Get Some Milk!

Just blink your eyes in a few more times, that's the end of Year 2010, and we are about to embrace and welcome the coming of the brand new Year 2011. Before we really bid farewell to 2010, let us look back at our business in GTF. Speaking of the main stream product in GTF, it will be none other than our very own GT&F Milk Powder!

GT&F Milk Powder contains great great elements that everyone of us would probably already know. Putting all that aside, let us just focus on milk only. Reviewing the whole year in 2010, we can see there were several major researches about milk, and the possible benefits by consuming milk.

There are many studies about milk conducted by different countries from all over the world. Almost all of these studies mentioned that by consuming milk, about three glasses a day, could cut back 18% of risks in developing cardiovascular diseases. Among those studies, there were a few major ones which mentioned the same thing. In America Journal of Nutrition, US researchers stated that taking in dietary saturated fats does not involve in increasing the risk of coronary or cardiovascular diseases.

Apart from that, an Australian study also pointed out that people who ate the most full-fat dairy had a 69% lower risk of cardiovascular death compare to those who consumed the least. Such study was conducted for 16-year long, and it was participated by 1,529 Australian adults. In Denmark, it is said that individuals who consume inadequate amount of calcium daily would impair the compliance to a healthy diet, and hence causing unnecessary hunger at times.

Milk itself already has great benefits in itself, which under this post, refers to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, not forgetting that it is also a vital food to be consumed for the health of our bones. When one drinks GT&F Milk Powder, which contains additional essential element, trivalent chromium, any other metabolic syndromes can be destroyed as well.

Shifts

Years ago, when people were talking about working, it could be a happy topic for today's people. The reason why is because when people were talking about their respective careers and jobs back then, they were talking about the working time frame as in 5-day jobs in a week, as well as a fixed working hours in a day.

But for current circumstance, many companies do hope that their workers could work extra hours, not just extra hours, sometimes exaggerated long hours just to meet the company's expectation. In addition, companies nowadays like to follow the trend of having their workers working shifts. It is important to understand that shifts do not comply with normal sleep/ wake rhythm as it disrupts our internal biological clock drastically.

Dr. Ole Ammerpohl, a Kiel human geneticist, took advantage of the fact that identical twins are practically genetically alike, took chances and conducted a research on the relationship of shift work and metabolic disorders. Dr. Ole involved in this research by investigating pairs of identical Danish twins where in each pair, one of them involved in shift works. Working shifts might have direct impact on our genetic make-up and the genes contained within this material.

Gene activities in our body are controlled by switches which is known as DNA methylation. Besides DNA methylation, there are other factors which could contribute to the development of metabolic disorders, such as nutritional & sleeping patterns, hormone and blood counts, those are just the factors among others. Also from Kiel University, Professor Manuela Dittmar mentioned that the consequences of working shifts could further propel higher incidence of civilized diseases such as burn-out syndromes or disability.

Asthma & Diabetes

Many times, especially under GTF Worldwide Sdn Bhd, one will always link diabetes with many other diseases and complications, which we often known them as metabolic syndromes, such as heart diseases, inflammation, obesity and many many more. But a recent study shows that other complications, like asthma, also somewhat has some linkages with Diabetes Mellitus.

By looking at the above picture, normal asthmatic patients could have recognized this very easily. Yes, indeed, this is the normal inhaler which is used by many asthmatic patients nowadays. Whenever an asthmatic patient experiences an asthmatic attack, this little gadget which comes in handy will be their best savior. Once a puff, it loosens the respiratory tract of the patient. This relieves the critical condition of the person.

But one thing, this recent piece of research shows that inhaled corticosteroid (the substance found in the inhaler), would somehow increase in the rate of diabetes onset for as much as 34%. While if a person took a highest inhaled dosage, the rate could be increased to 64% in diabetes onset and 54% in diabetes progression.

Hence, according to Sammy Suissa, PhD., the lead investigator of the research, patients instituting therapy with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids should be assessed for possible hyperglycemia and treatment with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids limited to situations where the benefit is clear. Which is exactly the rule which should be obeyed by all asthmatic patients, should the research data fits what our biological reaction really applies.

Tame Diabetes with Exercise

Exercises are essential for everybody, and this of course, including diabetic patients. Recently, a new exercise guidelines and recommendations have published in one of the journal this month, which is Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Such guideline was also jointly issued by American Diabetes Association.

The research shows the importance of physical activity to health for all individuals. According to the new guidelines, it appears that 150 minutes is all it takes. The recommendation also mentioned that these 150 minutes have to be spread out at least three days during a week's time where, in a stipulation that there should not be two consecutive days between bouts of aerobic activities.

Apart from aerobic activities, strength training is also important right now for diabetic sufferers. According to the results of the research, resistance exercise (strength training) has the importance which is on par with aerobic exercise, plus in certain studies, was said to be even more important compare to aerobic exercises as it could reinforce additional benefits of combining aerobic as well as strength training for people with diabetes.

Previously, many physicians believed that exercises might not be suitable for diabetic patients due to excessive body weight they have as well as certain health complications they faced. However, with the proper precautions taken, majority of diabetic patients can undergo normal exercises. According to Colberg, Ph.D., who chaired the writing group, physical activity should not be an excuse for diabetic patients, in contrary, it should be a conscious part of every person's health plan.

CKD Risk in Certain Babies

The famous two "biological beans" that can be found in our bodies, are known as kidney. When speaking about kidney disease, everybody would think of chronic kidney disease. Such disease is "invisible" as the sufferer only experience symptoms such as the loss of appetite, fatigue and other trivial matters. As time goes by, the function of renal (kidney) worsens over a certain period. Such disease can be deadly if it is not treated at the right time.

Recently, a latest study found out that for pregnant women who also have Type II Diabetes, their offsprings are more likely to have higher risk in developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study was taken place in Washington, where more than 4,000 patients with childhood CKD were included. These patients were all 21 years old or lower. In order to make the study an accurate one, they were compared to over 20,000 healthy children to evaluate the relationship between a diabetic mother as well as the condition of kidney of their respective child.

The interesting findings about this study is that overall rate of childhood CKD was approximately 0.26 percents (which is also 1 per 400 births). As for the children whose mothers had diabetes before their pregnancy period, CKD risk was increased as many as 69 percents higher. As for mothers who developed diabetes during their pregnancy period, the chances of their children in getting CKD is 28 percents higher. Other than diabetic mothers, obese mothers also show a similar trend, where their children in their tummies could face a 22 percents higher in encountering CKD.

More researches are to be done in order to confirm the accuracy of such study. Nevertheless, consuming GTF products everyday is the right way to do in controlling and improving diabetes and other metabolic syndromes.

Fingers Fortune

When someone demand a palm of yours, they often act up like fortune tellers and the first thing they ever do is tell you what your future holds, the lines which are intersecting each other in the middle part of your palm, what they really mean and all sorts of believable explanations. Today, GTF Infozone brings you a scientific news which is quite similar with fortune telling, except that it is not superstitious, but it is scientific-based.

But this scientific fortune telling, only limits to the guys (sorry ladies, but you could read it up and share this information to your guy friends). As you can see in the picture above, this latest piece of information is about two of the five fingers that you have, which are index finger and ring finger respectively. According to a recent study which was funded by Prostate Cancer Research Foundation and Cancer, the lengths of these two fingers somehow determines the risk a male could have in getting prostrate cancer, particularly for men under the age of 60.

It is said that when a man's index finger is longer than his ring finger in length, this man has one third less likely to develop prostrate cancer compare to those whose ring fingers are in the same length, or longer than their index fingers.

The lengths of both fingers were said to have been set forth when the person is in the womb of a mother. In connection to that, the lengths of fingers are said to be affected by the amount of sex hormones (testosterone, in this case) exposed to the baby in mother's womb. Researchers believed that less testosterone equates to a longer index finger; and they also now believe that being exposed to less testosterone before birth helps protect against prostate cancer later in life. However, more researches are being conducted currently as to find out more connections and the factors of prostrate cancer occurrence.

The Catalyst of Cancer

Other than the existence of the magnificent trivalent chromium, GT&F Products are also known to have sufficient amount of essential vitamin B as well as antioxidants. Speaking of antioxidants, they play a pivotal role in preventing many harmful consequence on human health, among the examples are cancer, heart diseases, or even altitude sickness. This statement was very well recognized publicly (that antioxidant plays an important part in preventing cancer).

But today, one of the latest findings which can be found in British Journal of Cancer (2010), pointed out that in preventing cancer from occurring, consuming a high amount of vegetables as well as fruits do not contribute much in the prevention. Although it contributes, but it is not effective enough as it still could not provide a marked result. In the contrary, a close link was found between the prevention of cancer as well as the reduction of alcohol intake.

An Oxford University professor, Professor Tim Key mentioned that vegetables and fruits should mainly being treated as the source of many different kinds of essential nutrients, but it should not being treated as a bench mark as to what amount of consumption it shows certain protection against cancer. On the other hand, consuming high amount of alcohol, which would lead to obesity in the long run, has appear in scientific statistics that it remains closely linked with the occurrence of cancer.

Being overweight, there are a number of possible cancers which could occur. Among the many possible cancer types are breast cancer, or the more complicated cancers such as pancreatic, oesophagael or even kidney cancer. When the alcohol consumed is further broken down, it could even lead to other types of cancers such as mouth, throat or liver cancer. And of course, smoking is still believed to be one of the top reasons of high risk in getting cancer.