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Alcoholism Risk Linked To Risk For Obesity

December 31, 2010 by ·

Addiction researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity.

The researchers noted that the association between a family history of alcoholism and obesity risk has become more pronounced in recent years. Both men and women with such a family history were more likely to be obese in 2002 than members of that same high-risk group had been in 1992.

“In addiction research, we often look at what we call cross-heritability, which addresses the question of whether the predisposition to one condition also might contribute to other conditions,” says first author Richard A. Grucza, PhD. “For example, alcoholism and drug abuse are cross-heritable. This new study demonstrates a cross-heritability between alcoholism and obesity, but it also says — and this is very important — that some of the risks must be a function of the environment. The environment is what changed between the 1990s and the 2000s. It wasn’t people’s genes.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disease, Health & Fitness, Research & Study ·

Fruits That We Eat

December 30, 2010 by ·

Fruits and vegetables are known to be possessing antioxidant and anti-ageing factors. If they are a source of harmful chemicals as well, then are we heading towards fitness or otherwise?

Fresh colourful fruits and vegetables are a beautiful sight, commonly seen in this season of the year. Health consultants highly recommend fruits and salads in their prescriptions and we take the best advantage of the availability of the range of variety in the markets. But how close we are to nature, when we are consuming these fruits is a very big question mark. Fruits and vegetables are known to be possessing antioxidant and anti-ageing factors. If they are a source of harmful chemicals as well, then are we heading towards fitness or otherwise?

In recent times, there is much concern about artificial ripening of fruits. Though fruits like mango naturally ripen in trees; some chemicals are used to ripen them artificially which hasten the ripening process. Ripe fruits are not suitable to carry and distribute as they get rotten. So traders pick unripe fruits and use certain methods to increase their shelf life. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Troubled Euro Zone Welcomes Estonia To The Club

December 29, 2010 by ·

THE BALTIC state of Estonia is preparing to adopt the euro on January 1st, ignoring the single currency’s travails to extend its use into the former Soviet Union for the first time.

The country of 1.3 million people is hoping the euro will help it accelerate its recovery from a recession that plunged the economy into a 14 per cent decline in 2009. This followed several years of rapid growth which earned Estonia a reputation as a “Baltic tiger”.

Recent polls suggest that 52 per cent of Estonians back the euro, with business leaders insisting it will make life easier for the nation’s businesses, 80 per cent of whose trade occurs within the EU.

Opposition to the single currency tends to come from low-earning Estonians. They fear that their wages will be eroded and prices will increase in the months ahead as bosses round pay packets down and shops round prices up after the kroon currency is replaced. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Banking & Finance, Business, Economy, Foreign Policy ·

Optimizing Potential Success

December 28, 2010 by ·

Despite the unlimited nature of what most people can do on the net, yet, around 30 percent of online time is spent on just three activities – social networking, emailing and playing online games leaving a whole lot of other sectors fighting for a declining share of the online pie. Slots are games of chance, where little strategy is involved and no strategy changes the odds of winning. When one truly understands how slot machines work and operate, then that will be the time also that they’ll come to know that all of the flashy advertisements promising to share secret tips on how to cheat the machines, thus guaranteeing success, are nothing but just more than gimmicks.

Well, for beginners who are new to playing slot machines there are ways of going about optimizing one’s potential success, but the most important thing is to remember to have fun when playing slots. Above all else, play to have fun. And if one plays just out of an attempt to make money so that he can pay his bills or for his hotel room, then he is setting himself up for a possible disappointment, not to mention a very unhealthy playing habit. Just always remember to keep fun and entertainment in the foreground.

Filed Under: Games, Recreation & Sports ·

Got A Bad Hangover? Try Honey On Toast!

December 28, 2010 by ·

This festive season, merriment will be aplenty, and so will be alcohol – but if you want to avoid that really bad feeling of nausea and headache the next morning try honey on toast, says a new study.

The Royal Society of Chemistry claim that the natural sweetener is one of the best way to treat toxins in the body post-binge. It contains fructose, which can also be found in golden syrup, which is essential to help the body break down alcohol into harmless by-products.

“The happiness comes from alcohol. The hangover comes from acetaldehyde. This is the toxic chemical into which alcohol is converted by the body and it causes a throbbing headache, nausea, and maybe even vomiting,” the Telegraph quoted Dr John Emsley of the Royal Society, as saying.

“The hangover disappears as the acetaldehyde is slowly converted to less toxic chemicals,” he added. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beverage, Health & Fitness ·

Caffeinated Drinks Linked To Increased Risk Of Gout Attacks

December 27, 2010 by ·

People who drink caffeinated drinks are at an increased risk of recurrent gout attacks, suggests a new study.

Long-term caffeine intake has been associated with a decreased risk for gout attacks.

However, in the short-term, caffeine has been found to increase uric acid, which can potentially trigger an attack.

In a study, researchers studied 633 participants who had experienced a gout attack within one year of the study to compare the amount of caffeinated beverage consumption during periods of gout attacks to periods without attacks.

They noted the amount of caffeine (e.g., coffee, tea, other caffeinated beverages) and non-caffeinated beverages (e.g., non-caffeinated coffee, tea, sodas, juices) each participant consumed during a 24-hour period before a gout attack as well as during a 24-hour period without a gout attack. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness, Research & Study ·

Kidney Disease Patients: Eat Your Veggies, Reward Your Kidneys

December 26, 2010 by ·

Phosphorous levels plummet in kidney disease patients who stick to a vegetarian diet, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that eating vegetables rather than meat can help kidney disease patients avoid accumulating toxic levels of this mineral in their bodies.

Individuals with kidney disease cannot adequately rid the body of phosphorus, which is found in dietary proteins and is a common food additive. Kidney disease patients must limit their phosphorous intake, as high levels of the mineral can lead to heart disease and death. While medical guidelines recommend low phosphorus diets for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), phosphorus content is not listed on food labels.

Sharon Moe, MD (Indiana University School of Medicine and Roudebush Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center) and her colleagues studied the effects of vegetarian and meat-based diets on phosphorous levels in nine patients with CKD. Patients followed a vegetarian or meat-based diet for one week, followed by the opposite diet two-to four- weeks later. Blood and urine tests were performed at the end of each week on both diets. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disease, Health Care ·