Watch Your Body

This week has been a week of pains in GTF Infozone. The previous post was all about how tart cherry does wonders in muscles recovery. But for today, you are about to see another amusing fact, which it might come in very handy for yourself whenever you feel painful in certain parts of your body.

Scientists from UCL (University College London) and University of Milano-Bicocca from Italy did a research recently about how to reduce pain without using any medications or consumptions of any edible things. What they found in their study was pretty amazing. They claimed that by looking at the body parts which are painful, somehow it has an effect where it can reduce the pain of the person.

What they did on the study, was they picked a number of participants (18 of them) and had a heat probe on their left hand. The idea behind this study was to increase the heat temperature very gradually. When the participants feel that they began to experience pain, the foot pedals provided play an important role, when this pedal was activated, the whole process comes to a halt. Throughout the process, scientists used mirrors to manipulate what the participants saw during the experiment.

Results showed that those who looked closely to their left hand could sustain the pain for as much as 3 degree celcius higher than those who did not look at their left hand, or those who looked at the wooden box which was placed near their left hand. The effect appeared to be even clearer when scientists next started to use convex or concave mirrors to show the hand, where it can enlarge or reduce the size of what the participants see during the process. When the picuture of the hand as enlarged, participants could tolerate up to even greater levels of heat before feeling pain. But when the picture was reduced in size, participants reported feeling pain compare to the moments where they were looking at their hands at normal size.

Researchers thus suggested that the pain is closely associated with brain maps of the skins. Hence, if pain strikes you in the future, if allowed, please remember to look at the parts which trouble you, so that your biological painkiller can be put into good use!

Cherry & Muscles

Recognize this little fruit you see above? It's cherry (or some people call it tart cherry, or just simply tart) ! Though cherries are small in size, but it contains a spectacular substance which helps in human health, a substance called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are substances which acquire high content of antioxidants, and various studies showed that such substance has the ability to reduce inflammation in rats. Recently, there was another study which shows how such substance worked in human instead!

As we all know, athletes are individuals who often work extra hard, and they too always try to push their limits to a higher level. When such are the requirements in being a great athletes, they tend to suffer certain "side effects". At times, they would experience muscles pain after a few rounds of strength training.

One of the latest article which was published in the American College of Sports Medicine's journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise showed that tart cherries can offer great outcomes against such problems. In order to make such study valid, researchers from UK given 10 trained athletes an ounce of tart cherry juice. and they were asked to drink twice daily in seven days. Such process was carried out two days prior and after the training session.

Results showed that these athletes experienced even quicker muscle recovery after they consumed the tart cherry juices. According to the researchers, the recovery of muscles appeared to be at about 85% overnight. But after the consumption of tart cherry juices with the mentioned frequency, the athletes seemed to have their muscles recovered for as much as 90%, a significant increment in percentage.

In Memories of Metabolic Syndromes

Older people would sometimes tell the young ones about their stories in the past, and in many times, they would tell them how their health conditions are, lamenting that the older you get, the less useful you become to the society. What actually interests us in their lamenting, is about how they put those words into phrases. Sometimes they just mention that the diseases they are fighting against, are like "abang dan adik" (siblings), as they like to come together all at the same time.

When people think that these diseases are besieging the individuals who suffer, they are very likely have poor health and various problems. For people who have high blood pressure, they should not experience any excessive external impacts from others, for those who have diabetes, they should not consume foods which contain high sugar content. For arthritis sufferers, they should not push themselves into doing certain exercises which could worsen their conditions. This list can go on forever. But, there is one common effect of all these metabolic syndromes, and it relates to our memory.

According to a study published in the online issue of Neurology this month (February, 2011), older people who have any of these metabolic syndromes which include high blood pressure, larger waistlines, would possibly experience higher risk of memory loss.

In the study, more than 7,000 participants in France had been gathered and investigations were conducted on these people. These participants came from three different cities in France and they were senior citizens with age of 65 years or above. Among these individuals, 16 percents of them were metabolic syndrome sufferers. They were given three types of memory tests after two and four years respectively. These test included normal memory test, visual memory test, as well as word fluency test.

As expected, the results showed that those who had metabolic syndromes were 20 percents of declination in memory test. To top it all, they were also 13 percents more likely to experience cognitive visual memory decline, compare to those who were relatively healthier (those who had no metabolic syndromes). This definitely sheds new light to the researchers to look for the root of the problems.

Metabolic syndromes are infamous problems in GTF Worldwide Sdn Bhd. Every distributor from our company would tell you that the only way to curb and improve the condition, is to consume GT&F Products, as they were formulated to specifically treating metabolic syndromes and diabetes. So what are you waiting for? Impeding memory loss? GTF is the answer for you!

The Danger for Vegans

Since the past, people reckon that vegetarians are the healthiest group of people in the world. The reason behind this is because these people tend to eat only vegetables, and always place any meat-related products under the list of rejection. But just because they consume only vegetables, but does that mean they are healthy enough in preventing hazardous diseases?

A recent study, which in a way reviewing the studies in the past 30 years, does not seem to agree with the statement that prevention of diseases is granted especially for the vegetarians. This statement seems to be very wrong in a way somehow.

When meat-eaters are regarded as the group of individuals who happen to have higher risks in developing any cardiovascular diseases, certain vegetarians do not seem to be categorized that far from the meat-eaters. Indeed, vegetarians tend to take in various healthy vitamins and minerals through consuming vegetables, but there are also some essential substances that they lack of.

According to related studies, many vegetarians are lack of certain elements, such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids. Among these nutrients, I strongly believe that many of you understand that omega-3 fatty acids play pivotal role in preventing human exposed to the risks of cardiovascular diseases.

Vegetables are well-known in providing the eaters essential amino acids (proteins), but since they are vegetables, you cannot relate any of them with fats or fatty acids. But the truth is, fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids, are the ones who protects you from getting cardiovascular diseases! Great source of omega-3 fatty acids includes those which you can find in seafood, such as fish oil. But though, to many vegetarians, fishes are just not their cups of tea, hence you can might as well choose other foods such as walnuts to consume. They are good source of omega-3 fatty acids too!

Distress Spouse

Diabetes is the main disease which GTF Worldwide Sdn Bhd would like to eradicate. Diabetic patients are often fighting hard to overcome the problems which haunt them now and then, they tried many types of medications and treatments, but very little are aware of the presence of GT&F Products, which are formulated to specially improve diabetes and other related metabolic syndromes. While the patients are trying hard, we often forget about what their spouses (if they have one) are experiencing most of the time.

Melissa M. Franks, an assistant professor of child development and family studies found that spouses of older diabetic patients who are dealing not well with diabetes are suffering from stress as far as diabetes and its management is concerned. Franks mentioned that spouses of diabetic patients always feel the responsibilities they are shouldering all the while when their the other halves are not controlling diabetes as good as expected. After certain moments have passed, the spouses could develop great distress and slowly transforms into depression.

What is more, Franks and colleagues postulated that spouses feel the same way as the diabetic patients do, and thus contribute to the presence of sadness. Researchers also found that when male patients were concerned about the management of their diabetes, their depressive symptoms were elevated more than those for female patients with similar levels of concerns.

To prevent such phenomenon, one of the most useful things to do, is to consume GT&F Products , especially if you are a diabetic patient or a health-conscious person, and of course together with your beloved spouse!

Nutritional Resolutions

A few weeks have passed since the announcement that we have stepped into the brand new year of 2011. Many people, I reckon, have made their personal new year resolutions, and of course, vowed to make their resolutions no longer a dream, but a reality within this year. This post is also serves as a reminder to some readers whom have made their resolutions that, "Hey, you've got some resolutions to fulfill!" Among the very common new year resolutions, are those which you can see in the picture above. But for those who have yet made any resolutions for yourself, you can try this very exclusive new year resolution out which The GTF Team is about to tell you, and what is more, it comes with some guidance too.

As how the title implies, this post is all about the healthy eating resolution. Besides treating "losing weight" as one of the outcomes of this resolution, more importantly is to have a healthier body this time around. A registered dietitian from Porter Adventist Hospital, Britanny Glassett explained that to achieve a healthy-eating goal this year, making a S-M-A-R-T decision is very important. S-M-A-R-T consists of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. In other words, instead of reminding yourself that you need to eat better this year, you should making more specific promises to yourself, such as only have one fast food meal once in every two months.

Other than that, there are 5 simple changes which could bring you drastic differences. The first is none other than reducing the intake of carbohydrates. Instead of taking in carbohydrates, replace them with whole grain products. Not only whole grain products contain large amount of heart-friendly substances, vitamins and minerals, they are also able to make you full without taking in much carbohydrates. As a consequence, weight-losing becomes very feasible.

The second thing which you could consider is about adding more colors into your meals. By saying adding more colors, it does not refer to adding more food additives like those unhealthy coloring, but mix up more leafy green vegetables and fruits into your meals. Those are great antioxidant sources! You could tell yourself to try a new fruit/vegetable a month, through this, you would have also learn the existence of 12 different foods which you have never approached before in your lifetime.

Breakfast might be a routine for many people, but it can be also just a skippable meal for many people. For those who skip breakfast regularly, the cancellation of this routine is strongly recommended. If you skip breakfast most of the time, treat this as one of your new year resolution. Breakfast is so important that it could determine whether you live your day lively or dull like a the mud.

Next up, it is high time now for you to change the oil you use in the kitchen. Though we know that dining at home is so much better than having the foods outside as it can be very healthy (depends on the cooking-style), but we should also know that most households use vegetable oils to cook. Vegetable oil contains Omega-6 fatty acids, which can be found excessively in an American diet, and it is no good as it causes inflammations and other diseases in human body. Instead of using vegetable oil, canola or olive oil are the better choices.

If you are a person who is keen to writing stuffs, keeping a food diary can be a useful tool for you this year. Many studies show that those who write in a food diary to keep track about their very own food journals proved to have higher chances in achieving their weight management goals.

Fight Monday Blues

To every working individuals, whenever Friday arrives, bad mood will somehow being elevated from the bottom of the heart to cloud nine. Almost everybody, from this point onwards, will have high EQ, and see things very differently as they are especially across the weekdays. Flowers seemed to be much more prettier on Friday and Saturday. When when Sunday comes, marvelous mood that they experience on Friday and Saturday would suddenly fell from heaven back to the hell, just because they could foresee the arrival of Monday. So what does it take for you to smile all the way, from Sunday night to Thursday night?

ITV Daybreak's Health Editor and Alzheimer's Society supporter, Dr Hilary Jones mentioned his top 5 tips about how to keep your mind and soul happy as you want across the whole week. The very first tip that he gave, was all about exercising. This one is especially important if you stay firm with your own goal. If you have a goal on completing some new regimes with exercising, it is much easier for you to implement. Exercises such as running not only can lift your mood, it can also improve your well-being.

The second is none other than showing kindness to other people. Showing kindness including helping people out with their own problems, support them whenever they need someone besides them, and a lot more. Not only it does help improving people's mood, it also elevates yours too! Other than that, individuals who received your help will also remember the kindness you offered them. The birth of new friendship or the extension of current friendship to greater heights can also be expected, by simply showing some kindness!

By making contacts with the nature, such as viewing a magnificent panoramic view of a green and leafy garden, with the presence of blue sky, and deep blue ocean, this can also elevate your current inferior mood. What is more, such experience is said to have even the same effects comparing taking in prescribed drugs to treat certain mental distress.

More to come, as the saying goes, "laughter is the best medicine". Yes, indeed, it can be the greatest medicine ever to cure your moody situations. Whenever you're feeling low and down, it is high time for you to go out for a comedy night, a hilarious show or movie, or just simply hang out with a bunch of wacky friends whom you think they are capable enough to make you laugh out loud. Laughing causes the stimulation of endorphin, substance which reduces stress. Sometimes these really are the best medicines.

Last but not least, is the B-A-N-A-N-A, banana, monkeys' symbolic food. There was once a story for the kids, mentioning that why monkey likes to jump all over and can be so happily living with its community, is because of the power of bananas. Is that true? Scientifically speaking, it is true enough. Banana contains tryptophan, which in turns will stimulate the serotonin hormones, also known as the happiness hormones. So go and grab some when Sunday comes, it might come in handy.