Monday, March 17, 2008

Some Facts To Know

Last Saturday night, 15-Mar-08, I happen to watch a documentary they showed in CNA. It was a research and also a sort of a mythbuster type of documentary. To note, these are:

1.       The Truth About Detox Diets

a.       2 groups of 5 ladies each were selected to undergo a diet, obviously one group went through a week-long rigorous diet and exercise. The food to be consumed by the detox group was carefully selected by 3 independent nutritionists. Their saliva, urine and blood were sampled and analyzed before the experiment, and after. The detox diet consisted mainly of fruits and vegetables, with no red meat, coffee and chocolates. Name the veggies? Celery, carrots, asparagus, tomato, etc., etc.

b.       At the end of the week, a professor examined the toxic level of the samples from the 10 ladies, and guess what? The toxicity level of the two groups are THE SAME! This proves that detox diet is actually a myth!

c.       Further note: any toxins entering the body is immediately expelled by the kidney or liver within minutes of the intake, at most, after 48 hours. Drinking a glass or 2 of water immediately dilutes the toxins, which are readily discarded by the body’s natural filter system.

2.      Macular Degeneration

a.       Exposure to bright sun, which is the case for surfers, is one of the major contributors to the cause of macular degeneration. The thinning out of the macula will lead to vision blurring, and eventually, vision loss (but not necessarily blindness). Scientists have found that this section is also having a high concentration of a substance called lutein, which helps in keeping it intact. The thinning out is also directly decreasing the amount of that substance.

b.       ‘So what if we can increase the amount of lutein intake, can this help in “reversing” the thinning out of the macula, or making it thicker (again)?’ so they asked. They picked an old lady whose younger days was spent mostly out in the sun – a perfect candidate for the test. After a month of her daily food intake with a plate of fresh spinach sprinkled with hard-boiled egg, the macula did get thicker, and her vision became better.

c.       Note: her husband kidded that it was actually due to her new specs…!

3.      Free Radicals and Antioxidants

a.       The prevailing knowledge about free radicals and antioxidants remain the same, but one thing new was discovered – the brain’s ability to release antioxidants. So outlook in life really has a big impact and really makes a big difference on how well (or poor) your body will function. Think about it!

4.      Drinking 2L of Water Daily on Skin

a.       Does drinking water, to be specific, 2L daily, at the minimum, improve your skin?

b.       2 ladies, twin sisters, were identified for this experiment, one drinking 2L daily, at least, while the other one, no water at all for the next 7 days. They had to go on their normal diet, with only the water intake as the difference. Again, their skins were tested before and after the experiment: oiliness, moisture, and elasticity.

c.       At the end of the experiment, guess what? Drinking 2L of water daily has no effect on the skin. So where did the body’s water requirement come from, if not from the pure water that we drink? It came from the food we eat, majority of which always have high water content, not less than 50% of the volume that we consume. This brings to mind an MLM’s punch line on regulating our motion daily: we eat kgs and kgs of food, but we only excrete so much? I now have the answer: I sweat out most. Only the fibrous and non-liquid parts I move out down the toilet bowl.

5.       Tomato on Skin

a.       Tomato is rich in lycopene, which is good for the heart. Also, it is good for the skin. The phytonutrients does increase the skin’s resistance to sunburn, and therefore, increases protection against skin cancer. The intake of the lady who participated in the experiment is a cracker with tomato paste. It lasted for a month, and the skin’s reaction to UV light exposure was tested before and after.

b.       The phytonutrients does help in increasing the skin’s resistance to sunburn. So have your balanced diet, and don’t forget that tomato!

6.      Red Wine

a.       Does alcohol help increase elasticity of the arteries? An experiment on 3 men goes like this: one drinks vodka, another drinks red wine, and the other drinks only unfermented grape juice. The test is taking a graph of the heart arteries reaction when their arms were squeezed up, simulating a blocked veins/nerves scenario. All 3 of them showed their arteries getting more elastic and better reaction to higher blood pressure. What about the prevention of heart attacks?

b.       A substance from the grape skin, resveratrol, a kind of polyphenol, is mainly directed towards directly increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, thereby protecting against heart disease. So drink that red wine – in moderation!

c.       What is the amount that is moderate? A glass a day. No more. Hey, red wine is a good source of antioxidants, too!

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