health tips

Aloe Vera – the Most Happening Health Drink

Aloe vera juice is now on top of the charts for its immense health benefits and may have beaten many of its ilks in the race for the most happening health drink. 

Experts have extolled its virtues, and one that stands out is its cholesterol lowering property

According to the claims of its manufacturers, Aloe Vera juice seems to help with weight loss, digestion and immune function. It is also thought to relieve discomfort of any kind. 

They say Aloe vera contains a mix of some of the best vitamins- including A, C, E, folic acid, B1, B2, B3, and B6. It is also one of the few plants that actually contain Vitamin B12, which helps with brain and nervous system function.

Aloe vera juice is also rich in minerals and contains zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, sodium, and potassium. This juice is also packed with amino and fatty acids – all helpful in beating indigestion. It boosts the body’s immunity and has the ability to throw out toxins from the body.

‘Aloe vera is amazing if you have any suggestive discomfort. It is very soothing for the internals and helps beat the bloat. Drinking Aloe vera replenishes your body naturally with a huge range of nutrients. It contains approximately 200 active components including – vitamins A, B1,B2,B6, B12, C, E, folic acid and Niacin,’ a leading nutritionist said.
Read more: http://www.medindia.net

 

Now, plant pill that can reduce wrinkles

Ladies, your dream of popping a pill that can make you look younger may finally come true!

In a first, scientists claim to have developed a new pill that is clinically proven to combat ageing by reducing wrinkles, providing an easier alternative to more invasive measures such as Botox.

The oral supplement, containing plant compounds and vitamins, could reduce the depth of crow’s-feet wrinkles on faces by 10 percent, tests at an independent clinic in Germany have shown.

The study also showed the supplement stimulated the production of collagen, which can prevent wrinkles from forming, ‘The Sunday Times’ reported.

The cocktail of ingredients could offer an alternative to more invasive measures such as Botox or the plethora of face creams on which hundreds of millions are spent by people seeking youthful looks.

The ingredients taken by the women in the study were soy isoflavones, which are plant compounds; lycopene, an antioxidant; vitamin C; vitamin E; and omega-3 fatty acids.

Silicone moulds were made of crow’s feet around the eyes and made again after 14 weeks of taking the supplement. The skin was smoother with less marked wrinkles.

There was a “significant reduction in average wrinkle depth” on a test group of 53 women who took the supplement compared with the control group of 55 women who got a placebo, he report said.

“On average, there was a 10 per cent reduction in wrinkle depth in the test group when compared with placebo,” the report said.

An analysis of the skin found increased levels of collagen and a “reduced severity” of skin roughness.

“We found that a significantly higher number of individuals consuming the test product showed increased levels of collagen after 14 weeks than those who consumed placebo products. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of increased collagen production in skin as a result of an oral intervention,” the report said.

The study was published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/now-plant-pill-that-can-reduce-wrinkles/1175962

The 4 super foods keep you healthy this autumn

Autumn is here and that means a new crop of seasonal nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable “super foods”, that increase our overall wellness and nutrition and help support a healthy lifestyle, will be harvested soon.

Kari Kooi, registered dietician at Houston Methodist Hospital, said super foods are brimming with nutrients and antioxidants. The benefits of adding them into your everyday meals are numerous, as a nutritious diet can really have a positive impact on both your physical and mental health.

Kooi suggested top four super foods that you can incorporate into your daily meals.

The researcher said that Pumpkins are rich in beta-carotene which turns into vitamin A, also known as the vision vitamin. They are versatile and can be added into just about anything. If you like pumpkin pie, stir a little pumpkin puree into your oatmeal and add some pumpkin pie spice for a healthier alternative.

On the other hand seeds of Pumpkin are a super food powerhouse all on their own. They have heart healthy fat, protein, and fiber. They also have a lot of minerals like magnesium, which aids in bone health, and iron, which helps deliver oxygen to our cells. You can try roasted pumpkin seeds, which can be eaten shell and all, for a healthy snack during the day.

Pomegranates earn super food status because they are extremely rich in antioxidants.

Kooi said that Kiwis have a “tutti fruity” taste, with flavors reminiscent of different fruits like strawberries, melons, pineapples, bananas, and citrus. They also have a lot of fiber and a whopping amount of Vitamin C, which makes them a great super food. To enjoy a kiwi on-the-go, try cutting it in half and scooping the flesh out with a spoon.

Source: http://www.siasat.com/english/news

Diet and exercise improves osteoarthritis pain

Diet and exercise improves osteoarthritis pain

When compared with the exercise group, the diet and exercise group had less knee pain, better function, faster walking speed, and better physical health-related quality of life.

Eighteen months of intensive diet and exercise together lead to less knee pain and better function among overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis, new research has revealed.

Stephen P. Messier, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether a 10% or greater reduction in body weight induced by diet, with or without exercise, would reduce joint loading and inflammation and improve clinical outcomes more than exercise alone. The study included 454 overweight and obese older community-dwelling adults (age 55 years or older with a body mass index of 27-41) with pain and radiographic knee OA. The interventions consisted of intensive diet-induced weight loss plus exercise, intensive diet-induced weight loss, or exercise. It was found that average weight loss was greater in the diet and exercise group and the diet group compared with the exercise group. When compared with the exercise group, the diet and exercise group had less knee pain, better function, faster walking speed, and better physical health-related quality of life. The study found that participants in the diet and exercise and diet groups had greater reductions in Interleukin 6 (a measure of inflammation) levels than those in the exercise group, and those in the diet group had greater reductions in knee compressive force than those in the exercise group. Researchers said the findings from this trial suggested that intensive weight loss may have both anti-inflammatory and biomechanical benefits; when combining weight loss with exercise, patients can safely achieve a mean long-term weight loss of more than 10%, with an associated improvement in symptoms greater than with either intervention alone. The study is published in journal JAMA. Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

Mobile phones, towers do not cause cancer’

The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) Friday rubbished reports that radiation emitted from cell phones and their towers cause cancer.

“Radiation from mobiles and mobile towers pose no threat to the health or cause cancer as it is commonly believed,” DMA president Anil Agarwal said at a press conference here.

“The radiation waves are too weak too cause such a deadly disease and moreover there are no empirical findings to establish that mobile tower radiation causes cancer or any such disease,” he said, adding the medical experts from the DMA have come to this conclusion after reviewing the study done by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO conducted a research where they had consulted 4,50,000 cell phone users in the past 13 years, but had not been able to provide support for any relationship between the emission of radiation from mobile phones and cancer, said P. Ramakrishna, a consultant on electro-magnetic fields (EMF).

Even the study done by US’ National Cancer Institute shows no increased risk for brain tumors from cell phone use, he added.

Source: http://www.sify.com/news/

Rapid rise in dengue cases, three deaths in Delhi

There have also been three confirmed deaths and seven suspected deaths, as per an official Friday.

“There has been a total of 1,729 cases and three have died from the vector-borne disease,” said municipal health officer N.K. Yadav.

Of the total cases, 1,698 patients are from Delhi and 31 belong to adjoining states.

The north, south and east corporations reported 837, 408 and 368 cases, respectively.

The victims who have succumbed to the virus and been confirmed by municipal authorities are Phool Singh, 47 of west Delhi’s Ashok Nagar, Priyanka Shankar, 21 of north Delhi’s Pratap Nagar and Priya Jha, 6 of south Delhi’s Okhla.

Source: Zee News

Antibodies in shark may prevent growth of breast cancer

Antibodies in shark may prevent growth of breast cancer

A TYPE of antibody found only in the blood of sharks could help tackle breast cancer, scientists have said.

It is thought that the unique IgNAR antibodies could be used to prevent the growth of cancer cells and research into them could lead to the development of new drugs to fight one of the most common forms of the disease.

Biologists from the University of Aberdeen have been awarded 200,000 pounds ($345,660) by Scottish cancer research charity the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) to carry out a three-year study.

Their work will focus on two molecules, HER2 and HER3, found on the surface of cancer cells which, when they pair-up, are responsible for signaling cancer cells to grow and divide.

Potentially, IgNAR antibodies could be used to stop these molecules from working and sending the signal.

“IgNAR antibodies are interesting because they bind to targets, such as viruses or parasites, in a very different way to the antibodies found in humans,” said Dr Helen Dooley who is from the university’s School of Biological Sciences and will lead the study.

“They can do this because their attachment region is very small and so can fit into spaces that human antibodies cannot.

“We believe we can exploit the novel binding of IgNAR and use it to stop HER2 and HER3 molecules from working, and prompting cancer cells to grow and divide.”

Very high levels of HER2 are found on the surface of cancer cells in women who have HER2-positive breast cancer, this affects around a quarter of women with breast cancer.

While HER2-positive breast cancer can be treated with drugs but resistance to this successful treatment is a growing problem.

“With the funding from AICR we can begin to explore the potential of IgNAR as a future treatment for breast cancer,” Dooley said.

“This is only the first step in a very long process but if our hypothesis holds true we hope to develop new anti-cancer drugs based upon these unique shark antibodies.”
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/antibodies-in-shark-blood-may-be-able-to-prevent-growth-of-breast-cancer/story-fn5fsgyc-1226727945467#ixzz2gAT8Jweb

 

 

New 3D printed toothbrushes clean mouth in 6 seconds

New 3D printed toothbrushes clean mouth in 6 seconds

Engineers have invented a new kind of toothbrush that is tailor-made to fit into a person’s mouth.

According to Blizzident’s makers, the toothbrush cleans teeth completely within six seconds, though independent studies are yet to verify the claims.

To make the brush, the dentists take teeth’s digital scan then the makers use it to find out the optimal placement of 600 bristles by simulating biting and chewing movements.

The bristles look like normal bristles but are much finer and have been tapered to reach under the gumline better.

The makers print the brush with 3D printing. They use the dental scan to create a computer aided design (CAD) model of the brush that is then converted into a 3D object using stereolithography – a method in which liquid plastic is created into the shape with an ultraviolet laser, Fox News reported.

The bristles are then painstakingly attached to this object.

To use Blizzident, a person has to bite down on it and grind their teeth for about six seconds.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com

Eating fish and nuts do not boost thinking skills

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish such as salmon and in nuts, may not help improve thinking skills, a new study has revealed.

“There has been a lot of interest in omega-3s as a way to prevent or delay cognitive decline, but unfortunately our study did not find a protective effect in older women. In addition, most randomized trials of omega-3 supplements have not found an effect,” study author Eric Ammann, MS, of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, said.

However, the researchers did not recommend that people change their diet based on these results.

The study involved 2,157 women age 65 to 80 who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trials of hormone therapy. The women were given annual tests of thinking and memory skills for an average of six years. Blood tests were taken to measure the amount of omega-3s in the participants’ blood before the start of the study.

The researchers found no difference between the women with high and low levels of omega-3s in the blood at the time of the first memory tests. There was also no difference between the two groups in how fast their thinking skills declined over time.

The study is published in journal Neurology.

Source: http://www.newstrackindia.com

Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson’s disease

A new research report appearing in the December issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson’s disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called “phosphorylated alpha-synuclein,” which is common in people with Parkinson’s disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood.

“A blood test for Parkinson’s disease would mean you could find out if a person was in danger of getting the disease, before the symptoms started,” said David Allsop, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences and the School of Health and Medicine at the University of Lancaster, in Lancaster, UK. “This would help the development of medicines that could protect the brain, which would be better for the quality of life and future health of older people.”

To develop the blood test for Parkinson’s disease, Allsop and colleagues studied a group of people diagnosed with the disease and a second group of healthy people of a similar age. Blood samples from each group were analyzed to determine the levels of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein present. They found those with Parkinson’s disease had increased levels of the substance. Based upon these findings, researchers developed a blood test that detects the presence of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, which could allow for diagnosis of the disease well before symptoms appear but when brain damage has already begun to occur.

“When most people think of Parkinson’s disease, they think of the outward symptoms, such as involuntary movements,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, “but many people with Parkinson’s also develop neurological problems that may be more difficult to detect right away. Having a blood test not only helps doctors rule out other possible causes of the outward symptoms, but it also allows for early detection which can help patients and their caregivers prepare for the possibility of the mental, emotional, and behavioral problems that the disease can cause.”

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org