Health capsules

Beetroot juice pills good for heart patients
Beetroot juice supplements may help enhance exercise capacity in patients with heart failure, a study has found. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients’quality of life and even survival, said researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, examined the impact of dietary nitrate in the form of beetroot juice supplements on the exercise capacity of eight heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction. It is a condition in which the heart muscle does not contract effectively and cannot get enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.  In about half of all heart failure patients, the ejection fraction of the heart is reduced. These patients exhibit laboured breathing, have diminished peak oxygen uptake and use more energy while exercising. The researchers found that the beetroot supplement resulted in significant increases in exercise duration, peak power and peak oxygen uptake while exercising. The results suggest that dietary supplementation may be a valuable addition to treatment for exercise intolerance among heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Protein-rich diet may reduce Alzheimer's risk
A diet high in protein-rich foods may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study claims. Researchers examined the diets of 541 participants and measured the levels of amyloid beta (Aß) in their brain, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. They found that participants with higher levels of protein in their diet were less likely to have high levels of Aß in their brain, reducing their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The participants were divided into three groups based on their protein intake. The team found that those with the highest consumption, around 118 gm per day, were 12 times less likely to have high levels of Aß than those in the lowest consumption group, who ate only 54 gm per day. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. One possibility is that a high protein diet is associated with lower blood pressure, an expert said. High blood pressure is a risk factor for both Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease. Developing cardiovascular disease also increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Low fat or low carb, same difference!
Common dieting advice urges people to either eat fewer carbohydrates or less fat in order to lose weight. But as per a recent study, neither approach is better than the other to shed those kilos. Scientists conducted a research on whether following a healthy low-carb diet would be more or less effective than those who are following a healthy low-fat diet. They assessed 609 overweight adults (18 to 50 years) over a period of 12 months. During the research, the participants, both men and women, were randomly assigned and instructed to follow either a healthy low-carb or a healthy low-fat diet for a year. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, discovered that both diets led to the participants losing a similar amount of weight. Nutritionists believe following a restrictive diet could be detrimental to one's health in the long run. They advocate a healthy balanced and nutritious diet for a healthy life.
Coffee can help you live longer
People who drink coffee twice or thrice a day, have loads of health benefits. According to a new study, those who drink coffee twice or thrice a day, whether it is caffeinated or not, may have less chance of dying from certain illnesses than those who abstain from it. The study was conducted on more than 5,00,000 people across 10 European countries over the last 16 years, according to the National Geographic. It found that people who drank coffee show signs of having healthier livers and circulatory systems, as well as lower levels of inflammation than those who do not like coffee at all. The findings also indicated a reduced risk of death from any cause, including circulatory diseases and digestive diseases.
— Agencies