How to add 14 more years to your life ?

How to add 14 more years to your life ?

While many in Singapore might be disillusioned about healthy living after seeing the sudden death last week (4th January) of Jimmy Nah, the healthy-looking 40-year-old comedian/actor who does not smoke or drink alcohol and have a clean bill of health, BBC this morning reported that a study shown “Taking exercise, drinking moderately, eating sufficient fruit and vegetables and not smoking can add as much as 14 years to your life”.

 

The study between 1993 and 2006 by the UK’s Public Library of Science Medicine which involved 20,000 people aged between 45 and 79, suggested that regardless of how overweight or poor they were, they found those who failed on all criteria were four times more likely to have died than those who succeeded.

Participants were known during this period to be free from cancer or any heart problems.

The participants were awarded a point for :

1. not currently smoking
2. consuming between one and 14 units of alcohol per week (the equivalent of between half a glass and seven glasses of wine)
3. eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day and not being inactive.

They found that the risk of

A 60-year-old person + score ZERO = a 74-year-old + FULL FOUR points

The conclusion was that many people through some simple changes can increase their lifespan as well as reduce their risk of dying from heart and circulatory disease as shown from the research participants.

 

Green Tea Shown To Possess Antitumor Effect In Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2007) — A team of scientists led by Dr. Radha Maheshwari, professor of Pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and Rajesh Loganathan Thangapazham, a graduate student, have shown that green tea has antitumor effect in breast cancer cells.

Cancer is a disease caused by the increased proliferation of cells which group and form a lump called tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Cells from malignant tumors break away from the original tumor and spread to other parts of the body growing and forming new tumors. They can invade, penetrate into blood and lymphatic vessels, circulate via the bloodstream and can grow in a normal organ or tissue anywhere in the body.

Unfortunately treatment options for metastasis are very limited and usually represent the end stage of the disease. Unlike malignant tumors, benign tumors do not invade and, with very rare exceptions, are not life threatening. Chemoprevention broadly implies the use of a chemical substance of either natural or synthetic origin, to prevent, hamper, arrest or reverse a disease. Phytochemicals are plant based non nutritive components with substantial medicinal properties.  

Dr. Maheshwari’s study observed that green tea can inhibit the invading capacity of these breast cancer cells and have also identified the mechanisms involved in death inducing and invasion inhibiting effects of green tea. Epidemiological studies also suggest that the risk of breast cancer is found to be less in Asian countries consuming green tea. These studies have greater clinical significance since the ability of these phytochemicals to activate anti-cancer program of tumor cells might determine the success of chemotherapy.

The recently concluded study will be published in the Journal of Cancer Biology and Therapy, December 2007, Volume 6, Issue 12. 

A study by Dr. Maheshwari that was published earlier this year in Cancer Letters showed that green tea is effective in delaying tumor incidence as well as in reducing the tumor burden. Green tea was found to inhibit growth of tumors as well as induce death of breast cancer cells.

Adapted from materials provided by Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

 

Juice from the pomegranate shows promise for fighting prostate cancer

Pomegranate Juice: Tart, Trendy, And Targeted On Prostate Cancer Cells

Researchers in California are reporting new evidence explaining pomegranate juice’s mysterious beneficial effects in fighting prostate cancer.

In a new study, Navindra Seeram and colleagues have found that the tart, trendy beverage also uses a search-and-destroy strategy to target prostate cancer cells.

In previous research, Seeram’s group found that pomegranate juice consumption had a beneficial effect for prostate cancer patients with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Such increases in PSA signal that the cancer is progressing, “doubling time” a key indicator of prognosis. Men whose PSA levels double in a short period are more likely to die from their cancer.

Pomegranate juice increased doubling times by almost fourfold.

In the new study, they researchers discovered evidence in laboratory experiments that pomegranate works in a “seek and destroy” fashion. On consumption, ellagitannins (ET), antioxidants abundant in pomegranate juice, break down to metabolites known as urolithins. The researchers showed that the urolithins concentrate at high levels in prostate tissue after being given orally and by injection to mice with prostate cancer. They also showed that urolithins inhibited the growth of human prostate cancer cells in cell culture.

“The chemopreventive potential of pomegranate ellagitannins and localization of their bioactive metabolites in mouse prostate tissue suggest that pomegranate may play a role in prostate cancer treatment and chemoprevention,” the researchers state, recommending further clinical studies with pomegranate and prostate cancer patients.

This research, “Pomegranate Ellagitannin-Derived Metabolites Inhibit Prostate Cancer Growth and Localize to the Mouse Prostate Gland,” is scheduled for publication in the Sept. 19 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Note: This story by Science Daily has been adapted from material provided by American Chemical Society.

 

 

Are you killing your pets with your smoke ?

Are you killing your pets with your smoke ?

Pets are getting all kinds of cancers, no thanks to the smokers who passed the secondhand smoke to the hapless animals. 

Just a sidetrack – I am glad that there is no smoking in confined public places in Singapore. The most recently are the pubs. Secondhand smoke is attributed in the west with killing thousands of adult nonsmokers annually. No matter what is the figure in Singapore, kudos to our government for taking tough but well-appreciated progressive ban in public places. Since July this year, I can walk into any pub to have a nice cold beer and songs with business associates and friends and go home without smelling like a walking piece of shit.

But what about the private confined areas like the individual homes? While many smoking adults might not expose the secondhand smoke to their spouse or children, what about those irresponsible habitual smokers living with pets? 

Secondhand smoke kills cats fast

“Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds,” said Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian. 

Cats that lived with smokers for five or more years had an even higher incidence of squamous cell carcinoma, simply known as mouth cancer.

Cats are twice as likely to have malignant lymphoma cancer compared to cats living in a non-smoking home. It is a type of cancer that occurs in the lymph nodes and is fatal to three out of four cats within 12 months of developing the cancer. 

MacAllister disclosed that one reason cats are so susceptible to secondhand smoke is because cats constantly lick themselves while grooming. By licking their fur, they expose the mucous membrane of their mouth to the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur.

What about dogs? 

MacAllister also pointed out that “a recent study conducted at Colorado State University shows that there is a higher incidence of nasal tumors in dogs living in a home with secondhand smoke compared to dogs living in a smoke free environment,”

She said. “The increased incidence was specifically found among the long nosed breed of dogs. Shorter or medium nosed dogs showed higher rates for lung cancer.” 

MacAllister said the longer nosed breeds of dogs have a great surface area in their noses that is exposed to the carcinogens. This also provides more area in which the carcinogens can accumulate. The carcinogens tend to build up on the mucous membranes of long nosed dogs so not as much reaches the lungs.

Unfortunately, dogs affected with nasal cancer normally do not survive more than one year. 

“The reason short and medium nose dogs have a higher occurrence of lung cancer is because their shorter nasal passages aren’t as effective at accumulating the inhaled secondhand smoke carcinogens,” she said. “This results in more carcinogens reaching the lungs.”

What about birds? 

Pet birds also are victims of secondhand smoke. A bird’s respiratory system is hypersensitive to any type of pollutant in the air.

MacAllister said the most serious consequences of secondhand smoke exposure in birds are pneumonia or lung cancer. Other health risks include eye, skin, heart and fertility problems. 

Killing them at home without smoking  

Secondhand smoke is not the only danger faced by pets that live in smoke filled environments. Poisoning is another risk they face.

 “Curious pets can eat cigarettes and other tobacco products if the products aren’t stored properly,” MacAllister said. “When ingested, this can cause nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.” 

It is important both for the health of pets and others living in the household, that the smoker has a designated area in which to smoke that is physically separated from the home. In addition, always keep cigarettes, cigarette butts and other tobacco products put away.

“A better choice that could enhance your chances of enjoying a healthier lifestyle with your family and pets would be to stop smoking altogether,” MacAllister said. 

 

Peppermint is beneficial to health

Health benefits of peppermint

Candy and ice cream come to mind. But peppermint is also an age-old herbal medicine that has been used to treat a wide range of abdominal woes, from flatulence to stomach cancer to gallbladder disease.

But does it really work? Peppermint has fared a bit better than many herbal medicines in clinical trials. Several studies have shown that peppermint oil seems to be fairly effective at relieving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a collection of symptoms that includes abdominal cramping and pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. In 2007, Italian investigators reported that 75% of the patients in their study who took peppermint oil capsules for four weeks had a major reduction in their IBS symptoms, compared with just 38% of those who took a placebo pill.

There are also findings — admittedly from studies of iffy quality — that topical application of peppermint oil helps relieve tension headaches and that a combination of peppermint and caraway oils can help with recurrent indigestion.

The oil that’s extracted from the peppermint plant contains lots of compounds. Menthol is the most abundant and pharmacologically important.

Menthol is an ingredient in many conventional over-the-counter products, including cough lozenges and muscle pain ointments like Bengay. Menthol creates that familiar cooling sensation by stimulating nerves that sense cold (your mouth has some of these nerves, which is the reason products containing menthol “taste” cool); it also inhibits those that react to painful stimuli. The effect doesn’t last long, but sometimes a brief reprieve or distraction from a cough or a muscle ache does wonders.

One explanation for how peppermint oil might help IBS sufferers is that the oil — and perhaps especially the menthol — blocks calcium channels, which has the effect of relaxing the “smooth” muscles in the walls of the intestine.

Peppermint oil also relaxes the sphincter that keeps the contents of the stomach from backing up into your esophagus. That’s why people troubled by heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux) are advised to avoid peppermint. It’s also the reason peppermint oil is often sold these days in enteric-coated capsules designed to bypass the stomach and dissolve in the small intestine.

People do occasionally have bad reactions to menthol and peppermint. In 2007, Swedish doctors reported the case of a 44-year-old man who got a runny nose every time he brushed his teeth. Allergy tests showed he was allergic to the menthol in his toothpaste. Several years ago, Israeli doctors reported the case of a woman whose mouth and throat were chemically burned by the large amount of peppermint oil she took to treat a cold.

~~ extracted from Havard Medical School newsletter ~~

 

Delicious sources of antioxidants for healthy summer eating

Delicious sources of antioxidants for healthy summer eating

Forget the hype about single antioxidants, like vitamin E or beta carotene. They’ve never lived up to the promise that they can halt heart disease, cure cancer, eradicate eye disease, or prevent Alzheimer’s.

But that doesn’t mean antioxidants aren’t important to your health. The notion that antioxidants are good for you comes from studies showing that people who eat foods rich in a variety of antioxidants have better long-term health. Trials of single supplements, usually taken in pill form, have yielded disappointing results.

Antioxidants stabilize harmful by-products of the body’s energy-making machinery. These by-products, known as free radicals, can damage DNA, make LDL (“bad”) cholesterol even worse, and wreak havoc elsewhere in the body.

It’s possible that single antioxidants haven’t panned out because it takes a network of antioxidants — like those that exist in foods — to neutralize free radicals. If that’s the case, then it would be helpful to know the antioxidant content of various foods.

An international team of researchers did just that for more than a thousand foods that Americans commonly eat. Topping the list for antioxidant content were blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, artichokes, cranberries, coffee, raspberries, pecans, blueberries, and ground cloves (see “Antioxidant-rich foods”).

Antioxidant-rich foods Here are the three dozen foods with the highest per-serving content of antioxidants.
Product	Antioxidants (mmol/serving)
Blackberries	5.746
Walnuts	3.721
Strawberries	3.584
Artichokes, prepared	3.559
Cranberries	3.125
Coffee	2.959
Raspberries	2.870
Pecans	2.741
Blueberries	2.680
Cloves, ground	2.637
Grape juice	2.557
Chocolate, baking, unsweetened	2.516
Cranberry juice	2.474
Cherries, sour	2.205
Wine, red	2.199
Power Bar, chocolate flavor	1.875
Pineapple juice	1.859
Guava nectar	1.858
Juice drinks, 10% juice, blueberry or strawberry flavor, vitamin C enriched	1.821
Cranapple juice	1.790
Prunes	1.715
Chocolate, dark, sugar-free	1.675
Cabbage, red, cooked	1.614
Orange juice	1.510
Apple juice, with added vitamin C	1.462
Mango nectar	1.281
Pineapples	1.276
Oranges	1.261
Bran Flakes breakfast cereal	1.244
Plums, black	1.205
Pinto beans, dried	1.137
Canned chili with meat and beans	1.049
Canned chili with meat, no beans	1.045
Spinach, frozen	1.040
Whole Grain Total breakfast cereal	1.024
Chocolate, sugar-free	1.001
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2006

Cooking appears to increase the antioxidant potential of most foods, with the exception of grains such as rice, pasta, and corn grits, which show lower levels after cooking.

The researchers were careful not to claim that eating foods at the top of the list will keep you healthy. Instead, they believe that rating the antioxidant potential of different foods could help test whether antioxidants really do prevent disease. In the meantime, the list toppers are healthy foods, so don’t hesitate to dig in.

For more information on antioxidant-rich foods, order our Special Health Report, The Benefits and Risks of Vitamins and Minerals, at www.health.harvard.edu/VM.

 

Red Wine Protects The Prostate

Red Wine Protects The Prostate – Harvard Men’s Health Watch

Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers.

Researchers in Seattle collected information about many factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer in men between ages 40 and 64, including alcohol consumption. At first the results for alcohol consumption seemed similar to the findings of many earlier studies: There was no relationship between overall consumption and risk.

But the scientists went one step further by evaluating each type of alcoholic beverage independently. Here the news was surprising—wine drinking was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%.

Why red wine? Doctors don’t know. But much of the speculation focuses on chemicals—including various flavonoids and resveratrol—missing from other alcoholic beverages. These components have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counterbalance androgens, the male hormones that stimulate the prostate.

Many doctors are reluctant to recommend drinking alcohol for health, fearing that their patients might assume that if a little alcohol is good, a lot might be better. The Harvard Men’s Health Watch notes that men who enjoy alcohol and can drink in moderation and responsibly may benefit from a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cardiac death.

 

10 things about the killer Constipation that I’ve learned

10 things about the killer Constipation that I’ve learned 

Constipation in the past to me was just about the inability to pass motions smoothly, or in the crude language, inability to shit successfully in the toilet. 

My ignorance and indifference ceased when I have to understand this as part of the learning about our Good Image Tea, the unique tea which proves to resolve and prevent constipation, apart from its ability to detoxify the body particularly the gastro-intestinal system, promote metabolism, escalates toxin removal, enhances complexion and swiftly remove excess fats. 

Besides fats, constipation is what I keep hearing. Now, I have learned 10 things about not messing with constipation. 

(1) Constipation is not just about the problem of having hard stools or problems in passing stools, Constipation can also be defined as having fewer bowel movements than usual. It is a symptom and not a disease. 

(2) It is one symptom that no one particularly the older folks wants to admit or talk openly about. Doctors especially in the
U.S. probably knew best since it is the most common gastrointestinal complaint there clocking about 2 million patient visits annually.  

(3) 1 in 2 women suffers from constipation, I read in one brochure on constipation.  Elsewhere, on the net, we can read that older people are more likely than younger people to become constipated. 

(4) 80% of
New York women constipated. This is what a doctor author wrote in his book about the amusing
New York women protest in 1994 demanding the government heath department to address the constipation issue plaguing women. According to the 1991 National Health Interview Survey, about 4 1/2 million people in the
United States say they are constipated most or all of the time. 

(5) Constipation is the weight that even the strongest man in the world will not be able to force out easily. For those who have constipated, you will know what I meant? 

(6) Constipation can be the worst nightmare and it is better off getting pregnant than constipated. This is what one blogger wrote about her ordeal of “Numbness, pain, sometimes balance loss or limping, insomnia” “after two days of not normal toilet visits”. “The soonest it ends everything goes back to ‘normal’”. 

 

(7) What shocked me is that constipation can be the cause that resulted in stroke or heart attack. 

I recalled about people who died in their sleep or died sitting in their sofa, car, etc. Postmortem showed that they died of stroke or heart attack. But to think it can also be due to constipation is surprising. 

During my recent trip to
China with my factory boss, we met our partners and friends about packaging our Good Image Tea.  

They told me that it will be extremely dangerous for those who had constipation and yet do not know that they have high blood pressure or brain tumor. If they decide to force the stools out, the prolonged strain will naturally cause the blood pressure to shoot up which might trigger a stroke or heart attack. 

Even if the person does not have a heart attack, straining oneself while holding one’s breath to force out the stools can cause the haemorrhoidal blood pressure to increase. The rough dry faeces might cause abrasions and rupture the surrounding tissues of the anus and thus cause bleeding, painful defecation and stress. 

(8) The hard stools that causes constipation is at the front and is just 3 to 5 cm long while the rest following that are soft or watery. 

(9) The large intestine (colon) which is about 1.5 meters long receives the waste from the small intestine at about 10 cm per hour. It compresses the waste and absorbs the water before the solid waste or stools reach the anus. If the stools are stuck at the anus for too long, it will lead to the hardening of the stools starting from the front. Just imagine that if we eat and eat and do not pass out the stools in 15 hours, the whole large intestine will be jammed. 

(10) No wonder the Chinese has a saying that “一日不排便，毒胜三包烟” which means that if one does not discharge stools from the body every day, its toxin in the body is worst than smoking three packages of cigarettes. 

 

OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE IS FAT – WHAT ELSE TO TALK ABOUT?

OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE IS FAT – WHAT ELSE TO TALK ABOUT? The subject of overweight, obese or fat has never interest me before until now.  It just came across to me that there was reported 1 billion people in the world that are overweight including 300 millions who are obese.  As I am fortunate that I am not one of the 30% of Singaporean reported to be overweight or obese, all these while, to me, overweight or obese is just being fat. 

Now that I recalled, in the print and broadcast media, we frequently see and read that hypertension, constipation, diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, degeneration of the kidney, etc. creep into lives of middle age men and women, especially the aged folks. 

While being slightly overweight is very common, being obese is no joke. I have noted down that that obesity is regarded an invisible killer which causes numerous contemporary diseases. It was reported that how vulnerable are obese people as compared to normal people in terms of the following diseases: 

1. hypertension incidence rate, obese people are 3 times higher
2. atherosclerosis incident rate, obese people are 2-3 times higher
3. heart disease and arteriosclerosis incident rate, obese people are 2.5 times higher
4. cancer incidence rate, obese people are twice higher

Now I learned that there are fundamentally four factors that lead to obesity. 

1. Congenital  obesity – this is hereditary, which means that it is genetically passed down from parent to their offspring
2. Pathological obesity – caused by infection from disease
3. Medicinal obesity – caused by medicinal drugs that affect the hormones. One of the common hormonal drugs is oral contraceptives.
4. Acquired obesity – this is caused by unbalanced diet, excessive consumption of meat, sugary food and animal fat, or just being gluttonous.

For the congenital, pathological and medicinal obese people, if they intend to lose weight, they will need to consult their doctors who will diagnose and prescript the appropriate remedy. 

Acquired obesity is easy to take care of. There are all kinds of pills and medicines that can take care of it but there can be different side effects which need to be advised by professional doctors.  Another type is the used of traditional herbs like those found in Good Image Tea which is proven to safely and swiftly decompose the excessive solid fat accumulated in the body. The result is also the cleansing of the intestinal systems which also solve the habitual constipation problem that many people in the world are suffering from. 

 

Research confirmed : Tea is a healthier drink than water

Tea ‘healthier’ drink than water
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.

Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers,UK nutritionists found.

Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.

Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage.

Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.

They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.

Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut.

Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.

Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”

Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating.

“Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate.

But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.

“Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth,” she added.

There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health.

However, research suggests that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.

Dr Ruxton’s team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day.

She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before.

“Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range.

In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor,” she said.

Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: “Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits.

“The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done.

But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers.

“In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.”

The Tea Council provided funding for the work.

Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.

BBC Health 24 August 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5281046.stm