The Telangana Science Journal

Health and Nutrition

(An International Electronic Science Digest Published from the United States of America)
(Click here to subscribe to this free e-journal)
(Dedicated to one of the most backward regions in India, "Telangana," )

Chief Editor: Dr. Sreenivasarao Vepachedu


Associate Editior: Dr. Venktaeswarrao Karuparthy 

Issue 109

5107 Kali Era, Vyaya Year, Phalguna month
2063 Vikramarka Era, Vyaya Year,  Phalguna month
1927 Salivahana Era,
Vyaya Year, Phalguna month
 2007 AD, February

Contents

Diet and Exercise
Miscellaneous
Recipes
The Trick
February was American Heart Month
McDonald's New Frying Oil
Cocoa



Benefits of Sleep and Napping
Office Desks
Human Pheromone
Circumcision
Inexpensive Old Ventilation, Open Window, is Better
Yoga in American Schools
Hungry Children
All American Women are at Risk
Tea for Hirsutism
Traveler's Diarrhea


Vegetarian Ethnic Recipes
Chocolate Fondue
Mushroom Fondue
Raspberry Cake
Crock Pot Indian Vegetable Curry Recipe
Vegetarian Crockpot Chili Recipe
Super Easy Chili

Diet and Exercise
The Trick
Body weight is a function of how much food you eat and how much energy you use. The trick to maintaining a healthy weight lies in regulating the balance.

February was American Heart Month

President Bush said on February 1st that childhood obesity is a costly problem for the country and puts stress on American families.  "One way for this nation to cope with the issue of obesity is to get people outside -- whether it be through sports or hiking or conservation," Bush said while meeting with business leaders working to encourage exercise and healthy food choices through advertising.  He said first lady Laura Bush was on her way to New York to kick off Friday's "Wear Red Day" for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Red Dress Project to increase awareness that women are at risk for heart disease. Bush signed a proclamation making February American Heart Month. "Mothers are the ones, a lot of times, who make choices for their children," the first lady said. "They make their choices on the foods they eat. They're the ones at home, many times, who encourage their children to exercise."

McDonald's New Frying Oil
In January, McDonald's Corp. has finally selected a new trans-fat-free oil for cooking its famous french fries after years of testing.  The McDonald's new frying oil is canola-based and includes corn and soy oils. While it has developed a healthier new oil, the company is still not saying when it will be used in all 13,700 U.S. restaurants. It already trails competitors in committing to a zero-trans fat oil.  McDonald's French Fries contain beef tallow for American taste.

Cocoa
Cocoa could help keep your brain sharp. A study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Francisco suggests cocoa that is high in antioxidants called flavanols could increase blood flow to the brain. Other studies also have found a decrease in dementia and high blood pressure in people who consume cocoa with high flavanol content. However, researchers say that the findings do not mean people should consume chocolate for health benefits, because chocolate is unhealthy with the high fat and calories that create health problems. In additon, the cocoa usually used in chocolate and sold in stores usually has most of the flavanol content removed, since flavanols are bitter.



Miscellaneous
Benefits of Sleep and Napping
Sleep is critical to preparing the brain to lay down memories the next day, according to a Harvard study published in Nature Neuroscience, Feb. 11, 2007. A single night of sleep deprivation can limit the consolidation of memory the next day, researchers showed in their study of 28 subjects, half of whom were kept awake all night. The sleep-deprived subjects performed significantly worse on memory tests than those who had slept well, and their brain scans showed less activity in the area of the hippocampus that is key to remembering an event or episode.

New research on napping provides the perfect excuse for office slackers, finding that a little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among older working men. In the largest study to date on the health effects of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times weekly for about half an hour had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap. Most participants were in their 50s.

Office Desks
Your office desk could be a bacterial hot spot according to a study sponsored by Clorox. The new study found that desks, particularly women's desks, harbor more germs than office restrooms. The researchers found that the average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat. Women had three to four times the amount of bacteria in, on and around their desks compared to men.


Human Pheromone
Androstadienone, a chemical in male sweat can boost mood, brain activity and sexual arousal in heterosexual women, according to a new study released.  The study offers the first direct evidence that humans secrete a pheromone that can affect the physiology of the opposite sex, said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Their findings were published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience.  Androstadienone is a compound found in male perspiration and other bodily secretions.  The researchers measured the women's levels of the stress hormone cortisol and compared them to the women's responses to a control odor. Cortisol levels in the women rose within about 15 minutes of inhaling the androstadienone scent and remained elevated for more than an hour. They also discovered that blood pressure, heart rate and breathing increased, mood improved and sexual arousal was boosted.


Circumcision
AIDS spreads through sexual contact, especially among people who have multiple sexual partners.  Use of condoms is one way to prevent sexually transmitted AIDS. One of the major stumbling blocks in AIDS prevention in Africa and India is that promiscuous men do not want to use condoms. An article published in The Lancet says that data shows that circumcision reduces promiscuous men's chances of catching HIV through sexual contact by up to 60 percent (i.e., circumcised men have 40% percent chance of catching AIDS). The cells in the foreskin of penis are susceptible to AIDS virus. However, the real culprit is the adulterous and promiscuous behavior of men, but not the foreskin. Circumcision is a religious and cultural practice in Islam and Judaism and accordingly it is a very sensitive issue for others. In addition, it is not clear if the circumcised men in the study were promiscuous. Also, AIDS spreads through other avenues such as use of drugs and unhygienic hospitals.


Inexpensive Old Ventilation, Open Window, is Better
And also superior to the expensive and modern mechanically ventilated rooms, they reported in their study, available online at http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040068. Old-fashioned clinical areas with high ceilings and large windows provide greatest protection. Natural ventilation costs little and is maintenance free. Preventing the spread of disease in a hospital may be as simple as opening a window, the international team of researchers reported. Opening windows and doors maximizes natural ventilation so that the risk of airborne contagion is much lower than with costly, maintenance-requiring mechanical ventilation systems.


Yoga in American Schools
Now, more than 100 schools in 26 states have adopted Tara Guber's "Yoga Ed" program and more than 300 physical education instructors have been trained in it.  Countless other public and private schools from California to Massachusetts, including the Aspen school where Guber clashed with parents, are teaching yoga.  Teachers say it helps calm students with attention-deficit disorder and may reduce childhood obesity. The federal government gives grants to gym teachers who complete a teacher-training course in yoga.

But when Tara Guber asked a public elementary school in Aspen, Colo., to teach yoga in 2002, Christian fundamentalists and even some secular parents lobbied the school board. They argued that yoga's Hindu roots conflicted with Christian teachings and that using it in school might violate the separation of church and state.

What changed? Guber crafted a new curriculum that eliminated chanting and translated Sanskrit into kid-friendly English. Yogic panting became "bunny breathing," and "meditation" became "time in."  "I stripped every piece of anything that anyone could vaguely construe as spiritual or religious out of the program," Guber said.

In 2003, researchers at California State University, Los Angeles, studied test scores at the Accelerated School, a charter school where Guber sits on the board and where students practice yoga almost every day. Researchers found a correlation between yoga and better behavior and grades, and they said young yogis were more fit than the district average from the California Physical Fitness Test.

In 2004, Americans spent almost $3 billion on yoga classes and retreats, books, DVDs, mats, clothing and related items. About 3 million American adults practiced yoga at least twice a week in 2006, more than doubling from 1.3 million in 2001, according to Mediamark Research.

Concerns about yoga's spiritual implications have also fueled a cottage industry of books and videos that offer the purported benefits of yoga such as flexibility, strength and weight loss  without mentioning the word "Yoga".

Laurette Willis wrote an exercise regimen called "PowerMoves Kids Program for Public Schools," that includes pauses for children to contemplate character-building quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Emily Dickinson, Harriet Tubman and William Shakespeare. Willis also created an exercise regimen called "PraiseMoves: The Christian Alternative to Yoga." 

Yoga as it's practiced in the United States is primarily about fitness and stress relief, without Hindu spirituality.


Hungry Children
"Today 850 million people are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris, the head of the U.N. food agency said.  While too much food and gluttony is causing preventable obesity in many advanced countries.


All American Women are at Risk
Nearly all American women are in danger of heart disease or stroke and should be more aggressive about lowering their risk, the American Heart Association said in new guidelines.  It is the first time guidelines have urged all women to consider aspirin for preventing strokes, although specialists warn that it can cause ulcers and dangerous bleeding. They said it is probably not a good idea for young women with no big health problems. The guidelines were published in the journal Circulation with related studies on women's health, including one suggesting that hormone skin patches may be safer than pills for menopause symptoms.

Among women with no history of major illness, those with high cholesterol levels are significantly more likely to suffer a stroke, investigators in Boston report Neurology, February 20, 2007. Being in the group with the highest level of HDL ("good") cholesterol cut the risk of stroke nearly in half, the investigators report. On the other hand, having the highest level of LDL ("bad") cholesterol or non-HDL cholesterol roughly doubled the chances of having a stroke, compared with those with the lowest levels.

Tea for Hirsutism
Women with hirsutism grow hair on their faces, breasts and stomachs. This can cause great distress. The hair grows because they have abnormally high levels of the ‘masculinising’ androgen hormones. Androgens travel around the body in the blood stream, and a key way of treating hirsutism is to reduce the level of these androgens. Data just published in Phytotherapy Research shows that drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day for five days could reduce the level of androgens in women with hirsutism.

Traveler's Diarrhea
A single-dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, sold in the U.S. under the trade name Zithromax, is recommended as the first therapy to use against traveler's diarrhea, particularly if it's acquired in Thailand, researchers report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. According to surveys of U.S. military personnel stationed in Thailand, bacteria belonging to the Campylobacter family are responsible for up to 60 percent of cases of diarrhea. More than 85 percent of these pathogens are resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as Levaquin (levofloxacin) or Cipro (ciprofloxacin), which are frequently prescribed for traveler's diarrhea.



Recipes 
Vegetarian Ethnic Recipes
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/ethnicrecipes/Ethnic_Recipes.htm?nl=1



Chocolate Fondue
 INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup margarine, 8 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate, 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tbsp soy milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup Kahlua or other flavored liqueur (optional).
PREPARATION: Melt margarine, chocolate and milk together in saucepan. Once melted, remove from heat, add the rest of the ingredients, combine well and transfer to fondue pot to keep warm. Serve with fresh fruit, pound cake, or sweet bread.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/ChocFondue.htm?nl=1



Mushroom Fondue
INGREDIENTS: 3 tbsp margarine + 2 tbsp, 1/2 onion, minced, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 vegetarian bouillon cube or 1 tbsp dry veggie broth mix, 2 cups mushrooms, sliced; 3 cloves garlic; 2 cups soy milk; 1/2 tsp miso; 1/4 cup flour; 1/2 tsp celery salt; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional).
PREPARATION: Sautee garlic, onions and mushrooms in 3 tbsp margarine until soft. In separate saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture thickens. If your mixture does not thicken, add more flour and mix well. Allow to cool. Add mushrooms, garlic and onion mix to the soy milk mix and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat the blended mix, stirring occasionally, and allow to cool slightly before transferring to fondue pot. Some dipper suggestions: whole mushrooms, broccoli, bread, cooked and halved baby potatoes, tofu etc.


Raspberry Cake
INGREDIENTS: 3 cups flour; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 cup cocoa; 1/4 cup oil; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla; 2 tbsp vinegar dissolved in 1/4 cup water; 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso; 3/4 cup raspberry preserves
PREPARATION: Mix together flour, sugar, baking doa and cocoa in a large mixing bowl.  Slowly incorporate oil and vanilla, and then vinegar in water, coffee and raspberry preserves. When batter is well mixed, it will be smooth and creamy. Pour into greased and battered cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. You'll know a cake is done baking when you stick a toothpick into the top and it comes out clean, with no cake on the edges.
 


Crock Pot Indian Vegetable Curry Recipe
INGREDIENTS: 3 potatoes, chopped; 1 cauliflower, chopped; 1 1/2 cups green peas; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 3/4 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1 1/2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp curry powder; and 1 cup water
PREPARATION: Place all ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetariancrockpotrecipe/r/crockpotvegcurr.htm?nl=1



Vegetarian Crockpot Chili Recipe
INGREDIENTS: 2 tbsp oil; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 onion, chopped; 1/3 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 tsp oregano; 1 28 ounce can tomatoes; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp chili powder; 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth; 1 6 ounce can tomato paste; 2 cans black beans, drained; 2 cans red kidney beans, drained.
PREPARATION: Sautee the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until the onion is soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for two more minutes. Place the onions and the remaining ingredients in the crock pot, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/crockpotchili.htm



Super Easy Chili
INGREDIENTS: 1 can black or pinto beans, drained; 1 can kidney beans, drained; 1 can diced tomatoes; 1/2 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 bell pepper, diced (any color); 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 tbsp vegetable broth; 2 tbsp chili powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; dash cayenne pepper (optional); dash red pepper flakes (optional); 1/2 cup TVP + 1/2 cup water (optional).
PREPARATION: In a medium to large soup pot, sautee the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the olive oil.  Add tomatoes, vegetable broth and chili powder and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Stir occasionally and cook for at least 20 minutes. Add TVP and water 10 minutes before done cooking. Of course, the longer you cook chili the better, but if you're pressed for time, 20 minutes is fine.
 http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/EasyChili.htm


Raw Vegetable Recipes
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/rawfoodsrecipes/Raw_and_Living_Foods_Recipes.htm



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 agent or physician.
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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.




Copyright ©1998-2007
Vepachedu Educational Foundation, Inc
Copyright Vepachedu Educational Foundation Inc., 2007.  All rights reserved.  All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for special medical conditions or any specific health issues or starting a new fitness regimen. Please read disclaimer.





Om! Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya, Mrityorma Amritamgamaya, Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!
(Om! Lead the world from wrong path to the right path, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality and peace!)
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