A Health Blog http://www.ahealthblog.com blog Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:37:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Resveratrol Wards Off Effects Of Age http://www.ahealthblog.com/resveratrol-wards-off-effects-of-age/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/resveratrol-wards-off-effects-of-age/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:35:22 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/resveratrol-wards-off-effects-of-age/
Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol — found in red wine and grape skin — slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age.
Total cholesterol was significantly reduced in 22-month-old non-obese mice after 10 months of resveratrol treatment, although triglyceride levels had only a slight, non-significant trend toward a decrease. Further, the aortas of 18-month-old obese and non-obese mice treated with resveratrol functioned significantly better than untreated mice. Resveratrol also moderated inflammation in the heart.

  • Treated mice tended to have better bone health, as measured by thickness, volume, mineral content and density, and bending stiffness compared to the non-treated control group.
    		•

  • At 30 months of age, resveratrol-treated mice were found to have reduced cataract formation, a condition found to increase with age in control-group mice.
    		•
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/resveratrol-wards-off-effects-of-age/feed/     Carbohydrates Are Back http://www.ahealthblog.com/carbohydrates-are-back/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/carbohydrates-are-back/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:38:47 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/carbohydrates-are-back/
    Blogged from www.bodybuilding.com

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/mayblaiz1a.jpg
    Author, May Blaiz.
    Many still continue to invest in diet books promising rapid weight loss by restricting the intake of carbohydrates and eating unlimited amounts of meat and other proteins.
    When you severely restrict carbohydrate intake, your body responds by converting available proteins into sugar. If you take too much, your body will store them as fat.
    Carbohydrates on a molecular level are a mix of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that function as either simple or complex. Eventually, all carbohydrates turn into glucose, your body and brain’s main energy source.
    Any excess is stored as glycogen in the muscles or the liver for later use when you need energy again. When you decrease or eliminate the consumption of carbohydrates in your diet, you begin to feel sluggish, unable to exercise, lose focus and lack concentration.
    Consume fibrous carbs by including more asparagus, broccoli, carrots, green and red peppers, spinach and lettuce in your meals.
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/carbohydrates-are-back/feed/     Study Shows How Broccoli Fights Cancer http://www.ahealthblog.com/study-shows-how-broccoli-fights-cancer/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/study-shows-how-broccoli-fights-cancer/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:01:31 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/study-shows-how-broccoli-fights-cancer/
    Blogged from www.reuters.com

    Photo
    Just a few more portions of broccoli each week may protect men from prostate cancer, British researchers reported on Wednesday.
    The researchers believe a chemical in the food sparks hundreds of genetic changes, activating some genes that fight cancer and switching off others that fuel tumors, said Richard Mithen, a biologist at Britain’s Institute of Food Research.
    Mithen and colleagues split into two groups 24 men with pre-cancerous lesions that increase prostate cancer risk and had them eat four extra servings of either broccoli or peas each week for a year.
    The researchers also took tissue samples over the course of the study and found that men who ate broccoli showed hundreds of changes in genes known to play a role in fighting cancer.
    The benefit would likely be the same in other cruciferous vegetables that contain a compound called isothiocyanate, including brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, rocket or arugula, watercress and horse radish, they added.
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/study-shows-how-broccoli-fights-cancer/feed/     Health Benefits of Thyme http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-thyme/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-thyme/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:50:32 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-thyme/
    Blogged from www.elements4health.com

    thyme

  • Antioxidants
    Thyme contains the flavonoids apigenin, naringenin, luteolin, and thymonin, which have antioxidant activity.
    		•

  • Anti Bacterial
    The thyme extract thymol is one of the ingredients in the anti bacterial Listerine mouthwash, which in studies has exhibited potent anti bacteria properties.
    The results of a study demonstrated that the thyme oil ingredients carvacrol and p-cymene could potentially be used as antimicrobial agents in unpasteurized fruit juices.
    In preliminary studies thyme and the essential oils thymol and carvacrol inhibited the formation of Shigella, a food borne bacteria that can cause severe dysentery.
    In a study of the antimicrobial properties of 21 plant essential oils against 5 bacteria, of which Salmonella and E. coli were included, thyme oil was one of the most inhibitory.
    		•

  • Anti Inflammatory
    The thymol in thyme inhibits elastase, an enzyme that breaks down elastin, and is considered a marker of inflammatory diseases.
    		•
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-thyme/feed/     WHO Urges Countries to Adopt Smoking Bans http://www.ahealthblog.com/who-urges-countries-to-adopt-smoking-bans/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/who-urges-countries-to-adopt-smoking-bans/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:03:28 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/who-urges-countries-to-adopt-smoking-bans/
    Blogged from news.yahoo.com

    A man smokes a cigarette on a pavement in the northeastern Indian ...
    Smoking bans are an effective way of preventing heart disease, getting cigarette users to quit and protecting children from second-hand smoke, a World Health Organization (WHO) report issued on Monday said.
    The report by scientists at the WHO’s International Agency for Cancer Research urged more countries to adopt smoking bans in public and at the workplace, saying there was enough evidence to prove they work, without hurting businesses such as restaurants and bars.
    A separate report issued by Cancer Research UK on Monday found England’s ban adopted a year ago has spurred more smokers than ever to kick the habit, and predicted the restrictions would prevent 40,000 deaths over the next 10 years.
    They cited studies that suggest smoke-free workplaces have lead to a 10 to 20 percent decrease in hospital admissions for heart disease a year after a smoking ban.
    The WHO says smoking kills about four million people each year, causing a quarter of deaths related to heart disease.
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/who-urges-countries-to-adopt-smoking-bans/feed/     Marijuana and Neuropathic Pain http://www.ahealthblog.com/marijuana-and-neuropathic-pain/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/marijuana-and-neuropathic-pain/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:14:10 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/marijuana-and-neuropathic-pain/
    Blogged from www.sciencedaily.com
    The growing body of evidence that marijuana (cannabis) may be effective as a pain reliever has been expanded with publication of a new study in The Journal of Pain reporting that patients with nerve pain showed reduced pain intensity from smoking marijuana.
    The authors reported that identical levels of analgesia were produced at each cumulative dose level by both concentrations of the agent. As with opioids, cannabis does not rely on a relaxing or tranquilizing effect, but reduces the core component of nociception and the emotional aspect of the pain experience to an equal degree. There were undesirable consequences observed from cannabis smoking, such as feeing high or impaired, but they did not inhibit tolerability or cause anyone to withdraw from the study. In general, side effects and mood changes were inconsequential.
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/marijuana-and-neuropathic-pain/feed/     Health Benefits of Apples http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-apples/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-apples/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:05:43 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-apples/
    Blogged from www.elements4health.com

    apples

  • Cholesterol
    In a study on moderately obese male and female subjects, polyphenols extracted from apples significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. Apples are also high in pectin, a soluble fiber with the ability to lower cholesterol levels, and it has been demonstrated that an apple a day lowered cholesterol levels by up to 16 percent.
    		•

  • Dietary fiber
     The high fiber content of apples is also of great benefit to the bowels. A 5-ounce apple can supply the body with more than 3 grams of fiber, 10 percent of the daily-recommended intake. The fiber in apples will be beneficial for losing weight, and the fructose will help to stabilize blood sugar levels. Apple polyphenols have demonstrated the ability to regulate fat metabolism.
    		•

  • Heart disease
    The quercetin found in apples is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, and apple consumption has consistently been associated with reduced heart disease.
    		•
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/health-benefits-of-apples/feed/     Zapping Away Migraine Pain http://www.ahealthblog.com/zapping-away-migraine-pain/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/zapping-away-migraine-pain/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:42:34 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/zapping-away-migraine-pain/
    Blogged from www.sciencedaily.com
    A novel electronic device designed to “zap” away migraine pain before it starts has proven to be the next form of relief for those suffering from the debilitating disease, according to a study conducted at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
    The noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device interrupts the aura phase of the migraine, often described as electrical storms in the brain, before they lead to headaches.
    The TMS device sends a strong electric current through a metal coil, which creates an intense magnetic field for about one millisecond. This magnetic pulse, when held against a person’s head, creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain, interrupting the aura before it results in a throbbing headache.
    Of the 164 patients involved in the multi-center, randomized clinical trial receiving TMS treatment, 39 percent were pain free at the two-hour post-treatment point, compared to 22 percent in the group receiving “sham” pulses.
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/zapping-away-migraine-pain/feed/     Is Hoodia a Safe and Effective Supplement? http://www.ahealthblog.com/is-hoodia-a-safe-and-effective-supplement/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/is-hoodia-a-safe-and-effective-supplement/#comments Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:55:54 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/is-hoodia-a-safe-and-effective-supplement/
    Blogged from www.elements4health.com

    hoodia gordonii

  • In a trial of 24 morbidly obese people where all that they could do was to read, watch television, interact with each other, and of course eat. Half the participants were given Hoodia Gordonii, and the other half a placebo. After 15 days the Hoodia Gordonii group had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories a day, despite taking no exercise and not being on any kind of weight loss diet.
    		•

  • Whole Hoodia powder contains fiber, antioxidants, and the only reported active ingredient P57, an oxypregnane steroidal glycoside. Studies at Brown University Medical School have demonstrated P57 to be a hypothalamic ATP modulator, increasing the content of ATP by 50-150%. ATP is the molecule that stores the energy that we need for every action that we perform in life. P57 informs the brain that blood glucose levels are high, thus fooling the brain into thinking it’s full. P57 contains zero calories, yet is 10, 000 times more potent than sugar in suppressing appetite.
    		•
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/is-hoodia-a-safe-and-effective-supplement/feed/     Hanging Leg Raise http://www.ahealthblog.com/hanging-leg-raise/ http://www.ahealthblog.com/hanging-leg-raise/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:13:11 +0000 admin http://www.ahealthblog.com/hanging-leg-raise/
    Blogged from www.elements4health.com

    hanging leg raise abdominal exercise

    Hang from a bar with your legs straight down. Raise your legs by flexing your hips while flexing your knees until your hips are fully flexed. Continue to raise knees toward shoulders by flexing your waist. Do NOT swing and use momentum. Go slow and concentrate on using your abs to pull your legs up. Return to the starting position. Repeat. You can place weight between your ankles for added resistance. You can also raise your knees to one side of your body to work the obliques.
    Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals
    Other Muscles Worked: None
    ]]>     http://www.ahealthblog.com/hanging-leg-raise/feed/