The Telangana Science Journal,March 2007, Issue 111

Contents

Diet and Exercise	Miscellaneous	Recipes
Blue Berries Beef Damages Son's Sperm Green Tea Abdominal Fat Balanced Omegas for Health Exercise Boosts Brainpower Unhealthy Chinese, Italian and Mexican Restaurant Food Fruits are not for Americans Chocolate Sin Omega-3 Fats	Tobacco and Alcohol are Deadly Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Walking Quiets Smokers' Cravings Smoking and Skin Desk Jobs and Clot Risk Mind Body and Spirit Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women Ovulatory Dysfunction and Fat Canker Sour Remedy	Red Pepper Gazpacho Soup Mushroom Fajitas

Diet and Exercise

Blue Berries
A compound in blueberries may be good for preventing bowel cancer,according to US scientists.
The key ingredient, pterostilbene, is a natural antioxidant and mops up highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can trigger cancer growth. Similar antioxidants have already been identified in grapes (and red wine). Other work, also in mice, suggests pterostilbene may be good for lowering blood cholesterol too.

Beef Damages Son's Sperm
The University of Rochester found men whose mothers ate a lot of beef during pregnancy had lower sperm counts. The Human Reproduction study found they were three times more likely to have a sperm count so low they could be classified as sub-fertile. Among sons of mothers who ate a lot of beef, 17.7% had a sperm concentration below the World Health Organization sub-fertility threshold of 20 million sperm per millilitre of seminal fluid. The figure for the sons of lower beef consumers was 5.7%.

Green Tea
Scientists found a component called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in green tea prevents HIV from binding to immune system cells by getting there first. Once EGCG has bound to immune system cells there is no room for HIV to take hold in its usual fashion. The joint UK and US work appears in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Green tea has been linked to a positive effect on a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's.

Abdominal Fat
As scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. Excess fat is known to be associated with disease, but now the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It's the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation. For years, scientists have been aware of a relationship between disease risk and excess belly fat. "Apple-shaped" people, who carry fat in the abdomen, have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and other problems than "pear-shaped" people, who tend to store fat in the hips and thighs.

Too much abdominal fat is associated with a defect in the body's response to insulin. During medical exams, some physicians measure waist circumference to identify patients at increased risk for these problems. Not just any belly fat will cause inflammation, however. Back in 2004, Washington University investigators found that removing abdominal fat with liposuction did not provide the metabolic benefits normally associated with similar amounts of fat loss induced by dieting or exercising. In this new study, researchers looked instead at visceral fat that surrounds the organs in the gut. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is not easy to remove surgically because it is very close to the intestines and other internal organs. Since they couldn't just take out the fat, the research team decided to analyze the blood that ran through it to determine whether visceral fat was involved in inflammation or whether, like subcutaneous fat, it was merely a marker of potential problems.

Reporting in the journal Diabetes, the research team says visceral fat likely contributes to increases in systemic inflammation and insulin resistance.

Balanced Omegas for Health
A report, published online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, suggests that we need to balance out our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The current typical American diet contains 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that researchers say should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1. The study suggests that people whose diets contain dramatically more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases. The greatest risk of fish oil omega-3 supplementation is heavy metal poisoning by the body's accumulation of traces of heavy metals, in particular mercury, lead, nickel, arsenic and cadmium as well as other contaminants (PCBs, furans, dioxins), which may be found in fish oil supplements. Botanical sources of Omega-3 fatty acid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid): Chia, Kiwi, Perilla, Flax, Lingonberry, Purslane, Sea Buckthorn, urad lentil, and Hemp

Omega-3 fatty acids seem to affect areas of the brain associated with emotion. People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were more apt to have a negative outlook and to be more impulsive, while those with higher levels typically were more agreeable and less likely to exhibit a sour mood. As the researchers theorized, the higher the intake of omega-3 the larger were the volumes of gray matter in areas of the brain associated with mood and regulation of emotion.
While these findings hint that omega-3s may contribute to structural improvement in areas of the brain related to emotion, the same areas where gray matter is reduced in people with mood disorders such as depression. Further studies are needed to determine whether eating omega- 3 fats actually causes changes in the brain, the researchers note.

Exercise Boosts Brainpower
Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss, U.S. researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tests on mice showed they grew new brain cells in a brain region called the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus that is known to be affected in the age-related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging scans to help document the process in mice, and then used MRIs to look at the brains of people before and after exercise. They found the same patterns, which suggests that people also grow new brain cells when they exercise.

Unhealthy Chinese, Italian and Mexican Restaurant Food
The typical items on a Chinese restaurant contain high amounts of sodium and calories. That's the warning from consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest. In a report released this week, the group notes that even the vegetable dishes served at Chinese restaurants are high in calories and sodium. Some of the dishes contain more than the total allowance of sodium and almost all of the 2,000 calories an average adult needs per day, the report found. It offers some advice for diners: Order vegetable rather than meat or noodle dishes; ask for extra vegetables; order meat, seafood or tofu stir-fried or braised, rather than deep-fried; hold the sauce, and use a fork or chopsticks to leave more sauce behind; steer clear of high-sodium duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce and soy sauce; share a meal or take half home for later; and ask for brown rice instead of white rice. The group adds that Chinese restaurants aren't the only culprits out there. The food served at Italian and Mexican restaurants could be worse for you because much of it is high in artery-clogging saturated fats.

Fruits are not for Americans
Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that's remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said. That's "well below" the government's goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and three of vegetables each day by 2010. Younger adults, age 18 to 24, ate the fewest vegetables. Nearly four-fifths of that age category scraped the veggies to the side of their plates, if they had vegetables on the plate at all. Not only are fruits and vegetables lower-calorie, they also have minerals and fiber that help guard against chronic diseases and cancer, the CDC says. The federal agency is baffled at American behavior said it didn't know why people weren't eating more veggies or fruits.

Chocolate Sin
That delicious calorie laden, unhealthy chocolate bar is also responsible for another sin. Child labor is extensively used in cocoa production, BBC reports.

Omega-3 Fats
The omega-3 fatty acid may be a "brain food" that helps ward off depression because it increases gray matter in three areas that tend to be smaller in people who have serious depression, a study suggests. The increase could help explain why past studies have found that the omega-3 acid DHA reduces symptoms of depression. Omega-3 fats can be found in flaxseed, urad lentils, some leafy vegetables such as purslane, and nuts.

Orange Tomatoes
Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more readily use.
Researchers found that eating spaghetti covered in sauce made from these orange tomatoes, called Tangerine tomatoes, caused a noticeable boost in this form of lycopene in participants' blood. Lycopene belongs to a family of antioxidants called the carotenoids, which give certain fruits and vegetables their distinctive colors. Carotenoids are thought to have a number of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration. The findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Lycopene is an aggregate of carotenoids that contains a variety of related compounds called isomers. Isomers share the same chemical formula, yet differ in chemical structure. In the case of tomatoes, the different lycopene isomers play a part in determining the color of the fruit.

Miscellaneous
Tobacco and Alcohol are Deadly
"All drugs are dangerous. Even the ones people know and love and use every day." New "landmark" research finds that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than some illegal drugs like marijuana or Ecstasy and should be classified as such in legal systems, according to a new British study. According to existing British and U.S. drug policy, alcohol and tobacco are legal, while cannabis and Ecstasy are both illegal. Tobacco causes 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is blamed for more than half of all visits to hospital emergency rooms. The substances also harm society in other ways, damaging families and occupying police services.

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine
Unlike the measles or whooping cough, you don't get the genital warts and cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) from casual contact. The fact it that it is a sexually transmitted disease. In this country (US), there are about 9,700 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 deaths each year.

The HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the US, so common that researchers estimate that most people will have some form of it in their lifetime due to the growing promiscuity. Young adults are especially at risk because they tend to be the most sexually active group. Many women find themselves scrambling to understand HPV after a routine Pap smear determines they have it. It is too late, already! Frequently, men are the silent carriers who spread HPV to their sexual partners. And even when people know they have HPV, they often think condoms offer 100 percent protection, when research has shown that they don't.

Certainly and very apparent, doctors say, having more sexual partners increases a person's chance of contracting HPV, given the fact that HPV can be contracted from just one sexual encounter.

Given the social behavior and all, the only solution seems to be vaccinating young girls from certain contracting HPV in this society. The scenario might go something like this: A drug company develops a vaccine that could help wipe out most future cases of cervical cancer. State governments add it to their list of required vaccines for school. Girls line up for shots. Years later, fewer of them die prematurely despite promiscuous behavior and everyone lives happily ever after. Easier said than done! In the real world, the notion of requiring the HPV vaccine for young girls is much more complicated than that, especially when the disease is preventable by change in social behavior - though uncontrollable like the preventable obesity problem. The debate has been especially hot in states such as Texas, where state lawmakers are making moves to rescind a vaccine mandate backed by Gov. Rick Perry.

That wariness persists even though Merck backed off from its mandate push last month, saying it would instead provide vaccine information only if requested by government officials. Meanwhile, there are concerns about the cost of the vaccine and whether insurance companies will pay for it. The three-dose regimen costs about $360. Some also worry that, in this age of drug recalls, more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of the HPV vaccine.

Walking Quiets Smokers' Cravings
Just a small amount of exercise may be all it takes to reduce nicotine cravings. A study published in the journal Addiction suggests that five minutes of moderate exercise could help smokers quit. The researchers reviewed 12 studies on the connection between exercise and nicotine deprivation. When asked to rate their need for a cigarette, people who had just done some type of moderate physical exercise such as walking or flexing and tensing muscles reported a reduced desire to smoke. The Associated Press quotes other experts who warn that it's not clear how long the effects of exercise would last; it may not be enough over the long term, and would have to be combined with other anti-smoking strategies.

Smoking and Skin
Smoking not only can wrinkle the face and turn it yellow -- it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported. The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body, even skin protected from the sun. Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light. Cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels beneath the skin to constrict, reducing blood supply to the skin. Smoking can also damage the connective tissue that supports both the skin and the internal organs.

Desk Jobs and Clot Risk

Sitting at a desk all day could put you at risk of dangerous blood clots. A study in the New Zealand Medical Journal found that office workers could be at risk for deep-vein thrombosis, a condition in which blood clots form in the deep veins of the leg. The researchers found that 34% of the patients (62 patients) had been sitting down at work for long periods.

Mind Body and Spirit
http://www.healthypages.net/newsitem.asp?newsid=5594

Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women
One in four U.S. women ages 14 to 59 is infected with the sexually transmitted virus that in some forms can cause cervical cancer, according to the first broad national estimate. The figure is mostly in line with previous assessments. The highest prevalence, about 45 percent, was found in 14- to-24-year-olds, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers have estimated that 20 million Americans have some form of HPV. The study concluded that 26.8 percent of U.S. women are infected, a figure that is comparable to earlier estimates using smaller groups. The new nationally representative report is based on vaginal swab specimens from 1,921 women tested in 2003-04. The report appears in February issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. An estimated 11,150 U.S. women will be diagnosed this year with cervical cancer, and about 3,670 will die from it. The study underscores the need for educating young women against promiscuity and need for vaccinations.

Ovulatory Dysfunction and Fat
Ovulatory dysfunction, is a disorder in which ovulation does not occur regularly. Ovulation is the term used to define the release of an egg from the ovary. This process is essential for pregnancy to occur. Ovulation is a complex process and depends on an adequate amount of appropriate hormones at appropriate times of the menstrual cycle. Anything that disrupts the hormonal regulation of the female cycle may result in ovulatory dysfunction.

Ovulatory dysfunction can occur in any woman that has undergone puberty. Women who have reproductive organs that did not develop fully may not be capable of ovulating. Ovulatory dysfunction is very common in women approaching menopause. Once menopause sets in, women stop ovulating. As many as 30-40% of all women may experience ovulatory dysfunction. This is one of the most common and most manageable causes of infertility.

Women having trouble getting pregnant because ovulatory dysfunction may want to drink a daily glass of whole milk, according to a Harvard study appearing in February issue of the journal Human Reproduction. Women with ovulatory dysfunction who ate one serving of high-fat dairy food a day were 27 percent less likely to be infertile than women with ovulatory dysfunction who avoided full-fat dairy foods.

Canker Sour Remedy
CankerMelts patches reduce pain and speed resolution of canker sores. During the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, scientists reported that they have developed a method for the effective healing of, and relief of pain associated with, canker sores. Canker sores (scientifically known as aphthous ulcers) are painful recurring ulcers inside the mouth that afflict 60 million Americans. They are not viral or contagious. The most common form, called minor aphthous ulcers, are less than 10 mm in diameter and typically heal within 10-14 days. The direct cause of canker sores is unknown, but studies have shown that stress, family history, and cuts in the mouth (like those caused by braces or accidental bites) are indirect causes. Diet may be a factor for some people as well, though specific triggering foods have not been identified. There are no significant complications caused by unhealed canker sores, but the acute mouth pain can interfere with the ability to eat, drink, or speak and impair the sufferer’s quality of life.

Licorice has been used for over 4000 years as a healing agent. The medicinal capabilities of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza) extract (GX) have been established by long-term clinical use and, most recently, by scientific research. GX has been identified to have anti-inflammatory, soothing, and coating abilities and provides proven, rapid relief for canker sores. The researchers presenting in New Orleans reported on a study of a new, patented dissolving oral patch with this traditional herbal medicine. In randomized, controlled trials conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and Orahealth Corporation, 8 out of 10 people using an oral GX patch (CankerMelts®) had no more base pain after 3 days of use. Further, the canker sores treated with the oral GX patch shrank to one-tenth their original size after 7 days, while untreated canker sores grew larger. In a separate prior study, 26 out of 27 canker sores (96%) that were treated with the CankerMelts oral patch healed in 3 or fewer days.

The gels and mouthwashes used for years by canker sore sufferers are designed to numb the pain or cover the ulcer in a protective coating to protect against irritation. To many people, this is simply inadequate: A numb mouth and days or weeks of excruciating pain can make it tough to enjoy your favorite foods and drinks or talk comfortably with friends and family. The CankerMelts oral patch technology allows the disc to stick inside the mouth, in contact with the sore and usually covering the sore to protect it from irritation. Pain relief (not numbing of the mouth) is achieved in roughly 10 minutes, and the all-natural disc dissolves slowly in the mouth, providing 2-6 hours of time-released medication exactly in the needed spot.

Health and Nutrition

Issue 111