Resveratrol in red grapes may avert bowel cancer

Resveratrol in red grape may avert bowel cancer

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Scientists have found that a chemical found in red grapes, resveratrol, may help prevent bowel cancer, and is more effective if given in smaller doses. Results from bowel cancer-prone mice given the smaller dose showed a 50 per cent reduction in tumour size while the high dose showed a 25 per cent reduction. Lower doses of resveratrol were twice as effective as the higher dose in stopping tumours growing, although this effect was only seen in animals fed a high-fat diet. The study is first to look at the effects of a lower daily dose - equivalent to the amount of resveratrol found in one large (approx. 250ml) glass of red wine - comparing it with a dose 200 times higher. Samples of tumours from bowel cancer patients given different doses of resveratrol showed that even lower doses can get into cancer cells and potentially affect processes involved in tumour growth. The study opens up new avenues for the role of purified resveratrol in preventing cancer, but suggests that it may only be effective for people with a specific genetic make-up, particular diets and lifestyles. It also doesn't mean that drinking red wine reduces cancer risk, as drinking alcohol increase the chances of developing the disease. The study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Increasing salt intake puts you at high BP risk

Stressing for the need to maintain a lower salt diet over a lifetime, a research has revealed that people who gradually increase the amount of salt in diets also face high blood pressure risk as people who habitually eat a high-salt diet. In a Japanese study of more than 4,000 people who had normal blood pressure, almost 23 per cent developed high blood pressure over a three-year period. Those who ate the most salt were the most likely to have high blood pressure by the end of the study. Participants, who gradually increased their sodium intake, also showed gradually higher blood pressure. At the conclusion of the study, the people consuming the least amount of sodium were consuming 2,925 mg per day and those consuming the most sodium were consuming 5,644 mg per day. The WHO recommends 1,500 mg sodium intake a day. In some people, sodium increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, creating an added burden to your heart. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and heart failure.

Why we shouldn't drink colas

While the fizzy cola drink is loved by most people in the world, an Indian scientist has now shown what colas do to your body up to an after you gulp it down, and it is not good. On his blog Truth Theory, Niraj Naik has outlined the health issues and alarming findings, News.com.au reported. In the first 10 minutes, a person consumes around 10 teaspoons of sugar (100 per cent of your recommended daily intake), and though the level of sweetness should make one vomit, the phosphoric acid cuts the flavour allowing one to keep it down. After 20 minutes, the body's blood sugar spikes giving an insulin burst and the liver responds by turning sugar into fat. Caffeine absorption is complete by 40 minutes after which pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, and as a response liver dumps more sugar into bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in the brain get blocked preventing drowsiness. After 45 minutes, the body ups a person's dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centres of the brain, which is physically the same way heroin works, and after an hour the caffeine's diuretic properties come into play. The buzz dies down and person starts to have a sugar crash. Seeing how people following strict low-fat diet were gaining weight was what pushed Naik to investigate colas, and wrote that fructose was the form of high fructose corn syrup, found in most processed foods and most people are totally unaware of its danger. “Many fruits also contain fructose, but nature has provided the antidote, as these fruits are also packed with fibre which prevents your body from absorbing too much of it.” He added that there were 1.6 billion servings of cola everyday all over the word, and if people cared about their heart, health and mind then they shouldn't reach for that bottle.

Brain chemical linked to sleeplessness

Researchers have identified a brain chemical absence of which can lead to hyperactivity and sleeplessness. In the experiments, mice without the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) chemical developed characteristics similar to a medical condition called mania, in which patients experience restlessness and sleeplessness, the study noted. This discovery could help researchers to develop new drugs that promote better sleep, or control hyperactivity in people with the medical condition mania. The chemicals they studied, histamine and GABA, are produced in a primitive part of the brain that is highly similar in mice and humans. The researchers found that GABA and histamine are made in the same brain cells, called histamine neurons. They altered the levels of the GABA produced by the mice's brains and measured what changes this had on their brain activity over the day and night. The scientists found that compared with normal mice, those without GABA ran twice as far and twice as fast, and maintained or even increased their overall activity over a 30 minute period. The findings were detailed in the journal Neuron. — Agencies