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Tuesday 28 March 2017

Liver Cells Grown From Human Skin Cells

Scientists at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have successfully produced liver cells from patients’ skin cells opening the possibility of treating a wide range of diseases that affect liver function.

By Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee 
Oct 9, 2009 - 12:59:26 PM

Could Lead to Treatment of Liver Diseases


(HealthNewsDigset.com) - Scientists at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have successfully produced liver cells from patients’ skin cells opening the possibility of treating a wide range of diseases that affect liver function. The study was led by Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., Marcus Professor in Human and Molecular Genetics, and professor of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy, along with postdoctoral fellow Karim Si-Tayeb, Ph.D., and graduate student Ms. Fallon Noto.


“This is a crucial step forward towards developing therapies that can potentially replace the need for scarce liver transplants, currently the only treatment for most advanced liver disease,” says Dr. Duncan.


Liver disease is the fourth leading cause of death among middle aged adults in the United States. Loss of liver function can be caused by several factors, including genetic mutations, infections with hepatitis viruses, by excessive alcohol consumption, or chronic use of some prescription drugs. When liver function goes awry it can result in a wide variety of disorders including diabetes and atherosclerosis and in many cases is fatal.


The Medical College research team generated patient–specific liver cells by first repeating the work of James Thomson and colleagues at University of Wisconsin-Madison who showed that skin cells can be reprogrammed to become cells that resemble embryonic stem cells. They then tricked the skin–derived pluripotent stem cells into forming liver cells by mimicking the normal processes through which liver cells are made during embryonic development. Pluripotent stem cells are so named because of their capacity to develop into any one of the more than 200 cell types in the human body.


At the end of this process, the researchers found that they were able to very easily produce large numbers of relatively pure liver cells in laboratory culture dishes. “We were excited to discover that the liver cells produced from human skin cells were able to perform many of the activities associated with healthy adult liver function and that the cells could be injected into mouse livers where they integrated and were capable of making human liver proteins,” says Dr. Duncan.


Several studies have shown that liver cells generated from embryonic stem cells could potentially be used for therapy. However, the possible use of such cells is limited by ethical considerations associated with the generation of embryonic stem cells from preimplantation embryos and the fact that embryonic stem cells do not have the same genetic make-up as the patient.


Although the investigations are still at an early stage the researchers believe that the reprogrammed skin cells could be used to investigate and potentially treat metabolic liver disease. The liver may be particularly suitable for stem-cell based therapies because it has a remarkable capacity to regenerate. It is interesting to note that the regenerative nature of the liver was referenced in the ancient Greek tale of Prometheus. When Prometheus was caught stealing the gift of fire from Zeus, he was punished by having his liver eaten daily by an eagle. This provided the eagle with an everlasting meal because each night the liver of Prometheus would re-grow.


The liver is a central regulator of the body’s metabolism and is responsible for controlling sugar and cholesterol levels, secretion of a variety of hormones, production of blood clotting factors, and has an essential role in preventing toxins from damaging other organs in the body.


It is possible that in the future a small piece of skin from a patient with loss of liver function could be used to produce healthy liver cells, replacing the diseased liver with normal tissue.


Recently, the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have provided Medical College researchers, in collaboration with Markus Grompe, M.D., at the Oregon Health and Science University, a $1 million research grant to pursue the possibility of using reprogrammed skin cells to study and treat metabolic liver disease. Using this support, as well as donations from individuals throughout Milwaukee, Medical College researchers are currently producing reprogrammed cells from patients suffering from diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia in an effort to identify new treatments for these diseases.


www.mcw.edu




http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Disease_420/Liver_Cells_Grown_From_Human_Skin_Cells.shtml

Controlling Liver Disease

Cigarette Smoking, Fructose Consumption Exacerbates Liver Disease

Modifying Risk Factors Essential in Controlling Liver Disease Progression 

By Wiley
Apr 27, 2010 - 7:30:42 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Recent studies suggest that modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking and fructose consumption can worsen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). With NAFLD, fat accumulates in the liver of overweight individuals despite drinking little alcohol, causing in some cases liver scarring that can lead to liver failure. Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to disease severity and progression is essential in improving patient outcomes. Details of these studies are published in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

NAFLD is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide and research suggests the number of cases will climb given an increasing trend toward higher fat diets, obesity, decreased physical activity, and a rise in diabetes. Past studies indicate that more than 30 million Americans have NAFLD and approximately 8 million may have nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

In the first study, Ramón Bataller, M.D., and colleagues from the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, Spain investigated the effects of cigarette smoking (CS) in obese rats. Rats were divided into 4 groups (n=12 per group): obese smokers, obese non-smokers, control smokers and control non-smokers. Smoker rats were exposed to 2 cigarettes/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Researchers found that obese rats exposed to CS showed a significant increase in ALT serum levels (indicating liver disease), while this effect was not observed in control rats.

“Our results show that CS causes oxidative stress and worsens the severity of NAFLD in obese rats,” said Dr. Bataller. “Further studies should investigate longer exposures to CS, and assess whether this finding also occurs in patients with obesity and NAFLD.”

In her editorial, also published in Hepatology this month, Claudia Zein, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, noted that “the importance of these results is that taken together with other experimental and clinical data, they support that cigarette smoking appears to aggravate liver injury in patients with liver disease”. Dr. Zein added, “Studies characterizing the effects of cigarette smoking in human NAFLD will be crucial because of the vast number of patients that may benefit from modification of this risk factor.”

Additionally, prior studies suggest an over consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), primarily in the form of soft-drinks, have contributed to weight gain and the rise in obesity, particularly in children and adolescents. Table sugar (sucrose) and HFCS are the two major dietary sources of fructose. Over the past 40 years, consumption of dietary fructose has increased 1,000% according to Bray et al, and doctors believe it to be a major cause of NAFLD.

Researchers from Duke University studied 341 adults enrolled in the NASH Clinical Research Network who responded to a Block food questionnaire within 3 months of a liver biopsy. Fructose consumption was estimated conservatively by including that found in beverages, which accounts for 50% of dietary fructose intake. Results showed that 27.9% of participants consumed at least 1 fructose-containing beverage per day, 52.5% had 1 to 6 beverages with fructose per week, and 19.7% drank no beverages with fructose.

“In patients with NAFLD, daily fructose ingestion was associated with reduced fatty liver (steatosis), but we found increased fibrosis,” noted Manal Abdelmalek, M.D., M.P.H, and lead author of the study. “Further dietary intervention studies are needed to evaluate whether a low-fructose diet improves metabolic disturbances associated with NAFLD and improves patient outcomes for those at risk of disease progression,” concluded Dr. Abdelmalek.

A second fructose study led by Ling-Dong Kong, M.D., from Nanjing University in China investigated the effects of curcumin on fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia and fatty liver in rats. Curcumin, a compound derived from turmeric (curcuma root), is sold as an herbal supplement and is believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-viral properties. Researchers observed a hyperactivity of hepatic protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), which is associated with defective insulin and leptin signaling, in fructose-fed rats.

For the first time this study demonstrated that curcumin inhibited hepatic PTP1B expression and activity in fructose-fed rats. “Our results provide novel insights into the potential therapeutic mechanisms of curcumin on fructose-induced hepatic steatosis associated with insulin and leptin resistance,” said Dr. Kong.

These studies indicate modifying risks such as smoking and fructose consumption offer potential benefits for those with liver diseases. Further studies are needed to explore these benefits in preventing the progression of liver disease.

Article: “Cigarette Smoking Exacerbates Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Rats.” Lorenzo Azzalini, Elisabet Ferrer, Leandra N. Ramalho, Montserrat Moreno, Marlene Domínguez, Jordi Colmenero, Víctor I. Peinado, Joan A. Barberà, Vicente Arroyo, Pere Ginès, Joan Caballería, Ramón Bataller. Hepatology; Published Online: February 22, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/hep.23516); Print Issue Date: May 2010.

Editorial: “Clearing the Smoke in Chronic Liver Diseases.” Claudia Zein. Hepatology; Published Online: March 26, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/hep.23694); Print Issue Date: May 2010.

Article: “Increased Fructose Consumption is Associated with Fibrosis Severity in Patients with NAFLD.” Manal F. Abdelmalek, Ayako Suzuki, Cynthia Guy, Aynur Unalp-Arida, Ryan Colvin, Richard J. Johnson, Anna Mae Diehl. Hepatology; Published Online: March 17, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/hep.23535); Print Issue Date: May 2010.

Article: “Curcumin inhibits hepatic protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B and prevents hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic steatosis in fructose-fed rats.” Jian-Mei Li, Yu-Cheng Li, Ling-Dong Kong, Qing-Hua Hu. Hepatology; Published Online: March 10, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/hep.23524); Print Issue Date: May 2010. 


http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Disease_420/Cigarette_Smoking_Fructose_Consumption_Exacerbates_Liver_Disease.shtml

Multivitamins with Minerals May Protect Older Women With Invasive Breast Cancer

 Findings from a study involving thousands of postmenopausal women suggest that women who develop invasive breast cancer may benefit from taking supplements containing both multivitamins and minerals.


By Staff Editor
Oct 9, 2013 - 11:59:00 AM


(HealthNewsDigest.com) - BRONX, N.Y., Oct. 9, 2013  -- Findings from a study involving thousands of postmenopausal women suggest that women who develop invasive breast cancer may benefit from taking supplements containing both multivitamins and minerals. The new research, published today in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, found that the risk of dying from invasive breast cancer was 30 percent lower among multivitamin/mineral users compared with nonusers.

"Our study offers tentative but intriguing evidence that multivitamin/mineral supplements may help older women who develop invasive breast cancer survive their disease," said Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., lead author of the study and distinguished university professor emerita of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

Multivitamin/mineral supplements are the most commonly consumed dietary supplements among U.S. adults. They usually contain 20-30 vitamins and minerals, often at levels of 100 percent of U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances or less, and the usual label recommendation is to take them daily.

The research was conducted as part of the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trials and the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. Combined, the two studies include data from 161,608 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 when they first joined the study. These women were enrolled at 40 clinical centers throughout the United States during the years 1993-1998.

The current study focused on 7,728 participants who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during the WHI and were followed for an average of seven years after their diagnosis. Invasive breast cancer is defined as cancer that has spread outside the membrane of the milk glands or ducts and into the breast tissue. Two common types of invasive breast cancer are invasive ductal carcinoma and infiltrating lobular carcinoma.

After enrolling in the WHI and during repeated follow-up visits, all participants provided extensive information about their health including whether or not they had taken a multivitamin/mineral supplement at least once a week during the prior two weeks.

About 38 percent of the 7,728 women who developed invasive breast cancer during the WHI were using the supplements. The vast majority were taking the supplements before their breast-cancer diagnosis. A comparison of mortality rates revealed that women with invasive breast cancer who took multivitamin/mineral supplements were 30 percent less likely to die from their cancers than women with invasive breast cancer who hadn't taken the supplements.

Could differences between the multivitamin/mineral users and nonusers account for this finding? The researchers looked at many possible confounding factors including additional supplements that the women took, their smoking status, education, race/ethnicity, weight, depression, alcohol use, physical activity, age at breast cancer diagnosis, and diabetes. The association between regular use of multivitamin/mineral supplements and reduced risk of death persisted even after these factors were taken into account.

"Controlling for these other factors strengthens our confidence that the association we observed - between taking multivitamin/mineral supplements and lowering breast-cancer mortality risk among postmenopausal women with invasive breast cancer - is a real one,"
said Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller, who also holds the Dorothy and William Manealoff Foundation and Molly Rosen Chair in Social Medicine Emerita. "But further studies are needed to confirm whether there truly is a cause-and-effect relationship here. And our findings certainly cannot be generalized to premenopausal women diagnosed with invasive cancer or to other populations of women."

The paper is titled "Multivitamin and Mineral Use and Breast Cancer Mortality in Older Women with Invasive Breast Cancer in the Women's Health Initiative." Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller is the principal investigator of the WHI at Einstein. Other authors of the study at Einstein are Aileen McGinn, Ph.D., and Gloria Ho, Ph.D., and additional co-authors are affiliated with the following centers: University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Stanford Prevention Research Center, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

The WHI is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Einstein is home to 734 M.D. students, 236 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 353 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2013, Einstein received more than $155 million in awards from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center-Einstein's founding hospital, and five other hospital systems in the Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island and Brooklyn, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu and follow us on Twitter @EinsteinMed.

Web Site: http://www.einstein.yu.edu
###

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Cancer_Issues_660/Multivitamins-with-Minerals-May-Protect-Older-Women-With-Invasive-Breast-Cancer.shtml

Insulin Use as a Secondary Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Heart Disease, Death

Patients with type 2 diabetes who take a combination of metformin plus insulin may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and death compared with those who take a combination of metformin plus sulfonylurea ...


By Staff Editor
Jun 10, 2014 - 4:37:02 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Patients with type 2 diabetes who take a combination of metformin plus insulin may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and death compared with those who take a combination of metformin plus sulfonylurea, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that appears in the June 11 issue ofJAMA. The study, a review of medical records from national databases, found a greater association between insulin as a second-line treatment and risk of death and cardiovascular disease than sulfonylureas as second-line treatment.

Adults with type 2 diabetes are typically treated first with metformin, an oral medication that helps reduce elevated blood sugar. When combined with exercise and diet modification, metformin alone can help many patients control their blood sugar levels, keeping the disease in check. However, some patients require a second drug, usually an oral medication such as a sulfonylurea or a self-administered injection of insulin to bring their disease under control.


"Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition affecting millions of Americans, and they and their clinicians need good evidence to make informed decisions about the best treatment options," said AHRQ Director Richard Kronick, Ph.D. "The findings of this report may surprise those who had considered insulin to be a preferred secondary treatment for diabetes in most circumstances. However, consistent with AHRQ's mission, our goal is to generate evidence on critical treatment issues like this one and broaden the information available for patients and clinicians to use."


In the new study, AHRQ-funded researchers led by Christianne L. Roumie, M.D., M.P.H., of the Tennessee Valley Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville, analyzed records from databases at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Center for Health Statistics. They studied more than 42,000 patient records and the National Death Index to assess the effects of insulin and sulfonylureas, the two medications most commonly prescribed in the study population as second-line treatment for diabetes.


The retrospective cohort study compared 2,500 VHA patients who added insulin to their metformin regimen with 12,000 VHA patients who added a sulfonylurea. On average, patients were about 60 years old, and about 35 percent had history of heart disease or stroke. The patients studied had been on metformin for an average of 14 months, and their average hemoglobin A1c count (a key indicator of success in controlling blood sugar) was 8.1 percent, which is higher than is preferred, when the second medication was prescribed.


The researchers identified patients who were taking one of two drug combinations: metformin-plus-insulin or metformin-plus-sulfonylurea. Then they compared the risks of heart attack, stroke or death for these patients. They found an association of metformin-plus-insulin to have a higher risk of cardiovascular events and death than metformin-plus-sulfonylureas, although harms were found for both regimens.


"Insulin has been shown to be a very good medication in achieving blood sugar control, and because of that, prior large studies have found that there is a reduced risk of developing diabetic kidney or eye disease," according to Dr. Roumie. "However, this study and others have shown that tighter glucose control doesn't necessarily have any benefit for heart disease, and these findings call into question recommendations that insulin is equivalent to sulfonylureas for most patients who can control their blood sugar with a second oral drug."


Dr. Roumie's research team also conducted a study published in 2012 on first-line treatments for adults with type 2 diabetes. In that study, which also was funded by AHRQ, the researchers compared the use of sulfonylurea with metformin for first-line treatment. They found that sulfonylureas, when used as a first-line treatment, increased patients' risk of death and cardiovascular events compared with metformin.


The new study looks only at second-line treatments. Together, these two studies of primary and second-line diabetes treatments can help clinicians better determine which medications are least risky for each patient, depending on the patient's clinical characteristics.


This study focused primarily on U.S. military veterans, and the study population was overwhelmingly white and male, so the study noted that there might be differences in the risks of using insulin as a secondary treatment in the broader population.. As a retrospective analysis of VHA medical records, the study is not a randomized controlled trial and thus does not determine definitively that insulin directly led to deaths and cardiovascular disease. More research is needed to determine if these differences exist and, if so, to what extent, researchers said. Insulin is a powerful drug and is an appropriate treatment when patients cannot control their blood sugar with oral agents alone, researchers said.


AHRQ is a research agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its mission is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable and affordable, and to work with HHS and other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used. For more information, visit www.ahrq.gov.

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Diabetes_Issues_640/Insulin-Use-as-a-Secondary-Treatment-for-Type-2-Diabetes-Linked-to-Heart-Disease-Death.shtml


A Cup Of Tea May Keep Dementia At Bay

After water, tea is the world’s most popular beverage. For centuries drinking tea has been recommended for its calming effect and to cure many ailments. Research evidence has shown that regular tea drinking can tame inflammation in the body, help to improve blood pressure, improve dental health and support healthy bones.


By Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN, Food & Nutrition Columnist - HealthNewsDigest.com
Mar 26, 2017 - 7:39:11 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - After water, tea is the world’s most popular beverage. For centuries drinking tea has been recommended for its calming effect and to cure many ailments. Research evidence has shown that regular tea drinking can tame inflammation in the body, help to improve blood pressure, improve dental health and support healthy bones. Because of the powerful collection of antioxidants in tea there has been much speculation and some research to show that regular tea drinking may protect the brain from decline.


A recent study done at the National University of Singapore followed the tea drinking habits of close to 1,000 older Chinese. The researchers concluded that regular tea drinking could reduce a person’s risk for dementia by close to 50% in later life. For those who carry the genetic risk for Alzheimer’s the risk could be reduce by as much as 86%. Women received a stronger benefit from regular tea drinking than men. Though this study was done on Chinese elderly there is no reason to believe that the results would not hold for other populations as well.


The protective role of tea on cognitive decline is due to the bioactive compounds found in tea leaves – catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine. All these compounds exhibit strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can protect the brain against vascular damage and degeneration leading to memory impairment. The study showed that any type of tea was protective – green, black, oolong or white.



All types of tea come from the same plant. They differ in how they are processed after harvesting. The leaves of black and oolong teas are left to ferment, while green and white are just dried. Fermentation changes the chemical composition of the tea leaves, so that each tea has a different amount of the various flavonoid compounds. Green tea has more catechins while black tea has more theaflavins and thearubigins.  All these compounds have similar chemical actions in the body so that the health benefits between the different types of tea overlap quite a bit. That is probably the reason the researchers found that it did not matter what type of tea a person drank as long as they drank it regularly.


The benefits of drinking tea can extend to other health issues as well. In a very large study done in France, those who drank tea daily reduced their risk for heart disease by 24% compared against those who regularly drank coffee. The anti-inflammatory effects come into play to protect tea drinkers who have less stiffness in their arteries and lower blood pressure than those who do not drink tea.


Did you know that except for fluoridated water, brewed tea is the next best food source of the mineral fluoride? And, a couple of cups of black tea each day can help to suppress the bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities and the buildup of plaque.


Freshly brewed hot tea contains the highest amount of flavonoid compounds, followed by decaf tea and ice tea. Ready-to-use teas have very few antioxidant flavonoid compounds. Simply squeezing a lemon wedge into your next cup of tea increases the levels of catechins.  But drink tea the British way, with added milk, and casein, the main protein in milk, inhibits some of the beneficial effects of catechins. All dried teas, if stored away from light, heat and moisture will last a long time, up to 2 years. Keep loose tea or teabags in an airtight container away from the sun, stove and sink.


Tea is readily available, inexpensive and has no side effects when used in moderation. Having a few cups of tea a day offers a simple preventive measure to support your health and protect your brain as you age.


http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/food%20columnist0/A-Cup-Of-Tea-May-Keep-Dementia-At-Bay.shtml

Monday 27 March 2017

Anthony Bourdain on the One Type of Food You Should Never Eat

From seal eyes in the Arctic to balut to New Mexican Frito Pie, Anthony Bourdain has built a reputation on trying any food at least once.

May 11, 2016

But there are a few things the No Reservations and Parts Unknown host will never eat again, including Icelandic fermented shark, Namibian warthog rectum —and airplane food.

In a conversation with Bon Appetit, Bourdain claimed that he never eats the food on the many, many plane rides he takes as he travels the world. "Never," said Bourdain. "No one has ever felt better after eating plane food. I think people only eat it because they’re bored. I don’t eat on planes. I like to arrive hungry."

Even when he's traveling from New York, where he's building a massive new food hall, to Tokyo or New Zealand or some other far-flung destination, Bourdain refuses to scarf down airplane food. "For a super-long flight, I’d order cheese and s**t load of port. I’d eat some cheese and drink myself stupid," he said.

Perhaps airplanes should consider serving still-beating cobra hearts to the author and chef because we know he'd eat that.

http://time.com/4325309/anthony-bourdain-airplane-food/?xid=tcoshare

Sunday 26 March 2017

The pressure of blood – Part 2

From the earlier section, it can be seen that apart from factors outside our control such as kidney disease and genetics (and perhaps pregnancy), High Blood Pressure (HBP) is generally a direct consequence of our lifestyles – it is caused by what we choose to expose ourselves to.



Click the link for Part 1 of this series.
Click the link for other stories in the Curious Cook column.

The pressure of blood – Part 2
File photo of potato chips. There is no doubt that humans enjoy food with added salt – and this is precisely why the food industry usually overloads processed foods with the stuff. Photo: Bloomberg

Not all the lifestyle items are always within our control, especially stress caused by work or other factors – but in general, if we are aware of what we are doing that can cause HBP, it could be a significant step in controlling the condition.
It’s mostly what we eat
Statistics derived from country testing of sodium levels in human urine between 1990 and 2010 indicate that the global average for salt consumption is a little under 10g a day, curiously rising to around 15g a day for the countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
There is a reason for this Central Asian anomaly – these countries are along the ancient Silk Road. Communities along this old trade route relied heavily on food preserved with salt and this historical circumstance has left a legacy of high salt consumption.
Several South-East Asian countries fit in at around the average with unusual jumps for Thailand and Singapore which both come in at over 13g a day – a possible explanation is that people in these countries enjoy eating food cooked with local sauces (eg. oyster, fish, soy) and these sauces are very heavily laden with salt.
In fact, some sauces have as much as 2.5g of salt per tablespoon, and popular processed foods such as fish and meat balls lag not far behind.
Just to be clear, Malaysia probably also comes in at around the same level of salt consumption as Thailand and Singapore – however, we cannot be sure as there are no firm statistics available for the country.
Regardless, it is sobering to note that the maximum recommended daily limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for salt consumption is actually only 6g – which means that many countries are exceeding the WHO daily recommendation by more than 100%.
Even in Western Europe, the average daily salt consumption is just over 8g, which is still some 33% higher than the recommended level. Some organisations such as the American Heart Association actually suggest even lower limits, at 4g a day.
Common sources of salt
There is no doubt that humans enjoy food with added salt – and this is precisely why the food industry usually overloads processed foods with the stuff. Examples of common, but often unsuspected foods where salt can be particularly high include breads, sauces, crisps, pizzas, canned/packaged meals, sandwiches, stock cubes, sausages, ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, nuts, snacks, breakfast cereals and even ice creams.
Salt can often be disguised by including competing taste sensations such as sweetness, sourness or chilli heat.
Lower salt – but be wary
One simple, popular alternative to salt is to use potassium chloride – this compound is readily available in the supermarkets and has pretty much the same taste as sodium chloride but have rather less of the undesirable effects of salt.
However, please be wary as several research papers have indicated that consuming too little salt (or sodium) may have negative repercussions and potentially cause a condition known as hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood).
In particular, a study of over 3,600 people published in 2011 has found that participants with the lowest salt intake actually had the highest death rates from cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Why this is the case is not known – but a more recent study published in 2016 indicates that the curve for CVD deaths is a U-shape distribution plotted against sodium intake.
Too little salt is very bad and too much salt is also pretty bad – and in the end, the paper summed up its findings thus: “lowering sodium intake is best targeted at populations with hypertension who consume high sodium diets”.
In my view, this all confirms that sodium is an important electrolyte, but with a potential for significant, deleterious side effects – and therefore consuming not less than 4g and not more than 6g of salt a day is probably the optimal dietary option.
Sweet stuff and booze
Consumption of sugars and alcohol are clearly lifestyle choices – and there is a lot of evidence that suggests that persistent overconsumption of these items can directly lead to HBP.
Sugar (and/or fructose) is something that commercial food producers very often surreptitiously include copiously into processed foods – however, most food items now have labelling to indicate the amount of sugar present. So there is little excuse for claiming not to know about the amount of sugar in the diet.
My general take is that if one has been overdoing it, it should be worth cutting down a bit – or at least don’t encourage other people to have huge sugary desserts or open another bottle of wine. I appreciate that not opening another bottle of good wine is often a difficult concept to get your head around – but even I have managed it quite often.
Fags, drugs and other stuff
If you are intent on smoking or taking recreational drugs, then it is highly probable that HBP is not high on your list of health concerns. This is also likely to be true if you are particularly fond of fried, oily foods – especially those sold by fast food chains or street vendors.
But if you are compelled to work in polluted environments, it may be sensible to don some protective gear such as face masks or just generally avoid long exposures to chemicals and other pollutants – this is just common sense anyway.
The silent monster in the room
For many people, stress can be like a monster that won’t get off the chest. It suffocates them physically and mentally – and research has indicated that in addition to causing HBP, stress is likely to take several years off an expected lifespan.
The duration of stress is also significant. If a stressful event passes relatively quickly, then the impact of stress is much less than a prolonged struggle with an interminable problem. The reason is simply because the body would be pumping out stress-related hormones such adrenaline and cortisol for long periods of time.
A study of the police force in Buffalo, New York, published in 2013 showed that policemen there tend to have much shorter lifespans compared to the general population – around 21.9 years shorter in fact.
The possible reasons noted are stress, shift work, obesity and the somewhat hazardous working environment. It seems the type of stress is also relevant – and this is reflected in the lifespans of educated versus uneducated people in the workplace. Educated people tend to end up higher on the management ladder and also tend to live longer.
It appears that as long as people believe they can exert control over stressful situations, especially in the workplace, then there may be some benefit in terms of lifespan.
What about people who are not in control of stressful situations; for example, uneducated people working under an abusive boss? The prognosis is not quite so good in this instance and statistics indicate that prolonged workplace stress can reduce lifespan by several years.
There also appear to be other side effects of long-term sustained stress apart from HBP – research has shown that brain tissue can shrink, memory loss becomes more prevalent, and the immune system may be significantly compromised resulting in poorer health and even more stress.
Deal with it
As someone working in a rather stressful profession for many years, I can relate to research which indicates that a positive mental attitude can materially reduce the negative effects of stress. There are many positive approaches to stress and perhaps one personal example may be expressed as an analogy.
Imagine stress is like holding something out in an outstretched hand – for example a book. Initially, there is no effort at all, but after a short while it becomes tiring to keep the arm so extended. So naturally you would fold the arm to hold the book closer to the body – this might be seen as an attempt to manage or compensate for the stress.
That works until you realise that it is still too restricting to have to hold the book for so long (for example, you now cannot eat properly) – and then you think, is it worth holding up the book in this silly manner? The correct answer is: No – of course not, and then you put the book down and forget about it.
But this simple, rational decision to stop the stress is exactly what many people refuse to contemplate doing when they worry over situations they cannot control – hence they force themselves to keep reviewing and brooding over past and future events over which they have no influence, in effect painfully holding up an item they don’t need to hold up at all.
Degrees of stress incurred in life range from minor to extreme – frankly, it is based hugely on personal attitudes, but stressful events nevertheless have the negative effect of elevating blood pressure and it then becomes another subjective issue as to how well each person’s body can cope with prolonged exposures to stress.
From my individual viewpoint, it is just logical to go with the flow about things which one cannot change and to focus more effort on things one can actually influence.
No way back?
Why HBP is often difficult to reverse is because the condition very rarely has any visible symptoms – so it is extremely easy to let the condition become chronic before a sudden catastrophic health event announces itself.
But long before then, the damage would already have been done. The only way to detect HBP is through regular health screening – and one suggestion is to buy a sphygmomanometer (blood pressure monitoring device) for use at home to keep an eye on things.
This is what I have done for my family and it has helped me cut down on a few dietary excesses – and as a result, my blood pressure is now within a tolerable range.

The only way to detect HBP is through regular screening.
File photo of a blood pressure monitor. The only way to detect HBP is 
through regular screening. Photo: AFP/shutterstock
The battery-powered devices are not at all expensive, easy to use and testing takes less than two minutes. If you do find that you already have chronic HBP, there are drugs available to help manage the condition – better to know now and start doing something about it than ending up in hospital in a nasty condition.
Regarding my mother, she had rather a sweet tooth, was always fond of tasty, greasy, fried foods – and though she never drank alcohol, she also never did any exercise. Although she had a longer than average life span, the sad sobering truth is that the end for her was rather drawn-out and unsatisfactory. If only one person manages to avoid her fate as a result of reading this, then it would have been worth writing it.
As for myself, I am now somewhat allergic to long-winded Buddhist-Taoist funerals with protracted chanting and convoluted rituals that are rather hard on my back and knees. If I had known about them in detail beforehand, I would have firmly forbidden my mother from giving up the ghost.

http://www.star2.com/food/food-news/2017/03/26/the-pressure-of-blood-part-2/

Thursday 23 March 2017

Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words - The Mandate To Rule



Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words - The Mandate To Rule

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUcKBkYRzM

Lee Kuan Yew on Leadership: The Harvard Interview



Lee Kuan Yew on Leadership: The Harvard Interview




Published on 5 May 2015
Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore, is interviewed by Harvard Kennedy School professors David Gergen, Ron Heifetz, Dean Williams, and John Thomas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KrKdj50mPk

Documentary - Remembering Lee Kuan Yew



Documentary - Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Channel NewsAsia 


Streamed live on 27 Mar 2015
Documentary - Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LALO_w6CxQc

Lee Kuan Yew: The boy who became Prime Minister (Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew)



Lee Kuan Yew: The boy who became Prime Minister (Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew - Part 1)

Published on 22 Mar 2015

From a boy who grew up at Kampong Java Road, Mr Lee Kuan Yew would later lead Singapore to independence and become the nation's first Prime Minister.

Catch this and more on www.razortv.com.sg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ely7PGs2rU4



Lee Kuan Yew: The man who defined Singapore (Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew - Part 2)

Published on 22 Mar 2015
Seven victorious elections, 31 years as Prime Minister and more than 50 years in government. Mr Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore into what he described as a 'first world oasis in a third world region'.
Catch this and more on www.razortv.com.sg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFVDnmjHhAw

The best of Lee Kuan Yew



The best of Lee Kuan Yew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8rPofi-AUw

Charlie Rose interview with Lee Kuan Yew (Oct 2009)



Charlie Rose interview with Lee Kuan Yew (Oct 2009)

Published on 22 Mar 2015
Charlie Rose interviewed Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew about the new global order -- 23 October 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8GwmsLXOx8

LKY: Third World Perspective Press on 14 April 1988



LKY: Third World Perspective Press on 14 April 1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlbyN-COTE

Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew Public Man, Private Life



Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew Public Man, Private Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHdHTU2rFEs

Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew : Building A Nation



Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew : Building A Nation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAR6JnhAy9k

Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew : Putting Singapore On The Map



Time nor Tide, Remembering Lee Kuan Yew : Putting Singapore On The Map

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bVGnhRI1QM&t=30s

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Hong Kong import ban deals Brazil meat industry big blow

Brazil's giant meat industry suffered a heavy blow Tuesday, when Hong Kong became the latest to ban imports in response to allegations of rotten meat being sold with falsified certificates.

Experts analyse meat seized in markets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 20, 2017
Experts analyse meat seized in markets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 20, 2017
Hong Kong is the biggest market for Brazilian beef, importing $718 million worth in 2016, according to Brazilian government figures.
Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety said it had temporarily suspended the import of frozen and chilled meat and poultry "in view of the fact that the quality of the meat from Brazil is in question."
This followed a similar ban by China, which is Brazil's biggest market for beef and poultry overall.
South Korea, for its part, lifted a temporary suspension on the distribution of chicken already imported from Brazil, after authorities there performed quality inspections and confirmed that no tainted poultry had entered the country.
It has no plans to close its market to Brazilian meat, the South Korean embassy in Brasilia said.
But the European Union earlier demanded a stop to exports by four companies implicated in the scandal, while Chile suspended all meat imports, prompting Brazil to threaten retaliatory measures against its Latin American trade partner.
Mexico issued its own ban on poultry imports late Tuesday, saying it wanted Brazil "to show scientific proof and guarantees of the sanitary level, quality and safety" of the produce.
Brazil's neighbor Argentina announced it was ready for "an even greater increase in the usual (quality) controls."
Japan, which is Brazil's third biggest market for chicken, with $720 million in sales, said it would not allow imports of products from the 21 businesses under investigation in Brazil.
And Russia, which has heavily relied on Brazilian imports since banning US and European Union food imports, said it wanted clarifications from Brazil.
"We expect more than 30 countries to question Brazil about this issue," Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said Monday.
- National 'embarrassment' -
Officials have been scrambling to contain the damage since Brazilian police announced the results of a two-year investigation on Friday.
According to police, health inspectors were bribed to certify meat no longer fit for consumption, while additives were used to mask problems in the produce.
Brazil meat export crisis widens
Brazil meat export crisis widens
Exports have been stopped from all 21 meat processors under investigation, and at least 30 people have been arrested.
A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down.
Brazil exports meat to more than 150 countries, with 2016 sales of beef and poultry reaching more than $10 billion.
Total meat exports amount to about seven percent of exports and 0.7 percent of gross domestic product, according to Capital Economics.
The Folha newspaper reported that 21 meat processing companies forced to halt exports while they undergo investigation represent less than one percent of total Brazilian meat exports.
However, the damage to the industry's reputation could be far reaching, hitting Brazil just as the country struggles to exit its worst recession in history.
President Michel Temer called the quantities involved in the scandal "insignificant" on Tuesday, but he admitted there had been "an embarrassment."
The scandal also broke right ahead of negotiations to seek a free-trade accord between the European Union and several South American countries including Brazil.
France and other European countries are wary about opening up the EU meat market to countries in the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes major exporters Brazil and Argentina. Paraguay and Uruguay are the other members.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4335466/Hong-Kong-bans-Brazilian-meat-imports.html