NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Poor quality sleep - whether from insomnia, sleep fragmentation, or nightmares - is associated with increased risk of death, according to several presentations this week in Seattle at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
One study, conducted at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, suggests that insomnia may be as hazardous as obstructive sleep apnea.
"Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with an activation of the stress system, i.e., higher secretion of cortisol and increased risk of high blood pressure," said lead author Dr. Alexandros Vgontzas. He and his associates examined the effects of insomnia that persisted for at least 1 year and objective short sleep duration on mortality.
linkto
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Airway Exercise May Heal Snorring
Snorring: get correct routine exercise to fix it!
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Exercises involving the tongue and soft palate may reduce the severity and symptoms in patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep specialists report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
OSA is a condition in which the throat muscles collapse during sleep, preventing oxygen from getting to the lungs. These episodes, called "apnea," are followed by loud snoring and labored breathing. The sleeper is eventually aroused from deep sleep as he struggles to breath. This all results in overall poor sleep quality, followed by daytime drowsiness.
A recent study showed that playing the didgeridoo to train the upper airway muscles "significantly ameliorated OSA syndrome severity and associated symptoms," according to principal investigator Dr. Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho and associates at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil. A didgeridoo is a wind instrument used by Australian Aborigines consisting of a long thick hollowed-out wooden pipe that makes a deep reverberating sound.
With this in mind, the researchers chose a set of isometric and isotonic exercises for the tongue and soft palate area (oropharyngeal area) derived from speech therapy training that involved suction, swallowing, chewing, breathing and speech. In a clinical trial, 31 patients were randomly assigned to the exercise regimen (to be performed for 30 minutes each day for 3 months), or to a sham "deep breathing" therapy.
Read more
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Exercises involving the tongue and soft palate may reduce the severity and symptoms in patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep specialists report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
OSA is a condition in which the throat muscles collapse during sleep, preventing oxygen from getting to the lungs. These episodes, called "apnea," are followed by loud snoring and labored breathing. The sleeper is eventually aroused from deep sleep as he struggles to breath. This all results in overall poor sleep quality, followed by daytime drowsiness.
A recent study showed that playing the didgeridoo to train the upper airway muscles "significantly ameliorated OSA syndrome severity and associated symptoms," according to principal investigator Dr. Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho and associates at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil. A didgeridoo is a wind instrument used by Australian Aborigines consisting of a long thick hollowed-out wooden pipe that makes a deep reverberating sound.
With this in mind, the researchers chose a set of isometric and isotonic exercises for the tongue and soft palate area (oropharyngeal area) derived from speech therapy training that involved suction, swallowing, chewing, breathing and speech. In a clinical trial, 31 patients were randomly assigned to the exercise regimen (to be performed for 30 minutes each day for 3 months), or to a sham "deep breathing" therapy.
Read more
Smoking to Reduce Weight: No Kidding?
I don't want to promote smoking. I had heard that rumours that smoking can reduce weight. I started smoking 10 years ago, but it never give me ideal weight. Once I was very satisfied to my shape, it is due to diet and very much exercise. But at least, finally I know that the rumours have background.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Offering clues to why smokers often gain weight after quitting, a new study suggests that smoking enhances the activity of a gene that helps break down body fat.
Researchers found that compared with non-smokers, a group of healthy smokers showed greater activity in a gene called AZGP1 in cell samples taken from their airways.
Because the gene is thought to be important in breaking down fat and controlling weight, the findings point to one possible reason that smokers tend to weigh less than non-smokers -- and why people often put on pounds after quitting.
Read more
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Offering clues to why smokers often gain weight after quitting, a new study suggests that smoking enhances the activity of a gene that helps break down body fat.
Researchers found that compared with non-smokers, a group of healthy smokers showed greater activity in a gene called AZGP1 in cell samples taken from their airways.
Because the gene is thought to be important in breaking down fat and controlling weight, the findings point to one possible reason that smokers tend to weigh less than non-smokers -- and why people often put on pounds after quitting.
Read more
Friday, April 10, 2009
Regarding high levels of lead in blood
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women with high levels of lead in their blood are likely to die sooner -- particularly from heart disease -- than their counterparts with low lead levels, new research indicates.
Those with lead concentrations above 8 micrograms per deciliter of blood were 59 percent more likely to die of any cause, and three times more likely to die of heart disease, than women with lower blood lead levels.
Results of the most recent US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2002) indicate that average blood lead levels have declined sharply -- relative to earlier surveys -- to 1.45 micrograms per deciliter.
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Those with lead concentrations above 8 micrograms per deciliter of blood were 59 percent more likely to die of any cause, and three times more likely to die of heart disease, than women with lower blood lead levels.
Results of the most recent US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2002) indicate that average blood lead levels have declined sharply -- relative to earlier surveys -- to 1.45 micrograms per deciliter.
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Caution with multivitamins
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead, the company reports.
ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.
Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on http://www.consumerlab.com/.
ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.
Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on http://www.consumerlab.com/.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The waist size influence a person's risk of heart failure
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Both body mass index (BMI) and waist size influence a person's risk of being hospitalized with heart failure or dying of the condition, new research shows.
"This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight through diet and exercise," Dr. Emily B. Levitan of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a researcher on the study, told Reuters Health.
In heart failure, the organ becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently through a person's body, leading to fatigue, swelling of the legs, and difficulty breathing. Heart failure is the top cause of hospitalization among Americans 65 and older, Levitan and her colleagues note in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
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"This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight through diet and exercise," Dr. Emily B. Levitan of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a researcher on the study, told Reuters Health.
In heart failure, the organ becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently through a person's body, leading to fatigue, swelling of the legs, and difficulty breathing. Heart failure is the top cause of hospitalization among Americans 65 and older, Levitan and her colleagues note in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
Read more
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Go to Nicotine replacement
LONDON (Reuters) - Nicotine replacement therapy can help smokers quit even when they do not think they are ready, researchers reported on Friday.
Smokers who do not yet want to quit but are prepared to reduce their smoking are twice as likely to stop in the long term if they use nicotine replacements to help them cut down gradually, the University of Birmingham team reported.
"Until now experts have advised people not to reduce their smoking but to quit abruptly," Paul Aveyard, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview. "The worry has been that advising reduction will somehow deter people from the better alternative, which is stopping right now," he added.
The team reviewed seven trials involving nearly 3,000 people. Overall, 6.75 percent of those using some type of nicotine replacement were able to go six months without smoking -- twice as many as those who were given placebos.
Studies suggest half of those who manage six months without smoking will maintain it for the rest of their lives.
Aveyard said the review also looked into the safety of smoking while using nicotine replacements, something which had previously been advised against, and found there was no suggestion of any serious health problems.
read more
Smokers who do not yet want to quit but are prepared to reduce their smoking are twice as likely to stop in the long term if they use nicotine replacements to help them cut down gradually, the University of Birmingham team reported.
"Until now experts have advised people not to reduce their smoking but to quit abruptly," Paul Aveyard, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview. "The worry has been that advising reduction will somehow deter people from the better alternative, which is stopping right now," he added.
The team reviewed seven trials involving nearly 3,000 people. Overall, 6.75 percent of those using some type of nicotine replacement were able to go six months without smoking -- twice as many as those who were given placebos.
Studies suggest half of those who manage six months without smoking will maintain it for the rest of their lives.
Aveyard said the review also looked into the safety of smoking while using nicotine replacements, something which had previously been advised against, and found there was no suggestion of any serious health problems.
read more
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Omega 3 Diet Reduce Cancer Risk
LONDON (Reuters) - An omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oils reduced the size of tumors in mice and made a chemotherapy drug more potent while limiting its harmful effects, Egyptian researchers reported on Thursday.
The findings, published in publisher BioMed Central's peer-reviewed Cell Division journal, add to evidence showing a range of health benefits from eating the fatty acids found in foods such as salmon.
A.M. El-Mowafy and colleagues from Mansoura University in Egypt looked at how an omega 3 fatty acid called docosahexanoic acid, or DHA, affected solid tumors growing in mice and how well it interacted with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin.
In March, U.S. researchers showed that a diet high in omega 3 fatty acids -- the kind found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines -- protected against advanced prostate cancer even in men more at risk of the disease.
Read more
The findings, published in publisher BioMed Central's peer-reviewed Cell Division journal, add to evidence showing a range of health benefits from eating the fatty acids found in foods such as salmon.
A.M. El-Mowafy and colleagues from Mansoura University in Egypt looked at how an omega 3 fatty acid called docosahexanoic acid, or DHA, affected solid tumors growing in mice and how well it interacted with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin.
In March, U.S. researchers showed that a diet high in omega 3 fatty acids -- the kind found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines -- protected against advanced prostate cancer even in men more at risk of the disease.
Read more
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Sleep problems may lead to Suicide
LONDON (Reuters) - People who suffer chronic sleep problems are more likely to think about suicide or actually try to kill themselves, researchers said on Wednesday.
The more types of sleep disturbances a person had -- such as waking up too early, difficulty falling asleep or lying awake at night -- upped the odds of suicidal thoughts, planning a suicide, or attempting it, researchers told a conference.
"People with two or more sleep symptoms were 2.6 times more likely to report a suicide attempt than those without any insomnia complaints," Marcin Wojnar, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the Medical University of Poland, who led the study, said in a statement.
"This has implications for public health as the presence of sleep problems should alert doctors to assess such patients for a heightened risk of suicide even if they don't have a psychiatric condition."
According to the World Health Organization, some 877,000 people worldwide kill themselves each year. For every suicide death, anywhere from 10 to 40 attempts are made, the U.N. agency estimates.
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The more types of sleep disturbances a person had -- such as waking up too early, difficulty falling asleep or lying awake at night -- upped the odds of suicidal thoughts, planning a suicide, or attempting it, researchers told a conference.
"People with two or more sleep symptoms were 2.6 times more likely to report a suicide attempt than those without any insomnia complaints," Marcin Wojnar, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the Medical University of Poland, who led the study, said in a statement.
"This has implications for public health as the presence of sleep problems should alert doctors to assess such patients for a heightened risk of suicide even if they don't have a psychiatric condition."
According to the World Health Organization, some 877,000 people worldwide kill themselves each year. For every suicide death, anywhere from 10 to 40 attempts are made, the U.N. agency estimates.
Readmore
Germy Mouth May not be Dentist business Alone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with the germiest mouths are the most likely to have heart attacks, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
A study that compared heart attack victims to healthy volunteers found the heart patients had higher numbers of bacteria in their mouths, the researchers said.
Their findings add to a growing body of evidence linking oral hygiene with overall health.
Oelisoa Andriankaja and colleagues at the University at Buffalo in New York were trying to find if any particular species of bacteria might be causing heart attacks.
Their tests on 386 men and women who had suffered heart attacks and 840 people free of heart trouble showed two types -- Tannerella forsynthesis and Prevotella intermedia -- were more common among the heart attack patients.
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A study that compared heart attack victims to healthy volunteers found the heart patients had higher numbers of bacteria in their mouths, the researchers said.
Their findings add to a growing body of evidence linking oral hygiene with overall health.
Oelisoa Andriankaja and colleagues at the University at Buffalo in New York were trying to find if any particular species of bacteria might be causing heart attacks.
Their tests on 386 men and women who had suffered heart attacks and 840 people free of heart trouble showed two types -- Tannerella forsynthesis and Prevotella intermedia -- were more common among the heart attack patients.
Read more
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Risk of Heart Attack is more on Women in Living with Parents Marriage
It's for women, not men. After reading this reports, many wives will go to their husband with ultimatum, to leave the parents or ...
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women, but not men, who live in households with a spouse, children, and parents have double the risk for a coronary event, such as a heart attack or need for heart surgery, as women who live only with a spouse, according to research from Japan.
Stress may play a role in this increased risk, as about a quarter of the women living in a three-generation household or living with a spouse and parent reported high stress. Fewer women were highly stressed when they lived alone, with a spouse, or with a spouse and child, Professor H. Iso and colleagues report in the journal Heart.
However, among the women, those living in three-generation households had twice the risk for heart-related events as women living only with a spouse. Moreover, women living with spouses and parents had triple the risk for heart problems compared with women living only with a spouse.
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women, but not men, who live in households with a spouse, children, and parents have double the risk for a coronary event, such as a heart attack or need for heart surgery, as women who live only with a spouse, according to research from Japan.
Stress may play a role in this increased risk, as about a quarter of the women living in a three-generation household or living with a spouse and parent reported high stress. Fewer women were highly stressed when they lived alone, with a spouse, or with a spouse and child, Professor H. Iso and colleagues report in the journal Heart.
However, among the women, those living in three-generation households had twice the risk for heart-related events as women living only with a spouse. Moreover, women living with spouses and parents had triple the risk for heart problems compared with women living only with a spouse.
Read more
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Trigger for Migraine
March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists believe they may have found the biological trigger to a particular type of migraine headache.
In the March 12 issue of Neuron, an Italian university study on mice found that increased levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain appear to kick off a cortical spreading depression (CSD), a phenomenon that causes migraine sufferers to experience a visual disturbance known as migraine aura. The mice in the study had a gene mutation that has been shown to make people more susceptible to familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM), a subtype of severe migraine accompanied by the aura.
Brain imaging has previously shown that strong neuronal depolarization creeps across the cerebral cortex during CSD, initially increasing electrical signals in the brain, then suppressing neural activity for an extended period of time. Researchers have suspected CSD may flip on certain switches that start a migraine headache.
The researchers from the University of Padova, led by senior author Daniela Pietrobon, found that calcium influx and subsequent glutamate release at cortical pyramidal cell synapses were greater in mice with the FHM mutation. When the release of glutamate -- the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain -- was decreased to normal levels, the mice did not experience aura-inducing CSD.
In the March 12 issue of Neuron, an Italian university study on mice found that increased levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain appear to kick off a cortical spreading depression (CSD), a phenomenon that causes migraine sufferers to experience a visual disturbance known as migraine aura. The mice in the study had a gene mutation that has been shown to make people more susceptible to familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM), a subtype of severe migraine accompanied by the aura.
Brain imaging has previously shown that strong neuronal depolarization creeps across the cerebral cortex during CSD, initially increasing electrical signals in the brain, then suppressing neural activity for an extended period of time. Researchers have suspected CSD may flip on certain switches that start a migraine headache.
The researchers from the University of Padova, led by senior author Daniela Pietrobon, found that calcium influx and subsequent glutamate release at cortical pyramidal cell synapses were greater in mice with the FHM mutation. When the release of glutamate -- the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain -- was decreased to normal levels, the mice did not experience aura-inducing CSD.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Study: A Heart Disease Risk Person is also a Cancer High Risk
Now, avoid heart disease, you may get free from cancer risk as well.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein that signals inflammation and heart disease may also show that a person has a high risk of cancer, researchers said on Friday.
People with high levels of C-reactive protein or CRP, already being studied for its links to heart disease, had a 30 percent higher risk of cancer, Danish researchers found. And cancer patients with the highest CRP levels were 80 percent more likely to die early, they found.
Five years after cancer diagnosis, 40 percent of patients with high CRP levels were alive, compared with 70 percent of patients with low CRP levels.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein that signals inflammation and heart disease may also show that a person has a high risk of cancer, researchers said on Friday.
People with high levels of C-reactive protein or CRP, already being studied for its links to heart disease, had a 30 percent higher risk of cancer, Danish researchers found. And cancer patients with the highest CRP levels were 80 percent more likely to die early, they found.
Five years after cancer diagnosis, 40 percent of patients with high CRP levels were alive, compared with 70 percent of patients with low CRP levels.
read more
Green Leaf Vegetables Reduces Cancer Risk
Beside the fact in this study that it is significant to men than women(?), we must take that consistently vegetables may lower colorectal cancer.
Our study, consistent with findings from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort Study (observed that vegetable intake was related to lower risk of colorectal cancer for men but not for women. This gender difference may be partially explained by differential reporting errors. Studies have found that healthful attitudes, beliefs, and dietary habits were more strongly correlated with vegetable intake among women than among men and that women overreported foods perceived as healthy. Misreporting of fruit and vegetable intakes by women in our study would have led to exposure misclassification, resulting in an attenuated association.
In this large, prospective cohort study with 2,972 incident colorectal cancer cases and extensive information on diet and other colorectal cancer risk factors, the researcher observed that vegetable intake was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer for men but not for women. The association was stronger among individuals with very low intakes of fruits and vegetables, suggesting a certain minimum amount of daily fruit and vegetable consumption to avoid increased risk of colorectal cancer. Among subgroups of vegetables, green leafy vegetable intake was inversely associated with risk of colorectal cancer for men.
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Obesity: Again, blame it to the genes
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have found a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, offering new clues about how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity.
The gene, called DNA-PK, appears to regulate the process in the liver that turns carbohydrates into fat, the University of California, Berkeley team reported on Thursday in the journal Cell.
"We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat," Roger Wong, a graduate student who worked on the study, said in a statement.
When they bred mice with a disabled version of this gene, the mice stayed slim even when fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.
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The gene, called DNA-PK, appears to regulate the process in the liver that turns carbohydrates into fat, the University of California, Berkeley team reported on Thursday in the journal Cell.
"We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat," Roger Wong, a graduate student who worked on the study, said in a statement.
When they bred mice with a disabled version of this gene, the mice stayed slim even when fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.
Read more
Purified Water is Bad for Our Health?
Well, actually I don't know if it is real. But the person who says it is an MD and logically acceptable. Do I have to take care of what I drink as well (as a matter of fact, my fresh water drink), while a lot of notice on food security already? Fresh water should be good for our health.
Reverse osmosis or purified water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking purified water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).
The more purified water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Purified" water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact.
There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (purified water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.
Reverse osmosis or purified water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking purified water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).
The more purified water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Purified" water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact.
There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (purified water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.
Genes determine cancer risk of smokers?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Certain changes in a gene called ADAM33 can determine whether a smoker is likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or not, new research indicates.
Only about a quarter of long-term smokers develop COPD, the authors note. ADAM33 has been shown in previous studies to be associated with asthma and overreactive airways. This relationship, however, has not been studied in tobacco smokers who are susceptible to COPD.
In the new study, the research team looked for small genetic changes or "polymorphisms" in ADAM33 in 880 long-term heavy smokers.
Two hundred eighty-seven of the study subjects had COPD and 311 did not. All of them were older than age 50 years and all had been smoking at least a pack of cigarettes each day for 20 years. Ninety-seven percent of the subjects were male.
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Only about a quarter of long-term smokers develop COPD, the authors note. ADAM33 has been shown in previous studies to be associated with asthma and overreactive airways. This relationship, however, has not been studied in tobacco smokers who are susceptible to COPD.
In the new study, the research team looked for small genetic changes or "polymorphisms" in ADAM33 in 880 long-term heavy smokers.
Two hundred eighty-seven of the study subjects had COPD and 311 did not. All of them were older than age 50 years and all had been smoking at least a pack of cigarettes each day for 20 years. Ninety-seven percent of the subjects were male.
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Green Tea for gum health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A cup of green tea per day may help keep gum disease at bay, a new study suggests.Researchers found that among middle-aged Japanese, the odds of having gum disease declined as the men's intake of green tea rose.
For each daily cup they drank, the risk of having signs of gum disease -- including receding, easily bleeding gums -- inched downward, the researchers report in the Journal of Periodontology.
The findings do not mean, however, that green tea is a substitute for seeing the dentist. The relationship between green tea and lower odds of gum disease was fairly weak, Dr. Yoshihiro Shimazaki, one of the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health.
For each daily cup they drank, the risk of having signs of gum disease -- including receding, easily bleeding gums -- inched downward, the researchers report in the Journal of Periodontology.
The findings do not mean, however, that green tea is a substitute for seeing the dentist. The relationship between green tea and lower odds of gum disease was fairly weak, Dr. Yoshihiro Shimazaki, one of the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health.
Read more
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Champagne Has Benefits for your Brain Cells Health
According to research published in the April 18 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Champagne may help protect the brain against injuries incurred during a stroke and other ailments, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
According to the report, which is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Reading in England and the Università degli studi di Cagliari, located in Monserrato, Italy, drinking Champagne responsibly may benefit one's health because previous research has shown the sparkling wine contains high amounts of polyphenols.
"There has been much recent interest in the potential of plant-derived polyphenols to protect against neuronal injury," wrote the study's authors. In previous research, they said, regular, moderate consumption of red wine has also been shown to help slow down premature aging and improve circulation.
Polyphenols are known antioxidants, which are believed to help prevent cell death due to oxidative stress. Though polyphenols are found in greater abundance in red wines, mainly due to longer exposure to the grape seeds and skins during the winemaking process, past studies have found Champagne to contain high amounts of other types of phenolic compounds, such as tyrosol and caffeic acid.
In order to test if the polyphenols found in Champagne are similarly beneficial to those in red wines, the scientists prepared extracts from blanc de blancs Champagnes (made with Chardonnay only) and blanc de noir Champagnes (made exclusively from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier). After confirming that the extracts contained measurable levels of the aforementioned polyphenols, the scientist prepared several samples of cortical neuron cells from mice.
Some of the cells were left alone to serve as a control group, while the others were pretreated with the Champagne extracts. Once the nerve cells were observed to be firing, the scientists simulated a stroke by exposing the cells to a compound called peroxynitrite, a reactive compound formed in the brain during inflammatory conditions.
The scientists monitored the way the brain cells reacted to the presence of the peroxynitrite, and found that "pretreatment with Champagne wine extracts resulted in significant protection against neurotoxicity." The blanc de noir extract offered the greater protection because of the red-wine component, the authors wrote, though they pointed out that the amounts of polyphenols in Champagne vary greatly from "variety, vintage and a wide range of environmental factors."
The scientists believe the Champagne extracts protected neuron cells in several ways, noting that in the sample with the highest concentration of sparkling wine, brain-cell function was completely restored over time. The researchers added that caffeic acid and tyrosol may help to regulate the cells' response to injury with their anti-inflammatory properties. The compounds also act as cellular-level mops, essentially cleaning up and removing harmful chemicals from the body.
The scientists also wrote that there is evidence that dietary polyphenols can cross the "blood-brain barrier," which would suggest that the above molecular behavior has the potential to act in the same way, within the human central nervous system, if consumed.
"At this stage it is too early to say whether drinking Champagne may have a beneficial effect on brain aging," said Spencer, as it remains to be seen if the wine would have a similar effect on human brain cells as it did on those of mice. "However, we are about to begin a new human investigation where we will attempt to address this. Hopefully we will be able to shed more light on the potential beneficial effects of Champagne on human health in the future," he said.
Read more
According to the report, which is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Reading in England and the Università degli studi di Cagliari, located in Monserrato, Italy, drinking Champagne responsibly may benefit one's health because previous research has shown the sparkling wine contains high amounts of polyphenols.
"There has been much recent interest in the potential of plant-derived polyphenols to protect against neuronal injury," wrote the study's authors. In previous research, they said, regular, moderate consumption of red wine has also been shown to help slow down premature aging and improve circulation.
Polyphenols are known antioxidants, which are believed to help prevent cell death due to oxidative stress. Though polyphenols are found in greater abundance in red wines, mainly due to longer exposure to the grape seeds and skins during the winemaking process, past studies have found Champagne to contain high amounts of other types of phenolic compounds, such as tyrosol and caffeic acid.
In order to test if the polyphenols found in Champagne are similarly beneficial to those in red wines, the scientists prepared extracts from blanc de blancs Champagnes (made with Chardonnay only) and blanc de noir Champagnes (made exclusively from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier). After confirming that the extracts contained measurable levels of the aforementioned polyphenols, the scientist prepared several samples of cortical neuron cells from mice.
Some of the cells were left alone to serve as a control group, while the others were pretreated with the Champagne extracts. Once the nerve cells were observed to be firing, the scientists simulated a stroke by exposing the cells to a compound called peroxynitrite, a reactive compound formed in the brain during inflammatory conditions.
The scientists monitored the way the brain cells reacted to the presence of the peroxynitrite, and found that "pretreatment with Champagne wine extracts resulted in significant protection against neurotoxicity." The blanc de noir extract offered the greater protection because of the red-wine component, the authors wrote, though they pointed out that the amounts of polyphenols in Champagne vary greatly from "variety, vintage and a wide range of environmental factors."
The scientists believe the Champagne extracts protected neuron cells in several ways, noting that in the sample with the highest concentration of sparkling wine, brain-cell function was completely restored over time. The researchers added that caffeic acid and tyrosol may help to regulate the cells' response to injury with their anti-inflammatory properties. The compounds also act as cellular-level mops, essentially cleaning up and removing harmful chemicals from the body.
The scientists also wrote that there is evidence that dietary polyphenols can cross the "blood-brain barrier," which would suggest that the above molecular behavior has the potential to act in the same way, within the human central nervous system, if consumed.
"At this stage it is too early to say whether drinking Champagne may have a beneficial effect on brain aging," said Spencer, as it remains to be seen if the wine would have a similar effect on human brain cells as it did on those of mice. "However, we are about to begin a new human investigation where we will attempt to address this. Hopefully we will be able to shed more light on the potential beneficial effects of Champagne on human health in the future," he said.
Read more
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Green Tea Drinkers have lower cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who get plenty of mushrooms and green tea in their diets may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, new study findings suggest
The study, of more than 2,000 Chinese women, found that the more fresh and dried mushrooms the women ate, the lower was their breast cancer risk.
The risk was lower still among those who also drank green tea everyday.
It's known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four- to five- times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries -- though the rate has been climbing over the past few decades in the most affluent parts of China.
Drink Green Tea is worthed.
Read more
The study, of more than 2,000 Chinese women, found that the more fresh and dried mushrooms the women ate, the lower was their breast cancer risk.
The risk was lower still among those who also drank green tea everyday.
It's known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four- to five- times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries -- though the rate has been climbing over the past few decades in the most affluent parts of China.
Drink Green Tea is worthed.
Read more
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