Prevent Cancer, Heart Disease And Others With Cucumber

Cucumbers belong to the same plant family as squash, pumpkin, and watermelon (the Cucurbitaceae family). Like watermelon, cucumbers are made up of mostly (95 percent) water, which means eating them on a hot day can help you stay hydrated.

However, there's reason to eat cucumbers all year long. With vitamin K, B vitamins, copper, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese, cucumbers can help you to avoid nutrient deficiencies that are widespread among those eating a typical diet.

Plus, cucumbers contain unique polyphenols and other compounds that may help reduce your risk of chronic diseases and much, much more.

Protect Your Brain
Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin that appears to play an important role in brain health. In addition to improving your memory and protecting your nerve cells from age-related decline ^, fisetin has been found to prevent progressive memory and learning impairments in mice with Alzheimer's disease.

Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
Cucumbers contain polyphenols called lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, and secoisolariciresinol), which may help to lower your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.They also contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which also have anti-cancer properties. According to the George Mateljan Foundation:

"Scientists have already determined that several different signaling pathways (for example, the JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways) required for cancer cell development and survival can be blocked by activity of cucurbitacins."

Fight Inflammation
Cucumbers may help to "cool" the inflammatory response in your body, and animal studies suggest that cucumber extract helps reduce unwanted inflammation, in part by inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes (including cyclo-oxygenase 2, or COX-2).

Antioxidant Properties
Cucumbers contain numerous antioxidants, including the well-known vitamin C and beta-carotene. They also contain antioxidant flavonoids, such as quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, and kaempferol, which provide additional benefits.

For instance, quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevents histamine release—making quercetin-rich foods "natural antihistamines." Kaempferol, meanwhile, may help fight cancer and lower your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease.

Freshen Your Breath
Placing a cucumber slice on the roof of your mouth may help to rid your mouth of odor-causing bacteria. According to the principles of Ayurveda, eating cucumbers may also help to release excess heat in your stomach, which is said to be a primary cause of bad breath.

Manage Stress
Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress.

Support Your Digestive Health
Cucumbers are rich in two of the most basic elements needed for healthy digestion: water and fiber. If you struggle with acid reflux, you should know that drinking water can help suppress acute symptoms of acid reflux by temporarily raising stomach pH; it's possible that water-rich cucumbers may have a similar effect.

Cucumber skins contain insoluble fiber, which helps add bulk to your stool. This helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination.

Maintain a Healthy Weight
Cucumbers are very low in calories, yet they make a filling snack (one cup of sliced cucumber contains just 16 calories). The soluble fiber in cucumbers dissolves into a gel-like texture in your gut, helping to slow down your digestion. This helps you to feel full longer and is one reason why fiber-rich foods may help with weight control.

Support Heart Health
Cucumbers contain potassium, which is associated with lower blood pressure levels. A proper balance of potassium both inside and outside your cells is crucial for your body to function properly.

As an electrolyte, potassium is a positive charged ion that must maintain a certain concentration (about 30 times higher inside than outside your cells) in order to carry out its functions, which includes interacting with sodium to help control nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and heart function.

          Dr Mercola, who authored this piece, is an expert nutritionist.

Read More

Beware: Killer Chickens And Turkeys In Lagos Markets - NOA

Lagos State Government at the weekend raised the alarm over the danger of buying and consuming ex­humed contaminated poul­try produce like chicken and turkey meat presently in circulation in the state.

The state’s Commission­er for Agriculture, Mr. To­yin Suarau, who disclosed this while receiving offi­cials of the National Orien­tation Agency (NOA), who came on the directive of the Federal Government to ap­peal for support on how to sensitise Lagosians on the danger posed by this act noted that these exhumed poultry produce are poi­sonous and could lead to death if consumed.

Suarau added that the imported contaminated poultry produce were seized by men of the Ni­geria Customs Service in Badagry but were later exhumed - after being de­stroyed - by some unscrupu­lous individuals who now sell same to unsuspecting consumers.

“This visit by officials of National Orientation Agency was based on the circular received by the agency about the recently exhumed contaminated poultry produce being de­stroyed by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service somewhere in Badagry. The need for sensiti­sation on the dangers as­sociated with consuming these exhumed poisonous poultry produce cannot be overemphasised especially in view of the havoc it pos­es to the public,” he noted.

The commissioner pos­ited that the imported poultry produce were pre­served with chemicals like formalin which is poison­ous, adding that it could lead to slow death without the knowledge of the con­sumer.

Read More

Once-A-Week Sex Is Healthy For Couples

If the World Health Organization's definition of health as "the totality of a person's well being, including the physical, the spiritual, the emotional etc" is anything to go by, then the issue of sex and its effects on the health of couples (especially married couples) cannot be down-played.

For decades, self-help books and therapists have advised couples that the key to a successful relationship is sex…and plenty of it.

But a new study suggests that behind closed doors, the happiest partners are actually making love just once a week.

According to the University of Toronto-Mississauga more frequent attempts at copulation will not boost satisfaction or well-being.

 

"People often think that more money and more sex equal more happiness, but this is only true up to a point"

Dr Amy Muise, University of Toronto-Mississauga

The study was based on questionnaires filled in by 30,000 Americans over more than 30 years.

“I think the take-home message is that in general it is important to maintain a sexual connection with a romantic partner, but it is also important to have realistic expectations for one's sex life, given that many couples are busy with work and family responsibilities,” said psychologist Dr Amy Muise, who led the research.

“Our research suggests that having more frequent sex in relationships is associated with greater happiness, but this is only true up to once a week, having sex more frequently is no longer associated with greater well-being.

“Therefore, is not necessary, on average, for couples to aim to engage in sex as frequently as possible.”

The study established that people in a relationship tend to have sex about once a week on average. For couples, happiness tended to increase with more frequent sex, but this plateaued at weekly sex.

Despite common stereotypes that men want more sex and older people have less sex, there actually was no difference in the findings based on gender, age or length of relationship.

"Our findings were consistent for men and women, younger and older people, and couples who had been married for a few years or decades," added Dr Muise.

Relationship expert Tracey Cox said the research would leave most couples breathing a sigh of relief
"Sex is important in relationships for bonding and feeling that your partner still fancies you, but having sex once a week is a realistic and achievable goal for busy people," she said.

Are you having sexual problems in your relationship? Do you need an expert, natural cure for your sexual problems, including infertility, weak erection, STD's etc? call Dr E.E. Humphrey, the CEO of Save Soul Natural Clinic on: +2348069223334, +2349092770089.

Read More

Green Tea Helps With Healthy Ageing - Study

Green tea has long been considered for possible health benefits, including its potential to decrease the risk of certain cancers, its antioxidant properties and its blood-pressure lowering effects.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that green tea could help to make ageing a healthy process, too. Green tea is a product made from the Camellia sinensis plant.

It can be prepared as a beverage, which can have some health effects. Or an “extract” can be made from the leaves to use as medicine. Green tea is used to improve mental alertness and thinking.

Researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, looked at the green tea-drinking habits of 14,000 older adults, ages 65 and older, for a three-year period.

The researchers found that the ones who drank the most green tea over these tidy period were also the ones who functioned best in old age — meaning they did not have trouble with basic activities like bathing or dressing.

Seven per cent of people who drank at least five cups of green tea a day had basic functioning problems, compared with 13 per cent of people who drank a cup or less of green tea a day.

“Green tea consumption is significantly associated with a lower risk of incident functional disability, even after adjustment for possible confounding factors,” researchers concluded in the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Anti-aging and antiinflammatory effects of green tea may delay signs of skin ageing, such as sun damage, expression lines and wrinkles, according to a study published in the journal of Collegium Anthropologicum.

Also, catechins, in green tea may also help prevent skin cancer due to sun exposure, notes Pearl E. Grimes, author of the book “Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery for Darker Skin Types.”

Read More

How Alcohol Affects Parkinson's Disease Risk

Drinking alcoholic beverages is not associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk, according to a new study published in the June issue of PLOS ONE. However, in additional analyses the study did find that among those who drink only beer, greater consumption was associated with lower risk for PD and among those who consumed only liquor, greater consumption was associated with higher risk for PD. No association was found between wine and PD risk.

While previous studies have found that cigarette smoking and coffee consumption are associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, research on alcohol consumption and PD risk has shown conflicting data. The researchers, led by Rui Lui, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC, were interested in learning more about alcohol’s effects on Parkinson’s disease risk and how specific types of alcoholic beverages might influence that risk.

The study looked at 306,895 people (ages 50 to 71 at the time) who participated in the 1995-1996 NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which collected detailed lifestyle and dietary information from participants. Researchers followed up with study participants and compared the alcohol consumption of the 1,094 people who were diagnosed with PD between 2000 and 2006 and those who did not develop the disease.

• Overall, total alcohol consumption was not associated with Parkinson’s disease risk.
• People who drank beer only and consumed one or more beers per day had a 59 percent lower risk of PD than non-alcohol drinkers.
• People who drank liquor only and consumed one or more drinks per day had a more than two-fold higher risk of PD than non-alcohol drinkers.

The major finding of this study is that there is no association between total consumption of alcoholic beverages and future risk of Parkinson’s disease.

This is in contrast to caffeine consumption and smoking which are associated with lower risk for PD.

Researchers have tried to explain the association between caffeine and smoking to PD in one of two ways - either that there is something protective in caffeine or in smoking which reduces the risk for PD, or, that people with PD are less predisposed to addiction, possibly because of reduced dopamine even before disease onset. The fact that alcohol consumption is not associated with reduced PD risk argues against the second hypothesis.

In additional analyses, the researchers found that among those who consume only beer, higher consumption was associated with a lower PD risk and among those who consume only liquor, higher consumption was associated with a higher PD risk. It is very difficult to interpret these findings because of the opposite effects of beer and liquor consumptions. Plus this study reports on an association between a substance (alcohol) and an outcome, but is not designed to prove definitive cause and effect.

The study did not investigate the reasons why beer and liquor affect Parkinson’s disease risk. One proposed mechanism would be that beer consumption elevates plasma urate which is associated with lower PD risk.

The higher risk of Parkinson’s disease among liquor drinkers may be due to the detrimental effects of liquor’s high ethanol content and its lack of vitamins and antioxidants.

Research on alcohol consumption and Parkinson’s disease still shows conflicting data. People who do not drink alcohol should not start drinking beer to try to prevent PD.

This material was sent in from Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

Read More

Red Wine Could Help People With Type 2 Diabetes - Research

There is evidence that type 2 diabetes is less prevalent among moderate drinkers, yet the risk-benefit balance is controversial for such patients, due to a lack of long-term randomized studies.
Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev-Soroka Medical Center and Nuclear Research Center Negev, Israel, wondered if both red and white wine might improve glucose control, depending on alcohol metabolism and genetic profiling.

Previous research has suggested that ethanol (alcohol) is the key, meaning that alcoholic drinks other than red wine could be equally beneficial; others claim that red wine has particularly advantageous properties.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, as well as lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. High levels of HDL cholesterol can reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke, as it absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, where it is flushed from the body.

Should patients with type 2 diabetes be recommended to take up moderate alcohol consumption? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) leave the decision to the individual; the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend discussing alcohol with a physician.

The researchers wanted to find out what the cardiometabolic effects would be when patients with type 2 diabetes took up drinking moderate amounts of alcohol; they also wanted to assess whether the type of wine would matter.

They hypothesized that initiating moderate wine consumption would lower cardiometabolic risk, mainly because of the ethanol component. They predicted similar effects of red and white wine. Because of genetic variability in alcohol metabolism, they predicted that the effects of wine would vary according to ADH1B genotype.

The 224 participants were 40-75-year-old alcohol-abstaining men and women with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.

Among those excluded were: people already taking more than one alcoholic drink per week, anyone with a history of addiction and patients using two or more insulin injections a day.

Measurements taken at baseline included genetic markers, blood pressure, liver biomarkers, medication use and symptoms, and quality of life.

From June 2010 to May 2012, participants were randomly assigned to 150 mL of mineral water, white wine or red wine with dinner. Wines and mineral water were provided. All groups followed a Mediterranean diet without caloric restriction. At intervals, blood samples were taken, questionnaires completed and group sessions attended.

Lipid and glycemic control profiles were primarily measured. Secondary outcomes included triglyceride levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, genetic interaction, medication use, liver function tests and quality-of-life indicators.

After 2 years, no material differences were identified across the groups in blood pressure, adiposity, liver function, drug therapy, symptoms or quality of life, except that sleep quality improved in both wine groups compared with the water group.
 
However, patients who drank wine showed decreased cardiometabolic risks compared with those drinking mineral water. The red wine drinkers experienced the most significant changes in lipid variables.

The researchers unexpectedly found that while the alcohol itself appears to aid glycemic control, red wine has a stronger effect on lipid levels and overall variables of the metabolic syndrome, suggesting that its non-alcoholic constituents also play a role.

The red wine had seven times higher levels of total phenols than the white wine. Whether the phenolic compounds increase the cardioprotectiveness is still debated. The team calls for differences between red and white wine to be further studied, with focus on the varied biodeliverability of the compounds.

The team found that genetic differences affected glycemic control and therefore suggest that genetic information could assist in identifying which patients with type 2 diabetes would benefit from moderate wine consumption.

Limitations include the participants not being blinded to treatment allocation, but the long-term nature of the study is a strength.

The authors caution that the benefits of drinking wine should be weighed against potential risks when translated into clinical practice.

Read More