We all know a glass or two of red wine reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. The reason for this is a compound in red grapes, resveratrol, turns on enzymes that control ageing in living things-giving it the potential to help slow the ageing process and to stave off age-related illness. Biological stress causes a defence action in plants, and the plants make resveratrol to turn on the same ‘guardian’ enzymes in animals as they do in plants. Resveratrol, is seemed to be involved in a kind of interspecies communication on the molecular level: stressed plants send a message to animals who eat them, that times are tough, fire up your survival response, which in turn results in a longer life.
Regardless of the reason, the good news is that Australian reds-due to the harsher climate-contain more resveratrol than their counterparts in Europe and the US. Choose red wine over white.
Archive for June, 2009
Red wine
Osteoporosis, the crippling disease
Osteoporosis is the loss of bone tissue and the subsequent damage to bone structure. Bones that were once sturdy supports for the body can be reduced to a fragile lacework susceptible to being shattered if you pick up a heavy object, fall or simply twist the wrong way. Women are more affected by the disease than men because men have a larger bones, greater muscle mass and tend to be more active.
Bones are not as solid and impenetrable as we think, it is in fact living tissue that is constantly being shed and replaced. Bones grow throughout childhood and puberty, with much more tissue being added than lost. During the teen years, bones become sturdier by adding mass and increasing density. The process begins to change when a woman reaches her 30s, with more bone being lost than made. This leads to osteoporosis in some women who have not taken measures to maintain strong bones. The disease occurs most of them in women who are small boned or very thin, many others may be in danger without knowing it. Male osteoporosis occurs due to low testosterone levels, caused due to ageing. Men with severe osteoporosis are sometimes treated with is testosterone injections.
Stress
Stress has become an all-purpose gimmick to get our attention. Wherever we turned to, the magazines or the TV, they show nothing more than suggesting that we can’t make it through the day without practically dying from stress. We all have stress, but not all day, not every day.
Checking into a day spa or anything else where the end goal is stress reduction, to a certain extent helps in overcoming stress. But we should also acknowledge that life is full of little tensions because, well, that is life. And we should handle it moment by moment the way people always have, by taking a deep breath and getting some perspective.
Stop worrying about achieving balance in your life, especially when you have kids. Kits take up all available time-it is the basic law of parenthood. No matter how much time you give them, you will still feel you haven’t been there enough for them. You are supposed to think more about your kids than about yourself. Before the kids were around, you had time for you, later when they leave home, you will have time for yourself.
Stories about health and environment, scares us out of our wits. We are supposed to fear everything, from killer celery to weapons of mass destruction. Almost all media scare stories are about something dastardly that happened to a very small group of people, which means a large number of people are perfectly fine. So stop worrying.
Water
Water is very important for your body, to help in digestion and absorption of vitamins and nutrients. It helps in detoxifying the liver and kidneys, and helps in carrying the waste from the body. Fibre only when combined with water can help in proper digestion.
Water helps in losing weight, by acting as a natural appetite suppressant. By developing a good water drinking habit, you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight. When the body is dehydrated, fat cells get rubbery and cannot be easily metabolized . You cannot lose weight when you do not drink water.
People who suffer from kidney stones should drink a lot of water, as it helps in dissolving the calcium in urine. Drinking at least eight glasses of water daily reduces the risk of stone formation. Drinking water helps in preventing urinary tract infections in both men and women. Water helps him flushing impurities out of the system.
Dehydration makes you more susceptible to viruses. Cold sores that appear on the lips are minimised by drinking water. 90% of our body blood is made up of water. Clean and pure water intake ensures an elevated level of health. Drinking contaminated water leads to waterborne diseases. Purification and safe water handling can minimise the risk, effective methods are boiling or E boiling. Water should be boiled at 100°C for 20 minutes to get rid of germs. Care must be taken while cooling and storing. Another method is E boiling, where the purity of water can be electronically monitored. Ultraviolet rays in the UV chamber E boil the water, making it completely pure and safe to drink.