Link Between Dietary Sugar Intake and Coronary Artery Disease

"For the vast majority, the consumption of added sugar does not appear to be a problem about what we studied, i.e. the risk of developing myocardial infarction or another serious heart disease. But for a small number of people with a high consumption of added sugar, the picture was different. Among the 5 percent of participants who got at least 15 percent of their daily energy intake from sucrose, the risk of myocardial infarction increased by about a third", explains Emily Sonestedt, nutrition researcher and associate professor at Lund University.

The general nutritional recommendations in Sweden state that no more than 10 percent of our daily energy intake should come from added sugar.

The study does not establish a causal link between the amount of sucrose and coronary artery disease. But to reduce the risk of erroneous conclusions, the results have been adjusted for factors traditionally associated with cardiovascular disease. These include lifestyles, such as smoking, alcohol and exercise habits. Dietary consumption was also analyzed and adjustments made for foods which are seen as linked to cardiovascular risks, such as meat, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and coffee.

"In the study, we wanted to investigate whether a correlation could be found between even a small overconsumption of added sugar and coronary artery disease. In order to reflect reality as closely as possible, we focused on people's dietary intake as a whole and not only on selected foods such as sugar-sweetened beverages", continues Emily Sonestedt.

The basis for the research is a large population study, the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort Study, in which participants underwent health checks, answered questions on lifestyle and kept a food diary for a limited period of time. Follow-up was conducted for an average of 17 years, on a total of just over 26 000 participants with no known diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

"For the vast majority, the consumption of added sugar does not appear to be a problem about what we studied, i.e. the risk of developing myocardial infarction or another serious heart disease. But for a small number of people with a high consumption of added sugar, the picture was different. Among the 5 percent of participants who got at least 15 percent of their daily energy intake from sucrose, the risk of myocardial infarction increased by about a third", explains Emily Sonestedt, nutrition researcher and associate professor at Lund University.

The general nutritional recommendations in Sweden state that no more than 10 percent of our daily energy intake should come from added sugar.

The study does not establish a causal link between the amount of sucrose and coronary artery disease. But to reduce the risk of erroneous conclusions, the results have been adjusted for factors traditionally associated with cardiovascular disease. These include lifestyles, such as smoking, alcohol and exercise habits. Dietary consumption was also analyzed and adjustments made for foods which are seen as linked to cardiovascular risks, such as meat, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and coffee.

"In the study, we wanted to investigate whether a correlation could be found between even a small overconsumption of added sugar and coronary artery disease. In order to reflect reality as closely as possible, we focused on people's dietary intake as a whole and not only on selected foods such as sugar-sweetened beverages", continues Emily Sonestedt.

The basis for the research is a large population study, the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort Study, in which participants underwent health checks, answered questions on lifestyle and kept a food diary for a limited period of time. Follow-up was conducted for an average of 17 years, on a total of just over 26 000 participants with no known diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Are there reasons to change the general dietary recommendations on the basis of the current findings?

"No, in my opinion there is currently very little to indicate that the prevalence of myocardial infarctions or other serious heart disease would be reduced if those who already follow the recommendations were to further limit their sugar intake. However, it could be advisable to think about how to reach those whose consumption exceeds the current recommended level, and above all the major consumers of sweetened foods and drinks, through targeted initiatives." How high is sugar consumption in Sweden today?

"There are previous studies which show that 40 percent of the population consumes too much sugar, of which the majority have a slight overconsumption. There are also signs that the upward trend in sugar consumption has leveled off", concludes Emily Sonestedt. The research team at Lund University will continue to investigate sugar and cardiovascular disease, including studies focusing on other diagnoses.

The study was presented in the British Journal of Nutrition, and financed by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Crafoord Foundation, among others. 

The study in question focuses on sucrose. Sucrose occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables, but the majority of our consumption is through added sucrose. Besides sweetened beverages, cakes and sweets, sucrose is added to many ordinary foods, such as dairy products, bread and jam. In Sweden, sucrose is the most common form of added sugar.

‘Increased consumption of food and beverages with added sugar could raise the risk of heart attack by about a third.’

Are there reasons to change the general dietary recommendations on the basis of the current findings?

"No, in my opinion there is currently very little to indicate that the prevalence of myocardial infarctions or other serious heart disease would be reduced if those who already follow the recommendations were to further limit their sugar intake. However, it could be advisable to think about how to reach those whose consumption exceeds the current recommended level, and above all the major consumers of sweetened foods and drinks, through targeted initiatives." How high is sugar consumption in Sweden today?

"There are previous studies which show that 40 percent of the population consumes too much sugar, of which the majority have a slight overconsumption. There are also signs that the upward trend in sugar consumption has leveled off", concludes Emily Sonestedt. The research team at Lund University will continue to investigate sugar and cardiovascular disease, including studies focusing on other diagnoses.

The study was presented in the British Journal of Nutrition, and financed by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Crafoord Foundation, among others. 

Source:British Journal of Nutrition

Type 2 diabetes caused by buildup of toxic fat, study suggests

 Overwhelming number of Americans live with diabetes, and many others with prediabetes. Although obesity is a risk factor for this condition, new research suggests it might only be a certain kind of fat that produces type 2 diabetes.

Over 29 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the United States population, live with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95 percent of all these cases.

In type 1 diabetes, patients do not produce enough of the hormone insulin. In type 2 diabetes, although the body produces insulin, it cannot use it properly.

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas when it detects sugar intake. Insulin enables cells to accept glucose, which is then processed by the cells and turned into energy.

In patients whose insulin is not administered effectively, glucose is not assimilated by the cells but instead builds up in the bloodstream. Diabetes occurs when levels of blood sugar are abnormally high.

Although being overweight or obese is a common risk factor for diabetes, researchers have pointed out that diabetes can still occur in people of a healthy weight.

Previous research has found that 12 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes between 1990-2011 were at normal weight. The same research indicates that once diagnosed, normal-weight participants were more likely to die from diabetes than their heavier counterparts.

Reasons for this were unknown, until now. New research may have shed light on not only why people of a healthy weight are still prone to type 2 diabetes, but also why some people are more susceptible to it than others.

It could be that a certain kind of fat is what makes people prone to type 2 diabetes, regardless of their weight.

Ceramides triggered insulin resistance, diabetes in mice

Senior author Scott Summers, Ph.D., chairman of the University of Utah Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, believes it might be a toxic class of fat metabolites called ceramides that causes type 2 diabetes.

The new research from Summer and team shows that a buildup of ceramides prevents the fat tissue from working normally in mice.

When we overeat, some of the excess fat gets either stored or burned for energy. But for some people, excess fat just turns into ceramides.

"Ceramides impact the way the body handles nutrients. They impair the way the body responds to insulin, and also how it burns calories."

Scott Summers, Ph.D.

When too many ceramides accumulate in the fat tissue, the body reaches a "tipping point," as Summers puts it. Fat tissue stops working properly, and fat overspills into the blood vessels, heart, or goes on to damage the peripheral tissues.

Ceramides have previously been linked to diabetes by at least three different mechanisms: they cause the death of pancreatic beta cells, they increase insulin resistance, and they reduce insulin gene expression.

The new study further emphasizes the role of ceramides in creating insulin resistance.

Adding extra ceramides to fat cells in mice made them insulin-resistant and unable to burn calories. Conversely, mice that had fewer ceramides did not develop any insulin resistance.

Mice with excessive ceramides were also more likely to develop diabetes and fatty liver disease.

The results of the study were published in the latest issue of Cell Metabolism.

Implications for further research

This study suggests that some people are predisposed to turning excess fat into ceramides instead of calories.

"[The research] suggests some skinny people will get diabetes or fatty liver disease if something such as genetics triggers ceramide accumulation," said lead author Bhagirath Chaurasia, assistant professor at the University of Utah.

Summers points out that some Asian countries have a higher diabetes rate than the U.S., even though the obesity rate is relatively low.

Diabetes has already been linked to certain races/ethnicities, with African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, some Asians, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders being at a particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC.

Understanding How the Body Transports Zinc to Protect Health

Researchers have, for the first time, created detailed blueprints of the molecular moving vans that ferry zinc everywhere it's needed through the blood. The finding gives scientists newinsights into this important process - and a deeper understanding of the critical role it plays in maintaining good health.

Zinc is essential for wound healing, for vision, for DNA creation, for our senses of taste and smell, even for sexual health. But despite its importance, scientists have never fully understood the mechanism that moves the mineral through the body - until now.

‘Using X-ray crystallography, scientists have created colorful images of how zinc actually binds to serum albumin.’

The new work represents an international collaboration among researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and colleagues at the Universities of South Carolina (Maksymilian Chruszcz), Warwick (Claudia A. Blindauer) and St. Andrews (Alan J. Stewart). 

Surprising Findings 

Zinc is carried through the body by a protein known as serum albumin. Scientists had expected there would be a primary binding site where serum albumin binds with zinc, and the UVA researchers proved the location of that site. But the team, led by UVA's Wladek Minor also found several more secondary binding sites, revealing a more complex interaction than anticipated. "It's different than it was predicted before," said researcher Katarzyna B. Handing. 

While computer models previously had been used to predict how serum albumin picks up zinc, Minor's team used a scientific technique called X-ray crystallography to create colorful images of zinc actually bound to serum albumin. The technique allows them to pinpoint the location of each particular zinc atom. It was a challenging task, but the resulting schematics allow scientists to see, for the first time, exactly how serum albumin and zinc come together.

A Healthy Balance 

With the finding, scientists have a better grasp of how the body maintains the delicate balances necessary for good health, a state known as homeostasis. It's a complex dance made all the more complicated by the fact that serum albumin also transports many other things, such as hormones and fatty acids. "Homeostasis is extremely important, and it can be affected by the level of zinc you are taking into your body. But it can be also affected by other elements," Handing said. "If you have an elevated level of fatty acids, for example as a result of diabetes or obesity, the zinc homeostasis can be disturbed."

This is important because the body needs zinc, but too much zinc is toxic. So the body must make it available where it is needed, but, at the same time, it must prevent excessive buildup. If something goes wrong with the zinc regulation process, that can have a ripple effect, throwing the body's delicate balances out of whack and potentially having serious effects on health. 

Implications of the Discovery 

Ivan G. Shabalin, a research scientist in Minor's lab, noted that the research could help shed light on why certain drugs affect some patients differently than others. 

"We are going towards an understanding of all these complex relationships," he said. "You have this one molecule [serum albumin], and you have hundreds - possibly thousands - of different molecules which bind to it. We need to understand all this interplay. By studying zinc binding to albumin, we are understanding this relationship deeper." 
The findings have been published in the scientific journal Chemical Science. 

Healthy recipes and effective social marketing campaign improve eating habits

The Food Hero social marketing campaign is an effective way to help low-income families eat more nutritious meals through fast, tasty, affordable and healthy recipes, two new research studies from Oregon State University have found.

Food Hero was launched by the OSU Extension Service in 2009 in an effort to encourage healthy eating among low-income Oregonians. The initiative includes several components, such as a website, http://www.foodhero.org, with information in both English and Spanish; Food Hero recipe taste-tasting events in schools and communities across Oregon; and a library of healthy recipes that have all been taste-tested and many approved by children.

"The success of the program is by far exceeding the scope of what we envisioned when we started," said Melinda Manore, a professor of nutrition in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at OSU and co-author of the studies. "Getting people to change their diet and eating behavior, especially when they do not have much money, is very difficult, and this program is helping to do that."

The social marketing program is led by Lauren Tobey of Extension Family and Community Health at OSU, and Tobey is lead author of the studies. Food Hero is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education, or SNAP-Ed. SNAP-Ed focuses on obesity prevention within low-income households.

One of the new studies, published in the journal Nutrients, explores how Food Hero was developed and tested. The goal of the program is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among those eligible for SNAP benefits in Oregon, with a particular focus on low-income mothers.

The campaign's strategy includes providing clearly focused messages, writing in plain language, being positive and realistic with the messaging, and offering simple tools for action that include an explanation of what to do and how to do it. The campaign has been effective in part because educators stayed focused on their target audience, the researchers said.

The other study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, examines Food Hero's recipe project in more depth. The recipes used in the Food Hero campaign are formulated to be healthy, tasty and kid-friendly. To date, the Food Hero recipes have been accessed millions of times via the website and social media sites such as Pinterest.

"All of the recipes are simple to make and cost-effective for families on tight budgets," Tobey said. "Many families can't afford to have a recipe fail or try an untested recipe the family may not end up liking."

The recipes also are being tested with children who complete surveys or participate in a vote. If at least 70 percent of participating children say they "like the taste" of a recipe, it is considered "kid-approved." The program has collected more than 20,000 assessments from kids who have tried Food Hero recipes at school or at community events. About 36 percent of the tested recipes have received the "kid-approved" rating to date.

"When our nutrition educators say to the children, 'Would you like to try this for us and tell us what you think?' it empowers them," Manore said. "It also is a way to expose kids to foods they may not have tried before."

Parents and caregivers are also surveyed after their children participate in tasting exercises. Of those who completed surveys, 79 percent said their child talked about what they had learned in school about healthy eating; 69 percent reported that their child asked for specific recipes; and 72 percent reported making at least one Food Hero recipe, the research showed.

As Food Hero's tips, tools and recipes get shared in person, online, through the media and via social media, the program's reach also expands beyond the initial audience, the researchers said. Recipes from the program are now being used around the world, and in 2015, the recipes on the Food Hero website received more than 290,000 page views.

Anyone interested can also subscribe to Food Hero Monthly, an electronic magazine that includes recipes and tips. To sign up, visit https://foodhero.org/monthly-magazine.

In addition to their collaborations with Oregon partners such as the Department of Human Services, Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority, Food Hero program leaders are sharing materials and ideas with public health and SNAP-Ed programs in other states.

"Since 95 percent of the Food Hero recipes contain fruits and/or vegetables, people who try the recipes are helping us meet the primary goal of the campaign, which is to encourage more fruit and vegetable consumption, especially among low-income families," Tobey said.

Source:OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

CHEST experts issue advice for investigating occupational and environmental causes of chronic cough

Although the understanding of cough triggered by occupational and environmental causes has improved, experts say there is still a gap between current guidelines and clinical practice. A report by the CHEST Expert Cough Panel published in the journal CHEST suggests an approach to investigating occupational and environmental causes when these are suspected. The report has been endorsed by professional associations in the U.S., Canada, and Asia.

Coughing is one of the most common reasons people visit a family doctor. Chronic cough can be triggered when a person is exposed to certain irritants in the air and can be of little consequence, or it can be a symptom of more significant disease.

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) first published evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of cough in 1998 and updated these guidelines in 2006. Since the previous statement, there has been an increased understanding of the mechanisms of cough related to environmental triggers. There have also been several studies that have clarified laryngeal disorders leading to chronic cough and the role of occupational and environmental triggers for laryngeal causes of cough.

For the purpose of this latest report, experts reviewed occupational and environmental contributions to chronic cough with a focus on factors not covered in the 2006 Cough Guideline. They provided suggestions for investigating and managing these factors when suspected.

"We recently identified ten general chronic cough guidelines and protocols, but only the three published since 2006 included advice on detailed occupational and environmental assessments. One additional cough statement focused entirely on occupational cough," explained lead investigator Susan M. Tarlo, MBBS, FCCP, of Toronto Western Hospital, and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "However, of the 28 cohort studies of patients with chronic cough that specifically noted that they followed guidelines or protocols, none provided details regarding occupational and environmental assessments, suggesting a gap between recommended guidelines and clinical practice."

The CHEST Expert Cough Panel performed a comprehensive literature search using the MEDLINE and TOXLINE literature databases, supplemented by articles identified by the panel's occupational and environmental subgroup members, to identify occupational and environmental contributions to chronic cough. The literature review identified relevant articles regarding mechanisms, allergic environmental causes, chronic cough and the recreational and involuntary inhalation of tobacco and marijuana smoke, nonallergic environmental triggers, laryngeal syndromes and occupational diseases and exposures.

The subgroup developed guideline recommendations or suggestions, which then underwent review and voting by the full cough panel. Consensus-based statements were developed for the approach to diagnosis due to a lack of strong evidence from published literature.

The panel makes four main recommendations for examining adult patients with chronic cough:

• Occupational and environmental causes should be routinely elicited in the history, including length, severity, and timing of the exposure in relation to the onset or worsening of the patient's cough, smoking history and atopic history, reviewing Material Safety Data Sheets and/or occupational hygiene reviews of the patient's workplace, and the time period between last exposure and medical evaluation
• Where the history suggests an occupational or environmental cause, the panel suggests lung function testing and when appropriate rhinolaryngoscopy (a method for examining the nose and throat)
• Where there is a history of occupational or environmental exposure, the panel suggests a number of objective tests such as sputum cytology, before and after exposure methacholine tests to demonstrate potential causality, immunologic tests, and tests for chronic beryllium disease
• Where there is a high suspicion that cough is due to environmental and/or occupational exposures, the panel suggests that these patients be managed according to evidence-based guidelines for these exposures and/or be referred to specialists with expertise in environmental and occupational disease

"There is a need for further documentation of occupational and environmental causes of cough and to close the gap between guidelines and clinical practice," commented Tarlo. "Identifying occupational and environmental causes of chronic cough can affect symptom management and offers opportunity for exposure control and prevention in the future."

This report has been endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American Association for Respiratory Care, the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, the Canadian Thoracic Society, and the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association of Canada.

Source:ELSEVIER HEALTH SCIENCES

HOW TO REDUCE STRESS

The root cause of stress is fear, as all fear is the threat of losing our attachments. If we’re attached to a desired outcome, anything that threatens it will be something we fear. The fear of losing control underpins stress, for example, and creates frustration over what can’t be controlled. As desirable as it is to be in a position of control, our attachment to it ultimately creates a fear that can manifest as stress, worry, anxiety, and panic.Fear brings disorder into our experience when it is within us, and it’s an energy that suppresses consciousness.

Activation energy is the force required to get you from doing something when you’re on autopilot (such as habits, routines, procedural awareness, or relaxing) to doing something new. It is a manifestation of willpower. When we are in a state of fear (stress), our activation energy is diverted toward doing things to ourselves that are primarily against our will.Running late for work and caught in a traffic jam? You can either become frustrated and upset because you fear arriving to work late (which brings you no closer to your goal of getting there on time), or you can accept the present moment and use it as a learning lesson to leave earlier next time. You can also choose to enjoy the unexpected free time in the morning and listen to a podcast or some music. There are many choices you can make in that space of time that can affect or degrade even the most minute increments of your personal development.

Stress causes you to divert attention and willpower away from your initial goal, bringing you no closer to it than when you began. In a state of stress and fear, your willpower gets diverted toward the threat, not the goal, and this is against your own best interest. Time is currency, so pay attention to what you spend your time on.Now of course there are valid situations where your willpower MUST be diverted toward dealing with the threat or there might not be any willpower left for you to use in the future!

There are two types of fear: survival based fear and ego based fear. Ego fear includes fear of rejection, failure, humiliation, loss, uncertainty, lack of control, etc. These fears are not real, but may feel so to you. Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could happen? Is it death, the loss of freedom, a loved one suffering? If it’s none of those then you’re too attached to an outcome that is not essential to your wholeness. When we’re mindful of our awareness, extraordinary things await us on the opposite side of fear. Believe.

Believe in what?

Yourself? A higher power? Both?

Believe in the truth of your situation by first accepting everything that is happening. You can’t move forward in a state of denial because denial is resistance. Then think about what you’re afraid of (an outcome, for example) and why it is making you feel afraid. What will you lose that is causing your anxiety? What is this thing that you’re holding onto that is vital to your security and wholeness?

Fear should be an alarm, not a program. An alarm alerts you of danger, while a program controls and runs the show. When ALERTED by fear we can use the logic of our conscious mind to analyze if we are in any real danger, rather than allowing the subconscious mind and its primal instincts to impulsively control us. Even if we don’t lash out during times of stress and frustration, we may remain divided and chaotic internally, throwing emotional temper tantrums no one else sees. Do your job to parent yourself and take control of the inner child embedded in your subconscious mind (we all have one).

Fear is an insecurity, and insecurity is the source of many malfunctions in the human condition. However, if it wasn’t for fear, we would never know who and what we really are. Fear is illusion. Life is designed to strip illusion from you by bringing you face to face with your fears again and again until you have no choice but to face them, release resistance to them, and become fearless. Once you become fearless you’re free from illusion because you have discovered the truth of what’s on the other side of your fear.

We design our lives to run away from fear so we don’t have to feel it, but whatever we resist persists, chasing us into the corner. It’s understandable why we do this but it’s not helpful because this daunting tool that keeps offering itself to us is the tool of our expansion, the tool of truth if we are ready to accept it.

You would be oblivious to yourself without fear, which makes it one of the greatest tools of awareness. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of it; regardless of how tough you are, every human being feels fear. People who suppress fear are glorified. Rather than suppress it, feel it and come to terms with it. This way you won’t feel the need to suppress it because you have already gotten to its source: truth. And the truth will always wipe out fear.

By suppressing fear you’re ignoring your personal lesson. We often ignore what our emotional guidance system is trying to tell us because we don’t think fear is valid. Fear is a red flag within us that we should pay closer attention to so we can dig deep and find the source of that fear. Suppressing it is only ignoring the shadow, masking it as courage. We don’t examine the fear that we have; instead, we try to focus on anything that decreases the level of fear that we experience. Sometimes fear is legitimate and sometimes it is not, but we must always pay attention to it so we can get to the Truth of why it’s there.

Fear of the unknown is also common. Since we know nothing about the unkown, what we actually fear is whatever we ourselves project into it. We think we know what potential negative thing the unknown might hold for us and we are running from the projection of that potential pain. We fear what we project into the unknown based on our previous experiences (mostly from childhood) of uncertainty and discomfort. The reptile brain seeks comfort, so anything that is uncomfortable alerts our primal survival drives. These red flags create anxious moments to our pleasure-seeking and pain-avoiding ego. When faced with the unknown, the mind goes to work projecting its already acquired fears into the unknown so that it can predict what lies there. It’s those projections that we fear. It’s not the unknown of that experience that it fears, it’s what it thinks it knows that experience will create. We need to be brave enough to face and admit to what we actually fear.

This may sound counterintuitive, but everything we do, regardless of how stupid or damaging it is for ourselves, has a positive intention at its core. Anxiety responses aim to help us — usually to get us out of a situation, to protect us. Every behaviour that we generate, even if it’s detrimental to our long-term growth and happiness, has a positive intention behind it, and recognizing this will allow you to change the behaviour. Your subconscious mind wants to protect you but it doesn’t think long-term with respect to your growth and happiness; it reacts in the present moment, and wants to deal with the perceived danger NOW. The subconscious is always thinking about what’s happening now, and how to fix it now. It thinks, “How do I get out of it? How do I survive it?” While your subconscious mind is intuitive, smart, and integral to the mind-body system, it is also deeply irrational and has the cognitive capacity of a 10-year-old child. Ask yourself, would you let a 10-year-old run your life?

We need to educate and guide the subconscious mind using its own language and worldview. The subconscious mind’s job is to keep you happy, healthy, and safe, so when you give it a way to understand that what it’s doing is hurting you, it will stop the behaviour. If the subconscious mind has to choose between safety and happiness, it will always chose safety. Self-preservation is its primary objective, to protect you and keep you alive so you can move your genes forward.

Do not justify your fear. While something could have happened to you that created the fear, such as a traumatic event, you must still move beyond it. It may be difficult, but when you justify your fear, in whatever terms, you remain a prisoner to it.  You give yourself a reason to hold onto the fear because you’re telling yourself that this fear is coming from the outside instead of its true source, the inside. Once you become aware of something, you have the choice and power to change it.

Your belief systems determine your ability to overcome your fears. If you tell yourself, “I can’t overcome this fear,” you ensure this remains true. As long as you believe it, it will be True in your reality. The perception we have of ourselves is greater than the perception other people have of us. Your perceptions will determine how you will react, which in turn determines how long the fear will last in your life.

Facing your greatest fears will be your greatest liberation. Your fears are your unresolved issues; once you get to the Truth of why they exist, you can resolve those issues and stop feeding the fears. We must let go of and reexamine what we think is good and bad because our perspective shapes our fears.

How DNA might affect our reproductive choices

More and more parents delay having their first child, and in industrialized countries, childlessness rates are going up. This is due to socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors, as well as personal choice. New research, however, shows genetics might also play a role.

Women are increasingly choosing to have a child later in life. In the 1970s, the average age at which women decided to have their first child was 24, whereas in 2012, it was 29.

An increasing number of women also choose not to have any children at all. In the mid-1970s, 10 percent of American women aged 40-44 had never had a biological child. By 2005, this had surged to 20 percent, decreasing to 15 percent in 2015.

In industrialized countries, both parents are choosing to have children later in life, which affects the number of children they can have and their reproductive ability.Both women's and men's age are important factors in the ability to conceive. By the age of 40, a woman's chances of conceiving have decreased by 50 percent.

Men's fertility starts to decrease significantly after the age of 40, and the risk of miscarriage is twice as high for women whose male partner is aged over 45 than for those with partners in their 20s.

As an increasing number of people are putting off having children, researchers have looked at the cultural and socioeconomic factors that may be responsible for these choices.

However, until now, there was no significant research on the genetic or biological factors that might influence this trend. A new study aims to fill this gap by looking at how DNA might influence our reproductive behavior.

Linking DNA to our reproductive choices

The study looked at the entire human genome to see if there was a connection between our genetic variants that make us particular individuals, our age at first birth, and the number of children born.

For the first time, researchers have managed to identify parts of DNA that influence not only the age at which parents decide to have children, but also the total number of children we decide to have during our lives.

The research consisted of a meta-analysis of 62 existing studies. In total, researchers collected information from over 600,000 men and women. They looked at 238,064 men and women for their age when they had their first child, and 330,000 men and women for the number of children they had.

They also gathered data from 250 sociologists, biologists, and geneticists from institutions worldwide.

The study was led by Nicola Barban, from the Department of Sociology and Nuffield College at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and the results have been published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Researchers found 12 areas of the DNA code that are related to the age when we have our first child and the total number of children we have.

Variants in these areas combined can help predict around 1 percent of the time when men and women have their first child. They can also help predict 0.2 percent of the variability in the number of children we decide to have.

Study links 24 genes to age at first birth

By studying these 12 areas and their functions, researchers have been able to identify 24 genes that play a role in the time we decide to have children. Some of these genes have already been connected to infertility.

The data might seem very small, but as the authors point out, being able to predict 1 percent of human reproductive behavior is significant enough to be helpful for reproductive health experts.

The study points out that these DNA variants are also linked with other characteristics of sexual development, such as the age at which girls start menstruation, when the voice breaks for young boys, or when women start menopause.

The analysis revealed that women who tend to have a later menstruation and a later menopause onset are also likelier to postpone having a child, based on their DNA variants.

This research shows that in addition to social and cultural factors, there is also a biological basis for our reproductive choices.

DNA research and infertility treatment

The new discovery might one day help predict infertility. This could provide valuable help to families or single parents who are trying to conceive.

DNA research of this kind might also increase the effectiveness of assisted reproductive technology (ART).

ART is currently invasive and sometimes risky. For example, it may cause multiple births, which can pose risks to both the mother and baby.

Although the use of ART is still relatively rare compared with those who choose to conceive naturally, the use of technologies to aid infertility has increased steadily since the birth of the first baby conceived with ART in 1981. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that its use has doubled over the past decade.

According to the CDC, in 2012, ART accounted for 1.5 percent of all infants born in the United States.

Energy drinks linked to hepatitis in new case study

Most of us have consumed energy drinks at one point or another, either because of a looming deadline or during a fun night out. Although energy drinks are often perceived as harmless, a new case report links the beverages to liver damage, after a previously healthy man developed hepatitis from consuming too many.

In the United States, most energy drinks are consumed by young males between 18-34 years of age. Almost one third of teenagers between 12-17 years old consume energy drinks regularly, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

Between 2007-2011, the number of energy drink-related emergency department visits in the U.S. doubled. Main concerns regard the combined use of energy drinks with alcohol, which leads to excessive binge drinking.

As for the contents of an energy drink, it is believed that caffeine and sugar pose the greatest threat to consumers' health.

According to a new case report, however, there may be something in energy drinks that can cause liver damage.

The report details a 50-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital for acute hepatitis. The patient had reportedly consumed four to five energy drinks per day for more than 3 weeks.

This is a very rare occurrence; there is only one other case, in which a 22-year-old woman developed acute hepatitis from consuming energy drinks in excess.

Man consumed four to five energy drinks daily for 3 weeks

This latest case - reported by Dr. Jennifer Nicole Harb of the University of Florida College of Medicine and colleagues - was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

The man was previously healthy. He reported no changes in his diet or alcohol consumption, nor was he taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicine. He had also not consumed any illicit drugs and had no history of liver disease in his family.

However, for 3 weeks leading up to his hospitalization, he had started consuming energy drinks in order to keep up with his heavy workload as a construction worker.

After the 3-week period, he started developing symptoms such as general malaise, anorexia, acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient became alarmed when these symptoms were accompanied by jaundice and dark urine.

Excess niacin to blame for acute hepatitis

Upon examination, it was revealed that the number of enzymes called transaminases was elevated, which indicates liver damage. A liver biopsy revealed acute hepatitis, and doctors also found evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection.

"Though the patient was found to have HCV [hepatitis C virus] infection, we did not think HCV was responsible for his acute hepatitis," the doctors mention in the report.

The doctors go on to explain that acute hepatitis was most likely induced by the excessive intake of vitamin B3, also known as niacin.

The patient consumed around 160-200 milligrams of niacin per day, which is twice the recommended daily dose.

Although these levels of niacin are not supposed to cause toxicity, they are similar to those reported in the only one other case of energy drink-associated hepatitis. There, the woman had consumed 300 milligrams of niacin daily, which was, at the time, the lowest reported dose to cause niacin toxicity.

In the case of the new patient, symptoms were cleared by the third day of hospitalization, following careful observation and treatment.

He discontinued the use of energy drinks and was advised to avoid any similar products that contain vitamin B3 in the future.

Dietary supplements and liver toxicity

Nearly 50 percent of the cases of liver failure in the U.S. are caused by drug-induced liver injury (DILI), according to the case report.

The authors of the case study point out that dietary and herbal supplements can be harmful to one's liver, despite their natural ingredients. Around 23,000 emergency department visits each year are related to dietary supplements.

Although vitamins and dietary supplements have been recognized as hepatotoxins, they continue to be ignored by patients and doctors alike, the authors warn. This is due to the common misconception that because they have "natural ingredients" they must be harmless.

Most of the time primary treatment for DILI simply involves stopping the intake of the substance that is causing the injury and waiting for the liver to normalize. Recovery usually takes place in a few days.

A case such as the one published in BMJ Case Reports might alert doctors of the damaging effects of energy drinks and help them eliminate the cause of hepatitis quicker and more effectively. Hopefully, doctors will treat such instances more promptly and no longer ignore the possible negative effects that vitamins, supplements, and related products can have on the liver.

Doctors recommend that patients should be educated about the risks of liver toxicity involved in energy drink consumption.

Health ministry to amend Rule 135A &145D of D&C Rules relating to presence of mercury in cosmetics

The Union health ministry will soon amend the Rule 135A and Rule 145D of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 relating to presence of mercury compounds in cosmetics. The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) in its 71st meeting held in May this year had given its green signal to amend Rule 135A as "Prohibition of import of cosmetics containing mercury-- Cosmetics imported into the country shall not contained mercury more than- (i) in cosmetics intended for use only in the area of the eye, level of mercury should not exceed more than 65 parts per million (0.0065 percent) of mercury, calculated as the metal, as a preservative. (ii) in other finished cosmetic products unintentional mercury should not exceed 1 parts per million (ppm). Accordingly, Rule 145D will be amended to read as “Prohibition of use of mercury compounds in cosmetics.- Cosmetic manufactured in the country shall not contained mercury more than- (iii) in cosmetics intended for use only in the area of the eye, level of mercury should not exceed more than 65 parts per million (0. 0065 per cent) of mercury, calculated as the metal, as a preservative. In other finished cosmetic products unintentional mercury should not exceed 1 parts per million (ppm). Earlier, a proposal to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 to simplify the provisions relating to registration of cosmetics imported into the country and specifying limits of mercury were considered in the 70th meeting of DTAB on the basis of the report of the sub-committee. The proposal was considered in view of the difficulties expressed by certain importers in respect of compliance to the various provisions introduced under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 in respect of registration of cosmetics imported into the country. The DTAB had agreed to the recommendations of the sub-committee for the amendment of the rules as: "Rule-129: Registration of cosmetic products imported into the country.- No cosmetic shall be imported into India unless the product is registered under the Rules by the licensing authority appointed by the Central Government under rule 21 or by any person to whom such powers may be delegated under rule 22 or unless otherwise the products are complying with the standards specified in Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945". "Rule 129H: Labelling and Packing of Cosmetics:- No cosmetic shall be imported unless it is packed and labelled in conformity with the rules in Part XV. Further the label of imported cosmetics shall bear registration certificate number of the product and the name and address of the registration certificate holder for marketing the said product in India or in case the products are not registered, the importer shall give undertaking at the port entry that products are manufactured by the manufacturer stated on the label". "Rule 135A: Import of cosmetics containing mercury compounds prohibited.-No cosmetic shall be imported which contains mercury compounds. Provided the presence of traces of unintentional mercury should not exceed 1 parts per million (ppm) in finished cosmetics. Provided further that for those cosmetics intended for use only in the area of the eye, level of mercury should not exceed more than 65 parts per million (0.0065 per cent) of mercury, calculated as the metal, as a preservative". "Rule 145D: Prohibition of manufacture of cosmetics containing mercury compounds.-No cosmetic containing mercury compounds shall be manufactured. Provided the presence of traces of unintentional mercury should not exceed 1 parts per million (ppm) in finished cosmetics. Provided further that for those cosmetics intended for use only in the area of the eye, level of mercury should not exceed more than 65 parts per million (0.0065 per cent) of mercury, calculated as the metal, as a preservative". The proposed amendments were processed and forwarded to the Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice for their approval. However, the Law Ministry did not agree to the proposed amendments as these were contradictory in nature. The DTAB in its 71st meeting deliberated on the issue and agreed to the amendment of rule 135A and 145D relating to presence of mercury compounds in cosmetics. In regard to the proposal of simplification of registration procedures it was recommended that the provisions for registration may be simplified making it easier for the importers to import cosmetics into the country without compromising the quality of the cosmetics imported into the country.

Source:Pharmabiz

High-protein diets reduce liver fat

According to a new nutritional study conducted by the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) on individuals with type 2 diabetes, high-protein diets reduced liver fat by up to 48 percent within six weeks. It did not matter whether the diet was mainly based on plant or animal protein.

The team of scientists led by Mariya Markova, Olga Pivovarova, Silke Hornemann and Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer of DIfE, a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), has now published its findings in the journal Gastroenterology (Markova et al. 2016; 

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease in Europe and the U.S. "When left untreated, fatty liver is an important step progress to type 2 diabetes and can develop into liver cirrhosis, which can have life-threatening effects," said endocrinologist Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer of DIfE, who led the study. "Since the number of affected persons is increasing, it is therefore more important than ever to work together with our partners to develop effective dietary strategies that prevent the disease," he added.

Various studies throughout the world have already investigated the effects of high-protein diets on human metabolism. In many of these studies, scientists have observed beneficial effects on body weight, liver fat content, blood lipid levels, long-term blood glucose levels and muscle mass retention. However, some studies have also concluded that high protein intake can reduce insulin activity and affect renal function. Since both positive as well as negative effects have been observed, the researchers at DIfE posed the question whether the protein source was decisive for the respective effect. Therefore, in the current study, they investigated the effects of two high-protein diets* on the metabolism of 37 female and male subjects between the ages of 49 and 78 years suffering from type 2 diabetes and, in most cases, from fatty liver. The two diets differed only in the protein sources, which were either mainly plant or animal origin. To ensure that the weight of the participants remained stable during the entire study and that any weight loss could not influence the result, the scientists individually adjusted the energy content of the diet to each individual. The scientists randomized which of the two diet forms each participant should follow. The main source for the plant protein group were foods such as noodles or bread that were enriched with pea protein and were especially prepared by the company IGV Institut für Getreideverarbeitung GmbH. The animal protein group consumed lean milk products as well as white meat and fish as protein sources.

"As our results show, all study participants benefited from the high-protein diet, whether based on plant or animal protein. Negative effects on renal function or glucose metabolism were not observed," said first author Markova. "Liver fat content decreased significantly, in half of the study participants by more than 50 percent. In conjunction with this, we observed favorable changes in the liver and lipid metabolism, improved insulin sensitivity of the participants and in addition a significant reduction in the hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 in the blood," added Olga Pivovarova, who along with Mariya Markova and Silke Hornemann coordinated the current study. The function of the hormone released by the liver into the blood has not yet been adequately clarified and thus the results are not easy to interpret, according to the scientist. However, previous studies have shown that the hormone affects different organs and adipose tissue. Especially in overweight people, high concentrations are found in the blood. According to Silke Hornemann, a physician involved in the study, other studies as well as their own studies suggest that the hormone concentration also depends on the type and quantity of the consumed macronutrients.

"Larger and longer studies are needed to better understand the metabolic mechanisms underlying the observation, to study the long-term effects, and to see whether also younger patients would benefit from the change in diet," said Pfeiffer. "The favorable effects we observed in the study may also be age-dependent, because the study participants were on average older than sixty years of age. If no renal disease is present, sufficient protein supply plays an important role particularly in this age group. For example, a decrease in muscle mass is often associated with age," Pfeiffer added. Further research is still needed to elucidate the hormonal regulation mechanisms involved. In conclusion, however, it can be said that from the observations and taking into account environmentally relevant aspects, consumers should preferably rely on plant foods for their protein source.

Source:DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUER DIABETESFORSCHUNG DZD