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The
Telangana Science JournalHealth and Nutrition(An International Electronic Science Digest Published from the United States of America) |
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to one of the most backward regions in India,
"Telangana,"
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Chief Editor: Sreenivasarao Vepachedu, MS, LLM, JD, PhD |
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Issue 92 |
5107 Kali Era , paardhiva
Year, Shravana
month
2063 Vikramarka Era, paardhiva Year, Shravana month 1927 Salivahana Era , paardhiva Year, Shravana month 2005 AD, August |
| Diet and Exercise |
| Orange Juice Drinking a glass of orange juice a day may help stave off arthritis, new research suggests. The findings appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Certain carotenoids, compounds commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, appear to be responsible. The findings from previous studies have suggested that dietary carotenoids, the chemicals responsible for the orange and yellow coloring of fruits and vegetables, can reduce inflammation through antioxidant effects. These data add to a growing body of evidence that some dietary antioxidants, such as the carotenoids beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin as well as vitamin C, may be protective against the development of arthritis. Coffee The effects of coffee on the body fall into several categories:
The More You Eat…. The More You Eat, The More You Weigh! Even in India! Obesity is a very personal issue because it depends on what you eat and how often you exercise. According to a study that appears in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, leaner adult Indians were poorer and overweight participants were richer. The researchers noted physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and participants' possessions. Their list of 17 items included electricity, fan, bike, radio, TV antenna, car, computer, air conditioning, and washing machine. Those with less than six items had a BMI of 20.5 (healthy normal weight, but on the lower side), compared with a BMI of nearly 27 (indicating overweight) in those owning 15 or 16 possessions. The study found, average birth weight was about 6.3 pounds. Less than half were overweight as 2-year-olds. As adults, 47 percent were overweight, 11 percent were obese, and 51 percent were obese around their midsection. In the US, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the percentage of obese adults for 2002-04 stood at 22.7 percent nationally. The percentage for the previous cycle, 2001-03, was 22 percent. The state exhibiting the largest increase in obesity was Alabama. There, the rate increased 1.5-percentage points to 27.7 percent. Oregon's rate held steady at 21 percent. The report said the states with the highest percentage of obese adults are Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana and Tennessee. The states with the lowest percentage of obese adults are Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Montana. Hawaii was not included in the report. Kids whose parents do little to discourage bad eating habits and sedentary activities, such as television and video games, are significantly more likely to grow into overweight or obese young adults, according to new study findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Philadelphia in August. Children with high self-esteem were less likely to become obese, as were those whose parents had a relatively high level of education and healthy food habits. Girls who were overweight before their first menstrual periods were almost eight times more likely to be overweight as women, the study found. But there was no link between precocious puberty alone and being overweight later in life. The study provides reassurance that early puberty is normal for some overweight girls, and there is no greater risk of being overweight as an adult for a slender girl who gets her first period early. The real culprit is childhood obesity. The study will be published in the September issue of Pediatrics. Dr. Terry Bennett, a New Hampshire physician, was forced to write a letter of apology to an obese woman who was offended by his advice. The doctor tells obese patients their weight is bad for their health and their love lives, but the lecture drove one patient to complain to the state. Her complaint, filed about a year ago, was initially investigated by a panel of the New Hampshire Board of Medicine, which recommended that Bennett be sent a confidential letter of concern. Bennett rejected that office’s proposal that he attend a medical education course and acknowledge that he made a mistake by telling her to loose weight. The board’s Web site says disciplinary sanctions may range from a reprimand to the revocation of all rights to practice in the state. Heme iron is only found in animal foods, and the amount in beef is about twice that in chicken and fish. It has a different chemical form than the iron in plant foods and supplements. Heme iron seems to damage the lining of the colon and cause abnormal cell growth. One study shows that increasing red meat leads to more NOCs in the colon. Red meat’s heme iron produces more NOCs than iron from plant foods. The higher colon cancer risk from red meat may be due to its levels of the heme form of iron. A large European study recently reported a strong link between eating high amounts of red meat and an increased risk of colorectal cancer. This finding supports and extends the results of several previous studies. A study of more than 148,000 Americans released earlier this year tracked people for 9 to 19 years. Those who ate the most red and processed meats faced a 13 to 15 percent increase in the risk of colon cancer. The meats responsible include, but not limited to, beef, pork, lamb and veal, plus sausage, ham, bacon and cold cuts. The American Institute for Cancer Research’s expert panel report, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer, recommends cutting down meat consumption. Since none of the risks connected with red meat apply to plant-based dishes, make meatless entrées with beans, nuts, or seeds for protein. Make sure the focus of your meals is vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, which are the source of many health-promoting nutrients and phytochemicals, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Garlic In addition to its culinary properties, garlic has a long history of use in Ayurveda (the Science of Life) and folk medicine, having been used to treat such ailments as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even blood clots. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat, is currently a major ingredient in a cream used by arthritis sufferers. It turns out that pain-sensing nerves respond to the sulfur-based chemicals in garlic. Indeed, the same mechanism the body uses to react to the sharpness of chili peppers and hot mustards like wasabi is the one that detects garlic, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Striking a Balance: Fat Unhealthy saturated fat is found mainly in animal products such as meat and higher-fat dairy products. Healthy unsaturated fatty acids, which are either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, are found in mostly vegetable foods like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds like flax and urad, and leafy vegetables like verdalago. But vegetable oils differ in their concentrations of the two types of unsaturated fat. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, but has lower PUFA levels and more saturated fat than many other vegetable oils, including canola, safflower and sunflower oils. Researchers found that a diet rich in a new type of sunflower oil, which had relatively high concentrations of both polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, bested olive oil when it came to lowering levels of "bad" LDLs. The findings point to the importance of replacing saturated fats in the diet with a "balance" of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The sunflower oil's supply of both types of fat appear to be the reason for its LDL-fighting ways, the study authors report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, July 2005. A new study gives the "thumbs up" to soft, trans fat-free margarines in terms of foods that can help reduce the risk of heart disease. This particular study, similar to numerous studies published over the last few years, documents the benefits of soft, trans-free margarine in a heart- healthy diet. The new study is published in the British Medical Journal. The researchers found that reduced risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) was more closely associated with an increased consumption of polyunsaturated fats (e.g., soft, trans fat-free margarines made from soybean and canola oil). Earlier this year, soft and liquid margarine spreads were included as part of an overall healthful diet when the government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid food guidance system were issued. For the first time, vegetable liquid oils and soft, trans fat-free soft margarine spreads were elevated in importance in that they "help meet essential fatty acid needs and also contribute toward Vitamin E needs" states the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report. Turmeric Benefits A pinch of the yellow turmeric powder is a must in almost every curry cooked in the Indian cuisine. People who eat plenty of turmeric have lower rates of some cancers, although the spice itself has not been shown to reduce cancer risk in people. Bharat Aggarwal of the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and colleagues treated three batches of cells with curcumin at different doses and for varying times. The curcumin suppressed two proteins that tumor cells use to keep themselves immortal, the researchers write in the August issue of the journal Cancer. Curcumin is responsible for bright yellow color of turmeric. Bananas Potassium is an essential element that helps in blood regulation and improves carbohydrate metabolism by helping the muscles act efficiently. Without potassium (and sodium), our muscles stop functioning correctly. Severe loss of sodium can produce complications ranging from shock to death. In addition, potassium prevents the blood's pH from becoming too acidic. Where can you find potassium? In Bananas, of course! Bananas are also rich in magnesium, which plays a pivotal role in energy transport and is involved in the synthesis of protein, which helps you recover from fatigue. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6, which helps metabolise more than 60 proteins and assists in red blood cell production that transports oxygen to muscles. The folate in bananas also helps concentration and memory. Bananas give 17 per cent of our daily requirement of vitamin C, an antioxidant that neutralises dangerous free radicals in our body and helps produce collagen, the building block of the connective tissues such as tendons and cartilage that keep our knees strong. Bananas also contain fiber. Plenty of fiber in our diet is important for good health. Fiber reduces cholesterol, improves blood sugar control and lowers risk of heart disease. It has a positive effect on the digestive system by helping to maintain regularity and reduce risk of diverticulitis and hernias. Vegetarian Diet Helps Prostate Cancer More than 230,000 U.S. men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and 29,500 will die, the cancer society estimates. A study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Urology, promises to increase interest in whether diet might really help battle cancer. According to the study low-fat vegetarian diet and other lifestyle changes may help keep early-stage prostate cancer from worsening. The study was led by heart-health guru Dr. Dean Ornish, and used his famously strict regimen, where people become vegetarians, limit dietary fat to 10 percent of total calories, exercise regularly and learn stress-management techniques such as yoga. It comes just months after another study suggested low-fat vegetarian diets might help women avoid a recurrence of breast cancer. The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn calories like a run on the treadmill. But a new study suggests it might help people keep weight off in middle age. Yoga helps keep people more in tune with their bodies and eating habits and aware of bad habits. The findings, published in the July/August issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, showed that those who practiced yoga tended to avoid junk food and overeating because they wanted to respect their bodies. Broccoli Previous research has shown that men who eat broccoli regularly are less likely to develop bladder cancer, which kills more than 13,000 Americans each year. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain substances that morph into isothiocyanates, which research suggests may fight cancer. Eating broccoli may help prevent or slow the spread of bladder cancer, according to a new study findings. Working in the laboratory, U.S. researchers found that certain compounds in broccoli appear to interfere with bladder cancer cells -- especially aggressive cells that tend to spread quickly around the body. Eat a variety of vegetables in your diet. Because there's all sorts of compounds we're finding can be healthy and disease-preventive. Exercise is Good! High levels of physical activity, such as running, swimming or heavy gardening during leisure time can reduce your risk of stroke, according to a study reported in August in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. In addition, walking or biking to and from work for up to 29 minutes a day may also reduce the risk of strokes caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke). Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. If you are exercising for health and fitness, and not training for a specific sport, you may be more susceptible to overuse injuries or stress-related or repetitive-motion injuries. These injuries usually result when joints or soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments or bursae) become irritated and inflamed. Another common and bothersome overuse injury is a stress fracture, a tiny crack in a bone that has been repeatedly stressed during exercise. Overuse injuries commonly occur when a person does an unusually large amount of exercise, stressing tendons and joints that haven't had a chance to adapt to the new workload. Whereas your muscles can adjust to new demands fairly easily, the fibrous tissue in tendons and joints adapts more slowly, increasing in size and strength gradually over weeks and months. To avoid overuse injury, you must give these soft tissues time to toughen, even if your muscles are urging you to go farther and faster. Injury Prevention Tips
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| Miscellaneous Choice is Yours: Erection or Vision NAION is considered one of the most common causes of sudden vision loss in older people, with anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 cases a year. Risk factors include diabetes and heart disease, two of the leading causes of impotence. The FDA has reports of NAION among users of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. They include varying degrees of vision loss, including blindness. Accordingly, the government in July ordered warnings onto the labels of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra - the impotence drugs- that some users have developed a form of blindness. World Population Overpopulation of the world is a fear that is as old as our history. In 1600 BC Babylonians and in 1798 AD Thomas Malthus feared the world was too full of people. In 1972, Donella Meadows renewed these concerns in her book "The Limits to Growth." In the Indian context, in early 1900s during the Islamic rule in Hyderabad State, even a middle class woman, who was a housewife, had 8 children. In the middle of the century, her daughter, also a housewife, had only three children, as per government's slogan "two or three enough." By the end of century, her daughter, who is educated and working, had only one child, less than the government's slogan suggested replacement limit "we two and our two". Thus, in the past century, middle class Indians had experienced a decline in the childbirth from 8 children per woman to 3 children per woman to one child per woman. Birth rate in Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state of 80 million Telugus, is around 2 children per woman today. In Russia and Europe also the same kind of decline happened. In the beginning of 20th century an urban Russian woman was a housewife and had 7-8 children, but population declined sharply during world wars. That decline in Russia was drasticand sudden in the beginning of 20th century due to communist revolution and transition of women into workforce. Yet the world population has doubled in the second half of the century! The birthrate in rural areas and backward areas is still high everywhere in the world. However, it is not the sole reason for the population increase worldwide. Most importantly, the child mortality reduction and life span increase due to medical and technological advances have contributed to this doubling effect. According to the articles "Human Population Grows Up" and "The Climax of Humanity" in the September issue of Scientific American, we will not see again this kind of increase for quite some time. Faith in the Medicine and the Physician Helps Cure Disease In India, it is held that faith in the physician and the medicine, helps the patient. A physician is considered the God on earth and the medication is considered divine. It is held that if you believe in the physician, even if s/he gives clay from the pond, it works wonders. How superstitious! But, wait, according to a University of Michigan study, patients will feel better if they believe they're taking painkillers even if their doses contain no medication. The study, examining the placebo effect, shows that the brain releases chemicals that relieve pain in patients who believe they're being treated. It is to be published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Bedwetting Nocturnal enuresis (en-yer-ee-sis), or bed-wetting, is when urine is involuntarily released at an age when bladder control should have been achieved. Bedwetting is a problem for more than 5 million U.S. children age 6 or older. Alarms and medicines are available, but understanding how their bodies work for many kids is key to staying dry. Children usually get nighttime bladder control between ages 3 and 5. The brain and bladder must learn to work together: First, the bladder signals the brain that it’s filling. The brain then either signals back for the bladder to relax and hold more urine overnight, or signals the child to awaken. Boys are twice as likely as girls to experience delays in nighttime bladder control, and bedwetting tends to run in families; whatever age mom or dad became dry usually is the age their own children will. Sources as the National Kidney Foundation and the pediatrics’ academy have some kid-friendly advice. Recommendations:
Skin cancer in America More than 1 million Americans develop some form of skin cancer each year. Among those most at risk are people with light skin, hair and eyes, a combination frequent in redheads and blonds. They are particularly prone to sunburns, a risk factor for anyone, especially if the burns occur in childhood. Redheads sunburn easily, but that may not be the only reason they are at high risk of skin cancer. New research suggests the pigment that colors their skin may set them up for cancer-spurring sun damage even if they do not burn, presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. But, a recent research shows that red-headed women are better at bearing pain than blondes or brunettes. The findings, however, reveal that Mc1r gene does not help men, because of the subtle differences in the way male and female brains process pain. Diabetes in the Indian Continent International health officials say diabetes needs much more attention, particularly in India. Indians are genetically more susceptible to diabetes. Compared to Americans whose average age for the onset of diabetes is around 59, in India it is much less at 43. It is estimated that almost 3.2 million people die of diabetes across the world every year and there are 30 to 33 million diabetics in India now. Every fourth diabetic in the world today is an Indian. The World Health Organization predicts the number of diabetics in India would go up to 40 million by 2010 and 74 million by 2025. The good news is like heart disease, diabetes also can be prevented to some extent by following a healthy life style involving healthy diet and exercise. Dog Ticks A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that a common type of dog tick can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a bacterial infection that causes fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, lack of appetite and severe headache, among other symptoms, and which can be fatal. The findings come following an investigation by government health officials into Arizona's first-ever outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Over the counter pain killers A study published in the journal Hypertension found that women who took moderate daily doses of acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were more likely to develop hypertension than women who did not. Women aged 34 to 53 who took more than 400 milligrams a day of an NSAID such as ibuprofen or naproxen had a 60 percent higher risk for hypertension, and those aged 51-77 who took that dose of an NSAID had a 78 percent increased risk. The only NSAID that did not appear to raise blood pressure was aspirin. Smoking In a study of women smokers, those whose spouses also smoked had a higher risk of stroke than those married to nonsmokers, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. There is evidence suggesting that your exposure to secondhand smoke can increase your chances of getting heart disease. And that is also true for stroke. Exposure to cigarette smoke raises the risk among teens of metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with excess belly fat that increases the chances of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to another study in online journal Circulation. HIV in India Gates Foundation is the biggest donor to India to fight AIDS. In the state of Karnataka, which includes Mysore, 8% of all adults, or 2.6 million people, could be HIV-infected by 2013, swamping hospital beds and busting health budgets, according to a preliminary Gates Foundation estimate. HIV cases are concentrated in six of India's 30 states, chiefly among its three million sex workers and six million long-distance truckers. Spot checks of prostitutes in some cities have found HIV infection running as high as 50%. Their mobility could spread the virus far and wide, reprising the early spread of AIDS along truck routes in Africa. AIDS also poses a threat to the economy of India and South Asia, since India's HIV hot spots lie near the centers of its economic boom. The city of Mysore, with 1,840 prostitutes targeted for safe-sex education by the Gates clinic, is 90 miles southwest of Bangalore -- the engine of India's high-tech growth and the epicenter of the subcontinent's economic boom. (See http://www.aegis.com/news/wsj/2004/WJ040501.html). But being frank about AIDS transmission is difficult in a society where polite people don't discuss sex and the disease carries a powerful stigma. A woman was stoned to death in one state because she was HIV-positive, says Ashok Alexander, the project's director. He spoke with Jerrome McDonnel on Chicago Public Radio's World View on August 30.
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Recipes
Rosy deep-dish cobbler with rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries Filling: 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/3-inch slices, 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca, 1 1/2 pints strawberries, hulled, halved if large 1/2 pint raspberries, 2 teaspoons orange zest Cobbler crust: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon each: allspice, salt, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut in 8 pieces, 1/2 cup whipping cream, Ice cream for serving. Procedure: 1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together rhubarb, sugar and tapioca in large bowl; set aside 15 minutes. Transfer to large skillet over high heat. Cook, stirring, until juices begin to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in strawberries, raspberries and zest. Transfer mixture to a 10-cup souffle dish. 2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt in food processor. Work in butter by pulsing processor blade or with pastry blender in bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream; process or mix just until dough clumps together. Press dough into firm mass on floured board. Knead dough, folding and pressing it back onto itself, until it becomes smooth and cohesive, about 30 seconds. 3. Roll out dough on heavily floured board to slightly larger diameter than souffle dish. Brush away excess flour with pastry brush. Place dough on top of fruit; gently tuck edges down into fruit. Place dish on jelly roll pan to catch any juices. 4. Bake cobbler until crust is lightly browned and juices bubbling, 50-60 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack to allow juices to thicken. 5. Serve warm. Reheat in 300-degree oven until warm, about 15 minutes. Top each serving with 4 tablespoons of ice cream. Rhubarb-blueberry crisp 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices, 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons dark rum or water, 3 1/2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Topping: 1 cup each: packed light brown sugar, flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup pecans, 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened, cut into tablespoon size pieces, Vanilla ice cream for serving Procedure: 1. Put rhubarb, blueberries, zest, sugar, rum, tapioca and nutmeg in large mixing bowl. Toss until well mixed; set aside 15 minutes. 2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. For topping, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and pecans in food processor; pulse to combine. Scatter butter over mixture. Pulse until mixture starts to clump, about 20-25 times. 3. Transfer fruit to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or baking dish. (Surface will be uneven.) Use fingers to evenly arrange small clumps of topping over fruit; gently pat into place. Place on cookie sheet. 4. Bake crisp until top is well browned, 50-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Carrot Green Apple Salad Ingredients: 2 cups carrot – peeled and grated, ½ cup green apple, finely sliced and chopped, ½ cup onion, finely diced, ¼ cup parsley leaves, nicely chopped, 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped ½ lemon, 1 or 2 tbs cooking oil, salt to taste. Directions: Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions and green chilies and fry them for 30 seconds to make them soft. Add grated carrot, mix well and add salt. Turn off the heat. Add green apple, parsley leaves and squeeze in the lemon juice and mix well. To make this dish a bit heavier, your can mix in any variety of drained, canned pulses. Vegetable salads are an integral part of south Indian vegetarian meals. These salads are made with different vegetables and pulses. Dr. Renukadevi Vepachedu Tips for dining vegan in a meat-eating land It's difficult to be a vegan in a meat-eaters' world--even in a vegetarian-friendly part of that world. But with a little research and flexibility, it's possible to find a restaurant that will satisfy people at both sides of the table. If you're taking that vegetarian or vegan in the family out for a meal, there are a few steps you can take to try to assure a pleasant dining experience. First, remember: Vegetarians don't eat meat, poultry or fish. Vegans go further, excluding all animal products, such as eggs, dairy, honey or anything that includes gelatin. 1. Do research: Check the Internet to see if your dining destination posts a menu on its site to get an idea of the eatery's parameters. 2. Call ahead: Ask if the restaurant has vegetarian options. Then throw a real curve and ask about vegan options. Most places are willing to improvise. Some even seem to welcome the challenge. But make sure they know exactly what is off-limits (yes, honey is an animal product). 3. Be flexible: Don't expect gluten dishes at a rib joint. Work with the server and chef; they're usually more than happy to try and put together a satisfying meal. 4. Consider eateries geared to the vegetarian/vegan. A few online sources worth checking out include www.vegchicago.com, www.vegdining.com and www.happycow.net. 5. Remember that these eateries can be diverse. As author Margaret Littman notes in "Veg Out Vegetarian Guide to Chicago" (Gibbs Smith, $12.95 paperback), her look at 150 vegetarian and vegan restaurants, "Like Chicago's always impressive restaurant scene, the selection of veg-friendly eateries run the gamut from greasy corner diners to upscale bistros with attentive sommeliers." Here are some restaurants for vegan dining in Chicago area: Thai Spoon 632 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-427-9470 The best tofu in the city. Chicago Diner 3411 N. Halsted St.; 773-935-6696 Known nationwide as one of the best vegan restaurants; they do it all, from their annual Thanksgiving feast to wedding cakes. Earwax Cafe 1561 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-772-4019 Their chocolate soy milkshakes make you feel like you're getting away with something. Karyn's Cooked 738 N. Wells St.; 312-587-1050 Sultan's Market 2057 W. North Ave.; 773-235-3072 Mediterranean fast food. The menu tells you which items are vegan. Huge salad bar. Your Financial Health How much debt can you carry? The first rule of thumb says that monthly payments on debt should be no more than 20 percent of your monthly disposable income. Disposable income is the income after subtracting mortgage or rent, food, utilities, and taxes. Thus the debt does not include mortgage. For example, a family that rents a home for $ 1000, has after-tax take-home pay of approximately $2,500 per month. The utilities or other expenses are, let us say, $ 500. Let's assume that the family's food costs are $500 per month. This means that the family has $500 a month in disposable income. According to the guideline, installment debt payments should not exceed $100 per month (20 percent of $ 500). How much debt could the family carry for $100 per month? If the debt had an average maturity of three years, $100 would be adequate to service about $3,000. The second rule of thumb states that your total debt should be less than one-third of your annual disposable income. Continuing with our example, the family living in rented quarters with an annual disposable income of $6,000 should not owe more than one-third, or $2,000, in consumer debt. Thus the family in our example can carry a debt in the range of $ 2000 to $ 3000. The important point is that you must carefully plan for consumer debt as one component of a monthly budget that includes adequate provisions for regular savings and an emergency reserve. Take financial control into your hands. Don't let your finances get out of control. Let professionals help you analyze your debt, and fix your credit. Get a free 100% confidential debt analysis today, if you are in Illinois Click here. Back to the Top |
| Source: The primary sources
cited above, New York Times (NYT),
Washington Post (WP), Mercury News, Bayarea.com,
Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Intellihealthnews,
Deccan Chronicle (DC), the Hindu, Hindustan
Times, Times of India, AP, Reuters,
AFP, womenfitness.net
etc. |
(Om! Lead the world from wrong path to the right path, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality and peace!)
One World One Family
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|
Management |
The Foundation |
The Andhra Journal of
Industrial News |
The Telangana Science
Journal |
Mana Sanskriti (Our
Culture) Journal |
Disclaimer | Solicitation |
Contact |
VPC |