Junk Food Addiction may be Clue to Obesity: Study

Bingeing on high-calorie foods may be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine, and could cause compulsive eating and obesity, according to a study published on Sunday.

The findings in a study of animals cannot be directly applied to human obesity, but may help in understanding the condition and in developing therapies to treat it, researchers wrote in the journal "Nature Neuroscience."

The study, involving rats, found that overconsumption of high-calorie food can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain and that high-calorie food can turn rats into compulsive eaters in a laboratory setting, the article said.

The scientists also found decreased levels of a specific dopamine receptor -- a brain chemical that allows a feeling of reward -- in overweight rats, as has been reported in humans addicted to drugs, the article said.

"Obesity may be a form of compulsive eating. Other treatments in development for other forms of compulsion, for example drug addiction, may be very useful for the treatment of obesity," researcher Paul Kenny of The Scripps Research Institute in Florida said in a telephone interview.

Obesity-related diseases cost the United States an estimated $150 billion each year, according to U.S. federal agencies. An estimated two-thirds of American adults and one-third of children are obese or overweight.

For the study, Kenny and colleagues headed to the grocery store.

"We basically bought all of the stuff that people really like -- Ding-Dongs, cheesecake, bacon, sausage, the stuff that you enjoy, but you really shouldn't eat too often," he said.

They also bought healthy foods and devised a diet plan for three groups of rats.

One group ate a balanced healthy diet. Another group received healthy food, but had access to high-calorie food for one hour a day. Rats in the third group were fed healthy meals and given unlimited access to high-calorie foods.

The rats in the third group developed a preference for the high-calorie food, munched on it all day and quickly became obese, Kenny said.

The rats in the experiment had also been trained to expect a minor shock when exposed to a light. But when the rats that had unlimited access to high-calorie food were shown the light, they did not respond to the potential danger, Kenny said. Instead, they continued to eat their snacks.

"What we're seeing in our animals is very similar to what you'd see in humans who overindulge," he said. "It seemed that it was okay, from what we could tell, to enjoy snack foods, but if you repeatedly overindulge, that's where the problem comes in."

(article by JoAnne Allen)

Difference Between a Cold and the Flu

There is a difference between a cold and the flu. Both affect the health and mindset of individuals yet colds have milder symptoms than the flu. They both start with cold weather when the temperatures change drastically.

The flu is contagious and spreads easier than the flu. Whereas the cold is not contagious. The flu creates the achiness with fever and chills in some cases. It affects the entire body versus the cold being concentrated in the head or nose. Colds start out generally as an irritation in the nose or with a sore throat. Congestion appears within a few days as the virus spreads in the body. The flu starts without any warnings proceeding to a fever resulting the body aches and feelings of exhaustion.

The cold leaves the individual with a sore throat and runny nose that appears after a few days as the virus progresses. The fever associated with the cold is lower than with the flu that may go as high as 101 degrees. The flu causes sore or stiff muscles. The cold symptoms are concentrated in the throat and nose versus the flu having all over body aches.

The flu suffers have their stomachs affected resulting in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and are generally harsher in younger children. The cold does not have these symptoms.

The energy levels of the flu suffer is lower and effects their daily performances, leaving the individuals feeling exhausted. The cold lowers the energy levels yet not as drastic as the flu. People with colds are tired due to their bodies fighting the cold virus yet they generally can still function in most areas of their life.

Colds can last for several weeks being more of an irritant to the individuals compared to the flu suffers that are usually sick for a few days and cannot function if the flu is severe. The flu takes longer to recover from taking up to two weeks to fully recover from the virus within the body.

The cold suffers will gradually recover from their colds as the symptoms lessen into a cough and reduced runny noses and sore throat. Most individuals experience a gradual relief with lessens symptoms as time passes.

The flu suffers can have an extreme case of the flu one day yet the next day not have any symptoms other than a small amount of fatigue. They still take about a week to fully recover yet do not have the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. They will sometimes feel weak for several days after the flu reached its full capacity.

The cold in comparison to the flu is less strenuous on the body even though the symptoms last longer. The flu is harder since the symptoms ravage the body causing the body to take longer to recover.

(article by Stan Tian)

Fight Cancer With Broccoli Sprouts

Mom was right to insist on us eating our vegetables. She
knew they built health and gave us the minerals we need.
Now scientists have found that we can eat foods to help
us both prevent cancer and fight cancer.

Take Broccoli sprouts. Broccoli sprouts are rich in a
compound that provides significant protection against breast
cancer and colon cancer. The compound is called sulforaphane glucosinalate.

Sprouts grown from certain types of broccoli seeds contain
up to 50 times more of this compound than mature broccoli
to help you fight cancer.

My research shows that a brand of sprouts developed at John
Hopkins University is guaranteed to have 20 more times the
SGS compound than the mature broccoli. This one is called
BroccoSprouts. You can purchase broccoli sprouts at your
local health food store or grocery store.

It is possible that Broccoli sprouts could carry the
bacteria that make you sick - salmonella and e.coli, so
you may want to take them out of the container when
you get them home and soak in a bowl of water with
a few drops of grapefruit seed extract for three or four minutes.

Don't put the sprouts back in the same container unless you
soak that as well. After draining them for a few minutes
store them in the refrigerator.

With Breast cancer and Colon cancer so common these days,http://www.blogger.com/
be sure to add in this protective food, assisting your body to
fight off illness and cancer.

(article by: Jeannie Crabtree C.Ac.)

How to Lower Stress in Your Life

Dealing with stress can be a taxing task. Not everyone out there knows how to overcome stress. Overwhelming stress can make you feel low in life to an extent that thoughts of suicide can engulf your mind. We don’t see our self in our comfort zone when we are enveloped with stressful situations. However, nothing great can be achieved by inviting negative thoughts or by tuning into hazardous activities like smoking, drinking etc.

We all know that stress can hamper our health beyond our wildest imagination. More than often, we tend to believe that there is no way out of the particular situation. However, this thought has no co-relationship with the reality of life. Just like everything else, stress also has a remedy. There are truckloads of means by which one can eradicate stress from their lives. Let’s have a look at the activities which can relieve us from stress.

Sports/Exercise

Indulging in physical activities is an excellent way to get rid of stress. One can play any sport of their choice to eliminate stress. If you don’t find a companion or a place to indulge in these activities, then a simple game of juggling will help you eradicate stress. The idea is to divert your mind from the stressful events. A juggling act requires lots of concentration and focus. These pre-requites will help you forget about the stressful events in your life. Alternately, you can visit a nearby gymnasium. Yoga is another great stress busting form of exercise which will help you deal with stress very effectively. It calms down your mind and body and helps you stay focused.

Socializing

Most individuals commit the horrendous mistake of locking themselves within the four walls of their house. This mistake will not only rob you from the good moments in life, but will also invite depression. Recent research has unleashed the fact that socialization is a great stress busting tool. If you socialize with people, you will not only feel better, but it will also draw your attention to the fact that there are loads of people facing similar situations, and you are not the only one dealing with stress. Also, socialization will invite fresh pool of ideas to deal with the situation.

Reading

Reading is a great form of distraction which will help you deal with overwhelming stress. All you need to do is grab a book of your interest and submerge yourself into the reading activity. Not only will you feel better, but you will also emerge out as a more knowledgeable person.

Music

Listening to music is another rock and roll way of eradicating stress. It blows away the stress by acting as a mood enhancer. As a matter of fact, there are certain CD’s available in the market which are specially formulated to relieve stress. One can grab such CD’s from the nearby store or from a reliable online shop.

If you are looking for an instant stress reliever tool, then nothing works better than breathing. Take deep breath, preferably in the fresh air and see your stress vanish away.

While these activities can certainly make you feel better, you can indulge in any activity which you enjoy doing, in order to eradicate stress from your life.


(article by Margrit Bradley)

Some Things Of Sleep Disorder

Millions of people worldwide suffer from some kind of sleeping disorder. What is troubling though is that many of them either do not know or refuse to admit it because they see their sleeping patterns as being normal. With our busy lives and somewhat distorted priorities sometimes, getting a good night of rest often takes a back seat to work, school or other responsibilities. But what people do not always see is that not getting a full night of rest can lead to further problems in the future.

If you are suffering from restlessness several nights in a row, it would be a good idea to investigate further whether or not you have a chronic sleeping disorder. When you finally head to bed, and rest awhile, but cannot get comfortable and stare at the ceiling for awhile, it is a good idea to evaluate your overall sleeping habits. Here are some things to look for:

1. Frequent waking during the night

2. Taking two to three naps during the day

3. Going to sleep at different times each night

4. Feeling anxious or unsettled at night time

5. Jolting from sleep several nights in a row

6. Taking a long time to finally fall asleep

7. Excessive grogginess in the morning

8. Tossing and turning on the bed

Of course, these are just a few of many symptoms to look for in determining if you have a sleep disorder. Insomnia is a term that should not be used lightly, because it indicates a severe and chronic problem that almost always needs medical attention. When you notice these symptoms continue for awhile, it is best to see your physician sooner rather than later.

However, you should not worry yourself if you spot anything on the list that might look somewhat familiar. Chances are that your worrying is causing much of this restlessness to begin with. Take a step back and evaluate your situation. Not everyone experiencing a few nights of insomnia actually has a full blown sleeping disorder.

Many times, sleeplessness can be a direct result of major changes going on in our lives. If you have experienced a great emotional loss, if you have changed jobs or been laid off, if you are going through menopause or are pregnant, these events can all impact your body's natural sleep cycle. It takes time for your organs and your brain to keep up with what is going on in your life, so you have to allow it some time.

No matter what, though, whether it is a serious sleep disorder or a short-term struggle with insomnia, a good night of rest should be a top priority in your life. Whatever the case, you need to find ways and methods of creating a comfortable and restful environment for yourself. And, of course, do not let it go untreated. It is better to be safe than sorry in terms of insomnia, and there is no shame in getting it checked out by a medical professional.

(article by Ronald Eapen)

Antioxidant Effects of Green Tea

Through the process of oxidation, oxygen starts the process of burning glucose and fat to provide heat and energy in the body. Although this is an inevitable and naturally occurring process which gives our bodies the energy we need; the process of oxidation creates some by-products that have negative effects to our body.

During the process of oxidation, highly reactive by-products called free radicals are produced. These free radicals act on other molecules, turning them into free radicals like themselves, thus disrupting their normal functioning. This could eventually lead to massive cell destruction, tissue damage, and even cause degenerative diseases, like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis among others.

Oxygen damage to your cells results when there are too many free radicals present inside the body. Researchers conclude that such damage may be partly responsible for the effects of aging and certain diseases.

There are certain substances in food which may play a role in protecting against this damage. Luckily, the human body comes prepared with natural defenses against these harmful free radicals.

Antioxidants are chemical substances found naturally in fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants act on free radicals, pursuing them and neutralizing them in order to stop their damage on healthy cells of the body.

What are the antioxidant effects of plants? Among the many plants that have disease-fighting antioxidants is the camellia sinensis, otherwise known as the tea plant. For centuries, tea has been served in Asian households as a healthy drink to promote health and general well-being. Green tea especially has been greatly favored due its many amazing health benefits.

For centuries, green tea has been consumed throughout the ages in Asia. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, green tea has been used as a stimulant, diuretic (to promote the excretion of urine), astringent (to control bleeding and help heal wounds), and to improve heart health.

The benefits of green tea have been largely attributed to the presence of polycatechins which have potent antioxidant effects. However, besides polycatechins, there are also other ingredients in green tea that contribute to its antioxidant effects.

What are the antioxidant effects found in green tea? Among all flavonoids, catechin is ranked high for its antioxidant effects and properties. Catechin is that substance in green tea which makes the beverage an excellent source of antioxidant effects. Besides tannin, vitamins such as vitamin A (carotene), C, and E, there are also other well-known substances in green tea that gives it its antioxidant effects.

Research aimed at finding the active compounds in green tea revealed that its defensive and antioxidant effects are mainly due to catechins which are powerful polyphenolic antioxidants.

Green tea also has antioxidant effects that make them powerful anti-carcinogenic, cardioprotective, nueroprotective, and anti-microbial actions. A mostly bioactive catechin called epigallocatechin gallate has been singled out by many researchers as very important because of its antioxidant effects leading to cancer prevention.

It is therefore a good idea to drink tea for its antioxidants effects. A constant intake of antioxidants from our diet can protect against damages to our body cells which occur following oxidation. Have more cups of green tea per day and benefit from its antioxidant effects.

(article by Julie Health)

Do You Think That You Should Help To Improve Your Immune System?

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Everyone was born with an Immune System, it is the natural protection that was given to us, for defence against infections, germs, diseases, invaders and microorganisms that the body faces on a daily basis. The immune system attacks anything that invades the human body that is likely to cause illness or disease.

The immune system is made up of cells, proteins, organs and tissues. All the cells initially, come from the bone marrow which also produces red blood cells and platelets. The cells that are a part of your defending system are white cells and they are stored in many places around the body, including the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes and of course in bone marrow.

The white cells circulate around the organs and lymph nodes, by what is called the lymphatic system, they also travel along the blood circulatory system, so you can see that they are well organised for visiting every part of your body. This is the reason why they are so important and essential for good health.

These cells comunicate with each other all the time, when two cells meet, plainly speaking, they eye each other up and down, to see if the other has a problem, if one has something wrong then help is called to repair the cell, if it is beyond repair, it is eliminated completely from the system. this is called cellular communication.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Immune System experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to the Immune System.

There are millions of these cells throughout your body, working all the time to keep you in good health, day and night. If they are looked after properly, they will work efficiently, and fight all the invaders, but if they are starved of the right nutrition through poor quality food, like takeaways, alcohol abuse, smoking or drug abuse, then they start falling over, and you start picking up illnesses, or diseases, or they become confused and start working on the wrong things, this is when you can start to develop autoimmune diseases like diabetes, they attack the insulin producing cells or any of the other complaints like arthritis, multiple sclerosis and perhaps even age related happenings.

The cells of the immune system must be kept in a balanced state, called immune system modulation, this means that the cells must be fed so that they work efficiently, without becoming confused in what they are doing. They must repel all invaders that can harm the body, but they also must not attack any of your own body systems, so things have to be balanced.

There is only one way to ensure that the immune system is functioning efficiently and properly and that is by ensuring that it gets the correct natural nutrition needed to make this happen. The poor old immune system has to fight all the pollution, pesticides, chemicals, gasses and poisons that were never in existence when humans were first created, so the first and most important necessity is natural nutrition.

The two best natural nutrition supplements available today is the Goji Berry, which is grown naturally in the Himalayas for over 3000, years and is now available as a delicious tasting fruit juice. The second one is Glyconutrients, the eight natural essential sugars that heal.

If you want to achieve or maintain good health, the immune system is the first thing you should be checking out, as soon as possible.

Is there really any information about the Immune System that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

(article by: Alfred Jones)

A Human Sperm Cell

The mature sperm cell (spermatozoa) is 0.05 milliliters long. It consists of a head, body and tail. The head is covered by the ac cap and contains a nucleus of dense genetic material from the 23 chromosomes.

It is attached from the neck to the body containing mitochondria that supply the energy for the sperm's activity. The tail is made of protein fibers that contract on alternative sides, giving a characteristic wavelike movement that drives the sperm through the seminal fluid, which also supplies additional energy.

Some sperm have two heads or two tails and if the testes are too warm they may die or spermatogenesis may not occur.

Sperm swim at a rate of about 1 to 4 mm (0.12 inches) per minute. That’s an average, it’s different for every man. Some sperm cells are 'better' swimmers than others. Why? They need to wave their tales more than 1000 times just to swim 1.25 cm or a half an inch. Why some are better than others is still a mystery to many fertility specialists. Anyway...

Sperm cells are made in the testes where it takes about 72 days for one sperm to grow. Sperm production requires a temperature which is three to five degrees below body temperature. The scrotum has a built-in thermostat, which keeps the sperm at the correct temperature while they’re being stored. If it becomes too cool on the outside, the scrotum will bring the testicles closer to the body for warmth as you probably know from jumping into a cold pool of water or ocean. That’s why the testes hang away from the body -- so sperm can develop at the temperature they need. (95° - 97° F or 35° to 36° C)

Semen contains small amounts of more than thirty elements, including fructose, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, creatine, citric acid, lactic acid, nitrogen, vitamin B12, and various salts and enzymes. Let’s go back to the inside of the head of the sperm. All normal cells have 46 chromosomes but sperm have half that number or, 23. If and when the sperm joins ups with the female’s, egg (ovum) which also has 23 chromosomes, together they add up to 46 chromosomes.

The middle section controls the sperms activities. The sperm or (spermatozoa -- which are the little swimming critters) make up only about 5% of what a man ejaculates each time he ejaculates. This represents about 100 to 400 million of them! Therefore, they are very, very, very tiny, in fact a single sperm is the smallest cell in the body. The rest of what a man ejaculates in his ejaculate, which is about a teaspoonful (5 ml), is made up of water, sugar, protein, vitamin C, zinc, and prostaglandins.

Semen or seminal fluid is the mixture of sperm and the secretions of the seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and the bulbourethral glands. Over the course of a man’s life, he’ll produce more than 12 trillion sperm. There’s some sexual health trivia for you.

(article by Amy Otis, RN)