The Healthy Way to Prevent & Fight Cancer

Dr Stephen Mak treats terminally ill cancer patients by “un-orthodox” way and many patients recovered. He explains he is using solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients.

He believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses.

Fruits and juices is one of the strategies to heal cancer.

As of late, he says that his success rate in curing cancer is about 80%.

Cancer patients shouldn’t die. The cure for cancer is already found.

Few can live for 5 years under the conventional treatments and most live for only about 2 to 3 years. The conventional treatments do not make any difference because most cancer patients also live for about 2 to 3 years without undergoing any treatment.

It is difficult to cure those cancer patients who have undergone chemo and radiotherapy as their cells are toxic and weak. When there is a relapse, the cancer will spread fast as the resistance is poor.

Eating Fruit
We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

It’s not as easy as you think. It’s important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?

It means not eating fruits after your meals! Fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil….

You have heard people complaining – every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc – actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.

The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice – drink only fresh fruit juice, not from the cans. Don’t even drink juice that has been heated up. Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene – the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C Potassium.

Watermelons are packed with vitamin A (good for the eyes), vitamin C (boosts immunity, repairs wounds and promotes healthy teeth and gums) and vitamin B6 (improves brain function and converts protein to energy.)Rich in anti-oxidants, they are low in calories and make for a perfect health drink. Watermelons comprise 92% water and are devoid of fat and cholesterol. And because of their high water content, they also tend to make you feel full faster.

While buying watermelons, look out for those which are firm and slightly symmetrical. Keep an eye out for cuts. A slightly yellowish tinge on one side indicates that the watermelon is packed with juice and is sweet.
The fruit is also packed with potassium, which is known to improve muscle and nerve function. It also reduces inflammation, which contributes to asthma, diabetes, colon cancer and arthritis.

GUAVA PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Drinking Cold water after a meal: It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Kale Nutritional Benefits for Cancer

Kale plants are identical to broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and it looks like collard greens in both appearance and growth.

Kale belongs to the family of cabbages, botanically known as Brassica.

It is a leafy green vegetable that is grown and cultivated commercially in many states for its immense health and nutritional benefits. Kale plants are well grown in cold climate conditions and its leaves are dark green in color and curly in shape and looks like rosette. Blue curled kale, Red Russian kale, Tuscan kale are some of the varieties of this plant.

Kale plant dark green leaves are edible and contain essential polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants. Kale consists of very low fat and very low calorie content and this vegetable are very popular among Romans and Greeks since antiquated times. Now it gains popularity in Western Countries including USA for its anti cancer properties. Kale consists of vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin B complex constituents, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and potassium, sodium as electrolytes, and contains minerals like calcium, manganese, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, selenium and phosphorous. Alpha carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta carotene are also found in Kale. Besides this, it has carbohydrates, proteins, fats, dietary fiber and zero choelesterol.

Kale nutritional benefits for cancer and other health benefits include the presence of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane in kale, inhibits growth of cancerous cells especially in colon and prostate.

Di-indolyl-methane found in kale, acts against viral infections and bacterial infections.

The presence of beta carotene, lutein and vitamin A in kale, improves vision and skin health while the presence of zeaxanthin improves vision and prevents macular degeneration.

Purify Water the Old Desi Style

Copper vessels kill germs

Forget water purifiers (Aqua Guard / Pure it), and follow grandma’s age-old principle of storing water in copper tumblers to keep away diseases like typhoid, cholera, gastroenteritis and uncontrolled loose motions.

Thousands are spent on designer taps, water purifiers for safe gaurds, but the age old traditional copper vessels, utensils, taps, doors etc have now proved to be anti-bacteria which safe gaurds, this shows our ancestors knowledge of depth in every aspect of healthy living.

Water, if stored in copper vessels for about 24 hours, gets purified as the harmful bacteria present in it become inactivated or gets destroyed.

Copper attacks the DNA and other protein molecules present in the bacteria and causes them severe injury. This injury later leads to their death. For bacteria to die it takes about 24 hours.

For countries where pure drinking water is a dream in many localities and for a vast section of its people, this tradition of storing water in copper vessels reduces the chance of a number of infections, she pointed out.

The researchers tested the anti-bacterial effect of copper against bacteria like Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio cholerae and E coli. They found that copper can kill these harmful pathogens present in contaminated water.

The copper vessel should be pure with at least 95 per cent copper and five per cent zinc. If the copper content is less than 95 per cent it will not kill the harmful pathogens. In the studies we have taken 99 per cent pure copper vessels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1081359/Copper-door-handles-taps-kill-95-superbugs-hospitals.html

Copper Kills Salmonella, Other Microbes

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/07/study-copper-kills-salmonella-other-microbes/#.UGMsdhf9hKM

Copper vessel keeps germs in water away 

Copper can destroy undesirable virus & bacteria. It is interesting that the Ayurveda new this, when bacteria were unknown to science! Ayurveda recommends storing water in Copper Vessels.

Ancient Egyptians used Copper Vessels to keep water fresh.

Even today, management of Siva temple at Rameswaram uses large sized Copper vessels to store water brought from river Ganges to offer to lord Siva. Water, stored thus, stays fresh for years together.

According to scientists, copper vessel can be the answer to kill the `E-Coli’ bacteria which causes food poisoning. British scientists are carrying out research on copper and concluded that copper ions kill these harmful bacteria, a capability not found in any other metals including gold.

It is interesting to see that a research group from Southampton University found that Coli 157 bacteria can live happily in stainless steel vessels for months together, while copper vessel at room temperature can kill them in just four hours. At 20 degree Centigrade, in the stainless steel vessel, those bacteria live for 34 days, while in brass vessel they live only for 4 days.

Thus if one uses copper vessels for storing water in factories, shops, hospitals, restaurants, we can get rid of the risk of these food poisoning bacteria. Though stainless steel is much used for its shine and cleanliness, the copper is more useful material for vessels.

Copper and Fertility

The advantages of drinking copper water was pointed out by Andrew Saul, Contributing Editor for the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, while speaking on fertility, conception & family planning. In his own words -”If you want to conceive, try having the man take mega doses of vitamin C for a few weeks prior. At least 6,000 milligrams a day, and as much as 20,000 mg/day guarantees very high sperm production. Divide the dose throughout the day for maximum effect. And that effect is what, exactly? More sperm, stronger sperm, and better swimming sperm all occurred, at even lower daily C doses, in a University of Texas.

Continued high doses of Zinc can produce a Copper deficiency & sometimes a Copper deficiency anemia. This is very easy to compensate for. To begin with, most Americans have copper water pipes in their homes. Drink a glass or two of cold water first out of the tap every morning and you’ll get copper. Secondly, eat more raisins and other Copper-high foods. Third, take a multiple vitamin (as you should be doing anyway) with Copper in it.

Finally, do what those sexpots in India have been doing for thousands of years. Buy a Copper metal cup, fill it with cold water at bedtime, and drink it first thing the next morning!!!

It is also seen that Copper water becomes “sharp” and gets readily absorbed by our body, reaches cells in about 45 minutes. Hence, it is generally recommended that after Ushapan (Drinking water in morning), one should give a gap of 45 minutes before taking tea or coffee. Copper water is also recommended to people suffering from vitiligo, where it helps formation of melanin. After starting on copper water, many do not need cold water to satisfy the thirst. With yoga, pranayama and other breathing techniques, senses become so sharp that taste and quality of water can be sensed adequately. Though copper water is slightly ionic, it does not cause gastric acidity to increase. On the other hand, due to increased Agni and digestion, acidity reduces.

You May Do Something About Type II Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious ailment and it can cause numerous health complications.

When people have diabetes, their bodies fail to produce insulin or produce little insulin. It is also related to issues like vision problems, high blood pressure, heart ailments and strokes. Therefore it is important to know how you can prevent diabetes.

Being overweight or being older may predispose you to diabetes. The common reasons for diabetes to occur are age, family history, ethnicity¸ weight, activity level, smoking, high blood pressure and weight loss.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. It can be treated with insulin and control through the use of glucose meters.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of people . It’s also known as late-onset diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.

It may be treated by dietary changes, exercise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may later be required.

There is no cure for diabetes. Treatment involves medicines, diet, and exercise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms and problems

Get Physical
Exercise can help you:
•    Lose weight
•    Lower your blood sugar
•    Boosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range

Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.

Get Plenty of Fiber
It’s rough, it’s tough — and it may help you:
•    Reduce your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control
•    Lower your risk of heart disease
•    Promote weight loss by helping you feel full

Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Go for Whole Grains
Although it’s not clear why, whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and many cereals. Look for the word “whole” on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

Lose Extra Weight

If you’re overweight, diabetes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Every pound you lose can improve your health. And you may be surprised by how much.

Skip Fad Diets and Make Healthier Choices

Low-carb diets, the glycemic index diet or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first, but their effectiveness at preventing diabetes isn’t known nor is their long-term effects. And by excluding or strictly limiting a particular food group, you may be giving up essential nutrients. Instead, think variety and portion control as part of an overall healthy-eating plan.

 

World’s Longest Married Couple Share Their Secrets To Living Happily

Karam, 107, and Katari, 100, have been married for 87 years. They have 8 children and 28 grandchildren together. The marriage is almost 5 years longer than current Guinness record holders.

Couple say that laughter and looking after each other is key to marriage.

In an age where few marriages endure the test of time, 107-year-old Karam and his wife Katari Chand, 100, are proof that happy ever after does exist.

The pair say that the key to success is looking after each other in every way possible: ‘My trick is to make Katari laugh. I like to tell jokes and make her smile. Being funny is my way of being romantic.’ says Karam.

 

‘I have been told laughing makes you live longer… my wife is still alive so it must have worked! I love her so much and I want to spend another 80 years by her side,’ said Karam.

From romantic meals to sharing jokes, the couple, who hail from Punjab, India and now live in Bradford ensure that they do little things for each other to keep the romance alive.

Katari told romantic networking site Zoosk.co.uk: ‘When I was young I used to make him a nice fresh meal every night. We are vegetarian so I brought lots of fresh vegetables and made sure he was eating healthy food.

‘Health is very important and I wanted to look after him so we could grow old together. Some would say it has worked!

‘Oh and how can I forget, I always save a bit of my chapatti for him. Just a little gesture that he appreciated a lot and it kept me a bit slimmer.’

Karam, who likes to do a word search every day to keep his mind alive, believes that spending plenty of time together has helped their marriage last.

‘We have not spent any long span apart in over 50 years. We go everywhere together – up until a few years ago we went to India every year with the family and for all family weddings we make sure we get to stay together,’ he said.

‘In the past people used to listen. Now I don’t think people take the time to listen to each other properly. People seem too busy today with work, TV and other stuff going on around them.

‘Relationships are about understanding one another and listening to concerns and problems, so my advice to men and women is to listen to their partners, show interest in what they are saying and help them overcome any worries or problems they are going through,’ he said.

And their son Satpaul, who is extremely proud of his parent’s relationship, added his own words of wisdom.

He said: ‘One piece of advice that I can’t stress enough is to keep your parents very close. We live with them in Bradford and look after them because we want to help them live as long as they can together.

‘I don’t want to see their love story end. I truly believe that by helping them over the last few years we have enabled them to enjoy their time together with no stress and being looked after.

‘Also, you have to value them while they are here because you never know how long they are going to be around for.’

The still loved-up couple, who met through an arranged marriage, are having a big party in November to celebrate Karam’s 107th and Katari’s 100th birthday. The Mayor of Bradford as well as lots of community members will be joining in the festivities.

THEIR TOP FIVE TIPS TO KEEPING THE ROMANCE ALIVE

Always be faithful: always be faithful to one another. When you get married you commit to devoting your life to that person and even when the times are tough, don’t believe that the grass is greener…because it isn’t.

Look after each other as best you can: if you want to grow old with your partner you have to make sure you always look after each other in every shape and form. Whether it is making a meal, holding your partners hand when crossing the road or being a shoulder to cry on when something goes wrong.

Be tolerant of each other: everyone has bad habits or annoying traits. Whether it is leaving a towel on the floor or listening to the radio too loudly, you have to tolerate each other and realise that no one is perfect. Of course we irritate each other occasionally, but if you want to last nearly 90 years, learn to love bad habits or it won’t work.

Listen to each other: the most important thing in a relationship is to listen. People don’t listen anymore because they are too busy with work and TV. Listen to your loved ones’ problems and concerns every day, because then you can help them overcome them and be happier. Also, it brings you closer together because you are the first port of call for each other when there is an issue in your life.

Follow social and religious values: always make sure you follow social or religious values. Respect, care, cherish, love and value your partner – always treat them how you would want to be treated yourself.

Type 2 Diabetes Can be Avoided

While diabetes can be genetic, doctors say that type 2 diabetes mellitus can be prevented by following a proper lifestyle.

If you think that diabetes is a disease that afflicts the older folks and you are safe from it, then we beg you to think again. Those overweight, over-stressed and poor lifestyle observers are easy targets for this lifestyle disease, even at the young age of 20.

Here are the top 5 ways to prevent Type 2 diabetes:

Exercise regularly
Regular exercise for at least 5 to 6 days in a week is a must. Opt for 30 minutes of intense exercise where the heart rate is double. Brisk walking or jogging and muscle building through weight lifting are good.

Have an active lifestyle, which means one must exercise at least 20-30 minutes in a day. Aerobic exercises such as walking, cycling and swimming are good.

Improving physical activity is one major step in preventing Type 2 diabetes.

Stress reduction
Stress reduction, both – at home and at workplace, is a must.

Meditation, music, giving and getting love and respect from children, contentment in life, learning to forgive and keeping pets at home are a few ways through which one can combat stress.

Make sure you are sleeping for 8 hours at night as various studies have shown that less than 6 hours of shut-eye time can put you at a greater risk of diabetes. Also, avoid sleeping too much, as sleeping too long because of sleep apnea is also linked to diabetes.

Maintain your weight
Keep BMI (weight in kgs divided by square of height in metres) at around 22- 23. Waistline for males should be less than 90, and for females less than 80 cms.

Maintain your body weight, that is, do not gain too much weight above the ideal body weight.

And as far as possible, avoid abdominal fat which causes insulin insensitivity leading to Type 2 diabetes. If obese, try and reduce at least a few kilograms in order to get a head start.

Eat a healthy diet
Small frequent meals i.e. total daily calories load is divided into 3 small meals and 3 snacks, roughly at three hourly intervals. Avoid excess of refined carbohydrates and fats.

Eat a healthy diet with high fiber, low fat, optimal calories for age and complex carbohydrates.

A healthy diet should have sufficient calories as required at a particular age and work type. It should be high in fiber and low in fat. Do not over-eat or over-drink. One must enjoy one’s meal or a drink or two once in a while but over-drinking and over-eating adds extra calories, which are converted into fat in the body causing insulin intolerance and thus obesity.

Annual self risk assessment
Those with a family history of diabetes, or those who are overweight/obese, follow a sedentary life style, and have waistlines beyond 102 cms (for men) and 85 cms (for women), or a history of diabetes during pregnancy are at a greater risk of developing diabetes.

If one has an underlying disease that must be cured such as hypertension or depression, then the risk of diabetes is higher.

One must try to quit smoking in order to prevent diabetes.

Annual investigations should be done for early diagnosis and preferably to investigate the disease in pre-diabetic stage in order to reverse the disease.

 

Sleeping Immediately After a Traumatic Incident May Not Help Victims Forget

When you are stressed, all you may be longing for is a good night’s sleep. Similarly, if you have just had a really traumatic experience, it’s natural to think that sleep would help heal. But recent research at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Life Sciences questions this idea.

It claims that making a person sleep immediately after he has experienced trauma will only make the memories of the incident stronger. The JNU sleep research team will be formally publishing this finding in a journal soon.

In a series of experiments on mice, the team discovered a unique relationship between sleep and trauma by creating what they call “a cued fear conditioning”. Team leader Sushil Kumar Jha explains: “We first scared them by making a sound followed by a fear stimulus. The conditioning was very much like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans. The next day they were only made to hear the sound and the physical stimulus was notgiven. They still got scared.” One group of mice was then allowed to sleep immediately after while another group was not allowed to sleep for six hours. “We again made the sound to see how they respond,” says Jha. Once again, the group that slept got scared; the group that was not allowed to sleep did not respond with fear. According to Jha, sleeping right after the traumatic event may have helped in consolidating memories of the trauma in the first group.

“In real life, when people suffering from PTSD are taken to hospital they are made to sleep immediately. Instead, if they are given painkillers and kept awake for some hours it may help them deal with the trauma better. We are still working on the study and will be ready with the results soon,” adds Jha.

However, H Chandrasekhar, head of psychiatry at Bangalore Medical College, says it’s too early to say if sleep has any role in trauma management. “I can only say that the more you sleep, the more you remember. In case of trauma patients, the immediate need will be pain management than sleep. Also, the findings of the JNU research I think will vary with the kind of trauma a person experiences,” he says.

JNU researchers are also working on various aspects of sleep’s impact onhealth and learning. Disturbed sleep due to stress can lead to conditions like obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular problems and a compromised immune system. A global study by Warwick Medical School estimates that over 150 million people aged 50 and above in the developing world — including 5% of Indians — suffer from sleep disorders.

Sleep also affects cognitive capabilities. One study currently underway at JNU shows that learning sessions lead to deep and sound slumber. The team also advocates a 15 to 20-minute power nap after lunch for people at work. Especially if their work involves multitasking and decision-making, such as people in managerial roles. “Tiredness affects decisiveness. If you are groggy, you will obviously experience attention deficit. Even the caffeine high of tea and coffee cannot give you the same alertness that you experience after a short nap,” says Jha.

He explains that their findings are based on animal experiments and there is a growing body of evidence that power naps are good. “But we perceive sleeping at work to be a crime. Anyone who is seen to be falling asleep is criticized. I think companies should start looking at power naps differently,” says Jha.

NAP WRAP
There are five stages of sleep. Stage 1 is very light sleep while stage 5 is the deepest

Sleep brings down body temperature

Stress-induced sleep deprivation can cause obesity & hypertension; immune system is compromised

The notion that a glass of milk before going to bed may induce good sleep may be false. A neurotransmitter called serotonin is released in milk that is actually a wake inducer. So milk before sleep may lead to lighter sleep.

Sleep consolidates memory. So sleeping after a session of learning leads to better recall

Power naps help you become alert and decisive. A 15-20 minute power nap after lunch is ideal.

Causes of Migraine

Lack of Vitamin D, lack of Vitamin B in foods, exposure to fluorescent lights for longer periods, food allergies, certain drugs prescribed for blood pressure, artificial foods and beverages, processed foods that are rich in the chemical known as tyramine, and lowering the glucose levels in the blood are some of the known causes for Migraines.

Certain drugs prescribed for the relief of migraines may produce side effects on health.

Want to Live Longer? Don’t Try Caloric Restriction

The latest research on caloric restrictions shows that near-starvation diets may not be the Fountain of Youth

By Maria Szalavitz

Decades ago, in the 1930s, researchers working with lab rats made an interesting discovery. Animals that had been deprived of food seemed to live longer than rodents that were fed to satisfaction, raising the intriguing idea that maybe near-starvation was a good, rather than bad thing, for health.

Follow up studies, particularly in yeast, confirmed the trend and some forward-thinking scientists even began restricting their caloric intake in the hopes of seeing some extra years. But the latest research conducted on close human cousins, rhesus monkeys, shows that the connection may not be as solid as once hoped.

Published in the journal Nature, the results suggest that dramatically cutting back on daily calories — by 30% — does not help monkeys to live longer than those who ate normally. The restriction did help older monkeys to lower their levels of triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease, but otherwise conferred no significant health or longevity benefit.

Caloric restriction may have its evolutionary roots as a survival mechanism, allowing species to survive on scraps when food is scarce in order to continue to reproduce. But that restriction only has lasting positive effects if the overall diet is a balanced one, which may not always be the case in conditions of famine. (That also explains why anorexia is so unhealthy:  people who starve themselves become malnourished). It’s possible the strategy developed as a way to protect species from consuming toxic plants or foods, when it wasn’t always obvious which sources were verboten.

The study, begun in 1987 and one of the longest running trials to investigate the effects of caloric restriction, contradicts the only prior research conducted with rhesus monkeys, which found the opposite effect, highlighting the complex relationship between caloric processing and metabolic functions that contribute to aging and health.

For example, the study notes that the effects of caloric restriction on the immune system may not be all good: some studies show slower wound healing and increased risk for infectious disease. In young animals, restricting calories also reduces fertility.

It’s not entirely clear why the two monkey studies had such varying results. Some believe that the differences may reflect variance in the diets given to the animals in the two studies. “They may be modeling different things,” they say, explaining that the controlled animals were allowed to eat freely in the study while in the new research, both controls and those on the restricted diet were limited to specific maximum amounts. The controlled animals, they say, may reflect more of a typical American diet, while the controls in the new research are more like people who already eat healthy amounts.

One study diet also contained far more sugar— 29% of calories, compared to 4% in the NIA trial. In fact, 40% of control animals in the Wisconsin study developed diabetes, but none of the restricted monkeys did, despite their sugary meals.

“If I told you that eating less would prevent diabetes, I don’t think you’d be surprised,” says Dr. Austad of the University of Texas, who wrote a commentary on the new study for Nature.  He’s spoken to groups of people who have already put themselves on caloric restriction, hoping for longer life.  Rodents on such diets live to the human equivalent of 120-130. But this research suggests “you’re not going to live to 130,” he concludes.

Indeed, the NIA study implies that the benefits of simply eating a balanced, healthy diet may provide as much life extension as dietary restrictions can produce. The meals received by both groups of animals in the study were carefully balanced for nutrient content and even shifted with the seasons  as the monkeys’ natural diet in the wild would.

Even with the findings, however, some experts are still holing out hope that restricting calories may prove beneficial for certain health outcomes, specifically in combating cancer and heart disease. The question, of course, is how much restriction can you get away with in order to still get these benefits — and whether a drug could replicate caloric restriction without the self-discipline needed to enforce it. One such possibility, based on a compound found in red wine called resveratrol, is already being tested but its safety and effectiveness in humans has not yet been demonstrated. Austad himself is studying another drug that has shown life extension benefits in rodents called rapamycin, which is already approved to suppress immune rejection in patients receiving organ transplants.

To understand why the NIA and Wisconsin groups got such different results, they plan to collaborate to fully analyze the data generated by the two trials. “We consider our two studies to be complementary, not competitive,” says Colman,  “We have plans to work together to directly compare information from our two studies.” The result, they hope, may be some version of the Fountain of Youth.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/29/want-to-live-longer-dont-try-caloric-restriction/#ixzz25U6Ecc3E

Stop Eating Junk Food

Junk food is defined as food with empty calories—it provides fat, sugar and salt, without nutrition. These ranged from instant noodles, chips and Indian bhujia to the ubiquitous colas, chicken fries and burgers.

Labels on packages do not explain just how much of our daily salt, sugar or fat quota this “fun” food is taking up. We are not told that one packet of chips, devoured easily, supplies half of what we should take daily in terms of fat and salt; one bottle of cola has twice the daily added sugar allowance of adults and children.

It is not in the interest of food companies to advertise this. It is in our interest to know.

The companies are not just irresponsible through omission, but also through deliberate misrepresentation of facts about the quantity of trans fatty acids—trans fats in short—in their products.

Trans fats, formed during hydrogenation of oil, are linked to serious health problems.

But the food-related laws in Pakistan do not require companies to declare the quantity of trans fat in their products.

Take the case of Pepsi. It went on an advertising spree, saying its potato chips were healthy because they did not have trans fat and were cooked in rice bran oil. Filmstar Saif Ali Khan was its brand ambassador in India, urging children and adults to eat without guilt and care. The chips were branded “snack-smart”, implying good. Then Pepsi decided that these chips were heavy on its pocket. So it changed the medium of cooking and removed the snack-smart logo and the declaration of zero-trans fat from the packets. But this time it did not launch an advertising campaign. Why should it?

The company added insult to injury. First, even what was claimed to be trans fat-free had 0.9 gm per 100 gm. Secondly, packets of chips manufactured in February 2012 had dangerously high trans fat levels of 3.7 gm per 100 gm—much more than what is allowed in daily diet. But under the weak food regulations they did not have to tell people what was in the packet. It is no surprise then that Pepsi, in its rebuttal said, “All products are fully compliant with regulations, including those on labeling.” Clearly, food companies are not in the business of food, but in the business of profit.

Question is why should one test junk food when it is already known to be bad? Two, why test only packaged food when all snacks are said to be equally bad?

Firstly, we do not know just how bad this food really is. We should know more because it is critical we take informed decisions about our health. Non-communicable diseases, from hypertension to cancer, are a global epidemic. Bad food and bad lifestyle are major causes of these diseases. Pakistanis are especially vulnerable when it comes to diabetes; as compared to Caucasians, they are genetically disposed to have more fat than muscle and have a greater propensity to put fat around the abdomen. They are also too poor to cope with the horrendous health costs of debilitating diseases like diabetes. Therefore, our food regulations have to be even more stringent in limiting quantities of salt, sugar and fat in food.

Secondly, regarding food other than junk it must be made clear that traditional and local diets are built on the principle of moderation and balance.