Health: Egg whites may help reduce blood pressure

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  • Saturday, 20 April 2013 17:05
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An animal study by Clemson University researchers in the United States found that a peptide (one of the building blocks of protein) in egg whites may help reduce high-blood pressure.

Scientists had previously discovered that this egg-white peptide, called RVPSL, has the ability to block the action of angiotensin-converting-enzyme (also known as ACE), a substance produced in the body that raises blood-pressure. Thus, it acts just like many common blood pressure medications, known as ACE inhibitors. And when they tested the peptide on lab rats, it actually lowered blood-pressure levels about as much as a low dose of Captopril, a popular blood-pressure drug on the market.

Swallowfield wellness seminar

Swallowfield Chapel presents 'Wellness - It's a Lifestyle', a two-day wellness seminar, from April 26-27 at 5 Swallowfield Road, St Andrew. The discussions will centre on men's health, nutrition for longevity, what is cancer, oral health and overall health. There will also be complimentary health checks, including prostate screening, manual breast exams, oral-cancer screenings, blood-pressure and blood-glucose checks. Admission is free.

Magnetic implant for chronic heartburn

AP - A tiny magnetic bracelet implanted at the base of the throat is greatly improving life for some people with chronic heartburn who need more help than medicine can give them. The Linx device, made by Torax Medical Inc., of St Paul in Minnesota, United States, is a ring of titanium beads with magnets inside. Doctors place it around the weak muscle at the base of the esophagus in a half-hour operation using a scope and 'keyhole' incisions in the belly. The ring reinforces the weak muscle to keep it closed, yet is flexible and expands to let food pass when someone swallows. The ring comes in multiple sizes. It is about a half-inch in diametre and expands to about 1.5 inches. People don't feel it once it is implanted.

Black women gain more weight with contraceptive use - study

Reuters - Black women were the most likely to gain weight while using a long-acting form of contraception, such as a hormone implant or intrauterine device (IUD), a small new study revealed. Researchers found that during a year of using progestin-based long-term contraceptives, black women put on an average of four to six pounds, compared to a trend of slight weight loss or smaller weight gain for white and other women. The findings are based on 427 women who were part of a larger study in which participants were provided with one of four types of contraception at no cost: a copper IUD or an implant, injection or IUD that delivers the hormone progestin over time. How much weight women gained - or lost - varied greatly among those using each method, the researchers found, but on average, study participants put on more pounds while using the hormone implants or injections than a hormone-free copper IUD. But Dr Jeffrey Peipert from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, United States, who worked on the study, cautioned against blaming the implants, injections and IUDs for the extra weight gain among certain women.

Antibiotics being overused

AP - A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released last week revealed that doctors in the United States are prescribing enough antibiotics to give them to four out of five Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being overused. Overuse is one reason antibiotics are losing their punch, making infections harder to treat. There is no scientific consensus on an appropriate level of antibiotic prescribing, but some experts said the new study's results are disturbing. Antibiotics have been commonly available since the 1940s and have done wonders at saving patients with infections ranging from pneumonia to sexually spread diseases. But bacteria have increasingly gained the power to shrug off antibiotics. Experts say chances of resistance increase when antibiotics are not used long enough or are taken for the wrong reasons, allowing bacteria to survive and adapt.

Robotic surgeries being scrutinised

AP - A million-dollar robot named da Vinci is hot in operating rooms in the United States these days. But problems are giving the high-tech helper new scrutiny. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into an increase in reported problems, including deaths during robotic surgeries. Its medical device database lists dozens of problems and at least five deaths since early last year. The FDA is trying to figure out if there's a real connection with the robot. Surgeons who use the robotic system say it leads to shorter hospital stays for some patients and is safer than surgery using big incisions. Critics argue that robotic surgeries cost more, and that newer doesn't always mean better.

Content: Jamaica-Gleaner, Image/Videos(s): defendingveggies.com

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lauren

Lauren, a professional communications expert from South Africa, loves to learn new languages and cultures. She is always willing to share her expertise on the African culture and lifestyles. Through her social interactions with others, she decided her own social projects in her homeland to launch Africa.



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