Wine good for your heart only if you exercise

If you think moderate wine drinking can protect against cardio-vascular diseases (CVDs), you are probably right: Just mix daily exercise to it. Earlier studies have found that red and white wine increases levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol.

Wine good for your heart only if you exercise

“We found that moderate wine drinking was only protective in people who exercised. Red and white wine produced the same results,” professor Milos Taborsky from the Czech Republic told the gathering at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

The study included 146 people with mild to moderate risk of cardio-vascular disease. Participants were randomised to one year of moderate consumption of red wine (Pinot Noir) or white wine (Chardonnay-Pinot). The researchers found that there was no difference between HDL cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study.

After one year, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)- “bad cholesterol” – cholesterol was lower in both groups while total cholesterol was lower only in the red wine group. “A rise in HDL cholesterol is the main indication of a protective effect against CVD. Therefore, we can conclude that neither red or white wine had any impact on the participants as a whole,” professor Taborsky noted.

The only positive and continuous result was in the sub-group of patients who performed regular exercise at least twice a week plus the wine consumption, he stressed. In this group, HDL cholesterol increased and LDL and total cholesterol decreased both in the red and white wine groups.

“Combination of moderate wine drinking plus regular exercise improves markers of atherosclerosis, suggesting that this combination is protective against cardio-vascular disease,” professor Taborsky concluded.

Source: business standard


Research reveals how Ebola virus blocks immune system

The Ebola virus, in the midst of its biggest outbreak on record, is a master at evading the body’s immune system. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have learned one way the virus dodges the body’s antiviral defenses, providing important insight that could lead to new therapies.

Research reveals how Ebola virus blocks immune system

The virus has infected about 1,800 people since March in four West African nations and killed more than half of them, according to the World Health Organization.

The researchers developed a detailed map of how an Ebola protein, VP24, binds to a host protein that takes signaling molecules in and out of the cell nucleus. Their map revealed that the viral protein takes away the host protein’s ability to carry an important immune signal into the nucleus.

This signal helps activate the immune system’s antiviral defenses, and blocking it is believed to contribute significantly to the virus’s deadliness.

“We’ve known for a long time that infection with Ebola obstructs an important arm in our immune system that is activated by molecules called interferons,” said senior author Gaya Amarasinghe, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology at the School of Medicine. “Now that our map of the combined structure of these two proteins has revealed one critical way Ebola does this, the information it provides will guide the development of new treatments.”

The results appear Aug. 13 in Cell Host & Microbe.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant of up to $15 million, awarded March 1, is helping Amarasinghe and other researchers look for drugs to block VP24 and another Ebola protein, VP35. The group includes researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Washington University, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Howard University and Microbiotix Inc., a Massachussetts biopharmaceutical company.

Co-author Christopher Basler, PhD, professor of microbiology at Mount Sinai and the principal investigator of the consortium, was the first to show that VP24 and VP35 were important to the virus’s ability to keep the immune system at bay.

In an earlier paper, Amarasinghe, Basler and others revealed that VP35 blocks production of interferon, one of the main regulators of the innate immune system. This branch of the immune system specializes in fighting viruses.

“Interferon is critical to our ability to defend ourselves against viruses,” Basler said. “It makes a variety of responses to viral infection possible, including the self-destruction of infected cells and the blockage of supplies necessary for viral reproduction.”

In the new study, Amarasinghe and Daisy Leung, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University, showed that VP24 tightly binds to a nuclear transporter, a protein that takes molecules into and out of the cell nucleus. Among the molecules these transporters take into the nucleus is STAT1, an important component of the interferon signaling pathway.

“Normally STAT1 is transported into the nucleus and activates the genes for hundreds of proteins involved in antiviral responses,” Leung said. “But when VP24 is attached to some of these transporters, STAT1 can’t get into the nucleus.”

The researchers found that VP24’s action specifically prevents STAT1 transport. Other proteins that travel in and out of the cell nucleus and are important to viral replication likely are unaffected. The scientists already have initiated efforts to look for small molecules that block VP35 and now are applying those same approaches to VP24.

Source: washington university


Nigeria to get Japanese drug for Ebola treatment

Nigeria will soon get a Japanese drug to treat Ebola, the country’s Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said on Monday. The drug named Favipiravir and developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings in Japan, could be delivered any time soon in Nigeria, Xinhua quoted Chukwu as telling reporters here.

Nigeria to get Japanese drug for Ebola treatment

Apart from the Japanese drug, the west African country had also applied for another anti-Ebola drug alongside two other vaccines, which have been positively identified by the local Treatment Research Group (TRG) in Nigeria.

“The TRG has been working hard to identify experimental drugs like Zmapp, and also make recommendations to government on further research on these drugs as well as vaccines for EVD treatment and prevention,” Chukwu said. The Nigerian minister said the drug was considered as it has strong anti-viral property against Ebola virus in-vitro and in-vivo.
“These and the fact that it is considered safe, having passed through phases one and two clinical trails makes it good candidate drug for use in emergency situation as the EVD,” he added.

Elaborating on the Ebola spread, Chukwu said total number of cases in Nigeria stands at 16, while 13 people have been treated at the isolation ward in the southwestern state of Lagos. So far, seven people have been discharged from the isolation facility.

He noted six people had died of Ebola so far in Africa’s most populous country, with five fatalities in Lagos and only one fatality recorded in the oil-rich city of Port Harcourt. More than 1,500 people have so far died of Ebola since the latest outbreak in West African countries began in March.

Source: one india


Healthy breakfast for losing weight

Eat melon for breakfast to lose weight!!!

In the eternal struggle against excess pounds we have a new ally! Take advantage of melon season and add this fruit in your morning ritual. But it’s important that melon to be completely ripe, soft and juicy, instead than hard and dry

Healthy breakfast for losing weight.

Here’s why this summer fruit will help you lose weight if you eat breakfast. It contains few calories. A medium-sized melon contains 275 calories. Thus, for breakfast you can eat without fear even 2 melons!

Calorific value of a melon is even as if you ate 2 boiled eggs and 2 slices of whole grain cereals toast. But this fruit will give you 3 more grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of fat.

Healthy breakfast for losing weight.3

Very nutritious.

Apart from just 275 calories that you will consume, that will satisfy 34% of the daily requirement of the body for omega 3 fatty acids. Melon contains protein – about 7 grams, the equivalent of an egg, but advantage of that is that you wont intake any cholesterol. It will provide even more than double of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, and will satisfy the daily need for vitamin C.

Melon is excellent source of copper, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, zinc and vitamins of group B. It will keep you satiated for a long time. 1 melon contains about 7.3 grams of fiber, which is a quarter of the recommended daily intake. But dietary fiber is not the only thing that will satiate you.

The human body is designed to ask for food until they meet the body’s need for essential nutrients. So, with consumption 1 melon you will easily satisfy that need.

Healthy breakfast for losing weight.2

Accelerates the digestion of food.

Melon disintegrates in your body in 15 to 30 min. To accelerate digestion and prevent constipation, eat a melon on an empty stomach along with some other fruit that slowly dissolves.

Excellent choice are nuts that require a period of up to 4 hours to decompose.

Perhaps you think that melon can cause bloating and gas occurrence, but that only happens if eaten in combination with the wrong foods. To check whether melon fits for your digestive system, eat it on an empty stomach without consuming anything with it.

source: secretly healthy


Foods That Heal

Foods That Heal

It’s always exciting to learn multiple uses for products that you eat or have lying around the house. I have a firm belief in healing yourself with food. That’s not to say that you should avoid going to the doctor or taking real medicine, but food has some incredible healing powers that you’d never realize. You can head straight to your pantry to be able to boost your energy, get better sleep, get glowing skin or even fight allergies.

Let’s check out some ways to eat your medicine and the benefits you’ll receive from doing so:

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

WHAT IT HEALS: Ease achy muscles

Because Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is rich in the component called oleocanthal – that helps speed muscle repair. If you consume 3 1/2 Tbsp of EVOO throughout the day it equals the anti-inflammatory standard of 10% of a dose of ibuprofen. Mix with some steamed vegetables or drizzle on top of a salad to get your daily dose.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Cheese and Crackers

WHAT IT HEALS: Boosts afternoon energy

Crackers are chalk-full of energizing vitamins like B6 and B12 (but you’ll want crackers that list 100% whole grain as the first ingredient). Lowfat cheese contains protein and calcium. The combination of the pair stimulates the production of sertonin in your brain, which is considered a ‘feel-good chemical.’ This will give you energy to power through the afternoon and perk you up. Don’t snack on too many though – 1 oz. of lowfat cheese and 8 crackers will do.

Cheese and Crackers

Watermelon

WHAT IT HEALS: Headache & relieves anxiety

Since watermelon is a water-rich fruit, it transports key nutrients to the brain and keeps you hydrated. Even slight dehydration can result in more frequent and severe headaches. The small amount of sugar in the fruit will fuel brain cells to increase alertness. Another purpose for watermelon is to help relieve anxiety – snack on some cubes or slices first thing in the AM to start your day stress-free. You can even add some to a glass of water or blend it into it’s own beverage.

watermelon

Chamomile Tea

WHAT IT HEALS: Reduces bloating & natural stress reliever

Chamomile tea helps to relax the muscles around your GI tract. The water contained in the tea will improve digestion to shrink your bloated belly. To get the ultimate use from the tea, select pure chamomile tea and avoid blends. Another bonus to drinking hot tea is that it’s a natural stress reliever. Because people retain more salt and water when stressed (which adds to bloating), sipping on this hot beverage helps combat both problems.

chamomile_tea

Oranges, Strawberries, Broccoli, Kale, Red Bell Peppers

WHAT IT HEALS: Skin

We all know the saying ‘you are what you eat,’ and the same goes for how your skin can be affected by the foods you put into your body. What you eat can really affect how you look – but foods high in Vitamin C like oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kale and red bell peppers will help product collagen in your body. Collagen is a protein that keeps your skin elastic and young-looking.

Oranges, Strawberries,

Turmeric

WHAT IT HEALS: Anti-inflammatory, arthritis pain, digestion, helps prevent cancer

Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties in curcumin – which is the antioxidant that gives the spice it’s color. It helps ease arthritis pain and swelling, enhance immunity, improve digestion, and help prevent cancer. It also may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s. Turmeric can be added to any dish – try 1/2 tsp in vegetable soup or stir-fry or rice.

Turmeric

Parsley

WHAT IT HEALS: Fights allergies

Parsley contains an antioxidant called quercetin which helps reduce the release of histamines – meaning it can help prevent your allergies from flaring-up. Fewer histamines = fewer symptoms. You can mix parsley into salads or mix with olive oil and lemon and use it as a chicken topping. You can attempt to eat it alone as I do, but it’s difficult to stomach for some – however, doing so will also help keep your skin clear.

Parsley

Pineapple

WHAT IT HEALS: Heals bruises

Pineapple contains bromelain – which is a compound that calms the skin inflammation that happens when you get bruised. Eat a cup and a half of this tropical fruit in chunks throughout the day and drink water to speed healing.

Gaspacho

WHAT IT HEALS: Rid yourself of a cold & strengthen immune system

Not only does Gazpacho boost your intake of vitamins and help strengthen your immune system, the chilled soup blend also has antiviral properties. Since it’s a blend of tomatoes and vegetables, onions and garlic, they will attack any germs that cause sickness.

Cherry Juice

WHAT IT HEALS: Fall asleep faster

Cherry juice isn’t exactly going to knock you out like a good dose of NyQuil will, but tart cherries contain melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep-promoting compound that you can find in vitamin form, but rarely in foods. The only other food sources you can find it in is walnuts and bananas. If you drink cherry juice daily you will have better quality sleep. It’ll help you fall asleep easier and you can drink it any time of the day or add 6 oz to a smoothie of your choice.

Source: lifestyle and clothing


Five powerful health benefits of eating pomegranate!

Years ago pomegranates were considered exotic. Like Mandarin oranges they were precious imports brought over on ships for a once-a-year treat at Christmas. But in recent years, as you might have noticed, the pomegranate has been designated a “superfood” (foods with the highest nutritional values). And it truly is super with its high dietary fibre and folate, vitamin C and vitamin K. Since ancient times, the fabulous fleshy seeds were used for fertility, but it turns out they do so much more.

Five powerful health benefits of eating pomegranate!

Five reasons the pomegranate is a superfood:

1. You can reduce joint pain and inflammation with pomegranates. At the source of any joint pain is always a cascade of enzyme reactions that lead to the body triggering inflammation and ultimately pain. Pomegranates have been shown to halt the enzyme reactions before the inflammation is able to occur and reduce pain as a result.

2. Pomegranates have been used to treat malaria. In ancient Indian culture, this was the only remedy that was available for the treatment of malaria because of its powerful anti-parasitic properties. Remember to stock up on pomegranates before your next tropical destination vacation to ward off those pesky parasites.

3. Pomegranates are anti-viral. Protect yourself during those winter months by stocking up on pomegranates. The anti-viral component of these fruits is so powerful that it’s been studied as an alternative treatment of HIV, with promising results.

4. Pomegranate plant flowers can be used to lower cholesterol. Pomegranate flowers contain an oil called oleanolic acid that improves the metabolism of free triglycerides found in the blood. These triglycerides are what lead to the collection of LDL cholesterol and blockage of arterial walls leading to atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the artery walls) increasing your susceptibility to heart disease.

5. Pomegranates protect your cardiovascular system. For plaque to begin to form on your arteries, there first must be damage to the arterial walls caused by free-radicals. Pomegranates contain powerful antioxidants that eat up these free radicals and target the lining of your blood vessels and prevent them from damage. The ultimate prevention food!

Source; chatelaine


Fat kids are more likely to have high BP

Fat children are at a greater risk of hyper-tension (high blood pressure) — generally assumed to be an adult condition that causes health problems, such as heart diseases.

Fat kids are more likely to have high BP

“We found that obese boys had a nearly six-fold increased risk of hyper-tension compared to normal weighing boys. In obese girls the risk was more than four times greater than their normal weight counterparts,” said professor Peter Schwandt from the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich in Germany.

The study included 22,051 children and adolescents from the PEP (Prevention Education Programme) Family Heart Study, a community-based observational study which was performed from 1994 to 2008 in Nuremberg, Germany.

In each participant, the researchers measured blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), skinfold thickness (SFT) and percent body fat (%BF).

The prevalence of elevated blood pressure increased in boys and girls as body weight went up.

The researchers also found increased risk of hyper-tension with elevated SFT, %BF measurements and abdominal adiposity.

The study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2014 in Barcelona.

Source: zee news


Experimental heart failure drug shows promise, study says

A new study reports one of the biggest potential advances against heart failure in more than a decade — a first-of-a-kind, experimental drug that lowered the chances of death or hospitalization by about 20 percent.

Experimental heart failure drug shows promise, study says

Doctors say the Novartis drug — which doesn’t have a name yet — seems like one of those rare, breakthrough therapies that could quickly change care for more than half of the 6 million Americans and 24 million people worldwide with heart failure.

“This is a new day” for patients, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiology chief at Northwestern University in Chicago and a former American Heart Association president.

“It’s been at least a decade since we’ve had a breakthrough of this magnitude,” said Yancy, who had no role in the study.

It involved nearly 8,500 people in 47 countries and was the largest experiment ever done in heart failure. It was paid for, designed and partly run by Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland. Independent monitors stopped the study in April, seven months earlier than planned, when it was clear the drug was better than an older one that is standard now.

During the 27-month study, the Novartis drug cut the chances of dying of heart-related causes by 20 percent and for any reason by 16 percent, compared to the older drug. It also reduced the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure by 21 percent.

“We are really excited,” said one study leader, Dr. Milton Packer of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The benefit “exceeded our original expectations.”

Results were disclosed Saturday at a European Society of Cardiology conference in Barcelona and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Novartis will seek approval for the drug — for now called LCZ696 — by the end of this year in the United States and early next year in Europe

Heart failure is the top reason older people are hospitalized, and a leading cause of death. It develops when the heart muscle weakens over time and can no longer pump effectively, often because of damage from a heart attack. Fluid can back up into the lungs and leave people gasping for breath.

The people in this study were already taking three to five medicines to control the condition. One medicine often used is an ACE inhibitor, and the study tested one of these — enalapril, sold as Vasotec and in generic form — against the Novartis drug.

The new drug is a twice-a-day pill combination of two medicines that block the effects of substances that harm the heart while also preserving ones that help protect it. One of the medicines also dilates blood vessels and allows the heart to pump more effectively.

In the study, 26.5 percent on the older drug, enalapril, died of heart-related causes or were hospitalized for heart failure versus less than 22 percent of those on the Novartis drug. Quality of life also was better with the experimental drug.

“We now have a way of stabilizing and managing their disease which is better than what we could offer them before,” Packer said.

The new drug also seemed safe — reassuring because safety concerns doomed a couple of other promising-looking treatments over the last decade. There were more cases of too-low blood pressure and non-serious swelling beneath the skin with the Novartis drug, but more kidney problems, excess potassium in the blood and cough with the older drug. More people on the older treatment dropped out of the study than those on the new one.

About 32 people would need to be treated with the new drug to prevent one death from heart-related causes.

“That’s a favorable number,” said Dr. Joseph G. Rogers, a Duke University cardiologist with no role in the study. He said the benefits were big enough that “I would switch people over” as soon as the drug is available.

The drug “may well represent a new threshold of hope” for patients, Dr. Mariell Jessup, heart failure chief at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote in a commentary in the journal. It may help “a wide spectrum of patients, even those who are currently receiving the best possible therapy.”

Source: fox news


Consuming fruits regularly almost halves heart disease risk

A new study has suggested that eating fruits on a daily basis minimizes the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) up to 40 percent. The study presented at ESC Congress observed that that the more fruit people ate, the more their risk of CVD declined.

Consuming fruits regularly almost halves heart disease risk

Dr Du said that CVD, including ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke, was the leading cause of death worldwide and improving diet and lifestyle was critical for CVD risk reduction in the general population but the large majority of this evidence had come from western countries and hardly any from China.

She added that China had a different pattern of CVD, with stroke as the main cause compared to western countries where IHD is more prevalent. Previous studies had combined ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke probably due to the limited number of stroke cases in their datasets and given their different physiology and risk factors, they had conducted the first large prospective study on the association of fruit with subtypes of stroke in Chinese adults from both rural and urban areas.

The researchers found out that compared to people who never ate fruit, those who ate fruit daily cut their CVD risks by 25-40percent and there was a dose response relationship between the frequency of fruit consumption and the risk of CVD.

The researchers concluded that their results demonstrated that the benefit of eating fruit in the healthy general population and in patients with CVD and hypertension and fruit consumption was an effective way to cut CVD risk and should not only be regarded as might be useful


Five surprising health benefits of cauliflower

It’s a well-known fact that the more colorful a vegetable is, the more healthy it’s likely to be. After all, color indicates the presence of carotenoids, which are the antioxidants that give most vegetables their greatest benefits. Consequently, many of us assume that bland-looking vegetables, such as regular white cauliflower, are lacking in the health department.

Five surprising health benefits of cauliflower


Sadly, it is true that cauliflower lacks certain nutrients, such as chlorophyll, that are present in most other vegetables because their leaves shield them from the sun during growth. Despite this drawback, there is still a lot to love about cauliflowers. In fact, when cooked properly (e.g., boiled, steamed or sauteed), cauliflower contains higher concentrations of certain essential nutrients than many other whole foods.

Five health benefits of cauliflower

Rich in cancer-fighting phytochemicals — Cauliflower contains large quantities of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which are two phytochemicals with proven cancer-fighting properties. Sulfurophane is a sulfur compound which, according to a study published in Carcinogenesis in December 2008, can decrease the rate of chemically-induced mammary tumors in animals. I3C has also been shown to prevent cancer by increasing the body’s production of enzymes that flush carcinogens and toxins out of the body before they can harm cells. I3C also contains anti-tumor agents and is a proven anti-inflammatory that could help treat painful conditions, such as arthritis, sprains and period pains.

Boosts kidney and cardiovascular health — A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension in February 2012 discovered that sulforaphane could also normalize kidney function and significantly reduce blood pressure. The researchers attributed this benefit to sulfuraphane’s ability to improve DNA methylation, which is needed to maintain gene expression and cellular function. Given the scope of this benefit, eating more sulforaphane-rich foods, such as cauliflower, might contain many other health benefits not yet proven by science.

Digestive support — One cup of boiled cauliflower contains 12% of our recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber, which sweeps our digestive system of accumulated waste. It is also rich in the natural compound glucoraphanin, which appears to be found exclusively in broccoli and cauliflower. Glucoraphanin is actually the precursor to the aforementioned sulforaphane and contains numerous digestive benefits. In fact, a 2009 study featured in Cancer Prevention Research showed that glucoraphanin-sourced sulforaphane had a protective effect on the stomach lining and is especially effective at guarding us from the destructive bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can increase our risk of stomach ulcers and cancer.

A good source of vitamin C — One cup of boiled cauliflower also contains almost 100% of our RDA of the West’s favorite nutrient: vitamin C. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods website, this amount is more vitamin C per weight than most other fruits and vegetables, including certain leafy green vegetables. (4) An essential antioxidant, vitamin C, helps protect us from the cell-destroying effects of free radicals, while also helps us to produce collagen and manufacture certain neurotransmitters. Without it, we would literally fall apart.

High in brain-boosting choline — Like broccoli, cauliflower is a fantastic natural source of the B vitamin choline. Choline is a precursor to the important neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and an increased choline intake is regularly linked to improved cognitive function, particularly among fetuses. For example, a 2010 study published in NIH Research Matters showed that the fetuses of pregnant women who suffered from a choline deficiency experienced reduced blood vessel growth in the brain. (5) Another study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that pregnant rats fed choline supplements gave birth to pups that enjoyed lifelong memory enhancements

Source: natural news