Check heart rhythm to avoid stroke

It is no longer uncommon to see young and apparently healthy people getting a stroke -- and the cause may well be a heart rhythm disorder.

So the next time you experience a rapid and irregular heart beat in carrying out not so stressful activities like climbing stairs, time may be ripe for you to visit the doctor to check for atrial fibrillation - a condition involving an irregular heart rhythm, known as arrhythmia.

People with symptomatic A-fib, as it is commonly called, may experience periodic palpitations, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, unusual fatigue or dizziness, said researchers at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

"People with a high rate of premature atrial contractions face a significantly increased risk of developing A-fib," Gregory M. Marcus, senior author and director of clinical research at UCSF's cardiology division, was quoted as saying.

However, "the condition is also becoming more prevalent at any age, experts say, because of a rise in three leading risk factors - high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity", added the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Other risk factors include a prior heart attack, overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, excessive alcohol consumption, abnormal heart valves, lung disease and congenital heart defects.

Important steps in treating A-fib, said the study, are to include taking proper steps to reverse the risk factors and preventing "blood clots from forming by treating patients with anticoagulant".

Here is a warning.

"Once a person has had A-fib, there is an increased risk of stroke even if their heart is in normal rhythm," the study concluded.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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New anti-obesity compound identified

Researchers have identified an antioxidant compound that could help treat obesity and related disorders such as type-2 diabetes.

Researchers discovered that treating obese mice with an antioxidant called MnTBAP decreases obesity and improves type-2 diabetes.

Obese mice that received the compound lost 40 per cent of their body weight.

"To put that number in context, if a 300-pound (136 kg)obese person lost 40 per cent of their body weight, they would have lost 120 pounds (54 kg)," researchers said.

Researchers Jonathan R Brestoff Parker, a Skidmore College graduate and Thomas H Reynolds, associate professor of health and exercise sciences - have been awarded a patent for the use of the compound.

The compound works by breaking down triglycerides, which are stored in excess in fat tissue of obese people. The researchers' next step, according to Reynolds, is "to figure out how that happens. What are the cellular and molecular events that result in weight loss?"The original research showing that MnTBAP dramatically decreases obesity was Brestoff Parker's senior thesis.

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How nature's recipes help in combating cholesterol

Statins are a group of cholesterol lowering drugs, prescribed to prevent heart disease.

But, now there is an increasing awareness of the side effects of long term use of these drugs, with many looking to switch to natural alternatives. This is useful for people with high cholesterol due to dietary absorption.

Add nuts to your diet for sake of health, longevity

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that eating certain foods can lower your cholesterol levels just as well as drugs do, sometimes proving to be more effective.

Cholesterol lowering food components include dietary fibres, good fats, phytosterols and some vitamins. In this particular study, researchers found that foods such as soy protein, tofu, various other soy products, nuts and cereal fiber, as well as plant sterols, can lower total cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), better than statin drugs.

Other less commonly known compounds and nutrients with cholesterol lowering benefits include probiotics like lactobacillus (obtained from fermented food products), guggulipids, red yeast rice, policosanol (found in jaggery and sugar cane), grape seed extract, cinnamon, turmeric, niacin, pantethine, found in the form of Vitamin B-5) and vitamin C.

Dietary fibre, specially soluble fibre, has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol LDL, while levels of good cholesterol (HDL) remain unchanged. Soluble fibres can be found in foods such as oats, barley, legumes (peas, beans), certain fruits (apples, prunes, and berries), certain vegetables (carrots, broccoli, yams). Interestingly, oatmeal is the only whole grain food recognised by the FDA to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Psyllium husk has also been known to exhibit cardio-protective role due to its high fibre content and beta-sitosterol (a plant sterol).

Another alternative is good fats. Accumulating data from observational and clinical trials have reported that omega-3 fats actually reduce risk of heart disease by reducing triglycerides and total cholesterol. These could be included through fish, walnuts, flaxseed and green leafy vegetables.

The Harvard School of Public Health advises that nuts have favourable effects on blood lipids and cholesterol reduction.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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A good book can rewire your brain

The scientists behind a novel study into reading say that when we immerse ourselves into a work of fiction, lingering changes occur in the connectivity of our brains. The intriguing new findings, by researchers at Emory University, have been published in the journal Brain Connectivity.

"Stories shape our lives and in some cases help define a person," says neuroscientist Gregory Berns, lead author of the study. "We want to understand how stories get into your brain, and what they do to it." His research, conducted over 19 consecutive days, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the after-effects of reading a "gripping" narrative.

For the study, all the subjects read the novel Pompeii, a 2003 thriller by Robert Harris that is based on the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ancient Italy. Berns says he chose this book because of its page-turning plot. "It depicts true events in a fictional and dramatic way," he explained. "It was important to us that the book had a strong narrative line."

For the first five days, the participants came in each morning for a base-line MRI scan of their brains in a resting state. Then they were given nine sections of the novel, about 30 pages each, over a nine-day period. They were asked to read the assigned section in the evening, and come in the following morning. After finishing the assigned reading, the participants underwent an MRI scan of their brain in a non-reading, resting state. After completing all nine sections of the novel, the participants returned for five more mornings to undergo additional scans in a resting state.

Berns says the results showed heightened connectivity in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, on the mornings following the reading assignments. "Even though the participants were not actually reading the novel while they were in the scanner, they retained this heightened connectivity," he noted. "We call that a 'shadow activity,' almost like a muscle memory."

Heightened connectivity was also seen in the central sulcus of the brain, the primary sensory motor region of the brain. Neurons of this region have been associated with tricking the mind into thinking it is doing something it is not, a phenomenon known as grounded cognition. "The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist," Berns says. "We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else's shoes in a figurative sense. Now we're seeing that something may also be happening biologically."

The researchers found the changes persisted for at least the five days of scanning after the participants completed the novel. "It remains an open question how long these neural changes might last," Berns says. "But the fact that we're detecting them over a few days for a randomly assigned novel suggests that your favorite novels could certainly have a bigger and longer-lasting effect on the biology of your brain."

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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% seasonal spices to boost the immune system

Rosemary
Add rosemary  to your roast meat, potato mash or even your cookies. Not only does rosemary's green, winter-y aroma evoke the holiday season, it's a health powerhouse, especially if you use a grill: One study  found that adding rosemary extract to hamburger patties reduced the meat's contents of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are carcinogens that form on red meat when it is cooked on a grill or broiled.

Ginger

This anti-inflammatory root is found in just about every Christmas dessert worth eating, from gingerbread to pfeffernüsse. But ginger can also help if you've overdone it on the other tasty treats: Studies show that the root helps soothe stomachs by reducing feelings of nausea.

Cinnamon

Sure, you'll sprinkle it into your hot cider or spice your wine with it, but did you know that this bark is actually a health food? Some studies show that including cinnamon in your diet can help stabilize blood sugar levels if you suffer from Type 2 diabetes. There's also some evidence that cinnamon has antibacterial properties. That said, it's important to be moderate with the spice, which was most recently associated with liver damage, according to a report in The Guardian, because of its high levels of the compound coumarin.

Peppermint

Yes, it's probably best not to eat all the candy canes lying around after you've finished decorating the tree, but there's no reason to avoid their star ingredient, peppermint. The mint brightens up chocolate and adds depth to confections, but it also delivers a vitamin-packed punch, thanks to high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin C. What's more, research shows that the flavour may help prevent tension headaches, improve concentration, curb appetite and even reduce cold symptoms.

Nutmeg

While you're grating some over your eggnog, don't forget to give a little thanks for nutmeg, the powerhouse seed that contains anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Surgery better than chemotherapy for tongue and oral cancer patients

Surgery, and not chemotherapy sessions, works better for those suffering from tongue or oral cavity cancer.

In a path breaking study, a team of scientists concluded that patients with tongue cancer who started their treatment with chemotherapy fared significantly worse than patients who received surgery first.

‘To a young person with tongue cancer, chemotherapy may sound like a better option than surgery with extensive reconstruction. But patients with oral cavity cancer can’t tolerate induction chemotherapy as well as they can handle surgery with follow-up radiation,’ said study author.

‘Our techniques of reconstruction are advanced and offer patients better survival and functional outcomes,’ the Dr. added. 

According to researchers, the immune system is critical in oral cavity cancer, and chemotherapy suppresses the immune system. If a person is already debilitated, they don’t do well with chemotherapy.

‘Despite the proven success of this strategy in laryngeal cancer, induction chemotherapy should not be an option for oral cavity cancer, and in fact it results in worse treatment-related complications compared to surgery,’ they added.

The study enrolled 19 patients with advanced oral cavity cancer. Patients received an initial dose of chemotherapy, called induction chemotherapy. 

Those whose cancer shrunk by half went on to receive additional chemotherapy combined with radiation treatment. Those whose cancer did not respond well had surgery followed by radiation.

The researchers then looked at a comparable group of patients who had surgery and sophisticated reconstruction followed by radiation therapy and found significantly better survival rates and functional outcomes.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Obesity increases risk of kidney disease Researchers have shown that declines in kidney function are detectable long before the emergence of other obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. First author Vanessa Grubbs, MD, UCSF assistant adjunct professor of medicine, and senior author Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, professor of medicine, led a team that analyzed 10 years’ worth of health data from CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults), a national multi-center research project that has tracked the health of thousands of black and white young adults since its beginnings in 1985. The 2,891 CARDIA participants included in the study were categorized according to four ranges of body mass index (BMI): normal weight, overweight, obese, and extremely obese. At the beginning of the time period studied, the patients averaged 35 years of age and all had normal kidney function in the normal range, though higher-BMI patients were at the lower end of that range. Kidney function diminished over time in all participants, but the decline was significantly greater and more rapid in heavier patients, and appeared to stem exclusively from BMI. Grubbs said that when they accounted for diabetes, high blood pressure, and inflammatory processes, the body mass index was still a predictor of kidney function decline, so there was something unique about just being too large that in and of itself affected kidney function even before the onset of frank kidney disease. The new study has been published online in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases Threats of obesity Obesity comes with its bag and baggage of threats. Some of them are listed below: Years of life lost – People who are obese do not live as long as those who are not obese. The earlier a person becomes obese, the more years of his/her life are lost. Dysmetabolic Syndrome X – This syndrome involves abdominal obesity, abnormal blood-fat levels, changes in insulin sensitivity and inflammation of the arteries. It is associated with a markedly increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease – a precursor to the onset of diabetes in adults. Heart disease – Severely obese persons are approximately six times more likely to develop heart disease as those who weigh in the normal range for their body type. High blood pressure – Essential hypertension, the progressive elevation of blood pressure, is more common in obese persons leading to development of heart disease, and damage to the blood vessels, causing susceptibility to strokes, kidney damage, and hardening of the arteries. (Read: Want to lower your blood pressure? Be happy!) High blood cholesterol – Cholesterol levels are commonly elevated in the severely obese – another factor predisposing to development of heart and blood vessel disease. Diabetes Mellitus – Overweight persons are 40 times more likely to develop Type-2 diabetes! Elevation of the blood sugar, which is the essential feature of diabetes, leads to damage of tissues throughout the body. Diabetes is the leading cause of adult-onset blindness, kidney failure and also of over one-half of all amputations. ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies. ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog- http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/ for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog- http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/ for crochet designs http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com