Health
Avocado Pear Helps The Eyes
Avocados are power foods that should not be taken for granted. Though they are highly seasonal and expensive, yet contain eye friendly nutrients like lutein, a natural antioxidant in the carotenoid family, and beneficial fats that may aid its absorption.
Currently, we know of about 600 different carotenoids that exist in nature; lutein is one of only two (the other is zeaxanthin) comprehensively shown to help maintain eye health as we age.
It works by filtering out blue light which can damage the macula – the small area at the centre of the retina responsible for what we see straight in front of us, at the centre of our field of vision. The yellow colour of the macula comes from the lutein and zeaxanthin in our diets.
Macular damage, or age-related macular degeneration, is a leading cause of vision loss among people aged 50 and older and lutein supplements are often recommended to help maintain the thickness or density of the macular pigment.Researchers in the US have found that a daily use of avocado can help preserve the macula – the part of the retina responsible for our central vision.
According to them, avocados contain lutein – though at lower levels than are found in most supplements. Yet daily consumption doubled the density of the macular pigment compared to previous studies using supplements. It is believed that the fats in avocados aid bioavailability.
A supplemental finding was that the increase in macular pigment density was related to improvements in working memory and problem solving.
The small study, published in the journal Nutrients, involved 40 healthy adults aged 50 and older, who ate either one avocado each day or a control diet consisting of either one potato or a cup of chickpeas daily over a six month period.
Chickpeas and potatoes were selected as a control diet because they have a similar calorie content to avocados but contain a negligible amount of lutein and monounsaturated fats.
After six months, the scientists from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University found that blood lutein levels in avocado group had significantly increased, by 25 percent compared to a 15 percent increase in the potato/chickpea-control group. However, only participants in the avocado group experienced significant increases in macular pigment density (MPD).
Lutein supplements typically contain 10-12 mg of lutein and 0.5 mg of zeaxanthin per day. Previous research by this same team found significant increases in MPD after four months of supplementation.
In contrast, avocados provided a lower daily lutein dose (0.5 mg) but, in this study, more than doubled the MPD compared to the supplement.
“This suggests that other components in avocado are particularly effective in the enrichment of neural lutein. The most likely components are monounsaturated fatty acids,” they wrote.
The study also had a bonus finding: the increase in macular pigment density was related to improvements in working memory and problem solving.
The researchers were not able to explain the finding but, earlier this year, data examining paediatric brain tissue suggested that 60 percent of the total carotenoids in the paediatric brain were lutein, even though lutein is only about 12 percent of the carotenoids in the average infant’s diet. This accumulation suggests that the brain has a preference for lutein.
Other studies have shown that consumption of lutein is linked to the preservation of what is termed the “crystallised intelligence” – essentially, the ability to use the skills and knowledge one has acquired over a lifetime.
Lead investigator, Jean Mayer, observed that a balanced diet including fresh avocados may be an effective strategy for health.
By: Kevin Nengia
Health
Taraba Confirms Lassa Fever Outbreak
The authorities in Taraba State Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed the outbreak of Lassa Fever in the State.
Making the confirmation in an interview, State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Gbangsheya Buma disclosed that out of the nine suspected cases that were recorded last Friday, eight turned out positive for the viral haemorrhagic fever.
Buma stated that the state Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, NCDC, and the Federal Medical Center, Jalingo, FMC, authorities to contain the spread of the disease.
“It is not a surprising thing, this is the season, and we have made preparations, though the outbreak may be overwhelming.
“I just received support from NCDC; they have sent some people here to provide technical support with the aim of stopping the progress of the disease.
“We are actually on top of it. We have provided support as a state to the FMC to provide free treatment to patients of Lassa fever,” he said.
Acting Head of Clinical Services at FMC Jalingo, Joseph Kuni, provided further insight on the outbreak, revealing that the center currently has ten patients in its isolation ward, with some awaiting test results.
Kuni said, “From January to February, the center had recorded 19 deaths from the isolation center.
“From January to February, we sent 105 samples, and 60 of them came out positive for Lassa Fever while 39 came out negative. The remaining ones are still being awaited.”
He explained that due to a fire outbreak that affected the modular laboratory last year, the center cannot perform tests locally, so they send samples to Bauchi or Abuja for testing.
Additionally, Kuni confirmed that one medical doctor from the hospital was affected but has since been treated and discharged.
Kuni emphasised the need for more assistance considering the alarming number of cases, particularly from the central part of the state.
Warning that Lassa Fever is endemic in Nigeria, Kuni said with sporadic outbreaks occurring primarily during the dry season, and it is transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated food or household items.
Health
Experts Warn On Excess Consumption Of Sweetened Beverages
Drinking two litres or more per week of artificially sweetened beverages — the equivalent of a medium-sized fast-food diet soda a day — raises the risk of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation by 20 percent when compared to people who drank none, a new study found.
Known as A-fib, atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat often described by many people who have it as a “quiver,” “flutter” or “flip-flop” of the heart in the chest.
Drinking a similar number of added-sugar beverages raised the risk of the condition by 10 percent, while drinking about four ounces of pure, unsweetened juices, such as orange or vegetable juice, was associated with an 8 percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation, the study found.
“This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, in a statement. She was not involved in the new study.
While the study could only show an association between sweetened drinks and A-fib, the relationship remained after accounting for any genetic susceptibility to the condition. A 2017 study found people with European ancestry had about a 22 percent risk of inheriting the condition.
This heart condition may affect one in four women after menopause, the study further reveals”We still need more research on these beverages to confirm these findings and to fully understand all the health consequences on heart disease and other health conditions,” Kris-Etherton said.
“In the meantime, water is the best choice, and, based on this study, no- and low-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided,” she added.
Atrial fibrillation is dangerous and on the rise and is the leading cause of stroke in the United States. In addition, strokes connected to A-fib tend to be “more severe than strokes with other underlying causes,” according to the united states centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Atrial fibrillation can also lead to blood clots, heart failure and “can increase the risk for heart attack, for dementia, for kidney disease. All of those things are likely long term risks,” Dr. Gregory Marcus, Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and associate chief of cardiology for research at UCSF Health, told The Tide’s in an interview.
Health
Ogun Seals College’s Nursing Department Over Illegal Operations
The Nursing Department of the Harvarde College of Science Business and Management Studies in Abeokuta has been shut.
The department was sealed yesterday for operating without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
The enforcement team comprised officials of enforcement team of the Ogun Ministry of Health and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee (SNMC).
Speaking during the enforcement exercise, the Permanent Secretary, Ogun Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Oladehinde, said that the private institution had been offering a degree programme in Nursing Sciences.
He added that this had been going on for about six years without accreditation from the regulatory body.
Oladehinde, represented by the Acting Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Serifat Aminu, said that such unauthorised programme contributed to quackery in nursing and posed a threat to public health.
According to him, the nursing department of the institution will remain sealed until fully accredited.
He described a degree in Nursing obtained from Harvarde College and similar institutions without NMCN accreditation as worthless, stating that graduates would be unable to obtain a valid license to practice in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
“We have discovered that many institutions, including Harvarde College, offer nursing degrees to unsuspecting students.
“Our mission is to clamp down on such institutions because they end up producing quacks in the nursing profession.
“This is dangerous for society. Unfortunately, most students are unaware that their time is being wasted,” he said.
The permanent secretary advised parents and candidates desiring to pursue nursing or related programmes to conduct due diligence by checking the NMCN website for a list of accredited institutions, saying the regulatory body updated the list yearly.
He warned parents to be cautious of institutions making false claims, assuring that the Ogun government would continue to work diligently against quackery in both the education and practice of the nursing profession in the state.
Responding, a 300-level student, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed shock at the institution’s lack of accreditation, regretting the amount of money her parents had spent on the
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