May 16, 2014

Gluten Fad and Facts

As with most fads, gluten has way too many headlines and gluten free diets are popular, without much knowledge of what it is or why we should or should not eat gluten. In fact, the majority of Americans do not know which foods contain gluten.

Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture. Worldwide, gluten is a source of protein, both in foods prepared directly from sources containing it, and as an additive to foods otherwise low in protein.

Gluten, especially wheat gluten, is often the basis for imitation meats resembling beef, chicken, duck, fish, and pork. When cooked in broth, gluten absorbs some of the surrounding liquid and becomes firm to the bite. Gluten is often present in beer, soy sauce, some chocolates, and deli meats. It can be used as a stabilizing agent in more unexpected food products, such as ice cream and ketchup.

Experts estimate that about .75% to 1% of Americans have celiac disease. The condition, caused by an abnormal immune response to gluten, can damage the lining of the small intestine. For people with celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is essential, but for others, "unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber," according to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. Many whole grains that contain gluten are rich in an array of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron, as well as fiber. Studies show that whole grain foods, as part of a healthy diet, may help lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that half of all carbohydrates in the diet come from whole grain products.

Gluten sensitivity is classified as intolerance, not an allergy.

Gluten does not make you fat and cutting gluten will not help you lose weight. Gluten-free does not mean fat-free or calorie-free. “Gluten does not make you fat,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. “Calories make you fat regardless of where those calories are coming from, whether they are coming from brown rice, which is gluten-free or a wheat bagel.” If you eat more calories in a day than you use, the extra calories will be stored as fat.

Some gluten-free foods contain extra sugar and/or calories to make them more palatable and make up for the loss of the gluten.

You can eat a clean diet that includes gluten or a clean diet that does not.

French fries are gluten-free and vegetarian.

There is nothing unhealthy about gluten. Gluten alone doesn't have many health benefits, but foods that contain gluten, like whole grains, tend to be higher in fiber and contain vitamin B, zinc, and iron. As a result, cutting gluten could actually result in nutritional deficiencies.

Gluten does not cause cancer. There is no connection between gluten and risk of most cancers. The exception is an increased risk of intestinal cancer for only those who have celiac disease, or true gluten intolerance. The Mayo Clinic lists cancer as a complication of celiac disease (not gluten). People with celiac disease who do not maintain a gluten-free diet have a greater risk of developing several forms of cancer, including intestinal lymphoma and small bowel cancer.

Numerous observational studies show that the more whole grains a person eats, including the gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, barley), the lower risk of most cancers. This is true for some of the most common types of cancer, such as breast, prostate, and colon cancers, as well as for less common cancers, such as cancer of the pancreas. Whole grains contain fiber, which can stabilize blood sugar and hormone level.

Gray vs. Grey

The spelling depends on what part of the world you are in. In Britain, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa, the spelling is commonly 'grey'. In the United States, the preferred spelling is 'gray', although 'grey' is also accepted. Gray became the preferred spelling in America during the early 1800s.

Morbidity vs. Mortality

Was listening to radio the other day and the announcer was talking about morbidity and mortality, but was incorrectly mixing them together.

Morbidity refers to the disease state of an individual or the incidence of illness in a population. Morbidity scores or predicted morbidity are assigned to ill patients with the help of systems. Morbidity scores help decide the kind of treatment or medicine that should be given to the patient. Predicted morbidity describes the morbidity of patients, and is also useful when comparing two sets of patients or different time points in hospitals. The general definition of morbidity is the state of being unhealthy or diseased.

Mortality refers to the state of being mortal, or the number of deaths in a population. If you refer to the infant mortality rate, you would be referring to the mathematical equation of dividing the number of infant deaths by the number of live births.

Definition Morbidity refers to the state of being diseased or unhealthy within a population.

Mortality is the term used for the number of people who died within a population and incidence of death or the number of deaths in a population.

Caffeine

After as little as 10 minutes, the caffeine concentration in your blood reaches half the maximum concentration, which is enough to have an effect. The caffeine reaches maximum levels, making you most alert after 45 minutes. Depending on how fast or slow your body is able to break down the drug, you could feel the effects of caffeine for 3 to 5 hours.

Coffee contains hundreds of different compounds. These include many antioxidants that protect our bodies from damaging chemicals called free radicals. These molecules cause aging and are associated with illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. NIH studies show that coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases.

May 9, 2014

Happy Friday

Karma has no clock.

But, you can always depend on having a Happy Friday!

Ten Teeth Facts

Teeth in a growing fetus begin to develop at six weeks after conception

About one in every 2,000 babies is born with natal teeth.

Not everyone loses their baby teeth. By age 3, the average child has a full set of 20 temporary teeth.  Children typically start losing teeth around 5 or 6 and finish in their early teens. If a person does not have a replacement permanent tooth, that baby tooth will stay put.

Thirty five percent of people are born without wisdom teeth.

About 2,500 years ago, the Maya already had a very advanced understanding of teeth. They would have their dentists use a primitive drill to decorate their teeth. Sometimes they would have parts of the tooth cut out or shaped to make it look more interesting. Their most extreme modification was the bejeweling of teeth.

Ancient Egypt people were using primitive tools made from twigs to brush their teeth. Many countries still use twigs from trees with antibacterial properties, such as cinnamon and neem, and they have been found to be as effective as modern toothbrushes.

Acidic foods, like sour candy, soft drinks, and fruit juices soften teeth. The result is enamel erosion and diminished tooth size.

Paul Revere, in addition to earning a living as a silversmith and copper plate engraver, also worked as a dentist. Revere is the first person known to use dental forensics to identify the body of a colonial colonel killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill by his dental bridge.

Some cheeses, including aged cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack have been found to protect teeth from decay. Grilled cheese and bacon immediately springs to mind.

Every person has a set of teeth as unique as his or her fingerprints, and dental fingerprints of identical twins are different.

According to a Time Magazine Survey, 59% of Americans would rather sit in a dentist’s chair than sit next to someone on a cell phone.

What's in a Name, Rugby

According to legend, this sport was invented when a pupil at Rugby School in England picked up the ball and ran with it during a soccer game. The first written rules for the game originated at the school in 1845.

Bacardi Bats

Bacardi Limited is the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world. It has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Rum drinkers have likely noticed the bat symbol on Bacardi products.

The Bacardi brothers purchased their first distillery in Cuba which had a tin roof and fruit bats lived in the rafters. Bats in Cuba are considered a symbol of good health, good fortune, and family unity. That is why it is used as the symbol.

When you see Ron Barcardi, it is not the owner's name, ron means rum in Spanish.

Color Me Green

The word ghre-, meaning "to grow," is another root which endured the centuries. Grhe- gave us many modern words meaning "green," including English green, German grün, and Icelandic grænn, as well as the English words grow, grass, and graze.

Green Traffic Light means go.
Only one national flag is a solid color: the green flag of Libya.
Ancient Egyptians colored the floors of their temples green.
In ancient Greece, green symbolized victory.
In the highlands of Scotland, people wore green as a mark of honor.
Green is the national color of Ireland.
A “greenback” is slang for a US dollar bill.
Lean green is slang for a dollar.
Saying “all systems are green,” means everything is in order.
The green room of a concert hall or theater is where performers relax before going onstage.
The “green-eyed monster” is jealousy.
A greenhorn is inexperienced, a newcomer, or unsophisticated person.
Green is youthful.
Being “green around the gills” means looking pale and sickly.
“Green with envy” means full of envy or jealousy.
A person with a “green thumb” is good at making plants grow.
Al Green is a great singer.
Green Day group has 13 million viewers of this video
A green, or common, is a town park.
Green is a healing color, the color of nature.

WD-40 Uses

If you have tea stains on your counter tops, just spray a little on a damp sponge or cloth then wipe.
Remove marker and crayon marks by spraying it on upholstered furniture (spray on inconspicuous place first to make sure it does not leave a mark of its own).
Spraying a little WD-40 on a zipper then moving it up and down will help lubricate.
Prevent wasps nests tend to build in eaves, so a few sprays in those areas will prevent them.
Also, in early spring, spray into weep holes in bricks to prevent ant, bees, and other little critters.
Spray a bit into your hands to degrease, rub them together, and wash with soap and water.

Nuts to Food Allergies

Food allergies are less common in underdeveloped countries. Proponents of the hygiene hypothesis say that the relatively low incidence of childhood infections in developed countries contributes to an increased incidence of allergic diseases.

Harvard Medical School asserts that recent increases in peanut allergies, and the measures taken in response, show elements of mass psychogenic illness - hysterical reactions grossly out of proportion to the level of danger.

Only 150 people (children and adults) die each year in the US from all food allergies combined. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially documents 13 deaths (including six adults) due to peanuts between 1996 and 2006. Peanuts are legumes, not true nuts.

Four percent of adults and four percent of children have food allergies. Less than one percent (0.6) of people in the US have a peanut allergy. In France, the rate of peanut allergy is between .3 percent and .75 percent, Denmark is .2 to .4 percent; and Israel about .04 percent.

The exact cause of someone developing a peanut allergy is unknown.

Smelling the aroma of peanuts cannot cause an allergic reaction.

Highly refined peanut oil is purified, refined, bleached, and deodorized, which removes the allergic proteins from the oil.

A recent study showed 26.6% of children with a peanut or tree nut allergy outgrew their allergies, at an average age of 5.4 years old. Black children were less likely to outgrow their allergy than white children and boys were more likely to outgrow their allergy than girls.

The American Academy of Pediatrics used to instruct parents to avoid peanut use until their kids reached age 3, but that has been rescinded. A British study has found that consuming peanuts in infancy lowers the risk that a child will develop peanut allergies.

Headlines most often ignore that people who are allergic to peanuts are also often allergic to one or more tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, etc.).

A new study shows increased peanut consumption by pregnant mothers who were not nut allergic was associated with lower risk of peanut allergy in their offspring.

Spiders on Drugs

 Interesting view of spider webs after spiders were given different drugs.