Grapes: Natures Formidable Defence Against Cancer

From red, green and purple grapes to seedless grapes, grape jelly, grape jam and grape juice. And don't forget wine and raisins! This popular fruit's history goes back as far as 8,000 years, when grape vines were first cultivated in what is now the Middle East. It may surprise you to hear that the humble grape is actually considered to be a berry. Seventy-two million tons of these berries are grown each year worldwide, with most of them being used to produce wine - 7.2 trillion gallons of wine per year, to be exact.

The portability, texture, flavor and variety of grapes have made them a popular finger food in countries all over the world. The potential health benefits of consuming grapes are numerous, with past studies associating them with prevention of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and constipation. Though not as sweet tasting to the buds as their relatives - oranges and tangerines - grapes are consumed by most people in the world chiefly for their health benefits. 

Grapes contain powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols, which may slow or prevent many types of cancer, including esophageal, lung, mouth, pharynx, endometrial, pancreatic, prostate and colon. The resveratrol found in red wine famous for heart health is a type of polyphenol found in the skins of red grapes.

The flavonoid quercetin is a natural anti-inflammatory that appears to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and protect against the damage caused by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in animal studies. Quercetin may have the additional bonus of anti-cancer effects; however more studies are needed using human subjects before these results can be confirmed. The high polyphenol content in grapes may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by preventing platelet build-up and reducing blood pressure via anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

The fiber and potassium in grapes also support heart health. An increase in potassium intake along with a decrease in sodium intake is the most important dietary change that a person can make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Mark Houston, MD, MS, an associate clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School and director of the Hypertension Institute at St Thomas Hospital in Tennessee. In one study, those who consumed 4069 mg of potassium per day had a 49% lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease compared with those who consumed less potassium (about 1000 mg per day).

Potassium has many benefits for the body. It may be that a low potassium intake is just as big of a risk factor in developing high blood pressure as a high sodium intake. Because of their high potassium content, grapes are recommended to those with high blood pressure to help negate the effects of sodium in the body. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, fewer than 2% of US adults meet the daily 4700 mg recommendation for potassium.

Eating foods that are high in water content like grapes, watermelon and cantaloupe can help to keep you hydrated and your bowel movements regular. Grapes also contain fiber, which is essential for minimizing constipation. Because of the anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin, consuming grapes may help to alleviate symptoms of allergies including runny nose, watery eyes and hives. There have been no human studies done to prove this theory. 

A few studies have shown promise that resveratrol can protect against diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy, conditions caused by poorly controlled diabetes where vision is severely affected. One study in which diabetic rats were treated with resveratrol for two weeks found that it reduced the effects of neural changes and damage associated with diabetic neuropathy.

The average serving size for grapes is about one cup, or 32 grapes. As a useful measure, you can use the size of your fist to estimate the proper portion size for grapes. One cup of red or green grapes contains 104 calories, 1.09 grams of protein, 0.24 grams of fat, 1.4 grams of fiber, 4.8 milligrams of vitamin C, 10 micrograms of vitamin A, 288 milligrams of potassium, 0.54 milligrams of iron and 3 micrograms of folate.

Grapes are high in water content and good for hydration. High water-content fruits and vegetables are nutrient dense, meaning they provide a large amount of essential nutrients while containing few calories. Grapes contain 70 mgs of fluid per cup. Grapes are high in antioxidants important for eye health such as lutein and zeaxanthin, and red grapes contain the phytochemical resveratrol in their skins, the antioxidant synonymous with wine known to lend protection from several chronic diseases and conditions.

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Vitamin C Benefits Infants’ Lungs Damaged By Smoking During Pregnancy

Vitamin C may reduce the harm done to lungs in infants born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy. These are the results of a new study published in the American Thoracic Society’s ‘American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine’. 

To this end, a co-author of the study, Cindy T. McEvoy said that a relatively low dosage of vitamin C may be a safe intervention to help lung health of millions of infants worldwide, though, helping mothers quit smoking should remain the primary goal for health professionals and public health officials. 

According to the researchers, the study results support the hypothesis that oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoking reduces the amount of ascorbic acid, a component of vitamin C, available to the body. McEvoy and her co-authors reported that at three months of age, the infants whose mothers took 500 mg of vitamin C in addition to their prenatal vitamin had significantly better forced expiratory flows (FEFs).

FEFs measure how fast air can be exhaled from the lung and are an important measure of lung function because they can detect airway obstruction. Similarly, they discovered an association between the infant FEFs and a genetic variant some of the mothers possessed that appeared to amplify the negative impact of nicotine on the babies before they were born. 

McEvoy said finding a way to help infants exposed to smoking and nicotine in utero recognises the unique dangers posed by a highly advertised, addictive product and the lifetime effects on offspring who did not choose to be exposed.

Previous studies show that the primary effects of maternal smoking on offspring lung function and health are decreases in forced expiratory flows, decreased passive respiratory compliance, increased hospitalisation for respiratory infections, and an increased prevalence of childhood wheeze and asthma.

Nicotine appears to be the responsible component of tobacco smoke that affects lung development, and some of the effects of maternal smoking on lung development can be prevented by supplemental vitamin C. In the current study, 251 pregnant women who smoked were randomly assigned at 13 to 23 weeks of gestation to either receive vitamin C (125 women) or a placebo (126 women). 

Smoking was defined as having had one or more cigarettes in the last week. All participants received smoking cessation counselling throughout the study, and about 10 per cent of the women quit smoking during the study. At the time they enrolled in the study, the women had lower levels of ascorbic acid that have been reported among women who do not smoke. However, those levels rose in study participants who received vitamin C to become comparable to women who do not smoke.

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People With Asthma At Higher Risk Of Becoming Obese – Study

Obesity is known to be a risk factor for developing asthma but a new study shows that the reverse is also true: people with asthma are more likely to go on to become obese.

The new research, presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress, indicates that those who develop asthma as adults and those who have non-allergic asthma are at the greatest risk of obesity.

The team behind the research say it suggests the relationship between asthma and obesity is more complex than previously thought and more research is needed to better understand and tackle these two growing health challenges.

The research was presented by Dr Subhabrata Moitra, a European Respiratory Society research fellow at ISGlobal — the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation), Spain. He explained: “We already know that obesity can be a trigger for asthma, perhaps via a physiological, metabolic or inflammatory change.

“Until now there has been very little research on whether the reverse is true — whether asthma can lead to obesity. In this study, we have enough people and we have followed them for long enough to observe the relationship between these two conditions.”

The research was part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey and included 8,618 people from 12 countries who were not obese at the start of the research. This means they all had a body mass index of less than 30kg/m2.

Participants were considered to have asthma if they reported ever having asthma and had an asthma attack or were woken up by an attack of shortness of breath in the previous 12 months, or if they were currently taking asthma medication.

The study began recruiting in the 1990s, and participants were followed up after ten years and again after 20 years. The researchers examined the relationships between having asthma at the start of the study and the likelihood of being obese ten years later. They also studied people who had developed asthma after ten years in the study and their risk of obesity by 20 years. Researchers took other risk factors into consideration, including age, sex, country and physical activity.

They found that 10.2% of people with asthma at the start of the study had become obese ten years on. Among people who did not have asthma, 7.7% were obese ten years later.

The increase in the risk of obesity was even greater in people whose asthma began in adulthood. It was also greater in people who had asthma but did not suffer with allergies.

Dr Moitra added: “By following a large number of study participants over two decades, we have been able to observe how having asthma increases a person’s risk of going on to become obese, especially if their asthma begins in adulthood or if they have asthma but no allergies.

“Our findings suggest the relationship between the two conditions is more complicated than we previously realised. It’s important that we do more work to pick this apart. For example, we do not know why having asthma increases the risk of developing obesity or whether different asthma treatments have any effect on this risk.”

Professor Guy Brusselle from Ghent University in Belgium is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Science Council and was not involved in the study. He said: “With the right medication, many people with asthma gain good control of their symptoms. However, there is no cure for asthma and there is still a lot we do not know about its causes and its effects on the rest of the body. This research is an important step in helping us untangle the relationship between obesity and asthma but it also raises new questions about why the two are linked and what can be done to help patients.”

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Study Links Body Fats To Breast Cancer

Older women with excess body fat, even if they have what’s considered a normal body-mass index (BMI), could be at greater risk for breast cancer. Findings of a new study suggesting this were published in the medical journal ‘JAMA Oncology’. According to the authors of the study, having excess body fat, even when one has a normal BMI, is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer.

A ‘normal’ BMI is considered to be between 18.5 and 24.9, according to the study. One of the author’s study and director of cancer prevention at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, Dr. Andrew Dannenberg, said, “We do find that excess body fat in those who are post-menopausal with a normal BMI is associated with about a doubling in the risk of estrogendependent breast cancer.”

A cancer is called estrogen- receptor-positive (or ER+) if it has receptors for estrogen. This suggests that the cancer cells, like normal breast cells, may receive signals from estrogen that could promote their growth. The cancer is progesteronereceptor- positive (PR+) if it has progesterone receptors. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, and is responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Globally, about one in sixdeaths is due to cancer.

Approximately 70 per cent of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries. According World Health Organisation (WHO), over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer annually, and about 80,000 die from the disease, averaging 240 Nigerians every day or 10 Nigerians every hour. The research team found that a five-kilogram (11-pound) increase in wholebody fat mass was associated with a 35 per cent increased risk of this kind of breast cancer.

A five-kilogram increase in fat mass of the trunk was associated with a 56 per cent increase in risk. Trunk fat is “defined by the fat contained in the torso apart from head and limbs,” according to the study. The study also found that for invasive breast cancer, which has spread into the surrounding breast tissue, a five-kilogram increase in whole-body fat mass was related to a 28 per cent risk increase. The same increase in trunk fat was tied to a 46 per cent increase in the risk of invasive breast cancer.

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Genital Itching May be First Signs Of Diabete - Expert

A health expert, Dr Joke Adeleye, has said that the first sign of diabetes in some persons could just be genital itching or a recurrent boil.

Dr Adeleye made this disclosure at the 2018 World Diabetes Day celebration organised by the UCH, Ibadan Diabetes Care team and Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Oyo State, with the theme “the family and diabetes.”

The diabetologist stated that itching in the genital area both for men and women could be a common sign of diabetes even when they have not noticed the other typical signs of diabetes such excessive passage of urine, feeling unduly thirsty, and losing weight despite a healthy balanced diet.

Adeleye, who noted that diabetes in some individuals is without symptoms, added that the vaginal itching in the woman may also be accompanied with a thick discharge.

The expert stated that itching of the skin, particularly around the genitals, until proven otherwise may be pointers to the fact that the blood glucose levels are high.

“So if you notice something unusual, particularly if you are an adult, you should get tested, even if such things are noticed in children, they also should get tested.”

 

Dr Adeleye urged that every adult after the age of 40 years should have their blood sugar checked at least one in three years.

“However, if you have a family history of diabetes, a young person who has siblings or parents with diabetes or risk factors for diabetes such as overweight, high blood cholesterol and blood pressure, request to have a blood sugar test done every year even if you do not feel unwell or have symptoms of diabetes,” she added.

Earlier, Professor Adesoji Fasanmade, the chairman at the event expressed concern on the increasing cases of diabetes in Nigeria, which he linked with lifestyle, diet and poor exercising.

Fasanmade, noting that of every 100 adults in Nigeria, 8 persons now live with diabetes but only half of them know they have the disease, urged Nigerians to be more proactive about their health.

Chairman, Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Oyo State, Chief Emmanuel Adeyinka, linked the upsurge in adult and juvenile diabetes to the aggressive and relentless advertisement by fast food vendors, urging parents to always serve children home balanced diet, fruits, vegetables and adequate water.

At the event had 250 persons tested for diabetes and a road show to create awareness about the disease.

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Too Much Sleep Could Lead To Cardiovascular Disease And Death

The recommended hours of sleep for adults to achieve healthy living is six to eight hours daily but experts said sleeping more than those hours could be linked to increased risk of cardiovascular (CVD) disease and premature death.

According to the findings of a new study published in the ‘European Heart Journal’, compared with people who slept six to eight hours a night, those who slept eight to nine hours had a five per cent increased risk for CVD or death. Lead author of the study Chuangshi Wang who is a doctoral student at the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, urged adults to get enough sleep — that is, six to eight hours a day.

“But if you sleep more than nine hours a day, you may want to visit a doctor to check your overall health,” he added.” People who slept nine to 10 hours had a 17 per cent increased risk, and those who slept more than 10 hours increased their risk by 41 per cent.

The researchers also found a nine per cent increased risk in people who slept less than six hours, but that difference was not statistically significant. Daytime naps also increased the risk for cardiovascular events, but only in people who slept more than six hours a night.

The researchers controlled for age, body mass index, physical activity, diabetes, depression, smoking, alcohol consumption and many other health and behavioral characteristics.

The researchers gathered health and lifestyle information, including self-reported sleep data, on 116,632 people in 21 countries, followed them up for over eight years and recorded 4,381 deaths and 4,365 major CVD events. CVD events refer to any incident that may cause damage to the heart muscle. The heart is a busy organ, constantly pumping blood filled with oxygen and nutrients through your arteries, into the heart muscle (myocardium). Any interruption of blood flow will lead to an injury, or infarction.

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Prevent Stroke, Anemia And Other Diseases With Regular Diet Of Plantain

Plantains, also known as plátanos, are closely related cultivars of fruit or dessert banana. In general, they are treated as vegetables in the kitchen much like fellow tropical produces such as potatoes, taro, breadfruit, yam, sweet potatoes, etc. Indeed, plátano are one of the staple sources of carbohydrates for larger populations. Plantain is so rich that it is consumed in almost every part of the world.

Plantain is quite different from dessert banana, being taller and larger and more drought tolerant. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that develops from the underground rhizome. Like bananas, it too flourishes well under tropical moisture-rich, humid low-lying farmlands. At maturity, the rhizome gives rise to flower (inflorescence) that is carried up along its smooth, elongated, un-branched stem, piercing through the center of pseudo-stem, finally emerging out at the top in between its leafy clusters.

Plantain relatively has more calories weight for weight than that in the table bananas. 100g plantain holds about 122 calories, while dessert banana has only 89 calories. Indeed, they are very reliable sources of starch and energy; ensuring food security for millions of inhabitants worldwide. It contains 2.3 g of dietary fiber per 100 g (6% of DRA per 100 g). Adequate amount of dietary-fiber in the food helps normal bowel movements, thereby reducing constipation problems.

Fresh plátanos have more vitamin C than bananas. 100g provide 18.4 mg or 31% of daily required levels of this vitamin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. However, boiling and cooking destroys much of this vitamin in plantains. Plantains carry more vitamin A than bananas. 100 g fresh ripe plantains contain 1127 IU or 37.5% of daily required levels of this vitamin.

As in bananas, they too are rich sources of B-complex vitamins, particularly high in vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine). Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role in the treatment of neuritis, anemia, and to decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors for coronary artery disease (CHD) and (stroke episodes) levels in the body. In addition, the fruit contains moderate levels of folates, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin.

They also provide adequate levels of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well. Fresh plantains have more potassium than bananas. 100 g fruit provides 499 mg of potassium (358 mg per 100 g for bananas). Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering negative effects of sodium.

At maturity, plantains are generally harvested unripe and right away carried to the market for sale. Look for firm, mature, deep green, well-formed plantains that feel heavy in hand. Do not buy overripe, damaged, split fruits, as they stay poor. Once at home, store them open at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Once ripen, plantains too, like bananas, are very fragile and show signs of decay in short time span.

Plantains are inedible raw and should be eaten only after cooked. To prepare, just wash the raw fruit in cold water and mop dry using paper cloth. Using a paring knife, trim either ends. Then, cut the fruit into short lengths, split the skin superficially along the ridge and peel the skin gently away from the flesh to get firm flesh inside. Oftentimes, the whole fruit may be barbequed with its skin. Otherwise, its peeled flesh may be cut into thin slices, grated, chunks treated much like potatoes in many traditional African and West-Indian cuisine.

Plantains make delicious savory recipes, used in place of potatoes in grills, mashed, bake, or fries. In South-Indian Kerala state, plantain chips (vaazhakka upperi) seasoned with salt and pepper, is a popular snack. Tostones (plátano, fried twice), prepared in a similar way are again a popular snacks in the Caribbean and Latin Americas. Its flower head (inflorescence) and interior icicle-white, tender stem (vazhai thandu in Malayalam) too are eaten in various kinds of recipes in South-Asian regions.

Sopa de plátano is a popular Caribbean soup preparation that used green platanos, garlic, cilantro, and cheese. Mashed plantain served with fried onions is a national breakfast dish of Dominican Republic. Mashed platanos are served with rice, eggs, beans, poultry, fish, etc., in these regions. In some African communities, plantain is pounded into a form in which it is eaten with stews or soups such as egusi soup or okro soup.

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Children Of Smokers Risk Low Sperm Counts

Scientists in Sweden said men whose fathers smoked at the time of pregnancy had 50 per cent lower count of sperms than those with non-smoking fathers. 

The findings of a new study published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE,’ showed that, independently of nicotine exposure from the mother, socioeconomic factors, and their own smoking, men with fathers who smoked had a 41 per cent lower sperm concentration and 51 per cent fewer sperm count than those with nonsmoking fathers. The study was conducted on 104 Swedish men aged between 17 and 20 years.

A semen analysis usually evaluates certain characteristics of a male’s semen and the sperm contained therein and it is done to help evaluate male fertility, whether for those seeking pregnancy or verifying the success of vasectomy. 

Normal sperm densities range from 15 million to greater than 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen. One is considered to have a low sperm count if he has fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter or less than 39 million sperm total per ejaculate. 

A Specialist Physician at Lund University in Sweden Jonatan Axelsson said, “I was very surprised that regardless of the mother’s level of exposure to nicotine, the sperm count of men whose fathers smoked was so much lower. “We know there is a link between sperm count and chances of pregnancy, so that could affect the possibility for these men to have children in future.

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Study Links Shampoos and Make-ups To Early Puberty

Exposure to chemicals found in a wide array of personal care products including shampoo and beauty makeup products have been linked to early puberty among girls.

These are the findings of a new study published in the December 4 issue of the journal ‘Human Reproduction’. Puberty is the time in life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature. It is a process that usually happens between ages 10 and 14 for girls and ages 12 and 16 for boys. It causes physical changes, and affects boys and girls differently.

The study which centers on specific chemicals, include phthalates, parabens and phenols, which are found in an array of products, including perfumes, soaps, shampoos, nail polish, cosmetics, toothpaste, lipstick, hairsprays, skin lotions, among others.

According to the study author Kim Harley who is Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States (US), these chemicals “get into our bodies either by absorption through the skin, by being inhaled, or being ingested [like lipstick].” “Once they are in the body, they are quite quickly metabolised and [then] excreted in urine.”

 

As to how routine exposure to the chemicals might affect puberty, she said they’ve “been shown to mimic estrogen in certain laboratory conditions.” The team found that “the higher the levels of the chemicals in mothers’ or daughters’ bodies, the earlier the puberty” among girls. No such link was found for the timing of male puberty, however. Harley said, “We were a little surprised that the associations were only with girls and we didn’t see much with boys. “But since these tend to be estrogenic chemicals, it makes sense that they might impact girls.”

The researchers’ analyzed data collected in a study that enrolled pregnant women between 1999 and 2000. The women had blood tests twice throughout their pregnancy, and interviews were also conducted to gauge exposure to the chemicals in question.

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