Walnuts Improve Bowel Cancer Survival

Scientists have said that eating nuts could reduce chances of dying from bowel cancer.

According to a new study conducted by researchers from the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute in Boston in the United States, U.S., colon cancer patients who regularly tuck into the healthy snack after their treatment have a 57 per cent lower risk of premature death. It also reduces the risk of the cancer returning by 42 per cent, the research adds.

Tree nuts – including almonds, pecans and walnuts – have the biggest benefits, while peanuts and peanut butter do not have any impact.

The researchers therefore advised that bowel cancer patients should enhance their survival prospects by upping their nut intake.

The findings which were released ahead of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, also revealed that nut eaters have a 42 per cent lower risk of their cancer returning.



Walnuts belong to the tree nut family, along with Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Each has its own unique nutritional profile. One-quarter cup of walnuts, for instance, provides more than 100 percent of the daily recommended value of plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin. Some of the most exciting researches about walnuts go a long way to show how beneficial this gift of nature is to humanity.

Walnuts may help reduce not only the risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well. In one study, mice that ate the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts for 18 weeks had significantly smaller and slower-growing prostate tumors compared to the control group that consumed the same amount of fat but from other sources.

Overall the whole walnut diet reduced prostate cancer growth by 30 to 40 percent. According to another study on mice, the human equivalent of just two handfuls of walnuts a day cut breast cancer risk in half, and slowed tumor growth by 50 percent as well.

Walnuts contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased risk of heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.

If you struggle with herpes, you may want to avoid or limit walnuts, as high levels of arginine can deplete the amino acid lysine, which can trigger herpes recurrences.

Walnuts also contain the plant-based omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is anti-inflammatory and may prevent the formation of pathological blood clots. Research shows that people who eat a diet high in ALA are less likely to have a fatal heart attack and have a nearly 50 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death. Eating just four walnuts a day has been shown to significantly raise blood levels of heart-healthy ALA, and walnut consumption supports healthful cholesterol levels.
 

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Why Cannabis May Help In The Treatment Of Epilepsy

A new study has found evidence that medicinal cannabis can reduce seizures in children with severe epilepsy.

According to the findings, a drug derived from cannabis offers hope for thousands of children living with untreatable epilepsy.

Cannabidiol, a medicine made out of cannabis but with the psycho-active elements removed, halved the seizures suffered by children with a severe form of the condition.

The study is published in the prestigious ‘New England Journal of Medicine’. Cannabidiol is one of at least 113 active cannabinoids identified in cannabis.

It is a major phytocannabinoid, accounting for up to 40 per cent of the plant’s extract. Cannabidiol was recently reclassified by the Victorian government to a schedule four substance, making it a legal prescription drug.

Study leader, Professor Helen Cross, consultant in paediatric neurology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: “The results of this study are significant and provide us with firm evidence of the effectiveness of cannabidiol.

“This drug could make a considerable difference to children, who are living with Dravet syndrome and currently endure debilitating seizures.”

Cross said it could also be effective for children and adults with other forms of untreatable epilepsy, although this would have to be tested.

She said it could not be considered a ‘cure’ – because patients have to keep taking it every day for the benefits to last. According to her, one child she has treated has taken it for four years with no side effects.
And she stressed the drug is a pharmaceuticallydeveloped treatment – and parents should not be tempted to use cannabis oils available illegally online, or even cannabis itself, neither of which have the same effect.

The drug’s manufacturer, Cambridge-based GW Pharmaceuticals, which funded the trial, is to apply for a licence for the drug from the European Medicines Agency by the end of the year.

Study co-leader, Professor Orrin Devinsky, from New York University, added: “Cannabidiol should not be viewed as a panacea for epilepsy but for patients with especially severe forms who have not responded to numerous medications, these results provide hope that we may soon have another treatment option.”

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Childhood Obesity Could Lead To Depression In Adult Life

Being overweight during childhood triples the risk of developing depression in later life.

According to findings of a study by researchers at the VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, people who are overweight at the age of 8 or 13 are more at risk of depression than those who suffer weight problems in middle age.The scientists, who presented their findings at this year’s European Congress on Obesity, said: “Our findings suggested that some of the underlying mechanisms linking overweight or obesity to depression stem from childhood.”

Carrying excess weight throughout life quadruples chances of developing the mental health disorder, the research adds. The researchers suggested that childhood obesity may permanently damage self-esteem, resulting in depression later on.

One in three children in the United States, U.S. and the United Kingdom, UK, are overweight or obese, previous research has shown. In Nigeria also, overweight in children is a growing trend among kids and adolescents.

Overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is common especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than one billion adults being either overweight globally or obese in 2003.

The researchers enlisted 889 people living in Reykjavik, Iceland, with an average age of 75. Study participants were assessed to determine whether they had symptoms of depression or if they had previously been diagnosed with the condition.

The researchers then looked at school records dating back almost seven decades to find out if the participants were overweight as children, defined as having a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Data revealing their weight at the age of 50 was gathered from a previous study with the same participants in Reykjavik.

Results revealed that carrying excess weight in childhood is a stronger predictor of depression later down the line than being overweight in middle age.

The findings showed being overweight at the age of eight or 13 more than triples the risk, while carrying excess weight throughout your life quadruples your chances of the mental health disorder.

Previous studies have shown that people who are obese are more likely to become depressed, but few have looked at the longterm influence of childhood obesity.

Scientists believe being overweight as a child may permanently damage selfesteem. Furthermore, the scientist said: “A shared genetic risk or low self-esteem, which is frequently associated with those who do not conform to the ideal body type, could be responsible.

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4.7 Million Nigerians At Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Study

A study by researchers at Covenant University, Ota has suggested that Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – a chronic condition that affects metabolism of glucose in the body – now affects over 4.7 million Nigerians aged 20-79 years.

A statement by the institution’s Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Affairs Emmanuel Igban warned that the study showed that the disease will threaten more people without an effective public health response, higher public awareness and lifestyle changes, including healthy diets and physical activity.

The researchers found that 40 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed, and that deaths occur in one 1 in five diabetes patients admitted to hospital with complications from the disease.

These complications can affect the heart, kidney, brain, eyes, blood vessels and nerves, according to the statement.

Over the last 30 years, type 2 diabetes has increased by 440 per cent to 4.7 million cases – or 5.7 per cent of all Nigerians.

This rate is up to three times higher than the neighbouring countries of Cote d’Ivoire (2.3 per cent), Ghana (1.9 per cent), and Senegal (1.8 per cent).

The researchers highlight how the understanding of type 2 diabetes in Nigeria and many African countries is hindered by shortfalls in routine health data, and how this hampers an effective response in various settings. They call for more research, especially in Northern Nigeria, where data is particularly scarce.

The lead researcher, Dr. Davies Adeloye, said: “The last nationwide survey of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria was conducted in 1997. Most findings reported on type 2 diabetes mellitus in Nigeria since then have been based on modelled estimates from neighbouring countries with relatively more detailed data on the disease.

“We have, therefore, systematically synthesised the best evidence on type 2 diabetes mellitus across all geo-political zones in Nigeria to guide relevant evidence-based public health and policy response in the health sector.”

Their findings have been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open. A full copy of the research paper can be accessed at: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/

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Diet Pills Supplement Dangerous To Teenage Health

In the pressure to be thin and conform to societal pressures, teenagers are turning to diet pills that come with potentially dangerous side effects. Research findings shows that these supplements contain toxic chemicals that can wreak havoc on teenager’s hormones, growth and mental health, all while their body is still developing.

The new study shows that diet pills are unsafe for people of all ages, especially teenagers because the pills interfere with their systems and result in nutritional deficiencies, particularly of iron and calcium.

The study revealed that diet pills often contain ingredients such as phentermine, orlistat and sibutramine, substances that may keep the pounds away by messing with the body’s natural regulations but they come with a host of side effects, including increased heart rate, fainting, unusual bleeding and heart attacks.

The United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA, reported in 2009 that 69 different diet pills contained substances that could cause seizures and strokes.

Prescription weight loss pills or diet pills, are sometimes prescribed to a patient as an additional tool in the treatment for weight loss.

Weight loss pills are advertised as the quick solution in shedding pounds and obtaining the perfect figure and the promise of an instant fix has teenagers taking diet pills and disregarding the warnings of health experts against them.
 
Similarly, a study by the Canadian Pediatric Society in 2004 said: “In growing children and teenagers, even a marginal reduction in energy intake can be associated with growth deceleration.”

Experts have consistently warned of the threats diet pills can cause and in extreme cases, they can rip apart the stomach lining and even lead to death.

Reacting to the development, Dr. Lloyd D. Johnston, of the University of Michigan in the U.S. said when he first began analysing the use of diet pills among high schoolers, he found a common ingredient was linked to causing strokes.

Although it has been removed from pills since the 1980s, he said today’s pills are no less different in the risks they pose.

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Bone Marrow Transplant May Prevent Heart Disease

A review of three studies has shown that bone marrow transplants could prevent heart disease. These findings were presented at the conference of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions in New Orleans.

Stem cell therapy, the most common of which is bone marrow transplants, significantly improves exercise time and reduces mortality in people with severe chest pain.

Extreme chest pain, known as angina, is one of the key warning signs of heart disease. Stem cell therapy is thought to ease angina by improving blood flow.

Angina is a warning sign of heart disease and occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood. Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused when the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen- rich blood. It may feel like pressure or squeezing in the chest.

The discomfort also can occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion. But, angina is not a disease.

It is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, usually coronary heart disease (CHD). However, results from the reviews by the researchers from Duke University in North Carolina, revealed that stem cell therapy significantly improved patients ability to exercise at months three, six and 12.

The researchers conducted a review of three studies with a total of 226 patients suffering from severe angina. At 24 months, the risk of mortality in stem cell therapy-receiving patients was 2.6 per cent versus 11.8 per cent for those getting a placebo.

The risk of angina and cardiac events was the same between the two groups. Patients with severe angina often have few treatment options, resulting in them becoming severely debilitated, the researchers said.

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