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Tuesday 31 October 2017

5 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Eat Greasy Food

Sometimes, a juicy cheeseburger and an order of hot, crispy fries simply call your name. (Greasy foods are so beloved that they have an entire day devoted to them; National Greasy Foods Day is October 25.) While it's fine to give in to your cravings now and then, it's important to know how your nutrition choices, and those greasy foods in particular, affect your health.

Jamie DucharmeOct 25, 2017


Image result for greasy food images

Does greasy food cause acne? Why does it make your stomach feel weird? And why is greasy food bad for you, anyway? We consulted Ayla Barmmer, a Boston-based registered dietitian, to find out. Here's what eating greasy foods does to your body.

It strains your digestive system

"When we eat greasy foods like fried food, the sheer volume of fat puts a lot of pressure on our digestive system," Barmmer said in an email to TIME. Of fat, carbs and protein, fat is the most slowly digested, and it requires enzymes and digestive juices, like bile and stomach acid, to break it down, she says. Everything from stress to medication can lower levels of these digestive juices, so many people are deficient to begin with, Barmmer says. Add in fat, and your digestive system will be working overtime, often leading to bloating, nausea and discomfort. 


It makes you run to the bathroom

The most common symptom of digestive strain is an unpleasant one. "Not only will food just sit in your stomach, but it may enter the intestines inadequately digested," Barmmer says. "Sometimes you wind up seeing greasy or oily stools in these cases." Many people also experience diarrhea and stomach pain after eating greasy food. 

It throws your gut bacteria out of whack

More and more evidence suggests that what you eat affects your gut bacteria, also known as your microbiome. Downing a cheeseburger and fries, Barmmer says, isn't doing those microorganisms any favors. "Greasy foods do not contain the nourishing, healthy fats that we find in things like avocados, fish, extra virgin olive oil and even butter," she says. Eating more refined vegetable oils than nourishing fats, she says, tips the body's balance of fatty acids, which in turn may throw off everything from hormone levels to immune health. 

Greasy food may cause acne

You may not see zits directly after a big meal, but Barmmer says that greasy food likely does play a role in acne. "The effect is indirect, occurring over time and as a result of a dietary pattern of eating," she says. "Acne is largely caused by hormonal imbalances and/or bacterial imbalances, so greasy foods cause acne by way of harming gut health." 

It raises your risk for heart disease and diabetes

If your diet consistently includes greasy foods, Barmmer says, you'll likely see your risk for chronic conditions—particularly heart disease—go up. A 2014 study from researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who ate fried foods between four and six times per week saw their risk for Type 2 diabetes climb 39%, and their risk for coronary heart disease increase by 23%. For people who ate it every day, those percentages only got higher.

Monday 30 October 2017

People Who Smoke Pot Have More Sex, Study Says

When Dr. Michael Eisenberg talks to his patients about sex, they sometimes ask him whether marijuana might affect their libido or their performance. “Use of the drug is increasing as it becomes legal in more states, and some men—as well as some doctors—worry that it could cause erectile dysfunction other sexual problems,” he says.

Amanda MacMillan / Health.com
Oct 27, 2017

Image result for marijuana

So Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at Stanford University School of Medicine, and his colleagues conducted a study to see if there really was a connection. They found reassuring news for those patients: Overall, regular marijuana use does not seem to impair sexual desire or performance. In fact, people who smoke marijuana tend to have more sex than those who don’t.

The new study, published today in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, is based on surveys of more than 50,000 Americans ages 25 to 45, collected between 2002 and 2015. As part of a larger health questionnaire, people reported how often they’d smoked marijuana during the past 12 months and how often they’d had intercourse with someone of the opposite sex during the past four weeks.

Eisenberg and his colleagues crunched the numbers, and found that the more frequently people smoked marijuana, the more sex they had. For both men and women, those who used marijuana on a daily basis had about 20% more sex than those who said they never used the drug.

Women who abstained had sex an average of 6 times over the past four weeks, compared to 7.1 times for daily users. For men, abstainers averaged 5.6 times and daily users averaged 6.9.

The authors point out that the study was not able to find a cause-and-effect relationship between pot and sex. “We don’t want people to start smoking marijuana because they think they’re going to have more sex,” says Eisenberg. “It’s certainly possible that people who use marijuana happen to have similar traits, like lower inhibitions, as those who also have more sex.”

The link was seen across all subgroups in the study—including people of both genders; different races, ages, and religions; those who were married or single; and with kids or without. The link also remained after the researchers adjusted for use of other drugs, such as cocaine and alcohol. This suggests that there may be something about the drug itself that boosts sexual function, says Eisenberg—or at the very least, doesn’t hamper it.

Overall, about 25% of men and 15% of women in the survey reported having used marijuana. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 20 million Americans are current marijuana users, and the drug is legalized for medical or recreational use in 29 states.

If marijuana does, in fact, increase people’s desire for sex, it may have to do with the fact that cannabinoid receptors in the brain—which are activated by the drug—are known to be active during sexual activity, the authors write in their paper.

But Eisenberg says that marijuana’s effects on sexual function likely vary from person to person. In their paper, the authors cite a 2003 review of studies in which 51% of marijuana users reported increased sexual arousal while 26% reported a decrease. (In those same studies, however, 74% of people said they believed marijuana increased sexual pleasure.)

They also cite research suggesting that small amounts of marijuana can enhance sexual function, while larger quantities can inhibit it. And they point out that their new study only asked how often people had sex—not the quality of it. More research is needed, they say, to determine marijuana’s effects on things like erectile function, orgasm frequency, vaginal lubrication and fertility.

As a physician, Eisenberg says there are other reasons doctors may discourage marijuana smoking—like its harmful effects on the lungs. But he says it’s helpful to know that, in general, it’s probably not also a direct cause of sexual problems.

This article originally appeared on Health.com

Saturday 28 October 2017

Blue light: Screen protection strategies

Research has established a link between exposure to the artificial blue light emitted by screens and problems with sleep and vision (myopia, ARMD), as well as attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) issues in young children.


 | October 15, 2017
blue-light
Given the number of hours users currently spend looking at screens — five hours per day on average — solutions offering protection from the harmful effects of blue light (sleep disturbances, myopia, hyperactivity in children) are increasing in the consumer market.
Research has established a link between exposure to the artificial blue light emitted by screens and problems with sleep and vision (myopia, ARMD), as well as attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) issues in young children.
In the US children aged 8-10 spend on average 6 hours a day in front of a screen, kids aged 11-14 spending 9, and adults spend on average over 10 hours a day across devices.
Blue-light-filtering glasses

In light of such findings, applications and software first of all came to market. One of the most widely known is F.lux for iPad and iPhone, which warms up the display’s color temperature, giving the screen a yellower overtone for a less harsh effect. Twilight for Android serves a similar propose, automatically adjusting the effect in relation to sunrise and sunset times. Finally, some smartphones and computers have built-in blue-light filtering or dimming modes to reduce the intensity of blue light emitted.
Glasses are another option. Some opticians now make corrective lenses with built-in blue-light filtering for under-16-year-olds. These have the added advantage of not altering the appearance of the original colors. Some brands have also developed blue-light-filtering glasses for people who don’t need corrective lenses.
Plastic films applied to screens
Meanwhile brands such as RetinaGuard, Rosco, Ocushield and Rosco, among many others, sell blue light screen protectors designed to fit onto devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets with varying claims as to percentage of blue light blocked out.

AFP-RelaxNews

Friday 27 October 2017

Grouper egg-spawning venture makes fisherman a millionaire

BESUT: A fisherman here has become a millionaire by investing in grouper egg spawning in line with the government’s effort to encourage aquaculture.
Thursday, 26 Oct 2017
Fakaruddin holding a mouse grouper, one of the fishes he breeds on his farm.
Fakaruddin holding a mouse grouper, one of the fishes he breeds on his farm.
The state has targeted fish demand of up to three million tonnes per year with 80% derived from the sea and 20% supplied from aquaculture projects.
Around the waterfront of Kampung Air Tawar here, many young people, especially fishermen, can be seen busy breeding grouper fish eggs with the support of many parties.
One of the breeders, Tuan Fakaruddin Tuan Kadir, 38, of Kampung Air Tawar, Besut, said he was determined to look for a new source of income and was ridiculed when he sold his fishing boat to change his livelihood.
“After that I was determined to try something new by attending a hybrid grouper seed spawning course on Marine Aquaculture Technology at the Fisheries Research Institute of Malaysia (FRI) in Tanjung Demong.
“With the knowledge and advice from FRI, I started raising the grouper step by step before expanding into hybrid grouper egg spawning,” said Fakaruddin who is now earning a seven-figure annual income.
Sharing his experience along with his wife, Zunainaa Abdul Majid, he said when he started a hybrid grouper industry in 2011, he was often ridiculed by the villagers because of the lack of knowledge about fish seeding and hybrid grouper as the market had not been developed.
“I admit that in the beginning I did not have the knowledge and did not know the proper way to breed the fish, but with guidance from the state Fisheries Department and FRI, I managed to learn and become the largest hybrid grouper seed producer in the area,” he said.
Fakaruddin said the state government’s assistance in providing land around the Kampung Air Tawar coast was crucial and that he also received aid to build a RM500,000 hatchery from the Fisheries Department to enable him to carry out hybrid grouper egg spawning.
He added that the process of producing hybrid grouper seed was quite complicated, especially during the fertilisation of grouper fish eggs between male giant groupers and female tiger groupers to produce hybrid groupers.
“I started with eight fish tanks, now I have more than 200 tanks divided into five phases,” said Fakaruddin who currently employs 12 workers.
More interestingly, Fakaruddin’s success not only contributed to the livelihood of his family but he also inspired 30 locals to follow in his footstep by starting a hybrid grouper seed spawning project.
“Now I am also supplying fish fingerlings to other local entrepreneurs as well as sell fish seeds to the market nationwide.
“The current market price for hybrid grouper seeds is between RM6,000 and RM10,000 per million and fish fingerlings can be sold for RM5 to RM7 per piece,” he said.
Meanwhile, Terengganu State Fisheries Department officer Mariam Marip said the state was now a major producer of marine seedlings after recording the production of 1.6 million hybrid grouper seeds last year.
“For hybrid groupers, our production volume is still inadequate because of the high demand due to its high commercial potential.
“The market price can reach up to RM45 per kilogramme compared to only RM19 per kilogramme for sea bass.
“Through the state government and FRI Tanjung Demong initiatives, more people are going into hybrid grouper breeding and they are provided with courses and guidance on seeding and breeding groupers, including hybrid groupers,” she said. — Bernama

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/10/26/venture-pays-off-for-fisherman-he-rakes-in-high-annual-income-from-grouper-egg-spawning-business/



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Thursday 26 October 2017

MUST READ - Serum Ferritin and GGT — Two Potent Health Indicators You Need to Know

Life insurance companies use it to predict early mortality, with great accuracy. Other studies link it to all causes of death - especially sudden cardiac death. And if this common mineral is high too, the problem is so much the worse. Find out if you're at risk today.

September 20, 2017

monitoring serum ferritin

Story at-a-glance

  • By monitoring your serum ferritin (stored iron) and GGT levels and taking steps to lower them if they’re too high, you can avoid serious health problems
  • Virtually all adult men and postmenopausal women are at risk for iron overload due to inefficient iron excretion. Left untreated, it can contribute to cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health problems
  • GGT is a liver enzyme involved in glutathione metabolism and the transport of amino acids. GGT can be used as a screening marker for excess free iron and is a potent predictor of mortality
By Dr. Mercola
While many health screens and lab tests are overrated or unnecessary, there are a few that are vitally important, such as vitamin D. I recommend checking your vitamin D level at least twice a year.
Two other really important tests are serum ferritin (which measures stored iron) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase or sometimes called gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT; a liver enzyme correlated with iron toxicity, disease risk and all-cause mortality). By monitoring your serum ferritin and GGT levels and taking steps to lower them if they're too high, you can avoid serious health problems.
For adults, I strongly recommend getting a serum ferritin test and GGT on an annual basis. When it comes to iron overload, I believe it can be every bit as dangerous to your health as vitamin D deficiency. In this interview, Gerry Koenig,1 former chairman of the Iron Disorders Institute and the Hemochromatosis Foundation, explains the value of these two tests.

Iron Overload Is More Common Than Iron Deficiency

Iron is one of the most common nutritional supplements. Not only can you get it as an isolated supplement, but it's also added to most multivitamins. Many processed foods are also fortified with iron. While iron is necessary for biological function, when you get too much, it can do tremendous harm.
Unfortunately, the first thing people think about when they hear "iron" is anemia, or iron deficiency, not realizing that iron overload is actually a more common problem, and far more dangerous. Many doctors don't understand or appreciate the importance of checking for iron overload.
Virtually all adult men and postmenopausal women are at risk for iron overload due to inefficient iron excretion, since they do not lose blood on a regular basis. Blood loss is the primary way to lower excess iron, as the body has no active excretion mechanisms. Another common cause of excess iron is the regular consumption of alcohol, which will increase the absorption of any iron in your diet.
For instance, if you drink wine with your steak, you will likely absorb more iron than you need. There's also an inherited disease, hemochromatosis, which causes your body to accumulate excessive and dangerously damaging levels of iron.
If left untreated, high iron can contribute to cancerheart diseasediabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and many other health problems, including gouty arthritis. 
In one small study,2 100 percent of the patients achieved marked reduction in attacks or complete remission after phlebotomy was used to remove iron and maintain an iron level at near-iron deficiency — "the lowest body iron store compatible with normal erythropoiesis and therefore absence of anemia."
Iron causes all this harm by catalyzing a reaction within the inner mitochondrial membrane. When iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl free radicals are formed. These are among the most damaging free radicals known, causing severe mitochondrial dysfunction, which in turn is at the heart of most chronic degenerative diseases.

GGT Is a Potent Predictor of Mortality

GGT is a liver enzyme involved in glutathione metabolism and the transport of amino acids and peptides. Not only will the GGT test tell you if you have liver damage, it can also be used as a screening marker for excess free iron and is a great indicator of your sudden cardiac death risk.
In recent years, scientists have discovered GGT is highly interactive with iron, and when both your serum ferritin and GGT are high, you are at significantly increased risk of chronic health problems, because then you have a combination of free iron, which is highly toxic, and iron storage to keep that toxicity going.3
"Recently, [GGT] was proven by the life insurance industry as the single measure that is most predictive of early mortality,"4,5Koenig says. "In other epidemiological studies, it's linked to pretty much every cause of death,6 because it provides those free radicals and hydroxyl radicals …
I believe that … people born after World War II are now at greater risk because of the environmental toxicants we face … Basically, reduction in glutathione levels — your body's most important antioxidant — is indicated by an increase in GGT …
[G]lyphosate, excess iron, all of the substances in the environment — whether you take it in as food or it's in the air — that utilize your body's toxic waste disposal system in some way [will] reduce your antioxidants, whether it's vitamin D, cholesterol, vitamin E or vitamin A. A reduction of those makes you more vulnerable to disease, particularly chronic disease and autoimmune diseases across the board."

Ideal GGT and Iron Levels

As with many other lab tests, the "normal" ranges for GGT and serum ferritin are far from ideal.7 If you're in the "normal" range, you're virtually guaranteed to develop some sort of health problem. Based on Gerry's recommendation I had my GGT tested last month and it was 17, which is healthy especially since my ferritin level is 37. You really need both tests to confirm lack of iron toxicity as he explains in the full interview.
Ideal GGT Level, units per liter (U/L)Average level, above which your risk for chronic disease increases significantly"Normal" GGT Level8
Men
Less than 16 U/L
25 U/L
Up to 70 U/L
Women
Less than 9 U/L
18 U/L
Up to 45 U/L
According to Koenig, women with a GGT above 30 U/L have a higher risk of cancer and autoimmune disease. Interestingly, while for most other tests the range between what's healthy and what's risky tends to be quite broad, in the case of GGT, the range between health and disease is in the single digits.
"Part of it is dependent on body weight," Koenig says. "Strangely enough, the most recent indications are that people who are too thin (whatever their level of GGT is), it could be harmful if [their GGT is] relatively high.9 For instance, for a thin woman with a GGT … in the range of the second quartile, which is going to be generally 14 to 18 today it can be dangerous if she's expecting to have children and has a very low BMI."10
When it comes to serum ferritin, a level of 200 to 300 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) falls within the normal range for women and men respectively, which is FAR too high for optimal health. An ideal level for adult men and non-menstruating women is somewhere between 30 and 60 ng/mL.
You do not want to be below 20 ng/mL or above 80 ng/mL. The most commonly used threshold for iron deficiency in clinical studies is 12 to 15 ng/mL.11 Maintaining a healthy iron level is also important during pregnancy. Having a level of 60 or 70 ng/mL is associated with greater odds of poor pregnancy outcomes.12 That said, iron deficiency during pregnancy is equally problematic, so make sure you get tested.
Last but not least, since the ferritin and GGT are interactive, low GGT tends to be protective against higher ferritin. So, if your GGT is low, you're largely protected even if your ferritin is a bit higher than ideal. Still, it would be wise to take steps to lower your ferritin to a more ideal level nonetheless. On the other hand, even if your ferritin is low, having elevated GGT levels is cause for concern, and needs to be addressed.

When Might a Transferrin Saturation Test Be Useful?

If you are thin, with a body mass index (BMI) below 22 or 23, Koenig suggests getting a transferrin test as well, which gives you a percentage saturation level. A level of 25 to 35 percent is typically considered healthy. In the 1970s, the transferrin saturation test was used as a marker for early death. Having a transferrin saturation percentage of over 55 indicated a 60 percent increased risk for premature death.
At that time, an estimated 2.6 percent of the U.S. population had transferrin saturation percentages that high. Today, it's down to half of that, in large part because of the increase in obesity, which "dilutes" your saturation percentage, and the transferrin test is no longer used as a marker for early death. However, if you are very thin, it can still be a useful test.
"Anything between 25 and 35 is safe. If you're unusually thin, I would get that test because there you could have unsuspectingly high transferrin saturation, particularly if you're malnourished … Anorexia nervosa has severe effects on the brain when you're that thin and your BMI is at 14 or 15," Koenig says.

Why Excess Iron Is so Dangerous

Your body creates energy by passing the electrons from carbs and fats you eat as fuel to oxygen through the electron transport chain in your mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Ninety-five percent of the time, the oxygen is converted to water. But 0.5 to 5 percent of the time, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are created. ROS are not all bad as they are important biological signaling molecules, but excessive ROS leads to mitochondrial damage and dysfunction.
Iron can react with hydrogen peroxide in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This is a normal part of cellular aerobic respiration. But when you have excessive iron, it catalyzes the formation of excessive hydroxyl free radicals from the peroxide, which decimate your mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial electron transport proteins and cellular membranes. This is how iron overload accelerates chronic disease.
If you eat excessive net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) the situation is further exacerbated, as burning carbs as your primary fuel can add another 30 to 40 percent more ROS on top of the hydroxyl free radicals generated by the presence of high iron.
Unfortunately, most people reading this are burning carbs as their primary fuel. If you struggle with any kind of chronic health problem and have high iron and eat a standard American diet that is high in net carbs, normalizing your iron level (explained below) and implementing a ketogenic diet as described in my book, "Fat for Fuel," can go a long way toward improving your health.
Taking extra antioxidants to suppress ROS generated by high iron alone or in combination with a high-sugar diet is inadvisable, as ROS also act as important signaling molecules. They're not all bad. They cause harm only when produced in excess.
Your best bet is to lower the production of ROS. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do that is to eat a diet high in healthy fats, adequate in protein and low in net carbs. Eating healthy fats can make a bigger difference than you might think, especially if you have high iron.

How to Lower Your Iron

The good news is it's easy to lower your iron level if it's too high. One of the easiest ways is simply to donate blood two or three times a year. If you have severe overload you may need to do more regular phlebotomies. Two years ago, my ferritin was 150 ng/mL. I implemented self-phlebotomy where I would take out anywhere from 2 to 6 ounces of blood every few weeks, which brought me below 100 ng/mL.
I stopped the phlebotomy when I started a comprehensive detoxification strategy involving near and far infrared sauna, and interestingly, despite the fact I was no longer removing blood, my ferritin continued to drop over the next nine months. Now, it's down to 37 — far lower than I was ever able to get down to with therapeutic phlebotomies, and as I mentioned earlier I have a healthy GGT level of 17.
As it turns out, an effective detoxification program can lower iron as well. While this was a surprise to me, Koenig confirms that this has indeed been documented by Dr. F.S. Facchini in some of his research on iron. While I've long recommended donating blood as the solution to iron overload, I now believe a balanced approach using phlebotomy, detoxification and reducing dietary iron, especially meat, is the best way to go about it.
Keep in mind that trying to control high iron through your diet alone can be risky, as you will also forgo many valuable nutrients. That said, to avoid maximizing iron absorption, avoid eating iron-rich foods in combination with vitamin C-rich foods or beverages, as the vitamin C will increase iron absorption. If needed, you could also take a curcumin supplement. Curcumin acts as a potent chelator of iron and can be a useful supplement if your iron is elevated.

How to Lower Your GGT

GGT is inversely related to glutathione, a potent antioxidant produced in your body. As your GGT level rises, your glutathione goes down. This is part of the equation explaining how elevated GGT harms your health. By elevating your glutathione level, you will therefore lower your GGT. The amino acid cysteine, found in whey protein, poultry and eggs, plays an important role in your body's production of glutathione.
Red meat, which does not contain cysteine, will tend to raise GGT, as will alcohol, so both should be avoided.13 Research also suggests eating at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables rich in in vitamin C, fiber, beta-carotene, anthocyanins and folate per week can help reduce GGT.14,15 Examples include carrots, romaine lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, apricots and tomatoes.
Also, be aware that certain medications can raise your GGT. If this is the case, please confer with your doctor to determine whether you might be able to stop the medication or switch to something else, and avoid over-the-counter medicines, including ibuprofen and aspirin, both of which can damage your liver.
General detoxification is another important component if your GGT is high, as your liver's job is to remove toxins from your body. The fact that your GGT is elevated means your liver is under stress.

The Protein-Iron-GGT Connection

I personally typically eat only 2 to 4 ounces of meat per week. Americans tend to overeat meat in general, and most of it is dangerous CAFO meat loaded with toxins. Additionally, while the meat supplies you with more iron than you likely need, excess protein can also cause problems. Another little-known fact is that giving iron to a person who is malnourished and cannot process protein properly can be extremely dangerous. Koenig explains:
"I've been studying malnutrition for several years now, mainly kwashiorkor (also known as protein-calorie malnutrition), which is a typical malnutrition disease, along with marasmus in developing countries. There you have a situation where the children, particularly in kwashiorkor, cannot synthesize important proteins because of essential amino acid deficiencies … 
[When] giving iron too early in a recovering child with kwashiorkor, or an adult for that matter, the measure that skyrockets early on, in that particular case, happens to be GGT.
High amounts of free iron [are dangerous] because they don't have the proteins to safely contain that iron into either transferrin, which is the protein that protects the body from the iron in the bloodstream, or ceruloplasmin, which is necessary for copper transport. To get iron safely into the brain, it needs to be complexed with ceruloplasmin. Those can't be synthesized in a malnourished person. [So, giving] iron to a malnourished person is highly toxic."

African and Chinese Research Confirm GGT's Relation to Chronic Disease

Koenig recently found a few African studies showing the importance of GGT. In the 1990s, when GGT was tested broadly in the U.S. as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III, 1988 to 1994), results revealed that African-Americans had higher levels of both serum ferritin and GGT than Caucasians and Hispanics.
"Back then, those measurements were compared to measurements in Zimbabwe. In [Zimbabweans] who were not exposed to spraying for mosquitoes … the [ferritin and GGT measurements] were roughly half.
They had obviously been on a native diet … But I found, through several papers recently submitted in South Africa, that those measurements now are very high. They're catching up and probably surpassing the American Blacks' measurements, and they're suffering the [same] chronic diseases …"
More recent studies from South Africa depict increasing GGT levels are associated with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disease risk.16 Moreover, a recent Chinese study showed that while having a GGT level above the midpoint raised the risk of chronic kidney disease, when combined with high serum ferritin, that risk increased nearly fivefold.17 Other common diseases associated with high iron and GGT include diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Blood Donations Lead to Radical Reduction in Disease

A number of epidemiological studies have also documented a significant reduction in chronic diseases among those who donate blood two or three times a year — findings that support the notion that iron overload is prevalent, and contributes to chronic disease. In some, heart disease and cancer were reduced by as much as 50 percent, Koenig notes.
Unfortunately, many doctors are still unaware of the importance of checking for iron overload (based on ideal levels and not what's considered normal), and may overlook the GGT test as well.
"One of the reasons it's difficult to get doctors to order GGT tests is they're discouraged because they know some prescription drugs increase [GGT]. Although the overall effect may be protective, it's not a happy situation to see a measure of disease increase just by taking a drug. There's resistance in that area of getting tested. But it's a pretty simple test. It would be recommended. And blood donation basically keeps one healthy," Koenig says.
In summary, if you're concerned about maintaining your health and preventing chronic disease, I would strongly encourage you to get a ferritin and a GGT test regularly, and if needed, implement the strategies discussed above to get them into their optimal ranges.
Serum ferritin and GGT are markers for iron toxicity, which is a major mostly unrecognized contributor to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and many other chronic diseases. High iron even increases your risk of infections. As noted by Koenig, you really don't want to check into a hospital with high iron, as your risk of contracting a hospital-acquired infection will be that much greater. The good news is, it's so easy to turn around, thereby dramatically reducing your risk.

More Information

To learn more, I recommend visiting HealtheIron.com, where you can also order your serum ferritin and GGT tests or either of their special FeGGT-LifePRO™ test panels. If either serum ferritin or GGT is elevated, you need to take action. The treatment couldn't be simpler. Unless you're a menstruating woman, simply donate blood two to three times a year. If you do not qualify to donate blood, ask your doctor to write you a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/09/20/monitoring-serum-ferritin-and-ggt.aspx

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Eat Your Prunes - MUST READ

A surprisingly delicious, versatile and nutritious snack, the humble dried plum offers an incredible number of health improvements, such as lowering your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. Due to high amounts of fiber, they're also noted for easing constipation, a very popular benefit.

October 16, 2017 

Prunes Benefits

Story at-a-glance

  • Prunes are simply dried plums, just like raisins are dried grapes. More specifically, prunes are sun-dried plums that skipped the fermentation process
  • For centuries, traditional medicine made use of prunes for treating fever, high blood pressure, jaundice, diabetes, digestion and constipation, still one of this dried fruit’s most popular remedies
  • Fiber, potassium, iron and retinol from vitamin A, plus high amounts of vitamin K, iron and boron are nutrients in prunes, providing antioxidants, flavonoids and polyphenols for health advantages throughout your body
  • Eating prunes may help prevent bone loss and improve gut health and has been shown in multiple studies to help prevent colon cancer
By Dr. Mercola
If your impression of prunes is that they're something old people eat for help with regularity (although there is that), you could use a bit more information about the benefits of this delicious food. For some people, prunes have somehow gleaned a reputation as dry, mealy and terrible-tasting, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, they may look a little odd, being a wrinkly, purple-to-black lump, but they're tasty to the point of crave worthy.
In case you're not familiar with prunes, they're simply dried plums, just like raisins are dried grapes. More specifically, prunes are sun-dried plums that skipped the fermentation process.1 To make the moist little morsels more intriguing to 25- through 54-year-old females, the California Prune Board asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin referring to prunes as "dried plums."
It must be working, as prune consumption shifted. Europe is on the receiving end of 40 percent of the California prune market, and it's jumped 37 percent in just the last year, Fresh Plaza, a global produce news site, notes:
"It is moving away from the traditional home baking and breakfast occasions into the acceptance of prunes as a healthy snack and a versatile ingredient for home cooking. Chefs from all around the world are starting to recognize the significant benefits of including prunes in a whole range of recipes."2
Prunes, much like peaches, are referred to as "freestone," meaning the large pit in the center can stay intact through the drying process, then be easily removed before packaging. Medicine throughout centuries made use of prunes for fever, high blood pressure, jaundice, diabetes, digestion and constipation, still one of its most popular remedies.

Eat Your Prunes — They're Good for You

Just like raisins, prunes offer chewy sweetness and amazing versatility as well as plenty of surprising nutrients. Fiber, potassium, iron and retinol from vitamin A are some of its most prominent nutrients (in fact, the drying process increases the fiber content)3 as are the vitamin K and beta-carotenes.
While I don't recommend you eat an entire cup (174 grams) of pitted prunes in one sitting due to their fructose content (about 5 grams in five prunes4), if you did, you'd get 12 grams, or 49 percent,5 of the recommended dietary allowance (RDI) of fiber, which is what U.S. health organizations say you need for one day (I believe about 50 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed is ideal, however).
Fiber is crucial for moving food smoothly through your colon, which automatically lowers your risk of colon cancer. In fact, two studies — the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Screening Trial and another by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) — noted that "dietary fiber intake is inversely related to the incidence of colon adenomas and cancer."6
Even more recent studies have come to the same conclusion, such as one conducted in 2015 by researchers at Texas A&M. Nancy Turner, AgriLife research professor in the nutrition and food science department, showed that dried plum consumption provides beneficial effects by helping your colon retain advantageous gut microbiota.7
The 36 percent RDI in potassium,8 a mineral crucial for good health, you get from eating 1 cup of prunes helps balance the chemical and electrical processes in your body, lowers your risk of stroke and heart disease along with your blood pressure and optimizes several other important body functions.
In the same cup of prunes, you also get 129 percent of the DRI in vitamin K, which may help prevent inflammation and osteoporosis and improve your insulin sensitivity.9 Other prominent nutrients in prunes include more than 20 percent DRI of several B vitamins10along with notable amounts of vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and boron.

Prunes Should Be Eaten in Moderation

Prunes are a rich source of simple sugars, including fructose. Despite this, research has shown dried plums do not lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar concentration when consumed,11 possibly due to their high fiber and sorbitol content. However, the fructose still constitutes good reason to limit your intake, as is true in regard to consuming most other fruits. Fruits such as plums and prunes can be good for you, but in limited amounts.
One medium prune contains 1.2 grams of fructose. If you're insulin or leptin resistant (are overweight, diabetic, hypertensive or have high cholesterol), then it would be especially advisable for you to limit your fruit intake.
As a general rule, I recommend limiting your fructose intake to a maximum of 15 grams of fructose per day from all sources, including whole fruit. If you are not insulin/leptin resistant (are of normal weight without diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol) I suggest limiting your fructose intake to 25 grams per day (or less) from all sources.

What Have Prunes Done for You Lately?

Prunes, as you've already read, contain a lot of extremely health-beneficial nutrients. It's how they relate to your body in terms of disease prevention, however, that makes them so valuable. The end conclusion of one study, for instance, reported in the Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, lists several of those benefits:
"Prunes have been found pharmacologically active as antioxidant, anticancer, anxiolytic, mild laxative and antihyperlipedimic. Their efficacy in treatment and prevention of … osteoporosis has been documented in clinical studies.
It exerts positive effects on cardiovascular parameters possibly through antioxidant activities, high fiber and potassium contents. In conclusion, prunes have wide range of nutritional and medicinal uses and daily consumption can be beneficial in the treatment or prevention of different ailments."12
Flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants in plums, such as lutein and cryptoxanthin, help scavenge free radicals from your body. Free radicals come from toxins that enter your body through your skin and the air you breathe, such as pollution and toxic fumes from household cleaners, food dyes and other unhealthy food ingredients. Free radicals are also produced normally during metabolism. Medical News Today reports:
"Antioxidants, called polyphenols, may prevent cell mutation and reduce cancer cell formation. Prunes were found to have the highest range of polyphenols when compared with other dried fruits, such as raisins, figs, and dates."13
Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., a registered dietician and researcher at Florida State University, was one of the first to investigate "estrogen receptors in the gut to aid in calcium transport and to demonstrate the efficacy of dried plum in protecting bone in both animal models of osteoporosis and postmenopausal women."14 NDTV's Smart Cooky quotes Arjmandi:
"Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums or prunes have. All fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on nutrition, but in terms of bone health, this particular food is exceptional."15

Other Good Things You Get From Eating Prunes

The incredible compounds in prunes provide several benefits that may seem unrelated, which just goes to show you how all-encompassing such nutrients can be. Here are several more super advantages you gain:
1.Prunes are considered heart healthy, mostly due to the potassium content, which optimizes heart function and nerve responses throughout your body. Daily potassium intake helps lower your blood pressure, as well as your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
2.Prunes help fight osteoporosis, in part due to the boron content, which Alive, a health and wellness site, explains:
"Helps regulate mineral metabolism and optimizes estrogen levels, which in turn increases calcium absorption. Additionally, boron helps convert vitamin D to its active form, which helps the osteoblasts [bone-building cells] utilize calcium for bone formation."16
3.Eating prunes benefits your hair and skin due to the array of vitamins and minerals they provide, which even help slow signs of aging, such as wrinkles. High amounts of iron helps prevent a deficiency that can show up in dry, discolored hair, and even hair loss.
4.Prune consumption benefits your vision due to high vitamin A, which produces retinol. Being deficient in this vitamin is a leading cause of macular degeneration, dry eyes, cataracts and night blindness.
5.The nutrients in prunes go a long way. Nutritionist Anshul Jaibharat offers both a caution and an encouragement:
"Prunes are high in natural sugar, so too many may not be good for people watching their weight. After all, excess of anything is stored as fat in your body. Prunes have such high nutritional values ensuring that you can eat just one piece and still gain measurable nutrients."17

Is Prune Juice Beneficial for Constipation?

You've no doubt heard about the effects of prune juice being a good laxative. In fact, studies have shown it to be even more effective than psyllium husk at treating constipation.18 Prune juice, too, is lauded for decreasing the "transit time" of foods in your digestive tract.
For people with constipation, eating the whole prune may be enough to get things moving, and I recommend trying this first. If the constipation persists, you could try drinking a small amount of prune juice in the morning to help stimulate the desired action. Additionally, another dose half an hour to an hour after a meal might prove helpful, as well.19
I do not, however, recommend drinking prune juice regularly or in large quantities because of the sugar content. If chronic constipation is a problem for you, there are many other natural strategies to treat it. Constipation aside, here are a few more ways to incorporate whole prunes into your diet:
  • Use kitchen shears to cut prunes in smaller pieces to toss into salad greens or mixed with quinoa, coconut and chopped walnuts.
  • They're a great snack for traveling, whether you're in the car or on a walking trail, and even in your lunchbox.
  • An ounce (28 grams) can be added to smoothies for a bit of natural sweetness, as well as extra antioxidants and fiber.
  • Pitted prunes and a little water in your food processor produces a tasty topping for everything from banana bread made from coconut flour to homemade vanilla bean ice cream sweetened with stevia. (As is nearly always the case, the healthiest recipes are those you make yourself.)
  • Try adding a handful of prunes to savory dishes such as chicken with rosemary and basil.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/10/16/eating-prunes.aspx