Plant for Health

https://theconversation-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/theconversation.com/amp/newly-discovered-species-of-bacteria-in-the-microbiome-may-be-a-culprit-behind-rheumatoid-arthritis-193267

Newly discovered species of bacteria in the microbiome may be a culprit behind rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis leads to painful joint inflammation, often in the hands and wrists. Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Images Newly discovered species of bacteria in the microbiome may be a culprit behind rheumatoid arthritis Meagan Chriswell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus....

Study finds curcumin is a potential therapeutic agent against the Omicron variant of SARS-Co

Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by plants of the Curcuma longa species. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is sold as an herbal supplement, cosmetics ingredient, food flavoring, and food coloring.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220429/Study-finds-curcumin-is-a-potential-therapeutic-agent-against-the-Omicron-variant-of-SARS-CoV-2.aspx

Study finds curcumin is a potential therapeutic agent against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 A recent study demonstrated that the phytochemical curcumin is a potent therapeutic prospect against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

There is a link between obesity and gut microbiome, while fermented food can increase the good microbiome and decrease inflammation.

Obesity and the Microbiome “Now we know it is not that simple,” writes Alessio Fasano, M.D., and co-author Susie Flaherty in their 2021 book, “Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health.”

Bacterial sensing via neuronal Nod2 regulates appetite and body temperature

Decoding a Direct Dialog Between the Gut Microbiota and the Brain - Neuroscience News Hypothalamic neurons directly detect variations in bacterial activity and adapt appetite and body temperature accordingly. The findings demonstrate a direct dialog occurs between the brain and the gut microbiota.

What is vitamin U?

Vitamin U is a term introduced in the early 1950s to identify a compound in cabbage juice. Despite its name, vitamin U is not a true vitamin but rather a derivative of the amino acid methionine (1Trusted Source).

Examples of methionine derivatives often called vitamin U include S-methylmethionine (SMM), methylmethionine sulfonium (SMM), and 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl dimethylsulfonium.

Vitamin U is available not only as a supplement but also found naturally in various foods, particularly cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and kale.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-u #:~:text=Despite%20its%20name%2C%20vitamin%20U,amino%2D3%2Dcarboxypropyl%20dimethylsulfonium.

Vitamin U: Benefits, Side Effects, Foods, and More Vitamin U refers to an amino acid derivative found in several cruciferous vegetables. This article explains vitamin U's benefits, side effects, and more.

The link between our gut bacteria and long covid. This article provides insights into the long-lasting effects of covid, including neurotropism, respiratory, inflammatory, etc. This is a 5-minute read and may improve your symptoms.

Long COVID: Gut bacteria may be key A first-of-its kind study finds evidence of a link between gut dysbiosis and the development of long COVID.

What’s the difference between sugar, other natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners? A food chemist explains sweet science

I am a chemist who studies compounds found in nature, and I am also a lover of food. With confusing food labels claiming foods and beverages to be diet, zero-sugar or with “no artificial sweeteners,” it can be confusing to know exactly what you are consuming.

So what are these sweet molecules? How can cane sugar and artificial sweeteners produce such similar flavors? First, it is helpful to understand how taste buds work.

Taste buds and chemistry

The “taste map” – the idea that you taste different flavors on different parts of your tongue – is far from the truth. People are able to taste all flavors anywhere there are taste buds. So what’s a taste bud?

Taste buds are areas on your tongue that contain dozens of taste receptor cells. These cells can detect the five flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. When you eat, food molecules are dissolved in saliva and then washed across the taste buds, where they bind to the different taste receptor cells. Only molecules with certain shapes can bind to certain receptors, and this produces the perception of different flavors.

Why People with Joint Pain Rely On This Gummy To 'Feel Better Now'
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Molecules that taste sweet bind to specific proteins on the taste receptor cells called G-proteins. When a molecule binds these G-proteins, it triggers a series of signals that are sent to the brain where it is interpreted as sweet.

Natural sugars

Natural sugars are types of carbohydrates known as saccharides that are made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. You can imagine sugars as rings of carbon atoms with pairs of oxygen and hydrogen attached to the outside of the rings. The oxygen and hydrogen groups are what make sugar sticky to the touch. They behave like Velcro, sticking to the oxygen and hydrogen pairs on other sugar molecules.

The simplest sugars are single-molecule sugars called monosaccharides. You’ve probably heard of some of these. Glucose is the most basic sugar and is mostly made by plants. Fructose is a sugar from fruit. Galactose is a sugar in milk.

Table sugar – or sucrose, which comes from sugar cane – is an example of a dissacharide, a compound made of two monosaccharides. Sucrose is formed when a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule join together. Other common dissacharides are lactose from milk and maltose, which comes grains.

When these sugars are eaten, the body processes each of them slightly differently. But eventually they are broken down into molecules that your body converts into energy. The amount of energy from sugar – and all food – is measured in calories.

High fructose corn syrup

High fructose corn syrup is a staple of U.S. foods, and this hybrid sugar sweetener needs a category all on its own. High fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch – the main carbohydrate found in corn. Corn starch is made of thousands of glucose molecules bonded together. At an industrial scale, the starch is broken into individual glucose molecules using enzymes. This glucose is then treated with a second enzyme to convert some of it into fructose. Generally, high fructose corn syrup is roughly 42%-55% fructose.

This blend is sweet and cheap to produce but has a high calorie content. As with other natural sugars, too much high fructose corn syrup is bad for your health. And since most processed foods and drinks are packed full of the stuff, it is easy to consume too much.

Natural nonsugar sweeteners

The second category of sweeteners could be defined as natural nonsugar sweeteners. These are food additives such as stevia and monk fruit, as well as natural sugar alcohols. These molecules aren’t sugars, but they can still bind to the sweet receptors and therefore taste sweet.

Stevia is a molecule that comes from the leaves of the Stevia redaudiana plant. It contains “sweet” molecules that are much larger than most sugars and have three glucose molecules attached to them. These molecules are 30 to 150 times sweeter than glucose itself. The sweet molecules from monk fruit are similar to stevia and 250 times sweeter than glucose.

The human body has a really hard time breaking down both stevia and monk fruit. So even though they’re both really sweet, you don’t get any calories from eating them.

Sugar alcohols, like sorbital, for example, are not as sweet as sucrose. They can be found in a variety of foods, including pineapples, mushrooms, carrots and seaweed, and are often added to diet drinks, sugar-free chewing gum and many other foods and drinks. Sugar alcohols are made of chains of carbon atoms instead of circles like normal sugars. While they are composed of the same atoms as the sugars, sugar alcohols are not absorbed well by the body so they are considered low-calorie sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners

The third way to make something sweet is to add artificial sweeteners. These chemicals are produced in labs and factories and are not found in nature. Like all things that taste sweet, they do so because they can bind to certain receptors in taste buds.

So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six artificial sweeteners. The most well known are probably saccharin, aspartame and sucralose – better known as Splenda. Artificial sweeteners all have different chemical formulas. Some resemble natural sugars while others are radically different. They are usually many times sweeter than sugar – saccharin is an incredible 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar – and some of them are hard for the body to break down.

While a sweet dessert may be a simple pleasure for many, the chemistry of how your taste buds perceive sweetness is not so simple. Only molecules with the perfect combination of atoms taste sweet, but bodies deal with each of these molecules differently when it comes to calories. DM/ML

This story was first published in The Conversation.

Kristine Nolin is an associate professor of Chemistry at the University of Richmond.
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/what-s-the-difference-between-sugar-other-natural-sweeteners-and-artificial-sweeteners-a-food-chemist-explains-sweet-science/ar-AATiW5R?ocid=winp1taskbar

Did you know...?

Cow milk is only good enough for calfs and if you give them milk off the store shelves they will die. The milk farming industry takes the calf away from the mother almost immediately whereafter it will cry for days. The cow needs to give birth before she can actually produce milk. After this the farmers will let her have at least two more calfs before selling her as cheap meat. After going through all this hardship it is difficult to believe that the majority of the population can't even digest the milk sugar lactose anyway. The salt balance is very high and causes an imbalance in the cells with detrimental consequences such as cancer. Goat milk on the other hand is a better option and the kid doesn't need to be taken away from the mother. She will have enough milk to feed her baby and supply extra milk.

Sunburn!

Scared you might be flaking on your friends?

So you missed the previous two posts and are now sunburned and pretending not to be in pain. I get you!

Here are some ideas you can try:

Water

The American Academy of Dermatology promotes drinking plenty of water post sunburn to stay well hydrated. (Alcohol is a diuretic and will not help your situation)

Tea

Add green or black tea to your bathwater and make sure the bathwater temperature is comfortable. The tannic acid and anti-oxidants can help to repair damaged skin according to a study in Pharmacognosy Review.

Greek Yoghurt

The lactic acid in Greek yoghurt (which contains more Lactobacillus probiotics than regular yoghurt) can soothe the inflammation while providing essential moisture to your sunburned skin.

Oatmeal

When your skin is itchy and irritated you can soak in oatmeal. Take oats from the pantry, add to blender with water, make sure your bathwater is a comfortable temperature, add the oatmeal and relax.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera Gel is highly recommended by most people, although I tried it myself and while it did help to calm the burning sensation for about 30 minutes each time, it wasn’t my favourite treatment. I guess Aloe Vera is great in its natural form but adding preservatives and chemicals to the product for selling on the shelves steals the most beneficial values.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil was my most favourite product to use after most of the heat was gone. It really moisturized against the dryness and irritation, but please remember to wait for any blistering to clear before using.

Anti-inflammatory

Instead of grapping anti-inflammatory medication rather try anti-inflammatory fruit like berries, apples, stone fruit and pomegranate with added benefits.



Don’ts



Blisters

If your skin blisters, you have to allow it to heal by itself as this means you have a second- degree sunburn. Do not pop your blisters as this can cause pigmentation and scarring.

More Sunburn

Do not go into the sun with already sunburned skin or popped blisters, but protect with SPF and beach cover-ups.

Oil on Heat

Stay away from any moisturizers or petroleum products within the first few days of sunburn as these will trap the heat within the skin and cause blisters and peeling.

Fire & Ice

Never use water that is too cold or two warm. Hot water will intensify the problem as it increases the blood vessels (vasodilation).With a study published in the journal Burns (1997), scientists compared easing burns with ice cubes for 10 minutes with other remedies and concluded that “ice caused the most severe damage”.

What is the deal with sunscreen anyway?

The sun omits two types of UV rays - UVA (aging) causing long term damage and UVB (burning) causing immediate damage and skin cancer in the long run. Sunscreens can absorb, degrade, deactivate and reflect these rays depending which one you choose.

SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor” and gets measured by the sunscreen’s ability to protect from UVB rays. If you normally experience sunburn within the first minute on your unprotected skin, SPF 15 will theoretically prevent reddening 15 times longer. If you make the same calculation with SPF 30, you will theoretically be protected for 300 minutes or 5 hours. Note, the SPF still does not protect against UVA and the bad aftermath of wrinkles. In America the skin cancer rate is 1 in 5 and mostly caused by UVA rays.

Are broad spectrum SPF available?
Yes, the broad spectrum SPF protects against UVA & UVB rays

There are also mineral and chemical sunscreens on the market with both regarded as safe by the FDA, the mineral sunscreen seems to be trusted more.

Fact: only 25-50% of people apply the recommended amount for sufficient protection.

A study published in September 2018 in JAMA Dermatology reveals that regular sunscreen use in young adults is strongly associated with a reduced risk of melanoma.

Constant reapplication is the secret🤫, while other methods like hats and beach cover ups is a great way for extra protection.

SPF 15 ▶️ mild protection (Filter out +/- 93% UVB rays)
SPF 15-30 ▶️ moderate protection (Filter out +/- 97% UVB rays)
SPF 30 ▶️ safe (Filter out +/- 98% UVB rays)

THE LINK BETWEEN 🍅 AND SUNBURN

Carotenoids is a phytonutrient (plant chemical) found in many fruits and vegetables like the carotene in carrots and lycopene in tomatoes. These carotenoids are responsible for the bright red, yellow and orange hues in many fruits and vegetables. A 2010 study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that patients who ate tomato paste over a period of 10 weeks were 40 percent less likely to be sunburned due to the lycopene content. Scientia Horticulturae (May 2013) found tomato fruits receiving greater amounts of light were able to accumulate more lycopene. This means that the use of plastic or glass covers in greenhouses affects our fruit, the carotenoid accumulation and ultimately our sunburn and skin cancer.

Lycopene content and color index of tomatoes are affected by the greenhouse cover
Jarquín-Enríquez, L. & Mercado-Silva, Edmundo & Maldonado, J.L. & Lopez-Baltazar, Javier. (2013). Lycopene content and color index of tomatoes are affected by the greenhouse cover. Scientia Horticulturae. 155. 43–48. 10.1016/j.scienta.2013.03.004

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST KETO ALMOND YEAST BREAD
(GRAIN, WHEAT, GLUTEN & SUGAR FREE)
NUTRITION FACTS
Total servings = 16
Per serving;
Net carb = 3 g
Calories = 126
Total fat = 9.3 g
Protein = 5.6 g
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
Almond flour = 300 g / 2 1/2 cups
Psyllium husk powder = 45 g / 5 tbsp.(Note: The psyllium husks must be ground until half its original volume before using as it will be more effective to absorb the water and this is actually more suitable for baking. However, if you are using pre ground psyllium powder, you only need to use around 1 to 3 tsp. Please see this video about psyllium husk and powder for better understanding and success - https://youtu.be/_bnCwudgFt4)
Baking Powder = 18 g / 4 tsp (If using double acting baking powder, amount should be reduced by half)
Instant Yeast = 9 g / 3 tsp
Salt = 1 tsp
Wet Ingredients
Large eggs = 6 whites or 4 whole (room temperature)
Apple cider vinegar = 57 g / 4 tbsp.
Very warm water = 170 ml / 0.7 cup / 11 ½ tbsp (122 to 132 F or 50 to 56 C)
DIRECTIONS
1. Boil a pot of water. Turn on the oven at 212 F or 100 C and leave the heat on during the entire proofing process. This will ensure constant warm temperature and together with the humidity from the boiling water, the yeast will thrive very well resulting in the bread rising much more. (THIS PROOFING PROCESS WAS UPDATED ON 5 MARCH 2020).
2. In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, psyllium husk powder and baking powder until well combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine salt, yeast, warm water and stir until the salt is dissolved.
4. Add the apple cider vinegar, egg whites and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until the yeast is well combined and a dough is formed.
5. Shape the dough into a loaf and place into a loaf pan measuring 7x3.5x2" or any suitable pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Cover the dough loosely with a dry towel.
7. Pour sufficient boiling water into a baking dish that fits the oven.
8. Place the baking dish with boiling water at the bottom of the oven and the dough above it. Close the oven door and let it proof for 1 hour. Do not open the oven door during the proofing process.
9. After 1 hour, remove the towel and turn on the oven heat at 350F or 180C to start the baking. It's not necessary to preheat the oven. If the top is browning too fast, cover with foil.
10. After baking for 1 hour, test with a wooden skewer. If it comes out clean, it's good. Turn off the oven, remove the bread from the pan and let it sit on a sheet panlet it sit on a sheet pan with the parchment paper inside the oven for about 40 to 60 mins. Remove the dish with water. The residual heat will continue to cook the bread and dry out the crumbs.

Recipe by ; lowcarbrecipeideas

This recipe is can be viewed and printed at this link
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1e36bM-z3FdkUJUaWvvAk59UqBkUbvB7bB0kj1oa6pqI/mobilebasic

https://youtu.be/XY1Ky8Y1RjM

Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Conclusions: Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but further high quality, placebo controlled trials are needed.

Abuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J. Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Evid Based Med. 2021 Apr;26(2):57-64. doi: 10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111336. Epub 2020 Aug 18. PMID: 32817011.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32817011/

Maybe we have to look after our gut bacteria to feel happier.

Gut Microbiota Plays a Role in Brain Function and Mood Regulation - Neuroscience News An imbalance in gut bacteria can cause the reduction of some metabolites, resulting in depression-like symptoms. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence for the role the microbiome plays in brain function and mental health.

Ginger is important in boosting the immune system due to its anti-inflammatory properties and also gut health among many others.

https://www.medicinalplants-pharmacognosy.com/herbs-medicinal-plants/ginger-root/benefits-infographic/