Five powerful health benefits of eating pomegranate!

September 2, 2014

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 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

Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert

August 5, 2014

There has been a rise in the number of young Indians diagnosed with knee arthritis and other problems of joints and ligaments, a health expert said.

“Arthritis or the damage that sets up in our body joints is considered a problem associated with ageing. Loss of cartilage, depleting calcium, wear and tear of the ligaments, or excessive weight have contributed to the onset of arthritis.

“However, we are now seeing a rise in the number of younger patients with osteoarthritis, Rajeev.K. Sharma, senior consultant and orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon at Apollo Hospital, said here in a press conference on the occasion of the “National Bone and Joint Day” Monday.

Sharma highlighted on the need to create awareness among young people and having a healthy lifestyle.

“Obesity, lack of exercise, injury in bones or muscles, hereditary defects in alignment of legs, faulty lifestyle and absence of physical activity lead to early degeneration of muscles and cartilage around the joints,” he added.

According to experts, though the number of young patients with arthritis might be barely 10 percent, it is important to encourage youngsters to walk, cycle and perform regular exercise.

Source: yahoo news

Want gorgeous glow on skin? Eat and apply the right vitamins

June 5, 2014June 5, 2014

Are you eating all the right veggies and fruits but your face still lacks the luminescent glow? Believe it or not the skin care regime is missing some essential vitamins.

The aging signs can be reversed by the help of nutrients. Even if a balanced diet holds the key to a gorgeous skin , according to Mary Lupo, MD, clinical professor of dermatology, “the body delivers only a certain percentage of vitamins to your skin, no matter how much you ingest.” The diet does keep the skin superfine but it may not do the needful for the blemishes, under eye skin and facial marks. This means that we have to topically apply the vitamins in the skin to make it glow and look better.

Vitamin A- the age fighter

This is an important part of the night creams and OTC lotions. They contribute greatly to the removal of blemishes like brown spots and reduction of the wrinkles; they also help in smoothening the rough skin. They help in reducing age lines and thus make the person look younger. Make sure that you apply the cream at night as the sunlight works negatively on the vitamin and neutralize its action. The creams with retinoids may cause irritation and redness so apply in very little quantities, every alternate day in the beginning.

Vitamin B3 to reduce redness

The skin is protected by an outer barrier made up of fatty acids and ceramides. This helps the skin retain moisture and ward off substances that cause skin irritations. So if the skin is sensitive and prone to dryness then use Vitamin B3 creams for reducing skin redness and keeping the skin hydrated. It also helps in minimizing the dark spots if used in morning and night. Mixing a retinoid cream with niacinamide or Vitamin B3 provides great anti aging benefits.

Vitamin C- the all around vitamin that keeps age at bay

Skin care benefit is maximum from the creams that show a concentration of more than 5% of vitamin C and are stored in air tight containers. Vitamin C helps ward off the sagging skin by making it firm and also helps in treating brown spots. Discolorations and fine lines lighten up tremendously with the regular use of Vitamin C.

Moisturize the skin with Vitamin E

Generally all after sun products and the sunscreens contain this Vitamin and help the skin retain the hydration and also quell dryness. It helps neutralize the harmful and damaging free radicals keeping it less dry and inflamed. It’s best used before heading out to the sun and also after sun exposure. Vitamin E in the skin is destroyed by UV light or sun exposure so just pick the right cream and slather it on generously.

Vitamin K for brighter eyes

Brighten the under eye skin with creams containing Vitamin K. The capillaries below the eyes are very fragile and the blood in them sometimes leaks into the skin causing the dark eyes. The Vitamin helps in lighten the under eye skin by lightening the melanin. Generally the Vitamin K is complemented by the retinol, says Dr. Baumann, “the retinol may enhance K’s ability to penetrate skin and knock out darkness.”

Remember now it’s not only the greens that you gorge on, concentrate on the Vitamin applications for that extra glow.

Source: the med guru

Environmental toxins could make you look older than your years

May 29, 2014

Researchers have said that the amount of exposure to harmful substances, such as benzene and cigarette smoke, in the environment is the reason behind some 75-year-olds being downright spry while others barely being able to get around.

Norman Sharpless from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said the rate of physiologic, or molecular, aging differs between individuals in part because of exposure to ‘gerontogens’, i.e., environmental factors that affect aging.

Sharpless said they believe just as an understanding of carcinogens has informed cancer biology, so will an understanding of gerontogens benefit the study of aging and by identifying and avoiding gerontogens, they will be able to influence aging and life expectancy at a public health level.

In the future, blood tests evaluating biomarkers of molecular age might be used to understand differences amongst individuals in aging rates. Those tests might measure key pathways involved in the process of cellular senescence or chemical modifications to DNA .

From a public health perspective, cigarette smoke is likely the most important gerontogen, Sharpless said. Cigarettes are linked with cancers but also with atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other diseases associated with age.

UV radiation from the sun makes us older too, and Sharpless and his colleagues recently showed that chemotherapy treatment is also a strong gerontogen. With the aid of a mouse model that they developed, his team is prepared to study these gerontogens and others in much greater detail.

The researchers call for a concerted research effort to understand the clinical uses for molecular tests of aging as well as the epidemiology of accelerated aging.

The research has been published in the Cell Press journal Trends.

source: zee news

Reverse signs of ageing with healthy lifestyle

March 26, 2014

Wrinkles, hyper pigmentation and greying hair add decades to your chronological age. Though many cosmetic companies assure you of reversing the signs of early ageing, are they enough to compensate for the wear-and-tear of the cells caused by years of living a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle and exposure to ultraviolet rays and pollutants?

What is premature ageing?
Ageing is a natural phenomenon occurring due to the interplay between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors. The rate of ageing is an actively regulated metabolic process and so is not fixed. Premature ageing refers to the unnatural acceleration of the natural process of ageing. Possession of certain unfavorable genetic variants and/or an unhealthy lifestyle can become the cause of premature ageing, reflecting the importance of your well being both from the inside and the outside.

What are the factors that speed up the process?
Skin health correlates with the genetic makeup and metabolic condition, and is influenced by environmental and lifestyle-related factors like nutrition, exercise, personal habits and stress. Our body cells are exposed to the damage provoked by external and internal stressors including heat, radiation, pollution, genetic variations, excess glucose, oxygen free radicals, and collagen breakdown among others. The rate at which we age is determined by the ability of our body cells to cope with this damage.

What are the lifestyle changes that can help delay the ageing process?
A healthy lifestyle can postpone the visible signs of skin ageing and favorably influence the longevity of the skin. So focus on a balanced diet, drink lots of natural fluids and make sure that your day doesn’t end without an adequate intake of fruits and vegetables. A simple pranayama or yoga for a few minutes can relax your mind, while easy floor exercises and brisk walking can contribute to your fitness level. Indeed, the inside of the body must always be made to work in tandem with the outside of the body.

How does one understand that the body is ageing faster compared to the chronological age?
Skin changes are amongst the most visible signs of ageing. Skin ageing is evidenced by wrinkles, age spots, dryness and sagging. Ageing skin appears thinner, less plump, more pale, and translucent; and it repairs itself more slowly than younger skin. Overt signs of premature ageing as noticed by one’s self, or by comments on our appearance from others, tell a lot about our ageing tendency. But a genetic assessment on age-regulating genes can provide strong insights on ageing rate.

What is the role of gender in the ageing process? Do women age faster than men?
Dermis (the skin layer lodging skin-firmness protein, collagen) in men is much thicker than in women, hence men have a higher collagen density. As collagen relates to skin ageing signs, assumedly a woman’s skin appears about 15 years older than a man of the same age. Men seldom use sunscreens; hence UV damage negates the benefits of slowed intrinsic ageing in men, shadowing the noticeable difference.

How can understanding genetics help age better?
You are unique, so is your skin. Though the human genome sequence is 99.6% identical in all people, a small genetic change, or variation, that occurs within a person`s DNA sequence can have an impact on his/her health. Genetic assessment will give you a clear picture of your genetic information in relation to your health condition and ageing pattern. The skin might exhibit similar signs of ageing from the outside, but from the inside its genetic and metabolic regulations stand unique. Managing genetic risks for premature ageing by appropriate lifestyle changes can help us age better.

Source: Zee news