Being fat may protect people from cardiovascular mortality -  in short your heart is what researchers have claimed.

High body mass index (BMI) is associated with multiple cardiovascular diseases. However, emerging data suggest that there is an "obesity paradox" - that being overweight may actually protect patients from cardiovascular mortality.
Investigators have confirmed that the risk of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and myocardial infarction is highest among underweight patients, while cardiovascular mortality is lowest among overweight patients, according to two reports published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Abhishek Sharma, Cardiology Fellow at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 36 studies. They determined that low BMI (less than 20 kg/m2) in tens of thousands of patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary revascularisation procedures was associated with a 1.8- to 2.7-fold higher risk of myocardial infarction and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality over a mean follow up period of 1.7 years.

One explanation may be that overweight patients are more likely to be prescribed cardioprotective medications such as beta blockers and statins and in higher doses than the normal weight population.

Turmeric is truly one of the marvelous medicinal spices of the world. It has been used by Ayurvedic and Unani practitioners in India from time immemorial. Turmeric is aromatic, stimulant and tonic. It corrects disordered process of nutrition and restores the normal function of the system. A staple spice in almost all Indian households the humble turmeric or Turmeric is one ingredient in your kitchen that holds a remedy for almost all illness you are likely to encounter.

Turmeric is packed with nutrients like proteins, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc. All these essential components put together make turmeric a great antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic and anti-inflammatory agent.

10 health benefits of this colourful root.

1. Prevents Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that affects the brain. Commonly seen in the elderly, this condition incapacitates the patient by rendering almost all the functions of their brain useless. It is found that turmeric or Turmeric is capable of preventing and healing Alzheimer’s disease. It states that diferuloylmethan (the main component in turmeric) is the component that  reduces inflammation, stops excessive amyloid plaque formation around neurons and prevents their degradation, eventually preventing and reducing the severity of the disease.   

2. Prevents cancer 

Turmeric is known to have chemo-protective properties and can protect you from a number of cancers like colon cancer, cancer of the prostate, T-cell leukaemia, radiation induced tumours and breast cancers. The compounds present in turmeric were capable of preventing the progression of both invasive and non invasive colon cancers by destroying cancer cells. It also found that the anti oxidative properties of Turmeric protects the body from damage due to oxidative stress and radiation, thereby reducing your chances or suffering from tumours caused due to radiation.

3. Relieves arthritis

The anti inflammatory and anti oxidative properties of turmeric make it a perfect home remedy for arthritis. A number of studies performed previously have also established that Turmeric has amazing immune-protective benefits. Because of its combined actions on the body, Turmeric has been used as an effective agent in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The compounds present in turmeric are responsible for reducing the inflammation associated with arthritis and RA. The continuous consumption of the root helps to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with the conditions.

4. Controls diabetes 

If you have diabetes, Turmeric is something you simply must include into your diet. The curcumin present in turmeric has a very potent effect in moderating insulin levels and enhancing the efficacy of anti diabetic drugs. Being an antioxidant, it fights off the ill effects of free radicals and reduces insulin resistance. It is found that curcumin prevents protein glycosylation (where the protein molecule is altered) and lipid peroxidation (oxidative degradation of lipids), two process that occur commonly in the body when a person has high blood sugar. By controlling these two factors, turmeric increases the person’s sensitivity to insulin lowering his/her total blood sugar.

5. Prevents liver disease

Turmeric is great for the liver. It protects it from the damage caused by eating foods that contain high amounts of fat and excessive alcohol consumption. Turmeric  helps lower the potentially damaging effects of excessive cholesterol on the liver. Since turmeric alters the way body metabolizes fatty acids, this action helps in keeping the liver healthy, and is vital to protecting the liver from diseases such as non alcoholic fatty liver disease and damage caused due to excessive accumulation of fats in and around the liver. Turmeric  was found to protects the liver from both biochemical and pathological damage caused due an unhealthy lifestyle and drinking.

6. Lowers cholesterol

Did you know? Having turmeric on a daily basis can keep your cholesterol levels in check.  It is found that regularly consuming Turmeric changed the way the body processed cholesterol. This change lowers the total LDL or ‘bad’cholesterol and increased the amount of HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol in the body.

7. Relieves gas, diarrhoea and morning sickness

Turmeric  is  a very useful intestinal antiseptic. The juice or dry powder of its rizome, mixed in buttermilk or plain water is beneficial in intestinal problems, especially chronic diarrhoea. It also helps prevent flatulence. Fresh juice from the rhizomes, a paste prepared from it, or a decoction made from the plant has been found beneficial in the treatment of vomiting during pregnancy and afflictions of the liver. Turmeric has been found to inhibit bacterial growth and works as a powerful cleaning agent within the digestive system.’

8. Blood clotting agent and heals wounds 

Whenever you get cut, you must have heard your grandmother or mother tell you to immediately put some Turmeric on the wound. No, they are not being superstitious, it is because of all the healing properties the humble spice has. The naturally present phenolic compounds in turmeric make it an effective natural antiseptic agent. It is also a natural antibacterial agent and can be used as an effective disinfectant.  

9. Fights cough and cold

Rich in curcumin and volatile oils that have a protective as well as therapeutic action, turmeric is great in treating a cough and cold . As soon as you feel a scratchy sensation in your throat, it indicates the onset of a sore throat or cough, rely on Turmeric to stop the problem from getting aggravated. The easiest way of using turmeric is to drink hot milk with half a tea spoon of turmeric. 

10. Skin revitalizer 

Ancient Ayurveda studies have already revealed that Turmeric has properties that can not only heal a wound faster but also reduce the intensity of the scar seen on the skin.It is used as a face pack in beauty treatments and when mixed with rose water or milk cleanses the skin and revitalizes it.

P.Charitha

Have Fun to Lose Weight & Unhealthy Cravings There are times when we see that despite a strict exercise regime we don’t drop the Kgs or the calories. Past studies of this phenomenon have found that exercise can increase the body’s production of appetite hormones, making some people feel ravenous after even a light workout and prone to consume more calories than they expended. But that finding, while intriguing, doesn’t fully explain the wide variability in people’s post-exercise eating habits. Studies have shown that if you change your attitude about the exercise regime and not consider it as a boring physical activity but as a funfilled playtime can result in dropping of weight and also the urge to eat more afterwards.

In a new study, published in the journal Marketing Letters, French and American researchers turned to psychology and the possible effect that calling exercise by any other name might have on people’s subsequent diets. In that pursuit, the researchers first recruited 56 healthy, adult women, the majority of them overweight. The women were given maps detailing the same one-mile outdoor course and told that they would spend the next half-hour walking there, with lunch to follow. Half of the women were told that their walk was meant to be exercise, and they were encouraged to view it as such, monitoring their exertion throughout. The other women were told that their 30-minute outing would be a walk purely for pleasure; they would be listening to music through headphones and rating the sound quality, but mostly the researchers wanted them to enjoy themselves. When the women returned from walking, the researchers asked each to estimate her mileage, mood and calorie expenditure. Those women who’d been formally exercising reported feeling more fatigued and grumpy than the other women, although the two groups’ estimates of mileage and calories burned were almost identical. More telling, when the women sat down to a pasta lunch, with water or sugary soda to drink, and applesauce or chocolate pudding for dessert, the women in the exercise group loaded up on the soda and pudding, consuming significantly more calories from these sweets than the women who’d thought that they were walking for pleasure.

Dr. Werle said, this new data shows that most of us require recompense of some kind for working out. That reward can take the form of subjective enjoyment. If exercise is fun, no additional gratification is needed. If not, there’s chocolate pudding. The good news is that our attitudes toward exercise are malleable. “We can frame our workouts in different ways,” Dr. Werle said, “by focusing on whatever we consider fun about it, such as listening to our favorite music or chatting with a friend” during a group walk. Find your own fitness regime, like Zumba classes, walking in a park, join a group of like-minded people whose company you can enjoy and work out with. So the idea is to have more fun while working out which in turn helps you lose weight and reduce unhealthy cravings and keep you healthy!

Brain is one such organ that is capable of controlling the entire bodily function at time accurately and efficiently. If this mastermind fails then this huge body collapses in no time. So this organ must given extra care and pampered. The neurons undergo rapid change after forties, so pamper it like never before during your forties! Age-related brain plagues, which aid in Alzheimer’s disease, pile up from your forties!

As we can not stop ageing, let us at least make an effort to suppress these symptoms by following simple yet very useful hacks:

Stress is the biggest enemy to the brain! Stress increases the cortisol production in our body and eats away our cognitive powers like memory and learning. Meditation and or sitting aside quiet and still are two ways to become stress-free!

High blood pressure deteriorates you of your grey matter in the main areas of the brain. High shooting systolic blood pressure deprives the brain of its nutrients and blood supply.

Occasionally taking a glass of red wine is touted to be a good practice. The red wine has anti-oxidant called resveratol, which protects the neurons from the damage induces by age and environmental factors! Besides wine even dark chocolate has this wonder anti-oxidant Keep your brain busy with brain-stimulating activities like educational work. Adapt to deeds that you are not good at! Doing challenging tasks is one great way of developing new brain connections.

Feeding your brain the right food is vital. An average 40 year-old guy should consume 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables a day! The anti-oxidants found in these fruits and vegetables prevent the wear and tear and stress of aging of the brain!

Never ever let your belly droop down with fat! Most of the people in their forties are likely to accumulate abdominal fat which leads to dementia in the long run! Hitting a gym or including a physical activity at least thrice a week is a good hack to melt the wobbly belly!

Nurture your brain and stay healthy and wealthy!

Take Care!!

- SIRI

Tinnitus is the term used for noises or sounds which are heard in one or both ears or in the head which do not come from an external source. They are often described as a high-pitched ringing but can also be described as a buzzing, hissing, pulsing, whistling, roaring, or various other sounds. Tinnitus can be very mild in loudness and only noticeable in a quiet room or it can become extremely loud and annoying to the point where the sufferer hears nothing else. It can be present all of the time or occur intermittently. The loudness of the tinnitus often varies in intensity depending on several factors including stress, diet, and noise exposure. Tinnitus, like chronic pain, is subjective. Many tinnitus sufferers have difficulty sleeping and/or concentrating, and many are depressed.

While tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, it may accompany decreased hearing and other symptoms such as a feeling of pressure in the ear and/or unsteadiness, dizziness or vertigo. Disorders in the outer ear such as excessive ear wax (cerumen), a foreign body, perforated eardrum, or a hair touching the eardrum. Often, removal of the problem (wax, hair, etc.) will relieve the tinnitus.

Anyone with tinnitus should have a complete audiological evaluation by a qualified audiologist. A referral to an otolaryngologist may be recommended if a medical evaluation is warranted. Patients with tinnitus are often told that there is no medical cure or treatment for their condition. This is not entirely true. Although there may be no cure for the tinnitus, it can often be successfully managed. There are various treatments available which may give varying degrees of relief: Counseling - aimed at reducing the stress and distraction associated with the tinnitus. It is important to change the person's perception of the tinnitus. Consideration of Diet - often high levels of salt and caffeine, as well as nicotine, can cause an increase in tinnitus.

So next time you have ringing in the ear and it continues don’t neglect it and get yourself checked.

Source: Canadian Academy of Audiology

With the onset of the winter season the, climate becomes more harsh and dry mostly towards our skin. Skin being the most easily exposed, is most affected and its vital moisture and oils are snatched away!

Your skin also needs moisturizing during the winter chills, so it is advisable to use oil-based creams; a wise choice is to be made among oils as certain clog facial pores. Avocado oil, mineral oil, primrose oil and almond oils are amongst the advisable oils!

Just because it is not summer-time we need not put away the sunscreen lotions. They are very much needed during the winter also the sun and snow glare do the same damage to our skin as the hot sun does during summer. But the sunscreen with a lower SPF is advisable i.e., above 20 SPF!

Try covering your limb extremities with woolens, start with cotton thermals and then switch to wool as wool may cause irritation. Wearing wet socks and gloves is most likely to invite problems; it flares up skin irritation and diseases like, itching, cracking and eczema.

Most of us apply various peels and replenishing packs while, most of these masks, alcohol-based toners and astringents also evaporate the moisture from the skin. Instead of these masks it is advisable to use cleansing milk or foaming cleansers which are devoid of alcohol.

When the temperature drops down, taking steaming hot baths feels great. But the saddening fact behind these super hot baths is that they break down the lipid barriers and the snatch away the moisture and making the skin all the more dry and life-less!

Protect your skin and look stunning round the year!

Take Care!!

......SIRI

With the onset of winter, flu and cold are some common diseases bullying us. You might wake up with cold if a person at your workplace sneezed too close to you, or coughs and sniffles surrounding you in crowded areas or a change of season cold may attack you. It is rightly said ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. So, here are some easy yet proven-working tips to keep the flu and cold at bay!

Tripling the Vitamin D intake:

When winter sets in, you tend to hit indoors and cover up. Eventually Vitamin D level decreases moreover, sunshine most likely never tingles your skin. The decreased vitamin D levels make you more susceptible to viruses. Your immune system acts more effectively when supplemented with doses of Vitamin D.

The normal intake of Vitamin D for good health would be 4,000 to 5,000 IU.

Upsurge Vitamin C:

You need Vitamin C to pump up your defense systems; it influences your capability to fight off infections by increasing the rate of their action at the site of infection. It is found that Vitamin C activates the disease killing cells on supplementation.
It is recommended to take 4 to 12 grams of Vitamin C, if you end up with loose stools then reduce the dosage!

Put on wet socks and doze off:

Well this may sound punishing, but it is indeed a remedy that can derail cold, flu or fever in its tracks, by electrifying the immune system and multiplying circulation. All you need to do is to put on cotton socks that are soaked in cold water then cover these with dry wool socks and slip into your dreams! Repeat this for two or three till your sickness is shooed away!

Shoo away your Sickness!!
Stay Hale and Hearty!!

It is a well known fact that not all foods are nutritious, affordable and available to everyone. Just because some foods are not feasible and accessible, we should not compromise on our nutrition. So it is best find alternative foods to compensate these!

Apple and Guava are both good for us but, apple is not always affordable by everyone! Guava is called the poor man’s Apple. Coming to nutrition facts, Guava is having marginally more amount of calories, carbohydrates and fats but its having triple the amount of proteins found in Apple

Some people do consider Almonds as luxury food; well this can be switched for Peanuts which are having less amount of calories, carbohydrates and fat but loads of proteins in addition!

Our third pair of foods is sesame seeds and flaxseeds. Sesame seeds have a whooping amount of calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is better to opt for flaxseeds by compromising on proteins for those extra calories, carbs and fat is obviously a better idea!

Well it is indeed very difficult to pick between sugar and jaggery considering the fact that both of them might not be nutritious. Comparatively jaggery has lesser amount of calories and carbohydrates; sugar is devoid of fat and proteins.

So, here we lay these foods on nutrition scales with their nutritive substitute!

Plan your diet wisely and stay fit!!

Next week we will be back with another set of foods on the Nutrition Scales, till eat right stay robust!

Beets have the capability to take your workouts to another level. Beet juice is the best pre-workout drinks as suggested by the research scientist’s teams, as they boost up your energy levels by 3 percent and pick up a faster pace during workouts, when taken prior to task of workout or running.

Why are beets being considered? Because beets have the special ingredient: nitrates which are broken down by body into nitric oxide which is a potent vasodilator. Nitric oxide dilates the blood vessels, allowing more oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the hard-working muscles which enables them to work swiftly and vigorously.

Though, nitrate found in beets is beneficial the nitrates found in meat and bacon is not beneficial in fact they are harmful.
The nitrate-rich fruits and vegetables are not at all catastrophic owing to their fiber and antioxidant content keeping it from being carcinogenic. The circulation-improving effect of nitrate-rich foods — which also includes celery, radishes and spinach — peaks within three hours after you eat them.

Eating beets regularly can also protect your long-term health. Beets contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that work to fight chronic diseases. Studies suggest that people who eat more nitrate-rich vegetables are less likely to suffer from cancer, degenerative brain problems and cardiovascular diseases.

Eating Beet not only pumps the energy levels for better workouts and cardio but also reduce the risks of chronic diseases.

Eat Beet Regularly!!
Beat the Unhealthy Existence!!

-Siri

Acidity occurs when there is excess secretion of acids in the gastric glands of the stomach. When the secretion is more than usual, we feel, what is commonly known as heartburn, which is normally triggered off by consumption of spicy foods.

Top 10 simple and effective home remedies that can help reduce the intensity of acidity.
 
Cloves: If you are suffering from gastritis, then clove acts as the wonder drug to get you rid of this sensation. Just chew say about two cloves and slightly bite them so that juices keep oozing out. Soon, the problem will vanish.
 
Cumin seeds: Take say about a teaspoon of cumin seeds and then roast them. After roasting, crush them in such a manner that they don’t become powder. Now, add this to a glass of water and have it with every meal you take. It does wonders.
 
Jaggery: Jaggery can help a lot in treating heartburn and acidity. Consume a small lump and allow it to get dissolved in your mouth to get relief from acidity. But, this remedy should not be tried by people who have diabetes.

Raita: Raita prepared with curd and added with ingredients like grated cucumber and coriander will surely aid in digestion and help eliminate acidity.
 
Basil leaves: Basil leaves are popular for their medicinal properties. Chewing say around 5-6 basil leaves relieves acidity to a lot of extent. One can also make a blend of crushed basil leaves and dried leaves which can be consumed with water or tea or simply be swallowed.
 
Butter-milk: A yet another simple and most easy homemade remedy to treat acidity is consuming butter-milk mixed with a little say about ¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder.

Mint: It is also a good idea to drink fresh mint juice or chew raw mint leaves after meals everyday to keep acidity and indigestion away from you.
 
Ginger: Ginger is considered as a cure-all herb as it helps in treating so many different kinds of conditions. Consume just the right amount of ginger about half an hour before each meal and feel the difference.
 
Milk: Milk is a drink that consists of a large amount of calcium which helps in preventing build-up of stomach acid. So, drink a glass of milk after your meal to soothe your stomach after having a spicy meal.

Vanilla ice cream: Yes, gorging a cup of your favourite vanilla ice cream not just savours your sweet tooth but also helps combat gastritis. This is an easy home remedy to fight acidity.