The Telangana Science Journal, May 2004, Issue 77

Contents

Diet and Exercise	Women's Health	Miscellaneous	Recipes
Amla Folic Acid and Vitamin B Eat Your Soy Calcium Elixir Exercise Helps Old Atkins Breath Mind Your Calories Arthritis Caffeine and Hypertension Play Tag for Healthy Heart Alzheimer's, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, Exercise and Food A Global Strategy	Thyroidism and Pregnancy Smoking Mothers Cause Testicular Cancer Breast Feeding A Woman's Heart Unspeakable Affliction Battle Against Breast Cancer Exercise for Menopausal Women	World No Tobacco Day: May 31 Surgeon General's Report Pesticides in Americans Too Much Sleep Electronic Nose Computer Cancer Detector Cigars Dads Do More Responsible Behavior Depends on the Knowledge The Wonder Drug Influence of Exposure Double Your Fun Alternative medicine growing in popularity Skin Cancer	Asian Vegetable Stir-Fry Potato Salad Pasta Primavera Apple Cinnamon Yogurt

Diet and Exercise
Amla
Indian Gooseberry or Amla (Phyllanthus emblica or Emblica myrobalan or Emblica officinalis) fruit is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C available in the Indian continent. It belongs to the family euphorbiaceae. Ayurveda recommends taking a tonic made from the fruit throughout the winter months. The fresh fruit’s high concentrate of vitamin C has been shown by recent clinical tests on patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis to be more quickly assimilated than the synthetic vitamin. Because it is also cooling, an excellent liver tonic, and assists the body in excreting urinary waste, Ayurvedic physicians recommend drinking the juice during the summer months when the body’s functions become sluggish with the heat. One of the virtues of the fruit to Ayurvedic medicine is that it can be used both fresh and dried. Together with the chebulic and belleric myrobalans, amla forms the classic triphala, an Ayurvedic tonic. Ayurvedc physicians' claims for the tonic properties of amla have attracted much scientific attention in India. A series of clinical tests on amla have found the fruit contains elements, which are antiviral, raise the total protein level in the body, activate the adrenaline response, and which protect against tremors and convulsions.
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Folic Acid and Vitamin B
B vitamins are known to reduce levels of homocysteine, linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, heart attacks and strokes. Now research shows high levels of homocysteine at least double the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures. A report from Holland found that the risk of such fractures was twice as high in men and women with homocysteine levels in the top 25 percent, compared with those with lower levels. Similarly, an American study found the risk nearly quadrupled in the top 25 percent of men and nearly doubled in the top 25 percent of women, compared with the 25 percent with the lowest levels. The studies were reported in May 13th New England Journal of Medicine. Foods naturally rich in B vitamins and calcium such as broccoli, green and leafy vegetables, carrots, avocados, cantaloupes, apricots, almonds, peanuts and dairy products reduce the risk of broken bones. Besides eating such foods rich in B vitamins and taking a multivitamin with folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, plenty of walking or other weight-bearing exercise are recommended for all.

Severe brain and spinal birth defects have dropped 27 percent in the United States since the government in 1998 began requiring makers of cereal, pasta, bread and flour to fortify their foods with folic acid, health authorities reported May 6. Folic acid is known to reduce the risk of spina bifida and anencephaly, which are also called neural tube defects.
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Eat Your Soy
Not only is soy a rich source of high-quality protein, but it also contains complex carbohydrates that don't raise blood sugar as high as more processed carbohydrates. It has fiber, folic acid (a key B vitamin), healthy fat and antioxidants that help protect against cancer. There's also evidence that soy acts as a probiotic in some people, promoting growth of healthy bacteria. Soy has been touted as good for women. It turns out that soy may be good for guys, too. A growing number of studies suggest that soy has plenty of health benefits for men, from lowering cholesterol levels to protecting against prostate cancer. (See Eat Your Soy at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63967-2004May3.html or at eat-your-soy.html)
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Calcium
Including more calcium in the diet may help to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation in younger women, according to an article in the April 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. According to information in the article, diet plays an important role in the development of kidney stones. In older men and women, higher levels of dietary calcium, sodium, animal protein, and sucrose (sugar) may be associated with a reduced risk of developing kidney stones, the article states. A compound called phytate (found in plants and cereal grains) may also play a role and might inhibit the formation of kidney stones by preventing tiny crystals of calcium oxalate (which is a component of kidney stones) from forming.
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Elixir
The search for the elixir of life has baffled scientists for centuries, and the elderly themselves have their own theories about living a long life. The Genetics of Healthy Ageing study is taking place across Europe at a cost of 7million Euros and the plans have been presented to the Human Genome Meeting in Berlin. The study will also consider the effect of lifestyle on the age that people live to, reports BBC.
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Exercise Helps Old
Older people who exercise regularly are more likely to maintain the mental sharpness needed to do everyday tasks, Ohio State University researchers say in a study that examined the exercise habits of 28 people with chronic lung problems for more than a year found that routine workouts helped stave off not only the physical effects of aging, but decline in memory and other brain function. For stroke survivors, the American Heart Association has a simple message: at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, three to seven times a week, can help reduce the risk of recurrent stroke, according a statement published in April 27th Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Atkins Breath
The body normally converts glucose for energy, but in a low-carb diet, it charges up by burning fats. In the process, it produces keto acids, which are released through urine and the breath. A telltale sign of ketone breath is a sickly sweet odor. Atkins breath is offensive, added to that is 75 percent of Americans have gum disease. When gum disease is combined with Atkins Breath, the effect can be similar to rotten eggs. Some solutions include drinking large amounts of water to flush the keto acids from the body or chewing fresh parsley.

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Mind Your Calories
Basket of bread before a meal, with butter: CALORIES: 500-1,000
Tortilla chips and salsa: CALORIES: 500-750
Extra large soft drinks (24-32 ounces): CALORIES: 300-400
A large buttered popcorn and oversized candy at the movies: CALORIES: 1,600-2,400
Three beers: CALORIES: 450-700
Cocktails and mixed nuts at a bar: CALORIES: 800-1,500
Starbucks' vente white chocolate mocha: CALORIES: 630
one-pint ice cream container as a single serving: CALORIES: 800-1,400
Sources: Product packages and Web sites; USDA; Center for Science in the Public Interest.
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Arthritis
A combination of diet and exercise is better than either alone at achieving functional improvements in overweight patients with osteoarthritis. The exercise program involved thrice-weekly hour-long sessions that focused on aerobics and resistance training. The dietary intervention incorporated group dynamics theory and social cognitive theory into a staged program with a goal of maintaining an average weight loss of 5 percent during the 18-month period. The results are reported in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, May 2004.
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Caffeine and Hypertension
More and more adolescents in the U.S. are developing high blood pressure. While caffeine is known to be a risk factor for high blood pressure, there is little research on the effect of caffeine in adolescents. Adults may get most of their caffeine from coffee, but soft drinks are the major source of caffeine in adolescents. An estimated 68 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 drink at least one soft drink per day. Teenagers, who habitually drink lots of caffeine, mainly from soft drinks, tend to have higher blood pressure than other teenagers, researchers report in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, May 2004.
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Play Tag for Healthy Heart
A study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, examined endothelial function, the ability of blood vessels to expand or constrict in response to the body's changing needs and found that obese children as young as 6 showed changes in their arteries that would raise their risk of heart disease. Impairment of this ability is a precursor to narrowing of the arteries, and people whose endothelial function is limited are far more likely to develop heart disease. But a modest program of exercise brought improvement. For two months, the obese children took part in an hour-long program three times a week, playing tag and soccer and jogging. That exercise did not make a dent in their weight or change their cholesterol levels. But it did raise the measure of their endothelial function by about 25 percent.

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Alzheimer's, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease: Exercise, Food and Obesity
Exercise helps the body process insulin more efficiently. When people work out, their bodies need more energy and take sugar out of storage. Exercise also helps people slim down. Studies show that women who walk an hour a day can cut their colon cancer risk by half. Exercise also can dramatically lower the risk of diabetes. Fat cells, especially around the belly, appear to secrete chemicals that persuade the body to ignore insulin. Eating quickly-digestible carbohydrates causes blood sugar levels to spike, prompting a corresponding flood of insulin. In the years leading up to diabetes, body is bathed in insulin, including the lining of the colon, whose cells reproduce frequently. Long-term exposure to excess insulin could cause cancer. Diet is second only to tobacco as a leading cause of cancer and, along with alcohol, is responsible for nearly one third of cases of the disease in developed countries. At least five percent of cancers could be avoided if nobody was obese.

While tobacco is responsible for about 30 percent of cancer cases, diet is involved in an estimated 25 percent and alcohol in about six percent. Obesity raises the risk of breast, womb, bowel and kidney cancer, while alcohol is known to cause cancers of the mouth, throat and liver. Its dangerous impact is increased when combined with smoking. Second-hand smoking kills 49 employees in pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels each year and contributes to 700 deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and stroke across the total national work force in UK.

Ten percent of children, or at least 155 million youngsters worldwide, are overweight or obese. Although it is most severe in the United States, where the prevalence of obese children between 5 and 17 is about 10 percent and more than 30 percent are overweight, numbers are rising in Europe, the Middle East and in the Asia/Pacific region, according to the report by the London-based International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). What was once a health problem for the industrialized world with its high calorie foods, labor-saving devices and dwindling levels of physical activity has now spread to developing countries. In South Africa, about 25 percent of girls from 13-19 are overweight or obese--a number approaching U.S. levels. One in ten of the world's schoolchildren is overweight, and about 45 million of them have an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses before they leave their teens, according to the first global assessment of child obesity.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2004 reports a big fast-food breakfast may spur a temporary but large inflammatory response in the blood vessels. American Heart Association (AHA)-endorsed breakfast high in fruit and fiber did not produce the inflammatory responses seen with the fast-food breakfast.

People with diabetes may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the Archives of Neurology adds to the evidence linking the two conditions.

ACE inhibitors work by blocking an enzyme that makes blood vessels tighten, thereby helping blood vessels to relax, instead. The result is that more blood and oxygen are sent to the heart. In addition, the enzyme that ACE inhibitors block is believed to play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. By blocking this enzyme, ACE inhibitors are thought to slow the development of cardiovascular disease, irrespective of their effects on blood pressure.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for people who have diabetes, who are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as people who don't have diabetes. ACE inhibitors can lower mortality rates for people who have diabetes, whether they have cardiovascular disease or not, according to a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

Obesity already is known to be associated with several cancers, including those of the cervix, prostate, kidney and stomach, and certain kinds of lymphoma and leukemia. The nation's growing obesity problem may also have contributed to an increase in breast cancer among American men over the past 25 years. The number of cases in the United States climbed by 26 percent between 1973 and 1998, according to a new study on more than 2,500 American men with the disease. It was published in the online version of journal Cancer on May 24. The most common symptom is a lump, nearly always painless, in the breast area. Other symptoms can include a nipple discharge, perhaps blood-stained; a breast swelling; a sore ulcer in the skin of the breast; a nipple that is pulled into the breast, and an underarm lump or lumps. The Cancer Research UK Man Alive campaign is at www.cancerresearchuk.org/manalive.

You gain a lot more things with exercise than just maintenance of weight. You get an increase in energy, an increase in metabolism; you decrease the chance of cardiovascular diseases; you get a reduction in blood pressure, things of that nature. If you don't work out, if you only consume as many calories as you burn, you're missing out on all that.
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A Global Strategy
Diseases linked to bad diet and lack of exercise cause more than half of all deaths worldwide and are becoming an increasing problem in poor countries, while famine and poverty are still killing more and more people in Africa and India. The problem of excess weight and obesity, which now afflicts more people than ever, has been thrust into the spotlight like never before, as the capitalism and accompanying food and work habits spread in the world. The governing body of the World Health Organization formally adopted a global strategy to combat bad diet and exercise habits, part of a wave of determination to fight diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. The agreement sets out recommendations such as the reduction of sugar, fat and salt in processed food; the control of food marketing to children and of health claims on packaging; and more comprehensive nutrition labeling and health education. It also provides ideas on ways to make healthy choices easier at school, work and home, such as safer walkways and more cycling tracks and the subsidization of fruits and vegetables in school lunchrooms. The voluntary plan offers a blueprint for countries trying to develop policies that make it easier for people to eat healthier food and exercise more.
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Women's Health
Thyroidism and Pregnancy
Women who have thyroid deficiency during pregnancy are at risk for complications even if their hypothyroidism is mild and causes no symptoms. A study presented recently at the American Thyroid Association meeting found that women who have symptomless hypothyroidism in pregnancy are nearly twice as likely to deliver prematurely than women with normal thyroid levels, and are at higher risk of delivering a baby with a lower IQ.
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Smoking Mothers Cause Testicular Cancer
Sons of women who smoked during pregnancy may face increased odds of developing testicular cancer, according to epidemiologists in Sweden and Italy. Increasing trends in testicular cancer and female lung and bladder cancer and the evidence that testicular cancer begins in the womb, have led to the theory that maternal smoking during pregnancy may be responsible for the testicular cancer epidemic. Tobacco smoke can decrease levels of pregnancy hormones, reduce placental blood flow and retard fetal growth. The carcinogens present in smoke can also cross the placenta. If the testicular development is disturbed or delayed, this may result in neoplastic transformation as well as fertility problems and malformations of the male urogenital tract, says a report in the May 10th International Journal of Cancer.

Breast Feeding
There are known to be many benefits from breastfeeding. Breast-fed children in the United States are 20 percent less likely to die during the first year of life than those who are not nursed, according to a study. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences said they based their finding on a survey that included nearly 9,000 infant deaths in 48 states. The study was published in the May edition of Pediatrics. Breastfeeding in infancy is likely to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, and therefore cardiovascular disease in adult life, suggest authors of a UK study in THE LANCET. New research bolsters the theory that rapid growth in infancy, encouraged by enriched infant formulas, might increase the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life.

A Woman's Heart

Unspeakable Affliction

Battle Against Breast Cancer

Exercise for Menopausal Women
Early postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who participate in an intense exercise program may experience reduced bone loss, reduced back pain, and lower cholesterol levels, according to an article in the May 24 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine

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Miscellaneous
No Tobacco Day: May 31
Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide. The economic costs of tobacco use are equally devastating. In addition to the high public health costs of treating tobacco-caused diseases, tobacco kills people at the height of their productivity, depriving families of breadwinners and nations of a healthy workforce. Tobacco users are also less productive while they are alive because of increased sickness. A 1994 report estimated that the use of tobacco resulted in an annual global net loss of U.S. $200 thousand million, a third of this loss being in developing countries. (Source: World Health Organization). http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global/WNTD/WNTD_2004.htm

Surgeon General's Report

Pesticides in Americans
Many U.S. residents carry unhealthy levels of pesticides in their bodies, with children, women and Mexican Americans disproportionately exposed to the toxic chemicals, according a study, "Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability," by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) which analyzed data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a study of more than 2,648 people tested for levels of 34 pesticides. The PAN study found that children between 6 and 11 years old were exposed to the nerve-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos at four times the level deemed acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chlorpyrifos is designed to kill insects by disrupting the nervous system.
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Too Much Sleep
According to researchers at the University of California, more than 8 hours sleep each night is bad for you. We have all known that too little sleep is bad for you, this study suggests that the opposite is also bad. Those who sleep 9-10 hours a night seem to have more problems, ranging from difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, plus a whole load of other problems, reported Medical News Today.
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Electronic Nose
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate the promise of a hand-held "electronic nose" for diagnosing pneumonia and sinusitis by analyzing a patient's exhaled breath, on April 29th at a conference in Phoenix. They believe that the e-nose device could make it faster, easier and cheaper to spot some respiratory diseases and, as a result, reduce unnecessary prescription of antibiotics. Researchers say that another benefit is the speed of the device. The electronic proboscis takes around 40 minutes to complete its pneumonia test, while traditional X-ray and saliva tests can take hours or days.
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Computer Cancer Detector
Researchers have developed a tiny "computer" that could enable doctors to treat cancer and other diseases from inside the body. The molecular-scale device, which is essentially a liquid mixture of synthetic DNA and enzymes, is designed to sniff out chemical signs of disease and pump out drugs in response. The device is described in a study published online on April 27 by the journal Nature.
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Cigars
Tobacco use in its various forms has long been known to carry serious health risks. Yet there's been a popular perception that cigars, which enjoyed a surge in popularity starting in the 1990s, offer a safer way to smoke. But research shows that cigar smoking does boost the risk of heart disease, stroke and several types of cancer, including lung and oral cancers. In a new study, the researchers used a measure called pulse wave velocity to gauge aortic stiffness in 12 young, male smokers for two hours after they smoked a cigar, and after they puffed on an unlit cigar. The new findings provide the first evidence that cigar smoking immediately increases stiffness in large arteries, reports American Journal of Hypertension, April 2004.
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Dads Do More
Recently, the fatherless mouse sparked headlines and suggestions that males could soon be obsolete. Last month scientists in Japan and Korea reported creating the first mammal without using sperm. The mouse is the daughter of two female mice. Although bees, ants and some fish and reptiles reproduce without having sex in a process known as parthenogenesis, it was thought to be impossible in mammals. Mammals inherit one set of chromosomes from their mothers and another from their fathers. Embryos containing only female chromosomes usually die early in the womb and those with only male genetic material are abnormal. Now scientists have uncovered evidence that men play a more vital role in procreation than they may have thought. Male sperm not only fertilizes the female egg, it also delivers messenger RNA, molecules that carry codes that may help the embryo develop and grow. The finding reported in the science journal Nature on May 12th, suggests that messenger molecules are delivered when the sperm fertilizes the egg. The idea that males could soon be obsolete is hopefully wrong.
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Responsible Behavior Depends on the Knowledge
Responsible behavior depends on the knowledge of the possible risks and results of your actions. A study, published in the May 21 issue of the journal Science, underscored the role emotions play in reasoning, which compared the reactions to a gambling game among healthy participants and people who had injuries to the orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain that links regions involved in reasoning with other areas involved in emotion. People's anticipation that they will regret certain actions helps shape their actions. By contrast, people with a limited ability to feel regret often have problems with social interactions and with judging risks.
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The Wonder Drug
It is known that Aspirin can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. It also appears to reduce women's chances of developing the most common type of breast cancer, according to a study in Journal of the American Medical Association. However, more research is needed before doctors can recommend that women take aspirin to prevent breast cancer.

Influence of Exposure
Drinking during the early teenage years is associated with alcohol abuse later on. Children in junior high school who watch lots of movies showing alcohol use are more likely to try drinking than those who aren't exposed to those films, Dartmouth Medical School researchers said in a symposium on substance abuse.

Double Your Fun
It is natural to try to combine two of life's pleasures: exercise and quality time with the spouse. However, it is difficult to find a common exercise or sport that both would like and enjoy. Couples who engage in tandem sports often share a sense of partnership. Rita Zeidner explores some possibilities for couples who like to spend some quality time in the daily rat race, at Double Your Fun.
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Alternative medicine growing in popularity

Skin Cancer
A new American Cancer Society report finds the majority of children and adolescents do not practice recommended skin protection behaviors. The report, "Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures 2004" includes a section reviewing the importance of developing healthy behaviors including sun protection among children and adolescents.

Ultraviolet (UV) exposure from the sun is expected to cause more than one million cases of basal and squamous cell cancers and 52,400 cases of malignant melanoma this year. The Society estimates 10,250 Americans will die from skin cancer in 2004, primarily from malignant melanoma.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found one in four parents did not require their children (ages 12 or younger) to use any sun protective behaviors. An American Cancer Society study found fewer than one in three adolescents (ages 11 to 18) used any sun protection, such as hats, long sleeved shirts, long pants, or sunscreen. Nearly three in four youths (72 percent) reported getting a sunburn during the summer. One in ten youths (ages 11 to 18) used tanning lamps, with girls (15.6 percent) and those aged 17 to 18 (25.7 percent) most likely to use them. The report also notes that in 2000, only 12 states and the District of Colombia required sun safety as a part of elementary school health education.

Americans love to go with less clothes in sun. The American Cancer Society advices: Avoid direct sunlight. Protect your skin with clothing, including a long sleeve shirt, pants and a hat with a broad brim. Fabrics with a tight weave and dark colors generally provide the best protection from the sun. A white cotton T-shirt only provides the same protection as applying a sunscreen with SPF 5. Now you know why Arab women wear dark burqa covering the entire body! Use sunscreens with a SPF factor of 15 or more on skin exposed to the sun, particularly when the sunlight is strong. Apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before going outside so your skin can absorb the protective agents. It should be applied liberally on all sun-exposed skin, particularly face, ears, hands, feet, and neck, and reapplied at least every 2 hours or after sweating or swimming. Sunscreens are effective at preventing sunburns. Researchers have found that many people erroneously believe sunscreen allows them to stay out in the sun longer. In addition, some people may not be appropriately using sunscreens. When sunscreens are inadequately used, their potential effectiveness to prevent sunburns and over-exposure to the sun is reduced. Wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99% UV absorption provide the best protection for the eyes and the skin area around the eyes.

Brown skin is beautiful and tannning is enticing. However, avoid tanning beds and sun lamps, which provide an additional source of UV radiation. "Children are at especially high risk of harmful sun exposure because of the time they spend outdoors in recreational activities during their summer vacations," said Vilma Cokkinides, program director, risk factor surveillance for the American Cancer Society. "Parents and caregivers of younger children should ensure that they have adequate sun protection during outdoor activities. Adolescents especially need to be educated about the harmful effects of sun exposure on skin and how they can protect themselves." Visit "Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures 2004 at www.cancer.org/statistics and "Check and Protect Your Skin Now" at http://www.cancer.org.
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Health and Nutrition

Issue 77