25 tips for a healthy heart

[vichu]

25 tips for a healthy heart


[imgzoom]http://discuss.itacumens.com/gallery/7877_31_01_09_11_45_08.jpeg[/imgzoom]

[ganeshbala]

Hi vichu,

Great information..
Thanks for the tips,

[nithyasubramanian]

Chips help beat cancer

London, Feb 01: It has long been shunned as a junk food, but now, a new study has claimed that the humble chip can actually battle cancer.

Chips are rich in vitamin C, which boffins consider could fight the deadly disease.

It is thought the vitamin tackles dangerous free radicals, which are associated with cancer growth, reports the Daily Star.

By eating a portion of chips – which contains five times more vitamin C than a bunch of grapes – people may keep cancer at bay.

And those already suffering with the disease could even shrink the size of their tumours with a vitamin C rich, deep-fried potato diet, the researchers said.

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter said: "Chips give vitamin C, which is an important nutrient believed to help protect against certain types of cancer. People who eat food rich in vitamin C are much less likely to suffer from cancer of the oesophagus, cancer of the stomach and breast cancer.

"Free radicals are very unstable molecules which can cause damage within the body and are linked to several different types of cancer.

"Chips contribute vitamin C, which is a powerful anti-oxidant that neutralises the free radicals and stops them from damaging us."

Scientists have suggested that a 175g portion of chips contains three times more vitamin C than an apple and nine times more than a slice of pizza.

Chips also contain a host of other nutrients including vitamins B1 and B6, fibre and iron, the scientists said.

Hunter said: "There's no such thing as a bad food. Chips can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.

"Potatoes help to control blood pressure and they have got dietary fibre which is good for your bowels. When people think about potatoes, they just think about carbohydrates."

courtesy : Zeenews.com

[nithyasubramanian]

Stress can amplify skin cancers

Washington, Jan 31: Stress can amplify the progression of malignant melanoma, a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer.

Not only do different forms of cancer react differently to stress hormones, but these reactions can vary within a specific form of the disease, with the possibility of a more aggressive form of the disease reacting more strongly to the stressors.

The study is the third by Ohio State University over the last two years that looked for links between stress hormones and cancers.

Eric V. Yang, a research scientist at the Institute for Ohio Behavioural Medicine Research (IBMR), exposed samples of three melanoma cell lines to the compound norepinephrine, a naturally occurring catecholamine that functions as a stress hormone. In times of increased stress, levels of norepinephrine increase in the bloodstream.

Yang and Ronald Glaser, director of IBMR and a professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, were looking for changes in the levels of three proteins released by the cells.

One of the proteins - vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF - plays a key role in stimulating the growth of new blood vessels needed to feed a growing tumour, a process called angiogenesis. The other two proteins, Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8, are both involved in fostering tumour growth.

All three of the cell lines were grown from tissues taken from secondary tumours that had developed from a primary site, signifying aggressive forms of cancer. But one of them - C8161 - represented the most aggressive and advanced form of melanoma.

"We noticed that all three of these proteins increased in response to the norepinephrine,"Yang explained, adding that in the C8161 cells, "we got a 2,000 percent increase in IL-6. In untreated samples from this cell line, you normally can't detect any IL-6 at all."

"What this tells us is that stress might have a worse effect on melanoma that is in a very aggressive or advanced stage, and that one marker for that might be increased levels of IL-6," he said, according to a university release.

These findings were published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

courtesy : Zeenews.com

[nithyasubramanian]

Defective gene causes sudden cardiac death

London, Jan 30: A defective gene causes sudden cardiac death in many young people, says a new study.

Researchers at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University have found that in at least ten per cent of cases in Europe, sudden cardiac death in young people is due to a cardiac gene defect, the 'Deutsches Arzteblatt International' journal reported.

Sudden cardiac death is defined as unexpected death occurring rapidly -- usually within one hour of the onset of symptoms -- in persons previously seemed to be healthy.

It is one of the most frequent causes of death in Europe. Each year, about 100 000 people die of sudden cardiac death in Germany alone. Although SCD mostly affects older people, between five per cent and 15 per cent of cases are in young people who had previously been asymptomatic.

Most cases of sudden cardiac death can be explained by cardiovascular changes. However, in 10 per cent to 30 per cent of cases, no cause of death can be established, even after a post-mortem.

Genetically linked diseases of cardiac ion channels are responsible for at least a third of these deaths. As the ion channels are involved in stimulation and conduction in the heart, malfunction can cause cardiac arrythmias, which may lead to ventricular fibrillation.

These primary electrical heart disorders are mostly subject to autosomal dominant inheritance. This means that family members have a 50 per cent risk of being carriers of the modified gene causing the disorder, the researchers said.

A genetic study of the affected family is therefore essential if further cases of sudden cardiac death are to be prevented, they have suggested.

courtesy : Zeenews.com

[nithyasubramanian]

Nuts, vegetable oils may keep your heart healthy

Washington, January 31: The American Heart Association has said that it may be beneficial to include omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)—found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds—in diet plans charted for keeping the heart healthy.

The new Science Advisory report suggests that consumers aim for at least five to ten percent of energy (calories) from omega-6 PUFAs.

It further states that one can derive most benefit when omega-6 PUFAs replace saturated or transfats in the diet.

The report adds that precise recommended daily servings will depend on physical activity level, age and gender, but range between 12 and 22 grams per day.

The AHA report also addresses the recent controversy that omega-6 fatty acids may actually increase inflammation and thereby increase rather than reduce cardiovascular risk.

The association insists that along with acids involved in the early stages of inflammation, anti-inflammatory molecules are also formed, and, thus, it is incorrect to view the omega-6 fatty acids as pro-inflammatory.

Upon reviewing epidemiological data, the research team behind the report observed that, in randomised controlled trials, those assigned to the higher omega-6 diets had less heart disease.

A meta-analysis of several trials indicated that replacing saturated fats with PUFA lowered risk for heart disease events by 24 percent.

The report said that reducing omega-6 intakes would be more likely to increase than to decrease the risk of CHD.

While speaking on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology, Professor Heinz Drexel of the VIVIT Research Institute at Feldkirch said that the report not only recommended the consumption of at least 5-10 percent of energy from omega-6 PUFAs, but also indicated that intakes higher than 10 percent of energy appeared safe and might even be beneficial.

"(This statement) is somewhat discordant with earlier recommendations made by other authorities," said Professor Drexel.

Professor Drexel further said, "This advisory is a resurrection of older recommendations on omega-6 PUFAs, in particular on linoleic acid. It is based on new ecological, case-control, prospective cohort and randomised controlled studies. Concerns raised in the past decade that omega-6 PUFAs may be pro-inflammatory are dispelled with evidence that omega-6 PUFAs have anti-inflammatory properties at the level of vascular endothelial cells. On balance, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."

The expert added, "However, the effects of Omega-6 PUFAs appear weak and require long-term interventions. Many studies in the past were not long enough for a nutritional intervention. Moreover, in the intervention studies other nutrients were changed along with the enrichment of omega-6 PUFAs."

courtesy : Zeenews.com

[nithyasubramanian]

Green tea blocks cancer drug benefit

Washington, Feb 04: The health benefits of green tea have come under scanner following a new research which has found that the "healthy" drink could reduce the effectiveness of one kind of chemotherapy treatment.

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the widely used supplement renders a cancer drug used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma completely ineffective in treating cancer.

The study found that a component of green tea extract (GTE) called EGCG destroys any anticancer activity of the drug Velcade in tumor-bearing mice.

"Our finding that GTE or EGCG blocked the therapeutic action of Velcade was completely unexpected," says lead author Axel H. Schonthal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

"Our hypothesis was that GTE or EGCG would enhance the anti-tumour effects of Velcade, and that a combination of GTE with Velcade (or EGCG with Velcade) would turn out to be a superior cancer treatment as compared to treatment with Velcade alone," the expert added.

Using preclinical models and tumour-bearing mice, the researchers found that the unusually effective blockage of Velcade's therapeutic activity was based on the chemical interaction between molecules. The EGCG molecule and the Velcade molecule were able to form chemical bonds, meaning that the Velcade molecule could no longer bind to its intended target inside the tumour cells.

"The most immediate conclusion from our study is the strong advice that patients undergoing cancer therapy with Velcade must avoid green tea, and in particular all of its concentrated products that are freely available from health food stores," says Schonthal.

"It is important to spread this message to health care providers who administer Velcade to patients," the researcher added.

courtesy : Zeenews.com

[nithyasubramanian]

Cancer risk higher with western lifestyle

KOCHI: Cancer, a leading cause of death around the world, is a global burden. WHO estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention.
"Every year one million people fall prey to this disease in India. About 30 to 40 percent of cancer cases are linked to lifestyle disorders. And in Kerala it is mostly breast cancer cases that are being reported," says Dr Mohan Nair, who heads the Cancer Care wing at Specialists Hospital in the city.
Kerala society is dominated by the semi-urban middle class and breast cancer is mostly detected among them. "Cancer is a lifestyle disease only to a certain extent," says Dr Mohan.
Lack of fibre intake, heavy intake of red meat and tinned food, and smoking are linked to cancer but they are not the only factors. "Till 1960 cervical cancer was common. It was due to frequent pregnancies, lack of hygiene, early sexual interaction etc. But now it is has been replaced by breast cancer," says the doctor.
A richer diet, smaller families, delayed childbearing, reduced breast-feeding, early menstruation and late menopause have led to a gradual increase in breast cancer cases together with rising obesity and increased alcohol consumption, specialists say.
Women in the age group of 40 to 60 are at the highest risk.
"But in the US it is women in their 70's that are mostly affected.
The reasons are unknown.
One reason could be that awareness about this disease is still low in our state," he says.
The focus should be on prevention for which cancer screening is important. "Women should do self examination on a regular basis from their 20s onwards.
Those who are 40 and above should go for mammography evaluation once in six months," he says.
Women with a family history of cancer must undergo mammography on a regular basis starting from age 35. "Unfortunately, most cases are detected at the third or fourth stage.
Hence it becomes difficult to cure," he says. He also stresses the importance of palliative care or a good support system for cancer patients.
Fortunately, cervical cancer cases have come down drastically and it is expected that with the invention of preventive vaccination for cervical cancer the younger generation will be relieved of this threat within 25 to 30 year's time.
We can only hope that preventive measures will be there for all kinds of cancer in future.
Until then all we can do is make lifestyle changes and undergo physical examination at least once a year.
Key risk factors for cancer
* Tobacco use
* Being overweight or obese
* Low fruit and vegetable intake
* Sedentary lifestyle
* Alcohol use
* Long-term contraceptive use or intake
* Sexually transmitted infections
* Urban air pollution
* Indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels
Prevention strategies
* Avoiding the risk factors listed above as much as possible
* Vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
* Pregnancy at the right age
* Reduced exposure to sunlight


courtesy : ExpressBuzz.

[nithyasubramanian]

Tiny submarines 'to deliver cancer drugs straight to tumours'

London (PTI): Scientists have developed what they claim are tiny submarines which can be injected into a patient's blood to deliver cancer drugs straight to tumours.

An international team, led by the Tel Aviv University in Israel, has developed the new machines -- 100 times smaller than cancer cells -- which it hopes could be used to treat the patients in just three years' time.

According to the scientists, sending drugs straight to cancer cells means they don't damage other surrounding healthy tissue, and as the materials used to create the machines occur naturally in the body, they are unlikely to be attacked by the patient's immune system.

Tests on laboratory rodents showed that the machines can work successfully and the team is now planning to conduct experiments on humans.

"We have tested this on mice and they were all fine and now we are ready to test it on people. The important thing is we only use things that the body recognises, so its immune system won't attack them, as they do with other technologies.

"We will probably start with blood cancers because the cells would be floating around and will be easier to find. But cancer is very clever and it will learn to avoid what we are doing and we will have to keep up -- it is a war we are in," 'The Daily Telegraph' quoted team leader Dan Peer as saying.

courtesy : The Hindu.