Grapes Reduce Risk Factors For Heart Disease, Diabetes

Could eating grapes slow what's for many Americans a downhill sequence of high blood pressure and insulin resistance leading to heart disease and type 2 diabetes?

Scientists at the University of Michigan Health System are teasing out clues to the effect of grapes in reducing risk factors related to cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The effect is thought to be due to phytochemicals -- naturally occurring antioxidants - that grapes contain.

Findings from a new animal study will be presented today at the Experimental Biology convention in Anaheim, Calif., and show encouraging results of a grape-enriched diet preventing risk factors for metabolic syndrome, a condition affecting an estimated 50 million Americans and is often a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Researchers studied the effect of regular table grapes (a blend of green, red and black grapes) that were mixed into a powdered form and integrated into the diets of laboratory rats as part of a high-fat, American style diet. All of the rats used were from a research breed that is prone to being overweight.

They performed many comparisons between the rats consuming a grape-enriched diet and the control rats receiving no grape powder. Researchers added calories and sugars to the control group to balance the extra calories and sugars gained from getting the grape powder.

After three months, the rats that received the grape-enriched diet had lower blood pressure, better heart function, and reduced indicators of inflammation in the heart and the blood than rats who received no grape powder. Rats also had lower triglycerides and improved glucose tolerance.

The effects were seen even though the grape-fed animals had no change in body weight.

In all, researchers say the study demonstrates that a grape-enriched diet can have broad effects on the development of heart disease and metabolic syndrome and the risk factors that go along with it.

"The possible reasoning behind the lessening of metabolic syndrome is that the phytochemicals were active in protecting the heart cells from the damaging effects of metabolic syndrome. In the rats, inflammation of the heart and heart function was maintained far better," says Steven Bolling, M.D., heart surgeon at the U-M Cardiovascular Center and head of the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.

The researchers also looked for signs of inflammation, oxidative damage and other molecular indicators of cardiac stress. Again, the rats who consumed the grape powder had lower levels of these markers than rats who did not receive grapes.

There is no well-accepted way to diagnose metabolic syndrome which is really a cluster of characteristics: excess belly fat (for men, a waist measuring 40 inches or more and for women, a waist measuring 35 inches or more); high triglycerides which can lead to plague build-up in the artery walls; high blood pressure; reduced glucose tolerance; and elevated c-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the body.

Those with metabolic syndrome are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

But the U-M study suggests that it may be possible that grape consumption can change the downhill sequence that leads to heart disease by prolonging the time between when symptoms begin to occur and a time of diagnosis.

"Reducing these risk factors may delay the onset of diabetes or heart disease, or lessen the severity of the diseases," says E. Mitchell Seymour, Ph.D., lead researcher and manager of the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory. "Ultimately it may lessen the health burden of these increasingly common conditions."

Rats were fed the same weight of food each day, with powered grapes making up 3 percent of the diet. Although the current study was supported in part by the California Table Grape Commission, which also supplied the grape powder, the researchers note that the commission played no role in the study's design, conduct, analysis or preparation of the presentation.

Research on grapes and other fruits containing high levels of antioxidant phytochemicals continues to show promise. U-M will further its research this summer when it begins a clinical trial to test the impact of grape product consumption on heart risk factors.

"Although there's not a particular direct correlation between this study and what humans should do, it's very interesting to postulate that a diet higher in phytochemical-rich fruits, such as grapes, may benefit humans," Bolling says.

Bolling says that people who want to lower their blood pressure, reduce their risk of diabetes or help with weakened hearts retain as much pumping power as possible should follow some tried-and-true advice to eat a healthy diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, achieve a desirable weight and increase physical activity.

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News Article Source:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/186652.php

Where to Find the Very Best Information About Migraine Headaches

By Donald Saunders

There are a lot of reasons for being on a search for information regarding migraines.

You might for instance suffer from migraine headaches yourself or somebody you know may be suffering from migraines. Alternatively, you might have recently had a family member diagnosed as having migraines or you might simply be a student doing a research paper on this particular form of headache. Regardless of the reason for researching the subject of migraines there is a lot of information on the topic.

Migraine is a medical disorder called a neurological syndrome and its key characteristics in the majority of individuals are frequently very painful headaches and nausea. This fairly common condition afflicts women much more that it does men.

Migraines create a pain which is frequently found on only one side of the head and is typically said to be throbbing or pulsating in nature. The headache will usually last anything from 4 hours to 72 hours and might be moderate to severe in intensity. You might well run into other accompanying symptoms such as vomiting or sensitivity to sound or light.

Another fascinating feature of some migraine headaches is the presence of an "aura" in at least one in three people suffering from migraines. The aura appears before the onset of the migraine and can include things like the appearance of zigzag lines, bright lights or distorted shapes in a variety of colors and sizes that block the normal line of vision. Your field of vision might also reduce and can look like tunnel vision or perhaps a curtain-like effect sometimes over one eye or dark spots that spread slowly.

There might be auditory changes such as hearing voices or sounds in the environment such as buzzing. You could also experience strange smells or perhaps sensations of numbness to one side of the face or in the legs and arms. You could experience a sense of being separated from your own body or a sense like your legs and arms are moving independently from the body. You could experience anxiety or fear alongside the aura or an unsteadiness or weakness. Occasionally people who experience an aura are unable to understand words which are being spoken to them and they can become exceedingly tired and sweat profusely or feel warmth throughout the body.

Besides the migraines with or without aura there are other ways of describing migraines.

For instance, familial hemiplegic migraines (FHM) are migraine headaches that result from ion channel mutations. Those individuals suffering from this form of migraine in general experience weakness in the limbs on one side of the body as well as visual, sensory or speech difficulties.

Another form of migraine is the abdominal migraine where children have many of the symptoms of migraines without the head pain. Typical symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting might last anywhere from 1 hour to 72 hours.

Finally, menstrual and acephalgic migraines are another two fairly common types of migraine. Acephalgic migraines are those in which the individual normally experiences an aura but no headache. Menstrual migraines are either menstrual related migraines (MRM) or pure menstrual migraines (PMM). The menstrual related migraine is moderate to severe in pain intensity and occurs about the same time as the monthly period and at other times too. The pure menstrual migraine occurs only around the same time as the woman's monthly period.

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Early Signs of Skin Cancer Can Be Inherited

By Kirsten Whittaker

To protect against the early signs of skin cancer, we all know to wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun between those peak hours, but a pair of recent studies both suggest a genetic component to this form of cancer that we cannot escape.

Earlier work in this area suggested that melanoma and other skin cancers might run in families, but researchers often find it hard to distinguish between genes and the environment, and so the question remained unanswered.

An Australian study out of the University of Queensland attempted to address this challenge by looking at twin pairs where one twin had been diagnosed with melanoma. Using 125 twin pairs (27 sets of identical twins, 98 sets of fraternal twins) the researchers found that having an identical twin who had melanoma increased a person's own risk of developing the same disease nearly ten fold.

Having a fraternal twin with this form of cancer nearly doubled the other twin's risk of being diagnosed as well.

This suggests that some of the increased melanoma risk can be attributed to your genes, in particular the interaction between genes. The Australian researchers estimate that genetics account for about half of the difference in skin cancer risk between two people.

The second study, conducted by a team out of the University of California, Los Angeles used the Swedish Family-Cancer Database to look at the risk of several types of skin cancer among the brothers and sisters or children of those diagnosed with the condition.

They found that a person's risk of cancer (of various types, not just the ones a family member had) increases if they have a sibling or parent with a non-melanoma skin cancer.

It may well be that your family history can be used to assess your own risk of developing cancer of the skin.

This year, an estimated one million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. alone. What's more, it can happen to anyone, at any time, even if you're free from risk factors (fair complexion, family history, severe sunburn early in life or age) which is why you should always, always talk to your doctor about any growth on your skin that change shape, bleeds or doesn't heal.

If you have a close family member who has (or had) skin cancer, your best weapon is your awareness of the increased risk you may carry. Be extra-careful about the sun, limiting your exposure during peak (10:00 am - 2:00 pm) hours and using sunscreen or protective clothing year round.

Look over your own skin on a regular basis (using a mirror as necessary) for any mole, sore or skin growth that appears or changes. Watch for...

Asymmetry - one half of the area is different than the other.

Border - the outlines of the area are irregular

Color - can vary from one area to another in shades of tan, brown or black, sometimes even white, red or blue

Diameter - almost always bigger than 6 mm (the size of a pencil eraser)

Remember, a family history is only a risk factor according to these latest findings - the genes you carry don't guarantee you anything, good or bad. Your best bet if you're worried about the early signs of skin cancer is to make changes to limit the risks you can control, be aware and stay informed.

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Cancer Cure, Prevention, Treatments and Diet

By Clara Nolt

The dream of curing cancer is no longer a dream. Alternative cancer cures are being hushed because drug companies wants no competition. The foremost step to curing cancer is to get as far away from American pharmaceutical medicine as possible! The horrible truth is that curing cancer is no longer about the cure or the patient, but about greed and politics. For instance, doctors prescribe high cost treatments that haven't been tested or uncertain in the effectiveness of curing cancer, and in some circumstances are, without doubt, cancerous themselves.

How long is it going to take before Americans will ultimately stop supporting the cancer industry at the expense of thousands and thousands of lives each year, and begin to be arduous about cancer prevention and the true cures that exist already. Cancer prevention and cures are simply a threat to the cancer industry. The prevention, cure and cause of one kind of cancer also applies to other kinds and possibly all degenerative diseases as well. Cures are now realistic because we have learned what triggers cancer and we also know how to stop these deadly diseases in their tracks.

If you or a loved one are facing a frightening diagnosis of cancer and are feeling pressured into using mainstream conventional treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, you are not alone. The less you know about cancer, the easier it will be for the cancer industry to manipulate you and seduce you into their system of harmful treatments. Too many people have watched loved ones miserably die after suffering the horrible side effects of toxic conventional methods. More and more are turning to alternative methods instead. The pharmaceutical industry uses their huge amounts of money to pay others to keep quiet and crush the truth about alternative treatments for cancer. Until a medical facility is established that incorporates all potential therapies into individualized treatments, cancer patients, along with their families, must become self empowered and fully educated about their disease. Medical treatments do retard disease progression, but have done little to prolong life.

The AMA tries to discredit all of these alternative therapies and at the same time is making a fortune managing all of these diseases that are easily preventable and curable if people will just turn to therapies like raw or slightly cooked foods and eliminate all animal products and processed foods from their diets. Diet, exercise, reducing exposure to environmental risks and not smoking will greatly improve your over all health. Eating foods of different colors will have a tremendous effect in preventing and curing cancer. Curing cancer is very easy when you make fundamental changes to your diet and lifestyle.

The fiber content of our diets began going down as we began eating more and more refined foods. A high fiber diet moves through the intestines faster and easier and produces a soft stool that is easy to discharge. A low fiber diet, on the other hand, will produce adverse effects. A high fat diet may play a part in the development of particular cancers. An alkaline diet is composed of very little meat and sugar and lots of fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet is fat and sodium restricted and high in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. A diet lacking in basic nutrients can weaken the immune function and raise the risk of several types of cancer. Natural cancer cures are being squashed because drug companies do not welcome competition. If you are going to be healthy, you must acknowledge your human nature as well as how you interact with the natural world around you.

A variety of alternative treatments exist, although you are unlikely to hear much about it from your doctor. Many of the treatments consist of every day foods. Many cancer cures are accredited to going on a total fruit and vegetable juice diet. Every one should know that most cancer research is mostly a fraud and that large cancer research organizations are dedicated in their duties to the people who support them. After all, natural cancer cures are a curse to Big Medicine, Big Pharmacies and the governments who are heavily under their influence. This is why so many cancer cures are being ignored by the medical profession.

Clara Nolt is a successful Internet marketer located in Indiana, USA, and has recently launched a new book. Clara is also a successful Internet Marketer & mentor, helping others to succeed online. http://www.CancerCure-Book.com http://www.NoltsAffiliateMarketing.com

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How To Help During Cancer Treatment

Having a family member, friend or co-worker battle against cancer is one of the hardest and worst realities in life. No one likes to help someone deal with cancer, but at some point almost all of us will have the opportunity to walk beside someone we care about through one of the most difficult times of their life: cancer treatment.

I have had the privilege (and I do mean privilege) of helping out both of my parents and one of my closest friends during their weeks and months of cancer treatments. At first I was quite intimidated and unsure of how to help in such serious and life-threatening situations. I thought because I didn't know the perfect things to do that I couldn't do anything at all. Was I wrong.

Some of the best ways to help out a friend or loved one as their undergo cancer treatment is in the most practical ways. Don't look past how helpful cleaning their bathrooms, doing their dishes, or collecting their garbage can be. It is an amazing thing to get down and dirty on behalf of someone else. Look around and simply see what needs to be done. Mow their lawn, plant some fresh flowers, or get their car cleaned on the inside and out.

Taking care of the family of the one getting cancer treatment is one of the most helpful things you can do, especially when there are children involved. Offer to take the children to school and pick them up, or invite the kids over to your house for frequent sleepovers during the cancer treatment. It will be good for the parents and good for the kids to be separated during such a hard time. Involve the kids in doing something special for their parent who is in cancer treatment. Take the kids to a boutique that allows you to paint your own pottery, for example. Help the kids make something memorable for their loved one. You can do simple things for the family of someone who is in cancer treatment like go grocery shopping, prepare meals or take their family out to special meals.

Far too often people think that helping out during a time of crisis such as cancer treatment that they have to do extraordinary things. The truth is that it is the ordinary things that need to happen long before anything else will be helpful. There is no doubt that dealing with cancer or undergoing cancer treatment is extremely hard. But the support and help of friends and families can make even the worst things in life better.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com



* About Martin Stoleman

Martin Stoleman has had practice helping out during cancer treatment, and he believes that doing the common things help the most. See more at www.finecancertreatment.info