Calcium supplements, commonly taken by older people for osteoporosis, are associated with an increased risk of a heart attack, finds a study published on bmj.com recently.
The results suggest that a reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is needed.
Calcium supplements are commonly prescribed for skeletal health, but a recent trial suggested they might increase rates of heart attack (myocardial infarction) and cardiovascular events in healthy older women.
To further investigate this important issue, an international team of researchers analysed the results of 11 randomised controlled trials of calcium supplements (without co-administered vitamin D) involving 12,000 patients.
Differences in study design and quality were taken into account to minimise bias. They found that calcium supplements were associated with about a 30 per cent increased risk of heart attack and smaller, non-significant, increases in the risk of stroke and mortality.
The findings were consistent across trials and were independent of age, sex, and type of supplement. Although the increase in risk is modest, the widespread use of calcium supplements means that even a small increase might translate into a large burden of disease in the population, warn the authors.
Previous studies have found no increased cardiovascular risks with higher dietary calcium intake, suggesting that the risks are restricted to supplements.
Given the modest benefits of calcium supplements on bone density and fracture prevention, a reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is warranted, they conclude.
An accompanying editorial by Professor John Cleland and colleagues suggests that, while uncertainty exists about whether the increase in heart attack and stroke is real, there are also doubts about the efficacy of calcium supplements in reducing fractures. On the basis of the limited evidence available, patients with osteoporosis should generally not be treated with calcium supplements, either alone or combined with vitamin D, unless they are also receiving an effective treatment for osteoporosis for a recognised indication. They also believe that research on whether such supplements are needed as an adjunct to effective agents is urgently required.
THEY are enveloped in a black thick wall, they are white to creamy snack with a bitter after taste. African walnut is in season. The cooked nuts containing the edible seeds are common articles of trade in Nigeria. Most Nigerians eat African walnut just as a snack, but researchers suggest the meal and indeed the whole plant could be the panacea to several diseases.
Researchers have demonstrated how extracts of walnut reduce the risk of breast cancer; boosts fertility and cognitive skills; and stop diarrhoea, fibroids, and disease pathogens such as Candida albicans (thrush), Staphyloccocus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Candida albicans is a fungus (a form of yeast) and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans. The fungus causes candidiasis, also known as thrush, a common condition in immuno-compromised individuals such as Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)-positive patients. Candidiasis also may occur in the blood and in the genital tract.
Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium, is the most common cause of staph infections. It can cause a range of illnesses from minor skin infections, such as pimples, boils (furuncles), and abscesses, to life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, and chest pain.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium, which can cause disease in humans and non-human animals. It is found in soil, water, skin flora, and most man-made environments throughout the world. The symptoms of such infections are generalised inflammation and sepsis. If such colonisations occur in critical body organs such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the results can be fatal.
Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium commonly found in soil. B. subtilis is not a human pathogen. It may contaminate food but rarely causes food poisoning.
Aspergillus niger is a fungus, which causes a disease called black mold on certain fruits and vegetables such as grapes, onions, and peanuts, and is a common contaminant of food.
Nigerian researchers have shown that African walnut has a high potential as an antimicrobial medicinal plant for dug resistant strains; while their United States counterpart found that walnut consumption may provide the body with essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Botanically called Tetracarpidium conophorum or Plukenetia conophora, African walnut belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. In Nigeria, it is called asala or awusa in Yoruba; ukpa in Ibo; and okhue or okwe in Edo.
According to a study presented recently at the United States American Association for Cancer Research yearly meeting, mice fed the human equivalent of two ounces (56.7g) of walnuts per day developed fewer and smaller tumours.
Associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine, United States, Elaine Hardman, said that while her study was done with laboratory animals rather than humans, people should heed the recommendation to eat more walnuts.
Hardman said: "Walnuts are better than cookies, French fries or potato chips when you need a snack. We know that a healthy diet overall prevents all manner of chronic diseases."
Hardman and colleagues studied mice that were fed a diet that they estimated was the human equivalent of two ounces of walnuts per day.
A separate group of mice were fed a control diet. Standard testing showed that walnut consumption significantly decreased breast tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumour and tumour size.
"These laboratory mice typically have 100 per cent tumour incidence at five months; walnut consumption delayed those tumours by at least three weeks," said Hardman.
Molecular analysis showed that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids contributed to the decline in tumour incidence, but other parts of the walnut contributed as well.
"With dietary interventions you see multiple mechanisms when working with the whole food," said Hardman. "It is clear that walnuts contribute to a healthy diet that can reduce breast cancer."
The Nigerian researchers led by E. O. Ajaiyeoba and D. A. Fadare of the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, found that African walnut has a high potential as an antimicrobial medicinal plant. They examined the antimicrobial potential of extracts and fractions of the African walnut.
The researchers in the study published in African Journal of Biotechnology wrote: "This is therefore improving the value of the plant. It is reported to be useful in the folklore in the treatment of dysentery. This investigation therefore justifies its ethnomedical use, having displayed activities with the human pathogenic micro-organisms that were used in this study.
"The need for development of newer antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents is imperative. This is because there is increasing treatment failure rates of microbial infections due to drug-resistant antibiotics. The most active fraction in the present study, the ethyl acetate fraction of the leaf methanol extract, has a very high potential as a source for drug discovery for antimicrobial agents. This is being investigated by our group and the results will be presented in due course."
According to the Medicinal Plants of Nigeria- South West Nigeria Volume 1 compiled and published by Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Victoria Island, Lagos, walnut seeds are used in the treatment of fibroid. The leaf juice is drunk to mitigate prolonged and /or constant hiccups. Seeds are chewed to improve spermatozoa count in men. The leaf juice is used to improve fertility in women and also to regulate menstrual flow.
In southern Nigerian ethnomedicine, African walnut is used as a male fertility agent and the leaves are used for the treatment of dysentery and to improve fertility in males. The oil from the nut has found use in the formulation of wood varnish, stand oil, vulcanised oil for rubber and leather substitute. Most of the studies on the plant have been on the nutritive value of the seeds, which is a snack and delicacy.
According to The Useful Plants of Tropical West Africa by H. M. Burkill, the plant is a woody liane to over 30 metres long, of the bushy savanna. The leaves are considered a headache cure in Southern Nigeria, and have magical use to wash children to cause their mothers to conceive, the Igbo name meaning babies call babies. In Gabon, consumption of the seeds by husbands of wives already pregnant is believed to mitigate the risk of miscarriage. Nigerian material has been screened for alkaloids, a trace of which is recorded in the bark.
Previous studies had shown that African walnut prevents heart disease. They suggested eating walnuts at the end of a meal might help cut the damage that fatty food can do to the arteries. It is thought that the nuts are rich in compounds that reduce hardening of the arteries, and keep them flexible.
Phytochemical analysis indicates that African walnuts contain ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that may all reduce the risk of the disease. Most of the studies on the plant have been on the nutritive value of the seeds, which is a snack and delicacy. Two isolectins, Agglutin I and II were characterised from the seed extract. The presence of oxalates, phytates and tannins as well as proteins, fibre, oil and carbohydrates in African walnut has been reported.
In the University of Ibadan study, clinical strains of four human pathogenic bacteria made up of two Gram-positive (Staphyloccocus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) were used for the antibacterial assay, while for the antifungal assay, one yeast (Candida albicans) and one mould (Aspergillus niger) were used for the study.
The micro-organisms were obtained from the laboratory stock of the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Ibadan.
Preliminary phytochemical screening of the plant parts for secondary metabolites, showed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, tannins and anthraquinones in the plant samples.
The concentration of these metabolites were higher in the leaves. Cardiac glycosides were not detected in leaf, stem bark, roots and kernel of African walnut. Percentage yields of extracts were determined after removal of solvents respectively. The extracts displayed concentration-dependent anti-bacterial and antifungal properties.
The root extract displayed intrinsic antibacterial properties. Of the six micro-organisms used, S. aureus was most sensitive to the root and stem bark extracts. Both extracts did not show any antifungal property in the present study.
The leaf extract exhibited the highest activities with all the micro-organisms investigated. The leaf extract also showed anti-fungal properties, inhibiting the growth of the A. niger, a normally resistant mould, much more than the reference drug, tioconazole.
The kernel did not show any activity with the micro-organisms used in this study.
The hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol fractions of the leaf extracts displayed good anti-microbial activities, which were concentration-dependent at the five concentrations (100-5 mg/ml) tested.
The most sensitive bacteria to the four fractions were P. aeruginosa. The ethyl acetate fraction was the most active extract, while the hexane fraction showed least activity. The fractions also inhibited the growth of the two fungi used in the study. The yeast, C. albicans and the mould, A. niger, were inhibited even at a concentration of 10 mg/ml, comparable to tioconazole (a conventional anti-fungal drug).
In the antimicrobial analyses, gentamycin was included as reference antibacterial compound, tioconazole as the reference for anti-fungal. Methanol was included in the experiments as a negative control and it did not display any antimicrobial activity.
DOCTORS at Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, have found that long-term dietary consumption of capsaicin, basic component of chili peppers, could reduce blood pressure by causing blood vessels to relax.
The doctors say the findings in rats have been confirmed in humans through epidemiological analysis. According to a study reported in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, there were already some clues: the prevalence of hypertension is over 20 per cent in Northeastern China compared to 10 to14 per cent in Southwestern China, including Sichuan, Guozhuo, Yunnan, Hunan, and Chongqing.
According to the study, those effects depend on the chronic activation of something called the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel found in the lining of blood vessels. Activation of the channel leads to an increase in production of nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect blood vessels against inflammation and dysfunction.
Chili peppers belong to the family of plants bearing the Latin name Capsicum (Solanaceae). To the Igbo it is called ose. The Yoruba call it atare, while to the Hausa it is borkunu.
Lead researcher, Dr. Zhiming Zhu, said: "We found that long-term dietary consumption of capsaicin, one of the most abundant components in chili peppers, could reduce blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats."
The study is not the first to look for a molecular link between capsaicin and lower blood pressure. However, earlier studies were based on acute or short-term exposure to the chemical, with some conflicting results.
Zhu said their study is the first to examine the effects of long-term treatment with capsaicin in rats with high blood pressure.
Zhu said: " The findings in rats should be confirmed in humans through epidemiological analysis. In fact, there were already some clues; the prevalence of hypertension is over 20 per cent in Northeastern China compared to 10 to14 per cent in Southwestern China, including Sichuan, Guozhuo, Yunnan, Hunan, and Chongqing, where I am from.
“People in these regions like to eat hot and spicy foods with a lot of chili peppers. For example, a very famous local food in my hometown, Chongqing, is the spicy hot pot.
“It is not yet clear just how many capsaicin-containing chili peppers a day you would have to eat to keep the doctor away, although that is a question that should now be examined in greater detail.”
Some local studies have linked the high consumption of different types of chili peppers by the Yoruba tribe to their high life expectancy (number of years lived in good health). It is said that the Yoruba use at least five different types of chili pepper in making a stew or soup.
For those who cannot tolerate spicy foods, there might still be hope. Zhu noted the existence of a mild Japanese pepper, which contains a compound called capsinoid that is closely related to capsaicin.
Zhu said: "Limited studies show that these capsinoids produce effects similar to capsaicin. I believe that some people can adopt this sweet pepper."
Chili peppers are usually red, yellow or green. There are hundreds of different types of chili peppers that vary in size, shape, colour, flavour and ‘hotness.’
Before now, several studies have found chili peppers to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, prevent stomach ulcers, help stop prostate cancer, boost immunity, clear congestion, boost heart health, induce pain relief, fight inflammation, and trigger weight loss.
Researches have also demonstrated how the basic ingredient in chili peppers, capsaicin, may cause weight loss and fight fat build-up by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body.
Researchers have also shown how chili pepper-rich diet can prevent breast cancer and fight microbes. The researchers suggest that the discoveries could lead to new treatments for obesity, cancer and drug-resistant microbes.
Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a principal pungent ingredient of hot red and chili peppers. It has been shown that the hotter the chili pepper, the more capsaicin it contains.
Nigerian researchers have determined the capsaicin content and pungency level of five different peppers grown in Nigeria. The researchers from the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, and the Department of Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State found that yellow pepper (Capsicum chinense), obtained from Nsukka, the South Eastern part of Nigeria is the most pungent of the peppers studied.
Pawpaw seeds, Hibiscus flowers and neem tree could provide the much sought after safe, effective and affordable male contraceptive that can induce reversible infertility.
IN recent times, conventional contraceptives have been in the news for the wrong reasons. Female contraceptives have been linked to stroke, cancer, irreversible infertility, among others. Researchers are also struggling to produce a widely accepted conventional male contraceptive.
However, natural product researchers have validated natural birth control methods for male and female to be safe and reversible.
India researchers have shown that pawpaw seeds extract induces long-term reversible infertility in male monkeys. Pawpaw or papaya is botanically called Carica papaya.
Other researches have demonstrated that Azadirachta indica (neem tree or dogonyaro) and Hibiscus flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) could be employed as effective male and female contraceptives.
The Indian study titled “Chloroform extract of Carica papaya seeds induces long-term reversible azoospermia in langur monkey” was published in Asian Journal of Andrology.
Azoospermia is a complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate. Andrology is the medical specialty that deals with male health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system.
The researchers from the Reproductive Physiology Section, Department of Zoology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur–302 004, India, wrote: “The seeds of Carica papaya have been proven to possess male anti-fertility property. We have conducted a series of experiments with various extracts of the seeds of Carica papaya at different dose and duration regimens.
“Among the various extracts tested, the chloroform extract, the benzene chromatographic fraction of the chloroform extract and its methanol and ethyl acetate sub-fractions have shown reversible anti-fertility activity in rats and rabbits without adverse toxicity. It is pertinent to note that Carica papaya possesses species variation, but the seed extract tested all show sperm motility inhibitory action in rats and azoospermia in rabbits, while the aqueous extract and the chloroform chromatographic fraction of the chloroform extract showing contraceptive efficacy in rats but failed to elicit significant response in rabbits.
“In the present investigation, the chloroform extract of the seeds of Carica papaya in langur monkeys leads to azoospermia without adverse toxicity after 90 days of treatment, in a manner similar to that in rats and rabbits. The sperm functional tests indicated that the voided spermatozoa after 30 and 60 days of treatment were in the infertile range. The effect is reversible as all the semenology (study of semen) parameters returned to pretreatment levels 150 days after treatment withdrawal.
“The mechanism by which the chloroform extract of the seeds of Carica papaya brings about sperm motility inhibition/spermatogenic arrest in animals is not clear.
“Available evidences indicate that the chloroform extract of Carica papaya seeds is an orally effective, safe and readily reversible anti-fertility agent that meets the essential criteria for a male contraceptive.”
Before now, women in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other countries have long used green papaya as a folk remedy for contraception and abortion. Enslaved women in the West Indies were noted for consuming papaya to prevent pregnancies and thus preventing their children from being born into slavery.
Medical research in animals has confirmed the contraceptive and abortifacient (a substance that induces abortion) capability of papaya, and also found that papaya seeds have contraceptive effects in adult male langur monkeys, possibly in adult male humans as well. Unripe papaya is especially effective in large amounts or high doses. Ripe papaya is not teratogenic (able to disturb the growth and development of an embryo or foetus) and will not cause miscarriage in small amounts. Phytochemicals in papaya may suppress the effects of progesterone. Progesterone is a steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy and embryogenesis of humans and other species.
However, other methods of male contraception have shown promise. The potential use of neem leaf extracts as contraceptives is not a new idea; research on its use as a spermicide has been underway since the 1960s. Spermicide is a contraceptive substance that eradicates sperm, inserted vaginally prior to intercourse to prevent pregnancy. The injection of minute quantities of neem oil into the vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm) has been successfully tested as an alternative to surgical vasectomy.
Various forms of neem have been studied as potential reversible male contraceptives. Male mice fed water crushed with fresh neem leaves impregnated fewer female mice and had smaller average litter sizes. Researchers obtained similar results in rats. Within 11 weeks, the animals in this study had 100 per cent effective contraception. The effects were reversed within six weeks. An equivalent body weight dosage was tested in guinea pigs and rabbits, but this dosage was toxic. After six weeks of treatment, 75 and 90 per cent of the respective animals had died.
Studies of various forms of neem for male contraception in different types of mammals have reported no changes in libido or hormonal function. Neither neem leaf extract in water nor neem leaf oil alters the rate spermatogenesis. The contraceptive effect of these two forms of neem comes from a reduction in the motility of the sperm. However, neem bark extract and neem seed oil caused arrest of spermatogenesis within two months, with a decrease in the number of Leydig cells (responsible for the manufacturing of testosterone). Although neem treatment does not trigger a systemic autoimmune response to sperm, researchers speculate that a local immune response of some kind is responsible for its contraceptive effects.
Another plant, which is currently receiving attention as a potential tool in population control is Hibiscus rosa sinensis. Flowers of this plant are said to possess anti-fertility property by ancient Ayurvedic texts. Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative medicine. Traditional use of the flowers in Kerala (Southern India) is for its emmenagogue and contraceptive action. Emmenagogues are substances, which have the ability to provoke menstruation.
The Indian research team has found that only the flowers showed significant activity. Much modern research has shown the flowers to have a post-coital anti-fertility activity. An example is a study undertaken in 1976 that indicated that the H. rosa sinensis flowers possess significant anti-fertility activity with the effects dependant upon the dose, duration of the treatment and the stage of the pregnancy. The presence of potent anti-estrogenic activity in the flower portion may be the responsible factor in terminating pregnancy.
H. rosa sinensis has also been shown to have an impact not only on female reproduction but also on that of males. Extracts of the flowers also affect the generation of sperm as well as the endocrine function of the testes themselves.
The herbs' effect upon the male reproductive system has been studied in rats by observation of changes in weight, histology and endocrine functions. In trying to find how the herb works, the researchers have suggested that it may be due to the inhibition of synthesis or the release of gonadotropins from the pituitary gland, a direct inhibitory effect of tested or hormonal activity. The extract given to young male rats caused a reduction in the weights of the testes, accessory reproductive organs and pituitary gland. There was a marked decrease in levels of the gonadotrophin hormones. After stopping the administration of the herb, spermatogenesis and secretory activity of accessory sex organs started again, thus indicating that the plants effects are transient.
Such a herbal remedy having a potent anti-fertility activity in women and reversible anti-spermatogenic effect in men offers the potential of a safe and acceptable aid in the drive to controlling population growth.
According to an article published in NaturalNews, “Natural Birth Control: Use Hot Water and Papaya Seeds”, “In today's society, much of the burden of birth control involves chemicals, drugs and often falls upon the women. However, it turns out the key to birth control might be better placed on men. And the good news is, you do not have to look any further than hot water and papaya seeds.
“It turns out that sperm do not like heat and by bathing, or simply submerging the testes, in 46.7 degree Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit water, just below the pain threshold) for 45 minutes each day for 21 days, a male becomes sterile for the next six months. Doing this at 43.3 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) reliably produces sterility for the next four months and either ways, it can be repeated for continued effectiveness when the allotted time is up.
“This method dates back to the writings of Hippocrates and derives its effectiveness from the fact that sperm needs to be several degrees cooler than body temperature to be viable; this is why they hang outside the body. Actually, sperm cell death happens at 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), while normal cell death happens at 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) - so this method effectively kills the sperm for a limited but extended period of time.
“In addition, papaya seeds have been found to completely remove the sperm from a male monkey's ejaculation. Rats have also been tested with a compound from papaya seeds and found to have "significantly reduced" sperm counts. At higher levels of ingestion, the rats became completely infertile. The rats' researchers then declared the long term, daily use of compounds from papaya seeds to be a safe and effective male contraceptive.
“Rabbits have also been studied with extracts from papaya seeds. After three months of daily use, the rabbits were found almost completely infertile. The extract showed no effect on their libido or organs - and the contraceptive effects were completely reversible after 45 days of non-use.
“Traditional cultures in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia have long eaten papaya seeds as an effective and safe contraceptive. It appears a teaspoon of the seeds per day is what traditional cultures use - and it takes three months of use to be fully effective. Papaya seeds have been studied more frequently on males than females as a form of contraception, but traditional cultures have used papaya seeds for both male and female contraception.
“For a simple papaya seed drink: Blend half papaya, two or three bananas and 20 to 40 papaya seeds. Add a little stevia for sweetness, if desired. Other fruit can be substituted, as desired.”
People who are physically active appear to be at lower risk for cognitive impairment late in life, and for women, a new study suggests, physical activity during the teenage years may provide the greatest benefit.
The study used data about 9,395 women 65 and older, most of them white, who participated in a multicenter study of osteoporotic fractures. They were asked whether they had been physically active on a regular basis during their teenage years and at ages 30, 50 and later. Their cognitive function was also assessed.
Those who had been active regularly at any age were at lower risk for impairment in later life, but the greatest benefit was for those who had been active in their teens. Only 8.5 per cent of those active during adolescence were cognitively impaired later on, compared with 16.7 per cent of those who had been inactive teenagers. After adjusting for differences between the groups and risk factors like diabetes, researchers concluded that physical activity during the teenage years was associated with a 35 per cent lower risk for cognitive impairment later in life.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
”People often separate the body and mind, and forget that physical activity is actually controlled by the brain,” said Laura E. Middleton, the study‘s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at the Heart and Stroke Foundation Center for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto. ”A large portion of the brain is dedicated toward coordinating and controlling movement.”
Added sugar and high blood pressure
A new study suggests that foods high in added sugar may increase the risk of high blood pressure.
Researchers analyzed data for 4,528 adults with no history of hypertension who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2003-06. Those who consumed at least 2.6 ounces a day of fructose in the form of table sugar or high-fructose corn syrup were found to have almost double the risk for systolic blood pressure higher than 160. (The top number of the two, a measure of blood pressure while the heart is beating, it should normally be no higher than 120.)
“Systolic pressure is really what physicians are interested in, because it‘s related to outcomes, and the increase is pretty dramatic,” said Dr. Michel Chonchol, an associate professor of medicine at University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center and the senior author of the paper, which appeared in The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
But Chonchol cautioned that more research was needed to prove that added fructose played a causal role in hypertension. ”This needs to be proven with the next step, which is a randomized controlled trial,” he said.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting food and beverages with added sugars. In a statement last year, the association said an ”emerging but inconclusive body of evidence” suggested “that increased intake of added sugars might raise blood pressure.”
Eat healthy, say no to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other life-threatening diseases by consuming foods rich in low cholesterol.
Though the liver makes most of the cholesterol in the body, dietary cholesterol plays an important role in controlling all the cholesterol levels in the body. The levels include the total cholesterol and the good and bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol, the HDL (high-density lipoproteins), protects the heart by helping to transport excess cholesterol from the arteries back to the liver for breakdown and disposal. On the other hand, the bad LDL (low-density lipoproteins) cholesterol builds up plaque that clogs the arteries and hinders normal blood flow. As such, nutrition experts have suggested that low cholesterol diet be consumed as it will not only reduce the total cholesterol and LDL levels, but will also increase the HDL level at the same time.
High cholesterol increases the risk of other conditions, depending on which blood vessels are narrowed or blocked. These diseases include coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. High cholesterol has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure. To prevent or manage these conditions, take steps to lower your cholesterol if it is elevated.
The main sources of dietary cholesterol are animal-derived foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats, such as organ meats, egg yolk, butter and other full-cream dairy products. Trans fats (as those in deep-fried foods) and hydrogenated fats, as those in bakery items, are the other culprits. In a low cholesterol diet, you would replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats such as oils of olive, canola, peanut, flaxseed, sunflower, and so on.
As far as trans fats and hydrogenated fats are concerned, it is advisable to avoid them as much as possible, which means taking away French fries, crispies, cakes, cookies, pastries and ice-creams from the low cholesterol diet menu.
Foods that should make an essential part of a low cholesterol diet must come from the following food groups: Cereals and grains: Whole-wheat bread, unpolished rice, and oats-based cereals are foods that are rich in fibre, which helps sweep away the bad LDL cholesterol from the blood. In a low cholesterol diet it is essential to replace white bread and other refined, polished grains with whole-grain varieties.
Nuts and seeds: Nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts and seeds like flaxseeds are rich in antioxidants (such as Vitamin E and selenium) and in good fats, called omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the heart by increasing the HDL level. Nuts and seeds are also a rich source of fibre. The best way to include flaxseeds in a low cholesterol diet is by grinding them and sprinkling over cereals and salads.
Fish: None vegetarians can choose to have a fatty cold-water fish such as salmon or tuna twice a week to get a rich supply of omega-3 fatty acids.
Beans and legumes: Beans, legumes and lentils are rich sources of protein and fibre and are low in fat content. They make an ideal substitute for meats. Soy cheese (tofu) is another good meat substitute in a low cholesterol diet.
Fibre-rich foods: Foods like oats, barley, psyllium, apples, pears, prunes, kidney beans and Brussels sprouts are rich in soluble fibre, which acts like a broom to sweep out the cholesterol from the arteries.
Fruits and vegetables: Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with fibre, antioxidants, flavanoids and plant sterols, all of which help lower cholesterol and raise HDL level. Some eight-10 servings of fruits and vegetables should be included in the daily low cholesterol diet.
Garlic, onion: Some people believe garlic regulates liver functioning and dissolve the cholesterol deposits in the arteries. Others swear that including just half a raw onion in the daily low cholesterol diet can lower LDL level and increase HDL level.
Baked salmon
Recipe for three servings
1cup fat-free sour cream
2 teaspoons dried dill
3 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lb salmon fillet with skin, (cut in centre)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
Fat-free cooking spray, as needed
Whisk sour cream, dill, scallions, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard together in large bowl until well blended. Preheat oven to 400º F; while waiting, spray baking sheet with nonstick fat-free cooking spray. Place salmon, skin side down on baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper, then spread with sauce made in step one. Bake salmon until opaque in centre, or about 20 minutes. For best results, do not over bake.
Tuna fish cakes with spinach
Recipe for three servings
This makes an ideal nutrient-dense low cholesterol meal, low in fat, rich in vitamins and minerals, to satisfy any appetite and hunger pangs.
6oz cans of tuna packed in water, drained
1 pound of potatoes, cut into same size chunks
2 egg whites
2 onions (finely diced)
11/2 cups bread crumbs (whole wheat bread)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
2 lemons cut into wedges
1teaspoon paprika/chilli powder
2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 cups spinach (chopped)
In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs and paprika. Toast for five minutes in dry skillet over medium heat. Set aside. Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash. Set aside. In a skillet, cook onions and garlic in one tbsp of olive oil for five minutes over medium heat.
In a bowl, flake the drained tuna, add the onions, potatoes and lime juice. Form mixture into patties 3" in diameter. Mix egg whites with ¼ cup water and beat. Place tuna fish patties in toasted breadcrumbs, then dip each in egg white solution and again in breadcrumbs.
In a large skillet, cook the tuna fish patties (about five minutes per side) over medium heat. At the same time, stir-fry the chopped spinach in the same pan.
Chicken salad
Recipe two servings
1 cup cooked chicken meat (one medium chicken breast)
1celery stalk, sliced and chopped
1 carrot, grated
½cup red onion-chopped
½ Bell pepper
Salad greens
For dressing:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1tablespoon vinegar
1teaspoon mustard
1teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Chop cooked or grilled chicken into ½-inch pieces and set aside. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. In a large bowl mix the chopped vegetables, chicken and dressing together and refrigerate for about one hour.
Just before serving, wash and dry salad greens, break it up into bite size pieces and lay in the bottom of a small salad bowl. Stir the chicken salad mix again and scoop into the lettuce lined bowl. Serve immediately.
Initiation of breastfeeding within first hour of life reduces jaundice risk
Ahead of the World Breastfeeding Week – August 1 to 7, 2010, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has listed 10 ways of ensuring successful exclusive breastfeeding.
Also, several local researchers and the Lagos State Ministry of Health are championing the call for breastfeeding immediately a child is born to prevent the consequences of blood incompatibility with the mother, which includes neonatal jaundice, brain damage and death.
But most mothers find it difficult to adhere to this recommended practice. Several studies in Nigeria show that this is basically due to the absence of crèches in most working places and ignorance.
WABA is a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declarations, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the World Health Organisation (WHO)/United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF), Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GSIYCF).
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae (whites of the eyes), and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia (increased levels of bilirubin in the blood).
Bilirubin is the yellow breakdown product of normal heme catabolism. Heme is found in haemoglobin, a principal component of red blood cells.
A Consultant Paediatrician at Optimal Specialist Hospital, Surulere, Lagos, Dr. Adejoke Chukwunenye, told The Guardian that neonatal jaundice is usually harmless. “This condition is often seen in infants around the second day after birth, lasting until day eight in normal births, or to around day 14 in premature births. Serum bilirubin normally drops to a low level without any intervention required. The jaundice is presumably a consequence of metabolic and physiological adjustments after birth. A common case is blood incompatibility of the baby with the mother,” she said.
Chukwunenye said in extreme cases, a brain-damaging condition known as kernicterus can occur, leading to significant lifelong disability. She said there are concerns that this condition has been rising in recent years due to inadequate detection and treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
Chukwunenye said a Bili light is often the tool used for early treatment, which often consists of exposing the baby to intensive phototherapy. “Bilirubin count is lowered through bowel movements and urination so regular and proper feedings,” she said.
Chukwunenye told The Guardian that kernicterus could be prevented by making sure the baby starts taking breast milk immediately after birth. “No matter the condition of the mother after birth, ensure that the baby is made to feed from the mother’s breast milk. The first milk contains all the baby needs to fight off jaundice and most other diseases, and prevent brain damage. It can indeed reduce child deaths,” Chukwunenye said.
To enable mothers to establish and sustain exclusive breastfeeding for six months, WHO and UNICEF recommend: Initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of life; Exclusive breastfeeding – that is the infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water; Breastfeeding on demand – that is as often as the child wants, day and night; and No use of bottles, teats or pacifiers.
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.
Breastfeeding has been shown to be an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; and also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers.
A recent review of evidence has shown that on a population basis, exclusive breastfeeding for six months is the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.
According to the WHO, breast milk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life.
Breast milk promotes sensory and cognitive development, and protects the infant against infectious and chronic diseases. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant mortality due to common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea or pneumonia, and helps for a quicker recovery during illness. These effects can be measured in resource-poor and affluent societies. Kramer M. et al have measured the effect in Belarus in a study titled “Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT): A randomized trial in the Republic of Belarus” published in Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001, 285 (4): 413-420).
Breastfeeding contributes to the health and well-being of mothers, it helps to space children, reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer, increases family and national resources, is a secure way of feeding and is safe for the environment.
While breastfeeding is a natural act, it is also a learned behaviour. An extensive body of research has demonstrated that mothers and other caregivers require active support for establishing and sustaining appropriate breastfeeding practices.
WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative in 1992, to strengthen maternity practices to support breastfeeding. The foundation for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) are the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding described in Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: a Joint WHO/UNICEF Statement. The evidence for the effectiveness of the Ten Steps has been summarized in a scientific review document.
The BFHI has been implemented in about 16.000 hospitals in 171 countries and it has contributed to improving the establishment of exclusive breastfeeding world-wide. While improved maternity services help to increase the initiation of exclusive breastfeeding, support throughout the health system is required to help mothers sustain exclusive breastfeeding.
WHO and UNICEF developed the 40-hour Breastfeeding Counselling: A training course to train a cadre of health workers that can provide skilled support to breastfeeding mothers and help them overcome problems. Basic breastfeeding support skills are also part of the 11-day Integrated Management of Childhood Illness training course for first-level health workers, which combines skills for adequate case management with preventive care.
Evaluation of breastfeeding counselling delivered by trained health professionals as well as community workers has shown that this is an effective intervention to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates.
The GSIYCF describes the essential interventions to promote, protect and support exclusive breastfeeding.
The objectives of World Breastfeeding Week 2010 are: to increase attention to the contribution of the Ten Steps to exclusive Breastfeeding; to revitalise activities within health systems, and among healthcare providers and communities to support women to achieve their breastfeeding intentions; to inform people everywhere that protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is a mother’s right, a child’s right, and a human right; to enable women and all who care about human rights to fight for health care systems which support breastfeeding; and to ensure that health workers who care for mothers and babies are adequately trained to counsel and support them in optimal infant feeding.
A statement from WABA reads: “Health care facilities play a vital role in the establishment of breastfeeding. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding provide a supportive pathway enabling women to achieve their breastfeeding intentions and guiding the training of healthcare workers in breastfeeding support.
“World Breastfeeding Week this year commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration that called for implementation of the Ten Steps in all maternity facilities. During these 20 years, more than 20,000 maternities, or about 28 per cent of all maternities in the world, have fully implemented the Ten Steps and have been certified by the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). During this time, rates of exclusive breastfeeding have increased significantly.
“However, reduced BFHI programming worldwide, inadequate training, and weakened compliance with the Ten Steps in accredited maternities are contributing to stagnant or declining exclusive breastfeeding rates in many settings. It is time to revisit this approach and to determine where we must go from here.”
