Jai Ho: March 2011

Milk in tea could prevent weight loss

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Thursday, March 31, 2011 0 comments

Beware, especially if you want to lose weight - don't add milk to tea, or you would pile on the pounds.

Scientists have discovered that tea contains high levels of compounds that help reduce the amount of fat but proteins found in cows' milk neutralise this fat-fighting ability.

New research has shown that the compounds, called theaflavins and thearubigins, prevent obesity when given to rats that were also on a high-fat diet.

Researchers now believe this could explain why people in Britain appear not to benefit from the healthy affects of tea despite being among the world's biggest consumers of the beverage, the Telegraph reports.

Devajit Borthakur, a scientist at the Tea Research Association at Jorhat in the Indian state of Assam, said: 'When tea is taken with milk, theaflavins and thearubigins form complexes with the milk protein, which causes them to precipitate.'

'It means that we don't get the health benefit from these compounds nor from milk protein. Therefore, it is always advised to take tea without milk.'

A study by scientists in Japan, reveals that extracts from tea leaves inhibit the absorption of fat in the guts of rats being fed high-fat diet.

These rats also had less fat tissue on their bodies and lower fat content in their livers, reports the Journal of Nutrition.

Hiroaki Yajima, a scientist with the Kirin Beverage Company in Japan who carried out the Japanese research, said: 'Black tea extracts may prevent diet-induced obesity by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption

Health tips | |

Longer breast feeding helps babies develop bigger brains

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London: Breast feeding for longer stretches could be a safe way to help babies develop bigger brains.

A three-year study of 128 mammal species, including humans, found that longer pregnancies and longer suckling times produce bigger brains in babies, possibly leading to a higher IQ.

The study suggests that women who breastfeed their babies for up to three years following nine-month pregnancies have a long period of dependency because it is required to support the growth of 1,300cc brains, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.

But animals such as fallow deer, which have roughly the same body weight as humans, are pregnant for just seven months with a suckling period of up to six months.

This results in 220cc brains, six times smaller than human brains, according to the Daily Mail.

Robert Barton, anthropologist from Britain's Durham University, said: 'We have discovered that brain growth in babies is linked to the amount of time and energy mothers invest in their child.'

'There is a strong relationship between specific issues in the way a mother invests in producing her offspring and a link between growth of the foetus and length of gestation.'

The scientists focused on brain and body size, maternal investment and life history variables in mammals such as gorillas and whales.

Pregnancy | |

Eat right for a glowing skin

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Tuesday, March 29, 2011 0 comments

Most of us would like to have glowing skin, especially as we get older. The good news is that one doesn't have to wait until summer to catch some healthy sun rays. A recent research suggests that tucking into vegetables and fruits gives you a healthy glow and makes you more attractive than through a suntan. The study, led by Dr Ian Stephen at The University of Nottingham, showed that people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more goldencomplexion, thanks to carotenoids.

Dr Jamuna Pai, cosmetic physician, says, "Plants are packed with the goodness of high-quality nutrients, which are beneficial for immunity andskin repair. Plant foods contain thousands of other compounds in addition to complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals that are known as phytonutrients, which are beneficial to humans."

For a healthy, natural glow, a daily minimum intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables is a must. Proper nutrition comes from a healthy diet. Dr Eileen Canday, chief dietician, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, suggests, "Colour your food with red, orange green, white and purple. If you have pink grapefruits, watermelons or red tomatoes, you are consuming lycopene. Besides, berries and grapes also give you red-purple anthocyanins and polyphenols. If orange makes you feel good, then freak out on carrots, mangoes or pumpkins rich in B- carotene. White is the colour of onions and garlic, which contain flavonoids."

Mickey Mehta, holistic fitness guru, warns, "Don't neglect your veggies as it is because of them that you are flaunting your silky tresses or youthful complexion. Vegetables not only add colour to your skin making it porcelain-like, but also help in cleansing your system."

Do your skin and body a favour and only eat fresh foods. Fresh fruits in summer like plums, peaches or nectarines are rich sources of phytonutrients and antioxidants, says homeopath Dr Shreepad Khedekar. Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach are the main source of antioxidants. Eat carrots, tomatoes, sweet potato, kale, broccoli, spinach and red peppers.

Advises Dr Khedekar, "Vegetable juices can be made using spinach, beetroot and amla, among others."

Diet Zone | |

Lice no more!

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

Is your hair laced with lice? Lisa Antao tells you how to deal with this problem

It's a common problem amongst children and teenagers but sometimes even adults get affected by it. The problem sometimes is confused with dandruff. We're talking about headlice. There are numerous shampoo advertisements promising to deal with dandruff but rarely for headlice. Read on to find out more on this problem...

What is it?
Headlice or louse are tiny wingless parasites biologically known as pediculus humanus capitis that inhabit and thrive on hair and the scalp. They feed on very small amount of blood that they draw from the scalp. Dermatologist Dr Prakash Seth says, "Head lice problem occurs more in women than men, because women usually have longer hair. Loose long hair is more susceptible to lice. And managing a lice infestation is more difficult on a long-haired person, as it is difficult to comb, inspect and treat."

How do they spread?
Headlice are passed from person to person by direct contact with the hair of an infested person. Cosmetic dermatologist and trichologist, Dr Sadhana Deshmukh says, "Anyone who comes in close contact with someone who already has head lice, or even their contaminated clothing and other belongings, such as hats/caps, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons is at risk of an infestation too." Personal contact is common during play and sports activities, and at school/college, home, slumber parties, or camps amongst children and teenagers.

One should refrain from using infested combs, brushes, or towels and avoid lying on a bed, couch, pillow, carpet, or keep away from stuffed animals that has recently been in contact with a person with lice.

Can they damage the hair and scalp?
Trichologist Dr Apoorva Shah says, "Lice aren't dangerous and don't spread any particular disorder, but are contagious and cause itching that can be terribly annoying and embarrassing. Lice bite may cause one's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection. It can lead to a bacterial infection which causes the skin to become red and tender and also involves crusting and oozing of pus along with swollen lymph glands."

Dr Deshmukh says that the most common symptom of infestation is itching on the head which normally intensifies three to four weeks after the initial infestation. Head lice infect hair on the head. They are easiest to see on the neck and over the ears. Tiny eggs on the hair look like flakes of dandruff. However, instead of flaking off the scalp, they stay put. Typically, only the head or scalp of the person gets infested, although in some cases lice can occur in other hairy parts of the body, like eyebrow, underarm, legs and genital hair.
Headlice can also have repercussions on one's social relationships, as this problem can be embarrassing. People tend to avoid coming in close contact with people suffering from headlice. Also, in some cases, children and teenagers in school/college could get teased by their peers. People also tend to question the hygiene habits of one infected with headlice.

Remedies
In order to deal with headlice proper care of hair and scalp should be taken. Dr Seth recommends the following remedies:

- Wash your hair everyday. You may shampoo it once in three days, but be sure to pass water through the hair daily. While washing the hair, massage at the roots of the hair, and not at the tips of the hair as it serves no purpose.
- Always wash your hair after you return home from a long journey where you have been in contact with crowded places.
- Clothing and bed linen can be washed in hot water with detergents.
- Objects like combs and brushes, hair bands and clips should be soaked in hot water or medicated shampoo, or both, or they could simply be replaced.

Symptoms
- Intense itching of the scalp.
- Small, red bumps on the scalp, neck, and shoulders (bumps may become crusty and ooze).
- Tiny white specks (eggs, or nits) on the bottom of each hair that are hard to get off.

Studies reveals | |

Tap away your negative emotions

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Monday, March 28, 2011 0 comments

When businesswoman Janet Thomson walked away from her marriage after 25 years, she was wracked with guilt. But she was able to free herself from the past with an extraordinarily simple technique — tapping. Here, Janet, 48, from Leicestershire, explains ...

Driving past the beautiful home where I had raised my children, I expected to be overwhelmed with emotion. There was so much to remember: my boys running endless races on the lawn. My daughter wheeling her dolls' pram up and down the drive. The summer parties. The birthdays and Christmas celebrations. The list was endless and every memory was a reminder of what I had lost.

My home, with its six bedrooms, its pool room and breathtaking conservatory, now belonged to strangers. I had been forced to sell it after a divorce.

But while I could remember every detail of my former life, I was amazed to discover that I didn't feel even the faintest flicker of emotion.

Every bad feeling had evaporated. I could look back on my old life and all the trauma of my divorce — without a single tear. In fact, the only thing I felt was immense relief to know I had cured myself of heartache. I had managed this not by months of soul-searching and expensive therapy but by the simplest means imaginable. I literally tapped my emotions away.

Simple yet powerful

I'm no fool — I'm a successful businesswoman with a masters degree. But I am convinced that, while it may sound absurdly simple, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a powerful tool.

Tapping various parts of your body while concentrating on the event that's troubling you, you eliminate the effect of those memories. When you have a trauma, you hold a memory of that trauma in your body in the form of a code that your body uses to re-assess the negative feelings.

These codes are stored in your meridian system — the pathways through which energy flows in the body. The codes lie dormant until activated by certain situations or thoughts. Then they open like a computer file. The negative thoughts often trigger physical symptoms such as headaches, stress or increased heart rate.

Using TFT, you can collapse the code and all the symptoms disappear.

When my husband Martin and I moved into our dream home outside an idyllic Leicestershire village in 1992, life could not have been better. I had landed a job helping diet guru Rosemary Conley establish her fitness classes around Britain. I earned £43,000 (Dh255,364) — a fortune in those days. I adored my job. I have a degree in nutrition and exercise science, and am passionate about promoting good health. Martin, 48, ran his own tiling business and together we juggled caring for our three children: Harry, then 8, Jack, 6, and Lauren, 2.

But, happy as things seemed, strains were beginning to show in our marriage. Quite simply, Martin wasn't as driven as I am. We rowed endlessly about the smallest things. But we never had the courage to admit the real problem. We weren't making each other happy. I retrained as a life coach. It was through my training that I discovered TFT in 2004. I was on a two-day counselling course in London. The trainer asked us all to think a happy thought. I couldn't find even one. All I remembered was the huge family row the previous day. In tears, I made my excuses to one of the assistants and prepared to leave. She asked if I could spare five minutes to try a technique she thought might help. To my relief, she didn't ask what was troubling me but asked me to think about the problem — whatever it was.

Then she started tapping specific points on my face and hands. As she did so, i felt a shift physically and emotionally as the almost paralysing negative emotions fell away, like a snake shedding its skin. It was extraordinary. You use the first two fingers of either hand to gently tap specific points related to the different meridians.

For anxiety, you tap three points in succession, under your eye, under your arm and your collar bone. Ten minutes later, I was able to talk about the row objectively. The tears and shaking were gone. I even tried to get the feeling back, thinking perhaps it was just because she had distracted me. I couldn't.

Intriguing practice

I was so intrigued, I enrolled on a specialist course and began to practise on friends. As I got better, the success rate improved. I know most people will be sceptical — I was at first. However, I never realised just how valuable tapping would prove to me until our marriage finally ended. For all the relief, I also felt devastated and a terrible, crushing guilt.

The only thing that kept me going was tapping. Each time I received an unpleasant legal letter or saw Lauren's pained face, I would sit down and tap.

Amazing discovery

The practice was created 40 years ago by psychology professor Dr Roger Callahan. He discovered he could collapse negative emotions by tapping his patients' meridian points. He used tapping to treat everything from needle phobias to grief and found it is useful for eradicating anxiety.

Tapping has no negative side-effects. It's not about eradicating memories, it's about eradicating the effect of those memories.

So, although closing the door for the last time on my family home in August 2006 was painful, I tapped all the emotions away. I have moved to a cottage a few miles away and regularly pass my old home without feeling any sorrow. It's the same when Martin and I meet. The best way I can explain it is that I feel aware of the absence of any negative emotion.

The great comfort is that tapping is at my fingertips whenever I need it.

Do it yourself

Access the thought you want to eliminate. Make a picture in your mind of the event or what you fear might happen. Remember any sounds connected with it. Or focus on the feelings you get in your body when you think about the problem. You must hold this thought the whole time you tap. If you have a dog phobia and are thinking about what you are cooking for dinner, you won't eliminate the anxiety. Assess the level of emotion before and after the treatment to gauge your progress. Use a scale from one to ten — with ten being the strongest.

Holding the thought, tap the following points with your first two fingers for eight to ten seconds. Don't count — it doesn't matter if you tap for too long. Side of the hand, under the nose, eyebrow, undereye, underarm, collarbone. Tap the gamut spot — between the small knuckle and the ring-finger knuckle on the back of your hand continually and do a slow blink. Keeping your head still, look down to the right, then to the left, then make a circle with the eyes. Then circle the eyes the other way around.

Now hum a few notes out loud. This isolates the right, visual, side of the brain. Count out loud to five. Hum again. Repeat all the tapping points above. Using the scale one to ten, assess your emotion. It will probably have gone down. If so, repeat the process. If you find the thought or emotion has changed, hold the new thought.

Studies reveals | |

Early-warning diabetes test hope

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Sunday, March 27, 2011 0 comments

Experts believe a simple blood test could spot diabetes up to 10 years before the first symptoms of the disease occur.

By looking at levels of five amino acids in the blood US researchers were able to correctly identify people who went on to develop type 2 diabetes.

Ultimately the Harvard team hope a test like this could be used to screen for type 2 diabetes, Nature Medicine says.

Early detection can help prevent related complications like blindness.

Risk prediction

Dr Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Early diagnosis and effective management of type 2 diabetes are crucial in reducing the risk of developing diabetes complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.

"Therefore finding ways to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition are important.

This research, in future, could lead to ways to help us identify those at risk as well as giving us new insights into how and why type 2 diabetes develops."

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to being overweight, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet.

In many cases the condition can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, Dr King said.

Aside from keeping an eye on a person's weight and blood sugar, doctors have had little else they can use to identify at risk individuals.

The test used in the study looks for levels of small molecules in the blood. Among the 2,422 health volunteers tested, 201 later went on to develop diabetes.

And the researchers found that the early blood tests readily identified these patients years before they developed any symptoms.

Those with the highest levels of amino acids in their blood were five times as likely to develop diabetes within the following 12 years of the study.

Dr Robert Gerszten and colleagues who carried out the work say more studies are needed before the test could be recommended for general use.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly
Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body have been destroyed and the body is unable to produce any insulin
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly
Type 2 diabetes accounts for between 85-95% of all people with diabetes and is treated with a healthy diet and increased physical activity. Some may also need medicaton and/or insulin

Diet Zone | |

Antibiotics in meat harmful to health

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Saturday, March 26, 2011 0 comments

With its blunt warning that antibiotics in meat "pose a serious threat to public health", the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged what many scientists have been saying for a long time.

For years, evidence has been mounting that extensive use of antibiotics in livestock, particularly to promote growth or prevent the spread of disease in crowded pens, has resulted in the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

The issue is not that the meat itself is infected or that consumers are ingesting antibiotics with their protein but that the overuse of antibiotics is diminishing the efficacy of crucial medications needed for human use. Estimates are that 70,000 Americans each year die from infections that once could be treated with common medications. The European Union has banned the use of antibiotics in livestock except to treat illness but similar efforts in the US have stalled.

So recently, when the FDA issued a "draft guidance" urging meat producers to employ antibiotics judiciously, asking them to voluntarily limit their use to instances of "medical necessity" or to administer them with the oversight of a veterinarian, it was a step forward. Sort of.

However, the draft has no teeth and proposes no regulations that might become law. What's more, it doesn't discourage the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock to prevent disease, which is a big part of the problem. It should have allowed the use of antibiotics only to treat animals that are sick.

It is difficult to tell where all the stakeholders stand. The American Veterinary Medical Association welcomed the FDA's action and vowed to work with the agency. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association issued a statement asserting that the causes behind drug-resistant infections are complex and solutions should also take into account human misuse of antibiotics.

It's harmful to public health to use antibiotics preventively or to promote growth. No longer is the question whether antibiotics in meat farming should be curtailed but how best to go about doing it.

Source: http://gulfnews.com/life-style/health/antibiotics-in-meat-harmful-to-health-1.718477

Diet Zone | |

Marmite can cure diabetes

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Thursday, March 24, 2011 0 comments

London: Marmite, a brown-coloured spread made from yeast, could save the lives of millions of people �because it contains a vitamin that protects against some potentially fatal heart conditions and diabetes, scientists have claimed.

Tests show that vitamin B1, which occurs naturally in yeast-based foods, may prove to be a potential lifesaver for �people with diabetes, reports express.co.uk.

The discovery could offer fresh hope to people who have diabetes and face an increased risk of heart problems.

Scientists from Bristol University have shown that a form of vitamin B1 protects heart cells from damage.

Although the tests have only been carried out in mice, they hope that further trials will show that the compound - also known as benfotiamine - can also work in humans.

Paolo Madeddu who led the study, said: 'Supplementation with benfotiamine from early stages of diabetes improved the �survival and healing of the hearts of diabetic mice that have had heart attacks.'

'We conclude that benfotiamine could be a novel treatment for people with diabetes, and the next step in this research will be testing whether similar �effects are seen in humans,' he said.

Health Secrets | |

Mobile use in pregnancy ups risk of kid's bad behaviour

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London: Pregnant women who regularly use mobile phones are likely to up the risk of bad behaviour in their children.

If their offspring then start using the devices at an early age, the chances of problems rise to 50 percent, according to researchers.

They found that those exposed to mobile phones in the womb had a 30 percent rise in behavioural difficulties at the age of seven, reports the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which also mirrored an earlier study by the survey team.

Leeka Kheifets from University of California in Los Angeles who led the study said both sets of results 'demonstrated that cell phone use was associated with behavioural problems at age seven years.'

Those exposed before birth and in their childhood were 50 percent more likely to have behavioural problems than those exposed to neither, according to the Daily Mail.

Children who used mobiles but were not exposed in the womb were 20 percent more likely to display abnormal behaviour.

However, some British scientists were sceptical, saying the findings may be due to lifestyle factors rather than mobiles.

In the study of 29,000 youngsters, mothers provided details of their lifestyle, diet and environment during and after pregnancy.

Pregnancy | |

What you eat can trigger mental illness

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

Washington: A change in diet is known to ease abnormal behaviour in the mentally ill. But a study in the US shows that diet might also trigger the onset of mental illness.

Joseph Garner, Purdue University associate professor of animal sciences, fed mice a diet high in sugar and tryptophan that was expected to reduce abnormal hair-pulling, the journal Nutritional Neuroscience reported.

Instead, mice that were already ill worsened or started scratching themselves. The seemingly healthy mice also developed the same abnormal behaviour, according to a Purdue release.

'This strain of mouse is predisposed to being either a scratcher or a hair-puller. Giving them this diet brought out those predispositions,' Garner said.

Garner studies trichotillomania, a disorder in which people pull out their hair. The disorder, which disproportionately occurs in women, is thought to affect 2-4 percent of the population.

Mice that pull their hair out have been shown to have low levels of serotonin activity in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects mood and impulses and is made from the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in diets.

Garner hypothesised that increasing serotonin activity in the brain might cure or reduce trichotillomania.

The problem is that tryptophan often doesn't cross the barrier between blood and the brain because other amino acids essentially block the door for tryptophan.

Garner modified a mouse diet to increase simple carbohydrates, or sugars, and tryptophan. The sugars trigger a release of insulin, which causes muscles to absorb those other amino acids and gives tryptophan a chance to make it to the brain.

Using eight times as much sugar and four times as much tryptophan, Garner observed a doubling of serotonin activity in the brain. But the mice that barbered did not get better.

'We put them on this diet, and it made them much, much worse,' Garner said.

Diet Zone | |

Constipation more likely in kids avoiding green diets

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London : Children who avoid greens in their diet are 13 times more likely to be constipated, says a new study.

The research also found that drinking less than two glasses of water daily increases the risk significantly.

Constipation is an often painful condition when bowel movements are infrequent or hard to pass and can lead to more serious bowel obstructions, reports the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Moon Fai Chan at the National University of Singapore and Yuk Ling Chan from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University studied the dietary habits of 383 primary school children in Hong Kong, according to the Daily Mail.

The team found that seven percent of the eight to 10-year-olds had 'functional constipation' - which is constipation without a physical or psychological cause.

Those who did not like fruits or vegetables were 13 times more likely to struggle in the toilets while children who did not drink enough water were eight times more at risk.

Chan said: 'A number of studies have suggested that functional constipation is getting worse among children.'

'It is estimated that functional constipation accounts for 95 percent of cases of constipation affecting children once they pass infancy.'

Studies reveals | |

Does cinnamon beat heart disease, diabetes

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy Wednesday, March 23, 2011 0 comments

London: Could cinnamon help prevent diabetes and heart disease? A study indicates that a cinnamon-water solution contains anti-oxidants that can slash chances of getting either disease by up to 23 percent.

The Centre for Applied Health Sciences researchers in Fairlawn, Ohio, US, studied a group of 'pre-diabetic' obese people. Pre-diabetes preceds full-blown diabetes, reports the Daily Mail.

Half the participants were given 250 mg of water-soluble cinnamon to take daily, the other half had a placebo.

Sufferers become resistant to higher-than-normal levels of insulin -- the hormone used to regulate blood-sugar levels -- produced by the pancreas.

Blood was collected at the start and end of the survey, published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, with cinnamon drinkers recording a 13 to 23 percent increase in antioxidants linked to lowering blood-sugar levels.

Richard Anderson, who led the study for the US Department of Agriculture, said that more research was needed into the effectiveness of cinnamon juice in preventing diabetes and heart disease.

Health Secrets | |

Turmeric helps fight cancer

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London: Curcumin, an extract of root turmeric, could destroy chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells and help fight the disease.

This could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and also help prevent the condition from returning.

Researchers at the University of Leicester in Britain have been using curcumin to target chemo-resistant cells.

The aim is to use the extract in colorectal tumour tissue, which kills far more than 600,000 people every year and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the western world, reports the Daily Mail.

Lead researcher Karen Brown, said: 'Following treatment for cancer, small populations of cancer cells often remain which are responsible for disease returning. These cells appear to have different properties to the bulk of cells within a tumour, making them resistant to chemotherapy.'

'Previous laboratory research has shown that curcumin not only improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy but also reduce the number of chemo-resistant cells, which has implications in preventing the disease from returning.

'We hope that our work will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which curcumin targets resistant cells in tumours. It should also help us identify those patient populations who are most likely to benefit from curcumin treatment in the future,' Brown added.

Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is best known as an orange/yellow powder used as a spice for curries but has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.

Its potential use in Alzheimer's, arthritis and other disorders is also being investigated around the world.

Fellow researcher Lynne Howells said money from Hope Against Cancer, which funds research fellowships at the university, had been key to furthering the research.

Diet Zone, Health Secrets | |

Humble red onion may be good for heart

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London: Red onion, commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, could help prevent heart disease. Scientists have discovered that it helps remove bad cholesterol - which can cause heart attacks and strokes - from the body.

At the same time, red onions retain the body's good cholesterol, which helps protect against heart disease.

Scientists in Hong Kong fed crushed red onions to hamsters which had all been put on a high cholesterol diet, reports the Daily Mail. They found that after eight weeks, levels of bad cholesterol, or low density lipoprotein (LDL), had dropped by an average of 20 percent.

But over the same period, there was no reduction in the hamsters' high cholesterol levels, also known as high density lipoprotein (HDL).

Zhen Yu Chen, who led the research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: 'Despite extensive research on onions, little is known of how their consumption interacts with human genes and proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism within the body.'

'Our study was, therefore, undertaken to characterise the interaction of onions with enzymes in an attempt to explore the underlying cholesterol-lowering mechanism,' Zhen said.

'This study is the first of its kind to investigate the interaction of red onions with biological functions. This results support the claim that the regular consumption of onion reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.'

Although white onions are by far the most popular type in Britain, red onions are widely used in India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They are far sweeter than the white variety and are often used raw in salads.

Diet Zone, Health tips | |

Paralysed patient gets stem cells to walk again

Posted by Elizebath Bijoy 0 comments

London: A paralysed patient has become the first person to receive a shot of human embryonic stem cells to help him walk again.

Doctors believe stem cells will help nerves in a newly-damaged spinal cord regenerate before the disability becomes permanent.

The patient has had millions of stem cells injected into the site of his injury in an effort to find a revolutionary cure, according to the US firm carrying out the hugely controversial experiment.

The study has been described by University College London professor Chris Mason as 'the dawn of the Stem Cell Age'.

It is likely to reignite a fiery debate over the ethics of the treatment, which uses cells derived from three-to-five-day old fertilised embryos discarded by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) doctors, the Daily Mail reported.

It offers hope to patients suffering from devastating spinal injuries and blindness - the two specific areas being targeted by the US tests.

Researchers are also looking to unlock the potential of stem cells for new ways to treat cancer, Parkinson's disease and a host of other illnesses.

In animal experiments, paralysed rats were able to walk again after being injected with the cells, but the effect on humans is still unknown.

The landmark test at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, by US biotech giant Geron comes after America's Food and Drug Administration eased restrictions on stem cell research.

Geron president Thomas Okarma said it will take some time to get the results.

The technology was championed by Superman star Christopher Reeve, who received the treatment for his spinal injury after a fall.

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Jai Ho

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My popular posts

Milk in tea could prevent weight loss

Longer breast feeding helps babies develop bigger brains

Eat right for a glowing skin

Lice no more!

Tap away your negative emotions

Early-warning diabetes test hope

This research, in future, could lead to ways to help us identify those at risk as well as giving us new insights into how and why type 2 diabetes develops."

Diabetes

Antibiotics in meat harmful to health

Marmite can cure diabetes

Mobile use in pregnancy ups risk of kid's bad behaviour

What you eat can trigger mental illness

Constipation more likely in kids avoiding green diets

Does cinnamon beat heart disease, diabetes

Turmeric helps fight cancer

Humble red onion may be good for heart

Paralysed patient gets stem cells to walk again

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