Interesting Health

Sugar and Hyperactivity

interesting-health — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:05:46 +0000

Sugar and Human Behaviour

Introduction

The assertion that foods containing sugar might have an adverse effect on behaviour was first raised in 1922 by Shannon (200). This concept was further elaborated in 1947 by Randolph (201) in his description of the tension fatigue syndrome. Sugar later appeared in the 1970′s as a major offending agent when the lay literature provided considerable coverage to the condition called functional reactive hypoglycemia (202). In establishing sugar as a major dietary component, it is important to review if a relationship does exist between sugar and behaviour. The first and most prominently believed relationship is that between sucrose and hyperactivity and/or aggressive behaviours. A second less well-known relationship has been suggested between glucose and enhanced memory, particularly in elderly individuals. A third reported relationship has been sugar’s effect on the opposite of hyperactivity, namely sedation.

Sugar and hyperactivity

The belief in the relationship between sugar and hyperactivity is based on two theories. The first, that hyperactivity is a possible allergic response to refined sugar, was conceived of in the first half of this century as the tension-fatigue syndrome, a behavioural correlate to the vomiting reaction to milk proteins (203). The second suggested etiology is that some children may experience functional reactive hypoglycemia similar to that seen in adults (204). Individuals with functional reactive hypoglycemia experience glucose levels in the hypoglycemic range while on diets high in carbohydrates. Consuming diets high in proteins seems to prevent this condition. It was theorized that children would display increased motor activity at low blood glucose levels.

Most intervention research has entailed controlled double-blinded challenge studies. Children receive challenges with foods or drinks containing sucrose or an artificial sweetener where the children, their parents and the researchers are not aware of the composition of the foods or drink and their behaviour and cognitive performance is closely assessed within the few hours after ingestion. In reviewing these studies, there are some important considerations.

The first consideration in any rigorous study is the characteristics of the subject. In examining the effects of sugar, the subjects have been children with a wide array of characteristics. Studies have involved normal children, children historically identified as behaving poorly after sugar ingestion, children diagnosed with hyperactivity or attention deficit disorders, and aggressive or delinquent children. The studies have used subjects ranging in age from preschoolers to adolescents.

The second consideration is the type or quantity of sugar likely to affect behaviour. For this there are few, if any, guidelines. Sucrose has been the most prominent sweetening agent used although many foods are now sweetened with corn sweeteners, i.e. fructose. Fructose and glucose have been included in a few of the studies. Most challenge studies have employed the quantity used in glucose tolerance tests (1.75 gm/kg) although doses as high as 5.6 gm/kg have been studied.

The diet condition prior to challenge is a third consideration. This issue, has been a concern, particularly regarding the specific manipulation of the carbohydrate to protein or fat ratio. There has, however, been a great deal of variation among studies, ranging from no diet control to restricted diets. It is expected, however, that with the degree of variation present in the studies, it would be possible to detect responses if pre-existing diets were a factor.

The final important issue is the measurement of the proposed effects of refined sugar. Most measures have focused on the behaviour of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who are characterized as having a short attention span, impulsive behaviour and increased motor activity compared to other children. The studies have utilized parent and/or teacher report to assess behaviour. Numerous behaviour rating scales with reasonable psychometric properties were used depending on age and range of behaviours. Other neuropsychological measures have also been employed to assess vigilance, impulsivity, memory and motor skills. Some studies have employed electronic motion detector devices to record activity level. There have also been direct observations and recordings of behaviours for short segments of time by independent observers and rating scales completed by independent observers. These have been important because, while parents are good reporters of their children’s behaviours and have been blinded to conditions, they are not independent and do affect their children’s behaviours.

A meta-analysis of 23 studies which had been conducted over a period of 12 years from 1982 to 1994 has been completed (205), to test the hypothesis that sugar (mainly sucrose) affects the behaviour or cognitive performance of children. This analysis did not find support for the hypothesis. In conclusion, there is little objective evidence to suggest that sugar significantly alters the behaviour or cognitive performance of children. It is not appropriate to recommend restricting a child’s sugar intake for the purpose of trying to control their behaviour. If behaviour problems exist, it is important to identify the underlying reasons and to seek the existing and more rigorously established interventions for their treatment.

Glucose and memory

There is increasing evidence that sugar, glucose specifically, can influence central nervous system activity. Although memory enhancement was not demonstrated in any of the challenge studies which measured memory in children, there is evidence that glucose levels influence memory functioning in rats and humans, locomotor activity and sleep patterns in rats, and the distress associated with painful procedures in human infants. The focus of research in this area has been to establish how glucose acts to mediate these effects.

Since the retention of memory is an important central nervous system function in the process of cognition, central nervous system mechanisms salient to this function such as noradrenergic and cholinergic systems have been investigated. To investigate the positive effects of epinephrine on memory processing, one study systematically examined the effects of glucose on both animal and human subjects. The study (206) employed a foot shock avoidance task on rats, and observed, similar to the epinephrine effects, significantly improved retention in animals who received 10 to 100 mg/kg injection of glucose immediately after training. No effect was observed if the injection was delayed by one hour or if higher or lower doses were used. In a subsequent study (207), glucose was shown to have similar effects to other memory modulators in that its administration with low foot shock training enhanced the rats’ memory storage while its administration with high foot shock training impaired retention possibly due to endogenous levels of epinephrine produced by the foot shock.

Extending the postulate that glucose improves memory functioning to a human population, one study (208) demonstrated significantly improved memory processing via a standardized measure in nine of eleven elderly human subjects after administration of oral glucose versus placebo. Further, a study found that enhancement of memory in elderly humans twenty-four hours after learning was significantly improved by glucose administration before or after the learning task (209). This may be similar to the finding in rats where memory potentiation in elderly rats was more marked than that demonstrated in a young adult rat population (210). None of the studies of sugar in children showed any effect on memory while those completed with elderly subjects did. However, it is important to note that most of the child studies used sucrose and only a few of them specifically tested memory.

In summary, there is evidence that glucose is discretely involved in neuroendocrine modulation of memory storage in both rats and humans. This influence is best demonstrated in elderly subjects. Further, one site of action of glucose is the medial septum which is rich with communications to the hippocampus. Although, the precise mechanism of the effects of glucose on memory are not yet established, these findings may have far reaching implications for pharmacologic treatment of memory impairments resulting from old age or head trauma. As of now the clinical implications of these findings have yet to be defined. Much more extensive research is required before any conclusions about clinically relevant implications can be drawn.

Summary

It appears clear that there is little evidence to support the claim that refined sugar intake has a significant influence on the behaviour or cognitive performance in children as popularly supposed. There may be a few children with idiosyncratic reactions or rare allergic syndromes who may respond adversely, but this has yet to be substantiated by carefully controlled research. The relationship of glucose to the improvement of memory processing appears clear. Further research is required to define its clinical relevance and to elucidate the mechanisms involved.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w8079e/w8079e0o.htm

Bunions

Seana — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:39:53 +0000

Bunions

Bunions are generally located behind the joint of the big toe and the first large metatarsal bone in the forefoot area. This is the area where the foot flexes in the front.

There can be smaller bunions that develop on the foot, at the outside of the foot, behind the little toe, and the fifth metatarsal bone (which is a much smaller bone). These are commonly referred to as “bunionettes” on the outside of the foot.

The most common is the very large formation bunion at the ball of the foot.

Many people that think bunions are hereditary. In actuality, it’s not the bunion that is hereditary; it is the amount of pronation that exists in the rearfoot that is hereditary. This would be the amount of pronation that you are born with.

The bunion is simply the symptom of the excessive pronation that exists in the rearfoot.

Whenever you have excessive motion, stress and pressure on a bone in a joint area in the foot, the foot will counteract that, first with fluids and soft tissue inflammation. Secondly, bone will start to grow. So anytime you add friction to the surface of a bone it will start to become enlarged.

Anytime that you add direct force and pressure to a joint or bone where the blood flow is cut off and there is not movement, you will have deterioration of the joint or bone and it will get smaller.

When a bunion appears, that lets you know immediately that you have excessive motion, instability, and friction around that area.

Many people that think high heels and the shape of the high heel’s pointed toe is the cause of bunions. In reality, it is ill-fitting shoes and the shape of the shoe itself that accelerates the process and the growth of the bunion.

There are a number of male individuals that have bunions on their feet that have never even worn a high heel shoe, or a shoe that has a pointed toe like a cowboy boot. So it is not fair to say that it is the high heel shoe that creates the bunions. It is the shoe shape and style that accelerates the whole process although the bunion probably exists before they even get into that type of shoe style.

Because it is pronation in the rearfoot that triggers the bunion, it is very important to use a good footbed or an orthotic to stabilize the rearfoot so that the forefoot and the ball of the foot area are stable. This will help to reduce any excessive motion or friction at the ball of the foot.

It is equally important to make sure that the shoe has plenty of room around the associated bunion area so that the shoe does not add any increased friction, rubbing or pressure at the ball of the foot.

Bunions can be removed surgically. But what is equally important is to make sure that after the surgery an orthotic is made for the foot, or a proper footbed is used to stabilize the foot.

After bunions have been surgically removed, it is possible for them to re-occur later on. Generally this happens more often when there has not been the introduction of a corrective orthotic or a good supportive footbed after the bunion surgery.

Again, you must understand that it is the pronation of the rearfoot that predisposes the forefoot to bunion symptoms, so you must treat the cause first, before you treat the symptoms.

http://superfeet.com/foot-health/FHI19.aspx?TXT=bunion

Vanilla or Costly Immitation

Seana — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:45:44 +0000

For Consumers

Some “Vanilla Extract” Produced in Mexico is No Bargain

Tourists tempted to pick up bargains south of the border should beware of one bargain that isn’t a good buy—a so-called “vanilla” flavoring or extract that isn’t vanilla flavoring or extract at all, but instead is made from a completely different plant material that contains coumarin. Coumarin is a substance with potential toxic side effects banned from food in the United States.

This flavoring product may smell like vanilla extract, taste like vanilla extract, and be offered at a cheap price, but it could present a significant risk to some people’s health.

Pure vanilla flavoring and extract are made with the extract of beans from the vanilla plant, a type of orchid that grows as a vine. The product containing coumarin is made from the extract of beans from the tonka tree, an entirely different plant that belongs to the pea family. Tonka bean extract contains coumarin, a compound related to warfarin, which is in some blood-thinning medications. Eating food containing coumarin may be especially risky for people taking blood-thinning drugs because the interaction of coumarin and blood thinners can increase the likelihood of bleeding.

Coumarin Banned in Food

Coumarin is banned from food products sold in the United States. Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) occasionally has found tonka bean extract products containing coumarin in some ethnic food stores and Mexican restaurants in the United States.

These products often are labeled in Spanish “Extracto de vainilla” or “Vainilla.” If these products contain tonka beans rather than vanilla beans, they have been imported illegally into the United States, and FDA advises consumers not to purchase or use these products.

Standards for Vanilla

FDA standards specify that only vanilla beans can be used to make vanilla flavorings and extracts for use in food products sold in the United States. Vanilla-like flavorings that don’t meet the standard must be labeled as “imitation” vanilla and must be made from safe ingredients that are permitted for that use.

FDA does not allow tonka bean extract even in imitation vanilla. Because they contain coumarin, tonka beans do not meet the food safety requirements for sale in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

FDA’s import alert on these products is designed to ensure that if coumarin-containing products labeled as vanilla flavoring or extract are shipped through regular commercial channels, FDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will stop them at the border.

Real Vanilla Extract and Flavoring Do Not Contain Coumarin

Real vanilla extract and flavoring products produced in Mexico or other countries and legally imported into the United States should not contain coumarin and should be safe for use in foods.

Vanilla extract and vanilla flavorings are subject to FDA standards of identity regulations that prescribe how the products are made and their common or usual names. The common or usual name of vanilla extract is “vanilla extract” and should not include the name of the country that is the source of the beans or of the final product. However, if the vanilla extract is imported, the label must declare, separate from the name of the food, the country of origin of the food (for example, “Product of Mexico” ).

Tips for Consumers

Be wary about buying products labeled “Vainilla” or “Extracto de Vainilla” in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Look for “vanilla bean” in the ingredient list on the label. If it has “tonka bean” or if there is no ingredient list or a vague one, do not purchase this product.

Don’t risk your health to save a few dollars. A coumarin-containing product labeled as vanilla extract or flavoring is generally sold at a lower price than pure vanilla flavoring or extract because tonka beans are cheaper to grow than vanilla beans. If the price sounds too good to be true, pass it up.

Don’t buy a food product in the United States that is not labeled in English. Products may have Spanish or other non-English labeling, but they must also have complete English labeling to meet U.S. Government standards. (Products sold only in Puerto Rico are an exception—they are not required to be labeled in English.)

Call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator² for your geographic area if you suspect that a food product sold in the United States has been imported illegally.

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page³, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Updated: March 2009

For More Information

Know Before You Go: Rules for Bringing Items Back From Your Trip⁴

Page Last Updated: 07/19/2010

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Caffeine and Chocolate

Seana — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:35:03 +0000

How Much Caffeine is in Chocolate?

Chocolate Does Have Caffeine

People often ask us, “Does chocolate have caffeine?” and if so, “How much caffeine is in chocolate?” For the record, chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine. Chocolate also contains another closely related substance called theobromine in much larger levels, and the presence of these two closely related substances has been the cause of much confusion among chocolate lovers.

Caffeine Molecule

Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid substance that is found in the leaves, fruits and nuts of a variety of different plants, including coffee, guarana, tea, yerba mate, and approximately 60 other plants. Amazingly, caffeine is found in a wide variety of types of plants and on completely different sides of the world. One of these plants is the cocoa tree, where the caffeine is found in the seeds (called cocoa beans). Cocoa beans are similar in size and shape to almonds, and they grow inside cocoa pods. The hard cocoa pod is about the size of a small Nerf football. It grows off the branches and trunk of the cocoa tree and contains between thirty to forty beans.

Protecting the Seeds

The cocoa tree depends on wild animals to spread and plant its valuable seeds. The cocoa pod that surrounds the cocoa beans is tough and is not easily broken in the wild. (When cocoa farmers break them open, they often use machetes or a heavy stick or rock with a sharp edge.) Nature of course has provided an answer — the cocoa tree surrounds each cocoa bean with a delicious, sweet, white pulp that tastes very much like light lemonade. Not only do cocoa farmers love to eat the pulp on a hot day underneath the tropical sun, the wildlife do as well. Rats, monkeys and other animals break, chew, and find all variety of ways to open the cocoa pods to eat this delicious treat.

Cocoa pod after wildlife have removed the cocoa beans.

Dependence on local wildlife to open the tough cocoa pods causes its own set of problems — how to keep the animals from eating the cocoa beans. There is an easy to answer to this as well. First, the cocoa beans are covered with a tough, fibrous husk. Then the cocoa tree puts all sorts of things into the cocoa bean itself that deter animals from eating them. One of the primary substances is tannins, which make the cocoa beans when eaten fresh very astrin gent and not very tasty. Because of this, the wildlife will eat the sweet, delicious pulp on the outside of the cocoa beans and then spit the astringent cocoa beans themselves onto the jungle floor, where they just might find the right conditions to grow.

The tannins are not the only weapons in the cocoa tree’s arsenal. The cocoa trees also load up the cocoa beans with theobromine as well as caffeine. While we may consider both of these mild stimulants, to insects and wildlife, these can be toxic. (Theobromine is what is responsible for making chocolate toxic when ingested by dogs.)

It is all in the Bean

The cocoa bean contains between 0.1% and 0.7% caffeine, 0.2% being the most common amount found. Caffeine is also present in lesser amounts in the husk that surrounds the cocoa beans, usually from .05% to 0.3%. By way of comparison, dry tealeaves are approximately 3% caffeine, and dry coffee beans are about 1.2% caffeine (Robusta coffee has 40 to 50% more caffeine than regular coffee).

During chocolate making, the fibrous husk that surrounds each bean is removed through a process of breaking the bean into pieces, separating the husk from the bean, and then winnowing away the lighter husk from the heavier nibs by use of vacuums or high-pressure fans. The pieces of bean created during winnowing are called cocoa nibs. (The nibs are often ground up before being used to make chocolate, the result being called cocoa mass or cocoa liquor.) It is the nibs that contain the caffeine found in chocolate. The more nibs (or cocoa mass/cocoa liquor) used to make a piece of chocolate, the more caffeine it will contain.

Cocoa nibs contain approximately 54% fat, much as peanuts contain peanut oil. The fat is called cocoa butter, and it contains no caffeine. The plant material (i.e., non-fat) part of the cocoa nibs is called cocoa solids. This is where the caffeine is found. Dark chocolate is dark because it contains a larger percentage of cocoa solids than milk or white chocolate.

Dark Chocolate

Typical Dark Chocolate Recipe

Cocoa Beans	39%
Sugar	48%
Cocoa Butter	13%
Lecithin	< 1%
Vanilla	< 1%

Dark chocolate contains a greater percentage of cocoa solids than does milk chocolate or white chocolate. Because of this, dark chocolate will contain more caffeine than either of these two. Dark chocolate typically contains cocoa nibs, sugar, cocoa butter, and sometimes vanilla, salt, or lecithin. Dark chocolate is made with varying percentages of cocoa bean. Chocolate is often labeled either as semi-sweet or bittersweet, terms that are not well defined, though semi-sweet is typically sweeter than bittersweet.

Because of the confusion that often occurs because of these nebulous terms, many high-end manufacturers have begun to label their chocolate with the actual percentage that comes from the cocoa bean. (It should be pointed out that many low-end chocolate manufacturers have now begun to follow suit.) This does not clarify the confusion, since cocoa butter is typically counted as part of the percentage, and some chocolate manufacturers use more or less cocoa butter than others.

For the sake of argument (and to make our calculations simple), let’s assume that the chocolate manufacturers use 10% added cocoa butter. We can then calculate the approximate amount of caffeine in one pound of dark chocolate as follows:

Chocolate Percentage	mg/pound	mg/3.5oz (100g)	mg/2oz (56g)
43% (Semi-Sweet)	353mg	77mg	44mg
50%	453mg	99mg	57mg
60% (Bittersweet)	544mg	119mg	68mg
70%	635mg	139mg	79mg
80%	725mg	159mg	91mg
90%	816mg	179mg	102mg
100%	907mg	198mg	113mg

It should be pointed out that almost nobody eats a whole pound of chocolate, dark or otherwise, in one sitting. There is an inverse relationship between how dark the chocolate is and how much is eaten. The darker chocolate becomes, the less people eat. This makes it difficult to correlate the percentage (how dark the chocolate is) with what people really eat.

In general, a dark chocolate bar is eaten in small pieces, not all at once. Most manufacturers of quality dark chocolate mold the chocolate with deep scores, the intent being that the chocolate be eaten in small bite-size pieces and savored. For example, our two ounce (56 gram) chocolate bars are scored into 15 pieces of equal size (.113 ounce / 3.2 grams) — the perfect size for slowly savoring one piece at a time. We expect that a chocolate bar will last far beyond a single sitting, generally several days to a week.

In the end, there is a moderate amount of caffeine in dark chocolate, not nearly as much as in coffee, and it would not be typical for someone to consume enough dark chocolate in a single sitting to equal the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee. The amount of caffeine actually consumed will depend on the person, the darkness of the chocolate, and the number of tasting squares the chocolate is divided into.

Milk Chocolate

Typical Milk Chocolate Recipe

Cocoa Beans	16%
Whole Milk Powder	16%
Sugar	38%
Cocoa Butter	30%
Lecithin	< 1%
Vanilla	< 1%

Milk chocolate does contain trace amounts of caffeine. However, it is not nearly as much as we have seen in dark chocolate. It is hard to quantify how much caffeine is in milk chocolate because each manufacturer has its own recipe, and the percentage of chocolate that comes from the cocoa bean varies widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. According to one study that examined the recipes used by milk chocolate manufacturers, milk chocolate was found to contain as little as 8.5% or as much as 40% from the cocoa bean (the rest being cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and sometimes, vanilla (or vanillin), soy lecithin and salt). A typical recipe for milk chocolate uses only about 16% cocoa nibs.

If we use this as an average amount, we can calculate that one pound of milk chocolate contains 145 milligrams of caffeine. (One prominent chocolate company in the United States reports that its chocolate contains approximately 100mg of caffeine per pound of chocolate.) This is approximately the same amount of caffeine as is in one cup of coffee.

Is this a lot of caffeine? Not too many people can eat a whole pound of milk chocolate in a single sitting. If they do, then they are also eating close to a half a pound of sugar. The large amount of sugar will more than likely cause much more of a “buzz” than will the naturally occurring caffeine.

White Chocolate

Typical White Chocolate Recipe

Cocoa Butter	27%
Sugar	48%
Milk Powder	25%
Lecithin	< 1%
Vanilla	< 1%

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, milk, and sugar. Sometimes a little vanilla is added to round out the flavor. Almost all white chocolate uses deodorized cocoa butter as its main ingredient. This means that the solid portions of the cocoa bean have been removed through filtering and exposing the melted cocoa butter to hot steam. All that remains is the naturally occurring fat from the cocoa bean (cocoa butter). Since this is all that is left and there is no caffeine in milk, sugar or vanilla, for all practical purposes, caffeine is not present in white chocolate.

Conclusion

So does chocolate contain caffeine? The answer is yes. Does chocolate contain lots of caffeine? The answer is no.

Chocolate has been found to contain enough caffeine to be of concern to people with heart or other ailments. For this reason, some doctors will recommend that some people who are not in good health not eat foods that contain caffeine.

Doctors will of course recommend that people reduce or eliminate other foods from their diets if those foods are not healthful. A prime example is salt, which can cause severe problems for people with high blood pressure. If consumed in large enough quantities, salt is also capable of killing a perfectly healthy individual. And while salt can kill when consumed in large enough quantities, salt is also necessary for life.

Preliminary studies on coffee suggest that it may have some health benefits to people who suffer from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and diabetes, among others. Some of these studies indicate that part of these health benefits are due to the caffeine naturally present in coffee. Whether this holds for chocolate as well has yet to be investigated, though it would be natural for some of these affects to carry over.

So should the caffeine that is in chocolate be a concern? It probably should be if you are not healthy. Otherwise, I doubt that the amount of caffeine in chocolate is enough to affect most people unless enormous amounts of chocolate are consumed. The fact that chocolate contains caffeine is simply one of those interesting curiosities that surround what is in a lot of our food. When food is eaten in moderation it can be enormously pleasurable, and one of the most pleasurable foods to be found anywhere is chocolate.

For comparison purposes, a chart containing the amount of caffeine in various beverages is included below.

Food / Beverage	Serving Size (oz)	Caffeine (mg)	mg/oz

Coffee
Coffee (Brewed)	8	107.5	13.44
Coffee (Decaf Instant)	8	2.5	0.31
Coffee (Decaf Brewed)	8	5.6	0.70
Coffee (Drip)	8	145	18.13
Coffee (Espresso)	1.5	77	51.33
Coffee (Instant)	8	57	7.13

Tea
Tea (Brewed)	8	47	5.88
Tea (Green)	8	25	3.13
Tea (Instant)	8	26	3.25
Tea (Lipton Brisk)	12	9	0.75
Tea (Lipton Ice Teas)	12	9	0.75
Tea (Nestea Ice Tea)	16	34	2.13

Caffeinated Sodas
Cocoa Cola Classic	12	34.5	2.83
Cocoa Cola Diet	12	45	3.75
Pepsi	12	38	3.17
Pepsi (Diet)	12	36	3.00
Dr. Pepper	12	41	3.42
Dr Pepper (Diet)	12	41	3.42

Highly Caffeinated Sodas
Bawls	10	66.7	6.67
Jolt Cola	23.5	220	9.36
Mello Yello	12	52.5	4.38
Mountain Dew	12	55	4.58
Red Bull	8.3	80	9.64
RockStar	16	160	10.00

References:

Food / Beverage Caffeine Table Data from EnergyFiend.com
Industrial Chocolate: Manufacture and Use, Third Edition. S.T. Beckett Editor.
Chocolate Production and Use. L. Russell Cook
Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionary: Science and Technology, Third Edition. Bernard W. Minifie
Cocoa; C.J.J. Van Hall
Cocoa and Chocolate: Their History from Plantation to Consumer; A.W. Knapp

Bone Density and health

Seana — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:17:16 +0000

Bone Density and health

research suggests that people with higher intakes of silicon tend to have better bone-mineral density. Most people get between 20 and 50 milligrams of silicon per day from their diets. And although beer has a more bioavailable form, it’s also found in certain foods, like bananas.

Your bones need fruits and veggies: tomato paste, spinach, bananas, dried apricots, and baked potatoes are top sources for two bone-essential minerals — potassium and magnesium — as well as some additional protective nutrients.

studies from the 1990s to 2006 has revealed that people with a history of eating lots of fruits and vegetables have healthier bones than people who skimp on their servings of these important foods.

POTASSIUM
RealAge Optimum (RAO) for men and women:
3,000 milligrams (mg)
Dried apricot halves — 1,510 mg per cup
Tomato paste — 1,340 mg per half cup
Baked potato — 780 mg
Banana — 450 mg

MAGNESIUM
RAO for women: 400 mg a day; for men: at least 333 mg
Soybeans — 80 mg per half cup
Tomato paste — 75 mg per half cup
Cooked spinach — 75 mg per half cup
Oatmeal — 55 mg per cup

http://www.realage.com/tips/pizza-chili-and-your-bones?click=p5link3

Alzheimers Notes

Seana — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:16:25 +0000

Alzheimers Could be genetic but, you can look out for factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure which restrict blood flow to the brain as a trigger.
When taking a memory test after looking at 10 objects and then looking away for 10 minutes, you should be able to remember at least 4 or more. If you’re having problems remembering words or misplacing things, this can also be an indication.

Aerobic conditioning 3 x a week can also be preventative.
Mental, Right and Left Brain exercise can also be preventative. (Jig saw puzzles and Cross word puzzles)
Curry or and ingredient, Curcumin has been linked to improved memory function. Try adding the spice 2x a week. Vitamin E has also had note worthy test results worth considering. 3 oz of nuts a day is enough to give you a full serving of it.

Doctoroz.com

Cinnamon

Seana — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:38:12 +0000

In classical times, four types of cinnamon were distinguished (and often confused):

Cassia (Hebrew qəṣi`â), the bark of Cinnamomum iners from Arabia and Ethiopia
True Cinnamon (Hebrew qinnamon), the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum from Sri Lanka
Malabathrum or Malobathrum (from Sanskrit तमालपत्रम्, tamālapattram, literally “dark-tree leaves”), Cinnamomum malabathrum from the north of India
Serichatum, Cinnamomum aromaticum from Seres, that is, China.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, synonym C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka,^[1] or the spice obtained from the tree’s bark. It is often confused with other, similar species and the spices derived from them, such as Cassia and Cinnamomum burmannii, which are also often called cinnamon.

Dried cassia bark

Cinnamomum burmannii

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Cinnamomum burmannii

Young Indonesian Cassia tree, Indonesia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Cinnamomum
Species:	C. burmannii
Binomial name
*Cinnamomum burmannii*

Cinnamomum burmannii, also known as Indonesian Cinnamon, Padang Cassia, or Korintje, is one of several plants in the genus Cinnamomum whose bark are sold as the spice cinnamon^[1], although, in many countries, only true cinnamon can be sold under that name^{[citation needed]}. The spice is the least expensive of the three common forms of cinnamon as it has the lowest essential oil content. The most common and cheapest type of cinnamon in the US is made from powdered Cinnamomum burmannii. As a result of the low oil content, Cinnamomum burmannii may have less of the mildly toxic substance coumarin than does C. cassia^[2]. It is also sold as neat thick quills which are made of one layer.^[3].

Cassia (called ròu gùi; 肉桂 in Chinese) is used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.^[7]

In 2006, a study reported no statistically significant additional benefit when cinnamon cassia powder was given to type 2 diabetes patients who were already being treated with metformin.^[8] A systematic review of research indicates that cinnamon may reduce fasting blood sugar, but does not have an effect on hemoglobin A1C, a biological marker of long-term diabetes.^[9]

Chemist Richard Anderson says that his research has shown that most, if not all, of cinnamon’s antidiabetic effect is in its water-soluble fraction, not the oil (the ground cinnamon spice itself should be ingested for benefit, not the oil or a water extraction). In fact, some cinnamon oil-entrained compounds could prove toxic in high concentrations. Cassia’s effects on enhancing insulin sensitivity appear to be mediated by polyphenols.^[10] Despite these findings, cassia should not be used in place of anti-diabetic drugs, unless blood glucose levels are closely monitored, and its use is combined with a strictly controlled diet and exercise program.

Due to a toxic component called coumarin, European health agencies have warned against consuming high amounts of cassia.^[11]Other possible toxins founds in the bark/powder are cinnamaldehyde and styrene^[12].

Cinnamaldehyde is the organic compound that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor.^[1] This pale yellow viscous liquid occurs naturally in the bark of cinnamon trees and other species of the genus Cinnamomum. The essential oil of cinnamon bark is about 90% cinnamaldehyde.

Styrene, also known as vinyl benzene, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₆H₅CH=CH₂. This cyclic hydrocarbon is a colorless oily liquid that evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high concentrations confer a less pleasant odor. Styrene is the precursor to polystyrene and several copolymers. Approximately 15 billion lt are produced annually.^[1]

4 Vegetarian Foods on the Top 10 List for highest levels of Zinc

Seana — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:28:43 +0000

Zinc is an essential mineral required by the body for maintaining a sense of smell, keeping a healthy immune system, building proteins, triggering enzymes, and creating DNA. Zinc also helps the cells in your body communicate by functioning as a neurotransmitter. A deficiency in zinc can lead to stunted growth, diarrhea, impotence, hair loss, eye and skin lesions, impaired appetite, and depressed immunity. Conversely, consuming too much zinc can disrupt absorption of copper and iron, as well as create large amounts of toxic free radicals. The current RDA for Zinc is 15mg2: Wheat Germ

Packed in jars and sold toasted, wheat germ is great to sprinkle on top of any food. Try it on salads, rice, or steamed vegetables. Toasted wheat germ provides 17mg of zinc per 100g serving which is 112% of the RDA, crude (untoasted) wheat germ provides 12mg (82% RDA).

#4: Sesame Flour and Tahini(Sesame Butter)

Sesame products contain about 10mg of zinc per 100g serving (70%RDA). Sesame flour can be used as a substitute for wheat flour in cakes and breads. Tahini is commonly found in hummus, a ground chickpea spread and dip of the middle east, it will provide 4.6mg of zinc per 100g serving (31% RDA). Whole sesame seeds provide 7.8mg/100g (52% RDA).

#6:Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds

A popular food in the Middle East and East Asia pumpkin and squash seeds contain about 10mg of zinc per 100g serving (70% RDA). If you can’t find these in your local supermarket you will surely find them in Middle Eastern or East Asian specialty stores. Alternatively, you can also save any pumpkin and squash seeds you have and roast them in your oven. The seeds are typically eaten by cracking the outer shell and eating the seed inside.

#8: Cocoa Powder and Chocolate

Chocolate is showing more and more health benefits and dark chocolate is coming into vogue. Unsweetened baking chocolate provides 9.6mg of zinc per 100g serving for 64% of the RDA. Cocoa powder will provide 6.8mg (45% RDA) per 100g or 5.4mg(39%RDA) per cup. Most milk chocolates provide around 2.3mg(15% RDA) per 100g serving or 1mg(7%RDA) per bar.

Raw Cashew nut Nutritional Value

Seana — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:15:54 +0000

d ->

Nuts Cashew Nuts Raw

Nutrition Facts
Nuts Cashew Nuts Raw
Serving Size 100g
Calories 553
% Daily Value^*
Total Fat 43.85g				67%
Saturated Fat 7.783g				39%
Cholesterol 0mg				0%
Sodium 12mg				1%
Total Carbohydrate 30.19g				10%
Dietary Fiber 3.3g				13%
Sugar 5.91g				~
Protein 18.22g				~
Vitamin A	0%	•	Vitamin C	1%
Calcium	4%	•	Iron	37%
^*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Vitamins	%DV
Vitamin A 0IU	0%
Retinol equivalents 0μg	~
Retinol 0μg	~
Alpha-carotene 0μg	~
Beta-carotene 0μg	~
Beta-cryptoxanthin 0μg	~
Vitamin C 0.5mg	1%
Vitamin E 0.9mg	3%
Vitamin K 34.1μg	43%
Vitamin B12 0μg	0%
Thiamin 0.423mg	28%
Riboflavin 0.058mg	3%
Niacin 1.062mg	5%
Pantothenic acid 0.864mg	9%
Vitamin B6 0.417mg	21%
Folate 25μg	6%
Folic Acid 0μg	~
Food Folate 25μg	~
Dietary Folate Equivalents 25μg	~
Choline ~mg	~
Lycopene 0μg	~
Lutein+zeazanthin 22μg	~

Minerals	%DV
Calcium 37mg	4%
Iron 6.68mg	37%
Magnesium 292mg	73%
Phosphorus 593mg	59%
Sodium 12mg	1%
Potassium 660mg	19%
Zinc 5.78mg	39%
Copper 2.195mg	110%
Manganese 1.655mg	83%
Selenium 19.9μg	28%
Water 5.2g	~
Ash 2.54g	~

Useful Stats
Percent of Daily Calorie Target (2000 calories)	27.65%
Percent Water Composition	5.2%
Protein to Carb Ratio (g/g)	0.6g

* Percent Daily Values are for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet.
Source: UDSA SR20. Each “.” denotes a missing value.

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Cayenne

interesting-health — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:02:15 +0000

From: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/cayenne–000230.htm

Possible Allergen Allert: People who are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, and avocado may also have an allergy to cayenne.

Overview:

Native Americans have used cayenne (Capsicum annuum or frutescens, or red pepper) as both food and medicine for at least 9,000 years. The hot and spicy taste of cayenne pepper is primarily due to a substance known as capsaicin, which has pain-relieving qualities. Cayenne has been used orally and topically for medicinal purposes.

Cayenne pepper is an important spice, particularly in Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, China, Southern Italy, and Mexico. Cayenne has also been used in traditional Indian Ayurvedic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medicines as an oral remedy for digestive problems, poor appetite, and circulatory problems. It has also been used as a topical remedy for arthritis and muscle pain. Today, topical preparations of capsaicin are used in the United States and Europe primarily to relieve pain associated with conditions such as arthritis and shingles (Herpes zoster). Capsaicin is also a key ingredient in many personal defense sprays.

Pain control

Capsaicin has very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the surface of the skin. It is a counterirritant that temporarily reduces substance P, a chemical that carries pain messages to the brain. When substance P is depleted, the pain messages no longer reach the brain, and the person feels relief. Capsaicin is often recommended for topical application for the following conditions:

Pain

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as joint or muscle pain from fibromyalgia or other causes
Nerve pain from shingles and other painful skin conditions (postherpetic neuralgia) that recurs even after the skin blisters have disappeared. The research is conflicting and limited. Results may depend on the individual. Check with your doctor to see if trying this topical treatment is right for you.
Postsurgical pain, following, for example, a mastectomy (breast removal for breast cancer) or pain after an amputation
Pain from peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage experienced in the feet or legs) due to diabetes. However, capsaicin appears ineffective for peripheral neuropathy pain from HIV.
Low back pain, but homeopathic gels of capsaicin are not generally considered a first-line remedy because other homeopathic remedies have fewer side effects.

Psoriasis

Capsaicin cream can reduce itching and inflammation associated with psoriasis (a chronic skin disease that generally appears as patches of raised red skin covered by a flaky white buildup).

Weight loss

Some animal and human studies show that taking capsaicin orally may increase the body’s production of heat for a short time. It may also help to regulate blood sugar levels by affecting the breakdown of carbohydrates after a meal. Based on these studies, capsaicin is being investigated to see if it would be useful in treating obesity.

Cluster headaches

Administering capsaicin by the nose seems to help relieve cluster headaches (a severe one-sided headache that tends to occur in clusters, happening repeatedly every day at the same time for possibly several weeks). Such treatment should only be done under the supervision of a health care professional.

Other uses:

Some evidence suggests capsaicin may help treat heartburn, but several people in the study stopped taking capsaicin because of abdominal discomfort.
Capsaicin is being investigated for treating circulatory problems (for example, heart disease from atherosclerosis or plaque blocking the arteries to the heart) and reducing risk of an irregular heart rhythm.

Plant Description:

Cayenne is a shrub that originated in Central and South America and now grows in subtropical and tropical climates. Its hollow fruit grows into long pods that turn red, orange, or yellow when they ripen. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked, or is dried and powdered into a spice that has been used for centuries in meals and medicines.

What’s It Made Of?:

Capsaicin is the most active ingredient in cayenne, but other important ingredients include vitamins A and C, and flavonoids and carotenoids (plant pigments with antioxidant properties).

Available Forms:

As a spice, cayenne may be eaten raw or cooked. Dried cayenne pepper is available in powdered form, and may be added to food, stirred into juice, tea, or milk. It is also available in capsule form or in creams for external use (should contain at least 0.075% capsaicin).

How to Take It:

Topical capsaicin should not be applied to cracked skin or open wounds.

Pediatric

Cayenne should not be given to children under 2 years of age. However, cayenne may be used topically with caution in older children as an ointment. Topical cayenne ointments should not be used for more than 2 consecutive days in children.

Adult

For shingles, psoriasis, arthritis, or muscle pain: Capsaicin cream (0.025 – 0.075% capsaicin) may be applied directly to the affected area up to 4 times a day. Because cayenne works by first stimulating and then decreasing the intensity of pain in the body, the pain may increase slightly at first, but then should diminish greatly over the next few days. Capsaicin should be applied regularly several times a day. It usually takes 3 – 7 days before noticeable pain relief begins.

For digestive problems: Capsaicin may be taken in capsules (30 – 120 mg, 3 times daily).

Precautions:

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider.

Cayenne does not dissolve easily in water, so use vinegar to remove this substance from the skin. Capsaicin cream may cause an itching, burning sensation on the skin, but these symptoms tend to go away quickly. Test capsaicin cream on a small area of the skin before extended use. If it causes irritation, or if symptoms do not improve after 2 – 4 weeks, discontinue use. Do not use capsaicin with a heating pad, and do not apply capsaicin cream immediately before or after hot showers. After usihng capsaicin, wash your hands thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes. If you’re using cayenne around children, take special care to make sure they wash their hands thoroughly after handling cayenne and do not touch their eyes or nose.

Capsaicin capsules may cause stomach irritation. People with ulcers or heartburn should talk to their health care provider before using capsaicin. Eating too much capsaicin could cause stomach pain, kidney and liver damage.

People who are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, and avocado may also have an allergy to cayenne.

Eating cayenne as a spice is considered safe during pregnancy, but pregnant women should avoid taking cayenne as a supplement. Cayenne does pass into breast milk, so nursing mothers should avoid cayenne both as a spice and a supplement.

Possible Interactions:

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use cayenne preparations without first talking to your health care provider.

ACE inhibitors — Using capsaicin cream on the skin may increase the risk of cough associated with ACE inhibitors. These are medications used to regulate blood pressure, including captopril, enalapril, and lisinopril. People who take ACE inhibitors should talk to their doctor before taking cayenne.

Stomach acid reducers — Capsaicin can cause an increase in stomach acid, lessening the effect of drugs such as cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), ranitidine (Zantac), omeprazole (Prilosec), and esomeprazole (Nexium). The same is true of over-the-counter drugs such as Maalox, Rolaids, Tums, and nonprescription versions of Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, and Prilosec.

Aspirin — Capsaicin may decrease the effectiveness of aspirin to relieve pain, and may increase the risk of bleeding associated with aspirin.

Blood-thinning medications and herbs — Capsaicin may increase the risk of bleeding associated with certain blood-thinning medications (such as warfarin and heparin) and herbs (such as ginkgo, ginger, ginseng, and garlic).

Theophylline — Regular use of cayenne may increase the absorption of theophylline, a medication used to treat asthma, to toxic levels.

Alternative Names:

Capsaicin; Chili pepper; Red pepper

Written and Reviewed last on: 11/11/2008 By:
Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD, private practice specializing in complementary and alternative medicine, Phoenix, AZ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.