Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 August 2009

Iodine in diet: Functions, Food Sources, Side Effects, Recommendations, Infants, Children, Adolescents and Adults, Alternative Names

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Iodine in diet

Iodine is naturally found in the body and it is an essential element.

Functions

Iodine is necessary for the metabolism (the process of converting food into energy) normal cells. Humans need iodine for normal thyroid function and the production of thyroid hormones.

Food Sources

Iodized salt, salt with iodine added, "is the main food source of iodine. Iodine is found naturally in seafood, and also cod, sea bass, haddock and perch are good sources. The brown algae or marine (kelp) is the most common vegetable seafood and features a rich source of iodine. In addition, dairy products and plants grown in iodine rich soils are excellent sources of this nutrient.

Side Effects
Lack of enough iodine (deficiency) may occur in areas with poor soils in this element. Iodine deficiency in the diet for several months can cause goiter or hypothyroidism. Without enough iodine, the thyroid cells and thyroid gland enlarged.

This deficiency most often affects women than men and is more common in pregnant women and children. Sufficient iodine intake in the diet can prevent a form of physical and mental retardation called cretinism, a condition rare in the United States, since deficiency of iodine, usually not a problem.

Iodine poisoning in the United States is rare. The high consumption of this element can reduce the function of the thyroid gland.



Recommendations

The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet containing a variety of foods from the pyramid of basic food groups.

A 1 / 4 teaspoon of iodized table salt provides 95 micrograms of iodine. A serving of 6 ounces (170 grams) of sea fish provides 650 micrograms of iodine. Most people can meet the daily recommendations by eating seafood, iodized salt and plants grown in iodine rich soils. When buying salt make sure it is labeled "iodized."

The Food and Nutrition Committee of the Institute of Medicine (Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine) recommends the following dietary intake for iodine:

Infants:

* 0 - 6 months: 110 micrograms per day (mcg / day)
* 7 to 12 months: 130 mcg / day

Children:

* 1 to 3 years: 90 mcg / day
* 4 to 8 years: 90 mcg / day
* 9 to 13 years: 120 mcg / day

Adolescents and Adults

* Men age 14 and older: 150 mcg / day
* Women age 14 and older: 150 mcg / day

Specific recommendations depend on age, sex and other factors (such as pregnancy). Women who are pregnant or producing milk (lactating) need higher amounts. Ask your doctor what amount is best for you.

Alternative Names
Diet and iodine

Saturday, 15 August 2009

The diet that helps the heart keeps the brain young

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The diet that helps the heart keeps the brain young

Foods recommended to reduce cardiovascular risk are a blessing .

Foods that are good for the heart keep the brain young. According to the latest data, presented in Vienna at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, a table, you can do much to prevent or at least slow down Alzheimer's: the food that are typically recommended in the diet to reduce cardiovascular risk are a cure for the brain, and also vitamin D, and spices such as curry can reveal unsuspected talents protective.

DIET - The first study to be useful to research conducted by some doctors at the University of Utah, USA, who were testing the DASH diet . This is a diet designed to reduce the pressure, very similar in their tenets to the typical Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole cereals, fish, dairy products low in fat), try it on 3800 over 65 researchers have noticed that is also very good against Alzheimer's. Indeed, a re-evaluating 11 years after the first visit to the elderly involved an estimate of their cognitive abilities, it soon became clear that the more each member of the greater DASH diet, the more likely it was to keep the brain functioning and to protect from dementia . The elements of the diet associated to the anti-Alzheimer were vegetables, nuts, whole grains and dairy products low in fat: those who ate more of the brain was perfectly shaped and more than 75 years. The reason, according to scholars, it is quite intuitive: because this diet is very effective to keep the low pressure or hypertension is one of the recognized risk factors for Alzheimer's, the DASH diet is an excellent way to prevent disease .

THERAPY - Some went further. Milan Fiala, from the University of Los Angeles, has tried vitamin D and Curcumin, a substance found in curry, the serum of nine patients with Alzheimer's in an attempt to understand whether they can even have a therapeutic role. According to the first data collected and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, it looks so. Fiala isolated monocytes, blood cells that form the "garbage" and transformed into macrophages, clean fabrics from waste substances, their macrophages should remove the beta-amyloid, the protein that, when it aggregates in Alzheimer's forming plaques that "stifle" the cells of the brain. The monocytes of patients, made with vitamin D or Curcumin (natural or synthetic, that is more easily absorbed by our body and acts for longer), have shown greater activity "eat-amyloid: is better to attack the protein to incorporate and destroy faster and better. "In practice, vitamin D and Curcumin may stimulate the immune system to cleanse the brain of plaques of beta-amyloid - says Fiala -. In our previous work we demonstrated that there are two types of patients with Alzheimer's, those who respond to Curcumin and those which did not effect the first substance may even be a new therapeutic option, perhaps in combination with vitamin D since the two substances appear to act on the immune system and on macrophages in a somewhat 'different. In any case, Curcumin and vitamin D may have a preventive role against interesting of AD. At the moment, we can not show tilted in recommended doses. " That the curry can be good for the brain confirms Tiziana bag, Head of Cell Death and Neuroprotection in the Department of Neuroscience of the Mario Negri Institute of Milan: "Just this year another American scientist has conducted studies on curry, reaching to say that along with a balanced diet and exercise this spice can become the anti-Alzheimer future. For now, nothing confirmed, but hypotheses are interesting to explore and consider. "

OMEGA-3 - bag at the table confirms that we can do much to prevent the disease: "It was demonstrated, for example, a strong correlation between Alzheimer's and diabetes: the insulin receptors on the neurons of people with Alzheimer's will be reduced 80 percent compared to healthy brains. Therefore, the dietary rules of use in preventing diabetes are also applicable to the prevention of this neurodegenerative disease - explains the researcher -. Other nutrients that seem decidedly important to prevent the degeneration of AD are the omega-3 fatty acids, those of fish docosahexaenoico acid or DHA, found in high concentrations in cold water fish, significantly slows the development of reducing the disease of amyloid plaques. Are recommended for the prevention of coronary heart disease, heart attack and complications of diabetes are recommended to women during pregnancy: the current data suggest that should be made to keep your brain in shape longer. Finally - concludes bag - the vitamins of group B are considered excellent long allied against many degenerative diseases. "

Thursday, 13 August 2009

Food allergy: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment

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WHAT IS Food Allergy?

Allergies are an immune system reaction to certain substances in the absence of this "sensitivity" special, they are harmless.
These reactions may be innate or acquired.
Food allergies are those caused by ingestion of substances to which they are allergic (allergens).
Symptoms can occur within minutes or even two hours after the intake of food.
In some cases, symptoms may not appear until one or two days later.

CAUSES

The allergic reaction can be caused by eating food or substance.

The foods most commonly involved in allergies are:
cow's milk,
egg whites,
wheat,
the soybean or sesame
nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, ...
fish and shellfish,
or melons
chocolate



SYMPTOMS
Diarrhea (common).
Abdominal pain (common).
Bloating and swelling (common).
Skin rashes.
Urticaria.
Itching.
Swelling of the face (especially lips), hands and feet.
Pollen allergy, asthma, cough.
Nausea and vomiting.
Headache, migraine.
Dizziness or fainting.

RISK FACTORS
Other Issues Allergy, family heritage or allergy to some type of food.

PREVENTION
Identification and elimination of food responsible for the allergy.
Infants who are started on solid foods at an older age tend to have fewer allergies.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

General Measures

Eliminate suspected foods from your diet for two weeks (or until the symptoms disappear) and then re-eating them one by one again to see if symptoms reappear.
Analysis of skin may be useful in identifying foods that cause allergy, but often give false positives (ie, you may be positive in the analysis of certain foods while not actually allergic to it).
Patients with severe allergies to certain foods should be extremely careful to prevent such food.
Bring with you a set with a syringe containing epinephrine in case of accidental ingestion of food by harmful if an allergic reaction.
Consider carrying a medical alert bracelet or a medal around his neck indicating his allergy problem.

Medication

There is no medication for the treatment of food allergies, but your doctor may prescribe a particular medication to relieve some symptoms.

Activity

There are no restrictions.

Diet

Avoid foods that cause allergy. Carefully read food labels.

With this disease are advised to follow the following diet:
Diet to study and control of food allergy

Possible complications
Anaphylactic reactions (difficulty in breathing, heart irregularities, sudden drop in blood pressure and collapse).
Reaction with hives or eczema.
Bronchial asthma.
Intestinal inflammation (gastrointestinal symptoms).

PROGNOSIS
Children often develop a hypersensitivity to certain foods at the age of two to four years.
Adults with hypersensitivity to certain foods (especially milk, fish, shellfish and tree nuts) are less likely to develop allergies.

Disclaimer:

Please consult appropriate medical practitioner before using any of the above information. The author is not not responsible for any loss/damages occuring out of the use of this information.

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