight that thiazide-related adverse events are common in this population, researchers were surprised to discover that only 42 percent of older adults who had recently begun taking a thiazide diuretic had laboratory testing to monitor for these adverse events within the first three months of beginning the medication.

“Our research suggests that thiazide-induced adverse events are common in older adults and greater attention should be paid to potential complications in prescribing thiazide diuretics to older adults, including closer laboratory monitoring before and after initiation of thiazides,” Dr. Makam said.

Source; science daily

Washing chicken ‘spreads infection’

chicken02-620x330

Consumers are being warned to stop washing raw chicken as doing so increases the risk of food poisoning. An online survey of 4,500 UK adults by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found 44% washed chicken before cooking.

But it warns this spreads campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment, through the splashing of water droplets. Campylobacter affects about 280,000 people in the UK each year but only 28% in the FSA survey had heard of it.

Only a third of them knew that poultry was the main source of the bacteria. Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. However 90% had heard of salmonella and E. coli.

The most commonly cited reasons for washing chicken were to remove dirt or germs, or because they had always done it.

Cross-contamination
Campylobacter is the most common form of food poisoning in the UK. The majority of cases come from contaminated poultry. Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains and cramps, fever, and generally feeling unwell.

Most people are only ill for a few days, but it can lead to long-term health problems, including irritable bowel syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious condition of the nervous system.

It can also kill. Those most at risk are children under five and older people. FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said: “Although people tend to follow recommended practice when handling poultry, such as washing hands after touching raw chicken and making sure it is thoroughly cooked, our research has found that washing raw chicken is also common practice.

“That’s why we’re calling on people to stop washing raw chicken and also raising awareness of the risks of contracting campylobacter as a result of cross-contamination.

“Campylobacter is a serious issue. Not only can it cause severe illness and death, but it costs the economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year as a result of sickness absence and the burden on the NHS.”

She said the FSA was also working with farmers and producers to try to reduce the rate of campylobacter in broiler chicken flocks and with slaughterhouses and processors to minimise the levels of contamination in birds.

Source: bbc news

The dangers of junk sleep

sleep

People love to use their electronic devices in the bedroom. With so many small gadgets providing news articles, e-books and games in one tiny package, who can blame them?

National Sleep Foundation polls show approximately 95% of Americans use an electronic device within an hour of going to sleep. In 2013, the foundation found that 89% of adults and 75% of children have at least one electronic device in their bedrooms. Televisions were the most common; MP3 players, tablets and smartphones were also popular.

And if you use your smartphone as an alarm clock, chances are you’re literally going to bed with some form of electronic device.
Phones, tablets becoming more popular in the bedroom than TV
Technology can interfere with a good night’s sleep in several ways. The biggest problem is these devices are often left on at night and emit light and noise that can disrupt sleep cycles and alter sleep-related hormone levels. The light from electronic screens can trick your body into thinking it’s daytime and stop it from producing melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.

Sleep & Health Sleep tips for more zzzzzs!
News articles and games can also keep your mind very active, making it difficult to relax and fall asleep. A 2013 study published in the Behavioral Sleep Medicine journal found that computer and mobile phone use before bed was positively correlated with insomnia.

As long as your phone is on and not in airplane mode, it’s communicating intermittently with nearby cell towers, emitting low levels of radiation. While the effects of cell phone radiation aren’t well understood, a 2008 study found people exposed to mobile radiation for three hours before going to sleep had more trouble falling into and staying in a deep sleep.

The result is later bedtimes and a higher incidence of waking during the night. It’s not surprising, then, that research shows children with electronic devices in their bedrooms sleep less and experience lower-quality sleep than children without gadgets. Sleep quality suffers most dramatically when devices are regularly left on during the night. And the higher the number of gadgets, the lower the quality of sleep.

So what to do?
One solution is an electronic curfew. One hour before bed, remove all electronic devices from the bedroom.

Some sleep specialists suggest no TV right before bed, but some people feel they need the distraction of TV to fall asleep. Those people can try using a TV-timer — featured on most modern TVs — which will automatically turn off the television after a chosen period.

If you use your phone as an alarm clock, consider switching to an “old school” alarm clock with no digital lights. It will not be as disruptive to sleep. And while it might be tempting to track your sleep using an app on your tablet or phone, it’s probably best to leave these devices in the living room. You’ll get a better night’s sleep, even if you don’t have the data to prove it.

Source: cnn

Sprouted Chia Seeds and Clover Linked to Outbreaks

chia1

Two outbreaks involving foods made from either sprouted chia seeds or clover have sickened more than 70 people in the United States and Canada, and more than 10 of them have been hospitalized.

A salmonella outbreak has been linked to a powder made from sprouted, ground chia seeds and another product made from sprouted chia and flax seeds,  reported.

The chia products have been linked to 21 illnesses in 12 states and 34 infections in Canada.

In the other outbreak, sprouted clover has been linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 17 people in five states. Nearly half of those people have been hospitalized, USA Today reported.

Officials traced the outbreak to raw clover sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts of Moyie Springs, Idaho.

Source: webmd

Pollution link to irregular heartbeat and lung clotting

pollution

Air pollution is linked to increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung, research suggests. The impact of air pollution on the risk of heart attack and stroke is less clear, say UK experts.

Analysis of data from England and Wales shows air pollution is particularly harmful in the elderly. Further research is needed on pollution and cardiovascular health, says the British Heart Foundation.

A team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analysed data collected in England and Wales between 2003 and 2009 on links between cardiovascular problems and short-term air pollution.

They found short-term air pollution was linked to arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and blood clots in the lung. The strongest link was in the over-75s and in women, lead researcher Dr Ai Milojevic told.

“Our study found some evidence of air pollution effects on irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) but no clear evidence on heart attack (Myocardial Infarction) and stroke which represents ultimately blood clotting process[es],” she said.

“Elderly people and hospital patients with chronic ischaemic heart disease or irregular heart beat are observed to be at particular risk.”

Commenting on the study, published in the journal, Heart, the British Heart Foundation said previous studies had shown air pollution could make existing heart and circulatory conditions, including heart attacks, worse in vulnerable people.

“This research adds weight to what we already know, but goes further to suggest a link between air pollution and an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs and heart rhythm atrial fibrillation,” said Julie Ward, senior cardiac nurse.

“But, as with many studies, we do need to look at the bigger picture and, although this is a large comprehensive study, it did have its limitations. “We do, therefore, recognise that further research into exactly how air pollution particles affect the cardiovascular system needs to be carried out.”

Seven million people died as a result of air pollution in 2012, according to World Health Organization estimates. Its findings suggest a link between air pollution and heart disease, respiratory problems and cancer.

Source: bbc

Mercury Levels Off the Chart in Some Shark Meat

great_white_shark_670x440

A sharp dietary warning emerged from the Sharks International Conference taking place in Durban, South Africa this week, iol Scitech reported. According to a presenter at the gathering, eating shark meat could kill you.

Southern Cross University researcher Jann Gilbert said that in three species of shark mercury and arsenic levels were found to be well above those considered safe by Australia and New Zealand’s Food Standards Authority.

Gilbert examined shark meat samples from great white, sandbar and dusky species and found toxic metals in all three. Mercury levels alone were 10 times above safe levels in two of the species, she reported.download

How do sharks come by such quantities of the toxic material? According to Kady Lyons, from the University of Calgary, it’s thanks to sharks being top-of-the-food-chain creatures that eat widely of whatever appeals to them, accumulating and spreading the toxins along the way.

If sharks feed too close to coastlines of large cities or places where there is lots of agricultural waste, they’ll pick up the toxins from their prey. Mother sharks will even pass on chemicals such as DDT to their babies through their fatty tissue.

Hundreds of millions of sharks are killed each year for food consumption. Gilbert cautioned against eating sharks longer than 5 feet and warned that pregnant women should protect their babies in the womb by not consuming shark meat more frequently than every two weeks.

Source: discovery news

Pear – juicy and sweet fruit

Pear1

Pear – juicy and sweet fruit

There are thousands of species of this fruit, and each is distinguished by color, shape, flavor and size.You can eat it fresh , or cook it and juice from pear is especially tasty. Pear is a rich source of vitamins C and K , copper and fiber .

Vitamin C is well known fighter against free radicals and copper eliminates superoxide radicals, while the fibers acts preventive against colorectal Cancer. Most fiber is in the bark of the Pear and its best not to peal it.

pear

  • 170 grams of pear contains:
  • -3,98 grams of fiber ,
  • -6.64 mg of vitamin C ,
  • -0.19 mg of copper,
  • -7.47 mg vitamin K ,
  • -and it has only 97.94 calories .

Pear is an ideal choice for persons that adopted modern lifestyle, and they has been exposed to stress, dynamic and fast life , exhaustion and loss of the reserves of energy .

pear2Why pears ?

Pear is natural and quick source of energy .

They contain substantial quantities of monosaccharides : fructose and glucose , as well as levulose – the sweetest natural sugar .

Pear contains vitamins of group B , who assist the body easier to deal with Stress .

They feed the nervous system and participate in the process of getting energy from carbohydrates

  • 100 g of pear contain:
  • -0.3 g protein ,
  • -0.4 g fat ,
  • -9.5 g carbohydrates ,
  • -2.8 g of vegetable fibers
  • -and 5 mg of vitamin C.

Contains large amounts of calcium and iron , and they are recommended as compulsory fruit, for women over 40 years, as prevention of osteoporosis .Pears are also a good source of vitamin C , copper , potassium and fibers.

Vitamin C and Copper.
Pear is a good source of vitamin C and copper, nutrients which have strong antioxidant effect and destroys harmful free radicals in the body.

Therefore, pears are natural protectors against many ailments, including malignant diseases.Vitamin C, by itself its an antioxidant, and copper is a necessary component of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the strongest organic antioxidant enzymes.

Fibers.
Fresh Pear is an extraordinary source of fiber , especially pectin. Pear with a mass of 166 g insures 6g of fiber , of which about 40 % is pectin .

Fibers are necessary element in healthy diet and helps regulate of the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood and they allow normal function of the intestines and their regular discharge .

The food rich in fiber helps in the prevention of colorectal cancer, and in seducing the serum cholesterol level. Precisely due to the high content of fiber , pear is an important part of the everyday diet.

pear3

Potassium.
Pears are an extraordinary source of potassium . A pear with medium size contains 210 mg of potassium .

Potassium participates in the regulation of the heart rhythm in muscle contraction in the transfer of nerve impulses and in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates .

Regulates the work in blood system and participates in the construction of the bone and teeth.

Hypoallergenic fruit.
Although this was not accompanied by scientific evidence, however pear is considered hypoallergenic fruit, which causes much less allegries compared to other types of fruit.

It is actually because of that reason, pears among the other fruits,are included in baby food.

Source: secretly healthy

Digital addiction a psychiatric disorder: Experts

digital

Obsession with online gaming was the main manifestation in the past but addiction to social media and video downloading are now the trend

Do you find it difficult to leave your smartphone even for a minute or have cravings to check it without any real purpose? Chances are you have become an addict and need professional help. According to psychiatrists, medical authorities worldwide need to formally recognise addiction to internet and digital devices as a disorder.

“Singaporeans spend an average of 38 minutes per session on Facebook, almost twice as long as Americans,” said a latest study by Experian, a global information services company. According to Adrian Wang, a psychiatrist at the Gleneagles Medical Centre in Singapore, digital addiction should now be classified as a psychiatric disorder.

“Patients come for stress anxiety-related problems but their coping mechanism is to go online, go on to social media,” Wang was quoted as saying in a South China Morning Post report. Obsession with online gaming was the main manifestation in the past but addiction to social media and video downloading are now the trend.
In terms of physical symptoms, more people, especially young, are reporting “text neck” or “iNeck” pain. “Many people have their heads lowered and are now using their mobile devices constantly on the go while queuing or even crossing the roads, leading to neck pain,” psychiatrists said.

They define digital addiction by symptoms like inability to control craving, anxiety when separated from a smartphone, loss in productivity in studies or at work and the need to constantly check one’s phone.

Source: gulf news

Get instant relief from a cold with jeera

jeera

With the rains around the corner, colds will soon be a very common occurrence. That is where the common condiment jeera or cumin seeds comes to you rescue. The tiny seed is packed with very potent anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Apart from that, the components present in jeera also help relax inflamed muscles and strengthens your immune system so it can fight off the infection. Jeera, packed with vitamin A and C helps kill off a cold almost instantly.

Here’s how you can use jeera to help relieve your cold:
Boil a spoonful of jeera in about two cups of water. When it boils you can add some crushed ginger and tulsi leaves for added cold fighting components. Let the ingredients steep. Then, strain and drink this decoction while it is still warm.

Another great remedy is to boil some jeera in water and use the steam from the water for steam inhalation. You can choose to add some clove to the mix. This will help relieve a blocked nose and clear up a cold. Remember to wrap your head and chest with a warm blanket right after this as exposing yourself to cold breeze right after this treatment can lead to congestion in the chest.

Source: The health