Health A-Z

Acupuncture normalizes brain structure following heroin relapse

Researchers have found that the structure of the ventral tegmental area in heroin relapse patients gradually normalizes after acupuncture treatment.

A research team from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in China conducted their study on rats to verify the relationship between acupuncture, neurotrophic factor expression and brain cell structural changes and found that the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor also increased in the ventral tegmental area following acupuncture.

The study, which suggested that acupuncture protects brain neurons against injury with heroin relapse by promoting brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression, was published in the Neural Regeneration Research.

Source: Yahoo news

Why rice is good for your health?

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Researchers have shown that consumers can improve their diets simply by enjoying white or brown rice as part of their daily meals.

In a study, lead author Theresa Nicklas, DrPH, of Baylor College of Medicine, analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey datasets from 2005-2010 and evaluated the association of rice consumption with overall diet quality and key nutrient intakes in a nationally representative sample of 14,386 U.S. adults

Nicklas said their results show that adults who eat rice had diets more consistent with what is recommended in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and they showed higher amounts of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber while eating less saturated fat and added sugars. She said that eating rice is also associated with eating more servings of fruit, vegetables, meat and beans.

In addition to the positive results in cross-sectional studies linking rice consumption with healthier diets, a human clinical trial found that having white or brown rice at a meal increased satiety and feelings of fullness more than a calorically equivalent glucose solution control. Considering the cross-sectional and clinical findings, both enriched white rice and whole grain brown rice should be recommended as part of a healthy diet.

The study has been published online in the journal Food and Nutrition Sciences .

Source: Zee news

New laser scanner to detect arthritis before symptoms start

A new laser scanner has been developed to detect arthritis even before the symptoms start.

The revolutionary new scanner created by British scientists could help start arthritis treatment by spotting signs of the crippling disease before it has done painful and irreversible damage to cartilage in the joints, the Daily Express reported.

Professor Allen Goodship, of University College London said that the research is at an early stage but the results are promising and possibly in the future, the technique, called Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy, could be effective as a screening tool..

Source: Top news

 

5 Steps to Avoid Getting Hangry

Your energy is zapped, your stomach is rumbling, and your personality has transformed from level-headed and sweet to short-tempered and snippy. Your hunger has led to anger: You’re officially hangry. We’ve all been there, and it’s not pretty, but fortunately—for the sake of your relationships and social life—it can be avoided. Here are five rules for thwarting hunger-induced crankiness, and the binge that often follows.

Eat more often

Many of my clients tell me they get so caught up with work, family responsibilities, or errands that they lose track of time, wait way too long to eat, and wind up (regrettably) biting someone’s head off. When you’re distracted, you may lose touch with your body’s signals and tune out hunger…and end up going more than 4 to 5 hours without eating. Or, if you eat at erratic times your hunger signals may get thrown off kilter. In either case, your body still needs a steady supply of fuel to perform both mentally and physically: When your blood sugar dips too low, the side effects generally include headache, anxiety, and agitation.

What’s more, you’re probably dipping into your reserves to create the fuel you need, and while it would be great if that just meant breaking down body fat, that’s not the way it works. Under-eating also triggers a breakdown of lean muscle, the metabolism-revving tissue you don’t want to sacrifice. To keep your both mind and body stable, set your cell phone alarm to go off to remind yourself to stop and eat lunch and have snacks. If you don’t have time for a real meal, stash healthy, ready-to-eat options in your bag or desk, so you’ll have them at the ready. My go-to snack is a combo of nuts or seeds and preservative-free unsweetened dried fruit. I mix a golf-ball sized portion each of almonds and cherries, or walnuts and figs.

Fill up on fiber

Fiber is, well, fibrous. It takes longer to chew, takes up space in your digestive system, fills you up, and helps regulate blood sugar and insulin response, all of which results in steady energy over a longer period of time. In other words, bulking up your meals with fiber is a good hanger-prevention strategy. The average fiber intake is about 15 grams per day, but the goal is at least 25 grams.

To hit the mark, aim for at least two daily servings of fruit (one at breakfast and one in a snack), include a few servings of veggies in each lunch and dinner meal, trade refined grains like white rice for whole grains (including brown or wild rice or quinoa), choose beans or lentils more often as your protein source, and incorporate nuts and seeds into meals and snacks. Some of the top sources of fiber include: raspberries (8 grams per cup), pears and apples (about 5 grams per medium piece), broccoli (5 grams per cup cooked), beans and lentils (7-8 grams per half cup), almonds (4 grams per ounce), and chia seeds (5 g per tablespoon).

Be strategic about protein and healthy fat

Both protein and fat delay stomach emptying and boost satiety. That means they help you feel fuller longer and delay the return of hunger, so incorporating them into meals is a smart way to avoid blood sugar swings and to steady your mood. If you’ve ever eaten something that was low in fiber, protein, and fat (think sugary candy, a bagel with jam, or a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce), you probably noticed how quickly your hunger returned, even if you consumed a large portion. In fact, two meals with identical calorie counts can result in drastically different effects on fullness, energy, metabolism, and mood.

Unless you’re about to work out, I recommend including some lean protein or heart healthy fat (ideally both) in every meal. Beans and lentils are staple protein sources for my vegan clients, while vegetarians add organic eggs and organic nonfat Greek yogurt, and my omnivore clients eat all of the above plus seafood and poultry. The healthy fats I recommend to everyone include avocados, nuts, seeds, nut/seed butters, and extra virgin olive and coconut oils. Pair them with produce and whole grains by choosing things like hummus made with olive oil plus veggies and quinoa; black bean chili made with veggies and brown rice topped with avocado; yogurt layered with berries, toasted oats, and slivered almonds; and veggies stir fried in coconut oil over wild rice topped with shrimp or salmon.

Munch mood-leveling foods

More and more research is exploring how certain foods and nutrients impact mood, so if you want to remain productive and chipper, your choices are key. For example, cinnamon has been shown to enhance concentration, walnuts are tied to better reasoning, and for positivity, produce is tops. In one study, scientists asked nearly 300 young adults to complete daily food diaries for three weeks, which included psychological and mood-related ratings. Researchers found that a higher consumption of fruits and veggies resulted in more energy, calmness, and greater feelings of happiness.

To reap the benefits, pick your produce first when planning your meals. One of my clients never ate veggies at lunch, because her usual meal was a turkey sandwich. Once she started thinking veggies first, her options widened to include lots of salads, stuffed peppers, veggie soups, and stews. Soon she went from eating one serving of veggies each day to easily fitting in three to four.

Sip yourself calm

One of the best ways to regulate your mood is to avoid sugary drinks and artificial sweeteners and instead reach for water and unsweetened hot or chilled green tea to stay hydrated. In a British food and mood study, more than 70% of the participants reported that upping their water intake improved their mood. And a Japanese study involving more than 40,000 people found that psychological stress levels were 20% lower in those who drank at least 5 cups of green tea per day, compared to those who drank less than one daily cup.

Source: health

Salt-reduction campaign led to decrease stroke, heart disease deaths

A nationwide campaign to reduce salt intake among people in the United Kingdom resulted in a drastic reduction in heart disease and stroke deaths among the population.

In 2003, the government in the U.K. launched a widespread effort to encourage companies to gradually reduce sodium levels in processed foods. Now, a new study in the British Medical Journal is showing the impact of this public health initiative.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 31,500 people participating in the Health Survey for England between 2003 to 2011. During the study period, levels of salt intake among the population decreased by about 15 percent. Over the same period, deaths from stroke decreased by 42 percent and deaths from coronary heart disease dropped by 40 percent.

Rates of smoking and overall cholesterol levels in the population declined over the same period, while produce intake and body mass index both increased. The researchers, from Queen Mary University of London, noted that the single largest factor contributing to the decline in deaths was decreased blood pressure among the population.

Some physicians noted that the U.K. has been far more proactive and successful at enforcing the reduction of sodium in foods, compared to the U.S.

“In the U.K., the political action group ‘Action on Salt’ worked with the government and the food industry to slowly wean the British populace off salt, with excellent results. Yet, our food industry has fought a similar action tooth and nail,” Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC San Francisco
Source: Fox news

Too much animal protein tied to higher diabetes risk

People who eat the most protein, especially from animal sources, are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a study of European adults.

The new study did not randomly assign participants to eat different amounts of protein, which would have yielded the strongest evidence. Instead, it compared the diets of people who went on to develop diabetes and those who did not get the disease.

But the findings do align with other studies. “Several previous studies have found that higher intake of total protein, especially animal protein, are associated with long-term risk of developing diabetes,” said Dr. Frank Hu, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Hu, who was not involved in the new study, researches prevention of diabetes through diet and lifestyle.

“Substantial amounts of animal protein come from red meat and processed meat, which have been consistently associated with increased risk of diabetes,” he told Reuters Health in an email.

For the new report, researchers examined data from a large previous study of adults in eight European countries spanning 12 years. The study collected data on participants’ diet, physical activity, height, weight and waist circumference, then followed them to see who developed diabetes.

A team of researchers led by Monique van Nielen of Wageningen University in the Netherlands selected 11,000 people who developed type 2 diabetes from the data and 15,000 people without diabetes for comparison.

Overall, the adults in the study commonly ate about 90 grams of protein per day. Those who ate more tended to have a higher weight-to-height ratio and to eat more fiber and cholesterol than people who ate less protein.

After accounting for other diabetes risk factors, every additional 10 grams of protein people consumed each day was tied to a six percent higher chance that they would develop diabetes.

Dividing participants into five groups based on how much protein they ate, the researchers found those who ate the most, or around 111 grams per day, were 17 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who ate the least, or around 72 grams per day.

Specifically, those who ate the most animal protein, or 78 grams per day, were 22 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those who ate the least, around 36 grams per day, according to results published in Diabetes Care.

That’s only a modest increase on an individual level, Hu said.

People who ate the most protein got about 15 percent of their calories from red meat, processed meat, poultry, fish and dairy, which appears to be too much, Hu said.  “More importantly, higher intake of animal protein often comes along with other undesirable nutrients such as saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium,” he said.

The association between animal protein and diabetes risk appeared to be strongest among obese women. Plant protein, on the other hand, was not linked to diabetes.

“In other studies, plant protein sources such as nuts, legumes and whole grains have been associated with lower risk of diabetes,” Hu said. “Therefore, replacing red meat and processed meat with plant sources of protein is important for diabetes prevention.”

Generally people associate high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets with diabetes risk, but this study underscores that protein is an important nutrient to consider as well, Paolo Magni said. Magni, from the Institute of Endocrinology at the University of Milan in Italy, was not involved in the new study.

“As a general rule, I would suggest to eat normal portions of red meat not more than two times per week, poultry and fish three to four times per week, skimmed milk or yogurt maybe not every day,” Magni told

Cheese, preserved meats and cold cuts should be minimized, he said. “Pay attention to both quantity and food sources of protein,” Hu said. It’s probably a good idea for people with a family history of diabetes to replace at least some red meat with nuts, legumes or whole grains, he said.

Source: reuters

Low blood sugar tied to ‘hangry’ fights with spouse

We’ve all been “hangry,” so hungry that we become angry at the slightest frustration or provocation. But could low blood sugar make you so hangry you’d abuse your spouse?

In an effort find out, scientists asked married couples to secretly stick pins into a voodoo doll representing their spouses, and blast noise in their spouses’ ears. The results, released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), does appear to show a link between lower blood sugar and marital spats.

Led by Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University, the experiment tested a hypothesis about self-control.

The researchers had 107 couples monitor their blood glucose levels with over-the-counter monitors once in the morning and once in the evening for 21 days. Every evening the partners were to privately stick needles into voodoo dolls to indicate how angry they were with their spouses, zero meaning not at all, up to a high of 51.

Even after controlling for a number of variables like overall relationship satisfaction, people with lower glucose levels stuck more pins in the dolls. There was no difference between men and women in how they were affected.

Then Bushman had couples come into his lab to play a simple computer game against each other while sitting in different rooms. In fact, they were playing against a computer and the results were rigged so they’d win and lose about the same number of rounds.

As a punishment for “losing” a round, the victor could play an obnoxious noise — a combination of fingernails on chalkboards and other irritating sounds like an airhorn — into the earphones of the loser at a volume the victor selected, up to about the level of a smoke alarm. (Actually, the computer controlled the noise level.)

Those people with lower glucose levels, and who stuck more pins into the dolls, also tended to blast the noise.

“Thus,” Bushman and colleagues wrote, “low glucose levels might be one factor that contributes to intimate partner violence.”

Many experts believe that self-control can be depleted like a battery, as illustrated in one famous 1998 study: Two groups of hungry people were placed in a room containing a plate of freshly-baked cookies and a plate of radishes. One group was told they could eat cookies, the other told they could eat only radishes. Both groups were then asked to complete a puzzle they didn’t know was unsolvable.

The cookie group worked twice as long on the puzzle. People in the radish group gave up sooner because they had to exercise more self-control to avoid eating the cookies. So there was less willpower left to work on a frustrating puzzle.

A number of factors can deplete self-control, said Brandon Schmeichel, a professor of psychology at Texas A&M University who studies this phenomenon. Performing a task that requires self-control — like not eating a cookie when you really want one, or doing math problems, or filling out your 1040 form — can do it, as can mood, alcohol, and one’s ability to keep your eye on long-term goals, rather than short-term impulses. “That can be difficult to do,” Schmeichel said.

Glucose is a more controversial factor. Proponents argue that the brain uses a lot of energy, especially the pre-frontal cortex that exerts control over our baser instincts and helps us reason. Low glucose can leave the brain low on gas. And being low on gas weakens self-control.

But others point out that some studies suggest self-control is not always limited, and that experiments trying to link low glucose to low self-control are contradictory. Some show an effect, some do not.

Bushman believes there is a cause-effect link and that “aggression starts when self-control stops.”

Professor Florian Lange, a neuroscientist at Hannover Medical School in Germany, praised some parts of the study, but via email said he’s not convinced there’s “a significant role for glucose in self-regulation/self-control.”

A number of other factors could explain the experiment’s results “equally well,” Lange said. For example, he speculated, “who are these violent people having low blood sugar?” he asked.

“Maybe they eat healthier in order to be fit to do extreme sports, an activity they like to pursue because they are more risk-taking,” Lange suggested. “This latter variable could explain why they show more aggression.”

Whether or not low glucose specifically depletes self-control, though, most experts agree that hunger can. As Bushman said, “hungry people are cranky people.”

So, he said, “if you are having a discussion with your spouse about a conflict situation, make sure you’re not hungry.” He advised skipping candy bars and other high-sugar foods, which can spike glucose but lead to a crash. Instead, say, before that last minute tax return debate, eat something nutritious.

source; today

Brain Tumor Risk Higher for Teens Who Stop Growing Later

Teens who take longer to reach their full height may be at increased risk for certain types of brain tumors later in life, a new study suggests.

The study involved nearly 2,600 people, including 1,045 people with glioma, a category of brain and spinal tumors that arise from cells known as glial cells; 274 people with meningioma, a type of tumor that forms in the lining of the brain; and 1,242 people without brain tumors. Participants, who were mostly in their 50s, reported how old they were when they stopped growing.

On average, men reached their full height at age 17, while women reached their full height at age 16.

For each additional year it took people to reach their full height, the risk of glioma increased by 14 percent for men and 11 percent for women, the study found.

People who stopped growing at age 19 or older had nearly twice the risk of glioma as those who stopped growing at age 15 or younger.

The reason for the possible link is not clear. It’s possible that teens who take longer to stop growidietitianng are exposed to growth hormonesfor longer periods, which may affect glioma risk, said study researcher Rebecca Little, a and doctoral student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Previous studies have linked having a higher body mass index (BMI) in young adulthood, and taller stature overall, with glioma risk, but the new findings are a first, the researchers said.

No link was found between the age at which people stopped growing and their risk of meningioma, the researchers noted.

Because the study was conducted in a single region of the United States — the Southeast — additional research is needed to replicate the findings in other groups of people, Little said.

The study found only an association, and cannot prove that taking longer to stop growing causes brain tumors.

Interestingly, the risk of glioma was highest among people who took longer to reach their full height, but whose final height was on the short side. This finding could be due to chance, so more research is needed to confirm it, Little said. But it’s possible that these people’s bodies produce a lower level of growth hormones over a prolonged period, which may confer a higher risk of tumors than a higher level of growth hormones over a short period, Little said.

It’s possible that some people may not accurately recall the age at which they stopped growing, but Little noted that people are often good at remembering their height and weight at certain time points in life.

The study was presented this week at the meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego.

Source: the needs

Study: Green tea boosts working memory

A beverage with multiple benefits, green tea has inspired a number of research projects in recent years. One of the latest studies on the subject, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, offers additional evidence on how the drink can improve working memory and cognitive performance.

According to various studies, the antioxidant-rich beverage may help in maintaining a healthy weight and fighting bad cholesterol, in addition to improving memory and preventing cognitive decline. The latter benefits in particular were the subject of a key study by Chinese researcher Bai Yun published in Food Science and Molecular Nutrition and Food Research in June 2012.

Eager to evaluate claims of green tea’s power to improve memory and to identify the mechanism behind it, researchers in Basel, Switzerland asked a group of healthy volunteers to consume a soft drink with green tea extract before solving a series of working memory tasks. The test subjects’ brain activity was analyzed using an MRI machine.

The researchers, led by Christoph Beglinger and Stefan Borgwardt, of the University Hospital of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics respectively, observed improved connectivity between the frontal and parietal brain regions in the test subjects who were given green tea extract.

This improved connectivity between the two brain regions correlated with enhanced performance of the memory tasks. “Our findings suggest that green tea might increase the short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain,” Borgwardt indicated.

In the future, the findings of the study could be used to assess the effectiveness of green tea extract in treating dementia and other neuropsychiatric illnesses, according to the researchers.
The study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

Source: FMT news

Do coffee and tea really dehydrate us?

Every day people around the globe drink 1.6 billion cups of coffee and around twice as many cups of tea.

They enjoy the taste and the fact that the caffeine wakes them up. But when we’re exhorted to drink six or eight glasses of water a day (a disputed figure that I’ve discussed previously), it’s usually emphasised that drinks like coffee and tea don’t count towards your daily liquid total because they’re dehydrating. Or so we’re told. What’s the evidence?

Although tea and coffee contain many different substances the one on which most research focuses is caffeine. Even then there is so little research on the topic, that one of the most frequently mentioned studies was conducted way back in 1928 with a sample of just three people. The three men were studied over the course of two winters. Sometimes they were required to drink four cups of coffee a day; sometimes they drank mainly tea and at other times they abstained or drank water laced with pure caffeine. Meanwhile the volume of their urine was measured regularly. The authors concluded that if the men consumed caffeine-laced water after a two month period of abstinence from both coffee and tea, the volume of their urine increased by 50%, but when they drank coffee regularly again they became inured to its diuretic effects.

Very large doses of caffeine are known to increase the blood flow to the kidneys and to inhibit the absorption of sodium which explains why it could act as a diuretic, dealing with the sodium which hasn’t been absorbed. But the exact mechanism is still a matter of debate.

But when you look at the studies of more realistic quantities of caffeine, the diuretic effect is not nearly so clear. A review of 10 studies by Lawrence Armstrong from the University of Connecticut concluded that caffeine is a mild diuretic at most, with 12 out of 15 comparisons showing that people urinated the same amount, regardless of whether the water they drank contained added caffeine or not.

So why do so many people think they need the loo more often when they’ve been drinking tea or coffee? As the review indicates, most studies give people pure caffeine added to water, rather than cups of actual tea or coffee as you might drink at home. Is there something about the combination of substances contained in coffee and tea that make the difference?

In a rare study where people drank nothing but tea for the 12 hour duration of the trial, there was no difference in hydration levels between them and the people who drank the same quantity of boiled water. When it comes to the consumption of coffee, one study did find a 41% increase in urine, along with a rise in the excretion of sodium and potassium. But these participants had abstained from caffeine before the study, so this doesn’t tell us what would happen in people who are accustomed to drinking coffee.

Source: BBC news