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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Honey better than cough medicines

A new study released Monday by a research team at Pennsylvania state university found that honey may offer parents an effective and safe alternative than over-the-counter children"s cough medicines.
The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications.
Honey did a better job reducing the severity, frequency and bothersome nature of nighttime cough from upper respiratory infection than DM or no treatment.
Honey also showed a positive effect on the sleep quality of both the coughing child and the child"s parents.
In the contrast, DM was not significantly better at alleviating symptoms than no treatment, said the study.
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The Correct Way of Eating Fruits

The Correct Way of Eating Fruits

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not so easy as you think.
It's important to know how and when to eat fruits. Do you know of anyone who hates fruits? Most likely no. Everyone will immediately tell you about the fruits they like very much. The reason why everyone likes fruits is because our bodies crave for it instinctively. The color, the texture, the aromas and the sweetness all make it very attractive. But I find that most of us tend to think of fruits as a treat e.g. on a hot day - watermelon!
But do you know that fruit is an important food to the human being? Remember our ancestors were not meat eaters or seedeaters – they were all fruit eaters. Fruits have the highest water content of any food. In addition, the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids that a human requires can be derived from fruits. When fruit is consumed correctly, nothing can surpass it. Even for those who want to lose a little weight, the proper consumption of fruit will help. A survey was made and it was found that those who eat fruits more at every meal tend to want to eat less in the next meal.
The reason, being the sugar in the fruit. It was also found that a particular substance in some fruits could cut the risk of heart disease or heart attack. The substance protects the heart by preventing the blood from becoming too thick and plugging up the arteries.
So fruit is cleansing! Fruit requires less energy to be digested than any other food. Everything consumed by the human body eventually breaks down in the system and is transformed into glucose, fructose, amino acids etc.

Breast cancer - 1

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when a malignant tumor forms from cells within the breast. It occurs most frequently in women. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1 in every 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, making it the most common cancer among women, aside from skin cancer.
Risk Factors and Causes of Breast Cancer
Research is ongoing to identify the exact causes of breast cancer. Researchers have, however, identified several breast cancer risk factors. A risk factor is something that increases the chance that a person will develop a disease. It is not a guarantee and does not predict a future diagnosis. Risk factors for breast cancer include:
Age: As we grow older, our risk of developing breast cancer increases. It is estimated that 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are 50 or older. This doesn’t mean that younger women aren’t at risk. Young women are diagnosed with breast cancer, just much less frequently.

Water before meal causes weight loss

Drinking one or two glasses of water before each meal can help an individual shed the extra pounds off through curbing his/her appetite, a new study says.
According to the study presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), individuals who drink two glasses of water before each meal lose an average of 5 pounds more weight than their peers on the same diet who do not drink water.
Water curbs the appetite as it fills the stomach with a substance that has zero calories and subsequently makes the individual eat less calorie-rich food during the meal.
"Over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake," said lead researcher Brenda Davy.
Scientists therefore concluded that increasing water intake can be considered as an effective weight-loss strategy.
While there is no rule determining the exact amount of water one should drink per day, experts recommend women to drink about 9 glasses of fluids and men about 13 glasses every day.

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Blueberries can ward off memory problems

Red meat lovers more likely to die early

Eating almost half the daily recommended amount of meat can significantly increase the risk of early death caused by heart disease and cancer.
A 28-year follow-up of more 120,000 US people revealed that regular consumption of any kind of red meat is much riskier than ever thought.
Dr. Frank Hu and colleagues at Harvard University found that daily consumption of unprocessed red meat was tied to 13 percent higher risk of mortality while a portion of processed red meat raised the risk up to 20 percent.
“It's not really surprising because red meat consumption has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer,”‌ said Dr. Hu. “What is surprising is the magnitude of risk associated with very moderate red meat consumption.”‌
“Habitual, daily consumption of these products is actually very common, both in our study and in the general population,”‌ he added noting that about three-quarters of the study participants reported eating one or more daily servings of red meat.
The study showed that people who eat regularly red meat are also more likely to be engaged in other unhealthy behaviors including smoking, says the article in Archives of Internal Medicine.
“I think the public health message is pretty straightforward,”‌ Hu concluded. “We should switch from a red meat-based diet to a plant-based diet with healthier protein choices.”‌
Some experts who reviewed the new study suggest that it has provided further evidence showing that current guidelines for red meat consumption need to be revised.
In its 2005 study, the World Cancer Research Fund recommended that people should not eat more than 499 grams of red meat a week while children should not eat any amount of processed meat like sausages.

Also it is recommended to see:
Blueberries can ward off memory problems

Saturday, June 2, 2012

What Is a food Allergy?

When a person has a food allergy, the body reacts as though that particular food product is harmful. As a result, the body’s immune system (which fights infection and disease) creates antibodies to fight the food that triggers the allergy. The next time a person comes in contact with that food by touching or eating it or inhaling its particles, the body releases chemicals, including one called histamine, to protect itself. These chemicals trigger allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.
What Causes food Allergies?
Doctors cannot predict which children will have food allergies and which children won’t, but some factors may place a child at higher risk for developing food allergies. “The capacity to be an allergic person is inherited,” says Michael Young, MD, a pediatric allergist and immunologist and author of ‘The Peanut Allergy Answer Book’.
There is nothing parents can do that will completely eliminate the possibility that their child will develop food allergies. However, breast-feeding (especially exclusive breast-feeding that is not supplemented with infant formula) can help infants who are especially prone to milk or soy allergies avoid allergic reactions. When an infant consumes only breast milk, she has a decreased exposure to foods that can cause allergies. Some doctors also recommend that allergy-prone babies not be fed solid foods until six months of age or later to avoid exposure to allergenic foods.