Issue 135

5110 Kali Era, Sarvadhari Year, Phalguna month
2066 Vikramarka Era, Sarvadhari Year, Phalguna month
1930 Salivahana Era, Sarvadhari Year, Phalguna month
2009 AD, March

Contents

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Vedah

Diet and Exercise

Salt
Meat and Cancer
Exercise and Cancer
Alcohol Causes Cancer
Turmeric
Ignorance Contributing to Disease
Obesity = Smoking
Peanut Allergy

Miscellaneous

Diabetes Leads to Alzheimer’s Disease
New Baby Boom in the US
Pet Dangers

Recipes

Curried Tofu Scramble with Spinach
Vegetarian Resotto
Spicy Red Pepper Resotto

Diet and Exercise

Salt
Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is major cause of heart disease and stroke. Salt or sodium chloride is the main source of sodium for most people.

Seven out of 10 Americans should restrict their salt consumption, but very few of them do, according to a new government study. About 145 million U.S. adults are thought to be more sensitive to salt -- a group that includes anyone with high blood pressure, African-Americans and everyone older than 40. That group should eat no more than about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt each day. But only 1 in 10 people in that targeted group are meeting that guideline, according to estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials estimate that about 80 percent of the average American's salt intake occurs without them salting their food. It comes from the salt in many packaged and processed foods and meals served in restaurants. Salt reduction has become a recent focus of public health campaigns. New York City's health department, the American Heart Association and nearly three dozen other organizations are trying to persuade food manufacturers and chain restaurants to reduce salt content by more than 50 percent over the next 10 years. The CDC and federal health agencies also having sodium-reduction talks with food companies.

Eating too much salt can result in excess calcium in the urine resulting in kidney stones. Kidney stones are usually an adult malady, one that is notorious for causing excruciating pain -- pain worse than childbirth. But while the number of affected children isn't huge, kids with kidney stones have been turning up in rising numbers at hospitals around the country. In children, most stones are calcium-based, and their eating habits, plus drinking too little water, puts them at risk. Plenty of water is generally recommended to help prevent kidney stones.

Meat and Cancer
A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed data from 52,700 men and women and showed that those who did not eat meat had significantly fewer cancers overall than those who did. It appears that being a vegetarian means you have a significantly lower chance of getting cancer than the meat eaters.

In another study in Archives of Internal Medicine, the largest study of its kind, researchers from the National Cancer Institute find that older Americans who eat large amounts of red meat and processed meats face a greater risk of death from heart disease and cancer. The federal study of more than half a million men and women bolsters prior evidence of the health risks of diets laden with red meat like hamburger and processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week. Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less. In the analysis, the researchers took into account other risk factors such as smoking, family history of cancer and high body mass index.

In an accompanying editorial, Barry Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wrote that reducing meat intake would have benefits beyond improved health. Livestock increase greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming, he wrote, and nations should reevaluate farm subsidies that distort prices and encourage meat-based diets. "We've promoted a diet that has added excessively to global warming," Popkin said in an interview. Successfully shifting away from red meat can be as easy as increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet, said Elisabetta Politi of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. A balanced diet along with exercise, avoiding smoking and avoiding drinking alcohol can prevent deadly diseases including cancers. Not surprisingly, the National Pork Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association questioned the findings.

Exercise and Cancer
According to US scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, and publishing in the British Journal of Cancer, active people are 24% less likely to develop colon cancer than the less active. They reviewed 52 previous studies, and took into account different types of activity including manual labour, as well as running or going to the gym. Colon cancer is the most common form of bowel cancer which affects 36,500 people in the UK each year, causing 16,000 deaths.

Alcohol Causes Cancer
Alcohol is a known risk factor in humans of all races for a variety of cancers, including esophageal, even light drinking.
Asians are at a higher risk. Researchers reported the link, the inherited flushing trait found in about a third of people from Japan, China and Korea, which offers valuable health information. Turn a bit red when you drink a mere half bottle of beer? If you're of Asian descent, consider that a warning: You may be at higher risk of alcohol-caused esophageal cancer.
At issue here is facial flushing from a small amount of alcohol. It's due to a deficiency in an enzyme that helps metabolize alcohol, called ALDH2. People with a severe deficiency of the enzyme usually don't drink because it makes them feel too bad; in addition to flushing they feel nausea and a rapid heartbeat. But people with a partial deficiency -- they inherited one bad copy of the enzyme-producing gene instead of two -- may put up with the flushing. A series of studies by Japan's Kurihama Alcohol Center found that those people are six to 10 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer than people who drink a comparable amount but aren't enzyme-deficient.

Turmeric
Turmeric is especially used in Indian cuisine, and has also been recognised as a powerful treatment for colds, flu, wounds and infections. The principal ingredient in it is curcumin which has been revealed to contain several health inducing properties such as antioxidants, antibiotic, antiviral and even anti cancer. A research study led by Professor Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy from the University of Michigan has discovered how curcumin does its work. Curcumin enters cell membranes and makes them more disciplined resulting in greater resistance to infections.

Ignorance Contributing to Disease
A recent poll discovered that a lot of people are not aware what foods increase cancer risk. The poll was funded by the World Cancer Research Fund and surveyed nearly 2,000 people asking about their knowledge of the link between diet and cancer. Interestingly, 40 percent of those surveyed did not realise the connection between a poor diet and the heightened risk of cancer. Only 44 percent of the study sample understood that an active lifestyle complete with regular exercise was instrumental in reducing the risk of cancer. Additionally, the survey uncovered that 44 percent of the people questioned made no importance of being over weight and that it was also a risk factor to health. 33 percent of the people did know that cancer risks were heightened by eating processed meat.

The scientific evidence is clear that people can reduce their risk of cancer through eating healthily and reducing their intake of things like alcohol and meat. The World Cancer Research Fund concluded that better education was required to make people aware of the connection between diet and cancer.

Obesity = Smoking
Likening the risks of obesity to those of smoking, a large European study spanning decades has found that young men who were overweight at age 18 were as likely to die by 60 as light smokers, while obese teenagers, like heavy smokers, were at double the risk of dying early. While obesity is linked to a slew of health problems, the new findings fly in the face of numerous recent studies showing that people who are merely overweight may not be at higher risk of premature death than those of normal weight. The study was published in the British Medical Journal. Smoking is one of the most important causes of preventable death and disease, so is obesity.

Obesity May Steal Up to 10 Years of Life
Being too heavy can take 3 to 10 years off a person's life, British researchers reported this week. The researchers put together data from 57 studies. They included a total of nearly 900,000 people. They focused on the people's body mass index (BMI). This is a number that's based on the ratio between weight and height. A BMI of 25 to 29 is considered overweight. Above 30 is obese. Above 40 is morbidly (dangerously) obese. Researchers found that people with a BMI of 30 to 35 lived about 3 years less than average. Those with a BMI of 40 or higher lost 10 years of life. That's about the same as the years lost from being a smoker. The journal Lancet published the study online.

Peanut Allergy
Five children who once had severe allergies now can eat peanuts because doctors retrained their immune systems. Researchers described the experiment at a conference this week. In the study, children were given tiny amounts of peanut flour. Over months or years, they were able to tolerate greater amounts. The kids kept having some peanuts each day so their bodies would stay used to them. The Associated Press reported this week on the newest part of the study. Researchers tried to find out if the children who had built up a tolerance could go without any peanuts for a month and then eat peanuts without an allergic reaction. Five out of nine children were able to do this. Researchers cautioned that the results are preliminary. Parents should never try this on their own.

Miscellaneous

Diabetes Leads to Alzheimer’s Disease
You've heard that diabetes hurts your heart, eyes and kidneys. In addition, diabetes damages blood vessels that supply the brain. New research indicates that diabetes increases the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and may speed dementia once it strikes. It now seems that the damage may start before someone is diagnosed with full-blown diabetes, back when the body is gradually losing its ability to regulate blood sugar. Excess cortisol in adipose tissue causes metabolic syndrome resulting in insulin resistance, diabetes and other diseases, whereas cortisol excess in brain is implicated in neurological disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression etc. Thus, the damage in brain may start before someone is diagnosed with full-blown diabetes, back when the body is gradually losing its ability to regulate blood sugar.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's, and cases already are projected to skyrocket in the next two decades as the population ages. The question is how much the simultaneous obesity-fueled epidemic of Type 2 diabetes may worsen that toll.

New Baby Boom in the US
More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any other year ever, the government said this week. The number of births even surpassed 1957, the peak year of the baby boom, the Associated Press said. But things have changed a lot since then. Women don't have as many children each, but the population is much larger. And 4 out of 10 babies were born to unmarried mothers. That rate is also an all-time high. It reflects more births to couples who choose not to marry and women who decide to raise children alone. Teen births also were up, for the second year in a row. The report on births came from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Pet Dangers
Cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 serious falls each year, according to the first government study of pet-related tumbles. Such incidents are relatively rare, accounting for just about 1 percent of injuries from falls. The vast majority cause only minor injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But they are a disproportionate hazard for senior citizens, said CDC officials. They advise older people to improve lighting, remove pet toys and use obedience training.

Recipes

Curried Tofu Scramble with Spinach
Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil, 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 container firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin (optional), salt and pepper to taste, 2 tomatoes, diced, 1 bunch fresh spinach
Preparation: Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil in a large skillet. Allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion turns soft. Add remaining ingredients except spinach and cook, stirring frequently for another 5 minutes or so, until tofu is hot and cooked, adding more oil if needed. Add spinach and cook a minute or two, just until wilted, stirring well. Makes two servings of tofu scramble.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/curriedscramble.htm?nl=1

Vegetarian Resotto
Ingredients: 6 cups vegetable broth or water, 1 onion, minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup Arborio rice (risotto rice); salt and pepper to taste; 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced; 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil; 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley; 1/3 cup vegan Parmesan cheese substitute (optional).

Preparation: Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft. Add the risotto rice and cook, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Allow to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until rice just starts to brown. Add 1 cup of water or vegetable broth and stir well to combine. Add a dash of salt and pepper. When most of the liquid has been absorbed, add one more cup of water, along with the tomatoes, basil and parsley. As the moisture gets absorbed, continue to add broth or water one cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/ricerecipes/r/sundriedrisotto.htm

Spicy Red Pepper Resotto
Ingredients: 1 onion, diced; 3 green onions (scallions), sliced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 1/3 cups arborio rice; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth; 2/3 cup white wine; salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation: Sautee the onion, green onions, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook for one more minute. Add red pepper and cayenne. Begin to add vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir, and wait until most of the liquid has been absorbed before adding more. Continue adding vegetable broth, and then the white wine 1/2 cup at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or a vegan cheese if desired.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/spicyrisotto.htm

Health and Nutrition

Issue 135