Thursday, February 24, 2011

Power of Fibers



Fiber is normally closely linked in assurance of proper functions of digestive tract. When we go deeper as far as dietary fiber is concerned, they can even go as far as in heart diseases, certain cancers, and also diabetes prevention, many thanks to rich antioxidants they contain. Now, a new study even suggests that consuming the sufficient amount of dietary fiber can even save you from death!

US researchers from National Cancer Institute examined food survey completed by participants who joined the study in 1995 and 1996. The mentioned participants were consisted of 219,123 men and 168,999 women ages 50 to 71 years of age. After nine years, there were about 11,000 people died and so, these researchers further investigate the reasons behind the deaths according to their food patterns throughout those nine years.

Softening stool is the most common effect of fiber known by the public. But specifically, how does that happens? Dietary fiber basically can be categorized into soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. As such, soluble fiber has the ability to absorb water (as how its name indicates), and thus become gelatinous and further fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract. Whereas insoluble fiber is the one which increases bulk and soften stool, in turn shorten transit time in the intestinal tract.

From the results of the study, it is found that people who ate at least 26 grams of fiber per day were 22% less likely to die compare to those who ate less amount of the same thing, which was ranged 13 grams or less. What is more, researchers found out that getting fibers from grains can have biggest impact on that.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Energy-Draining Mobile



In the past, or even to this day, when mobile is being put into the frame of discussion topic, what people would regard the excessive utilization of mobile is about the growth of brain tumor. Is that true? Past researches did not really indicate that brain tumor could grow statistically in such a way when a person very much depends on the utilization of a mobile phone, but another evidence which can be ascertain, is that when a person is using mobile phone (listening to another party over the phone by sticking the phone towards the ear, such as how the picture illustrated), the utilization of brain energy is very great.

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director of National Institute on Drug Abuse, has led a team of researchers in conducting such study. According to Dr. Nora, certain chemicals are involved when one is talking over his or her mobile phone near the head. Fifteen minutes of phone call actually increases the utilization of brain glucose, and thus also increase the rate of brain glucose metabolism.

In the brain, there are structures which are known as neurons. Neurons are components that demand for great amount of glucose as they are always in an active state even when we are sleeping. When we enter our dreamland, what neurons do is to work repairing and rebuilding their worn out structures. Other than that, brain cells are also known to consume two times more energy compare to cells in other parts of our body.

Such study produced certain results to an extent where great utilization of brain glucose is confirmed when we are on call, though no statistic results are showing that brain tumor would appear due to that, but the growth of brain tumor often use up brain glucose. Hence, the use-up of brain glucose in such rate is not a good thing. These days, the category of people who uses mobile phones inclines to the younger side, even as young as small kids. Still-developing brains might be damaged and might face an increase risk from the radio frequency emission.