MY HEALTH CENTRE

Jam, yoghurt help fight cancer

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTrbx568LVP-KHknRh8HSxyCH1W5nIsLzXyfMptFjTf88huZPZFJ_TU4wSrRC3FnQ0ECqNubdTJYX3tVUVnWFxxq8vdtv-hjbnRhinIE9x1cQ8Xv4J2S1Nz81KNZolqgYab-ZLerb_UE-/s1600-h/jam.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268143349648373586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTrbx568LVP-KHknRh8HSxyCH1W5nIsLzXyfMptFjTf88huZPZFJ_TU4wSrRC3FnQ0ECqNubdTJYX3tVUVnWFxxq8vdtv-hjbnRhinIE9x1cQ8Xv4J2S1Nz81KNZolqgYab-ZLerb_UE-/s200/jam.bmp" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px; height: 200px;" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4LsI3YCj9k0Zfm6pEz6H8KwlzD48lE2JUfzIIJ5R2peS4ekTdHErslXZQiQS35WJrFbuPONJhVKUprf_uqFnfnSnwHOsAnB-Fpd-_tlaODfj5FhS2QqTpa3rxpnmd_lIcJikaOH8bjk7/s1600-h/yoghurt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268141346308738898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4LsI3YCj9k0Zfm6pEz6H8KwlzD48lE2JUfzIIJ5R2peS4ekTdHErslXZQiQS35WJrFbuPONJhVKUprf_uqFnfnSnwHOsAnB-Fpd-_tlaODfj5FhS2QqTpa3rxpnmd_lIcJikaOH8bjk7/s320/yoghurt.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a> Regular intake of Yoghurt and jam help fight cancer, experts have said. In two separate studies, scientists declared that intake of yoghurt twice a day reduce bladder cancer risk by 45 per cent in women and 36 per cent in men just as jam prevents prostate cancer. The study, by Dr Susanna Larsson and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden followed 80,000 patients to see whether there were any links between their consumption of cultured milk and other dairy foods. Food intake was recorded using a food frequency questionnaire, which was completed in 1997 at the beginning of the study. According to the findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, those who ate two servings a day were significantly less likely to go on to have the disease than those who ate yogurt only occasionally or not at all. Intake of cheese or milk was not significantly related to risk of bladder cancer. When they analysed the results separately for smokers and non-smokers, they found that the protective effect of cultured milk products on bladder cancer was only significant in non-smokers. The scientists said before now cultured milk products, such as yogurt, contain lactic acid bacteria, have been shown to suppress bladder cancer in rats and as such “Our research suggests a high intake (of yogurt in humans) may reduce the risk.” Though the study suggested that yoghurt may have a role to play in the development of bladder cancer, it is not yet clear which component of yoghurt might be responsible, or if the effect is due to other related dietary or environmental components, which may themselves be linked to yoghurt eating. <a href="http://myhealthcentre.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-nutmeg-guinea-pepper-can-prevent.html"> NEXT PAGE</a>

Jam, yoghurt help fight cancer

Regular intake of Yoghurt and jam help fight cancer, experts have said. In two separate studies, scientists declared that intake of yog...

DANGERS OF SEA FOOD DURING PREGNANCY

Daramola Tosin 0 3:03:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxQpAkdiUCXh3n7SKp-SEmQG9fVcA60dwW0Nw8-eJMl_plzYZPSr2QLZ_0T4nKCEbMsJs82-rnrTQkktDx63o_wCsnmOsRyOUrmP-A9JBNtPpj0VV4mw7J34tNst79wU3xvFIwpbeF1rP/s1600-h/sea+foods.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262655507212001954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxQpAkdiUCXh3n7SKp-SEmQG9fVcA60dwW0Nw8-eJMl_plzYZPSr2QLZ_0T4nKCEbMsJs82-rnrTQkktDx63o_wCsnmOsRyOUrmP-A9JBNtPpj0VV4mw7J34tNst79wU3xvFIwpbeF1rP/s320/sea+foods.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" /></a> For years, pregnant and nursing women have been warned to limit the amount of fish they eat, because many marine species may contain high levels of mercury, which endangers newborns and fetuses. Yesterday, however, a children’s health group challenged the conventional wisdom, advising pregnant women and nursing mothers to eat more fish so as to ensure optimal brain development in their babies. Fearing mercury contamination, many pregnant women avoid seafood altogether. That may actually harm newborns, according to some scientists. (John McConnico for The New York Times)What’s going on here? Currently, the Food and Drug Administration advises pregnant women to limit their weekly seafood consumption to no more than 12 ounces, or about two servings, per week. The newest recommendation comes from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, a nonprofit group that focuses on childhood health issues. That group’s scientific advisors say that pregnant women and nursing mothers should eat at least 12 ounces of fish per week. Although both recommendations acknowledge that pregnant women can safely eat about two servings a week, fears of mercury contamination in seafood have prompted many pregnant women to forgo fish entirely. And here’s the conundrum: an increasing number of studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in fish, are essential to brain development in fetuses and newborns. Earlier this year, a report in The Lancet, a medical journal, concluded that women who had eaten more than 12 ounces of fish per week during pregnancy produced better developed, more intelligent children. “Advice that limits seafood consumption might reduce the intake of nutrients necessary for optimum neurological development,” wrote scientists from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago. “The real problem here are the women who are just eliminating fish from their diet,” said Judy Meehan, executive director of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. “Eating 12 ounces is a very safe, smart move, and nobody is disputing that.” While none of the research cited yesterday in the coalition’s recommendations has been funded by the fish industry, the coalition is using a grant from the National Fisheries Institute, a seafood industry group, to fund its educational campaign, according to Ms. Meehan. For women who want the health benefits but worry about mercury and other toxins, the wisest course is to choose fish with the lowest levels of mercury. A recent report in The Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that the health benefits are likely greatest from such oily fish as salmon, herring and sardines — which are all generally low in mercury anyway. Among the fish to avoid are shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish, all of which may contain high levels of mercury.

DANGERS OF SEA FOOD DURING PREGNANCY

For years, pregnant and nursing women have been warned to limit the amount of fish they eat, because many marine species may contain high le...

Jam, yoghurt help fight cancer (continuation)

Daramola Tosin 0 2:46:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrnBEb9zPmgtC6fYUFT-EEW0KNjwCxYYLKsLenO92K-eMGyC4Vr8scl9ACDiTW-DZNXn8u6-_t_HOp0wCPw71IkFu0r4uzOE3q7DjWKcgksmt2MPfA210fs-z00kWVPYltuJdAvaqJmhw/s1600-h/yoghurt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276371257167072402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrnBEb9zPmgtC6fYUFT-EEW0KNjwCxYYLKsLenO92K-eMGyC4Vr8scl9ACDiTW-DZNXn8u6-_t_HOp0wCPw71IkFu0r4uzOE3q7DjWKcgksmt2MPfA210fs-z00kWVPYltuJdAvaqJmhw/s320/yoghurt.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 320px;" /></a> continuation A new weapon against cancer could be found in a jar of jam due to a basic ingredient it contains according to researchers in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal. The research, led by Professor Vic Morris from the Institute of Food Research said, that under the right condition, jam releases a modified pectin fragment with anti-cancer properties. Pectin is a natural gelling agent made from the peel of citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. Professor Morris, however explained: “I expect you would get some protection from jam, but it’s packed full of sugar. It might be better to get the same protection from fruit and vegetables which would give you other anti-cancer magic bullets as well.” Experts began to see pectin as a potential weapon in the fight against cancer last year when a study revealed that it might help slow the progress of prostate cancer. That study, published by a team from the University of Georgia in the journal Glycobiology, found that exposing prostate cancer cells to pectin under laboratory conditions reduced the number of cells by up to 40 per cent. Cancer is a complex disease with many risk factors. There are a number of questions that remain unanswered about the effects of pectin. Firstly, whether or not pectin has any effect on cancer in humans and, secondly, what the best dietary sources of the right kinds of pectin are. A team from the university’s cancer centre found that the cells literally “self-destructed” in a process known as apoptosis. Pectin even killed cells that were not sensitive to hormone therapy. Nutritionists already hail jam as an ideal snack to replace lost energy after a workout. The fast-releasing sugars help to get glycogen back into muscles quickly and efficiently.

Jam, yoghurt help fight cancer (continuation)

continuation A new weapon against cancer could be found in a jar of jam due to a basic ingredient it contains according to researchers in th...

Broccoli 'could help fight cancer'

Daramola Tosin 0 2:01:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvffcZ-FjWEkGmkjujH7keVD_8p-Fhd_U4MdR4U4Nvyoz76YYtC03eSRAcHo58Ho8SzXdR9MJU5Ti565tuoRPHY3Lq6n77Acbvl2jO-yxK4Q457hqBZ9RYd04KFjMYvF2YtqnkMw_JjCX/s1600-h/broccoli.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264555179000296050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvffcZ-FjWEkGmkjujH7keVD_8p-Fhd_U4MdR4U4Nvyoz76YYtC03eSRAcHo58Ho8SzXdR9MJU5Ti565tuoRPHY3Lq6n77Acbvl2jO-yxK4Q457hqBZ9RYd04KFjMYvF2YtqnkMw_JjCX/s320/broccoli.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 267px;" /></a> Broccoli may combat prostate cancer by altering the activity levels of genes involved in tumour growth, a ground-breaking study has shown. Scientists made the discovery after adding either peas or broccoli to the normal diets of two groups of men for a year. During the study tissue samples were removed from the men's prostate glands and analysed using "gene chip" technology to gauge the activity of thousands of genes. The results showed that a broccoli-rich diet produced changes in gene activity, or expression, that were likely to prevent or hinder cancer growth and inflammation in the prostate. In particular, biological signalling pathways involving two growth factors, TGF beta 1 and EGF, as well as the hormone insulin, were altered. Growth factors are proteins that typically stimulate cell division or development, and often play a role in cancer. TGF beta 1, EGF and insulin signalling have all been implicated in prostate and other cancers. Messenger RNA - the molecule that carries genetic instructions to protein-making machinery in the cell - was also affected by eating broccoli, the scientists found. The implications of this are still being investigated. Before the study it was already known that eating as little as one portion of broccoli every week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and lessen the chances of confined cancer becoming more aggressive. However scientists have been unable to explain with any certainty how the process works. Animal and laboratory experiments have suggested possible mechanisms but involved doses of broccoli extract far in excess of what would be consumed in real life. The new study is said to be the first in which gene expression in a target tissue has been studied after a dietary intervention. Professor Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, who led the British and Italian team, said: "This is the first study providing experimental evidence obtained in humans that diets rich in cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of prostate cancer."

Broccoli 'could help fight cancer'

Broccoli may combat prostate cancer by altering the activity levels of genes involved in tumour growth, a ground-breaking study has shown. ...

Fish oil supplements ensure good school performance

Daramola Tosin 0 1:46:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAytcfmAu_KorYThEi87jzS8vK-YHxMWrIkRQwCgQIshQJk-sB0reZ5pJBeV7rR4oWn4s5A161J-nU2J8ckNygLXrxF6au-78GYuqrxZA-8vAF9nLORoDPMcjsV2ed_kKcUwDCuoOy3Ox/s1600-h/benefit-of-fish-oil.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265683589602080706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAytcfmAu_KorYThEi87jzS8vK-YHxMWrIkRQwCgQIshQJk-sB0reZ5pJBeV7rR4oWn4s5A161J-nU2J8ckNygLXrxF6au-78GYuqrxZA-8vAF9nLORoDPMcjsV2ed_kKcUwDCuoOy3Ox/s320/benefit-of-fish-oil.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" /></a> The Durham County Council has claimed that daily doses of fish oil supplements can help children improve their exam grades considerably. The research team found that pupils who took Omega-3 capsules in the year before their GCSE exams had better results than those who did not. The children that continued taking the free supplements got two grades higher in their exams, an average of 17.7 points more, than those who did not take the pills. However, scientists have dismissed the experiment because it did not include a second group of children taking placebo pills. Professor Tom Sanders, head of nutrition at King’s College, London said the trial was not “randomized”, which is essential to avoid changes, which occur, by play of chance. “No conclusions can be made about the benefits or otherwise. Parents who agree to supplementation of their children may differ with regard to motivate and support their children compared with those that do not,” Telegraph quoted him, as saying. “Making comparisons with a group that did not take supplements introduces selection bias. The conclusions cannot be trusted,” he added.

Fish oil supplements ensure good school performance

The Durham County Council has claimed that daily doses of fish oil supplements can help children improve their exam grades considerably. ...

Antipsychotic Drugs Boost Stroke Risk

Daramola Tosin 0 12:56:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_G42MojUqvHV3Ha_7YOpxs12yURNwTh1t7yYoZpD8mga_hf6JLYF5dJu-J8OfuKNmLsMhFP9tz0t0CAC8XvsQn1MJrLl2kHqYw0_88MPGDb-oj1QcrqVT9VVypJuyk6T0-VWIiBo7q3i/s1600-h/Antipsychotic+Drugs.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265658277967988306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_G42MojUqvHV3Ha_7YOpxs12yURNwTh1t7yYoZpD8mga_hf6JLYF5dJu-J8OfuKNmLsMhFP9tz0t0CAC8XvsQn1MJrLl2kHqYw0_88MPGDb-oj1QcrqVT9VVypJuyk6T0-VWIiBo7q3i/s320/Antipsychotic+Drugs.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" /></a> And patients with dementia face a more than 3-fold danger, study finds. All antipsychotic drugs can increase the risk of stroke, but the risk is greatest among older patients with dementia, British researchers report. Concerns about the risk of stroke and antipsychotics were first raised in 2002, especially in people with dementia. In 2004, Britain's Committee on Safety of Medicines recommended that antipsychotics not be used in people with dementia. And, in 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered manufacturers of atypical antipsychotics to add a black box warning to their products about the increased risk for stroke. "Antipsychotics are effective in treating potentially very distressing psychiatric symptoms, but as with all drugs, their use can be associated with a range of benefits and possible side effects," said study author Dr. Ian Douglas, a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "This study has further clarified the potential for antipsychotics to increase the risk of stroke." Both typical (first generation) and atypical (second generation) antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of stroke, Douglas said. "This risk is substantially higher in patients with dementia than those without. These findings need to be factored into prescribing decisions made by doctors caring for patients with often-distressing and difficult-to-treat psychiatric symptoms." For the study, Douglas and his colleague Liam Smeeth, a professor of clinical epidemiology, collected data on 6,790 patients who had suffered a stroke and were taking antipsychotic drugs. Patients taking antipsychotic drugs were 1.7 times more likely to have a stroke, and patients with dementia taking antipsychotics were 3.5 times more likely to have a stroke. The risk for stroke was slightly higher for people taking the newer atypical antipsychotics, compared with people taking the older typical antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics include drugs such as Abilify, Clozaril and Zyprexa. Typical antipsychotics include Thorazine, Haldol and Clopixol.

Antipsychotic Drugs Boost Stroke Risk

And patients with dementia face a more than 3-fold danger, study finds. All antipsychotic drugs can increase the risk of stroke, but the...

Early Weight Gain Might Mean Higher Blood Pressure Later

Daramola Tosin 0 12:47:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoMbACfa5MvLjFEnz7UC2f9927Q3hECeJvIAkruYxUp5s9idjDIEJjtwtdd3Hv6jUQFz-VAqK8BJzn0KF7o8Rn98NOn2N_fWlZq68x6Yy0jzRZXQoWLPwPz5P5fqG-6inVX60J_J3HT6-/s1600-h/child_obesity.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265660003814532658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoMbACfa5MvLjFEnz7UC2f9927Q3hECeJvIAkruYxUp5s9idjDIEJjtwtdd3Hv6jUQFz-VAqK8BJzn0KF7o8Rn98NOn2N_fWlZq68x6Yy0jzRZXQoWLPwPz5P5fqG-6inVX60J_J3HT6-/s400/child_obesity.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 400px;" /></a> By Ed Edelson Children who gain weight rapidly in the first five months of life and from ages 2 to 5 have higher blood pressure as adults, a new study finds But rapid weight gain that early in life shouldn't be a major cause of worry for parents, said Dr. Yoav Ben-Shlomo, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Bristol in England, and lead author of a report in the October issue of Hypertension. "In absolute terms, the relationship is moderate," Ben-Shlomo said. The difference in the study was about 2.5 points in systolic blood pressure, the higher number in a 120/80 blood pressure reading. Nevertheless, he said, the finding "adds to the scientific literature evidence that conditions not only in the womb but also in early childhood can predispose to various disease, such as diabetes." The information comes from a study done in Wales more than two decades ago to see whether giving pregnant women and children extra milk would help the children grow better. (It didn't have much effect.) As part of the study, children were weighed 10 days after birth, then at six weeks, three months, six months and nine months, and periodically in the following years. Looking at their blood pressure at age 25 or so, the researchers found not only the relationship between early weight gain but also weight at birth — lower-weight newborns tended to have higher adult systolic blood pressure. The finding is of interest "in public health terms, showing that there might be a change in future patterns of disease," Ben-Shlomo said. "In terms of predicting disease on an individual parental level, I wouldn't be too concerned." "My two children grew rapidly, and it doesn't bother me," he said. The results confirm the findings of animal trials, which have shown that rapid early growth of laboratory rats is associated with higher blood pressure later in life, said Barbara T. Alexander, an associate professor of physiology at the University of Mississippi who has done such trials and wrote an accompanying editorial. The meaning of the results in medical terms is uncertain, she said. "Clinicians need to look at these studies and at some point make suggestions about what to do," Alexander said. Both animal and human results indicate that "not only the time during gestation but also the first few months of life are very critical in programming health," she said, adding that, "a lot of this research has not yet been translated into actual applications." "At what point they are going to be translated, I don't know," Alexander said. "But it is something that should be of consideration in future health care."

Early Weight Gain Might Mean Higher Blood Pressure Later

By Ed Edelson Children who gain weight rapidly in the first five months of life and from ages 2 to 5 have higher blood pressure as adults, a...

Vigorous Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk

Daramola Tosin 0 12:10:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAj6tYnJcFJ6DNpLif2tWcDGXgPOESOz6EM8HBbN-JAZ6CnWBfkUXECxExvbVoI0vqQkQUzyuFsEa5PRP_eS6UC6Ol69Cnxt-Ik6EMoarERQT0QkBYWaeT0k4TIZMQWtTavJvqifmIP8H/s1600-h/Breast+Cancer.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265641588782155714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAj6tYnJcFJ6DNpLif2tWcDGXgPOESOz6EM8HBbN-JAZ6CnWBfkUXECxExvbVoI0vqQkQUzyuFsEa5PRP_eS6UC6Ol69Cnxt-Ik6EMoarERQT0QkBYWaeT0k4TIZMQWtTavJvqifmIP8H/s320/Breast+Cancer.gif" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" /></a> Exercise cuts a woman's risk of breast cancer after menopause -- but only vigorous exercise, a National Cancer Institute study shows. Moderate exercise did not cut breast cancer risk. Vigorous exercise did, but only in women who were not overweight. However, it's possible that overweight and obese women found moderate exercise more taxing and misreported it as strenuous exercise. The findings suggest that exercise itself protects against breast cancer, regardless of whether it leads to weight loss, note Michael F. Leitzmann, MD, and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute. The researchers analyzed data on more than 32,000 postmenopausal women collected over 11 years as part of the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project. Women were asked about their exercise habits, and Leitzmann's team rated their exercise as "moderate" or "vigorous." Activities rated as "moderate" were rated "non-vigorous." They included: Light housework Vacuuming Washing clothes Painting Home repairs Lawn mowing General gardening Raking Light sports or exercise Walking Hiking Light jogging Recreational tennis Bowling Golf Bicycling on level ground "We observed no association between non-vigorous activity and breast cancer," Leitzmann and colleagues report. Activities rated as "vigorous" include: Housework such as scrubbing floors or washing windows Heavy yard work Digging in the garden Chopping wood Strenuous sports or exercise Running Fast jogging Competitive tennis Aerobics Bicycling on hills Fast dancing Overall, women who got a lot of vigorous exercise had only a small decrease in breast cancer. But the researchers saw a much stronger effect in women who were neither overweight nor obese. "When we evaluated the relation of vigorous activity to breast cancer among women who were of normal weight ... the risk among women reporting the highest amount of vigorous activity decreased by about 30% compared with women with no vigorous activity," Leitzmann and colleagues found. The study appears in the Oct. 31 online issue of the open-access journal Breast Cancer Research. Leitzmann is now with University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.

Vigorous Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk

Exercise cuts a woman's risk of breast cancer after menopause -- but only vigorous exercise, a National Cancer Institute study shows. Mo...

Eat red pepper, drive away fatigue, stress

Daramola Tosin 0 12:09:00 PM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGyhRS2_A4-atk6rbfVodzh7X5bO2N9JalH1shAwAS7Du2LrbOs27AtJiiOFkPzakGG1NKAZ8GYs5MdbhlyLWhzxs26syMvQ0t8QjiDuWO4izEVNR8_gwxliR3sKqf7MikrsOtPtSQ2H_/s1600-h/Red+Pepper.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265681784782545058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGyhRS2_A4-atk6rbfVodzh7X5bO2N9JalH1shAwAS7Du2LrbOs27AtJiiOFkPzakGG1NKAZ8GYs5MdbhlyLWhzxs26syMvQ0t8QjiDuWO4izEVNR8_gwxliR3sKqf7MikrsOtPtSQ2H_/s320/Red+Pepper.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a> It was at a dinner table that the benefits of eating red pepper was raised. Listening to Barrister Thien Luong Van My, Nestle’s Nutrition Manager, Policy Application and Management, talking of red pepper as his recipe for fatigue really attested to what many people that refuses eating pepper in their meals might be missing. Barrister Thien Luong Van My was recollecting his experience, during a media tour for journalists to the renowned Nestle Research Centre (NRC) in Lusanne, Switzerland. It was on a day after a week of working without rest, and still needed to sit in the court room as an assistant to a judge that he found himself falling asleep. Despite all he tried to do to keep awake, he said all efforts failed and that was the beginning of his search for a solution to dosing off, while at the bench in the law court. “I remembered having some chili in my pocket and I chewed one of it. The hot sensation it sent into my body, including my brain, made me to always be at alert. This is one thing I never do without having some in my pockets because it indeed is effective in driving off fatigue”, Barrister Thien Luong Van My recollected. In addition to their use as food and spice, chillies or red pepper have been popular in both Ayurvedic and homoeopathic treatments since ancient times. Red pepper is used as a natural fat burner and painkiller, to treat ulcers, increase metabolism, improve circulation, boost the immune system and aid digestion. It is used as a tonic for the heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, spleen and stomach and to treat herpes, shingles and rheumatism. It is also known to combat chills, treat psoriasis and indicated for preventing heart disease. Red pepper has many common names such as African pepper, Bird pepper, Chili pepper, Tabasco Pepper and Zanzibar Pepper. The powerful compound in it called capsaicin is what gives red pepper its hotness and is also responsible for most of its beneficial effects on human physiology. The hotter the pepper, the higher its content of capsaicin All the parts of the plant, including the roots, leaves and fruits, have different uses. In African communities, its leaves are boiled with palm kernel oil as a laxative for pregnant women. The infusion of the leaf is used as a remedy for stomach pains, anasarea (a form of dropsy) and ascites in adults. A decoction of the root in local dry gin {alcohol} is used against inflammatory tumours and rheumatism. The fruit is crush, mixed with oil and apply to the area affected by arthritis and rheumatism. Meanwhile, the practice by Barrister Thien Luong Van My may have a scientific basis, given that a study found that Capsicum, the peppery ingredient in red pepper help alleviate fatigue in people with acute tonsillitis. In experts assessed the efficacy of a fixed-combination herbal compound of Phytolacca americana, commonly referred to as pigeon berry; Guajacum sanctum commonly referred to as tree-of –life; and Capsicum present in red pepper in treating acute tonsillitis in the 2000 edition of Journal Advances in Therapy. The participants in the study reported a marked alleviation in the principal symptom of tonsillitis, which included, moderate or severe difficulty in swallowing. Comparable improvements occurred in other outcome measures, including earache, headache, and fatigue. No adverse side effects were reported. The ability of red pepper to stimulate circulation and respiratory reflexes may help to enhance physiologic performance under periods of stress or fatigue. Scientists in France have accrued additional evidence that taking red pepper’s active substace called capsicum, does indeed help to counteract fatigue. In addition to physical stress, mental disorders like depression may also respond to the stimulating effect of capsicum. In 1980, a study of the effect of eating chilies by Yongyot Monsereenusorn from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand published in journal, Pharmaceutical Biology, corroborated its benefit in controlling blood sugar. Experts have also linked eating pepper to increase fertility in women. In 2006, some researchers found that in some species of worm, addition of pepper to their meal stimulated more egg laying in these worms, they asserted in the Chemoecology journal. Eating red pepper can have a very positive impact on people that are overweight or suffer from diabetes, according to a team of researchers at The University of Tasmania, whose research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in July 2006. The study carried out yielded that the normal eating of pepper can help significantly control insulin levels after eating a meal. The actual data they collected was able to show that after eating red pepper, the amount of insulin needed to lower the body’s blood sugar level following a meal, was reduced by a staggering 60 per cent. Cancer Research published a study in March 2006, which concluded that Capsaicin helped stop the spread of prostate cancer. The capsaicin found in red pepper triggered suicide in both primary types of prostate cancer cell lines. The researcher said that it dramatically slowed the development of prostate cancer formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models. In addition, if you suffer from indigestion, eating red pepper can bring relieve. In a small trial in Italy by Dr. Mauro Bortolotti and other researchers from the University of Bologna, 30 patients with indigestion were randomized on daily capsules of 2.5 g of red pepper or placebo. The capsaicin content was 0.7 mg/g of red pepper power. After three weeks, upper gastrointestinal symptoms of epigastric pain (upper abdominal pain), fullness, nausea and early satiety (feeling full after only a small amount of food) were all significantly reduced in the capsaicin group and not in the placebo group, the report said in New England Journal of Medicine. Next time you want an afternoon snack that would not put you to sleep, try adding a bit of hot pepper to your snack. It will give you an extra nudge to make it through the day.

Eat red pepper, drive away fatigue, stress

It was at a dinner table that the benefits of eating red pepper was raised. Listening to Barrister Thien Luong Van My, Nestle’s Nutrition Ma...