High Consumption of Margarine Linked to Ashma

A German study exploring a link of dietary intake and ashma risk found evidence that a high margarine intake increases the risk of ashma in adults. Specifically, the study investigates the link between the dietary intake of fatty acids, antioxidants, and selected food groups and ashma in adulthood. Participants of the study comprised a total of 105 newly physician diagnosed cases of ashma which were asked to complete a validated food frequency questionnaires.

Findings of the study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005) included the following :

* A high margarine intake increased the risk of ashma in adulthood.
* While intake of oleic acid was positively associated with ashma , no significant association were found for the other dietary fatty acids.
* The dietary intake of antioxidants and their main food sources had no effect on ashma risk.

Too Much Iron is Bad for the Heart, Study

A study published by the American Heart Association had found more evidence that a diet too rich in iron can cause heart disease in many people. People who are found to have inherited one copy of the mutated gene from each parent had double the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke, the researchers said. The gene involved in a disease is known as hemochromatosis, which allows too much iron to be absorbed from food.

In the United States, statistics show that one in 3,000 people is diagnosed with the condition and one in 250 Americans has two copies of the mutated gene and one in ten has one copy. In the Netherlands, a study at Ultrecht University Medical School studied 12,239 middle-aged women. The result showed that women who have one copy of the hemochromatosis gene had double the risk of dying from a heart or stroke. Women who smoked, had high blood pressure and were carriers of the mutated gene had nearly 19 times the risk of hear attack and stroke death compared to non-smokers with normal blood pressure who did not have the mutation, the researcher said.

"This is the first large study to find a significant association between women who are carriers of the gene and cardiovascular disease,"Mark Roed, the lead researcher shared. He also added that the study also supported the idea that women are protected from heart disease before menopause because they lose iron every month during menstruation.

Anger Linked to Deterioration of Lungs

In a study reported online in the journal Thorax, scientists established a link between chronic anger and deterioration in lung function. Of the 670 men,with age range from 45 to 86 on an eight year project, the study found that males who had higher levels of long-standing anger and hostility had significantly poorer lung functions at the end of the study.

Dr. Rosalind Wright, from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass., said "this study is one of the first to show prospectively that hostility is associated with poorer pulmonary function and more rapid roles of decline
among older men." Negative emotions and stress-related factors, the study suggested, could change biological process, depress the immune function, and increase susceptibility to other diseases.

Operating a Computer Through Thought

By just thinking about it, a paralyzed man has been reported to move a computer cursor, open e-mail, and control a robotic device in a clinical trial to test a neurotechnology device for it's potential to help people with paralysis.

Researchers believe that BrainGate sensor,developed by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. in Massachusetts, has the ability to process signals from the brain to control a computer or prosthetic device.

The process, as reported in the science journal Nature, involves implanting a tiny silicon chip with 100 electrodes into an area of the brain responsible for movement. The cells activity was recorded
before it is sent to the computer , enabling the patient to move and interact with the computer.

Omega Oils As Fat Burners

That's right. You can eat fat and lose weight at the same time. The
difference,of course,is to eat the right kind of fat. Omega fats have been found to be an essential fatty acids needed for overall well-being and to enable the body to turn on it's fat-burning engine.

Ann Louise Gittleman, foremost nutritionist and author of several best selling nutrition books, recommends omega fats found in evening primrose oil and borage oil to her consulting model clients and to all who want to burn excess fats in their bodies. She cites that evening primrose oil supplements resulted in a weight loss of over 10 percent by individuals. The weight loss was achieved without dieting and without the subjects reporting any feelings of deprivation or hunger.

Dietary supplements : how safe are they?

Dietary supplements are increasingly popular among a large group of people concerned with preserving their health and fitness. But the question of their effectiveness claims and safety is also at an all
time high. How safe are they?

Consumers and self-care enthusiasts are taking vitamins,minerals, herbs, or other dietary supplements. For some of the most popular like folic acid, calcium/vitamin D , the evidence for benefits is so clearly established that they are automatically included in the diet. For others like herbal supplements, some hesitate into "may or may not help " frame of mind, as it can be dangerous.

May Palmer, an emergency room physician and toxicologist, along with her colleagues, published an article in Lancet, analyzed nearly 500 calls about bad reactions to supplements which included heart attacks, liver failure, bleeding, seizures, and death. Palmer said,
"When I started the study, i thought that maybe the safety problems with supplements really were mild and that my worries were unfounded.
I was very surprised to see how serious the adverse reactions really were."

Dietary supplements are regulated much more loosely than drugs that it's impossible to know how much harm they cause. Perhaps the best way for consumers to know whether particular products are effective is to use a brand that has been subjected to well-designed clinical
studies. Individuals may educate themselves by visiting private health education companies such as Supplement Watch (www.supplement.watch.com) and The Natural Pharmacist (www.tnp.com) who have done a good job of bringing the scientific evidence or the lack thereof for various supplements from the research journals to the public.

Sharing knowledge

Research is one endeavor where few found worthy to spend time and efforts with but the potential results could benefit many especially in the fields of science and health. I am one of those people who have the passion to know what new discoveries people discover and new researches which spent years and billions of tax money to complete. This blog is reserved for those researches i have found worth sharing and other researches i might have the luck to come across.