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Issue 136
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5111 Kali Era, Virodhi
Year, Chaitra
month
2066
Vikramarka Era, Virodhi
Year, Chaitra
month
1930
Salivahana
Era, Virodhi
Year, Chaitra
month
2009
AD, April
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Contents
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Diet and Exercise
Diet and Colon
Cancer
A medical doctor, Dr. Stephen O’Keefe, at the University of Pittsburgh has
compiled evidence confirming that what people eat provides the link between
diet and colon cancer. That’s because diet has a direct effect on the diversity
of microbes in the gut. That may not surprise most people. The typical Western
diet, rich in meats and fats and low in fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates,
has been recognized for years as a risk factor for colon cancer.
Healthy diets with an abundance of complex carbohydrates provide the gut
with significant numbers of micro-organisms called firmicutes. Those organisms
use starches and proteins to manufacture short-chain fatty acids and vitamins
such as folate and biotin to maintain a healthy colon. But the microbes in
the gut also produce toxic products from food residues. Diets heavy in meats
produce sulfur, which decreases the actions of “good” bacteria and increases
the production of other possible carcinogens.
Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adults
in Westernized communities. The results suggest that a diet that maintains
the health of the colon wall is also one that maintains general body health
and reduces heart disease. A diet rich in fiber and resistant starch
encourages the growth of good bacteria and increases production of short-chain
fatty acids, which lessen the risk of cancer, while a high meat and fat diet
reduces the numbers of these good bacteria. Colons host more than 800 bacterial
species and 7,000 different strains that could be key to treating diseases,
he said.
Walnuts
Eating walnuts may help to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, research
suggests. The nuts contain ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants
and phytosterols that may all reduce the risk of the disease. The US study
was presented to the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
Food Addiction
About 1 out of 5 American-4-year-olds is obese, researchers said. The rate
is even higher -- 1 out of 3 -- among American Indian children, they said.
The study used height and weight data on 8,550 children. All were 4 years
old. The group was selected to include a cross-section of the U.S. population.
More than 1 out of 5 black and Hispanic children were obese. So were 1 out
of 6 whites and 1 out of 8 Asians. The study was in the journal Annals
of Internal Medicine.
Millions are suffering from "conditioned hypereating" -- a willpower-sapping
drive to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods even when they're not hungry.
In a book being published in April, the former Food and Drug Administration
chief, Kessler, brings to consumers the disturbing conclusion of numerous
brain studies: Some people really do have a harder time resisting bad foods.
It's a new way of looking at the obesity epidemic that could help spur fledgling
movements to reveal calories on restaurant menus or rein in portion sizes.
Numerous factors, including physical activity, metabolism and hormones, play
a role in obesity. But Kessler, now at the University of California,
San Francisco, gathered colleagues to help build on that science and learn
why some people have such a hard time choosing healthier:
-- First, the team found that even well-fed rats will work increasingly hard
for sips of a vanilla milkshake with the right fat-sugar combo but that adding
sugar steadily increases consumption. Many low-fat foods substitute sugar
for the removed fat, doing nothing to help dieters eat less, Kessler and
University of Washington researchers concluded.
-- Then Kessler culled data from a major study on food habits and health.
Conditioned hypereaters reported feeling loss of control over food, a lack
of satiety, and were preoccupied by food. Some 42 percent of them were obese
compared to 18 percent without those behaviors, says Kessler, who estimates
that up to 70 million people have some degree of conditioned hypereating.
-- Finally, Yale University neuroscientist Dana Small had hypereaters smell
chocolate and taste a chocolate milkshake inside a brain-scanning MRI machine.
Rather than getting used to the aroma, as is normal, hypereaters found the
smell more tantalizing with time. And drinking the milkshake didn't satisfy.
The reward-anticipating region of their brains stayed switched on, so that
another brain area couldn't say, "Enough!"
People who aren't overweight can be conditioned hypereaters, too, Kessler
found -- so it's possible to control.
Salt and Americans
It's very hard for individuals to cut bad food habits on their own. So, the
government should step in to help. First, it was a ban on artery-clogging
trans fats. Then calories were posted on menus. Now it is salt. The
New York City health department is taking on salt. City officials are meeting
with food makers and restaurants to discuss reducing the amount of salt in
common foods such as soup, pasta sauce, salad dressing and bread. About
three-quarters of the salt Americans eat comes from prepared and processed
food, not from the salt shaker. That's why New York officials want the food
industry to help cut back. For its salt initiative, New York has recruited
public health agencies and medical groups across the country. The campaign,
with a goal of cutting salt intake by at least 20 percent in five years,
is modeled on a plan carried out in Britain. That effort set voluntary salt
reduction targets for 85 categories of processed foods. By fall, Campbell
Soup plans to have more than 90 lower-sodium soups available. That includes
its first soup, tomato, which will have almost a third less salt. The
industry hopes salt reduction remains voluntary.
A recent government report showed that seven out of 10 adults should be eating
even less than the recommended amount - about 1,500 milligrams. That includes
everyone over 40, anyone with high blood pressure, and African-Americans,
who are at greater risk than whites for high blood pressure.
Research
Review Confirms Value of Mediterranean Diet
Eating vegetables, nuts, olive oil, flax oil etc. can help to protect your
heart, researchers confirm after pooling a huge volume of evidence. The new
study put together the results of 189 previous studies. Of these, 146 looked
at people's past habits. The other 43 assigned them to follow particular
diets. Researchers found "strong evidence" that vegetables, nuts and monounsaturated
fats (such as olive oil) protect against heart disease. The same was true
for the Mediterranean diet, which includes these elements, plus fruits and
grains. The study found that foods that quickly raise blood sugar can harm
the heart. Examples include sweets and refined grains. Trans fats also are
harmful. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study.
American Vegetarians
According to new research published in the Journal of the American Dietic
Association, current vegetarians in the younger and older groups had more
healthful diets than non-vegetarians. Among adults, current vegetarians
were less likely to be overweight/obese than non-vegetarians. Former
vegetarians (who gave up being vegetarians) are more prone to unhealthful
weight control behaviors compared to never-vegetarians.
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Miscellaneous
Yoga
Yoga, with its meditation, breathing exercises and sometimes-difficult poses,
has been practiced for more than 5,000 years in India and elsewhere. Because
it's known for its ability to bring inner peace, yoga often is recommended
to heart and cancer patients as a way to relieve stress. Research suggests
that yoga can lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. But there has
been little study aimed at using yoga as a medical treatment.
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, a cardiologist at the University of Kansas Hospital
who specializes in rhythm disorders of the heart, is studying Yoga for atrial
fibrillation. More than 2 million people in the United States have atrial
fibrillation. Left untreated, it can lead to stroke, heart attack or heart
failure. Dr. Lakireddy was born and raised in India. His grandfather
was a yoga instructor. But, Dr. Lakkireddy gave up yoga, as many Indians
do, when he was a teenager and started practicing again only recently in
the US. He plans to enroll 50 people and is looking for participants
in his study. Three of his patients contributed a total of about $10,000
to pay for his study.
More than half a dozen drugs are available to treat atrial fibrillation.
But they don't work for every patient, and even when they do, they can lose
their effectiveness over time. There also is a heart procedure that
destroys electrical "hot spots" that trigger atrial fibrillation. It works
about 70 percent to 80 percent of the time. Dr. Lakkireddy is hoping
yoga can reduce or even eliminate the need for medications. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC274/333/8011/1329284.html?d=dmtICNNews
Skin CANCER
Melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer, is now the most common cancer
in young British women, the country's leading cancer organization said.
Based on current numbers, Cancer Research UK predicts that melanoma will
become the fourth most common cancer for men and women of all ages by 2024,
and that cases will jump from about 9,000 cases a year to more than 15,500.
Cancer experts attribute the rising number of skin cancer cases largely to
the surge in people using tanning salons. The World Health Organization has
previously recommended that tanning beds be regulated because of their potential
to damage DNA in the skin. Experts said most deadly skin cancers could
be avoided if people took the proper precautions when in the sun and avoided
tanning beds.
Bedbug Outbreak
Bedbugs are back, and the U.S. government is looking for solutions. Rare
since World War II, the tiny insects now are widespread. They are bothering
sleepers in college dorms, public housing, hospitals and even fancy hotels.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is getting involved. The agency
hosted a two-day conference on the topic this month. Pesticides are
not an easy solution. Many that worked in the past have been taken off the
market to protect the environment. The bugs also can resist some pesticides.
The pest-control industry wants to test other sprays to see if they are safe
for home use. Other ideas include heating, steaming or freezing the bugs.
Breastfeeding
Lowers Mom’s Cardiovascular Risk
The longer women breastfeed, the lower their risk of heart attacks, strokes
and cardiovascular disease, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in
a study published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, so it's vitally important
for us to know what we can do to protect ourselves. We have known for
years that breastfeeding is important for babies' health. We now know that
it is important for mothers' health as well. Postmenopausal women who
had breastfed for at least one month had lower rates of diabetes, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol, all known to cause heart disease, according
to the study. Women who had breastfed their babies for more than a year were
10 percent less likely to have had a heart attack, stroke, or developed heart
disease than women who had never breastfed. The benefits from breastfeeding
are long-term ― an average of 35 years had passed since women enrolled in
the study had last breastfed an infant. The longer a mother nurses
her baby, the better for both of them. The study provides another good reason
for workplace policies to encourage women to breastfeed their infants. The
findings are based on evaluating histories of 139,681 postmenopausal women
enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative study of chronic disease, initiated
in 1994.
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Recipes
Pineapple and
Potato Curry
Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic; 1/3 cup water; 1 tsp ginger; 2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 1 onion, chopped; 4 medium potatoes,
chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup pineapple, crushed or chunks; 1 cup coconut
milk; rice
Preparation: Combine garlic, water, ginger, curry powder, soy sauce and sesame
oil in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Sautee onion
and potatoes in olive oil for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add
garlic and spice mixture and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, covered,
stirring occasionally. Add pineapple and coconut milk and simmer, uncovered
for five more minutes. Serve over rice. http://vegetarian.about.com/od/ethnicrecipes/qt/vegindian.htm
Vegetarian
Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients:1 onion, chopped; 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped
or pressed; 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced; 1 head broccoli, chopped; 2 carrots,
chopped; 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped; 1 can corn, rinsed and drained;
1 package Silken Lite tofu; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon
oregano; 1 teaspoon basil; 1 teaspoon rosemary; 2 jars pasta sauce (see E2-Approved
Foods); 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles; 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
and drained; 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed; 6 roma tomatoes, sliced
thin; 1 cup raw cashews, ground
Preparation: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic
on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and
cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove
them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in
the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the
mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to
soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl. Drain the silken tofu by wrapping
in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable
bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a
layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook
in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the
sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce.
Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach
with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer
of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced
roma tomatoes.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle
with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes
before serving.
Makes 10 - 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna. http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianlasagnarecipes/r/engine2lasagna.htm?nl=1
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Notice: This material contains only
general descriptions and is not a solicitation
to sell any insurance product or security, nor is
it intended as any financial, tax, medical or health care
advice. For information about specific needs or situations,
contact your financial, tax agent or physician.
Back to the Top
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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, about.com
etc.
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