Pistachios may help reduce diabetes risk

 

For people who may be headed for type 2 diabetes, regularly eating pistachios might help turn the tide, according to a new trial from Spain.

People with so-called prediabetes have blood sugar levels higher than normal but not yet in the diabetes range. If they do nothing, 15 to 30 percent will develop diabetes within five years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the new Spanish study, people with prediabetes who ate about two ounces of pistachios daily showed significant drops in blood sugar and insulin levels and improvements in insulin and glucose processing. Some signs of inflammation also dropped dramatically.

Although the trial specifically involved pistachios, many previous studies have found encouraging evidence that eating nuts may be linked to a lower risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol, the authors write in Diabetes Care.

The study team divided 54 prediabetic adults into two groups. Both groups were instructed to keep to a calorie-regulated diet with 50 percent of energy from carbohydrates, 35 percent from fat and 15 percent from protein, using provided menus and seasonal recipes.

One group was given 57 grams of pistachios, about two ounces, daily to add to their diets. To match those calories, the comparison group added olive oil and other fats for the four months of the study.

By the end of the study, fasting blood sugar levels, insulin and hormonal markers of insulin resistance had decreased in the pistachio group while they rose in the comparison group.

Participants’ weight did not significantly change by the end of the study in either group. But glucose-use by immune cells involved in inflammation, as well as circulating inflammatory signaling molecules both dropped in the pistachio group, the authors note.

“Although pistachios were examined in this work, I believe that any beneficial effects on glucose metabolism are shared by all nuts, as they have a general composition with lots of bioactive compounds liable to beneficially affect biological pathways leading to insulin resistance and diabetes,” said Dr. Emilio Ros, director of the Lipid Clinic of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. He was not part of the new study.

Researchers from the Universitari Hospital of Sant Joan de Reus, in Reus, and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid collaborated on the trial, which was funded by American Pistachio Growers and Paramount Farms.

“The nut industry always supports clinical or experimental studies with their nuts, otherwise no such studies would be carried out,” Ros told Reuters Health by email.

He believes the evidence is strong enough for people with prediabetes to add pistachios, or other nuts like peanuts, to their diet, and recommends about "a handful" per day, or around one serving.

“This particular study builds on previous research on pistachios,” said Dr. Joan Sabate, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University in California.

Sabate has also researched nuts, principally walnuts, but was not involved in the new study.

“There are some indications that eating pistachios on a regular basis lowers fasting glucose and lowers insulin and hormone ratio, which is particularly relevant in prediabetic subjects because unless they do a change in lifestyle they will end up being diabetic,” he told Reuters Health by phone.

“So the fact that eating nuts on a regular basis seems to improve some of the critical parameters is very relevant.”

Results with almonds and walnuts have been similar, he said.

Pistachio allergies are rare, but nut allergies generally would be the only deterrent to adding them to the diet, Ros said.

Typically people with prediabetes are adults so they already know if they have a nut allergy, Sabate said.

Pistachios are very rich in energy, he noted, so it would be better to incorporate the nuts into the diet without increasing your total calorie intake.

Source: foxnews.com

Energy Drinks Cause Heart Problems: Study

A new study has found energy drinks can cause heart problems.

Professor Drici said: "So-called 'energy drinks' are popular in dance clubs and during physical exercise, with people sometimes consuming a number of drinks one after the other. This situation can lead to a number of adverse conditions including angina, cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and even sudden death."

He added: "Around 96% of these drinks contain caffeine, with a typical 0.25 litre can holding 2 espressos worth of caffeine. Caffeine is one of the most potent agonists of the ryanodine receptors and leads to a massive release of calcium within cardiac cells. This can cause arrhythmias, but also has effects on the heart's abilities to contract and to use oxygen. In addition, 52% of drinks contain taurine, 33% have glucuronolactone and two-thirds contain vitamins."

Dr Drici continued: "In 2008 energy drinks were granted marketing authorisation in France. In 2009 this was accompanied by a national nutritional surveillance scheme which required national health agencies and regional centres to send information on spontaneously reported adverse events to the A.N.S.E.S, the French agency for food safety."

The current study analysed adverse events reported to the agency between 1 January 2009 and 30 November 2012. Some 15 specialists including cardiologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and physiologists contributed to the investigation. The findings were compared to published data in the scientific literature.

The researchers found that consumption of the 103 energy drinks in France increased by 30% between 2009 and 2011 up to over 30 million litres. The leading brand made up 40% of energy drinks consumed. Two-thirds of drinks were consumed away from home.

During the two year period 257 cases were reported to the agency, of which 212 provided sufficient information for food and drug safety evaluation. The experts found that 95 of the reported adverse events had cardiovascular symptoms, 74 psychiatric, and 57 neurological, sometimes overlapping. Cardiac arrests and sudden or unexplained deaths occurred at least in 8 cases, while 46 people had heart rhythm disorders, 13 had angina and 3 had hypertension.

Dr Drici said: "We found that 'caffeine syndrome' was the most common problem, occurring in 60 people. It is characterised by a fast heart rate (called tachycardia), tremor, anxiety and headache.

Rare but severe adverse events were also associated with these drinks, such as sudden or unexplained death, arrhythmia and heart attack (myocardial infarction). Our literature search confirmed that these conditions can be related to consumption of energy drinks."

He added: "Patients with cardiac conditions including catecholaminergic arrhythmias, long QT syndrome and angina should be aware of the potential danger of a large intake of caffeine, which is a stimulant that can exacerbate their condition with possibly fatal consequences."

Dr Drici continued: "The general public need to know that so-called 'energy drinks' have absolutely no place during or after physical exercise, as compared with other drinks designed for that purpose. When used in long alcoholic cocktails, the caffeine in 'energy drinks' enables young people in dance clubs or elsewhere to overcome the unwanted effects of alcohol, leading to an even greater intake of caffeine."

He concluded: "Patients rarely mention consumption of energy drinks to their doctors unless they are asked. Doctors should warn patients with cardiac conditions about the potential dangers of these drinks and ask young people in particular whether they consume such drinks on a regular basis or through binge drinking."

Source : medindia.net

Amazing: Peach Kernels Kill Breast Cancer Cells

American scientists came to this significant discovery after testing laboratory mice.

“First, we implemented cells infected with breast cancer under the skin of laboratory mice,then we tested them using peach extract. We noticed some positive effect in just few weeks, which means peaches destroyed the metastasis and stopped the disease”, said dr Luis Cisneros – Zevallos, who was leading the project.

Scientists calculated the doses used in mice, and used the same in people, which led to the conclusion that the consumption of two to three peaches each day would provide the same effect in people.

In western countries breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women, and according to the latest statistics, last year only in the US there were 232 000 women diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The importance of this discovery is huge, because it shows the power some natural compounds have in the fight against this life-threatening disease, in this case the phenolic compounds found in peaches”, explains Dr. Luis.

It Is Important To Eat The Whole Fruit, Not Just Its Juice

What is important is the fact that by consuming peach juice only you will not get the same effect.

“It is important to eat the whole fruit”, adds Ian Marber, nutritionist, and advices people to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables as much as they can.

Source : www.healthyfoodhouse.com

Constant Worrying Can Cause Short Term Memory Loss

Constantly stewing over a problem can lead to excessive release of cortisol in the brain which can cause short-term memory loss or mental disability, says a study.

Cortisol, also referred to as 'stress hormone' is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is a hormone released in response to stress.  Cortisol at optimal levels is needed for survival, but an abnormal release of the hormone can lead to memory impairment and mental health problems.

A new study by the University of Iowa researchers has associated high levels of cortisol with slow and steady synapses loss in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for short-term memory.

Synapses are the connections between neurons that help us in processing, storage and recall of information. Prolonged and constant exposure to cortisol causes shrinkage and eventual disappearance of these synapses.

"Stress hormones are one mechanism that we believe leads to weathering of the brain," according to Jason Radley, assistant professor in psychology.

Besides, chronic stress also stimulates chemical imbalance in the brain which makes it more prone to mental ailments, such as short-term memory loss and dementia. White matter structure defects can also cause depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Neuroscientists have also identified a link between anxiety and brain defects.  While low anxiety levels can affect memory recalling capacity of the brain, high anxiety levels can lead to white matter development that can in turn result in brain defects.

A study published by the National Institutes of Health called "White Matter in Learning, Cognition and Psychiatric Disorders" features the brain's production of white matter and how it influences the development of a variety of disorders.

According to Rachel Anderson, the research lead, and Radley, short-term memory disabilities linked to cortisol start arising around age 65.

However, researchers reminded that cortisol is only one of the many factors responsible for memory loss and mental decline as we grow old.

Brain degeneration is also linked to sleep deprivation in older adults and drinking in excess of two and a half drinks per day can cause more memory loss and cognitive impairment than in people who drink within limits or who don't drink at all.

Although, the study is only preparatory, the findings have laid the groundwork for treating short-term memory loss by decreasing levels of cortisol.

Source: medindia.net

Sitting linked to increased risk for disability, study shows

For people over age 60, every extra hour of the day spent sitting is linked to an increased risk for developing life-altering physical disabilities, according to a new study from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Researchers have long known that being sedentary is harmful to a person’s health – and that moderate activity has numerous health benefits. 

“But what we did not know is whether those were just two ways of looking at the same question – that is, if being sedentary meant you had insufficient activity, or whether it was a separate risk factor,” study author Dorothy Dunlop, a professor of medicine and preventive medicine .“And this study is a smoking gun that being sedentary is a separate risk factor.”

In a study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Dunlop analyzed data collected from 2,286 adults over age 60 who had participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From 2002 to 2005, each study participant wore an accelerometer – a device that monitors physical activity – to objectively assess their levels of activity, or inactivity.

Researchers also gathered health data from the participants to determine their risk for disability.

“The way they defined disability was limitations in basic activities you need to be able to do to stay independent – feeding yourself, bathing yourself, dressing yourself, walking from room to room,” Dunlop said.

Overall, the researchers found that for every extra hour per day that a person spent sitting, their risk for disability increased by 50 percent.

“If you take two 65-year-old women, with the same health profiles, and…one is sitting or doing very little about 12 hours a day, her chance of being in the disabled pool is about 6 percent,” Dunlop said. “If you take another person, also 65 years old, same health profile, but she sits for 13 hours a day, her chance of being disabled is 9 percent; it’s an increase of 50 percent for each hour.”

Furthermore, among people who spent the most time sitting, their increased risk for disability could not be explained by a lack of exercise. However, Dunlop cautioned that this doesn’t mean people should give up and quit the gym.

“There are two messages here – being physically active is very important, it does help you and it’s well documented that it reduces your risk of disability,” Dunlop said. “Being sedentary is a separate risk factor. You want to focus on both – be as active as possible and for people…who have desk jobs and sit [for] a large portion of daylight hours, it is beneficial to find opportunities to replace some of that sitting with other activities.”

Though the study did not examine the mechanisms behind the link between sitting and the increased risk for disability, Dunlop did have some theories.

“My clinical colleagues tell me that when a person sits for an extended time, that their muscles burn less fat and the blood is flowing more sluggishly,” Dunlop said. “And furthermore, if someone slumps in their chair then their back and stomach muscles go unused and the issue of idle muscles and slow circulation can contribute to all kinds of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and also contribute to varicose veins, swollen legs and ankles.”

And though this study focused on an older population, Dunlop said the health effects of sitting on a younger population are likely similar.

“We did not look at people under age 60 because disability is so infrequent in that younger age group,” Dunlop said. “However, there is no reason to expect their experience would be different.”

Further research will be needed to definitively prove the link between sitting and an increased risk for disability – but until then, Dunlop advised people to try to replace sedentary time with light physical activity as often as possible.

“When I talk on the telephone, if I just stand up while I’m talking, that breaks up my sitting. When I go to the grocery store, if I take a walk around the store first before I start shopping, [that helps],” Dunlop said. “What you’re trying to do is simply accumulate more time where you’re not sitting or being sedentary or parked in front of a computer or television.”

Source : foxnews.com