Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Friday, 30 August 2019

Herbal Turmeric Eradicate the progression of Prostate Cancer in Vitro and Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a class of medical condition associated with cell growth irregularly due to the alternation of cell DNA with unknown causes.

Most cases of primary cancer start in the cell on the surface of the inner lining, before growing in size to invade other nearby healthy tissue and organ by spreading via lymph or blood.

The prostate formed part of the male reproductive organ, warped around the urethra, is a gland found in front of the rectum and just below the bladder that is responsible for making some of the semen to carry sperm.

Prostate cancer is a chronic condition caused by abnormal cell growth in the prostate tissue. Most prostate cancers are slow-growing and enlarged prostate and prostate cancer may be detected during the Physical (rectum) exams.

According to the statistics provided by the Cancer Net, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, besides skin cancer.

In 2019, approximately 174,650 men in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer with over 60% of cases in men over 65.

The average age of diagnosis is 66. The disease rarely occurs before age 40. The 5-year survival rate for most men with local or regional prostate cancer is nearly 100%.

Prostate cancer can be diagnosed by

*Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)

Digital rectal examination is included in a physical exam. In DRE, your doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel the surface of the prostate gland to check for any abnormality of the prostate.

* Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS)
Ultrasound allows your doctor to visualize and assess the size of your prostate and check for any abnormality and surrounding area with an image taken from the test.

* Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
The test is to measure the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate. The high levels of PSA may be an indication of higher risk of prostate cancer.

* Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) test
Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is a test to measure the level of prostatic acid phosphatase, an enzyme produced by the prostate. The higher the levels of PAP is an indication of the disease progression.

* Prostate biopsy

In a prostate biopsy, samples of the prostate tissue are taken by a thin, tube-like instrument to examine under microscopy to review the stage of cancer.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On finding a potential ingredient for the treatment of cancer, researchers examined the anticancer action of curcumin in hormone-independent prostate cancer cells (DU145, and PC-3).

Based on the tested differentiation, curcumin was more effective in the inhibition of PC-3 cells compared to that of DU145 cells.

In other words, curcumin induced cancer cells apoptosis, depending on the maspin expression associated with the inhibition of tumor progression.

More precisely, curcumin administration inhibited the maspin-knockdown cells involved in expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins compared with control cells.

In other words, curcumin treatment promoted the expression of maspin that enhances the phytochemical sensitivity to prostate cancer cells.

Moreover, in a mouse prostate cancer xenograft model, curcumin treatment inhibited the growth of prostate cancer in vivo as well as promoting apoptosis of LNCaP cells in vitro.

The efficacy of curcumin on LNCaP cells.was attributed to the inhibition of the JNK pathway associated with cancer development and progression and regulation of gene (H3K4me3) expression.

Dr. Zhao W, the lead scientist wrote, "curcumin inhibits JNK pathway and plays a role in epigenetic regulation of prostate cancer cells by repressing H3K4me3".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Curcumin suppressed the prostate cancer by inhibiting JNK pathways via epigenetic regulation by Zhao W1, Zhou X1, Qi G1, Guo Y2. (PubMed)
(2) Maspin Enhances the Anticancer Activity of Curcumin in Hormone-refractory Prostate Cancer Cells by Cheng WL1, Huang CY2,3, Tai CJ4,5, Chang YJ6,2,7,8, Hung CS. (PubMed)

Lycopene Protects the Heart Failure Against the Risk of Cardio Events

By Kyle J. Norton

The heart is a four-chambered, hollow muscle and double acting pump located in the chest between the lungs is a muscular organ in the human body.

The heart formed an important part of the circulatory system that pumps blood through the blood vessels to nourish the body and assist in the removal of metabolic wastes.

According to the statistic provided by the American Heart Foundation, on average, an American dies of CVD every 38 seconds. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for 840,678 deaths in the US in 2016 and the condition also claim more lives each year than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined

In 2016, cardiovascular diseases cause the death of 2,303 deaths each day, in the US.

Heart failure (HF) is a medical condition associated with the reduced function of the heart muscle that can not maintain blood flow to meet the body's needs, leading to symptoms of

* Shortness of breath and excessive tiredness are caused by the congestion in your lungs in the process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide.

And

* Leg swelling is a condition caused by fluid to back up in your lungs and in other parts of your body such as your ankles.

Believe it or not, approximately 600, 000 Canadian are living with heart failure or 16% of the entire population.

Conventionally, there is no cure of heart failure, most common treatment is focusing on lifestyle changes and managing the condition with an aim to improve quality of life.

Lycopene is a phytochemical in the class of carotenoid, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and perform various functions in photosynthesis.

On finding a potential compound for the prevention of heart failure HF, researchers examined the dietary intervention in patients with HF on lycopene on biomarkers of inflammation.

A total of 40 patients with HF were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: lycopene intervention and usual care that received 29.4 mg of lycopene intake per day by drinking an 11.5 oz serving of V8 100% vegetable juice for 30 days.

According to the tested analysis, plasma lycopene levels increased in the intervention group compared with the usual care group.

Furthermore, C-reactive protein levels associated with the sign of inflammation and a potential risk factor for heart disease decreased significantly in the intervention group in women of 5.9 ± 3.7 mg/dL and but not in men 2.2 ± 2.1 mg/dL compared to postintervention of 4.5 ± 3.6 mg/dL and 2.4 ± 2.1 mg/dL, respectively.

In other words, lycopene significant reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease of heart failure patients by decreasing the levels of CRP in women.

Moreover, according to the results of a prospective study of 212 patients with HF intervented by dietary intake of lycopene and sodium of 4-day food diaries, higher lycopene intake was associated with longer cardiac event-free survival compared with lower lycopene intake.

More precisely, increased lycopene intake has the potential to improve cardiac event-free survival in patients with HF.

Taken altogether, lycopene found in tomato may be considered supplements for the improvement of cardio events, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Lycopene dietary intervention: a pilot study in patients with heart failure by Biddle MJ1, Lennie TA, Bricker GV, Kopec RE, Schwartz SJ, Moser DK. (PubMed)
(2) Higher dietary lycopene intake is associated with longer cardiac event-free survival in patients with heart failure by Biddle M1, Moser D, Song EK, Heo S, Payne-Emerson H, Dunbar SB, Pressler S, Lennie T. (PubMed)

Whole Food Onion, the Best Anticancer Functional Food

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a group of a medical condition caused by irregular cell growth in the tissues organs due to the alternation of cell DNA.

Most cases of cancer start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining of the infected tissue or argan before penetrating into the deeper layers to form a tumor.

Certain factors have been found to affect prognosis including
* The type of cancer and where it is in your body

*The stage of cancer, most often refers to the size and metastasis of cancer.

** Stage 0
Cancer is classified as Stage 0 if the cancerous cell has not penetrated in deeper tissue but on the surface of the inner lining.
** Stage I
In stage I, The cancerous cells are no longer in the surface but have invaded into deep lung lining, but still completely inside the lung.
***Stage IA1
The cancer is ≤ 3 mm (1/8 inch) deep and ≤ 7 mm (1/4 inch) wide.
**** Stage IA1: The spreading is < 3mm(1/8 inch) deep and & less than 7mm (1/4 inch) wide.
**** Stage IA2: The invasion area is ≥ 3 mm but ≤ 5 mm (about 1/5 inch) deep and & less than 7 mm (about 1/4 inch) wide.
***. Stage IB: cancer in this stage have invaded the connective tissue, & less than 5mm (1/5 inch).
**** Stage IB1: Cancer is 4 cm large (1 3/4 inches).
**** Stage IB2: Cancer is ≥ 4 cm (1 3/4 inches) but & less than 5cm (1/5 inch)

**Stage II
In stage II, the cancerous cells have spread to distant tissues but are still within the organ.

**Stage III
this stage, cancerous cells have spread to the tissues immediately surrounding the organ.

**Stage IV
In the stage, IV is the most advanced stage of cancer as cancerous cells have spread to the distant parts of the body

In this stage, cancerous cells have spread to the tissues immediately surrounding the organ.

* Cancer’s grade, low-grade cancers usually grow more slowly and are less likely to spread while high-grade cancer indicates otherwise.

* Certain traits of cancer cells include
** How cancer cell stimulates their own growth

** How cancer cells resist inhibitory signals that stop their growth

** How cancer cells inhibit programmed cell death signaling.

Some researchers also include the age, health of patients and how patients responded to previous cancer treatment

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belonging to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of cancer, researchers examined the effect of garlic and onion on certain types of cancer.

Intake of onion is found inversely associated with the risk of onions or garlic and cancers of the oral cavity/pharynx, larynx, renal cells, breast, ovary, and endometrium.

More precisely, people who eat onions ≥7 times/week have the OR of oral cavity/pharyngeal cancers of 0.16, laryngeal cancer of 0.17, and ovarian cancer of 0.27 compared to those who did not eat onions.

Furthermore, according to the study of cases from the Hawaii Tumor Registry and controls randomly selected from a list of Oahu residents, intake of onion was associated with decreased risk of lung cancer with the OR = 0.5 in the highest quartile of intake compared to the lowest.

In prostate cancer, the Italian study suggested that both onions and garlic did not have significantly decreased OR of prostate cancer compared to those with the lowest intake, However, increasing intake showed a trend of decreasing the ORs.

In esophageal cancer, intake of raw garlic/onion at least one time per week has the adjusted OR of esophageal cancer of 0.2.

In colorectal cancer, the Italian and Swiss case-control studies found that both onions show a protective effect against colon cancer regardless of the amount of intake onion intake compared to non-consumers of onion.

In stomach cancer, according to the meta-analysis, consumption of large amounts of total Allium vegetables, such as garlic and onion reduced risk of gastric cancer by comparing the highest and lowest consumption groups.

Taken altogether, onion may be considered a remedy for the prevention of cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Garlic and onions: Their cancer prevention properties by Holly L. Nicastro,1 Sharon A. Ross,2 and John A. Milner. (PubMed)
(2) Understanding Cancer Prognosis (NIH)

Bromelain, the Natural Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a digestive condition characterized by an inflammation of the large intestine. The disease affects over 1.6 million American today.

Most common types of IBD are

*Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammation of any part of the digestive tract. Most cases of CD affect the tail end of the small intestine.

* Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the large intestine.

The exact causes of inflammatory bowel disease are unknown. However, some researchers do know that
* The disease may be caused by the weakened immune system that fails to kill off the invasion of infectious micro-organisms in the acute phase of digestive infection caused by tissue injury and damage.

* IBD may be a result of the immune dysfunction mistakenly attacking the digestive tract, a case of autoimmune disease.

* Imbalance of ratio of good and bad bacteria in the colon, caused by long-term intake of certain medicines.

* IBD is also associated with age, family history, ethnicity, parasite, and smoking.

* Genetic mutation of NOD2, ATG16L1and IL23R involved in innate immunity, in the autophagy, and in the inflammatory response may also elevate the risk of IBD.

Believe it or not, if you are living in the Western world, you are also at a higher risk of the disease. For example, people who live in Western countries such as the United States and Europe have a higher IBD risk than those in other parts of the world.

Some researchers suggested an individual diet pattern may influence the risk of IBD.

Dr. Donjete Statovci, the lead scientists wrote, "Westernized diet, defined as high dietary intake of saturated fats and sucrose and low intake of fiber, represent a growing health risk contributing to the increased occurrence of metabolic diseases, e.g., diabetes and obesity in countries adopting a westernized lifestyle. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and asthma are chronic mucosal inflammatory conditions of unknown etiology with increasing prevalence worldwide".

And, "Recent reports indicate that the gut microbiota and modifications thereof, due to the consumption of a diet high in saturated fats and low in fibers, can trigger factors regulating the development and/or progression of both conditions".

In other words, by pursuing a healthy diet with a higher in fruits and vegetable and reducing intake of red meat, saturate and trans fat and processed foods, IBD is preventable.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

In an aim to find the potential compound for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, researchers examined the efficacy of bromelain in colitis in an animal study.

According to the tested assays, daily treatment with oral bromelain at the age for 5 weeks showed a significant effect on decreasing the incidence and severity of spontaneous colitis in C57BL/6 IL-10-/- mice.

Furthermore, bromelain also significantly decreased the severity of colonic inflammation by inhibiting the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine in mice colitis induced by piroxicam exposure.

Moreover, bromelain anti-inflammatory effects were associated with the exertion of proteolytical activity.

In wild-type mice treated orally with up to 1000 mg bromelain/kg/day for 18 weeks, researchers do not observe ant adverse effects such as dermatitis, hair loss, and weight loss due to mucositis.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, " the results justify additional studies of this complementary biologically based approach to the treatment of IBD".

Also in the animal model, short-term oral treatment with bromelain was found to decrease the severity of colonic inflammation in C57BL/6 Il10(-/-) mice with chronic colitis.

Mice treated with fresh pineapple juice at a level equivalent to 14 mg bromelain purified from the stem decreased histologic colon inflammation scores and a lower incidence of inflammation-associated colonic neoplasia (35% versus 66%; P < 0.02), with fewer neoplastic lesions/colon.

According to the flow cytometric analysis, murine splenocytes exposed to fresh pineapple juice in vitro affect leukocyte trafficking and activation in facilitating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with immune response.

Dr. Hale LP, the lead scientist after taking into account co and confounders wrote, " long-term dietary supplementation with fresh or unpasteurized frozen pineapple juice with proteolytically active bromelain enzymes is safe and decreases inflammation severity and the incidence and multiplicity of inflammation-associated colonic neoplasia in this commonly used murine model of inflammatory bowel disease".

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Treatment with oral bromelain decreases colonic inflammation in the IL-10-deficient murine model of inflammatory bowel disease by Hale LP1, Greer PK, Trinh CT, Gottfried MR. (PubMed)
(2) Dietary supplementation with fresh pineapple juice decreases inflammation and colonic neoplasia in IL-10-deficient mice with colitis by Hale LP1, Chichlowski M, Trinh CT, Greer PK. (PubMed)
(3) The Impact of Western Diet and Nutrients on the Microbiota and Immune Response at Mucosal Interfaces by Donjete Statovci,1 Mònica Aguilera,1 John MacSharry,1,2 and Silvia Melgar. (PMC)

Thursday, 29 August 2019

Bioactive Compound Sulforaphane (SFN) Isolated from Collard Greens, Processes Anti-Neuropathic Pain in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Neurological disorders are a class of diseases of the nervous system characterized by the structural damage, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or nerves.

Neurodegenerative disease is a type of neurological disorder associated with the progressive loss of neuron in the brain caused by several mechanisms, including toxicity and oxygen deficiency.

Neuropathic pain is a type of pain that affects the somatosensory nervous system due to damage or disease. Abnormal sensations called dysesthesia or pain from normally non-painful stimuli (allodynia) are some of the most common forms of neuropathic pain found in patients.

There are no obvious causes of neuropathic pain. However, medical condition such as alcoholism, amputation, diabetes, nerve problems, HIV infection or AIDS, multiple myeloma, multiple sclerosis and shingles, and chemotherapy are some prevalent factors of neuropathic pain.

According to the joint study conducted led by the Health Outcomes Practice, there are no published data on the broad prevalence of neuropathic pain (NeP) in the US. However, the 15,751 respondents reported pain (63.7%), of 2,548 data suggested that 10% American may suffer from neuropathic pain (NeP). The rate of NeP in Blacks and Hispanics ethnicity was consistently higher compared to White

Most common treatments of NeP are the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (44.2%), followed by weak opioids (31.7%), antiepileptics (10.9%), and strong opioids (10.9%).

Most common therapies used for neuropathic pain treatment are physical therapy, relaxation therapy, massage therapy, psychological therapy, and acupuncture accompanied by pain counseling.

Furthermore, in neuropathic pain caused by medical conditions such as diabetes, treatment may emphasize on the management of the condition and improvement of quality of life by preventing further nerve damage.

In some cases, an invasive or implantable device may be used to manage the pain.

Collard Green is a species of Brassica Oleracea, belongings to the family Brassicaceae with unknown origin. Today, the plant is cultivated commercially for its thick, slightly bitter edible leaves.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of neuropathic pain, researchers investigated sulforaphane (SFN), a derivative of glucoraphanin present in cruciferous vegetables on inflammation-related diseases.

According to the tested analysis, SFN showed an anti-nociceptive effect in a neuropathic pain mouse model, sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI).

Furthermore, SFN injected intraperitoneally for 7 days inhibited the when pain behaviors, including mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in CCI mice.

Moreover, SFN at a dose-dependently also attenuated CCI-induced pain behavioral hypersensitivity, by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 that cause d neuropathic pain in mice and exhibiting the production of an anti-inflammatory cytokine such as IL-10 associated with pain relief.

More importantly, CCI enhancement of COX2 and iNOS in the induction of nerves injury were also counteracted by the administration of SFN.

Additionally, SFN treatment also increased the CCI-induced increase in µ-opioid receptors that are responsible for the analgesics, in injured sciatic nerves.

Based on the results, researchers said, "SFN has both anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions"

Taken altogether, collard green processed a high amount of SFN may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions of sulforaphane in chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain mice by Wang C1, Wang C. (PubMed)
(2) The prevalence of probable neuropathic pain in the US: results from a multimodal general-population health survey by Marco D DiBonaventura,1 Alesia Sadosky,2 Kristen Concialdi,1 Markay Hopps,2 Ian Kudel,1Bruce Parsons,2 Joseph C Cappelleri,3 Patrick Hlavacek,2 Andrea H Alexander,2Brett R Stacey,4 John D Markman,5 and John T Farrar. (PMC)

Phytochemical Betacyanins Inhibits Fat Accumulation in Obesity

By Kyle J. Norton

Obesity is a medical condition characterized by excessive body fat accumulated over time. Overweight is a condition of excess body weight relative to height.

According to the Body Mass Index(BMI), a BMI between 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of over 30 is an indication of obesity. According to the statistic, 68% of the American population is either overweight or obese.

Believe it or not, according to the statistic provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 40 percent of adults (or 93.3 million people) are obese.

The formula of the BMI indexBMI= weight (kg)/ height (m2)

The causes of obesity are easily understood. If you regularly eat and drink more calories than your needs accompanied by physical inactivity, a lack of sleep, over time you are ar an increased risk of overweight or obese.

Please note that certain medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing's syndrome,..., genetic preposition and the use of certain medications that can cause weight gain or water retention, such as corticosteroids, antidepressants or some seizure medications, also increases the risk of overweight and obesity.

Epidemiologically, obese people are associated with an increased risk of diseases and health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Some researchers suggested that by dietary changes, increased physical activity and behavior changes have been found to enhance weight loss in obesity.

Conventionally, in extremely obese subjects, prescription medications and weight-loss surgery may be the only options.

Betacyanins are phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments, belonging to the group of Betalains, found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

On finding a potential compound for the prevention of fat accumulation, researchers examined the effects of food that inhibits the development of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases.

The study included betacyanins isolated from Hylocereus undatus (white-fleshed pitaya) peel applied to high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and compared to a low-fat diet or HFD supplemented with PPBNs for 14 weeks.

According to the tested assays, all betacyanins found in white-fleshed pitaya peel (PPBNs) reduced HFD-induced parameters associated with the obesity including body weight gain, adipose tissue hypertrophy, hepatosteatosis, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance.

Furthermore, dietary PPBNs also increased the expression levels of lipid-metabolism-related genes and decreased genes associated with glucose and lipid homeostasis.

In other words, dietary PPBNs not only protected against fat accumulation but also decreased the risk of complications of obese subjects.

Based on the finding, researchers wrote, "the protective effect of PPBNs might be associated with the induced fatty acid oxidation, decreased fatty acid biosynthesis, and alleviated FGF21 resistance".

Taken altogether, betacyanins may be considered a remedy for the prevention of obesity, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of betacyanins in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
Obesity
(1) Red pitaya betacyanins protects from diet-induced obesity, liver steatosis and insulin resistance in association with modulation of gut microbiota in mice by Song H1,2, Chu Q1, Yan F1, Yang Y1, Han W1, Zheng X. (PubMed)
(2) Purified Betacyanins from Hylocereus undatus Peel Ameliorate Obesity and Insulin Resistance in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice by Song H1, Chu Q1, Xu D1, Xu Y1, Zheng X. (PubMed)

Tomatoes Kill Bacterial Staphylococcus Aureus Against the Onset of Pneumonia

By Kyle J. Norton

Pneumonia is a medical condition associated with the infection of the lung. In adults, the most common causes of pneumonia are a bacterial infection such as Staphylococcus aureus.

Viruses or fungi also have been found to induce the onset of the disease.

Most common symptoms of pneumonia are persistent coughing with phlegm (mucus) fever, sweating, chills and chest pain. However, depending on the types of pathogens that cause the infection.

In severe cases, pneumonia is life-threatening. Some patients at this stage also experience persistently shortness of breath due to severe inflammation in the air sacs of the lungs.

According to epidemiological studies, most cases of pneumonia are acquired from either hospitals and community caused by people who have the disease.

Some researchers suggested people who have a weakened such as elderly or immature immune system such as baby and underage children are more prone to the disease.

Dr. Sanjay Sethi at the University at Buffalo SUNY wrote, "Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Pneumonia in people whose immune system is weakened or impaired (for example, by AIDS, cancer, organ transplantation, or the use of certain drugs) is often caused by different organisms than those that cause pneumonia in healthy people".

In other words, people who are treated by chemotherapy drugs due to cancer or immune suppressants, and disease associated with immunity are susceptible to pneumonia developing.

Most cases of pneumonia are treated with antibiotics. Depending on the condition, treatment may include medicine for reduced coughing, pain and fever with an aim to improve patients' quality of life.

If you are taking certain types of antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia, please make sure you know all the side effects for preventive measure.

Tomato is red, edible fruit, genus Solanum, belonging to family Solanaceae, native to South America. Because of its health benefits, the tomato is grown worldwide for the commercial purpose
and often in the greenhouse.

On finding a potential ingredient for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, researchers examined the effect of naringenin found abundantly in tomato.

In Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia model, naringenin protected the lung cells integrity and viability by inhibiting the production of α-toxin.

Where α-toxin is an essential virulence factor found in patients with Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia.

Furthermore, at the 16 μg/ml of naringenin, treatment organisms showed reduced expression of α-toxin significantly compared to the untreated group.

Moreover, in vivo, a mouse model of S. aureus pneumonia treated with naringenin demonstrated a significant effect in attenuating symptoms of lung injury and inflammation against infection.

In other words, naringenin acted as a natural antibiotic in preventing the overexpression of α-toxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus through its antibacterial activity.

Based on the findings, Dr. Zhang Y, the lead scientist after taking into account co and confounders wrote in the final report, "These results suggest that naringenin is a promising agent for the treatment of S. aureus infection".

Taken altogether, tomatoes may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of naringenin in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Inhibition of α-toxin production by subinhibitory concentrations of naringenin controls Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia by Zhang Y1, Wang JF, Dong J, Wei JY, Wang YN, Dai XH, Wang X, Luo MJ, Tan W, Deng XM, Niu XD. (PubMed)
(2) Pneumonia in Immunocompromised People By Sanjay Sethi , MD, University at Buffalo SUNY. (MSD Manual)