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This blog is all about new and fancy research done by the scientist to improve our life and lifestyles .......... see what i got for you!!
My Spicy Research say's
Less than seven and a half hours of sleep can increase risk of heart disease
Nov 13 2008 04:02 pm


Sleeping less than seven and a half hours per day can raise your chances of developing a heart disease, according to a new study.

The study has been published in the November 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

In addition, a combination of little sleep and overnight-elevated blood pressure appears to be associated with an increased risk of the disease.

Getting adequate sleep is essential for preventing health conditions such as obesity and diabetes as well as several risk factors for cardiovascular disease including sleep-disordered breathing and night-time hypertension (high blood pressure).

To reach the conclusion, Kazuo Eguchi, M.D., Ph.D., at Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan, and colleagues monitored the sleep of 1,255 individuals with hypertension (average age 70.4) and followed them for an average of 50 months.

Researchers noted patients' sleep duration, daytime and nighttime blood pressure and cardiovascular disease events such as stroke, heart attack and sudden cardiac death.

During follow-up, 99 cardiovascular disease events occurred. Sleep duration of less than 7.5 hours was associated with incident cardiovascular disease.

“The incidence of cardiovascular disease was 2.4 per 100 person-years in subjects with less than 7.5 hours of sleep and 1.8 per 100 person-years in subjects with longer sleep duration,” the authors write.

Patients with shorter sleep duration plus an overnight increase in blood pressure had a higher incidence of heart disease than those with normal sleep duration plus no overnight increase in blood pressure, but the occurrence of cardiovascular disease in those with a longer sleep duration vs. those with a shorter sleep duration was similar in those who did not experience an overnight elevation in blood pressure.

“In conclusion, shorter duration of sleep is a predictor of incident cardiovascular disease in elderly individuals with hypertension,” particularly when it occurs with elevated nighttime blood pressure, the authors note.
Ancient Chinese exercise can ease knee pain
Nov 2 2008 12:53 am


An ancient Chinese exercise can effectively treat pain and physical impairment in people with severe knee osteoarthritis, says a new study. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise that uses an integrated mind-body approach to enhance muscle function, balance, and flexibility and has been known to reduce pain, depression and anxiety in those who practice the exercise.

Osteoarthritis, or OA as it is commonly called, is the most common joint disease affecting middle age and older people. It can limit movement and cause pain and swelling.

"Tai chi mind-body exercise appears to provide an important approach for self-care and self-management for knee OA," said Dr Chenchen Wan, lead investigator in the study.

In the new study, the researchers from Tufts Medical Center set out to determine if tai chi could successfully treat the physical and mental effects of severe knee OA.

They recruited a total of 40 patients who were on average 65 years in age and moderately overweight, and had knee OA for approximately 10 years. Each group received the intervention twice-weekly for 60 minutes over the course of 12 weeks.

They found that tai chi is effective in the treatment of the pain and physical impairments in people with severe knee OA.
Eat XXL
Nov 2 2008 12:39 am
Not eating enough is the major reason why we fall off the diet wagon. Here are some tips to bulk up your diet – not your figure




Stock up on starchy carbs

They get bad press but about one third of your diet should be made up of rice, beans and bread. Provided they aren’t smothered with creamy sauces or butter, starchy carbs are among the best foods to curb hunger without piling on pounds. To help you feel full for longer choose high-fibre options such as wholewheat cereals and brown rice.

Eat high-water foods

Foods containing high levels of water are great stomach fillers and low in calories. To get full benefit, opt for non-creamy soups, homemade khichdi, bulked up with pureed pulses and lentils.

Cut unneeded fat

Some fat is necessary for good health but it’s the least bulky food component so it’s quite easy to unwittingly overdo. Our bodies are also notoriously bad at telling us when we’ve eaten too much fat. If you tuck into a bag of high-fat crisps or chocolate, for example, by the time the signal reaches your brain to tell you to stop eating, you’ve already had far more than you need.

Snack on fruit and vegetables

Try watermelon, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, apples and cherries. The mix of fibre and watery fruit and vegetables makes them particularly filling for their calorie count. Plus you’ll be getting loads of valuable vitamins.

Avoid processed meats

Grilled pork sausages contain around 294 calories per 100gm, whereas grilled lean pork chops have only 184 calories per 100gm. Both will fill you up equally but the unprocessed meat is much less fattening, and has a lower salt option, too.
Age of angels (Anti-ageing)
Oct 23 2008 01:57 pm
What would you say to a diet that not only helped you shift four kilos, but also took 10 years off your face? Here we reveal the ultimate anti-ageing diet…


Most of us would like to lose a few kilos, but here’s a diet that will help you look and feel younger too. Food is a great way to ward off wrinkles and boost energy levels. If you choose wisely, your weekly shopping can be an effective anti-ager, as well as help to boost your health and keep you slim.

Tuck into oily fish

Hollywood stars including Kim Cattrall and Heidi Klum regularly tuck into oily fish to keep wrinkles at bay. They are devotees of The Perricone Diet – the brainchild of New York skin doctor Dr Nicholas Perricone.

He encourages his patients to eat plenty of oily fish because the essential fats found in them provide skin-loving antioxidants and mop up the free radicals that can cause wrinkles and prematurely aged skin. The best sources of this essential fatty acid are salmon, mackerel, fresh tuna steaks and sardines.

The high protein content of oily fish also helps keep skin firm – and has the added bonus of keeping you slim.

Drink up

The biggest anti-ager is water. It’s been said before many times, but water really is essential for good health and good looks. The reason skin looks so grey, dry and wrinkled after too many cocktails is because alcohol dehydrates the skin.

Drinking enough water has the reverse effect, and plumps up the skin and flushes out the toxins that cause a dull complexion and wrinkles. Room temperature water is best, but there are plenty of other “liquid-facelifts” out there.

Soya milk is a good choice. Studies show it helps speed up the production of collagen – the “building bricks” of skin. As we age, collagen breaks down, so wrinkles form. But by keeping collagen levels high, you’ll stay younger looking for longer.

Get a fruity facelift

If you want to look younger, fill up on fruit. First up is kiwi fruit – one of the richest sources of vitamin C around. Just one kiwi fruit contains 100 per cent of your recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is fantastic for skin because it helps build collagen and mops up ageing toxins.

Have a portion of berries every day too. Blue, black and red berries all protect the body against ageing because they’re full of antioxidants called phytochemicals.    Sprinkle a small handful on your cereal every morning, or snack on them in between meals.     

Lastly, try some prunes and raisins. Scientists have developed a scale for rating food according to how many anti-ageing antioxidants it contains. Prunes and raisins came out top, so it’s no surprise that Hollywood star Demi Moore admitted recently she eats prunes every single day.

Skin-loving carbs

Forget the Atkins diet – if you want great skin, you need carbs. Go for oats, we say. Apart from keeping you energised all morning, studies show that oats contain high levels of a mineral called silicic acid that plumps up the cells in skin, creating a youthful bounce. It also slows down the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Madonna became a huge fan of porridge, after Sting’s wife Trudi Styler suggested she eat it every morning to knock years off her face and that it will give her plenty of energy for her gruelling work-outs. Go for a bowl every morning, and top with berries for a double anti-ageing whammy.

   Bread is another skin saviour. But not just any old bread – ditch the white, and go for multigrain bread instead (ideally loaded with seeds). It’s full of selenium, which fights the ageing process by preserving the elasticity in your skin.

Age-busting superfoods

1 Almonds: They’re packed full of omega-3 fats and protein, which help skin repair itself. Plus they’re a great source of vitamin E, which studies show can prevent wrinkles.
Top tip: Have a small handful every afternoon.

2 Olive oil: A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition looked at the link between olive oil and wrinkles. Scientists found that people living in hot countries with fewer wrinkles all had high intakes of olive oil.
Top tip: Swap vegetable oil for olive oil, or drizzle it cold on salads.

3 Tomatoes:Their magic ingredient is lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Apart from reducing the risk of certain cancers, lycopene also protects the skin against sun damage and keeps it looking younger.
Top tip:Add them to salads. Lycopene is also found in ketchup, tomato pasta sauces and pizza toppings.

4Broccoli:It’s great for fighting free radicals in the body. Free radicals are harmful substances found in the environment, such as pollution, which age us. Anything that mops up free radicals, like broccoli, is great at keeping skin young.
Top tip: Chop  them up and add to stirfries, curries and even lasagne.
Chocolate, tea, coffee and cranberries: key to longevity
Oct 21 2008 11:10 pm



Forget sweating it out on the treadmill or long walks, for a leading nutritional scientist has found the secret to a long and healthy life, and it has nothing to do with cutting on the carbs: it's chocolate, coffee and tea.

Professor Gary Williamson, from the department of food science at Leeds University, has produced a list of 20 "lifespan essential" foodstuffs.

Besides chocolate, coffee and tea, the list includes apples, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and much more.
The veggies and fruits are rich in naturally occurring chemicals, known as polyphenols, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits including protection against heart disease.

The expert said that foodstuffs on the list, which is dominated by fruits and vegetables, can also help to slow down the ageing process by helping to protect cells from the natural damage that occurs over time.

"Epidemiology studies support the protective effects of polyphenol-rich foods. Lack of these components in the diet, because of low intake of fruit and vegetables, increases the risk of chronic disease," the Telegraph quoted the expert, as saying.