The Health Blog

A few days back, I’ve listed some of the health benefits and risks of coffee intake. An addition to its benefits was found out by a study conducted by a group of researchers from the University of British Columbia and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The findings were based on a study of more than 45,000 men over 12 years.

According to the study, men who drink a lot of coffee may lower their risk of developing the painful inflammatory disease gout.

Although few would suggest that men live awash in coffee, which could have its own health consequences, the researchers found that the more their study subjects drank, the less likely they were to develop the disease.

WebMD lists 15 ways to make your foods safer:

1. Consider your source. Eating locally grown food is becoming more popular, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safer than supermarket produce.

2. Map your supermarket route. Don’t cruise the store aisles aimlessly. Gather nonperishable items first, fresh or frozen goods last. That strategy minimizes the time that perishable goods sit in your shopping cart instead of in a freezer or refrigerator.

3. Be choosy. Select fresh produce that isn’t bruised or damaged. Check that eggs aren’t cracked. Look for a clean meat or fish counter and a clean salad bar. Don’t buy bulging or dented cans, cracked jars, or jars with loose or bulging lids. If fresh-cut produce (such as half a watermelon or bagged salad mixes) is on your shopping list, choose those that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

The American Heart Association has issued eight new recommendations to help reduce congenital heart defects in babies.

The recommendations include actions women can take before becoming pregnant.

The recommendations, printed in the journal Circulation, are as follows:

• Take a multivitamin that contains folic acid.
• Get preconception and prenatal medical care.
• Get screened for diabetes. If you have diabetes, manage it carefully during pregnancy.
• Get vaccinated against rubella and influenza (flu).

If you have an inherited disease called PKU (phenylketonuria), which affects your diet, talk to your doctor about proper nutrition during pregnancy.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), commonly referred to as “heartburn” because of its primary manifestation which is a painful or burning sensation in the esophagus, just below the breastbone caused by regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw. GERD is a condition in which acid from the stomach refluxes into the esophagus.

Various foods are frequently cited as aggravating factors. Avoidance of these triggers may provide significant relief of symptoms and should be considered by patients with GERD as theeMedicine newsletter listed them.

1. Dietary fat intake. Fatty foods have been implicated as precipitating factors in symptomatic GERD. Dietary fat has been shown to decrease LES pressure and may increase the sensitivity of the esophagus to refluxed acid.

Having a body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obese range increases the risk of traumatic workplace injury, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. Employer-sponsored weight loss and maintenance programs should be considered as part of a well-rounded workplace safety plan. The study was Advance Access published on May 7, 2007, by the American Journal of Epidemiology.

BMI is a measure of body fat based on an adult’s height and weight. It is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5 - 24.9 is normal; 25-29.9 is overweight and over 30 is obese.

(HealthDay News) — While many people get enough vitamins from a healthy and balanced diet, others should take a multivitamin supplement to help maintain a healthy body.

Children and pregnant women need more vitamins than the average person, and may be prescribed a multivitamin by their doctors, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Other candidates for a multivitamin include people whose illness prevents them from absorbing enough vitamins from food, or people who don’t or can’t eat enough vitamin-rich foods.

Multivitamins are available in chewable tablets, capsules, tablets you swallow, and in liquid form. It’s important to follow the package or doctor’s instructions when taking a multivitamin, the NLM says.

Popular detox diets promise to flush poisons from your body, purge pounds of excess fat, clear your complexion and bolster your immune system.

But experts say there’s little evidence that extreme regimens such as the Master Cleanse or Fruit Flush do anything more than lead to unpleasant, unhealthy side effects.

Still, these super-restrictive eating plans are hotter than ever, thanks to being linked to lanky celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Beyonce Knowles attributed her 20-pound weight loss for the movie “Dreamgirls” to the Master Cleanse — a starvation diet whose adherents swallow nothing but a concoction of lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper, as well as salt water and a laxative tea for 10 days.

The idea of detoxifying or purifying the body of harmful substances has been around for centuries and cycles back into popularity now and again. There are no hard numbers on how many people have tried the latest fashionable plans, much less stuck with them, but dozens of new do-it-yourself fasting books are glutting bookstore shelves.

1. Apple cider vinegar is used to detoxify various organs in the body together with the blood stream. It aids in blood oxidization thereby keeping it from becoming thick. The health benefits of apple cider vinegar extend to healing wounds and skin lesions. Poultices of cider vinegar can be applied to a stubborn open wound.

2. Apple cider vinegar also promotes digestion and neutralizes any toxic substance taken into the body. Regular intake of cider vinegar and honey is said to provide relief to those suffering from arthritis and painful joints. Consumption of about 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water can restore natural clotting properties of blood.

3. Apple cider vinegar benefits those suffering from ear discharge and eczema. Apple cider vinegar is said to have miraculous effects on those suffering from hair loss by taking care of tissue salt deficiency. Apple cider vinegar has a potent supply of potassium that can help in remedying teeth decay and splitting of fingernails.

Many people tend to abuse multivitamins to stay in shape and to boost their resistance. But little do they know that taking too much vitamins could bring their health at risk. A study by the National Cancer Institute found out that taking too many multivitamin supplements could increase the risk of prostate cancer.

The researchers found no association between multivitamin use and the risk of localized prostate cancer. But taking a multivitamin more than seven times a week was associated with a 30% increased risk of advanced prostate cancer and a doubling of the risk of death from the disease.

Regular multivitamin use (one to six times a week) did not appear to increase cancer risk, and excessive vitamin use was not associated with an increased risk of early, or localized, prostate cancer.

People who follow a “Mediterranean” diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish cut their risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by half, researchers report.

COPDis a group of diseases characterized by limitation of airflow in the airway that is not fully reversible. COPD is the umbrella term for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a range of other disorders.

Although smoking remains the primary cause of COPD, and that the primary preventive measure is to quit smoking, experts found out that a diet rich in fruits, vegetable and fish, may help reduce risk of COPD.

The study found out that men who ate a Mediterranean diet had a 50 percent lower risk of developing COPD compared to those who ate the Western diet, even after taking into account age, smoking and other risk factors, the researchers reported.

1. Calorie restriction in obese individuals with hypertension is recommended. Other wise normal individuals need the daily-recommended calorie according to the age, sex and physical activity.

2. In severe hypertension the protein has to be restricted to 20 gm/day where as the mild and moderate hypertensive can have 1 gm/kg body weight. For example if the person is 60kg then he can have 60 gms of protein/day.

3. It is advisable to reduce the fat consumption since hypertension has greater risk of arteriosclerosis. It is better to avoid high intake of animal fat or hydrogenated oils, which contain saturated fatty acids. The cholesterol rich foods such as liver, meat, organ meat, egg yolk, lobster, crab and prawns should be minimised in the diet. The dietary fats should consist of vegetable oil like corn oil, olive oil and sunflower oil.

4. Low fat, low sodium and high potassium diet will help to lower high blood pressure. Moderate sodium restriction 2- 3 gm per day decreases diastolic blood pressure 6- 10 mm of Hg and enhances the blood pressure lowering effect of diuretic therapy.