Health Related articles updated on daily Basis.

[Night_Hawk]

[h=3]Reducing Cholesterol Levels | Reducing High Cholesterol[/h]


Cholesterol, a yellowish fatty substance, is one of the essential ingredients of the body. Although it is essential to life, it has a bad reputation, being a major villain in heart disease. Every person with high blood cholesterol is regarded as a potential candidate for heart attack or a stroke. Most of the cholesterol found in the body is produced in the liver. However, about twenty to thirty per cent generally comes from the food we eat. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per 100 millimetres of blood. The normal level of cholesterol varies between 150 - 200 mg per 100 ml. In blood, cholesterol occurs in combination with certain lipids (fats), hence, known as lipoptroteins.

​

Causes & Symptoms of High Cholesterol:The most common symptoms of high blood cholesterol are general fatigue, excess sweating and feel of uneasiness, pain and heaviness in chest area and breathlessness. Excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, eating high fat diet, obesity and heredity factors are some of the causes for high cholesterol. However, high cholesterol can be controlled at home using certain home remedies. Learn more on how to treat high cholesterol naturally.​

​

Home Remedies for High Cholesterol:Following are some of the effective home remedies for high blood cholesterol.* Add one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of lime juice in one cup of hot water. Take it daily in morning for natural lowering cholesterol.

* The best home remedy to cure a person with high cholesterol is to have at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.

* Take foods rich in Vitamin E like sunflower seeds, safflower, soyabean oils, butter, and sprouted seed and grains.

* Alternatively, a person who has problems of high cholesterol can also have 2-3 cloves of garlic per day.

* Boil two tablespoons of dry seeds of coriander in a glass of water and strain the decoction after cooling.Take this decoction twice a day for lowering cholesterol.

* Mix 10-12 tablespoons of apple juice and 5-6 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Intake this mixture once a day.

* Take onion juice to reduce cholesterol, clean the blood, and regulate the heart.

* Regular exercising is very necessary to keep the cholesterol levels under control.

* Add a teaspoon of methi powder in a glass of water. Take it empty stomach for one month.

* Consume lots of almonds and walnuts. These are helpful in reducing the cholesterol levels.

* Persons suffering from high cholesterol should have foods rich in fiber such as raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, broccoli, green beans, etc.

* Having fenugreek seeds and sprouts helps to reduce the high cholesterol levels.​

 

[hferoz]

[h=1]Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey[/h]http://www.health-benefits-of-honey.com/applecidervinegarandhoney.html

Apple cider vinegar and honey combine two of the oldest home remedies for a variety of different ailments.

With each possessing its own wonderful healing properties, these natural ingredients are so very useful in treating everything from the common cold to high cholesterol and arthritis.

The benefits of apple cider vinegar and honey have been passed down from one generation to another for one simple reason they are highly effective home health remedies and natural cures

[h=3]What Are the Benefits of
Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey[/h] Well, our bodies are prone to a build-up of acid crystals; the fantastic benefits of these ingredients include its ability to flush all those little nasties out of our systems. Because we all tend to eat proteins from meat (unless you are a vegetarian) they unfortunately thicken our blood, however a daily dose of these will help thin your blood allowing much more oxygen to flow freely through our systems.
By looking after your diet your blood pressure remains stable and decreases your chances of hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.


[SIZE=+1]Health Benefits of (ACV)[/SIZE]This wonderful concoction should idealy not be over used, two teaspoons full per day mixed with around a litre of water and a few good dollops of honey to suit your taste is all you will need.
Drink this throughout the day. It is not good to drink the whole lot in one go!
Alone, ACV can be a difficult taste to adjust to. For this reason, apple cider vinegar and honey are usually combined to mask the unpleasantness of ACV, alone.


[SIZE=+1]Apple Cider Vinegar Use for Diabetes[/SIZE]So much research has been carried out and the results have been quite astonishing for sufferers of this dreadful condition which is drastically on the increase. Ensuring we aware of Food nutrition facts will go a long way to preventing this.
During my own research I have discovered many websites extolling its virtues. I can give no higher credit to anyone other than to read this excellent article about Vinegar and Diabetes.

This website will explain to you all the benefits of ACV for diabetes and all other reasons for using this powerful natural food.
[SIZE=+1]What Else is
Apple Cider Vinegar
and Honey Good For?[/SIZE]

• Supports a healthy complexion
• Treats sinus infections
• Commonly used to relieve sore throats
• Relieves constipation
• Helpful in lowering high cholesterol
• Helpful in restoring high blood pressure to normal levels
• A common flu treatment
• Fights symptoms of Candida yeast overgrowth and other Yeast Infections
• Helps with the Function of Insulin Function of Insulin
• Helps relieve the symptoms of arthritis and even painful gout
• Helpful in treating the symptoms of chronic fatigue
• Restores proper pH balance (which guards against disease)
• Relieves acid reflux
• An effective treatment for dermatitis
• Useful in weight loss In the famous Vinegar and Honey Diet

 

[Night_Hawk]

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000065743 StartFragment:0000024886 EndFragment:0000065703 [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Imagine a categorizing system in which numbers are assigned to foods, allowing you to more easily choose foods that curb appetite, help shed excess pounds, lower your risk for diabetes, help maintain blood sugar levels, and improve heart health. These are the claims of popular diets that use the Glycemic Index (GI, for short).

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods (on a scale from 0 to 100) based on their effects on blood sugar levels in the body. Foods are ranked based on how they compare to a reference food—either glucose or white bread. A food with a high glycemic index (70 or above) will elevate your blood glucose higher—and more quickly—than a food with a medium or low glycemic index (55 or less).

Highly processed and sweetened foods, such as candy or even bread made from refined white flour, tend to have a high glycemic index while less processed "whole" foods, such as an apple or whole-wheat bread tend to be lower in glycemic index. When planning meals using the glycemic index as a guide, proponents recommend choosing foods that are low or medium on the scale as often as possible. This usually is a good idea for any healthy diet because low-GI foods tend to be less processed, more nutritious and more wholesome. But plenty of good-for-you foods can have a high glycemic index (watermelon is one example), while other "unhealthy" foods like candy bars can be low on the GI scale.

Proponents of the GI diet believe that the lower the GI number of a carbohydrate food, the better. High GI foods are digested and metabolized more quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. This creates a dramatic spike in levels of the hormone insulin, which works to remove sugar from the blood. These responses can lead to an overproduction of insulin, contributing to weight gain. Therefore, carbohydrate foods with low glycemic indexes cause less insulin secretion and slow the clearing of glucose from the bloodstream—resulting in greater satiety, and fewer calories consumed throughout the day.

To give you an idea of how various foods rank on the glycemic index, here are a few foods along with their average GI ranking. Remember that 55 or less is considered "low," 56-69 is considered "medium" and 70-100 is considered "high" on the glycemic index. Most non-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate foods (protein, meat, fat, nuts, oil, etc.) have a "low" glycemic index. [/FONT]

[TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable, width: 225"]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Food[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Glycemic Index[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Peanuts[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]8[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Agave nectar [/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]11[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Dark chocolate[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]23[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Cashews[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]25[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Grapefruit[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]25[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Chickpeas[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]28[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Apricots[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]31[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Lentils[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]32[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Tomato juice[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]33[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Soy milk[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]34[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Pizza[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]35[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Apple[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]36[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Skim milk[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]37[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Baked beans[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]40[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Apple juice[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]41[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Fruit yogurt[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]41[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Orange[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]43[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Snickers bar[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]43[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Milk chocolate[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]45[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Corn tortilla[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]46[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Meat lasagna[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]47[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Vegetable soup[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]48[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Orange juice[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]50[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Banana[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]51[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Ice cream[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]51[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Sweet corn[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]52[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Potato chips[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]54[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]All-Bran cereal[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]55[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Clif Bar[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]57[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Power Bar[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]58[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Soda[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]59[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Honey[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]61[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]French fries[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]63[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Green beans[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]63[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Sweet potato[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]63[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Raisins[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]64[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Popcorn, plain[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]65[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Fruit punch[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]67[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Brown rice[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]68[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Baked potato[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]69[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]White bagel[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]69[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]White rice[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]73[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Doughnut[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]75[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]White bread[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]75[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Watermelon[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]76[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Chocolate chip granola bar[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]78[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Gatorade[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]78[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Instant oatmeal[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]79[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Corn flakes[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]81[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Caramel rice cake[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]82[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Pretzels[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]83[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]Rice milk[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[TD]

[FONT=&quot]86[/FONT]​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
​

[FONT=&quot]
(Additional information and glycemic index values can be found at www.GlycemicIndex.com and www.Mendosa.com. However, SparkPeople does not necessarily endorse the content or reliability of these websites.)

Diabetes Management: Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index
According to the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association, there is no singular diet or meal plan that works for everyone with diabetes. People with diabetes are encouraged to work with a Certified Diabetes Educator to develop a personalized meal plan to achieve blood glucose control and weight management. Overall, research studies indicate that the total amount of carbohydrate consumed is the strongest predictor of blood glucose response, and this is typically the first tool used in the managing of blood glucose levels. For individuals needing greater blood sugar control, choosing low-glycemic carbohydrates along with a carbohydrate-controlled diet plan may produce modest results. However, it is not recommended that people with diabetes follow a low-GI eating plan alone. The amount of carbohydrates a person eats—regardless of their effects on blood sugar—is still important.

Glitches in the Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a marvelous tool for ranking carbohydrate-containing foods, but it's still in its infancy and needs additional research. It can be challenging for individuals to make healthy food choices, and the glycemic index can add another level of complication to a person's diet. Although it does have some practical benefits, here are a few of the limitations of the glycemic index. [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]There is usually a wide variation in the glycemic index of any given food. Even in the chart above, the glycemic values listed are averages. One study can list a potato's glycemic index as low as 56 and another may rank it as high as 100. Therefore, the glycemic index is not an absolute—it should be thought of as a guide only. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Many factors affect the glycemic index of a given food: ripeness, storage time, processing, preparation, and the other foods you eat with it. For example, juice has a higher glycemic index than whole fruit; mashed potatoes are higher than a baked potato, and whole-wheat bread has a higher GI than whole-wheat flour. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Grinding and cooking can elevate the glycemic index of some foods, because these techniques make it quicker and easier for your body to digest food. For example, al dente pasta has a lower GI than soft-cooked pasta. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Glycemic indexes are based on individual foods, but most people eat food in combinations within a meal or snack. Eating carbohydrate foods with fiber, protein, and fat will usually reduce the glycemic index of a meal as a whole. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Every individual digests carbohydrates at a different rate, and your body's glycemic response may vary greatly throughout the day. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Not every "high" GI food should be avoided from a nutritional standpoint. And the inverse is also true: many low GI foods aren't necessarily healthful or nutritious. When certain high glycemic foods are eliminated from the diet, so are vital vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. Watermelon has a "high" glycemic index of 76, but it is high in potassium, vitamin A, and lycopene, and low in calories, for example. On the other end of the spectrum, a Snickers bar has a "low" glycemic index of 43, yet doesn't contribute much in the way of nutrition. Therefore, the use of the glycemic index needs to be balanced with basic nutrition principles and healthy food choices. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Relying on the glycemic index alone may lead to overeating and weight gain. The GI value represents the type of carbohydrate in a food (fast digesting or slow digesting), but says nothing about the amount of carbohydrates—or calories—it contains. Peanuts look like the perfect choice with a GI of 8, but with about 400 calories in 1/2 cup, they won’t help shed pounds when eaten in excess. Portion control is still relevant for managing blood glucose levels and for managing your weight.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]SparkPeople's Stance[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
The glycemic index is one option for ranking the healthfulness of carbohydrate-containing foods, but it's not perfect—and more research is needed. It's not a bad idea to be aware of the glycemic index and applying some of its principles when choosing carbohydrates for blood sugar control and filling power. Just don't rely fully on the glycemic index as a guide for what to eat and what to avoid. Keep the following facts in mind: [/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]20% of the average American's calories come from high-carbohydrate, "empty calorie" foods, such as cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, ice cream, sugar, candy, soda pop, and chips. Current recommendations state that sugar should make up NO MORE than 7% of one’s total calorie intake. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains are nutritionally superior to highly processed, refined products. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Simply limiting the total number of carbohydrates you consume at any given meal can more easily control your blood sugar levels than choosing low-glycemic foods alone can. Follow the carbohydrate range provided on your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker, and distribute your daily total evenly among 3 meals and 1-3 snacks. By focusing on portion sizes and balanced meals throughout the day, you'll help keep your blood glucose—and hunger—levels in check. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]You probably don’t need a complicated rating system to confuse you about which carbohydrates to include in your diet. We believe that the glycemic index is just one of many tools that can help you learn about the pros and cons of various foods, but it should not be the be-all-end-all guide to healthy eating.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Selected Sources[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. American Diabetes Association, Bantle JP, Wylie-Rosett J, Albright AL, Apovian CM, Clark NG, Franz MJ, Hoogwerf BJ, Lichtenstein AH, Mayer-Davis E, Mooradian AD, Wheeler ML. Diabetes Care. 2010 Aug;33(8):1911.

The Evidence for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Adults, Franz MJ, Powers MA, Leontos C, Holzmeister LA, Kulkarni K, Monk A, Wedel N, Gradwell E. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2010 Dec :110(12):1852-89.
Copy and Paste following link for useful knowledge about the FOODS
http://www.google.ca/search?q=glyce...=X&ei=_TdMTuKwJsXZgQfhs5hz&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQsAQ[/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Imagine a categorizing system in which numbers are assigned to foods, allowing you to more easily choose foods that curb appetite, help shed excess pounds, lower your risk for diabetes, help maintain blood sugar levels, and improve heart health. These are the claims of popular diets that use the Glycemic Index (GI, for short).

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods (on a scale from 0 to 100) based on their effects on blood sugar levels in the body. Foods are ranked based on how they compare to a reference food—either glucose or white bread. A food with a high glycemic index (70 or above) will elevate your blood glucose higher—and more quickly—than a food with a medium or low glycemic index (55 or less).

Highly processed and sweetened foods, such as candy or even bread made from refined white flour, tend to have a high glycemic index while less processed "whole" foods, such as an apple or whole-wheat bread tend to be lower in glycemic index. When planning meals using the glycemic index as a guide, proponents recommend choosing foods that are low or medium on the scale as often as possible. This usually is a good idea for any healthy diet because low-GI foods tend to be less processed, more nutritious and more wholesome. But plenty of good-for-you foods can have a high glycemic index (watermelon is one example), while other "unhealthy" foods like candy bars can be low on the GI scale.

Proponents of the GI diet believe that the lower the GI number of a carbohydrate food, the better. High GI foods are digested and metabolized more quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. This creates a dramatic spike in levels of the hormone insulin, which works to remove sugar from the blood. These responses can lead to an overproduction of insulin, contributing to weight gain. Therefore, carbohydrate foods with low glycemic indexes cause less insulin secretion and slow the clearing of glucose from the bloodstream—resulting in greater satiety, and fewer calories consumed throughout the day.

To give you an idea of how various foods rank on the glycemic index, here are a few foods along with their average GI ranking. Remember that 55 or less is considered "low," 56-69 is considered "medium" and 70-100 is considered "high" on the glycemic index. Most non-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate foods (protein, meat, fat, nuts, oil, etc.) have a "low" glycemic index.
[TABLE="width: 300, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Food
[/TD]
[TD]Glycemic Index
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Peanuts
[/TD]
[TD]8
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Agave nectar
[/TD]
[TD]11
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dark chocolate
[/TD]
[TD]23
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cashews
[/TD]
[TD]25
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Grapefruit
[/TD]
[TD]25
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chickpeas
[/TD]
[TD]28
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Apricots
[/TD]
[TD]31
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lentils
[/TD]
[TD]32
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tomato juice
[/TD]
[TD]33
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Soy milk
[/TD]
[TD]34
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pizza
[/TD]
[TD]35
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Apple
[/TD]
[TD]36
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Skim milk
[/TD]
[TD]37
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Baked beans
[/TD]
[TD]40
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Apple juice
[/TD]
[TD]41
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fruit yogurt
[/TD]
[TD]41
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Orange
[/TD]
[TD]43
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Snickers bar
[/TD]
[TD]43
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Milk chocolate
[/TD]
[TD]45
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Corn tortilla
[/TD]
[TD]46
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Meat lasagna
[/TD]
[TD]47
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vegetable soup
[/TD]
[TD]48
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Orange juice
[/TD]
[TD]50
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Banana
[/TD]
[TD]51
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ice cream
[/TD]
[TD]51
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sweet corn
[/TD]
[TD]52
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Potato chips
[/TD]
[TD]54
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]All-Bran cereal
[/TD]
[TD]55
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Clif Bar
[/TD]
[TD]57
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Power Bar
[/TD]
[TD]58
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Soda
[/TD]
[TD]59
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Honey
[/TD]
[TD]61
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]French fries
[/TD]
[TD]63
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Green beans
[/TD]
[TD]63
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sweet potato
[/TD]
[TD]63
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Raisins
[/TD]
[TD]64
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Popcorn, plain
[/TD]
[TD]65
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fruit punch
[/TD]
[TD]67
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Brown rice
[/TD]
[TD]68
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Baked potato
[/TD]
[TD]69
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]White bagel
[/TD]
[TD]69
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]White rice
[/TD]
[TD]73
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Doughnut
[/TD]
[TD]75
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]White bread
[/TD]
[TD]75
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Watermelon
[/TD]
[TD]76
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chocolate chip granola bar
[/TD]
[TD]78
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gatorade
[/TD]
[TD]78
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Instant oatmeal
[/TD]
[TD]79
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Corn flakes
[/TD]
[TD]81
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Caramel rice cake
[/TD]
[TD]82
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pretzels
[/TD]
[TD]83
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rice milk
[/TD]
[TD]86
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

(Additional information and glycemic index values can be found at www.GlycemicIndex.com and www.Mendosa.com. However, SparkPeople does not necessarily endorse the content or reliability of these websites.)

Diabetes Management: Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index
According to the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association, there is no singular diet or meal plan that works for everyone with diabetes. People with diabetes are encouraged to work with a Certified Diabetes Educator to develop a personalized meal plan to achieve blood glucose control and weight management. Overall, research studies indicate that the total amount of carbohydrate consumed is the strongest predictor of blood glucose response, and this is typically the first tool used in the managing of blood glucose levels. For individuals needing greater blood sugar control, choosing low-glycemic carbohydrates along with a carbohydrate-controlled diet plan may produce modest results. However, it is not recommended that people with diabetes follow a low-GI eating plan alone. The amount of carbohydrates a person eats—regardless of their effects on blood sugar—is still important.

Glitches in the Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a marvelous tool for ranking carbohydrate-containing foods, but it's still in its infancy and needs additional research. It can be challenging for individuals to make healthy food choices, and the glycemic index can add another level of complication to a person's diet. Although it does have some practical benefits, here are a few of the limitations of the glycemic index.

• There is usually a wide variation in the glycemic index of any given food. Even in the chart above, the glycemic values listed are averages. One study can list a potato's glycemic index as low as 56 and another may rank it as high as 100. Therefore, the glycemic index is not an absolute—it should be thought of as a guide only.
• Many factors affect the glycemic index of a given food: ripeness, storage time, processing, preparation, and the other foods you eat with it. For example, juice has a higher glycemic index than whole fruit; mashed potatoes are higher than a baked potato, and whole-wheat bread has a higher GI than whole-wheat flour.
• Grinding and cooking can elevate the glycemic index of some foods, because these techniques make it quicker and easier for your body to digest food. For example, al dente pasta has a lower GI than soft-cooked pasta.
• Glycemic indexes are based on individual foods, but most people eat food in combinations within a meal or snack. Eating carbohydrate foods with fiber, protein, and fat will usually reduce the glycemic index of a meal as a whole.
• Every individual digests carbohydrates at a different rate, and your body's glycemic response may vary greatly throughout the day.
• Not every "high" GI food should be avoided from a nutritional standpoint. And the inverse is also true: many low GI foods aren't necessarily healthful or nutritious. When certain high glycemic foods are eliminated from the diet, so are vital vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. Watermelon has a "high" glycemic index of 76, but it is high in potassium, vitamin A, and lycopene, and low in calories, for example. On the other end of the spectrum, a Snickers bar has a "low" glycemic index of 43, yet doesn't contribute much in the way of nutrition. Therefore, the use of the glycemic index needs to be balanced with basic nutrition principles and healthy food choices.
• Relying on the glycemic index alone may lead to overeating and weight gain. The GI value represents the type of carbohydrate in a food (fast digesting or slow digesting), but says nothing about the amount of carbohydrates—or calories—it contains. Peanuts look like the perfect choice with a GI of 8, but with about 400 calories in 1/2 cup, they won’t help shed pounds when eaten in excess. Portion control is still relevant for managing blood glucose levels and for managing your weight.

SparkPeople's Stance
The glycemic index is one option for ranking the healthfulness of carbohydrate-containing foods, but it's not perfect—and more research is needed. It's not a bad idea to be aware of the glycemic index and applying some of its principles when choosing carbohydrates for blood sugar control and filling power. Just don't rely fully on the glycemic index as a guide for what to eat and what to avoid. Keep the following facts in mind:

• 20% of the average American's calories come from high-carbohydrate, "empty calorie" foods, such as cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, ice cream, sugar, candy, soda pop, and chips. Current recommendations state that sugar should make up NO MORE than 7% of one’s total calorie intake.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains are nutritionally superior to highly processed, refined products.
• Simply limiting the total number of carbohydrates you consume at any given meal can more easily control your blood sugar levels than choosing low-glycemic foods alone can. Follow the carbohydrate range provided on your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker, and distribute your daily total evenly among 3 meals and 1-3 snacks. By focusing on portion sizes and balanced meals throughout the day, you'll help keep your blood glucose—and hunger—levels in check.
• You probably don’t need a complicated rating system to confuse you about which carbohydrates to include in your diet. We believe that the glycemic index is just one of many tools that can help you learn about the pros and cons of various foods, but it should not be the be-all-end-all guide to healthy eating.

Selected Sources
Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. American Diabetes Association, Bantle JP, Wylie-Rosett J, Albright AL, Apovian CM, Clark NG, Franz MJ, Hoogwerf BJ, Lichtenstein AH, Mayer-Davis E, Mooradian AD, Wheeler ML. Diabetes Care. 2010 Aug;33(8):1911.

The Evidence for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Adults, Franz MJ, Powers MA, Leontos C, Holzmeister LA, Kulkarni K, Monk A, Wedel N, Gradwell E. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2010 Dec :110(12):1852-89.
Copy and Paste following link for useful knowledge about the FOODS
http://www.google.ca/search?q=glyce...=X&ei=_TdMTuKwJsXZgQfhs5hz&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQsAQ

 

[Night_Hawk]

Natural compound prevents diabetes
(IANS)

5 September 2011
TORONTO - Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, mulberries and peanuts is effective against diabetes, claims a study.
[FONT=&quot]

Resveratrol has been shown to extend the lifespan of many species. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Human offsprings that have trouble developing in the womb have a higher risk of developing metabolic problems later in life, the journal Diabetes reports. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]University of Alberta researchers Jason Dyck and Sandra Davidge found that giving resveratrol to young offsprings of lab rats after weaning, actually prevented the development of certain symptoms of diabetes.[/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Many lifestyle factors linked to diabetes
(Reuters)

6 September 2011
NEW YORK - A new study reports that weight, diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol intake may each independently influence a person’s risk of getting diabetes.
[FONT=&quot]Researchers found that even when people had a family history of diabetes or were overweight, they were less likely to get the chronic disease if they were healthy in other ways.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And each additional lifestyle improvement lowered their risk.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]‘There are implications certainly for individuals to take one step at a time toward a healthy lifestyle,’ said Jared Reis, one of the study’s authors from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And, he told Reuters Health, ‘there is certainly benefit for those who may have a tough time with losing weight if they adopt these other healthy lifestyle factors.’[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The data came from more than 200,000 Americans who filled out surveys about their lifestyle, diet and health status in 1995 and 1996, when most were in their fifties and sixties. None of them had diabetes at the start of the study.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ten years later, researchers sent them another survey asking whether they had been diagnosed with diabetes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In all, about one in 10 men and one in 13 women reported having the disease.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Looking back at the original surveys, the researchers broke health and lifestyle-related questions into five categories: body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height), diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They found that each healthy behavior listed on that survey—such as exercising for at least 20 minutes a day, three times per week, or never smoking or quitting at least a decade ago—lowered a person’s future diabetes risk independent of the other lifestyle components.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For example, people who smoked, drank heavily, and got little exercise still had a lower diabetes risk if they ate a healthy diet than if they ate lots of saturated fats and few fiber-rich whole grains.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]That was also the case for people who had a family history of diabetes, and so were at higher risk to begin with.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Overall, normal-weight women who ate a healthy diet, exercised, drank moderately and didn’t smoke were 84 percent less likely to get diabetes than women who were overweight and didn’t fit any of the criteria for a healthy lifestyle. For healthy men, the diabetes risk was cut by 72 percent compared to men with unhealthy habits.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Even though heavy people were still better off if they were healthy in other ways, the researchers said weight was the most important factor in predicting who developed diabetes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]‘While the message is that all these things matter...the number one top-of-the-list take-home is, don’t be overweight in the first place,’ said Dr. Lawrence Phillips, an endocrinologist at Emory University in Atlanta who wasn’t involved in the new research. ‘It’s important not to confuse the baby with the bathwater here,’ he added.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lawrence also pointed out that the cut-off used to define a normal, healthy weight in the study was a BMI of 25 -- the equivalent of someone who is five feet, five inches and weighs 150 pounds.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While that’s realistic for people who are white, he told Reuters Health, studies have suggested that Asians and people of other ethnicities might have an increased diabetes risk at lower BMIs as well, and that their threshold for being overweight may be different.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One limitation to the study, the researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine, is that participants may have changed their lifestyle during the decade following the first survey—and those changes wouldn’t be reflected in the findings.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The study also can’t prove definitively that by cutting out cigarettes or saturated fats, any one person can lower his or her risk of diabetes. It’s possible, for example, that people who exercised less were also less healthy for other reasons not measured by the surveys.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But Dr. David Jenkins, a nutrition researcher from the University of Toronto who also didn’t participate in the new study, said the findings point to ‘a way forward’ for people who are motivated to lower their risk of diabetes. ‘This just says, look, this is what you have to do,’ he told Reuters Health.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]‘This would suggest again that even for those who have a family history, if you adopt a healthy lifestyle you can have a strong influence on whether you end up developing diabetes,’ Reis said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]‘The fact that (those findings) are evident in this older population is also a good thing,’ he said. ‘It means it’s never too late.’[/FONT]
[h=2][FONT=&quot]SOURCE: http://bit.ly/atTzv0 Annals of Internal Medicine[/FONT][/h]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Is chocolate good for your heart?
(Reuters)

29 August 2011
PARIS- Chocolate may be good for the heart but cardiologists are not giving you a licence to indulge.
[FONT=&quot]New research presented at Europe’s biggest medical meeting on Monday suggested chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

Just why there should be such a link was unclear, the European Society of Cardiology congress was told. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There has been a string of scientific studies in recent years showing a potential health benefit from eating chocolate. Dark chocolate, in particular, contains compounds called flavanols thought to be good for the blood system. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In an attempt to paint a clearer picture, Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge pooled results from seven studies involving 100,000 people. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Five of the studies showed a beneficial link between eating chocolate and cardiovascular health, while two did not. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Overall, the findings showed the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Franco said there were limitations with the pooled analysis, which did not differentiate between dark and milk chocolate, and more research was needed to test whether chocolate actually caused better health outcomes or if it was due to some other confounding factor. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Evidence does suggest chocolate might have some heart health benefits but we need to find out why that might be,” said Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved in the research. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“If you want to reduce your heart disease risk, there are much better places to start than at the bottom of a box of chocolates.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Franco, whose findings were also published online in the British Medical Journal, said while it seemed chocolate had heart benefits, these could easily be outweighed by the unhealthy nature of much confectionery. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“The high sugar and fat content of commercially available chocolate should be considered, and initiatives to reduce it might permit an improved exposure to the beneficial effect of chocolate,” the research team wrote. [/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Weight Watchers works, study finds
(Reuters)

8 September 2011, 7:54 AM
LONDON - Overweight patients told by their doctors to go to Weight Watchers lose around twice as much weight as people receiving standard weight loss care over 12 months, according to the findings of a study published on Thursday.
[FONT=&quot]In the first randomised controlled trial — considered the gold standard of scientific analysis — to directly compare a commercial weight-loss programme with standard care by family doctors, Weight Watchers was found to be more than twice as effective. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

More people stuck to the Weight Watchers diet, they lost more weight and fat mass, and also shaved more off their waist measurements than those assigned to standard care. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Susan Jebb of Britain’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research Unit, who led the study said the results showed that Weight Watchers is “a robust intervention that is generalisable to other economically developed countries.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“This kind of research is important so that we can identify clinically effective interventions to treat obesity,” Jebb said. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The study, published in the Lancet medical journal, comes in the wake of research last month which said obesity is a global epidemic that is fast replacing tobacco as the single most important preventable cause of costly chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Worldwide, around 1.5 billion adults are overweight and another 0.5 billion are obese, with 170 million children classified as overweight or obese. Obesity takes up between 2 to 6 percent of healthcare costs in many countries. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In the weight loss study, which was funded by Weight Watchers International but run as an investigator-led trial with all data collection and analysis conducted by the independent research team, researchers assessed 772 overweight and obese adults in Australia, Germany and Britain. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 12 months of standard care as usually offered by the primary care team, or referred to and given a 12-month free membership for a Weight Watchers group in their neighbourhood. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As well as losing twice as much weight as those in the standard care group, patients referred to Weight Watchers were also more than three times as likely to lose 10 percent or more of their initial body weight. Some 61 percent of patients in the Weight Watchers group lost at least 5 percent of their body weight, compared with 32 percent in the standard care group. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The average weight loss at 12 months was 5.1 kg for those using Weight Watchers versus 2.2 kg for those on standard care. For those who completed the full 12 months, average weight loss was 6.7 kg on Weight Watchers versus 3.3 kg on standard care. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In a commentary on the study, Kate Jolly and Paul Aveyard of the school of health and population sciences at Britain’s Birmingham University said cost-effectiveness was a key factor in determining whether commercial programmes like Weight Watchers become part of publicly funded health care. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They added that “the low cost of these programmes — at present about 50-60 for 12 weeks — makes the case for incorporation intuitively appealing.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]David Kirchhoff, CEO of Weight Watchers International said the Lancet study “proves that Weight Watchers is part of the solution to help transform the health of nations.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“There is a clear need for practical treatment solutions that are proven effective, affordable and scalable to have a population-wide impact,” he said in a statement. [/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=2]What are the foods we can eat to reduce High Blood Pressure – Top 10 foods to reduce High Blood Pressure[/h] High blood pressure or hypertension is a medical condition where the arterial blood pressure increases.
The reasons could be too much stress, obesity, high intake of salt, diabetes etc. The probability of cardiovascular diseases such as heart strokes, heart failure, kidney disorders, heart attack etc increases with a high BP.
Given below is a list of 10 foods that can help you lower down the blood pressure:
Spinach: It contains magnesium, folate, iron, vitamin C and is very healthy for your body. Even if you don’t like it, make sure that you include this nutrient rich vegetable in your diet as it contains those key ingredients.
Banana: It is rich in potassium which is perhaps the most important nutrient to lower down the high blood pressure. A banana a day keeps the high blood pressure away. It assures you of good health.
Kiwi: Of late, the kiwifruit is being prescribed to battle hypertension. Rich in potassium and Vitamin C, it helps lower down the BP. Kiwis are also rich in an antioxidant called lutein, which, it is thought, might help fight the disease.
Skimmed milk: Easily available and a part of daily consumption. It contains plenty of calcium and vitamin D and the two nutrients team up to bring down blood pressure.
Garlic: A single clove of garlic does wonders. It has several properties which help prevent clotting and thickening of blood vessels. Also, it can easily fight the damage caused due to high BP.
Beans: Kidney, pinto, lima and black beans are some types of beans you should include in your daily diet. Beans are rich, both in magnesium and potassium, capable of decreasing the high blood pressure.
Broccoli: Oozing with potassium, it also contains chromium which fights against the cardiovascular diseases. It controls the blood sugar and insulin levels.
Celery: It contains an ingredient called phthalide which rests the muscles of the vessels and aids in the smooth flow of blood. Besides that, celery has a very calming effect and is highly recommended if you are prone to stress.
Tomatoes: It contains an antioxidant lycopene, which is known to significantly reduce the high blood pressure. Also, tomatoes are rich in calcium, potassium, vitamins A, C and E, all the essential nutrients required to curb the problem.
Others: Apart from the nine foods mentioned above, sunflower seeds, olive oil, avocadoes, papaya, dark chocolates and various juices are helpful in bringing the blood pressure levels to normal. It is advisable to eat vegetables and fruits rich in potassium and calcium. Intake of salt (which contains sodium) should be minimized. Avoid eating fried stuff.

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=2]Lime/Elumichai/Lemon medicinal properties plus health benefits home remedies[/h] [h=2]Lime/Elumichai/Lemon Health Benefits[/h] Lime is a citrus fruit that has a high content of Vitamin C. It makes an effective home remedy for diarrhoea, obesity, thirst and piles. It is a thorny shrub with spreading branches, aromatic leaves and white flowers. The fruits are large and spherical with pale acrid pulp and many seeds.
Lime not only has Vitamin C, but also Vitamin P which helps in the assimilation of Vitamin C in the body. It is digestive, carminative, stimulant, antiseptic, anti scorbutic, laxative and anthelmintic.
[h=2]Lime/Elumichai/Lemon Home Remedies[/h] It is used to treat the following conditions:

• [h=3]Diarrhoea[/h] A mixture of onion juice and lime juice arrests mild diarrhea, owing to its combination of antiseptic, astringent and nutritive properties
• [h=3]Bitterness in the mouth[/h] Due to biliousness and indigestion, a bitter taste might persist in the mouth. Taking a glass of lime juice with a piece of ginger crushed into it is an ideal remedy.
• [h=3]Piles[/h] Slit a small lime into two and sprinkle some rock salt powder inside. Put this lime into the mouth and suck the juice slowly. Do this regularly and this will heal the pile masses.
• [h=3]Cold[/h] Lime has a high content of Vitamin C and it is ideal in colds and fevers. Dilute lime juice with honey and drink this regularly.

[h=2][/h]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Most cases of dementia are not diagnosed
(Reuters)

13 September 2011
CHICAGO - About 28 million of the nearly 36 million people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias have not been diagnosed, robbing them from the benefit of treatments and the chance to have a say in their future care, according to a report released on Tuesday.
[FONT=&quot]It found that many people are not diagnosed with dementia until the disease is well advanced. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Failure to diagnose Alzheimer’s in a timely manner represents a tragic missed opportunity to improve the quality of life for millions of people,” said Dr. Daisy Acosta, chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International, a patient advocacy group that sponsored the study. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The group last year estimated that Alzheimer’s and other dementias cost $604 billion globally to treat, a figure that will soar as the number of sufferers triples by 2050. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Its latest report, which makes the case for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, comes just days before a United Nations meeting on Alzheimer’s and is aimed at getting the disease on the agenda of world leaders. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The group is pushing for all countries to develop a national dementia strategy that promotes early diagnosis and offers a range of care from primary care doctors, specialists, and community-based treatment centers. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Recent studies suggest the disease starts developing at least a decade before symptoms appear. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Many scientists and patient advocates believe earlier testing will play an important role in getting people treated and in preparing families for the burden ahead. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“The report is really mainly about the estimated 28 million out of 36 million people worldwide with dementia who don’t have a diagnosis,” said Professor Martin Prince of King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, who led the study. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Among the study’s main findings, he said it shows that while current Alzheimer’s treatments — Aricept from Eisai Co and Pfizer Inc, Reminyl from Shire, and Exelon from Novartis Exelon — are no cure for the disease, they can improve symptoms in some patients. That could allow some to delay a nursing home stay, for example. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Prince said early diagnosis could save high-income countries as much as $10,000 per patient. While that might not mean much to individual families taking care of a loved one with a disease that can span several years, those savings could make a significant difference on a global scale. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And there are other reasons to diagnose patients. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Earlier diagnosis can also transform the design and execution of clinical trials to test new treatments,” Marc Wortmann, executive director of ADI, said in a statement. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Researchers increasingly believe that many drugs being tested for Alzheimer’s have been tried on people who are already too far gone. Earlier diagnosis will help countries develop infrastructure for treating people in the earliest stages of the disease, when drugs have the most chance of doing some good. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dr. Sam Gandy of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in New York said existing drugs are only modestly effective, and they always wear off. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Eighteen months after you start a drug, they are in the same place,” he said in a telephone interview. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But Robert Egge, vice president of public policy at the U.S.-based Alzheimer’s Association, said the burden of Alzheimer’s is so great that even modest benefits are worth pursuing. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“We certainly need to push for more effective disease-modifying treatments that can slow or stop the disease, and at the same time we see the treatment value that can follow from early diagnosis,” he said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...er/health_September18.xml&section=health&col=
[/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Spice up broccoli to fight cancer better

(IANS)

15 September 2011
Mixing fresh broccoli with a spicy food that contains enzyme myrosinase boosts its cancer-fighting ability, a new study says.
[FONT=&quot]The enzyme also ensures that the item is absorbed and placed in the upper part of the digestive system where it bestows the maximum health benefit, the study suggests.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“To get this effect, spice up your broccoli with broccoli sprouts, mustard, horseradish, or wasabi. The spicier, the better; that means it’s being effective,” said study author Elizabeth Jeffery, University of Illinois professor of nutrition.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It’s no secret that many people cook the benefits right out of broccoli instead of steaming it lightly for two to four minutes to protect its healthful properties, said Jenna Cramer who led the study, the British Journal of Nutrition reports.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“However, this study shows that even if broccoli is overcooked, you can still boost its benefits by pairing it with another food that contains myrosinase,” she said according to a university statement.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Myrosinase is the enzyme necessary to form sulforaphane, the vegetable’s cancer-preventive component, study co-author Margarita Teran-Garcia explained. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Other foods that will boost broccoli’s benefits if they are paired together include radishes, cabbage, arugula, watercress and Brussels sprouts.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...er/health_September24.xml&section=health&col=
[/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

:lol: :lol:
Laughter is the best medicine

14 September 2011
PARIS — A rattling good laugh with friends will help you deal with pain thanks to opiate-like chemicals that flood the brain, according to a British study released on Wednesday.
[FONT=&amp]Researchers carried out lab experiments in which volunteers watched either comedy clips from “Mr Bean” or “Friends,” or non-humorous items such as golf or wildlife programmes, while their resistance to mild pain was monitored. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Another test was conducted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where the volunteers watched either a stand-up comedy show or a theatrical drama. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In lab conditions, the pain came from a deep-frozen wine-cooler sleeve which was slipped onto the arm or from a blood-pressure cuff that was pumped to the threshold of tolerance. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]For the Fringe Festival, the volunteers were asked to do a tough exercise — leaning against the wall with their legs at right angles, as if sitting on a straight-backed chair — before and immediately after the performance, to see if laughter had helped with the pain. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Just 15 minutes of laughter increased the level of pain tolerance by around 10 percent, the study found. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In the lab experiments, the neutral, non-funny programming had no pain-alleviating effect at all. Nor did watching drama at the Fringe Festival. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]However, the study notes two important distinctions. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The only laughter that worked was relaxed, unforced laughter that creases the eyes, as opposed to a polite titter. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]And this kind of belly laugh is far likelier to happen when you are with others, rather than being alone. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]“Very little research has been done into why we laugh and what role it plays in society,” said Robin Dunbar, head of the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Oxford. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]“Using microphones, we were able to record each of the participants and found that in a comedy show, they laughed for about a third of the time, and their pain tolerance rose as a consequence.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The protection apparently comes from endorphins, a complex chemical that helps to transmit messages between neurons but also dulls signals of physical pain and psychological stress. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Endorphins are the famous product of physical exercise — they help create the “buzz” that comes from running, swimming, rowing, yoga and so on. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In laughter, the release comes from an involuntary, repeated muscular exertion that comes from exhaling without drawing a breath, the scientists believe. The exertion leaves us exhausted and thereby triggers the endorphins. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Great apes are also believed to be able to laugh but, unlike humans, they breathe in as well as out when they do so. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The investigators believe the experiments help to understand the physiological and social mechanism of how laughter is generated. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The group seems vital in unleashing the right kind of endorphin-making laughter, they contend. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Previous studies have focussed more on why humans laugh, as opposed to how they do it. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]One theory is that laughter helps transmit mating signals or cements bonding between individuals. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Another idea is that, in a group setting, laughter promotes social cooperation and collective identity. It is thus an evolutionary tool to help survival. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The paper appears in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a journal published by Britain’s de-facto academy of sciences.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...er/health_September22.xml&section=health&col=
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[Night_Hawk]

High cholesterol linked to Alzheimers

(IANS)

13 September 2011

People with high cholesterol may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimers disease, a study says.
We found that high cholesterol levels were significantly related to brain plaques associated with Alzheimers disease, said study author Kensuke Sasaki, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, in a press release.

For the study, the cholesterol levels were tested on 2,587 people, aged 40 to 79, who had no signs of Alzheimers.

Researchers also examined 147 autopsied people who died after a long observation period (10 to 15 years). Fifty of the demised, or 34 percent, had been diagnosed with dementia before death, Xinhua reported.
The autopsies looked for plaques and tangles in the brain, both known to be trademark signs of Alzheimers disease. Plaques are an accumulation of a form of the protein amyloid, which occurs between nerve cells. Tangles are an accumulation of a different protein, called tau, which occurs inside nerve cells.
People with high cholesterol levels had significantly more brain plaques when compared to those with normal or lower cholesterol levels. A total of 86 percent of people with high cholesterol had brain plaques, compared with only 62 percent of people with low cholesterol levels.
The study found no link between high cholesterol and the tangles that develop in the brain with Alzheimers disease.
Our study clearly makes the point that high cholesterol may contribute directly or indirectly to plaques in the brain, Sasaki said, but failed treatment trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs in Alzheimers disease means there is no simple link between lowering cholesterol and preventing Alzheimers.
The study will be published Tuesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...er/health_September19.xml&section=health&col=

 

[Night_Hawk]

Yawning may be natural ‘brain-cooling’ mechanism
Last Updated On 21 September,2011 About 50 minutes ago

Yawning could serve as a method for regulating brain temperature, according to a study.


The study led by Andrew Gallup, a postdoctoral research associate in Princeton University`s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is the first involving humans to show that yawning frequency varies with the season and that people are less likely to yawn when the heat outdoors exceeds body temperature.

This suggests that yawning could be a natural brain-cooling mechanism, Princeton University and University of Arizona researchers reported.

Gallup and his co-author Omar Eldakar documented the yawning frequency of 160 people in the winter and summer in Tucson, Ariz., with 80 people for each season.

They found that participants were more likely to yawn in the winter, as opposed to the summer when ambient temperatures were equal to or exceeding body temperature.

The researchers concluded that warmer temperatures provide no relief for overheated brains, which, according to the thermoregulatory theory of yawning, stay cool via a heat exchange with the air drawn in during a yawn.

They recorded yawning frequency in 160 people in summer and winter in Tucson, Ariz., 80 for each season.

They found that nearly half of participants yawned in winter, opposed to less than a quarter in the summertime.
http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9NyNOaWQ9NDA3MTI=

 

[Rana Tahir Mahmood]

Top five foods to help you sleep - Yahoo News

By realbuzz.com
Whether its a one-off occurrence before a big event or a nightly struggle, most of us suffer from insomnia at one time or another. Fortunately, there are many foods that can help you sleep a little easier. To help you relax and catch some Zs, check out our top 5 foods to help you sleep.


Dairy products

If youre struggling to get a good nights sleep, foods containing tryptophan should be a first port of call. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, helps to raise serotonin and melatonin levels in the body, both of which can help induce sleep. While turkey is a famously good source of tryptophan, other (perhaps more bedtime-friendly) sources include dairy products such as yoghurt and milk.

On top of their tryptophan levels, dairy snacks are also a great source of calcium, which helps the brain to use tryptophan to create melatonin. Research has also suggested that a deficiency of calcium in the diet can cause disturbed sleep patterns and a lack of deep (REM) sleep.

Oats

While many of us associate oats with breakfast time, they are also the perfect evening snack. Oats are a good natural source of melatonin, which is often taken as a sleep aid due to its ability to help regulate the body's internal clock. They are also another good source of tryptophan, especially when combined with milk.

Furthermore, oats are rich in both calcium and magnesium; two minerals that have been proven to promote good quality sleep. For a warm, soothing snack before bed, try eating a small bowl of porridge to help you drift off, combined with any of the following toppings to help double its effects.

Bananas

If you suffer from muscle spasms or cramps during the night, it may be that you are deficient in the electrolytes magnesium and potassium, both of which help to relax muscles and keep them functioning properly. Fortunately, bananas are excellent source of both minerals, making them a good bedtime snack, particularly after a heavy exercise session.

As well as being rich in these essential minerals, bananas also contain tryptophan, which can help to promote sleep. Researchers from the University of New England in New South Wales have also found that having a banana before bed can help sufferers of sleep apnea by keeping their throats open and therefore reducing the risk of choking.

Cherries

For those who have trouble sleeping, you may be familiar with over-the-counter melatonin supplements used to treat insomnia. However, while melatonin can help to regulate sleep, it may be unwise to rely on supplements for long-term use. Fortunately, cherries provide a great natural source of melatonin as well as being excellent for overall health.

A research study published in The Journal of Sleep and Sleep Disorders Research has indicated that consuming tart cherries before bed helped participants sleep faster and easier, making fresh cherries or cherry juice a great natural sleep aid.

Flax seeds

Flax seeds are great for increasing levels of sleep-regulating substance serotonin in the body due to their high levels of both tryptophan and omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, the omega-3 fatty acids they contain have been proven to help reduce the anxiety, depression and stress which are leading causes of insomnia, and have been shown to be effective against the condition sleep apnea.

Not only that, flax seeds are a good source of magnesium, which is renowned for its ability to reduce stress due to its relaxing effect on the muscles and nervous system. Magnesium has also been shown to help prevent restless leg syndrome and night terrors; both of which can affect sleep.

Read more from realbuzz.com
The best quick fix diet plan
Top tracks to help you sleep at night
How to treat insomnia


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[Night_Hawk]

New drug stops hair going grey

(IANS)

4 October 2011

London - A wonder pill which is being developed can stop hair from turning grey, a media report said Monday.
Experts at beauty firm L’Oreal claim it will keep your barnet - the hair - the same natural colour forever, The Sun reported.

They promise the daily drug will not be expensive - and is totally natural because it uses a fruit extract.

Bruno Bernard, head of hair biology at the cosmetics giant, said: ‘People will take it like a dietary supplement. They need to start using the pill before their hair goes grey.’

L’Oreal - which has been developing the drug for more than a decade - says it won’t be available until 2015. And it will take 10 more years before they can prove it works - because it takes that long for grey hairs to sprout, the newspaper said.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Re: Top five foods to help you sleep - Yahoo News

Fish oil pills unrelated to kids’ braininess
(Reuters)

30 September 2011
Despite some evidence that taking fish oil pills during pregnancy can help children’s brain development, a new study suggests that the supplements make no difference in measures of intellect when the kids are six years old.
[FONT=&quot]The findings support the results of an earlier Norwegian study that also found no differences in IQ among seven-year-olds whose mothers did or did not take fish oil supplements while pregnant and breastfeeding.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

Fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), that are found in fish and other foods are considered to be important for the developing fetus.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The question, however, has been whether adding more of these fats to mothers’ diets through supplements will further benefit the baby.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In the current experiment, researchers asked expectant mothers during the second half of their pregnancies to take fish oil, fish oil plus a folate supplement, folate alone or a pill that did not contain any supplements.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Nearly seven years later, the team, led by Dr. Cristina Campoy at the University of Granada in Spain, gave intelligence tests to 154 children from this group.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The kids performed similarly on the tests, regardless of what type of pill their mothers had taken during pregnancy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not mean that fatty acids like DHA are not important.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In fact, the researchers found that the children of women who had high levels of DHA in their red blood cells around the time they gave birth scored above average on the intelligence tests at age six.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]These mothers, however, were not necessarily given fish oil supplements. Rather, the result could reflect mothers’ intake of DHA from various sources over a longer period of time, and might mean that long term fatty acid intake “is more beneficial than receiving supplementation alone during pregnancy,” the authors wrote in their study.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A recent study in Australia also found that DHA supplements did not help the visual development of babies (see Reuters Health story of May 26, 2011).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The current study did not measure the diets of the children, something that could have influenced the results, said Dr. Ingrid Helland at Oslo University Hospital, who led the earlier Norwegian research.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“It might be that subtle beneficial effects of (prenatal fish oil) supplementation are being overshadowed by other factors (genetics, social stimulation, nutrition etc),” Helland wrote in an email to Reuters Health.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She is not totally giving up on the idea that taking fish oil might be beneficial.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“If a friend would ask me if she should take supplements or not, I would recommend supplementation, but emphasize that we still do not have any scientific proof that it benefits the child,” said Helland.[/FONT]

 

[Night_Hawk]

Higher testosterone to lower heart risks

(Reuters)

5 October 2011
Elderly men with naturally higher levels of testosterone may be less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those men with lower levels of the hormone, according to a study.
Findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that of 2,400 Swedish men in their 70s and 80s, those with the highest testosterone levels were less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke over the next several years than men with the lowest levels.
But the results do not prove that testosterone itself deserves the credit, and it’s too soon to recommend testosterone replacement to try to lower heart risks.
‘What we can say is that elderly men with high testosterone levels are relatively protected against cardiovascular events, and therefore lower testosterone is a marker for increased cardiovascular risk,’ said Asa Tivesten, at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, who led the study.
It’s known that any serious health condition can lower testosterone levels, as can obesity. But in the study, the researchers accounted for a number of health factors—including the men’s weight, blood pressure and any diagnoses of diabetes, heart disease or stroke at the outset.
Of 604 men in the bottom quarter for levels of the ‘male’ hormone at the study’s start, 21 percent had a heart attack, severe chest pain or stroke over roughly five years.
That compared with roughly 16 percent of the 606 men who started out with the highest testosterone levels.
Even accounting for health factors, men in the highest-testosterone group still showed a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease or stroke compared with the other three-quarters of the study group.
But that doesn’t rule out the possibility that something other than testosterone may be at work, said JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the study.
‘Low testosterone may be a marker of other health conditions that put men at higher risk of cardiovascular disease,’ she said.
Potential reasons for why higher natural testosterone levels may be good for the heart include the fact that higher testosterone generally means less body fat and more lean muscle.
What’s needed, she added, is evidence from clinical trials that actually test whether testosterone replacement in older men cuts the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Those trials are ongoing and so far, she noted, the results are mixed on whether testosterone replacement improves ‘intermediate’ outcomes like cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
No one yet knows if it affects the ultimate outcomes of cardiovascular disease and lifespan.
‘There are many unanswered questions, and I don’t think this means that men should be trying to boost their testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy,’ she said.
The experience with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women offers a cautionary tale.
Before 2002, many women used HRT in the hopes of warding off heart disease and osteoporosis. Then a large US clinical trial found that women given pills containing estrogen and progesterone actually had higher risks of blood clots, heart attack, stroke and breast cancer than women given placebo pills.
Now HRT is largely used only for treating severe hot flashes—and then, only at the lowest dose and for the shortest time possible.
‘So there are concerns about the risks in men,’ Manson said.
Among those are the potential for testosterone to contribute to blood clots, liver damage or prostate cancer.
‘This is a study of endogenous (natural) hormone production. It does not provide information about what is happening when hormones are given as a therapy,’ Tiveston said. SOURCE:bit.ly/oDvZxv

 

[Night_Hawk]

Health food for heart patients, diabetics
(IANS)

17 October 2011
People suffering from heart diseases and diabetes should eat a lot of beans, soybean, tofu and lentils as these are rich in proteins and low on fat and cholesterol, an expert said.
[FONT=&quot]With the number Indians suffering from diabetes and heart ailments on the rise, an interactive cooking session -- 'Healthy food for healthy heart' -- was conducted by nutritionist Ishi Khosla at the Max Super Speciality Hospital here.

"To eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art. We want people to change their eating habits by choosing which foods to eat more and which to limit," Khosla said.

The nutritionist conducted a cooking session where simple, quick and easy to make recipes for people suffering from heart diseases and diabetes were shared.

"The recipes shared today are not only healthy but appealing by experimenting with ingredients like beans, soybean, tofu and lentils, which are rich in protein and contain less fat and no cholesterol."

According to Khosla, people do not opt for healthier substitutes till it is too late.

"People should opt for green tea, whole grains like brown rice and barley. The problem with us is that we never value health is till sickness comes," said Khosla.[/FONT]