Doa Haikal

 

Mushrooms & The Vitamin D Link

For one of the sunniest, most temperate countries in the world, Australia has an increasingly high rate of Vitamin D deficiency. A shortage of this important fat soluble vitamin has been linked to a number of health issues such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, depression and certain cancers. While the warnings of excess sunshine have been well and truly heeded, many Australians are going so far to slip, slop, slap that we are actually blocking benefits of regular time spent outdoors. According to research, 41 per cent of people in South East Queensland, 67 per cent of Tasmanian women and 58 per cent of aged care residents in Melbourne were Vitamin D deficient, not to mention 83 per cent of dermatologists in the winter time!

The good news is that the sunshine is not the only way to receive Vitamin D - it may be the major source but we must still look to food to supply any extra the body may require. Surveyed Australians consume around 25 per cent of the recommended 10 mcg of Vitamin D per day - and by the time we reach age seventy the body needs 15 mcg per day, so it's important that good habits are put in place now.

Calcium and Vitamin D are also linked - Glenn Cardwell, an Accredited Practising Dietitian with 30 years in clinical and public health nutrition says "If there is not enough calcium and Vitamin D in the diet or, in the case of vitamin D, insufficient sunlight exposure, then not enough skeletal bone is created [in childhood]. Our bones reach peak mass by the age of 30 years and thereafter decline. The rate of the decline is greatly dampened if adequate calcium is consumed, you remain active, don't smoke and get all your vitamin D needs through diet or sunshine. Cardwell also notes that "a greater calcium intake slows down the rate of bone loss in the later decades, while the kidneys become less able to activate vitamin D so more D is needed."

Mushrooms and Vitamin D

The humble mushroom has the potential to provide the daily Vitamin D requirements in a single serve, along with a host of other health benefits. Research has shown that mushrooms growing naturally in the wild contain Vitamin D, with the action of sunlight on their surface converting ergosterol to Vitamin D2. Commercially grown mushrooms, however, have little Vitamin D as they tend to grow well in darkness and extra light increases running costs and growing temperature.

As a result of these findings, the Australian Mushroom Industry began a small trial in Dubbo in 2007 "to test the effect of UV lights during the growing stage. The University of Western Sydney also did a trial using light exposure and found that mushrooms can easily reach the Adequate Intake levels of vitamin D in a single serve. They also showed that the vitamin D is stable and well absorbed from the mushroom (Koyyalamudi 2009)." The stability of the vitamin means that mushrooms can be used particularly in the catering sector to hospitals and nursing homes where deficiency is rife.

The resulting mushrooms in the study had Vitamin D levels at least ten times greater than the recommended 10mcg per day for adults less than 70 years. The University of Western Sydney is conducting further studies to refine the process for commercial application. "In the US, mushrooms providing the daily needs for vitamin D have been now available on the market since 2008."

Very few foods naturally contain Vitamin D - mainly oily fish and some fortified foods such as margarine, various milks, juices and cereals. We look forward to new and improved mushrooms in the future!


Reference: www.mushroomsforlife.net
By: Amy Dusseldorp, Nutritionist

Apple Review 2009

An apple a day really can keep the doctor away - yet most of us are missing out on the health benefits with new consumer research showing that only 21 per cent of Australians are eating an apple a day, and nearly half of us only eat them once a week, less often or never.

In the latest scientific review on apples, apples are shown to be protective for cancer - particularly cancers of the colon, lung, and breast - as well as to reduce the risk of heart disease, asthma and type 2 diabetes. The high antioxidant capacity of apples is believed to be one of the reasons for their impressive disease fighting potential.

In the past year the protective role apples may play in cardiovascular disease has been built upon by new research. French scientists showed atherosclerotic lesions (fatty build-up) in the blood vessels of mice were reduced by 38 per cent following dietary supplementation with apple extracts rich in polyphenols and or fibre.

Two papers out of Cornell University show apple extracts can suppress the growth of human breast cancer cells in the test tube and reduce tumour size in rats. The team at Cornell University also isolated six flavonoid and three phenolic compounds from apple peels with potent antioxidant an antiproliferative activity in human cancer cell lines.

Apples and Asthma
Australian research in young adults found that eating whole apples was protective against asthma where total fruit and vegetable intake was not. The link between apples and asthma has also been observed by European researchers, where a Dutch investigation found that mothers who eat apples during their pregnancy may protect their children against developing asthma in later life. Apples have also been linked with better lung health in older adults, particularly among those consuming more than five apples a week.

Diabetes, Weight Loss and Apples
Consumption of apples has been associated with a reduction in Type 2 diabetes risk in research carried out in America and Finland. The US study on 38 000 women showed a 28 per cent reduction of diabetes risk with eating an apple a day or more. Eating an apple before a meal may also lead to savings in kilojoules, as the apple helps to fill the stomach and provide satiety, leading to a weight reduction over time.

Emerging areas of study
Research published by scientists in Japan has shown that apple phytochemicals may play a role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Antioxidant Action of Apples
Apple phytochemicals have the greatest total antioxidant capacity of Australia's most commonly consumed fruits, as measured using ORAC, a technique adopted by the US Department of Agriculture to measure antioxidant levels.

However, the new research shows that while almost all Australians have heard of antioxidants (98%), and two thirds of the population (63%) feel that they know why it is important to eat foods rich in antioxidants, we are still confused about which foods contain antioxidants.

According to accredited practising dietitian Karen Kingham, apples are one of the best and cheapest fruit sources of antioxidants.

"An apple has more antioxidants than half a punnet of blueberries or a cup of strawberries, more than twice the antioxidants of a cup of tea, about three times the antioxidants of an orange or a cup of grapes, and almost eight times the antioxidants of a banana," said Ms Kingham.

Yet only 3 per cent of Australians correctly identified an apple as having more antioxidants than any of these fruits or a cup of tea.

The table below shows the high ranking antioxidant value of apples as compared to other commonly consumed fruits or beverages in Australia:

Food	Antioxidant Capacity
Apples (1 whole)	6669
Strawberries (1 cup)	5187
Blueberries (1/2 punnet)	4914
Brewed Tea (1 cup)	2820
Oranges (1 whole)	2219
Mandarins (2 whole)	1944
Grapes (1 cup)	1901
Bananas (1 whole)	879

"Australians just don't realise that the humble apple really is a superfood. The science suggests that regular apple consumption - an apple a day or at least several apples a week - can make a significant difference to health," said Ms Kingham.

The research found that 36 per cent of Australian people are most likely to mistakenly believe that half a punnet of blueberries has the highest amount of antioxidants, slightly ahead of a cup of tea - both strongly marketed for their antioxidant content but both lower in antioxidants than an apple.

"The concern is that Australians are missing out on an affordable, convenient source of antioxidants. You have to pay around seven times more to get the same antioxidant capacity from blueberries and around four times more to get the same antioxidants from strawberries," said Karen Kingham.

Apples are an inexpensive and super convenient superfood. And just one a day can keep the doctor away.



References:
1. Newspoll (March, 2009). Study conducted by telephone in March 2009 among a representative sample of n=1201 adults aged 18+ nationally.
2. Kingham, K. (2009) The Apple Review.
3. Landon, S. (2008) The Apple Report: A Nutrition and Health Review.

Eat Fat to Stay Slim - The Skinny on MUFAs

There's so much hype surrounding healthy fats these days - but it's usually Omega 3s we're hearing about. These fats are great of course, but there's other players on the fat team we need to be aware of - MUFAs, which can help us lose weight and keep it off.

Monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs are good fats found in certain foods such as nuts and nut oils, seeds, avocado, olives and olive oil, canola oil and even dark chocolate. They present as liquid at room temperature but may solidify when refrigerated, unlike polyunsaturated fats that are liquid at all times. This indicates that MUFAs are more stable than polyunsaturated fats, as well as being rich in nutrients and a good source of antioxidants.

MUFAs can help fire up the metabolism, helping the body burn energy faster and more efficiently. A breakfast high in MUFAs can stimulate metabolism for up to five hours, especially in those with a higher amount of stomach fat.

A report in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that a diet that replaced unhealthy saturated fats with MUFAs actually helped people lose weight and body fat without needing to reduce their kilojoule intake. So rather than attempting a fad low-fat diet, overweight people can see better long term weight results by following a moderate fat MUFA-rich eating plan.

In addition to its unique fat-burning abilities, monounsaturated fat also has several other benefits:

A healthy heart
MUFAs remain flexible in the arteries thus have no negative effects on the cardiovascular system, unlike saturated fats which tend to clog the vessels. Harmful LDL cholesterol levels are lowered and beneficial HDL cholesterol increases.

Reduces inflammation
A three year study by Italian researchers found that monounsaturated fats were able to reduce markers of inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation can lead to conditions such as arthritis and elicit ageing responses.

Type 2 diabetes
MUFAs can help improve blood sugar levels in those with Type 2 diabetes. They assist in slowing digestion, keeping energy levels steady and thus managing hunger, especially when eaten with complex carbohydrate.

Metabolic Syndrome
A cluster of disorders identified by several risk factors such as abdominal fat, hypertension and raised blood fats, MUFAs in the diet can improve insulin sensitivity and blood lipids and greatly diminish cardiovascular risks, even more so than if all fats were removed from the diet completely.

Cancer
Studies show that women with the highest levels of monounsaturated fat in their diets had an almost 50 per cent less risk of breast cancer.

How to reap the benefits

Try to include a MUFA with every meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add avocado to your toast at breakfast, snack on almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts mid-morning and choose olive or oil on a salad dressing at lunch. Sprinkle sesame seeds over stir-fried vegies at dinner and perhaps a small treat of dark chocolate in the evening and there's five serves in just one day. Control your overall kilojoule intake and you too can benefit from marvellous MUFAs!

By: Amy Dusseldorp, Nutritionist

Saiz Pinggang Besar Berisiko Tinggi Untuk Mati (Ajal maut ditangan Allah)

Baru-baru ini journal dari Perubatan Dalaman melaporkan bahawa individu yang mempunyai saiz pinggang yang besar merupakan orang yang mempunyai risiko kematian yang tinggi disebabkan oleh apa-apa jua penyakit dalam jangkamasa 9 tahun.
Kita sedia maklum bahawa orang mempunyai saiz pinggang yang besar , sebelum ini dikaitkan dengan penyakit radang@inflamasi, kencing manis jenis yang ke-2, masalah ketidaknormalan tahap kolesterol dan sakit jantung. Ini mungkin disebabkan oleh saiz pinggang yang sangat kuat dikaitkan dengan tisu lemak yang banyak di dalam Viscera(Viscera adalah satu lapisan yang meliputi organ-organ di dalam badan kita), dan tisu-tisu lemak ini berkemungkinan besar lebih mendatangkan bahaya jika dibandingkan dengan tisu lemak di bawah lapisan kulit kita.

Eric J. Jacobs, Ph.D., dan rakan-rakannya di Pusat Kanser Amerika yang terletak di Atlanta, telah memeriksa dan mengkaji tentang hubungkait antara saiz pinggang dan  risiko kematian di kalangan 48,500 orang lelaki dan 56,343 orang wanita yang berumur 50 tahun dan keatas (kebanyakannya berumur 69 tahun bagi lelaki dan 67 tahun bagi wanita). Kesemua mereka telah turut serta dalam Kajian Pencegahan Kanser melalui Nutrisi II secara Berkelompok, yang mana mereka telah menjawab pelbagai soalan melalui pos, berkenaan dengan demografik, perubatan dan tingkahlaku yang berlaku dalam tahun 1992 atau 1993, dan maklumat berkenaan berat badan dan saiz pinggang semasa tahun 1997. Semua kematian mereka dan puncanya dijejak rekodnya  melalui Index Kematian Kebangsaan sehingga 31 Disember 2006. Untuk pengetahuan, sebanyak 9,315 orang lelaki dan 5332 orang wanita telah mati sehingga penghujung 2006.

Selepas mengambilkira dan mengkaji kaitan antara body mass index(BMI)* dan lain-lain faktor risiko, didapati saiz pinggang yang sangat besar(120sentimeter atau 47 inci atau lebih besar untuk orang lelaki dan 110 sentimeter atau 42 inci atau lebih besar untuk wanita) sangat berkait rapat dengan sekurang-kurangnya 2 kali risiko kematian dalam jangkamasa kajian dijalankan.  Saiz pinggang yang lebih besar telah dikaitkan dengan risiko kematian yang lebih tinggi dalam semua tahap BMI, samada berat badan normal, lebih dari normal atau gemuk dan terlalu gemuk. Walaubagaimanapun, di kalangan wanita, kaitan ini sangat kuat di kalangan mereka yang berat badan normal. Kenapa ya? Alasannya masih kabur dan memerlukan kajian yang lebih terperinci untuk menjelaskan persoalan kadar kematian yang tinggi dikalangan wanita yang bersaiz pinggang besar tetapi berat badan yang normal(BMI rendah dan normal).

Mungkin akan ada perubahan dalam panduan klinikal kesihatan berkaitan dengan berat badan? Siapa tahu.


*

Sunnah potong kuku

Cara potong kuku mengikut sunnah:

Bermula dengan tangan kanan:
1-Jari telunjuk
2-Jari hantu
3-Jari cincin
4-Jari kecil

Kemudian diikuti dengan tangan kiri(tanpa memotong kuku ibu jari tangan kanan) 

5-Jari kecil
6-Jari cincin
7-Jari Hantu
8-Jari Telunjuk
9- Ibu jari tangan kiri 
10- Ibu jari tangan kanan

Ada yg mengatakan dari segi sains, amalan ini boleh mengawal tekanan darah & tahap gula dalam badan. Kebenarannya, Wallahua'lam. Yang penting ada berkatnya dan byk pahalanya dalam mengamalkan sunnah.
Source : Internet