health tips

New research shows excessive calorie in children will affect their weight

A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows that how excessive calorie intake affects the weight of children. This will lead to improved weight loss for obese and overweight children.

A team of researchers by Dr Kevin Hall of National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, differentiate between the healthy weight gain that is normal in childhood, and the excessive weight gain that results in overweight and obesity. This model shows how children’s energy balance affects their weight gain.

The previous models underestimated overweight or obese children.  The new model is based on the children’s metabolism, growth and energy expenditure and how they gain weight.

The new model also indicates that some children may be able to ‘outgrow’ obesity during periods of rapid growth, for example between the ages of 11 and 16, without changing their bodyweight.  Obese boys who maintain the same bodyweight over this period will tend to normalize their body fat while continuing to grow taller and adding lean tissue mass. However, this effect is much less pronounced in girls, mainly because they lose less body fat than boys.

The researchers showed that their model provides the most accurate tool to predict the effect of calorie intake.  With roughly a third of children in the UK and US thought to be overweight this model may provide clinicians with a understanding of how weight loss interventions such as calorie-controlled diets and physical activity programs.

According to Dr Hall, “One of the most disconcerting aspects of the global obesity epidemic is the high prevalence of childhood obesity, which carries both health and economic consequences.
“Though the model doesn’t apply perfectly to all children – for instance, those who start adolescence late, or who undergo particularly rapid weight gain – it provides an accurate representation of the average effect of reducing or increasing calorie intake on the weight of children.

“The accuracy of parents’ awareness of children’s portion sizes and reporting of children’s food intake is only moderate,” says Professor Maffeis, adding that, “Reduced awareness of food intake in obese or pre obese children and their parents is an important limiting factor in the modification of nutritional behavior. It will be necessary to increase families’ knowledge and awareness of energy content and composition of children’s’ diets by designing effective and sustainable educational programs about nutrition.”

A compound – genistein found in soybeans inhibits HIV

admin

http://www.prostate.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/genistein-supplement.jpg

A compound found in soybeans may become an effective HIV treatment according to new research by George Mason University researchers.

Genistein, derived from soybeans and other plants, inhibiting the HIV infection, says Yuntao Wu, a professor with the George Mason-based National Center for Bio defense and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Molecular and Microbiology.

“Although genistein is rich in several plants such as soybeans, it is still uncertain whether the amount of genistein we consume from eating soy is sufficient to inhibit HIV,” Wu says.

Genistein is a “tyrosine kinase inhibitor” that works by blocking the communication from a cell’s surface sensors to its interior. Found on a cell’s surface, these sensors tell the cell about its environment and also communicate with other cells. HIV uses some of these surface sensors to trick the cell to send signals inside. These signals change cell structure so that the virus can get inside and spread infection.

But genistein blocks the signal and stops HIV from finding a way inside the cell. It takes a different approach than the standard antiretroviral drug used to inhibit HIV.

“Instead of directly acting on the virus, genistein interferes with the cellular processes that are necessary for the virus to infect cells,” Wu says. “Thus, it makes the virus more difficult to become resistant to the drug. Our study is currently it its early stage. If clinically proven effective, genistein may be used as a complement treatment for HIV infection.”

Wu sees possibilities in this plant-based approach, which may address drug toxicity issues as well. Because genistein is plant-derived, it may be able to sidestep drug toxicity, a common byproduct of the daily and lifelong pharmaceutical regimen faced by patients with HIV to keep the disease at bay, Wu says. Typically, patients take a combination of multiple drugs to inhibit the virus. The frequency can lead to drug toxicity. Plus, HIV mutates and becomes drug-resistant.

Wu and his team are working at finding out how much genistein is needed to inhibit HIV. It’s possible that plants may not have high enough levels, so drugs would need to be developed, Wu says.

 

Tips to get back into post pregnancy shape

After delivering a child, women not only fight against sleepless nights, but also body shape. This makes the women to feel more inferior. To gain back a pre-pregnancy figure, use whatever time you have in hand for workouts, yoga and much more.

“The key is to do what you can in the time that you can, and do it more intense to make for the lack of time,” an online portal quoted celebrity trainer Andrea Orbeck as saying.

She is responsible for helping models Heidi Klum, Kimora Lee Simmons and Adriana Lima quickly getting back into shape.

Orbeck, who has created a Pregnancy Sculpt DVD, recommends starting with cardio exercises and making your child part of your workout.

You can push the stroller or strap the baby on to your chest while you step out for a walk.

“As babies need so much sleep, it`s a great time to get moving during nap time and make the most of your precious time to yourself,” she advised.

Other workout ideas for new moms include sumo squats, alternative reverse lunges, reverse bridges and much more.

Orbeck suggests new moms to stick to food items that are clean, lean, green and rich in protein.

She also advises women to do yoga post-pregnancy.

“I like to build strength in women after pregnancy. Yoga is great for toning, mental health, relaxation and more during stressful times,” she said.

Are you in stress? Walk in woods or look at the green environment

Have a leisurely walk in the woods or look at the green bushes will help you to manage stress levels, lower your BP and help fight heart ailments, a new study has revealed.

The researchers at the University of Essex have made experiments, and discovered that just looking at images of forests helped to reduce strains.

Dr. Valerie Gladwell with a team of scientists carried out experiments on volunteers and measures their stress levels.

The participants in the research were asked to walk in specified “green environments” at lunchtime slept better that night.

After eight weeks, the researchers observed that the volunteers had lower blood pressure and perceived stress.

Gladwell said that her team`s research has shown that “green environments” can be an effective stress-buster.

She asserted that if they can encourage more people to enjoy the great outdoors it may help increase their levels of physical activity and, therefore, could also be a powerful tool to help fight cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease has emerged as the number one killer among Indians

 

A new study found and published that most of the Indians are dead by the emerging heart disease and this rate will increase by 2015.

According to a recent study by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), about 25 percent of deaths in the age group of 25- 69 years occur because of heart diseases. If all age groups are included, heart diseases account for about 19 percent of all deaths.

It is the main cause of death in both males as well as females and in all regions of India, the study found.

India, with more than 1.2 billion people, is estimated to account for 60 percent of heart disease patients worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, heart related disorders will kill almost 20 million people by 2015, and they are exceptionally prevalent in the Indian sub-continent.

Half of all heart attacks occur under the age of 50 years and 25 percent under the age of 40.

It is estimated that India will have over 1.6 million strokes per year by 2015, resulting in disabilities on one third of them. The need is urgent.

It is in this context that the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has launched educational “Networks” of renowned thought leaders in the areas of Cardiology, Diabetes, and Stroke to foster high quality medical education of physicians of Asian Indian origin in the US

Drinking sodas will erode the tooth enamel:

 

When it is subject to enamel erosion of teeth, diet soda is not good as regular ones, a new study have found.

Kim McFarland, D.D.S., associate professor in the University Of Nebraska Medical Center College Of Dentistry in Lincoln, has observed a number of dental patients with erosion of tooth enamel, the protective layer of the tooth.

If erosion takes place in enamel, then it can’t be taken back and affects people their whole life.

This erosion occurs in teenagers, the main reason behind this is drinking more amount of soda.

Triggers like hot and cold drinks – and even cold air – reach the tooth`s nerve and cause pain.

Depending on the frequency and amount of soda consumed, the erosion process can be extreme and it can be throughout the life time. She said the National Soft Drink Association estimates the average American drinks 44 gallons of soda a year.

Phosphoric and citric acid, are common ingredients in most popular sodas and diet soda which is the main phenomenon to alter the pH balance in the mouth and can cause tooth erosion over time.

 

Eight foods to keep your skin glowing:

Feeling that your skins are not glowing and tired within? Here are eight  foods and tricks to keep your skin at the pink of its health

  1. Sweet Potato:

Sweet potato contains Beta-carotene, which makes them pale orange, balances skin’s pH, helps combat dryness, and promotes cell resulting in smoother skin.

2. Wild salmon

A study found that eating one serving every five days can prevent actinic keratoses—ugly rough patches that are precancerous.

  • 3. Tomatoes

The fruit’s red pigment, lycopene, is an antioxidant that prevents skin from sun damage. To best absorb lycopene, eat tomatoes with olive oil.

4. Citrus Fruits

Vitamin C is essential to building collagen, makes the skin young-looking. Citrus also contains bioflavonoids, which protect skin from UV rays and prevent cell death.

5. Leafy Greens

Spinach, kale, and other greens contain lutein, which protects skin from sun-induced inflammation and wrinkles.

 6. Stay away from white foods

Avoid white bread, pasta, rice, and other refined grain products? They’re quickly broken down into the ultimate white food: sugar. Once in the bloodstream, sugar bonds with protein and creates advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which cause collagen to become inflamed and stiff, leading to wrinkles.

 7. Avoid pills

“There are many health nutrients in food said Nicholas Perricone, a board-certified dermatologist.”It’s very likely that these unknowns work synergistically for a bigger benefit than what you can find in a supplement.”

8. A bonus drink

According to dermatologist Leslie Baumann, red wine contains skin-friendly grape-seed extract and resveratrol, two powerful antioxidants which makes the skin ever glowing

 

New Novel screening methods to treat Autism children

In the recent years, diagnosing an autism child has been a difficult process.  There have been only a test to detect the disorder, and current screening methods tend to rely on analyzing a child’s behavior.

The researchers of Rutgers University and Indiana University have developed a new tool, which can be used to both diagnose and treat children with autism. The new method much more focuses on quality movement.

The new technique uses sensors to analyze an involuntary movements and motor functions in relation to cognitive development. According to the researchers, it is the first diagnostic method for autism to use quantitative criteria. Researchers have detailed their therapeutic tool, helping autistic children learn and communicate more effectively.

Dr. Elizabeth Torres, a computational neuroscientist at Rutgers University told “It gives us a fingerprint of that person we can measure their patterns and measure the change and rate of change.  It is in the rate of change of this pattern that the (autism) mystery lies.”

Torres teamed up with fellow Rutgers colleague Dimitri Metaxas and Jorge Jose, a neuroscientist at Indiana University, to develop their novel sensory screening technique.  Using a motion capture system, the researchers place sensors on an autistic patient’s body that take up to 240 measurements per second.  They then analyze those movements with a new statistical computer program they have developed.

This method records a patient’s involuntary movements that are unconscious and controlled by the peripheral nervous system.   According to Torres, the voluntary movements of children with autism are exponentially different and too extreme to be measured.  However, when it comes to involuntary movements, autistic children are still different but similar enough so that their unconscious movements can be measured with a newly developed set of probability distributions.

The team used this method on 78 children and adults with autism, including those with mild forms of the disorder and autistic children who were nonverbal and low-functioning.  According to the researchers, the screening technique correctly diagnosed the patients every time, and it could even classify different subtypes, identify gender differences and track an individual’s progress through treatment.

According to Torres, it’s the element of self-discovery and internal motivation that makes their therapy more successful than current treatment options, which focus on conditioning children to perform socially acceptable behavior – rather than having them figure it out on their own

Opium: the Natural way for Pain Relief

Of all plants opium poppy, Papaver somniferum is used in the field of medicine, none has been widely employed nor save as many lives and suffering. This plant and its derivatives have been used since ancient times.

Several Narcotics are collectively known as opiates, derive from opium mainly morphine, there are fifty alkaloids are present in opium poppy and the opium poppy is the source of first medicinal compound ever isolated in pure form. That alkaloid morphine was isolated in 1804 by German pharmacist Friederich Serturner. He dubbed the alkaloid morphium, to induce sleep.

Morphine is the most effective and pain-relieving agent in medicine, acting directly upon the central nervous system. When someone is suffering debilitating pain, especially due to injury or surgical procedures, no other substance will relieve pain as well or as quickly.

The second most abundant alkaloid in the opium poppy is codeine, which also possesses pain-relieving properties. Codeine is most widely used as cough relieving agent and is now available only by prescription, as it is both psychoactive and habit-forming.

The opium poppy yields sticky latex that has been employed since antiquity as a mind-altering drug. The latex is prepared in large balls and can be stored for long periods of time. Today, large-scale cultivation of opium poppies for the production of heroin can be found in Mexico, Afghanistan, and throughout Asia. Oddly, heroin was first developed by drug giant Bayer as a cure for morphine addiction. Today there is relatively little morphine addiction, though an estimated 9 million people globally are now addicted to heroin. Technically it is illegal to grow opium poppies in the U.S., are popular ornamental flowers grown widely in America and Canada. Opium poppies are controlled according to the Controlled Substances Act.

The opium poppy, with its globe-shaped seed pod and beautiful flower petals, makes an impressive site, especially when there are thousands of flowering poppies all in one place. It has seen large fields of poppy in Morocco, and the sight is breathtaking and critically valuable to the field of medicine, opium occupies a rare and important place in the human story.

 

Will Eating eggs every day raise cholesterol?

Eating more than two eggs does not lead to higher serum cholesterol in teens, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Granada analyzed the egg intake in adolescents and the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, such as lipid profile, excess fat, insulin resistance and high blood pressure.

“Health professionals insisted that eating eggs increased cholesterol levels, so in recent decades various public health organizations restrict the intake of egg” Alberto Soriano Maldonado, , said.

However, the recent research suggests that increased serum cholesterol is more affected by intake of saturated fats and trans fats – present in red meat, baked goods, etc The results involves nine countries, demonstrated that eating larger amounts of egg is neither linked to higher serum cholesterol nor to worse cardiovascular health, regardless of their physical activity.

“The conclusions, published that an intake of up to seven eggs a week is not an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases,” said Soriano.

Researchers suggest reviewing dietary recommendations; it would be useful to conduct similar research on a sample group with higher egg intake.

“Egg is a cheap food that is rich in very high-quality proteins, minerals, foliates and B vitamins. Thus it can provide a large quantity of nutrients necessary for optimum development in adolescents,” researchers said. A medium-size egg contains 200 milligrams of cholesterol but has more unsaturated fats and has 70 calories.