The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
- Dana-Farber app offers menus to fight cancer
- HIV cured in baby for the first time: scientists
- Energize Your Day with the Essentials of Protein
| Dana-Farber app offers menus to fight cancer Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:03 AM PST Fighting cancer with the right diet just got a little easier with a new app from Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The free iPhone app features more than 100 recipes for an anti-cancer diet and includes a list of ingredients, directions on preparing the dish, shopping lists, nutrition tips and nutritional analysis information. Robbin Ray, a spokeswoman for Dana-Farber, told Relaxnews this week that the app, released in December, is updated every month with recipes from world-renowned chefs, including most recently Frank McClelland of Boston's four-star restaurant L'Espalier. McClelland tailored recipes from his book "Wine Mondays" with Dana-Farber nutritionists. "Ask The Nutritionist: Recipes for Fighting Cancer" features a range of recipes, including desserts, and each recipe follows the institute's optimal diet for cancer patients and survivors. That is, expect a focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, omega-3 rich foods, and lean protein sources. "Eating a well-balanced diet is one of the best ways to lower the risk of cancer," says Stacy Kennedy, a nutritionist at Dana-Farber. "Our hope is that this app will not only be a useful tool for cancer patients and their families but will also make choosing the healthiest foods easier and more fun for everyone." As researchers battle to find a cure for cancer, many experts believe that your diet could be your best ammunition, writes WebMD. "The easiest, least-expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is just by eating a healthy diet," Dr. Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute, told the website. Some cancer-fighting foods include cruciferous vegetables (kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, for example), green tea and ginger. |
| HIV cured in baby for the first time: scientists Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:58 AM PST Researchers say they have, for the first time, cured a baby born with HIV -- a development that could help improve treatment of babies infected at birth. There is an important technical nuance: researchers insist on calling it a "functional cure" rather than a complete cure. That is because the virus is not totally eradicated. Still, its presence is reduced to such a low level that a body can control it without the need for standard drug treatment. The only fully cured AIDS patient recognized worldwide is the so-called "Berlin patient," American Timothy Brown. He is considered cured of HIV and leukemia five years after receiving bone marrow transplants from a rare donor naturally resistant to HIV. The marrow transplant was aimed at treating his leukemia. But in this new case, the baby girl received nothing more invasive or complex than commonly available antiretroviral drugs. The difference, however, was the dosage and the timing: starting less than 30 hours after her birth. It is that kind of aggressive treatment that likely yielded the "functional cure," researchers reported Sunday at the 20th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Atlanta, Georgia. What researchers call dormant HIV-infected cells often re-start infections in HIV-infected patients within a few weeks after antiretroviral treatment stops, forcing most people who have tested HIV-positive to stay on the drugs for life or risk the illness progressing. "Prompt antiviral therapy in newborns that begins within days of exposure may help infants clear the virus and achieve long-term remission without lifelong treatment by preventing such viral hideouts from forming in the first place," said lead researcher Deborah Persaud, of Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland. It appears to be the first time this was achieved in a baby, she said. The baby was infected by her HIV-positive mother, and her treatment with therapeutic doses of antiretroviral drugs began even before her own positive blood test came back. The typical protocol for high-risk newborns is to give them smaller doses of the drugs until results from an HIV blood test is available at six weeks old. Tests showed the baby's viral count steadily declined until it could not longer be detected 29 days after her birth. The child was given follow-up treatment with antiretrovirals until 18 months, at which point doctors lost contact with her for 10 months. During that period she was not taking antiretrovirals. Researchers then were able to do a series of blood tests -- and none gave an HIV-positive result. Natural viral suppression without treatment is an exceedingly rare occurrence, seen in fewer than half a percent of HIV-infected adults, known as "elite controllers," whose immune systems are able to rein in viral replication and keep the virus at clinically undetectable levels. Experts on HIV have long wanted to help all HIV patients achieve elite-controller status. Researchers say this new case offers hope as a game-changer, because it suggests prompt antiretroviral therapy in newborns indeed can do that. Still, they said, their first priority is learning how to stop transmission of the virus from mother to newborn. ARV treatments of mothers currently stop transmission to newborns in 98 percent of cases, they say. "Our next step is to find out if this is a highly unusual response to very early antiretroviral therapy or something we can actually replicate in other high-risk newborns," Persaud pointed out. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Foundation for AIDS Research. -- AFPRelaxnews |
| Energize Your Day with the Essentials of Protein Posted: 03 Mar 2013 02:51 PM PST What did you have for breakfast today - a hearty dose of Nasi Lemak with fried chicken, completed with Teh Tarik? Or perhaps a much-needed steaming cup of coffee to go with the morning paper? For some people, it is a norm to skip breakfast in the morning for an extra 10 minutes of snooze time or to beat the traffic jam. For those who do have breakfast, you'll have to admit that we are spoilt for choice when it comes to the selection of food we can have to start our day. The question is, are you eating right for the right start to your day? While bread or cereal may seem to be a convenient option, they are high in carbohydrate and may lead to elevated blood sugar levels which drop quickly and leave you feeling hungry and drained. Research have showed that a breakfast high in protein helps with stabilising blood sugar and prevents hunger for a number of hours. According to the Malaysian Food Guide, Food Pyramid and Food Composition, breakfast should account for 30% of our protein intake – which translates to approximately 21 grams. While there are many types of food we can consume to meet the 21 grams of protein intake for breakfast, we have to also be mindful not to take in too much calories and fats, which may lead to obesity. Each person's protein needs depend on several factors such as age, size, physical condition, and the level of physical activity. Nutritionists use a standard method to estimate a person's minimum protein requirement daily, which is to multiply a person's body weight (kg) with 0.8, as the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) in the US for protein is 0.8 grams per kilograms of body weight of adults. Take a typical Malaysian breakfast for instance. According to Nutriweb Malaysia 2000-2012 Database of Nutrient Composition of Malaysia Food, three pieces of Roti Canai can provide you with 21 grams of protein for your first meal of the day, but that also comes with 31 grams of fat, and 136.5 grams of carbohydrate. Likewise, in order to have 21 grams of protein, you will need to have 2.2 packets of Nasi Lemak, but provides you with 28.8 grams of fat and 128 grams of carbohydrate. Understanding the importance of a high-protein breakfast, leading direct selling company Amway have introduced its NUTRILITE™ All Plant Protein Powder to help you boost your protein intake and get a right start for the day. With 2.5 scoops of NUTRILITE All Plant Protein that can be mixed with any of your favourite beverages or food, it is an easy and convenient breakfast option that can help you achieve the needed 21 grams of protein, with only 1.3 grams of fat and 0.8 grams of carbohydrate. "Certified Halal, lactose-free and safe for vegetarians, the NUTRILITE All Plant Protein Powder caters to many people as it has no cholesterol and contains only minimal fat content and nine essential amino acids to aid the body's digestion," said Dr. Gene Maly, Senior NUTRILITE Research Scientist. "This complete, nutritious alternative to meat and dairy products is suitable for those seeking a lean source of protein in their diets, with its naturally sourced with a unique tri-blend of soy, wheat and pea," Maly added. "It is a boost to your diet to load up your day's essentials, giving you an energized start in the morning." Energize your day and start it right with NUTRILITE All Plant Protein Powder, available through Amway Distributors nationwide and at the 20 Amway Shops located in Petaling Jaya, Seremban, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Batu Pahat, Bintulu, Penang, Klang, Wangsa Maju, Mentakab, Taiping, Malacca, Segamat, Brunei, Alor Setar, Kuantan, Nusa Bestari, Seberang Perai, Sibu, and Ipoh. For more information on NUTRILITE All Plant Protein Powder, log on to http://www.amway.my/nutrition/nutrilite/energise-your-day or call Amway at (03) 7946 2800. *Source: Nutriweb Malaysia 2000-2012 Database of Nutrient Composition of Malaysia Food This article is brought to you by Amway. |
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