Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a culinary spice, a major ingredient in Indian curries, and the source of American mustard's bright yellow color. Used as both medicine and food for centuries, accumulating evidence suggests that this relative of ginger is a promising preventive agent for a wide range of diseases, probably due largely to its anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is the chief active component of turmeric, and is usually taken as a supplement. Research indicates that:
1. Curcumin seems to delay liver damage in some instances that can eventually lead to cirrhosis.
2. Turmeric reduces levels of heterocyclic amines - carcinogenic compounds that are formed when meats are barbecued, boiled or fried - by up to 40 percent.
3. Curcumin inhibits the growth of a skin cancer (melanoma) and also slows the spread of breast cancer into the lungs.
4. Turmeric that is part of daily curries eaten in India may help explain the low rate of Alzheimer's disease in that country. Among people aged 70 to 79, the rate is less than one-quarter that of the United States.
Some Americans may find straight turmeric powder bitter or otherwise off-putting, but when a teaspoon or two is added to a pot of soup or stew, the flavor disperses and adds a subtle depth and complexity that most people find appealing. If even that's too much for you, both turmeric and curcumin supplements are now widely available - just take one along with your daily multivitamin. Note, however, that turmeric and curcumin are poorly absorbed from the G.I. tract. Absorption is enhanced in the presence of piperine, a constituent of black pepper. Indian cuisine commonly uses turmeric and pepper together. I suggest using only turmeric and curcumin supplements that contain piperine or black pepper extract.
A recent Q&A discussed measuring blood pressure: Better Blood Pressure Measurement? Check out the article and let us know how you fell about your blood pressure!
If you are recommended to have a colonoscopy, don’t worry: it is a 30 to 60 minute, low-risk, common procedure.
Here is what to expect:
1. A day or two before the procedure, patients are usually required to clean out their colon via a liquid diet and taking laxatives.
2. The day of the colonoscopy, you may be given a mild sedative and pain medication to help you relax. You will not be able to drive yourself home if you are given a sedative, so arrange for transportation ahead of time.
3. The actual test itself involves lying on your side while a long, flexible fiber-optic scope is guided into the rectum. This scope allows the doctor to examine the length of the large intestine for polyps and malignant growths. The flexibility of the scope allows it to move around the curves of the colon; the scope is also constructed so that air can be blown into the colon to inflate it so your doctor can better see the lining of your colon.
4. If the exam reveals abnormalities such as a polyp or inflamed tissue, your doctor can biopsy all or part of the questionable area using tiny instruments passed through the scope. The biopsy will then be sent to a lab for testing. If any bleeding occurs during a biopsy, your doctor can inject special medicines through the scope to stop the bleeding, or use a laser or similar instrument.
When you are finished, you will be expected to remain at the facility for another couple of hours until any sedatives mostly wear off. While bleeding and puncture of the colon are possible complications of colonoscopy, such complications are uncommon.
If you are nervous about getting a colonoscopy, remind yourself that any embarrassment or fear you may experience will only last a few minutes, while the benefits of early detection could add many years to your life.
Despite being one of the most preventable and curable cancers, over 140,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed and over 50,000 people die from this disease each year. One in 19 men and one in 20 women will develop it over their lifetime.
The American Cancer Society recommends a colonoscopy for everyone over age 50 and for high-risk people who are younger, yet fewer than half of Americans undergo the test. A colonoscopy looks for early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum, most forms of which are slow growing. As many as 95% of colorectal cancer cases are curable if detected early, and colonoscopy is an effective form of detection: a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that the death rate from colorectal cancer was cut by 53 percent in those who had a colonoscopy and whose doctors removed precancerous growths.
So who should get a colonoscopy? Both men and women are at almost equal risk for colorectal cancer, and those age 50 or older are at a higher risk. Other risk factors include a family history of cancer of the colon or rectum, and personal history of:
• Cancer of the colon, rectum, ovary, endometrium or breast, as well as polyps in the colon.
• Ulcerative colitis (ulcers in the lining of the large intestine) or Crohn's disease.
• Hereditary conditions such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC; Lynch Syndrome).
In addition to talking about a colonoscopy with your doctor, take a look at your diet and lifestyle: an estimated 50 to 75 percent of colorectal cancer cases can be prevented though small changes. Eat a diet that is high in fruits, vegetable and whole grains, such as the Anti-Inflammatory Diet; reduce your intake of red and processed meats; maintain a healthy weight; don’t smoke; drink alcohol in moderation; and enjoy regular exercise to reduce your chances of developing colorectal cancer or to keep it from coming back.
Breakfast is a vital meal, providing energy and focus for a productive day. These are some of the delicious, healthy choices attendees of the 2012 Nutrition Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, had for their morning meal.
If your car has heated seats, you may have noticed an occasional rash on the back of your legs. That’s “toasted skin syndrome,” a new condition reported in the February 2012 issue of the Archives of Dermatology. The rash, known medically as erythema ab igne (EAI), indicates that you’ve been exposed to heat but haven’t been burned. This can happen if you frequently drive for an hour or so with the seat heat turned to the highest setting. The rash is worse on the leg that presses against the hot seat compared to the one extended to the gas pedal. The biggest concern here is cosmetic, but there’s also a chance that toasted skin syndrome could be mistaken for other dermatologic conditions or infections, leading to unnecessary tests. The same types of rash have been seen in people who use space heaters under their desks or use their laptops on their laps. The short-term treatment: turn off the seat heat, but be aware the rash can take months to disappear.
Here’s a headline that could add up to new respect for fruits and vegetables: researchers in Scotland have found that the more fresh produce you eat, the healthier - and better - your skin looks and the more you’re perceived as attractive. The investigators from the University of St. Andrews looked at skin changes associated with the fruit and vegetable consumption of 35 students over the course of six weeks. They found that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables gave skin a healthy golden glow, while students who ate fewer fruits and vegetables during the study lost some skin color. The study team attributed the improvements to the carotenoids (red and yellow pigments) found naturally in the fruits and vegetables. Even small increases in produce consumption led to visible improvements in skin color, researchers said. They’re now conducting trials to find out whether the positive skin changes can induce people to change their eating habits and consume more fruits and vegetables. The study was published March 7 in the online journal PLoS ONE.
If you’re overweight and spend your day at a desk job, you’re at increased risk for diabetes - but you may be able to reverse that trend and help control blood sugar simply by taking "activity breaks.” New research from Australia found that regular, short breaks - as little as two minutes, three times an hour - during which you move around can result in a 30 percent improvement in the body’s response to high calorie meals. The researchers recruited 19 men and women, 45 to 65 years of age, who were overweight or obese, to engage in three experiments that took place six days apart. For the first investigation, the participants sat for five hours with no break; for the second one, they sat for five hours, but took a two minute break every 20 minutes and walked on a treadmill at a light-intensity pace; for the third one, they took the same breaks but picked up their pace on the treadmill to moderate intensity. Before each session, the participants received a test drink containing 75 grams of glucose and 50 grams of fat to simulate a high calorie meal. The 30 percent improvements in sugar metabolism differed little between walking at light or moderate intensity. The study was published online on February 28, 2012 by Diabetes Care.
My take? If the findings from this small study are confirmed by further research, they could be of enormous benefit to a lot of people who don’t get any regular exercise because they’re desk-bound all day. An active two-minute break every 20 minutes would add up to 48 minutes of exercise during an eight-hour working day. That could pay off even more than the 30 percent improvement seen in this study. And it might encourage inactive individuals to fit more exercise into their after-work hours. We all should strive to do something aerobic every day, some activity that gets your heart beating faster and your breathing going, and some sweat appearing on your skin. For maximum benefit to your cardiovascular system, aerobic activity should be continuous and sustained for more than a few minutes. My recommendation is to work toward the goal of doing thirty minutes of some type of aerobic activity at least five days a week.
