Is It Really Bad to Drink Blood?

Vampires are real, and they exist in all pockets of society. But is drinking blood safe? What does the science say about sipping on blood?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO.

The slightly less short answer is no because you’ll die in one of a number of unpleasant ways.

The threat of death might, to some, seem like a turn-off. And yet, real human vampires still exist.

So what is it about this gothic diet that sucks us in?

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Blood, as it exists inside you, is about 78% liquid.

When dried, it consists of about 93% protein and 1% carbohydrate. As far as protein powders go, those stats are pretty impressive. Unlike other meal supplements, however, blood is terribly low in minerals and vitamins. Malnutrition is just one of the many unpleasant ways you could die from trying to live on blood alone.

Read more at Particle

The Dilemma of the Gluten-Free Diet

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that eating gluten-free is nearly impossible, underscoring the need for better treatments for patients with celiac disease.

Experts say up to 1% of the global population has celiac disease, an autoimmune condition in which people develop an immune reaction to gluten. Gluten is a protein that appears in any food containing wheat, barley, and rye. The immune system reaction results in inflammation and damage in the lining of the small intestine, which can lead to medical complications, such as acute stomach pain and failure to absorb nutrients.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study used data from three prior clinical trials to estimate how much gluten 246 celiac patients were ingesting. The gluten measurements were based on either a stool or urine sample.

The study found that on average patients were ingesting 200 to 250 milligrams of gluten a day, says Jack Syage, CEO of immunogens, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based biotechnology company, and first author on the study. Someone without celiac disease eats about 7,500 to 10,000 milligrams of gluten a day.

Continue Reading at Wall Street Journal

What Diet Best Lowers Phthalate Exposure?

Phthalates are hormone-disrupting plastics chemicals linked to a number of adverse health effects, such as disturbing infant and child development, and, in adults, may affect reproductive health in men and endometriosis in women, and is associated with increased abdominal fat in both.

What is the most major exposure source? Diet. If you have people stop eating for a few days, you get a significant drop in the amount of phthalates spilling out in their urine. One can only fast for so long, though. Thankfully, we can see similar drops just from eating a plant-based diet for a few days, which gives us a clue as to where most phthalates are found.

The highest levels are found in meats, fats, and dairy. Poultry consistently comes out as being the most contaminated across the board with some of the highest levels ever reported, though there are geographic exceptions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reference dose, which is like the maximum acceptable threshold, is 20 µg/kg-day, based on liver risk. Europe places their maximum daily intake for testicular toxicity at 50 µg/kg-day. So a typical infant diet exceeds the EPA’s safety level, “while a diet high in meat and dairy was over this threshold by approximately four times.

Read the full article at Care 2

Who’s Waging A ‘War On Science’ – Dems or Repubs?

We’ve been told conservatives don’t believe in science and that there’s a “Republican war on science.”

But John Tierney, who’s written about science for The New York Times for 25 years and now writes for the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, told me in my latest online video, “The real war on science is the one from the left.”

What about President George W. Bush banning government funding of stem cell research?

“He didn’t stop stem cell research,” Tierney reminds me. “The government wouldn’t fund it. It turned out that it really didn’t matter much.” Private funding continued and, so far, has not discovered much.

Some research on genetically modified foods became taboo because of protests from the left. That may have prevented a second Green Revolution to feed Africa.

Scientists can’t even talk about whether genes affect intelligence without being threatened by the left. Political scientists who continued to investigate the topic are screamed at on college campuses, the way Charles Murray, author of “The Bell Curve,” has been.

Read more at Yellow Hammer

Better Diet Data Via Tooth-Mounted Sensors

In First World countries, where famine is unheard of, people are instead eating themselves to death.

Oftentimes, diet studies rely on self-reported surveys and journals that are hostage to the whims of each participant. People forget. People feel self-conscious about their food choices and may fudge (pun intended) the data. However, a new sensor that fits on a person’s tooth could cut out this unpredictable variable—human nature— altogether.

Researchers from Tufts University School of Engineering designed a tiny sensor that, when stuck to a tooth, can wirelessly relay precise information about glucose, alcohol and salt intake. When the device comes in contact with salt, for example, its electrical properties shift, causing its other components to absorb and transmit different radiofrequency wavelengths unique to each chemical or nutrient. That information is then beamed to a mobile device for recording.

“In theory we can modify the bioresponsive layer in these sensors to target other chemicals – we are really limited only by our creativity,” says Fiorenzo Omenetto, an author on the study, which was published recently in the journal Advanced Materials. If you can put it in your mouth, it appears Omenetto and his team can measure it.

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3 Best Home Remedies for Cholera

Cholera is a deadly disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacterium. The disease cause demise in a less span and has claimed lives of many for the reason being, lacking knowledge about it.

However, this should not deter you from seeking medication. It is just the article is schooling you about home treatments that can be employed and nothing else.

Here are some home remedies for cholera infection;

Homemade ORS

Homemade ORS is effective in curing cholera. Homemade ORS can be made at home. Alternatively, you can go for ORS supplements in chemist accredited by the health organization.

Probiotic yogurt

Probiotic yogurt is highly endowed with healthy bacteria which combat the bacterium, boosts digestion and immune system.

Ginger

Ginger is a herb that has been widely used to cure a number of ailments including cholera.

U Report

Remedies for Las Vegas valley allergy sufferers

More than 50 million people in the United States have allergic diseases. But what help is there for those allergy sufferers?

The arrival of Spring also means the arrival of allergy season for many people. That’s because of the mulberry and ash trees. There are some local remedies such as honey and the Las Vegas mix, but do they work?

When it comes to remedies there are thousands but the two main ones are honey and the famous Las Vegas mix.

“I’ve heard that the honey really helps when you have the coughing or sore throat something like that,” said Alijaah Lemay, Nevada resident. “I know honey is really good for that kind of stuff.”

Although honey is produced by bees, allergists say the pollen from the flowers does not cause allergies, instead its pollen from the trees.

“It’s a local product,” Dr. Katz said. “They do something in every market . They’ll be a Los Angeles mix, Las Vegas mix. They’ll have it for every city and people try it and when it’s not working they come to the doctor we give them scientific proven remedies.”

Las Vegas Now

Is A Gluten-free Diet Good For You — If There’s NO Medical Reason For It?

If a doctor has diagnosed you with Celiac Disease, an allergy or another condition that requires you to avoid wheat or gluten, you should heed their advice on what to eat. A diagnosis like that could mean eating gluten is causing harm.

Gluten-free “becomes this synonym for health for people, and that’s actually very wrong. Just because it says ‘gluten-free’ does not mean it’s healthy,” said Dawn Jackson Blatner, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who works with the Chicago Cubs.

Simply grabbing the gluten-free versions of the packaged food you normally buy won’t provide you any benefits, Blatner said.

Additionally, eating a needlessly restrictive diet can impact the function of your gastrointestinal system, she added.

“The diversity of our diet helps the microbiome in the gut,” she said.

So how do you know if you need to avoid gluten? Pay attention to what you eat and how you feel afterward.

Continue Reading in Chicago Sun-Times

Ketogenic Diet: Does It Make You Feel Athlete?

A recent study, published in the journal Sports, poses a different question: Can the ketogenic diet make you a better athlete? A team based at the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University asked 12 participants to partake in a 12-week study to measure body composition, metabolic, and performance parameters in CrossFit practitioners.

The researchers wanted to better understand how the ketogenic diet affects resistance training, as a previous study with mice demonstrated that a low-carbohydrate diet reduces muscle mass. The authors addressed this controversy by pointing to their own six-week study with mice, noting that a ketogenic diet does not impair muscle glycogen levels or affect muscle protein synthesis in comparison to an isocaloric Western diet (consuming the same quantity of calories from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates each day).

For this study, seven volunteers in the ketogenic group were asked to return food logs after being given basic keto dietary guidelines. Only four complied, but given blood ketone levels measured in abstaining volunteers, researchers were confident they’d followed the diet for the duration of the study. The control group did not have to keep track of food intake.

Read the full article at Big Think

6 Homemade Remedies To Lighten Dark Armpits

There are so many causes of dark underarm that ladies most times do not pay attention to.

Some of the main causes of dark underarms are shaving, regular use of hair removing creams, excessive sweating, poor ventilation of underarms, accumulation of dead skin cells, and use of alcohol-based deodorants and antiperspirants.

1. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is another good option to get rid of dark underarms. Coconut oil contains vitamin E that can help lighten the underarms. At the same time, it will also work as an effective natural deodorant.
2. Milk
The vitamins and fatty acids present in milk can help minimize underarm darkening. It will help soften the skin and make the skin tone much lighter. Mix two tablespoons of full-fat milk, one tablespoon flour and one teaspoon of plain yogurt to make a thick paste.
3. Orange peel
Orange peels can be used to lighten the skin under your arms due to their skin lightening and exfoliating properties. To get rid of dark underarms using this ingredient, put some orange peels in the sun for a few days until they dry out completely. Grind the dried peels into powder form.

More of this news at Information Nigeria