Human Immunity And Rasam: What We Know And Don’t

Note: This piece does not say that consuming rasam will prevent a person from contracting Covid-19. It talks about how rasam boosts immunity.

In 2015, the Nobel Prize for medicine was shared by three people, of whom Youyou Tu attracted high attention.

Neither a ‘doctor’ and nor an academic PhD, her research was in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

In the early 1970s, she isolated an anti-malarial principle artemisinin from a well-known Chinese herb, sweet wormwood, or Artemisia annua.

Now, in 2020, there is a chance that a culinary delight from traditional Hindu culture can play a role in effecting a food-based resistance to the spread of COVID-19 mortality rate by boosting the resistance of the body.

Given the fact that the presence of background diseases along with the age-factor increases the chances of COVID-19 fatality, a boost in immunity is important in battling the viral epidemic.
In this, rasam seems to have triggered some renewed interest of late.

‘Rasam’ is a southern Indian common liquid food item consumed by people from all sections of the society.

Tradition has it that a Brahmin priest came up with this formulation to cure a Pandya prince who was suffering from an ailment that could not be cured with any then known medicines.

Rasam in Sanskrit means ‘essence’.

In Vedic literature, rasa is the living fluid essence - from the breast milk through clarified butter to the juice of the fruits - rasa is the very essence of life.

In the culinary context then, rasam becomes a very important component in Indian meals.

What we know
A study in 2014 discussing the medicinal values of various southern Indian traditional food items has pointed out that like all things Indic, rasam also comes in quite a number of varied forms, each with their own medicinal valuer

Selavu rasam a known traditional food of Tamilnadu is prepared by boiling and seasoning a mixture of ground ingredients of black pepper, coriander seed, jeeragam, garlic and curry leaves. Selavu rasam is not only given to children and adult with cough, but also to lactating mother after their child birth. Vitamin C was rich in recipes like Murugai keeerai rasam (8.96mg) and Millagu rasam (10.55mg). 

Studies by researchers from the department of biotechnology, SRM University and National Institute of Siddha, Chennai, reveal that 'Thaaleesaadhi chooranam', a polyherbal formulation prepared from 23 different herbs is mixed with rasam and given to people to build in them resistance against microbial infections.

Professor Agilandeswari Devarajan of the Department of Pharmaceutics, Hillside College of Pharmacy and Research Centre, Bengaluru, has been studying this delicacy for quite some time along with researcher Mohan Maruga Raja of PRIST University, Thanjavur.

Defining rasam as a traditional preparation with 'tamarind juice as a base, with the addition of Indian sesame oil, turmeric, tomato, chili pepper, pepper, garlic, cumin, curry leaves, mustard, coriander, asafoetida, sea salt, and water' they state that 'preclinical and clinical studies on rasam and its ingredients support' the traditional claims of medicinal values of rasam.

What we don’t

They point out that 'the real challenge lies not in proving whether the functional foods have health benefits' but 'in investigating the bioactive properties of these functional foods beyond a nutritional context'.

The study after describing the various common individual components of the rasam then points to an important fact - the processing factor

The processing in the formulation of rasam involves heating the spices in water and oil. This processing provides tremendous opportunity for a completely altered/different chemical composition of the finally formulated rasam. Loss of active principles or synergetic effect or breakdown of inactive metabolite to an active one or formation of new chemical entities (NCEs) is a real possibility.

This study published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Pharmacognosy Reviews' in 2017 says that a study of rasam with respect to these newly formed chemicals would reveal the following:

-the structural and functional features of these newly formed chemicals in the context of body's physiology and biochemistry;

-the same in the context of the origin and development of diseases;

-how these new entities emerging out of rasam interact with them;

-and interaction between organic and inorganic constituents.

Now with COVID-19 spread necessitating the building of measures to increase the disease resistance of the general population, India does have a great advantage of using her traditional food system, fortified by local medical knowledge to achieve this goal in a cost-effective and efficient way.

Rasam - a very easy to make food item makes itself available to all sections of the society.

And who knows an active principle that may inhibit COVID-19 may be hiding in plain sight in one of the rasam recipes of a village grandmother, waiting for our labs to find out.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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​Eating too much protein can raise your risk of getting cancer

Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet. It helps build and repair muscles, promotes weight loss, increases satiety and reduces fat. However, the high protein diets that exceed the recommended daily amount have been associated with several health risks including cancer.

Studies have shown that diets that are high in protein, particularly in red meat-based protein are linked with increased risk of cancer. Eating protein from other sources has been associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Researchers believe that this can be due to the carcinogenic compounds and fat in the meat.

According to the studies, extra protein in your diet can up your risk of dying from cancer by 4 per cent. Not just this, meat lovers are more likely to die of diabetes.

Even if you consume a moderate amount of protein, you may still be three times more likely to die of cancer than those who get less than ten per cent of their calories from protein.

The study included 6,138 participants over the age of fifty and was published in Cell Metabolism and authored by Valter Longo.

How much protein is too much?

On an average, one should eat about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, says several studies and health agencies. For example, if your weight is 50 kilos, you should eat no more than 40 grams of protein daily.
 
​The protein diet

High protein diet: When you get 20 per cent of your calories or more from protein, including both plant-based and animal-based.

Moderate protein diet: When you get 10 to 15 per cent of your calories from protein.

Low protein diet: When you get 10 per cent or less of your calories from protein.

According to the study, the amount of carbs and fat a person ate, did not seem to play a role in the rates of cancer.
 
​What you can do?

The answer is simple and obvious, cut back your protein intake, especially that come from meat, dairy and cheese. But do not go extreme as that can make you malnourished very quickly.

The good news is having a low level of protein reduces the likelihood of early death by 21 per cent.

But once you turn 65, you can make your protein intake moderate as protein protects against frailty and muscle loss, which is common as you age. 

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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Do Breastfed Babies Fall Sick Less Often?

New mothers often worry about keeping their babies safe from falling sick. What they might not know is that they carry the very elixir that can not only keep their babies away from sickness but also help in building their immunity in the long term.

Breast milk and Gut Health as Immunity Builders

Breast milk makes a mother’s wish for a healthy child come true thanks to its nutritional constituents and the bioactive compounds like prebiotics oligosaccharides (also referred to as simply prebiotics). These helps build babies gut health which not only ensures healthy digestion, but also plays a crucial role in building immunity in them. The gut does a lot more than just breaking down food and absorbing nutrients, they also play an important role in developing a protective barrier against infections and diseases.

Other Benefits of Prebiotics Present in Breast milk

• Reduces sickness
• Lowers instances of gastrointestinal infections
• Decreases usage of antibiotics
• Decreases incidents of respiratory infections

Therefore, the reason why breastfed babies fall less sick is due to breast milk’s nutritional composition leading to a healthy gut and strong immunity that is going to last them a lifetime.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Exposure to germs helps build immunity in kids

Have you ever stopped your kids from getting their hands dirty with mud or sand? If so, you may want to rethink your stand as many medical experts now believe that playing with mud is a great way to strengthen your child’s immunity. In fact, doctors and scientists believe that allergies and asthma are higher in wealthy countries due to lack of exposure to bacteria and other microorganisms — a fact backed by several studies.

One such study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that children with the highest exposure to specific allergens and bacteria (including cockroach, mouse and cat allergens) in the first year were less likely to have wheezing by age three. And children exposed to a wider variety of bacteria were less likely to develop allergies and asthma.

A consultant, neonatology and paediatrics,  points out that in India, we have lesser allergies overall because we have higher germ exposure than in the western world. “Exposure to germs builds immunity, and works in the same way as vaccines, which expose kids to a small amount of germs so that when the real infection strikes, the body fights it better. In fact, street kids are a lot healthier than those brought up in very clean conditions,” she says.

“By being exposed to dirt and mud, the immune system is exposed to various microbiota,” explains a senior consultant paediatrician and neonatology. “There are scientific reports on mud therapy and their impact on the immune system. Playing in the mud has other advantages for kids as well, like development of the sensory nervous system, developing fine motor skills and enhancing creativity,” he adds.

Dr.  points out that even the umbilical cord which harbours a lot of bacteria is left on a newborn for a few days as these natural bacteria help fight against various infections. “Exposure to natural bacteria is good and recommended,” she states.

Agreeing with her, a consultant, infectious diseases  adds, “The more people keep away from natural surroundings, the higher are the cases of autoimmune conditions. Exposure to germs in a subtle way is excellent to improve immunity.” Dr. adds, “Natural experiences like gardening, visiting farm houses etc. are great ways to achieve this.”

The hygiene hypothesis which has gained large acceptance among the scientific and medical community states that early exposure to microorganisms helps a child’s immune system develop resistance to infections and protects against allergic diseases. Does this mean that one should expose kids to germs from the day they are born?

“For the first six months, kids are not mobile. It’s nature’s way of preventing exposure to germs. During that time, kids are also protected by the mother’s immunity. It’s only after six months that babies start crawling and get exposed to different surfaces,” explains a paediatrician. “For the first six months, the immune system is not developed, so one needs to be a little careful,” adds Dr.

Dr. is however, quick to point out that exposure to germs does not mean exposure to a sick person. “All organisms are not disease-causing ones. But one needs to protect kids from disease-causing germs and infections. Avoid very crowded places. When kids are sick, parents should not send them to school. Cases of infection are also rising so one needs to be careful,” he says.

“Ensure the mud they are playing in is not contaminated with dirty water or fecal matter,” cautions the Dr.  adding that some basic hygiene practices like washing hands after play time and before meals, eating healthy food and drinking clean water can be helpful in reducing the risk of infections.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
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Discovery may result in new medication to build stronger muscles in old age

As we grow older, our muscular function declines. A new study by researchers shows how an unexpectedly high number of mutations in the stem cells of muscles impair cell regeneration. This discovery may result in new medication to build stronger muscles even when in old age.

It has already been established that natural aging impairs the function of our skeletal muscles. We also know that the number and the activity of the muscles’ stem cells decline with age. However, the reasons for this has not been fully understood. In a new study, researchers have investigated the number of mutations that accumulate in the muscle’s stem cells (satellite cells).

“What is most surprising is the high number of mutations. We have seen how a healthy 70-year-old has accumulated more than 1,000 mutations in each stem cell in the muscle, and that these mutations are not random but there are certain regions that are better protected,” explains a Professor at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition.

The mutations occur during natural cell division, and the regions that are protected are those that are important for the function or survival of the cells. Nonetheless, the researchers were able to identify that this protection declines with age.

We can demonstrate that this protection diminishes the older you become, indicating an impairment in the cell’s capacity to repair their DNA. And this is something we should be able to influence with new drugs,” explains a researcher.

The researchers have benefited from new methods to complete the study. The study was performed using single stem cells cultivated to provide sufficient DNA for whole genome sequencing.

“We achieved this in the skeletal muscle tissue, which is absolutely unique. We have also found that there is very little overlap of mutations, despite the cells being located close to each other, representing an extremely complex mutational burden,” explains the study’s first author.

The researchers will now continue their work to investigate whether physical exercise can affect the number of accumulated mutations. Is it true that physical exercise from a young age clears out cells with many mutations, or does it result in the generation of a higher number of such cells?

“We aim to discover whether it is possible to individually influence the burden of mutations. Our results may be beneficial for the development of exercise programmes, particularly those designed for an ageing population,” explains the researcher.

The researchers gained access to the muscle tissue used in the study via a close collaboration with clinical researchers, including physiologist.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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EATING EGGS IS GOOD FOR BREAKFAST

There are many myths attached to eggs- one should not eat eggs in summer, as it will have bad effects on you health. Another myth that eggs have too much cholesterol, hence will generate great amounts of body heat !

Having eggs for breakfast helps you with the following: 1. Cholesterol Factor - To be precise, a single egg provides 212 mg of cholesterol out of the recommended 300 mg. However, cholesterol in your diet does not raise the cholesterol levels in your blood. This happens because the liver produces a high quantity of cholesterol each day, and when you eat more eggs causing your cholesterol levels to rise, the liver starts producing less of it. In fact, a study found that eggs didn't raise cholesterol in 70% of its test subjects. 2. Provides Choline - Choline is a substance, which is required by the body to build cell membranes and to perform a horde of other functions like liver function, brain development, nerve, and muscle function. Lack of choline could lead to disruption of these functions. Whole eggs contain more than 100 mg of this less known nutrient, and therefore, should be a part of your diet. 3. Contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin - One of the gradual symptoms of aging is worsening eyesight. There are many types of nutrients that help in countering this degenerative process. Two such nutrients are lutein and zeaxanthin, which eggs are rich in. These two antioxidants help to build up the retina of the eye. Moreover, they also help in preventing eyesight conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. Eggs are also rich in Vitamin A, the lack of which is the most common cause of blindness worldwide.
  4.Reduce risk of stroke- For many decades, eggs have been unfairly criticized. A popular misbelief was that high cholesterol in eggs made them a cause for cardiac problems. In a review, which accounted for 17 studies and a total of 263,938 participants, no associations were found between eggs and heart diseases. Eggs are also highly filling and help to lose weight to a certain extent. 

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations 
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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