Wednesday, October 9, 2013

An apple a day keeps the doctor away because of apple pectin



It raises good cholesterol, lowers bad cholesterol and contributes to weight loss.

So what is this miracle substance? An apple.

"I consider apples a magic food," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., director for the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging at
Florida State University. "Apples are not my favorite food, but I buy a bag a week and try to eat two per day. I am convinced this is what I should do
if I want to remain healthy."

According to Arjmandi, apple pectin -- the white stuff under the skin -- binds to cholesterol in the gut and ferries it out of the body. This is well-known, but what surprised Arjmandi is how much cholesterol a couple of
apples can remove from the body.

In one recent study, he divided 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 into two groups. One group ate 75 grams of dried apple per day -- about 2 1/2
ounces -- while the other ate the same amount of dried prunes. To his amazement, the women who ate apples experienced a 23 percent decrease in LDL
"bad" cholesterol, and increased their HDL "good" cholesterol by 3 percent to 4 percent -- a boost difficult to achieve with drugs or exercise.

The women who ate the dried prunes experienced no such effects on their cholesterol, although another study found that women who ate 10 prunes per day, while taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, had higher bone density in their forearms and spine than women who ate apples.

Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, reduce cholesterol very effectively by blocking an enzyme needed to make it. The problem is that statins can be hard on the liver, which is why
people who take them must have a blood test periodically to make sure their liver is not becoming irritated and inflamed.

"The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and it can remain pretty functional if only 50 percent of it stays healthy," said Arjmandi.
"You do not see an abnormality in the blood unless you do substantial damage to the liver. Drugs have their place, but if you have to check your liver enzymes, that means the drug is doing something not so good for you, and I don't understand why we would go for drug therapies when eating two apples a day reduces LDL cholesterol so effectively. Eat apples and you not only
don't harm your liver, but you substantially benefit your health."

So why aren't apples prescribed for high cholesterol as avidly as statin drugs?

Statins account for about 6.5 percent of all drug sales in the U.S., according to Forbes magazine, and earn drug companies about $26 billion per year.

"You'd have to sell a lot of apples to make that kind of money," Arjmandi said. "If the drugs earn that kind of money, why would a business bother with apple pectin?"










Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Egg is a beneficial food and it is the gift of nature

 


1.  Eggs are among the best foods for the body especially to a growing child.

2.   Eggs do not cause an elevation of blood cholesterol.

3.   Eggs do not clog up the coronary vessels as once thought. In fact the opposite is now true.

4.   Eggs are low in energy value, and is a factor to consider in the formulation of a caloric-restriction diet.

5.   Eggs protein quality is extremely high, and has a very high nitrogen-retention value. Hence it is extremely useful in post-surgical care, trauma, and in post-management of hypovolemic shock against negative nitrogen balance.

6.   Eggs contain vitamin D in its natural form. The benefits of vitamin D require several chapters on human nutrition in medicine to discuss.

7.   Eggs are cancer-protective, especially for breast cancer.

8.   Eggs are very rich in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine which is a very crucial amino-acid in blocking damaging free radicals. These are directly linked to the pathogenesis of heart disease, cancers, DNA damage, all degenerative disorders, and accelerated aging.

9.   Eggs protect against fatty liver, slow growth, macular degeneration (degeneration of the macula area of the retina in the eyes. This is responsible for central vision for reading, face recognition and detailed vision), edema (water retention), and various skin lesions

10.    Eggs promote healthy growth of nails, hair and skin.

11.    Eggs are rich in tryphophan, selenium, iodine, and riboflavin (vitamin B2).

12.    Eggs selenium content is cardio-protective against Keshan disease, cardiomyopathies (diseases involving the heart muscles, cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), myocardial dysfunction (poor heart function) and death from heart failure.

13.    Eggs are protective against Kashin-Beck disease (osteoarthropathy), myxedematous endemic cretinism (mental retardation).

14.  Eggs are great for the eyes. According to one study, an egg a day may prevent
mascular degeneraton due to the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin. Both nutrients are more readily available to our bodies from eggs than from other sources.

15.  In another study, researchers found that people who eat eggs every day lower their risk of developing cataracts, also because of the lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs.

16.  One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids.

17.  According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and
heart disease. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks.

18.  They are a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

19.  They contain the right kind of fat. One egg contains just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat.

20.  New research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person's lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it. Research suggests that it is saturated fat that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol.

21.  Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.

22.  Eggs may prevent
breast cancer. In one study, women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week lowered their risk of breast cancer by 44%.

23.  Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficit in foods containing sulphur or B12.

Who said eggs are bad for you?