Garden egg, also known as egg plant is the fruit in season and for its lovers, either eating it raw or having steamed yam and... stew made with it is a delight. It comes in two colours, white and green.

In most African countries, this fruit is a highly valued delicacy and constituent of the African food. It also represents fertility and blessing and thus, not uncommon to find it served during wedding ceremonies in some communities across the African Continent.

No wonder, the Igbo Community in Nigeria can hardly do without eating garden eggs because of the health benefits derived from it.

Botanically called Solanum Melongena, garden egg is an economic flowering plant belonging to the family Solanaceae and widely distributed throughout the temperate and tropical regions. Members are mostly herbaceous plants, and the fruit is berry and the seeds have large endosperm and are grown mainly for food and medicinal purposes.

The fruit is very healthful and among its health benefits are its ability to reduce cholesterol due to the fact that it is very low in calories.

While speaking on the benefits of garden eggs, the Deputy Provost Graduate Administration, Federal College of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos, and Physician/Consultant Acupunturist at Green Leaves Clinic and Acupunture Centre, Ilasamaja, Lagos, Dr Ndubuisi Nwakakwa, said that garden egg is low in calories which makes it wonderful and helpful for reducing cholesterol. “A high level of blood cholesterol level, more particularly low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease and garden egg has the power of reducing these risks”.

Adding: “When compared to apples and oats, garden egg plant is more helpful for reducing cholesterol. This means that eating garden egg is better at reducing blood cholesterol than apple.

“Also Garden egg contains in raw form 15 calories per 100g but this rises when dried. When cooked in oil, it contains more than 300 calories due to absorption of extra fat”, Nwakakwa said.

In addition, he said: “Even though garden egg is generally said not to contain huge amount of

protein and other nutrients, it is low in sodium and very rich in high dietary fibre. It is also high in potassium, a necessary salt that helps in maintaining the function of the heart and regulates blood pressure”.

The Consultant Acupunturist said that garden egg is also rich in some nutrients. “Being a member of vegetable family, it contains nutrients that include beta carotene, vitamins B6, E and folate, calcium, iron and magnesium fibre”.

According to Nwakakwa, garden egg is good for sight as it has positive effects on visual functions. It is also excellent for weight reduction.

“Its consumption may be of great benefits to glaucoma patients”, he said.

A study conducted by some experts, S.A Igwe, Dora Akunyili and C. Ogbogu, published in the 2003 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology on “Effects of Garden Egg on some Visual Functions of Visually Active Igbos of Nigeria”, found that eating plenty of garden egg can help to lower eye pressure in persons with glaucoma.

For weight reduction, “This is the perfect recipe for achieving weight loss within a short period of time because it is very low in calorie content, and it is why experts are encouraging people that want to lose weight to eat more of its fresh form just as they say that people that are told to protect their heart against cholesterol effects should make it their delight”, said Nwakakwa.

By Bukola Fatogun

Extracted from http://www.compassnewspaper.com

Benefits of exercise

Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. This article explains the health benefits that are linked to regularexercise, and offers advice about how you can be more physically active.

The health benefits of regular exercise

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that people who lead active lifestyles are less likely to suffer from illness and more likely tolive longer. Exercise not only makes you physically fitter, it alsoimproves your mental health and general sense of wellbeing. Some of thehealth benefits of exercise are described here.

• Exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease),including heart disease and stroke, are the biggest cause of illness anddeath in the UK. Inactive people have almost double the risk of dyingfrom heart disease compared with people who are active. So if you don'tdo any exercise at all, even doing a little more physical activity - forexample, walking each day - can help reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Doing exercise can also help to reduce high blood pressure (hypertension). You are more likely to have a stroke or heart attack ifyou have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is common - about halfof all people aged between 65 and 74 have it - but it has no symptoms.Exercise can help to prevent high blood pressure, and reduce it if yoursis already too high.
• If you need to improve your cholesterol levels, exercise can help. There are two types of cholesterol - low-density lipoprotein (LDL) andhigh-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is sometimes called"bad" cholesterol; HDL cholesterol is sometimes called "good"cholesterol. High levels of LDL and low levels of HDL increase the riskof heart disease.

Studies show that regular exercise such as brisk walking or running is linked to higher levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. Being activehelps to increase levels of "good" cholesterol.

• Exercise can help to promote healthy blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes develops in at least one in 10 people, causing increased bloodsugar levels.
• Poorly controlled blood sugar levels can eventually damage your eyes, nerves, kidneys and arteries.

The more exercise you do, the lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Exercise is especially important if you are at high risk ofdeveloping type 2 diabetes, for example if you are overweight, have highblood pressure or have close family members with the condition.

Exercise is also good for you if you already have type 2 diabetes - regular physical activity can help control your blood sugar levels.

• You are more likely to have joint pain or lower back pain if you don't do any exercise. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint problemand affects nearly everyone over the age of 60. Regular, moderateactivity, especially walking, has been linked to a lower risk ofosteoarthritis.

Eight out of 10 people have lower back pain at some time in their lives, but people who exercise are less likely to suffer from it.

Osteoporosis (low bone density) is when your bones become brittle and prone to fracture. You can reduce your risk of developing osteoporosisby doing high-impact exercise such as running and skipping. This putsweight on your bones, increases bone density in younger people and slowsdown their degeneration later in life. But choose low-impact,weight-bearing exercise, such as gentle walking or swimming, if youalready have osteoporosis.

• Exercise can reduce the risk of certain cancers. You are less likely to develop cancer if you are physically active. There is especiallyclear evidence that exercise protects against colon cancer and againstbreast cancer in women who have been through the menopause. Some studiessuggest that physical activity may also help prevent lung andendometrial cancers.
• Doing exercise can help you to manage your weight. Excess calories are stored as fat, so you put on weight when you eat more calories thanyou use. Physical activity uses calories and so helps to create ahealthy energy balance. For many people, exercise is essential formaintaining a healthy weight.

You are obese if you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over. Obesity doubles your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.It also increases the possibility that you will develop joint problemsand some cancers.

Obesity is caused by an imbalance between your energy intake from food and energy output through activity and metabolism (the chemicalreactions going on in your body). You are more likely to be obese if youare inactive. Physical activity alone can help you lose weight if youare overweight or obese - the more you do, the more you will lose.However, combining exercise with a healthy diet will mean you loseweight faster.

• Exercise can both help prevent and treat mental illness. Leading an inactive lifestyle for long periods of time means you are more likely tosuffer from clinical depression. Some studies suggest that regularexercise is at least as effective for treating depression as talkingtreatments or medicines, with fewer side-effects than medicines.

You may also benefit from exercise if you have anxiety-related disorders, such as phobias, panic attacks or stress.

• You are likely to feel happier, more satisfied with life and have an improved sense of wellbeing if you are physically active. Introduceregular exercise into your routine and you should sleep better, loweryour stress levels and boost your self-image. It's also possible that itmay improve brain function in children and older adults.

Get started!

The average adult needs to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, on five or more days a week to gain the health benefitsdescribed here. However, many people should actually do more. Forexample, children should be active for a total of 60 minutes every day,including spontaneous play as well as organised sports activities. Manypeople need to aim for 45 to 60 minutes on at least five days a week toprevent obesity if they aren't making any dietary changes. If you usedto be obese and have already lost weight, maintaining the weight-lossmay need 60 to 90 minutes of activity on five days.

You don't need to spend hours at the gym or run marathons to be healthy. You can do three 10 minute or two 15 minute bouts to reach yourminimum of 30 minutes and this can be as effective as lengthiersessions. You might find this a more manageable target to begin with.

The easiest way to sustain an exercise habit is to incorporate it into your daily routine. One way to raise your level of physicalactivity is to cycle or walk to work instead of taking the bus ordriving. Use stairs instead of the lift, and spend more time gardeningor walking in the park - this will help to increase your energy output.

Sometimes it's hard to motivate yourself to be more physically active and it can feel like a chore. Start by changing the way you think aboutregular exercise. Remind yourself that it will make you feel better,and will probably improve the quality and length of your life. Mostimportantly, it can be fun!

Key points

• Regular moderate exercise will benefit your health in many ways, both physically and mentally.
• Exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and cancer.
• Exercise reduces your risk of bone and joint problems.
• Exercise helps you manage your weight.
• Exercise helps prevent and control diabetes.
• Exercise helps you feel happier.
• To see most of these benefits, you need to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on five days of the week.

Garlic has “significant” potential for preventing cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease that is a leading cause of death in people with diabetes, scientists have concluded in a new study. Their report, which also explains why people with diabetes are at high risk for diabetic cardiomyopathy, appears in ACS’ bi-weeklyJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Wei-Wen Kuo and colleagues note that people with diabetes have at least twice the risk of death from heart disease as others, with heart disease accounting for 80 percent of all diabetes-related deaths. They are especially vulnerable to a form of heart disease termed diabetic cardiomyopathy, which inflames and weakens the heart’s muscle tissue. Kuo’s group had hints from past studies that garlic might protect against heart disease in general and also help control the abnormally high blood sugar levels that occur in diabetes. But they realized that few studies had been done specifically on garlic’s effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy.

The scientists fed either garlic oil or corn oil to laboratory rats with diabetes. Animals given garlic oil experienced beneficial changes associated with protection against heart damage. The changes appeared to be associated with the potent antioxidant properties of garlic oil, the scientists say, adding that they identified more than 20 substances in garlic oil that may contribute to the effect. “In conclusion, garlic oil possesses significant potential for protecting hearts from diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy,” the report notes.

Article extracted from ; http://www.breakthroughdigest.com

Next is to develop artificial soldiers ! dis oyinbo people na wonder dem dey betta.

Article:

American scientists have developed 'artificial' blood that could soon be used to treat wounded soldiers in battle..

The genetically-engineered blood is created by taking cells from umbilical cords and using a machine to mimic the way bone marrow works to produce mass quantities of usable units of red blood cells.

Known as 'blood pharming' the programme was launched in 2008 by the Pentagon's experimental arm, Darpa, to create blood to treat soldiers in far-flung battlefields.

The firm Arteriocyte, which received $1.95 million for the project, has now sent off its first shipment of O-negative blood to the food and drugs watchdog in the US, the FDA.

U.S. soldiers carry a wounded soldier in Iraq. The breakthrough could help provide enough blood for battlefield transfusions

The blood is made by using hematopoietic cells taken from umbilical cords in a process called ‘pharming’ – using genetically engineered plants or animals to create mass quantities of useful substances.

One umbilical cord can be turned into around 20 units of usable blood. A wounded soldier in the field will require an average of six units during treatment.

Blood cells produced using this method are 'functionally indistinguishable from red blood cells in healthy circulation', the company claims.

‘We’re basically mimicking bone marrow in a lab environment,' Arteriocyte boss Don Brown told Wired magazine.

‘Our model works, but we need to extrapolate our production abilities to make scale.’

If approved it could revolutionise battlefields where a shortage of blood donors can hamper treatment of wounded soldiers.

The process of giving transfusions in war zones is also made more difficult because donated blood has to be transported long distance before it reaches the field hospitals where it is urgently needed.

Enlarge

Darpa launched a search for a renewable blood supply in 2008

Some blood is already 21 days old before it reaches patients, meaning it only has around a week-long shelf-life before it must be discarded. There are increased risks of infection or organ failure if blood is too old.

Mr Brown said: ‘Until now, the military’s strategy has mainly been contained to basically using stale blood,’

‘And they’ll set up mobile blood banks in a war zone, but even every troop rolling up their sleeve might not be enough when you’ve got a crisis with dozens or more injuries.’

Human trials are not likely until 2013, but the firm predicts the ‘pharmed’ blood could be used by the military within five years if the Pentagon calls for it sooner.

A unit of blood is around a pint and the human body contains between eight and ten pints of blood in total.

Currently, each unit made by Arteriocyte costs $5,000 to produce. If approved, the firm expects to bring this down to around $1,000 per unit by scaling up the production process.

As well as being needed by the military, 'pharmed' blood could also be used in hospitals to make up for shortfalls in blood donations if it is approved.

The 'pharmed' blood is type O negative which is the most sought after variation because it can be used with any patient, regardless of their own blood type.

Last month the US Red Cross issued an urgent appeal for blood donors to come forward after it said that its supply of O Negative blood was hitting 'critically low levels.

R&B SINGER CHRIS BROWN PHOTO'D WEARING EXTRA TIGHT PANTS . . . AND DUDE IS PACKIN!! with career in nose dive nigga will try anything to get back on top but he aint gettin on top of Rihanna again the Girlfriend Beater !