Take your calcium, elderly told

Paris - Calcium supplements can reduce the risk of bone fractures by 24 percent in the elderly, according to a study published on Friday in the British journal The Lancet.

The study was based on a sampling of 4 500 men and women over the age of 50.

Even when patients failed to take the full doses prescribed, the bone-building element - often coupled with vitamin D - cut the risk by 12 percent, according to the research which examined the results of 17 other studies covering 52 625 people.

"A large proportion of the elderly population is at high risk of fractures," lead author Benjamin Tang of the University of Western Sydney told AFP.

For women over age of 50, there is a one-in-six lifetime risk of having a fracture as a result of osteoporosis, a progressive condition that leads to bone deterioration, he said.

For men in the same age bracket, the ratio drops to less than one in 20.

"But the risk increases progressively as you age. If you are 70, your risk is a lot higher," Tang said.

Calcium is an essential element for the normal growth and maintenance of bones and teeth. Contrary to popular belief, calcium intake is critical not only during childhood but in adult - especially late adult - life as well.

Many medical experts maintain that Vitamin D helps the stomach absorb calcium, but Tang's study showed that calcium worked just as well with or without.

Other studies have cast doubt on the efficacy of prescribing calcium to elderly people at risk of bone fractures.

"But most of these studies had poor long-term adherence" among patients, a common feature for many anti-osteoporosis drugs taken on a daily basis, wrote epidemiologist Jean-Yves Reginster in a commentary, also published in The Lancet.

Scientists have predicted that the number of annual hip fractures in the world, caused mainly by age-related bone deterioration, could triple from 1.7 million in 1990 to 6,3 million in 2050, according to another study published in The Lancet last year.

The number of fractures would climb to 8,2 million if the rate of fractures were to increase by only one percent each year, aggravated in particular by rising rates of obesity.

The medical cost of treating fractures related to osteoporosis is estimated to exceed $20-billion every year in the United States, and 30-billion in the European Union.

Little about Eczema...

The signs of Eczema are reported to be dry itchy red rashes, which might be treated with emollients and steroid cream, however symptoms might return. Eczema may be resulted by suffering from food allergies.
Individuals that suffer from eczema often do not have the ability to process fatty acids. However by supplementing Gamma Lionelic Acid (GLA) which is discovered in evening primrose oil or starflower oil, it is believed they might help overcome this block and stop the condition. Herbalists have advised taking liquorice and preparations of burdock, due to their anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc and Vitamin A supplements may be helpful as both nutrients are said to help promote skin repair.

Pediatric Cough And Cold Medicines Under FDA Scanner

It seems the most common medicine is now under the scanner. The FDA is taking this measure to ensure cold medications meet desirable safety standards. The review follows many adverse reactions like injuries as well as deaths in some children aged below two years. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in the first two years of life alone, most children have eight to ten colds.

The FDA says that parents must take extra care when giving OTC drugs to their children. Following is the Public Health Advisory issued by the FDA:

What should parents know about using cough and cold products in children?

* Do not use cough and cold products in children under 2 years of age UNLESS given specific directions to do so by a healthcare provider.

* Do not give children medicine that is packaged and made for adults. Use only products marked for use in babies, infants or children (sometimes called “pediatric” use).

* Cough and cold medicines come in many different strengths. If you are unsure about the right product for your child, ask a healthcare provider.

* If other medicines (over-the-counter or prescription) are being given to a child, the child’s healthcare provider should review and approve their combined use.

* Read all of the information in the “Drug Facts” box on the package label so that you know the active ingredients and the warnings.

* Follow the directions in the “Drug Facts” box. Do not give a child medicine more often or in greater amounts than is stated on the package.

* Too much medicine may lead to serious and life-threatening side effects, particularly in children aged 2 years and younger.

* For liquid products, parents should use the measuring device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon) that is packaged with each different medicine formulation and that is marked to deliver the recommended dose. A kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon is not an appropriate measuring device for giving medicines to children.

* If a measuring device is not included with the product, parents should purchase one at the pharmacy. Make sure that the dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon has markings on it that match the dosing that is in the directions in the “Drug Facts” box on the package label, or is recommended by the child’s health care provider.

* If you DO NOT UNDERSTAND the instructions on the product, or how to use the dosing device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon), DO NOT USE the medicine. Consult your healthcare provider if you have questions or are confused.

* Cough and cold medicines only treat the symptoms of the common cold such as runny nose, congestion, fever, aches, and irritability. They do not cure the common cold. Children get better with time.

* If a child’s condition worsens or does not improve, stop using the product and immediately take the child to a health care provider for evaluation.

Identical quadruplets delight US doctors

A 35-year-old Canadian woman has given birth to rare identical quadruplets.

Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by caesarean section on Sunday afternoon at Benefis Healthcare Hospital in Great Falls, Montana.

The four girls were breathing without ventilators and listed in good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Astin.

"These babies are doing grand," said Dr Tom Key, the perinatologist who delivered the girls.

Born about two months early and conceived without fertility drugs, they weighed between 0.98 and 1.18kilograms.

The chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets is about one in 13 million, Key said.

The couple also have a two-year-old son, Simon.

"This is a very big medical event," he said. "Identical quadruplets are extremely rare."

The last reported set were born in April 2006 to a 26-year-old Indian woman.

World's oldest person dies in Japan at 114

TOKYO -- Yone Minagawa, who became the world's oldest person earlier this year, has died at a nursing home in southwestern Japan, an official said Tuesday.

She was 114.

Minagawa, who raised four sons and a daughter on her own by peddling flowers and vegetables, died Monday afternoon, said Toshiro Tachibana, an official at the nursing home in the former mining town Fukuchi.

The attending physician gave old age as the cause of death, he said.

"Her appetite had been declining recently and her energy fading, so the family had asked us to make her as comfortable as possible. The death was not sudden,'' Tachibana said.

Born Jan. 4, 1893, Minagawa was named the world's oldest person by the Guinness Book of World Records in January following the death of Emma Faust Tillman, also 114, in the United States.

Minagawa outlived all of her children, except one daughter and has seven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, the nursing home said.

The world's oldest person is now 114-year-old Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Ind., who was born April 20, 1893, the Gerontology Research Group said.

Japan has one of the world's longest average life spans -- a factor often attributed to a healthy diet rich in fish and rice.

The world's oldest man is also Japanese -- Tomoji Tanabe, 111, born Sept. 18, 1895. Tanabe lives in the southern city Miyazaki, Guinness World Records said.

In 2006, Japanese women set a new record for life expectancy at 85.81 years, while men live an average of about 79 years.

The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the last 10 years and is soon expected to surpass 28,000, the government announced last September.

Fukuchi is about 840 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.

Western diet may lead to colon cancer relapse

CTV.ca News Staff

Colon cancer survivors who eat a so-called "Western diet" high in red meat, dairy, sugar and refined flours are more than three times as likely to have their cancer return or to die from it than those who avoid such foods, finds a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Previous studies had shown that a high-fat diet, especially one with lots of red meat, may increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer. This was the first to show how diet affects whether colon cancer returns in people previously treated for it.

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute looked at 1,009 patients with Stage 3 colon cancer that had been treated with both surgery and chemotherapy. Stage 3 colon cancer is cancer that has spread from the large bowel area to the lymph nodes but not other organs.

The researchers questioned the patients on their diets during their chemotherapy treatment period and then 6 months after. Their health was then monitored for five years.

Among the group, 324 patients saw their cancer return, while 223 patients died with cancer recurrence.

The researchers found that those who most closely followed a Western diet were three-and-a-half times more likely to have colon cancer recur than those whose diets were more "prudent" and included high intakes of fruits and vegetables, poultry, and fish.

No relationship was found between the prudent diet and colon cancer recurrence or death.

"The message is that patients in this category can improve their prospects by avoiding certain foods," commented the study's lead author, Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt, of Dana-Farber.

Investigators speculate that a "Western" diet leads to increased insulin levels and insulin-like growth factors, which have been linked to the formation and growth of some types of tumours.

Meyerhardt adds that more research is needed to better understand what components of the Western diet are most responsible for the study findings.

Zinc-Rich Foods

Zinc-Rich foods can enhance immunity functioning. This mineral helps increase many aspects of immunity, including production of antibodies and T-cells, as well as other white-blood-cell activity. It has been shown in experiments on animals that when they are deficient in zinc, they cannot fight off attacks by bacteria, viruses and parasites. It has also been observed that adults and children deficient in zinc, often have more cols and respiratory tract infections.

According to Dr. Novera H. Spector, a scientist at the American National Institute of Health, Zinc may even rejuvenate an aging immune system. He explains that zinc may help reverse declining immune functions that deteriorates rapidly after the age of 60 years. After the middle age, the thymus gland, which plays a key role in immune defenses, begins to decline radically. The thymus gland secretes thymulin, a harmone that stimulates production of T-cells. With the decline o thymus gland, the output of thymulin also decreases.

Vitamins No Magic Bullet for Heart Health

KEY antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables and nuts do not cut the risk of heart disease in those most vulnerable to it, according to a new study which casts doubt on previous research.

Vitamins C, E and beta carotene - which the body converts into vitamin A - have no effect on lowering the chances of heart disease or death in high-risk women, scientists said last night.

Some previous studies have linked all three to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

The new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, involved examining data for 8,171 women over the age of 40 who took part in the women's antioxidant cardiovascular study in the US, starting in 1995 or 1996 and ending in 2005.

The women all had a history of cardiovascular disease or had three or more risk factors for developing it, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

They were randomly split into groups and given either 500 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) every day, 600 units of vitamin E every other day or 50 milligrams of beta carotene every other day.

The resulting analysis found that none of the antioxidants, either alone or in combination, had an effect on reducing the risk of a cardiovascular event or death.

The authors of the latest study, led by Nancy Cook, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, concluded there was no benefit in taking the antioxidants to battle heart disease but also no evidence they caused harm.

Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study adds to the stockpile of evidence suggesting that taking antioxidant supplements in order to protect your heart does not seem to work."

Source:scotsman.com

Surprise: Diabetes clue found in bones

Well yes, another news article. But this one is really interesting .......

As medicine struggles to halt the nation's diabetes epidemic, scientists have found a potential new weapon in the most unlikely place -- the skeleton.

Bone cells, they discovered, generate a hormone that helps regulate the body's metabolism. And the lack of that hormone appears to contribute to the development of diabetes.

The work, conducted in mice, has a long way to go before it could be used to help diabetics. But a previous study showed that the substance, called osteocalcin, is found in lower quantities in people with untreated type 2 diabetes, scientists said.

"One could hope and certainly we will test if it could be a treatment for type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Gerard Karsenty, senior author of the paper in Cell magazine and chairman of the department of genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Center. "What makes osteocalcin attractive is that we all have it in our bodies and we tolerate it very well."

The study, which is the first to provide evidence for a skeletal hormone, is generating excitement among diabetes researchers. But they cautioned that it is only one of a number of substances that appear to interact to control blood sugar in the body, and scientists must learn much more before osteocalcin could be considered a medicine.

"It has opened up a new area" of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. "But it's so unexpected, it's going to take a number of studies to figure out if this applies to humans."

In type 2 diabetes, sugar can rise to dangerous levels in the blood because the body loses sensitivity to insulin and may eventually not produce enough insulin. The body needs insulin to move digested food into cells to fuel activities. About 20 million Americans have this type of diabetes, which can lead to serious complications or death if not properly treated.

Scientists have known for years that osteocalcin is produced by osteoblasts, cells that help build bone. But the Columbia researchers are the first to show that it is also an endocrine hormone -- a substance that acts through the bloodstream to affect metabolism.

In their experiments, they inactivated mouse genes that produce osteocalcin. The osteocalcin-deficient mice grew abnormally fat and developed symptoms of diabetes, even when eating a normal diet. When the researchers gave the mice osteocalcin, the rodents' blood sugar normalized. Presence of the hormone also prevented mice from gaining weight when they overate.

Karsenty said the hormone appears to work in multiple ways to counter diabetes: it increases the body's production of the pancreatic cells that make insulin, it directly increases the secretion of insulin, it enhances the body's sensitivity to insulin, and it reduces storage of fat. No drug on the market carries that kind of punch.

Kahn called that multiple effect "particularly striking" and one of the goals for any new treatment. But another specialist, Dr. Michael A. Lazar, director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania, said two of those effects seem contradictory and raise questions that need to be explained.

Typically, he said, if the body becomes more sensitive to insulin, other mechanisms would kick in to shut off insulin production and vice versa. That makes it important to understand how osteocalcin interacts with other hormones as a next step, he said.

The diabetes specialists said that mice have proved to be a useful model for learning about human metabolism because of many similarities in genes, hormones, and functions. In this case, one of the genes that affects osteocalcin function in mice is not active in humans, but Karsenty said he believes there are other genes that serve the same purpose.

Karsenty, however, acknowledged "the possibility that osteocalcin function has been lost in evolution" and is not present in people.

The next steps, he said, are to study its effect in monkeys and then in humans over the next few years.

Karsenty's group discovered the new bone-based hormone because they were looking for the symmetry that often exists in the body. They knew that most hormones are part of a feedback loop and that a fat cell hormone called leptin helps controls bone mass. So they searched for a corresponding bone hormone that controls fat, and found osteocalcin.

"As proof of the concept that the skeleton makes molecules that act as hormones, this is the first of its kind, convincing and interesting," said Lazar. "It adds another candidate to the list . . . that could help us combat diabetes. But it's premature to be giving osteocalcin injections at this time."

Source:Boston.com

Garlic

Finally, after all those interesting news updates lets get back to where we left. Now about garlic, its anti-bacterial, antiviral and anti-cancer properties are partly due to its ability to enhance immune functioning. It particularly stimulates the power of T-lymphocytes and macro-phages, which play a dominant role in immune functions. A lob test by Benjamin H.S. Lau has found that garlic extracts impeled macrophages to generate more agents to kill microbes and tumor cells. Garlic is also called as a biological response modifier.

The blood of a garlic eater has more natural killer cells, these natural killer cells of regular garlic eaters destroyed 140%-160% more cells than non-garlic eaters.

Just 1.8 grams (about a half a clove) of garlic is all that you need to increase the natural killer cells activity.

Comming up next is about Mushrooms.

Green tea may help guard against cancer

A green tea concentrate may help some people boost their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer, finds a University of Arizona study.

The study of 42 people consumed green tea concentrate -- green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8 to 16 cups of green tea -- which increases the production of enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase, or GST, family.

GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins and the GST enzymes convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, explained lead investigator, H.H. Sherry Chow, of the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks and then blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined. After taking the green tea concentrate for four weeks, a second blood test was taken.

For those with high or medium GST levels little variation occurred, but for those with low levels of GST some experienced an up to 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity, the study in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention finds.

Copyright © 2007 by United Press International

A new study has found that green tea may help protect against cancer

A new study has found that green tea may help protect against cancer.

Researchers at Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, suggest that a green tea concentrate may help some people boost their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer.

In a study of 42 people, the concentrate, composed of chemicals known as green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea, boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by as much as 80 percent in some participants.

GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body’s defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study’s lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D., a research associate professor at the University of Arizona.

“They actually convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, and studies have shown a correlation between deficient expression of these enzymes and increased risk of developing some cancers,” Chow said.

“Expression of this enzyme varies dramatically in people due to genetic variation and environmental factors,” Chow added. “Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with,” he added.

The study was intended to see if green tea catechin concentrate had any effect on the levels of GST enzymes in healthy individuals, an examination that could explain the tea’s anti-cancer properties.

Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks and then blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined. After taking the green tea concentrate for four weeks, a second blood test was taken.

Researchers found that little variation occurred for those with high or medium GST levels. But it had its most significant effect in volunteers whose baseline blood measurements showed low GST activity, an 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity.

“This is the first clinical study to show proof that chemicals in green tea can increase detoxification enzymes in humans. There may be other mechanism in play by which green tea may protect against cancer development, but this is a good place to start,” Chow said.

The study is published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Cashews cause worse allergic response than peanuts

Peanuts may be more notorious, but cashews seem to trigger more severe allergic reactions in children. In a study of 141 children with allergies to cashews or peanuts, British researchers found that cashew reactions were generally more serious.

For the study, led by Dr. Andrew T. Clark of Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, 47 children with cashew allergy were matched up one-to-two with 94 children with peanut allergy. Children with cashew reactions were eight times more likely to suffer wheezing, and nearly 14 times more likely to have potentially severe cardiovascular symptoms, like heartbeat disturbances or a drop in blood pressure.

Overall, 10 of the children with cashew allergies had what the researchers defined as a severe reaction -- extreme difficulty breathing and/or loss of consciousness. That compared with just one child with peanut allergy.

The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Allergy.

It's known that tree nuts, such as cashews and walnuts, can trigger serious allergic reactions. However, this is the first study to show that children's allergies to cashews may be more severe than peanut allergies, according to Clark's team.

What's more, studies suggest that cashew allergies are becoming more common, possibly because consumption is on the rise.

Besides being eaten as whole cashews, the nuts are also found in a range of desserts and candies, in many Asian dishes and in commercially prepared pesto sauces, Clark and his colleagues note.

Other potential sources include cereals, granola bars, dressings and sauces, and even shampoos and lotions.

In general, people with an allergy to any tree nut are advised to avoid all tree nuts and peanuts as a precaution. Some people are prescribed injectable epinephrine that they can administer themselves in an emergency.

The current findings, Clark and his colleagues write, suggest that children with cashew allergies are at particular risk of severe reactions requiring epinephrine. They advise doctors to consider this when deciding whether to prescribe the emergency treatment.

SOURCE: Allergy, August 2007.

Your bones might help you beat diabetes

TORONTO — The skeleton has long been seen as an inert scaffolding that gives the body shape and stability. But now researchers say bones appear to secrete a hormone that helps regulate sugar and fat — and that could have major implications for preventing or treating Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York have discovered that certain bone cells produce a hormone called osteocalcin, which controls the metabolism of blood sugar (glucose) and fat deposits through previously unknown mechanisms.

“It is very exciting conceptually because it's a new function for an organ,” senior author Dr. Gerard Karsenty said Thursday from La Eaule, France, where he was vacationing. “It's also very exciting potentially from a medical point of view because it could be a treatment for Type 2 diabetes.”

In work in laboratory mice, the scientists show that bone-forming cells called osteoblasts release osteocalcin, which in turn increases both the secretion of insulin and insulin sensitivity. It also boosts the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas while reducing stores of fat.

All in all, that means the collection of femurs, ribs, clavicles and other bones that make up our skeleton aren't merely a framework for our various tissues, but an endocrine organ that helps control energy metabolism, said Dr. Karsenty, head of genetics at Columbia's school of medicine.

“These results uncover an important aspect of endocrinology that was unappreciated until now,” he said.

Dr. Karsenty and his colleagues, whose work is published in Friday's edition of the journal Cell, studied lab rats that had been genetically altered so their bodies did not produce osteocalcin.

“We realized that in the absence of osteocalcin, the mice were developing Type 2 diabetes and were overweight — not obese, but with increased fat mass — on a normal diet, which is rather unusual,” he said.

Most treatments for diabetes bump up insulin secretion to regulate blood sugar, but the problem is they also decrease insulin sensitivity, defined as the degree to which cells respond to a particular dose of insulin by lowering blood glucose levels.

While osteocalcin raises insulin production, it also bolsters insulin sensitivity at the same time, making it a potentially ideal treatment, said Dr. Karsenty, whose team is testing out injections of the hormone on different species to see if it could prevent or eliminate Type 2 diabetes.

“If it were (to work), the next species after that would be human beings.”

Source : theglobeandmail

Fruits And Vegetable

All kinds of fruits and vegetables can greatly strengthen immune system. Such plant foods cantain a large number of compounds that can boost immunity, including vitamin C and beta-carotene Vegetarians have more powerful immune defenses. The white blood cells of vegetarians are twice deadly against tumor cells than compared to the white blood cells of a non-vegetarian. The main reason for this is because vegetarians have higher levels of carotene in their blood which greatly boosts up their immune system.

Curd Or Yogurt

Curd or Yogurt is an extremely valuable immunity stimulating food. It has been regarded as an age-old fighter of disease and a powerful protector against viruses, infections of disease and tumor cells. Eating curd stimulates at least two vital components of immunity, namely nature killer cells and gamma interferon. These nature killer cells circulating in the body detect tumor cells, then seek out and destroy. Nature killer cells are one of the best defenses against tumor and viruses. Even when yogurt is heated 95% of the bacterial cultures still activate nature killer cells.

A study has confirmed that those eating 450gm of yogurt a day for four months had five times more infection-fighting gamma interferon in their blood than those not eating yogurt. Only yogurt with live active cultures of lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus (standard yogurt worldwide) stimulated interferon.

Starting to eat yogurt three months before cold or pollen season could build up your immune system, considerably reducing your susceptibility to aggravations.

Foods Strengthening Immunity power

The immune system which plays a very important role of fighting minor diseases and harmful bacteria on its own. Usually a person with a good immunity power is less prone to diseases. The immune system usually reminds me of anti-virus softwares and firewalls that are installed in computers. So how does this work ? The immune system is a complex interaction among the cells in many parts of the body. They work as a group and co-ordinate to protect the body from foreign invaders. There is no particular organ or something that does all this. Many organs like the brain, blood, liver, bone marrow, lymph system, spleen, thymus, skin and some endocrine glands work together to make up this wonderful immune system.

Let me list out some of most important foods that helps build up the body resistance.

• Carrot
• Curd or Yogurt
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Garlic
• Low-fat foods
• Mushroom
• Zinc-Rich foods

I have already posted about the importance of carrot's role on the immune system and a general information about garlic and curd. You can use the search on the top to find them. Later I will post about the specific role of garlic and curd in immune system and about the rest I mentioned above.

Scientists Discover Hormone That Controls Liking For Food

It seems that a recent study has relived the hormone that controls ones liking for food. The hormone leptin which is known to control the hunger and feeling full seems also to be controlling the liking for food via a separate but linked pathway to the brain. So whats the big deal about this ? Scientists seems to believe that further research in area and they will be able to find out the complex reasons and causes for obesity.

Eating behavior is controlled by an interconnected complex of physiological, neural, cognitive and hormonal processes, each of which can be triggered by seeing, tasting, or even just thinking about food. In order better to understand what regulates eating behavior, scientists have to unravel each process at a time and also try to find out how they work together.

For instance, although hunger affects what people eat and how much they eat, other factors are also involved. The act of eating is a pleasurable and rewarding experience in its own right, and a liking for food can override the biological cues that control feeling hungry and feeling full.

The scientists scanned the brain when the patient was shown images of foods they liked and there seems to be activity in the brain regions that were responsible for emotions of reward and desire. Leptin is made in fat cells and when it gets to the brain through the bloodstream it reduces feelings of hunger and increases feelings of fullness.

Edible African fish could help beat malaria, study says

A nutritious fish eaten in Kenya could be used as a weapon against malaria, according to a study of three fish ponds where the species nearly wiped out mosquitoes that transmit the deadly disease.

Researchers have long known that the Nile tilapia feeds on mosquito larvae but the study was the first to test its potential to fight the disease in the field, said Francois Omlin, a researcher at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi.

"A fish in the field may act differently than a fish in an aquarium and it was important to test how effective it could be," Omlin, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "The tilapia species was never tested in the field for its ability to eat mosquito larvae."

Malaria, caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes, kills more than 1 million people a year worldwide and makes 300 million seriously ill. Ninety percent of deaths are in Africa south of the Sahara, mostly among young children.

The disease has become resistant to some drugs and work on a vaccine has been slow. Bed nets, insecticides and anti-malarial drugs are effective ways to combat malaria and this study represented another potential protection, the researchers said.

The team, which published the findings in the BioMed Central journal on Thursday, chose the tilapia because it was native to Kenya and had a reputation as a mosquito eater, Omlin said.

In the study, the team cleared three ponds of fish and vegetation in the highlands of Western Kenya and measured the mosquito population before introducing young tilapia.

Ten days later, no malaria mosquito larvae were recorded compared with a similar pond with no tilapia, and 41 weeks after the fish were introduced the number of mosquitoes fell by more than 94 percent, Omlin said.

The problem, however, was that many fish ponds in the country were poorly maintained or lacked fish, which made the stagnant pools of water prime breeding ground for mosquitoes and raised the risk of malaria, Omlin said.

Source : Reuters

Drinking coffee seems to protect the liver

Data from 10 studies conducted in Europe and Japan suggest that people who drink coffee may be reducing their risk of liver cancer, although the reasons for the apparent protective effect of coffee remain to be determined.

The 10 studies reviewed by Dr. Francesca Bravi from Milan's Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" and colleagues included 2,260 cases of HCC. Collectively, the results showed a 41 percent reduction in the risk of liver cancer (or hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee.

Low to moderate coffee drinkers -- defined in some studies as those who drank less than 3 cups per day and in others as less than 1 cup per day -- had a 30 percent lower risk of HCC compared to coffee abstainers. High coffee consumption -- defined in some studies as 3 cups or more each day and in others as 1 cup or more per day - had a 55 percent lower risk of HCC.

"Moreover, the apparent favorable effect of coffee drinking was found both in studies from southern Europe, where coffee is widely consumed, and from Japan, where coffee consumption is less frequent, and in subjects with chronic liver diseases," the researchers note in their report in the medical journal Hepatology.

Animal and laboratory studies have suggested that certain compounds in coffee may block harmful enzymes involved in the development of cancer. Coffee drinking has also been linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis of the liver and chronic liver disease, which are the major risk factors for HCC. "Thus, there seems to be a continuum of the favorable effect of coffee on liver enzymes, cirrhosis, and HCC," note the authors.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the world after lung and stomach cancer, with about 600,000 deaths in 2002.

Although a cause-and-effect relationship between coffee and liver cancer can not be determined based on the data, the current analysis provides "quantitative evidence" of a protective effect of coffee drinking on liver cancer, Bravi and colleagues write.

Japanese researchers recently found that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may cut the risk of colon cancer in women by half.

SOURCE: Hepatology, August 2007.

Banana

The banana is one of the oldest and best known fruits in the world. This great fruit has a rare combination of energy, tissue-building, protein, vitamins and minerals. The fruit is very hygienic as it is naturally protected by the nature. The skin that you peel-off is a germ proof. So all bananas are naturally packed to be free of bacteria and germs.

The banana is also a good appetizer and as it is high in energy, you can actually skip meals for banana. Banana is a great value as anti-diarrhoeal food and its use helps control diarrhea. So how does it do it ? It normalizes colonic functions in the large intestine to absorb large amount to water for proper bowel movements.

When you are in a really bad condition of diarrhea, it is advisable that you stick to a diet of banana, curd and rice.

Bishop's Weed

Bishop's weed, one of the most popular spices, is credited with aphrodisiac properties. Ajwain seeds, combined with kernel of tamarind seeds, make a very effective sex tonic. Both these seeds in equal quantities should be fried in pure ghee, powered and preserved in airtight containers. A teaspoon of this powder, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, should be taken daily with milk before retiring. It will increase virility and cures premature ejaculation. This remedy is far more effective than may costly medicines. Moreover, it enables the semen to impregnate the women by the production of spermatozoa in it. The use of this remedy will also bless the person with a healthy child.

Parslane

This green leafy vegetable is a diuretic food. It increases the secretion and discharge of urine. It is thus a valuable diet in dysuria, which is marked by pain or difficulty in passing urine. A teaspoon of the infusion of the leaves should be given twice daily in treating this condition. The seeds of this vegetable are also useful in treating scanty urination due to excessive sweating. An emulsion, prepared by mixing a teaspoon of the seeds in a glass of tender coconut water can cure these disorders. This emulsion should be administered thrice daily. It also reduces burning sensation in bladder infection.

Chinese herbs can help control eczema: HK study

A mixture of five traditional Chinese herbs can help control and manage eczema, a study by researchers in Hong Kong suggests.

Considered a chronic condition, eczema is the inflammation of the upper layers of the skin that results in rashes, dryness, itching, flaking, even blistering and bleeding.

While there is no definitive cure for it in Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has long held that eczema can be countered by clearing heat and removing dampness in one's body and strengthening the spleen.

In an article published in the August issue of the British Journal of Dermatology, doctors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong described how they ascertained the efficacy of the five Chinese herbs which have long been used to treat eczema.

Between February 2004 and July 2005, they recruited 85 children suffering from eczema; 42 of them were given capsules containing extracts of the five herbs twice daily for 12 weeks, while the remaining 43 children were given placebos.

By the end of the treatment, the conditions of the children who were given the herbs improved and their use of corticosteroid creams and ointments was reduced by one-third, the researchers wrote.

Corticosteroids are a class of hormones that do not cure eczema, but are effective in controlling or suppressing the symptoms.

Ellis Hon, one of the researchers and associate professor with the Department of Pediatrics at the university, stressed that the herbs were not a cure.

"Such chronic diseases cannot be cured ... But they can help some patients control and manage the problem. People like to think that there is something magical and mystical about Chinese herbs. But there's no such thing," Hon told Reuters.

"With this study, we are demystifying it and showing that herbs are effective."

The five herbs are Flos lonicerae (Jinyinhua), Herba menthae (Bohe), Cortex moutan (Danpi), Rhizoma atractylodis (Cangzhu) and Cortex phellodendri (Huangbai)