Fast asteroid to zoom past Earth on Halloween

An asteroid that was discovered on October 10 is set to zoom past Earth on Halloween, marking the closest encounter our planet has had with one of the massive speeding rocks since 2006, according to NASA.

An asteroid is anticipated to come within 310,000 miles of Earth – about a third longer than the average distance to the moon – its nearest approach is estimated at 11:14 a.m. Eastern on October 31, according to NASA.

Called 2015 TB145, the asteroid was spotted by astronomers on October 10 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. NASA estimates the space rock measures between 984 and 1,542 feet in diameter and is traveling “unusually fast,” according to the space agency, at about 78,000 miles per hour.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System — is an innovative design for a wide-field imaging facility developed at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy.

“The flyby presents a truly outstanding scientific opportunity to study the physical properties of this object,” NASA said in a statement. An asteroid 2009 FD first noticed by the La Sagra Sky Survey on in March 2009, but precovery observations were also found in data from Spacewatch data from February 24, 2009.  The Minor Planet Center credits both search programs with the discovery.

2009 FD is not classified as a “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid” because its absolute magnitude is slightly fainter than the cutoff of 22.  WISE and radar observations discussed above show that the diameter is probably at least 300 meters, so it’s large enough to be “potentially hazardous” even though it isn’t classified as such.

Described as having an “extremely eccentric” orbit and appearing “cometary in nature,” NASA said this asteroid is incredibly fast and predicts it will zoom past Earth at 78,000 miles per hour.

“The flyby presents a truly outstanding scientific opportunity to study the physical properties of this object,” NASA officials wrote. It’s worth noting this asteroid was only discovered days ago, but its next close encounter with Earth is expected to happen in a dozen years from now, in August 2027.

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So sex is what men will go for, even at expense of food: Study

Food or sex? If men are given this choice, men will do what they have always done – go for sex. That’s what a study has proved through analysis of neurons in brain of male nematode worms.
According to researchers at University College London (UCL), UK and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA), there is a direct relation between how male and female worms behave and the differences in brain development and structure in areas involved in higher order processing. Researchers found through their study that the genetic and developmental differences in the brain of male and female worms causes structural differences in the brain during sexual maturation.
This is what causes the difference in behavior as far as sex is concerned. Brain of males tend to remember previous sexual encounters and when given an option, opt for sex over other choices.
Researchers further identified that this behavioral change is a direct result of previously unidentified cells. Researchers say that these two neurons are born from cells calls glial cells, which are companion and support cells of neurons.
Researchers have named the two newly identified neurons as ‘mystery cells of the male’ or ‘MCMs’. These cells bring about behavioral differences between the two sexes by changing a brain circuit common to both. Whether the neurons are born or not depends on the genetic sex of the glial cells from which they arise and not on the sex of the animal or on hormones. The MCM neurons are only made from glial cells that have male chromosomes.
“Our findings suggest that differences in learning and perception depend not just on the sex of the animal but also on the sex of the individual neural progenitor cells”, says co-senior author Dr Richard Poole, UCL Cell & Developmental Biology. “This means that different aspects of an animal’s behavior may well develop independently of each other in some circumstances, instead of through the co-ordinated action of hormones.”
The effect of the cells on the worms’ (males and hermaphrodites) behaviour was tested using classic conditioning behavioural assays in which worms learn to associate aversive or pleasant experiences (such as starvation or mates) with another stimulus (salt) and change their behavioural responses to that stimulus. Worms that were previously starved in the presence of salt, learned to move away from areas with high concentrations of salt when placed in a new environment that had various different salt concentrations. This indicated that worms had learned to perceive salt as a sign for the absence of food.
Both males and hermaphrodites perform this type of learning. In contrast, when males were starved in the presence of salt and mates (i.e. sexual partners), and then placed in a new environment that had different salt concentrations, males sought areas of high concentrations of salt. This indicated that the association of salt with sex was stronger than and preferred over the association of salt with lack of food. This change in behaviour does not occur in hermaphrodites. Importantly, it also does not occur in males whose MCM neurons were surgically removed – demonstrating that these neurons are required for sex-based differences in learning.

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4 surprising signs that point to serious illness

Testicular cancer patients test positive for pregnancy, and other surprising signs that are often misread actually point towards a serious health condition.

When Byron Geldard, an 18-year-old resident of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, went to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit in Cambridge last August, he was suffering from pain in his side. He didn't expect to be prescribed a urine pregnancy test.Worse, it came back positive. In Geldard's case, the positive results pointed to testicular cancer.A spokeswoman told UK daily, The Telegraph, urine pregnancy tests are being used to diagnose testicular cancer since the proteins detected in the urine of testicular cancer patients as identical to those present in the urine of pregnant women. It may sound strange, but often, diseases show up in symptoms that seem bafflingly unrelated. Here's are a few to watch out for.

SYMPTOM: ICE CRAVING

POINTS TO: ANAEMIA

If you have lost the desire for food but have picked up an appetite for ice, sand, chalk, stone etc., there's a chance that you could be anaemic, says a study by French researchers, published in 2005 in the American Journal of Medicine. The disorder is called pica.

Dr Hemant Thacker, honorary physician, Jaslok Hospital, says, the association between iron deficiency and craving for ice, chalk and paint has not been scientifically established. "The symptom goes away when the problem is addressed, unless of course there is a delay and pica turns into a habit," he adds. About 44 percent of anaemics crave ice, which may be linked to seeking relief from chronic tongue pain or swelling.

SYMPTOM: KLEPTOMANIA

POINTS TO: DEMENTIA

A newfound urge to steal, according to research published in JAMA Neurology is one of the earliest known signs of a type of dementia that messes with a part of the brain that helps you recognise societal rules. You could want to steal anything from candy from the grocer to expensive perfume at a mall. "When a person starts developing dementia, the prefrontal cortex region of his brain, which controls social judgement, starts malfunctioning. A healthy person is able to control his urges, unlike here," explains Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla, professor of psychiatry, Grant Government Medical College. He adds that dementia -an umbrella term used to describe impairment of memory, communication and thinking -can be prevented with a diet balanced with multivitamins, especially E, B12 and folic acid.

SYMPTOM: BAD BREATH

POINTS TO: ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

You may want to think that the terrible dragon breath is a sign of poor oral hygiene. However, halitosis could point to a liver condition.

When suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis, the body is unable to effectively break down and use glucose as energy source. So, it opts to break down body fat instead. As a byproduct, the body produces ketones which result in sweet, fruity breath, especially if chemicals continue to build up in the blood and urine, according to the National Institutes of Health. Diabetic ketoacidosis can become a serious problem if unaddressed, because ketones are poisonous at high levels.

Dr Rajan Bhonsle, Head of Department of Sexual Medicine, KEM Hospital and G.S. Medical College, says, "If the liver is compromised and not functioning optimally, the `free testosterone' level in the blood gets affected, thereby affecting libido and erection. Therefore a bad liver could cause erectile dysfunction, and bad breath could be an indicator of it."

SYMPTOM: SUDDEN CHILLS

DISEASE: HYPOTHYROIDISM

Feeling a chill even while you are out in the hot sun? It could be a sign of an underactive thyroid gland, suggests research from Southern Illinois University. "The abnormality of the thyroid gland affects temperature centers of the brain. The patient suddenly feels cold or hot despite no change in outside temperature. This may not be an atypical symptom, however, most patients do not bring it to the doctor's immediate notice," says Dr Thacker.

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5 confusing healthy habits

As soon as it's established that you are feeling under the weather, everyone around you feels the need to offer unsolicited advice.

The sick must then sort through endless heaps of free and well-meaning advice to pick which home remedies, traditional roots or reiki would offer the most effective cure. Here are five common health beliefs debugged:

SHOULD YOU FEED A COLD AND STARVE A FEVER?

In both cases, the patient must continue to eat and drink, then drink some more. Make sure you have plenty of water to stay hydrated.This is because, your body loses more fluid when combating illness.Special beverages containing electrolytes are important only if you are feeling dehydrated or losing an unnatural amount of fluid due to vomiting or diarrhoea.

Thumb rule; a fever isn't just a sign that you're sick, it is a billboard that you're trying to heal.

An increase of just 1 to 2 degrees in your body temperature boosts the productivity of your immune cells and helps them fight off infection.This means that when you pop a pill to reduce your temperature, you are doing more harm than good.

When you have a fever, your body shivers. The natural response would be to move to a warmer spot like the comfort of your blanket. Do it. Your body isn't declaring a war on you. Fighting what comes naturally is not going to help the situation.

If a fever persists beyond the regular three days, or if it exceeds 103 degree, it is time to visit the doctor.

TO BANDAGE OR NOT TO BANDAGE?

There are three ways in which most of us handle an open wound; rinse it with water; then bandage, let it breathe until it scabs over and clean it with hydrogen peroxide.

Unfortunately, none of these methods are ideal.

For tough guys who think bandages are for babies, be warned. The battle wound may turn into an ugly scar. Letting a wound scab over instead of keeping it moist is likely to cause inflammation, which extends healing time and can result in unwanted scarring.

Also, while the sting of hydrogen peroxide makes you think its working, the stuff is ineffective at stifling bacteria.

Antibiotic ointments are known to cause skin reactions.The surest way is to wash your hands, then flush the cut with water. Next, add a dab of petroleum jelly to keep it moist and cover it with a bandage.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO TREAT BACK PAIN?

Again, like with treating cuts, attacking a back pain is dealt with by popping a pain killer and praying for relief, ice and heat treatment, or resting.

Research has shown that popping a pain killer is about as helpful as treating yourself with a sugar pill.Heating your back may provide brief relief, but the evidence that icing works at all is lacking.

There's only one way to escape the stranglehold on your spine: move. Often, people are scared of movement, but it's the best recommended way to tackle it. But don't overdo it. Begin by taking a simple walk around the block, and then gradually up the activity ante over the next couple of weeks.

CAN YOU DRINK TOO MUCH WATER?

The eight glasses of H2O a day dilemma is one that has gown through a long-winded debate.

Doctors say the eight glasses rule is arbitrary. Depending on your activity level, diet, age, and climate, you may need more or less than that exalted eight anyway. Instead of tracking your fluid consumption, count how many times you visit the urinal. Five is an international average. You can also judge the colour of your stream. If it looks like lemonade or lighter, you're fine.

SHOULD YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER EVERY MEAL?

Thirty per cent of people are too lazy to brush their teeth once in the morning and once at night and the other 70 per cent are doing it right, according to a study conducted by the American Dental Association in 2010.

Dentists suggest gargling after every meal so that stray pieces of food don't remain lodged between your teeth. When you do brush, make sure you commit to the act for at least two minutes. Divide your mouth into four sections and spend 30 seconds on each. Some electric toothbrushes come built with a timer so you aren't biased towards your grinders while ignoring your molars. But don't get brush happy. If you brush after every meal, or for too long, you could end up eroding the enamel. This is especially relevant if your previous meal included acidic foods.

Not brushing well could leave you open to the risk of gum disease and decay. However, over brushing could also leave you prone to cavities, gum disease and decay.

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Signs of excessive sleeping and its side effects

Insomnia and lack of sleep are the biggest factors for developing different health problems. But excessive sleeping can also pose a problem to health.
What is Excessive Sleeping?

According to Dr. Ravindra Gupta, "It is a state is which one feels dozing off in the waking hours and lethargic during the day even after having a sufficient amount of sleep. And feel fatigued all the time. Unpredictable mood swings."

Signs of Excessive Sleeping:

Fatigue and irritability

Dozing off in office or while driving

Inability to concentrate.

Seen in those who are obese

Those who have obstructive sleep apnoea.

Negative health effects of Excessive Sleeping:

Gaining weight

Irritability

Hypertension

Increase risk of accidents.

Excessive sleeping is also called hypersomina and is caused by medication, inadequate sleep, working in shifts, sleep disorders, and psychological problems.

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Post-sex depression is for real in some women

This condition is described by tearfulness, a sense of depression, apprehension, agitation or aggression after sexual intercourse.

The paper was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

For the study, 230 female university students participated in an online survey. Nearly 46 percent of the participants reported experiencing PCD symptoms at least once in their lifetime. Over five percent suffered PCD symptoms a few times within the past four weeks.

There seemed to be no connection between PCD and intimacy in close relationships.

Lead researcher Dr Robert Schweitzer said, "The findings build upon our previous research investigating the correlates of sexual functioning in women."

Dr Schweitzer noted, "The results of our original research in this area have now been confirmed in an international multinational study on negative postcoital emotions, which appear to have evolutionary functions."

As per a recent Australian study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health, one-third of women said they felt sad even after satisfactory sex. The researchers speculated that hormonal shifts after orgasm - the same changes that sometimes activate post-sex headaches - could be the reason.

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Drinking cranberry juice may protect your heart

 Two cups of cranberry juice daily may help protect you against cardiovascular diseases, suggests new research.

"Cranberry juice is a rich source of phytonutrients, including proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and phenolic acids," explained Ana Rodriguez-Mateos from University Duesseldorf, Germany.

"Due to this robust profile of polyphenols, our team sought to evaluate the immediate vascular impact of drinking one, 450 ml glass of cranberry juice with a different range of concentrations of cranberry-polyphenols," Rodriguez-Mateos noted.

Researchers gave 10 healthy men, between the ages of 18-40 years, 450 ml (just under two cups) of sweetened cranberry juice made from concentrate. 

The cranberry concentrate was prepared with water to concentrations ranging from zero to 117 percent. The amount of cranberry-polyphenols increased with the concentration. 

The researchers detected significant vascular function improvements and improved blood flow in the men after drinking cranberry juice.

They, however, found that improvement in vascular function was dose-dependent.

Defending the health of the circulatory system - and improving vascular function - not only reduces the chance of developing atherosclerosis, but plays an important role in kidney function, hormone delivery and waste filtration, the study noted.

The highest concentration of cranberry-polyphenol juice also showed improvements in systolic blood pressure.

"Our results lay the groundwork to better understand the array of potential vascular and cardiovascular health benefits of cranberry polyphenols," Rodriguez-Mateos said.

"Significant improvements in vascular function from drinking two cups of cranberry juice suggest an important role for cranberries in a heart-healthy diet," Rodriguez-Mateos pointed out.

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Friday 2 October 2015

High-quality carbs may lower heart disease risk

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Eliminating saturated fats can improve the health of the heart, but what you replace them with makes all the difference, says a study. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats and high-quality carbohydrates has the most impact on reducing the risk of heart disease, according to the study.

When saturated fats were replaced with highly processed foods, there was no benefit, the study found. "We found that when study participants consumed less saturated fats, they were replacing them with low-quality carbohydrates such as refined grains that are not beneficial to preventing heart disease," said study author professor Frank B Hu from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"Our findings suggest that when patients are making lifestyle changes to their diets, cardiologists should encourage the consumption of unsaturated fats like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds, as well as healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains," Hu said. For this study, researchers followed 84,628 women and 42,908 men who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer and documented 7,667 incidents of coronary heart disease..

Researchers noted that participants generally replaced calories from saturated fatty acids with calories from low-quality carbohydrates -- such as white bread or potatoes -- rather than calories from unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds or high-quality carbohydrates like those in whole grains.

Replacing 5 per cent of energy intake from saturated fats with an equivalent intake from either polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, or carbohydrates from whole grains was associated with 25 per cent, 15 per cent, and 9 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, respectively.

However, replacing 5 per cent of energy intake from saturated fats with carbohydrates from refined starches or sugars was not associated with either increased or decreased risk of coronary heart disease.

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How Binge Drinking Leads to Alcohol Addiction

  A malfunctioning enzyme may be behind why people who love to binge drink on weekends or at parties are at a higher risk of alcohol addiction, scientists from Stanford University reported.

The scientists identified a previously unsuspected job performed by the enzyme named "ALDH1a1" in mice.

Researchers showed that blocking ALDH1a1 activity caused mice's consumption of and preference for alcohol to rise to levels equivalent to those observed in mice that had experienced several rounds of the equivalent of binge drinking.

Restoring ALDH1a1 levels reversed this effect.

"The discovery could help guide the development of medications that extinguish the urge to consume alcohol," said Jun Ding, assistant professor of neurosurgery.

A key finding in the new study is that in certain nerve cells strongly implicated in addictive behaviours, ALDH1a1 is an essential piece of a previously unknown biochemical assembly line for the manufacture of an important neurotransmitter called GABA.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that bind to receptors on nerve cells, promoting or inhibiting signaling activity in those cells.

GABA is the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Another neurotransmitter substance - dopamine - supercharges the machinery of the brain's so-called reward circuit, which is involved in addictive behaviour from cocaine, morphine and alcohol abuse to compulsive gambling.

According to Ding, GABA's co-release with dopamine, and GABA's inhibitory character, may be what prevents everyday pleasurable sensations from causing most of us to become addicted to the behaviours that produce them.

Mutations in ALDH1a1, he said, may predispose some people to alcoholism by disabling this brake on our reward machinery.

His lab is now exploring whether the same molecular mechanisms may be at work in other forms of addiction.

More than 200 million people globally suffer from it alcohol addiction. Binge drinking substantially increases the likelihood of developing alcoholism.

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Action video games improve brain function: Study

 

Action video games -- which feature quickly moving targets, include large amounts of clutter, and that require the user to make rapid, accurate decisions - have particularly positive cognitive impacts, says a new study.

The study claimed that such video games are even better in their impact than "brain games", which are created specifically to improve cognitive function.

"Action video games have been linked to improving attention skills, brain processing, and cognitive functions, including low-level vision through high-level cognitive abilities," said lead researcher C. Shawn Green from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Many other types of games do not produce an equivalent impact on perception and cognition," he added.
Brain games typically embody few of the qualities of the commercial video games linked with cognitive improvement, the researchers noted.
Furthermore, video games are known to impact not only cognitive function, but many other aspects of behaviour - including social functions - and this impact can be either positive or negative depending on the content of the games.

"Modern video games have evolved into sophisticated experiences that instantiate many principles known by psychologists, neuroscientists, and educators to be fundamental to altering behaviour, producing learning, and promoting brain plasticity," said co-lead researcher Aaron R. Seitz from the University of California-Riverside

"Video games, by their very nature, involve predominately active forms of learning (that is, making responses and receiving immediate informative feedback), which is typically more effective than passive learning,"

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Thursday 1 October 2015

Vitamin D Rich Diet Can Help Fight Breast Cancer

Breast cancer patients with high levels of vitamin D in their blood are twice as likely to survive the disease as women with low levels of this nutrient, scientists have found. In previous studies, Cedric F Garland, professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California - San Diego, showed that low vitamin D levels were linked to a high risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

The findings, he said, prompted him to question the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D - a metabolite produced by the body from the ingestion of vitamin D - and breast cancer survival rates.

Garland and colleagues performed a statistical analysis of five studies of 25-hydroxyvitamin D obtained at the time of patient diagnosis and their follow-up for an average of nine years. Combined, the studies included 4,443 breast cancer patients.

"Vitamin D metabolites increase communication between cells by switching on a protein that blocks aggressive cell division," said Garland. "As long as vitamin D receptors are present tumour growth is prevented and kept from expanding its blood supply.

Vitamin D receptors are not lost until a tumour is very advanced. This is the reason for better survival in patients whose vitamin D blood levels are high," Garland said. Women in the high serum group had an average level of 30 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in their blood. The low group averaged 17 ng/ml.

The average level in patients with breast cancer in the US is 17 ng/ml. "The study has implications for including vitamin D as an adjuvant to conventional breast cancer therapy," said co-author Heather Hofflich, UC San Diego associate professor in the Department of Medicine.

Garland recommended randomised controlled clinical trials to confirm the findings but suggested physicians consider adding vitamin D into a breast cancer patient's standard care now and then closely monitor the patient. The study is published in the journal Anticancer.

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A Vitamin a Day Keeps the Doc Away

It was a hundred years ago, in 1912, when scientist Casimir Funk coined the term 'Vitamins'. Since then, researchers have identified 13 vitamin types, which are essential for a healthy body.

VITAMIN A

Important For: Vision, immune system, bones, skin health
Sources: Liver, egg yolk, butter, milk, cheese, orange-colored fruits such as melon and leafy vegetables
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include night blindness, dry skin, sluggish immune system, delayed growth
Vitamin Excess: Causes hair loss, birth defects, liver and skin problems


VITAMIN D

Important For: Bone and teeth development, muscles, immune system
Sources: Sunlight on skin, oils, saltwater fish such as salmon and mackerel, eggs, meat, milk, butter, mushrooms
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include rickets, reduced muscle strength, deformations, bone loss, softening of bones, Osteoporosis
Vitamin Excess: Causes hair and weight loss


VITAMIN E

Important For: Healthy tissue, organs, cells, blood flow, higher rate of fertility
Sources: Milk, butter, eggs, vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains, wheat germ, vegetables (spinach, lettuce, cabbage)
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include muscle weakness, weak vision, damaged blood cells, low immunity
Vitamin Excess: Causes bleeding, fatigue


VITAMIN K

Important For: Blood clotting, bones, heart
Sources: Cheese, meat, liver, leafy green vegetables, oats, potatoes, tomatoes, vegetable oils, soya beans
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include cuts that heal slowly, excessive bleeding, bleeding from gums or nose
Vitamin Excess: Synthetic Vitamin K causes liver damage, jaundice


VITAMIN B1

Important For: Nervous system, muscles, heart function, healthy growth
Sources: Yeast, whole-grain cereals, leafy vegetables, dry fruit, nuts, tuna fish, pork
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include delayed growth, fatigue, lack of alertness, weight loss, night blindness, paralysis
Vitamin Excess: Upset stomach, discolored urine, seizures, diarrhea


VITAMIN B2

Important For: Metabolism, growth, vision, development of tissues
Sources: Milk and milk products, lean meat, eggs, liver, leafy green vegetables, yeast, whole grain cereals
Vitamin Deficiency: Sores on lips, the tongue and corners of mouth, sensitivity to light, fatigue, digestive problems
Vitamin Excess: It dissolves in water, so excess is passed in the urine


VITAMIN B5

Important For: Metabolism, healing wounds
Sources: Yeast, whole grain cereals, nuts, legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, liver, heart, fish, chicken, beef, egg yolk, milk
Vitamin Deficiency: Fatigue, insomnia, depression, respiratory infections, vomiting, headache
Vitamin Excess: Excess is passed in the urine


VITAMIN B7

Important For: Hair roots, fingernails
Sources: Yeast, vegetables, cereals, walnuts, peanuts, soya beans, liver, kidneys, meat (pork, mutton, poultry), egg yolk
Vitamin Deficiency: Nausea, vomiting, depression, dry skin, loss of appetite, affects muscle coordination, loss of hair color, hair loss
Vitamin Excess: Excess is passed in the urine


VITAMIN C

Important For: Immune system, tissue growth, bone / teeth repair, eyes, nervous system
Sources: Milk, citrus fruits, blackcurrants, strawberries, guava, mango, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes
Vitamin Deficiency: Symptoms include splitting hair, inflamed / bleeding gums, dry skin
Vitamin Excess: Kidney stones


VITAMIN B3

Important For: Growth, nervous system
Sources: Liver, kidneys, heart, fish, meat, yeast, cereals, avocados, figs, dates, prunes, nuts, legumes
Vitamin Deficiency: Skin lesions, diarrhea, confusion, digestive problems, insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, depression
Vitamin Excess: Excess is passed in the urine


VITAMIN B6

Important For: Metabolism, brain function, immune system
Sources: Walnuts, peanuts, corn, whole grains, bread, chicken, liver, pork, veal, salmon, tuna, sardines
Vitamin Deficiency: Kidney stones, depression, fatigue, dizziness, nerve problems, convulsions, skin lesions
Vitamin Excess: Photo sensitivity, nausea and heartburn.


VITAMIN B9

Important For: Red and white blood cells, nerve cells
Sources: Dark leafy green vegetables, beets, wheat germ, yeast, peanuts, oranges, beans, liver, milk, dairy products, egg yolk
Vitamin Deficiency: Tiredness, loss of appetite, neurological problems, digestive problems, severe birth defects
Vitamin Excess: Excess is passed in the urine.


VITAMIN B12

Important For: Red blood cells, metabolism, immune system
Sources: Liver (best source), kidneys, heart, meat, eggs, fish, dairy products
Vitamin Deficiency: Anemia, nerve damage, fatigue, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, diarrhea, tingling in fingers and toes, spinal cord degeneration, neurological problems
Vitamin Excess: Rash, blood clots
 

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Rest Assured: What to Eat to Sleep Better?

Every one of us would like to believe that when we call it a day and our head hits the pillow, a sweet dream awaits us. In a world where our daily life moves faster than we can keep up with, getting sound sleep becomes a nightly struggle. For most of us there's a lot of tossing and turning and for some it is a mere fantasy. While the best advice that anyone would give you is to ease out, the importance of our diet is often overlooked.

According to Dr Ashutosh Gautam, Clinical Operations and Coordination Manager at Baidyanath, "From an Ayurvedic perspective warm milk is the best remedy. Ideally one should have water at sunrise and milk at moonrise. Gastric discomfort is the most common cause of disrupted sleep and to avoid it one should opt for foods that are light and soothing. Foods like guava, asparagus and soups are preferred and medicinal plants like ashwaganda and bramhi work wonders in case of severe sleep disorders."

Here's a simple rule to catch more Zzzs - eat right to sleep tight. Load up on these foods that will leave you rested and restored.

1. Warm Milk
You may call it an old wives' tale but here's the science. Milk is a great sleep supporter. It contains tryptophan, an amino acid which converts into serotonin. Serotonin is known to induce calming effects in the brain. Lack of calcium is also one of the most common causes of disturbed sleep patterns, so get your fill.

2. Cherries
Believe it or not a bowlful of cherries can send you off to sleep. Cherries are one of the few natural foods that contain melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It is known to regulate your sleep and wake cycles and control the internal body clock.

3. Bananas
Bananas can help bring a satisfying sleep because they contain magnesium and potassium - both of which are natural muscle-relaxants. They are also packed with the good carbs that make you feel sleepy. Sweet potato is another great source of sleep inducing carbohydrates.

4. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are a good source of omega-3 acids, magnesium and tryptophan. Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant. Tryptophan helps in releasing serotonin, the pleasure hormone and omega 3 acids are known to reduce instances of anxiety and depression.

5. Almonds
Instead of waking up to a handful of almonds, try sleeping over some. Just like bananas and flaxseeds, almonds are dense with magnesium that will help you catch more quality shut-eye. Besides this, they help in regulating your blood sugar levels while sleeping. Walnuts are great too as they contain tryptophan.

6. Honey
Experts recommend a tablespoon of honey for a good night's sleep. The natural sugars present in honey increase the insulin levels in our body and allow tryptophan to enter the brain which releases chemicals that relax the body. Your liver may run out of glycogen at night which may lead to the release of stress hormones. Consuming honey is great for storing glycogen.

"You should eat at least 45 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Besides this, a head massage or soaking your feet in hot water for a couple of minutes helps to relax the muscles and nerves,"

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A Good Night's Sleep Can Boost the Immune System & Sharpen Your Memory

 

 

An interesting new study published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences revealed that a good night's sleep not only strengthens your memory but also strengthens the response-memory of your immune system when it comes to killing bad bacteria and viruses as they enter your body.

The immune system "remembers" an encounter with a bacteria or virus by collecting fragments from the bug to create memory T cells, which last for months or years and help the body recognise a previous infection and quickly respond. These memory T cells appear to abstract "gist information" about the pathogens. The selection of "gist information" allows memory T cells to detect new pathogens that are similar, but not identical, to previously encountered bacteria or viruses. Now, German researchers propose that deep sleep may also strengthen immunological memories of previously encountered pathogens.
"The idea that long-term memory formation is a function of sleep effective in all organismic systems is entirely new in our view," said senior study author Jan Born from University of Tuebingen. "We consider our approach toward a unifying concept of biological long-term memory formation, in which sleep plays a critical role, a new development in sleep research and memory research," he said.
Studies in humans have shown that long-term increases in memory T cells are associated with deep slow-wave sleep on the nights after vaccination. Taken together, the findings support the view that sound sleep contributes to the formation of long-term memories which lead to adaptive behavioural and immunological responses.
The obvious implication is that sleep deprivation could put your body at risk. "If we didn't sleep, then the immune system might focus on the wrong parts of the pathogen," Born added.

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