Your Daily Dose of Health » Nutrients

Repost: The Magic of Vanilla

Tyler — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:20:36 +0000

Vanilla is one of the world’s most loved and tantalizing flavors. An incredibly versatile spice whose flavor and fragrance is an ingredient in more dishes than we could begin to list, adding a little vanilla can do wonders for most foods and beverages. Despite its ubiquity, though, vanilla is the second most expensive spice, after saffron. There are at least 150 known varieties of vanilla, but only two – Bourbon and Tahitian – are used commercially, most commonly as vanilla extract, that magical smelling liquid in the little brown bottles that is so cherished by home bakers.But vanilla is more than just an ingredient in baked goods; it’s been used for various purposes, from aromatherapy to herbal remedies, for centuries. Useful for calming both body and mind, vanilla can help us feel good. Here are some suggestions for making use of vanilla’s magic.* A tablespoon of vanilla extract added to a gallon of paint can help cut the smell.* Adding a vanilla bean or two to your furniture polish acts as both a natural insect repellant and air freshener. Bugs don’t like the smell and will stay clear, whereas you and your guests will enjoy the sweet smell of vanilla.* Vanilla’s sweetness relieves heat. Adding vanilla to a spicy recipe will soften the bite, while bringing out the sweetness and flavor of the peppers. Rubbing some vanilla on your tongue can even soothe the burn from taking a bite of something that’s too hot or spicy.* A few drops of vanilla can neutralize the acidity of tomato-based sauces.* Place a cotton ball soaked with vanilla on a saucer in your refrigerator to remove musty odors or overpowering food smells.* Soothe a teething baby by rubbing a little pure vanilla extract onto the child ‘s gums.http://www.farmersalmanac.com/natural_cures/a/the_magic_of_vanilla

Repost: Vitamin K linked to stronger bones for adolescents

Tyler — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:53:55 +0000

Vitamin K linked to stronger bones for adolescentsBy Stephen Daniells3/5/2008- An adolescent’s vitamin K status could have important long-term implications on bone health, and a better status may protect them from osteoporosis later in life, suggests a new study.An improved status of the vitamin was found to improve bone mineral content and bone mass in the whole body, according to the study with 307 healthy children with an average age of 11.2 published in the British Journal of Nutrition.”As children grow the increase in bone mass may fail to keep up with the increase in height, or length of the bone, and as a consequence, this imbalance may result in fracture,” said lead author Marieke Summeren from University Medical Centre Utrecht.”But the main threat of a long-term shortage of K vitamins is that peak bone mass may be compromised, and as we age and begin to lose bone density, the risk of fracture in later life is increased.”Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass, which leads to an increase risk of fractures, especially the hips, spine and wrists. An estimated 75 million people suffer from osteoporosis in Europe, the USA and Japan.Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men.Potential reduction of osteoporosis has traditionally been a two-pronged approach by either attempting to boost bone density in high-risk post-menopausal women by improved diet or supplements, or by maximising the build up of bone during the highly important pubescent years.About 35 per cent of a mature adult’s peak bone mass is built-up during puberty.The new study followed the children for years and correlated vitamin K status, measured as a ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) to carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC), to bone mineral content (BMC) and markers of bone metabolism.Osteocalcin is a vitamin K-dependent protein and is essential for the body to utilise calcium in bone tissue. Without adequate vitamin K, the osteocalcin remains inactive, and thus not effective.Summeren and co-workers report that large variations were observed in the vitamin K status of the children, both at the start and end of the two-year study. Nonetheless, an improved vitamin K status over the time period, as was observed in 281 children, was associated with a significant increase in BMC.”There are two types of vitamin K from dietary sources. Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, and Vitamin K2, also called menaquinones, are predominately found in fermented cheeses, curd, and the fermented soy called natto,” explained co-author Leon Schurgers from VitaK and Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Maastricht.”Vitamin K1 is mostly used by the liver where it is involved in the synthesis of certain blood clotting factors. Vitamin K2 is also equally active outside the liver, in tissues including bone. Thus it is important to have good sources of both types of vitamin K!”The research adds to a growing body of science linking the vitamin to improved boned health, particularly in post-menopausal women. The Maastricht-based researchers previously reported that daily supplements of vitamin K2 maintained hipbone strength in postmenopausal women, while placebo led to weakening (Osteoporosis International, doi: 10.1007/s00198-007-0337-9).The double-blind, placebo controlled study followed 325 healthy women with no osteoporosis for three years and also found that vitamin K2 supplements boosted the women’s bone mineral content (BMC), compared to placebo.The new study also included researchers from VU University Medical Centre and the Danone Research Centre Daniel Carasso in France.Source: British Journal of NutritionPublished online ahead of print, doi:10.1017/S0007114508921760″Vitamin K status is associated with childhood bone mineral content”Authors: M.J.H. van Summeren, S.C.C.M. van Coeverden, L.J. Schurgers, L.A.J.L.M. Braam, F. Noirt, C.S.P.M. Uiterwaal, W. Kuis, C. Vermeer

What Happens to Your Body After Drinking a Coke?

Tyler — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:53:51 +0000


	Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke: Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor. Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat. Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way. After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash. Sources: * Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

Sources:

* Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007