"Why We Are Organizing The Healthertainment Event" - Dr. Julz

The Word "Healthertainment" is one that is gradually gaining currency amongst people who take issues bothering their health seriously in Nigeria. Healthertainment is an event that brings health practitioners to interface with the general public in an entertaining and engaging environment. Recently, the second edition of Healthertainment was held in Lagos.

In this brief but insightful interview with Nigeria Natural Health Online, the organizer of the event, Dr. Juliet Offiah (a.k.a Dr. Julz) speaks on the concept behind Healthertainment and how it is positioned to impact the health sector.

 

Let's meet you

My name is Dr. Juliet Offiah (a.k.a Dr. Julz), the presenter of Health Matters with Dr. Julz on NigeriaInfo F.M. I'm a Doctor with 12years of clinical experience and also the company doctor of AIM Group, owners of NigeriaInfo F.M, Cool F.M and Wazobia F.M.

What is Healthertainment all about?

Today we are here on a platform on Healthertainment, an event that brings practitioners in the health sector in an entertaining atmosphere. It is a platform created to bring personalities in the health sector together for the purpose of giving impactful health information to the general public. Health information is empowerment and the aim is to empower players in the sector by giving information that can drive their health consciousness.

How long have you been doing these and what impacts have you made so far? 

It was a concept created out of the award winning show, Health Matters which Dr. Julz on NigeriaInfo F.M. The show itself has been going on for past the six to seven years. In the process, we realized that it would be beneficial to have a one-on-one interface with listeners of the show: so we decided to take it from just mere listening to audio visual. So we kicked off the Healthertainment event and the feedback we have gotten so far has been very encouraging because people now make better health choices. Healthertainment is just about 1 year old but the impact has been so wonderful. This is our second edition and as we are gearing up for more episodes, we know that the impact will even be much more in the years to come.

In what ways is today’s edition special?

You were there in the last edition and you can see the difference, the turn out of people is much more than what we had last year. We have more corporate organizations represented here, we have more people exhibiting organic and health based product. We even have a special school that caters for educational needs of children. This year’s event cuts across various organizations in the country. The visibility is much more and more welcoming than what we had last year. Another thing we noticed about this year’s event is that people registered very early on like last year when people had a somewhat lukewarm attitude toward it. People are now becoming more conscious of their health needs. The entertaining environment also made it possible for a more lively and engaging audience.

What are we looking out for in the next edition?

We have been doing it once in a year but now people are clamouring and asking for quarterly editions. So we have a plan of making it happen at least 3times a year. We will also be looking at building a team with organizations for the purpose of impacting them healthwise. Most of the ailments people have these days can be traced to the workplace environment; so when you improve people’s health in their workplace, it will positively affect their productivity. Thus, we want to carry the message to them under the Healthertainment platform.

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Are There Really Carbs In Wine?

If you’re the type of person that likes to have a glass of wine with dinner, or when you’re hanging out with friends, or any time at all, you want to know what it’s all about, right? You want to know if it’s good for you, bad for you or some form of indifferent, and one of the ways you may judge that is by how many carbs in wine are there. You may have heard that wine is low-carb, but there’s a big difference between low-carb and no-carb. So what does it mean?

Now the big question is: Are there carbs in wine? the short answer is yes. Of course, that’s going to vary based on a number of different factors. For one, not all wine has carbs. Some wines actually don’t have any. But, many wines have at least 2 and up to 5 carbs per 5 ounces glass. This means if you’re really being particular about carbs and counting yours you’ll want to watch the number of glasses you drink. You’ll also want to think carefully about the types of wine that you’re drinking.

The lowest carb wines are the dry versions. These include things like general dry wines, dry sherry, dry red and dry white wines. Each of these typically has closer to the bottom of the spectrum when it comes to carbs. They are actually close to 0-3 carbs. When it comes to sparkling wine and off-dry wines, that’s where you’re going to get closer to the five carbs per glass. Of course, all of this is much less than the number of carbs you’ll find in liquors, Kahlua and late harvest or tawny drinks, so you’re still getting something slightly better for you.

So, how do the carbs in wine even get there? Where do they come from? Well, they come from the unfermented sugar that’s left over after the alcohol is produced. When it comes to wine, you’ll find more carbs left over at the end than some drinks because they start out with a whole lot of sugar. Those grapes have a lot of carbs in them, but as they’re fermented the carbs start to disappear because of the yeast. What’s left over, however, becomes the carbs in the wine.

The same thing happens with beer and some other mixers because they have a lot of sugar or grain that contains carbs and leaves some left over. Mixers are the worst of it because they’re not fermented at all and are only added to the already fermented beverage. You’re going to have no carbs in things like distilled spirits because there’s only alcohol left in there with absolutely none of the sugar or grain. That means carb wise you’re getting the best from pure alcohols, but you’re getting some other things that you should watch out for. You also might want to look at low-carb drinks.

What do you do if you’re trying to get healthy, but you like to drink the occasional glass of wine? Well, the truth is that wine and other forms of alcohol have been found to be really bad for people who are dieting. It’s not just the carbs in wine and the calories they have. It’s actually that people who drink alcohol have been found to eat a whole lot more, up to 400 calories. If you really like to have a glass once in a while you can account for it, and the low carbs make it okay for most diets, but keep track of your eating habits.

On top of this, keep in mind that alcohol can stop your body from burning fat, which is what you’re trying to do when you’re dieting. The alcohol is burned off by the body first, and if that happens, it means that fat is being stored. The alcohol doesn’t store into your body, but it does indicate that you’re going to have significantly reduced results than you might think because of the alcohol that you’re drinking. Most dieticians would recommend that you cut out alcohol entirely, or as much as possible, for this reason.

Are carbs in wine really that bad? That’s not as easy of a question to answer. Carbs in wine increase the blood sugar in your body when they are absorbed into the blood. When this happens, the body releases insulin to help control the blood sugar. To help lower the blood sugar the sugar itself is directed into fat cells so that you have more energy stored away. Then, the carbs make it difficult for the fat to be converted back into sugar and burned off. This means that carbs increase the amount of fat that’s being stored in your body and make sure that it stays there.

In the days of our ancestors this was a good thing because there was a lot of sugar intensive produce around during the warm seasons, but not much available during the cold season. If our ancestors were able to pack on some stored fat during the warm months, they would burn it off during the cold ones but would have enough nutrients to keep them going. For us now this isn’t as big of a problem, so the extra fat tends to make it difficult to get to that weight goal.

If you’re trying to lose some weight or even just watch your carb intake, you should definitely be looking at the wine that you consume. While there isn’t a whole lot there, it is enough that you’ll want to keep track. Plus, now that you know more about what carbs are really doing to your body and how they can negatively affect your goals you may want to think twice. Even that 2-5 carbs per glass in a single day can start to add up and before you know it you’ve got more fat stored than you ever wanted. So keep an eye on that glass of sherry.

This article is from IloveWine, an organization that aspires to share insight and experiences with wine lovers of all kinds.

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Less Than Six Hours Sleep A Day Could Cause Heart Disease

People who sleep less than six hours a night may be at increased risk of cardiovascular (heart and blood) disease, a new research has found.

The study, as published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reveals that poor quality sleep increases the risk of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a heart pathology marked with the accumulation of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on artery walls, restricting blood flow.

“Cardiovascular disease is a major global problem, and we are preventing and treating it using several approaches, including pharmaceuticals, physical activity and diet. But this study emphasizes we have to include sleep as one of the weapons we use to fight heart disease – a factor we are compromising every day,” Jose Ordovas, senior author of the study, explains.

After series of experiments, people who slept less than six hours were found to be 27 percent more likely to have atherosclerosis when compared with those who slept seven to eight hours.

Those who had poor quality of sleep were 34 percent more likely to have atherosclerosis compared with those who had good quality of sleep.

Previous studies have shown that lack of sleep increases heart disease risk factors such as glucose levels; blood pressure; inflammation and obesity.

“This is the first study to show that objectively measured sleep is independently associated with atherosclerosis throughout the body, not just in the heart,” Jose said.

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High Fibre Diet Reduces Death Risk, Chronic Diseases

Researchers said people who eat diets that are high in fibre have lower risk of death and chronic diseases such as stroke or cancer. According to findings of a new meta-analysis of existing research, published in the journal ‘The Lancet,’ compared with people who consume low fibre, higher intakes of fibre results in a reduced incidence of a surprisingly broad range of relevant diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.

The analysis found a 15 to 30 per cent reduced risk of death and chronic diseases in people who included the most fibre in their diets, compared with those with the lowest intake. Also, a fibre-rich diet was linked, on average, to a 22 per cent reduced risk of stroke, a 16 per cent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, and a 30 per cent reduced risk of death from coronary heartdisease. 

Based on the research, a Professor of Human Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand, Jim Mann, who is a co-author of the study, recommended 25 grams (0.88 ounces) to 29 grams (1.02 ounces) of fibre consumption each day, though, higher amounts were even more beneficial, according to the analysis of the study.

Most people globally consume about 20 grams (0.70 ounces) of dietary fibre per day, Mann said of the findings. However, a 15-gram (0.52ounce) increase in whole grains consumed per day was associated with a two per cent to 19 per cent reduction in total deaths and incidences of coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. 

Dietary fibre includes plant-based carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereal, seeds and some legumes including peas, chickpeas, lentils, lupin beans, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts and tamarind. Quoting Andrew Reynolds, a co-author of the new meta-analysis of existing research, who is a researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand, the ‘CNN’ reported that Fibre’s health benefits have been recorded “by over 100 years of research.”

Reynolds’ team was commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to inform future fibre intake recommendations, the report stated. The researchers analysed over 180 observational studies and 50 clinical trials from the past four decades; that’s the strength of the analysis said Mann, adding, “The health benefits of dietary fibre appear to be even greater than we thought previously.”

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Is Lactating While Pregnant Bad?

Some pregnant women often express fear and some amount of anxiety when they notice that they are lactating even when they have not given birth. They think lactating while pregnant is a manifestation of abnormalities with the pregnancy. But is this really so? Is lactating while pregnant really bad?

Lactation, the process in which your breasts produce milk to feed your baby, begins while you are still pregnant. Lactation causes a variety of changes in your breasts, some that are unpleasant and embarrassing. Fortunately, it is possible to minimize its effects and make lactation more comfortable to handle.

Lactating begins as early as three or four months into your pregnancy. You typically begin noticing signs of it during the third trimester of pregnancy when it causes your breasts to leak a fluid that is yellowish, golden, clear or creamy in color. Although your breasts can discharge fluid at anytime, it is more evident when your breasts are sexually stimulated or massaged. In addition to discharge, lactating sometimes causes your breasts to become tender and enlarge or swell.

Lactation, which is triggered by the hormonal fluctuations in your body during pregnancy, is your body’s way of preparing for your baby’s birth. Your milk production system begins to work while you are still pregnant and produces colostrum, the pre-milk that is full of antibodies, nutrients and easily digestible fluid. Colostrum is what your baby drinks during the first few days after birth before your milk supply fully comes in.

Although there is no way to stop lactation from occurring while pregnant, there are ways to make it more comfortable to deal with. Purchase nursing pads at a drugstore. These pads fit discretely into your bra and absorb any fluid before it appears on or stains your clothing. Alternatively, fold up a cotton handkerchief or cut a square out of a cloth diaper and conceal the fabric inside of your bra to contain any moisture.

Not all women leak colostrum during pregnancy-this doesn’t mean that you are not lactating. If you want to check, carefully squeeze your areola to see if any drops of fluid come out. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t. It is noted that a woman who does not exhibit obvious signs of lactation is still able to produce a healthy and abundant milk supply when her baby is born.

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Why Taking Tea During Pregnancy May Pose A Risk To The Baby

Scientists from Ireland yesterday said consuming caffeine during pregnancy may be bad for the health of the unborn baby. Findings of a study published in ‘The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,’ showed a consistent link between caffeine sourced from coffee and tea and adverse birth outcomes. 

According to the researchers, regardless of the caffeine source, whether from tea or coffee, the risks of delivering babies with abnormally low birth weight or short gestational age at birth were higher. Apart from smaller birth size and shorter gestational duration, maternal caffeine intake had been linked to other negative outcomes for the child, such as a lower intelligent quotient (IQ). 

, these findings, including that of the current study, were from observational studies. The team said observational studies cannot prove that caffeine causes these outcomes, only that there was a link between them. To prove causation, scientists would need to conduct randomized, controlled trials, they stated.

The researchers said until more definitive evidence emerges, it was prudent to at least limit caffeine intake during pregnancy or when planning to conceive. The team wanted to know if there was a link between maternal caffeine intake and negative birth outcomes in a population where tea was the main caffeine source.

Consequently, they used data from an Irish cohort study involving about 1,000 Irish women that provided the researchers with the usual dietary intakes of caffeinated products during early pregnancy. We matched these with hospital records of the women’s newborns to get information on the birth size and gestational age at birth.

Tea was the predominant caffeine source (48 per cent), followed by coffee (39 per cent). “In the highest caffeine consumption group, the risks of delivering babies with abnormally low birth weight or short gestational age at birth were about two times higher. The results were similar regardless of the caffeine source,” the researchers disclosed. 

Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world. And at average consumption levels, it is considered to be good for health, or at least not bad for health. While coffee is the main source of caffeine in most parts of the world (about 100mg per cup), it is less recognised that tea contains a significant amount of caffeine, too (about 33mg per cup).

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