Pesticide Residues On Fruit And Veg Could Affect Sperm Health

by Justine Alford

Eating lots of fruits and veg with high amounts of residual pesticide on them could have negative effects on sperm health, a new study has found. According to the results, in men who are already seeking fertility treatment, consuming such produce is associated with not only lower sperm counts, but also fewer normal sperm.

But before you chuck that apple, the researchers found that total fruit and veg intake was completely unrelated to semen quality, and the study only investigated men who were attending fertility clinics. However, if the same holds true for the general population, the findings could have both clinical and public health implications. The study has been published in Human Reproduction, alongside a discussion article.

It has been known for some time that certain pesticides are capable of disrupting the human endocrine system, which is our network of glands and hormones that regulates various bodily functions. It’s therefore no surprise that a wealth of studies have shown how some of these chemicals could negatively impact our reproductive function. Back in the ‘70s, for example, a number of infertility cases, including men with a complete absence of sperm, were reported in a pesticide factory that were convincingly linked to occupational exposure of the chemical DBCP.

But while numerous studies have looked into how environmental or occupational exposure to pesticides could be adversely affecting reproductive function, few have looked into the potential impacts of exposure through diet. To address this gap, scientists from Harvard School of Public Health decided to investigate the relationship between consumption of fruits and vegetables and their pesticide residues with semen quality.

For their study, the researchers enrolled 155 men aged 18-55 who had been attending a fertility center between 2007-2012. Alongside analyzing a total of 338 semen samples, they also obtained data about the participants’ diets through a questionnaire that was designed to find out their average intake of fruit and veg. Using information from the annual U.S. Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program, the researchers classed the produce consumed as being either high, moderate or low in pesticide residues. Peas and onions, for example, fell into the low category, whereas apples and strawberries fell into the high category.

Next, they divided the men into groups depending on how much fruit and vegetables they ate of the three different pesticide residue categories. After adjusting for things like BMI, smoking and abstinence time, the researchers found that although total fruit and veg intake was not related to measures of semen quality, intake of high-pesticide produce was linked to poorer semen health.

Those who ate the highest amount of pesticide-laden fruit and veg had close to 50% fewer total sperm in their samples than men who consumed the least. Furthermore, pesticide consumption was also associated with a reduction in normally formed sperm as those who consumed the most had 32% fewer morphologically normal sperm than those in the lowest consumption groups.

While the findings are interesting, it’s necessary to highlight the fact that only men who were already seeking fertility treatment were examined, half of whom had at least one issue with sperm quality, meaning it’s difficult to generalize the findings. More studies are therefore required to examine the effects on different populations, especially since genetics could also play a role. 

[Via Human Reproduction, Oxford University Press and Live Science]

20 Reasons Why Guava Is Truly The Ultimate Super Fruit.

by Dr Janardhana Hebbar

Guavas are plants in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) genus Psidium. The term “guava” appears to derive from the Arawak (indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) guayabo “guava tree”, via the Spanish guayaba. Another term for guavas is pera, derived from pear derived from Spanish or Portuguese common to regions around the western Indian Ocean. Amrood is another term used in Indian subcontinent and Middle East, possibly deriving from armoot meaning “pear” in Arabic and Turkish languages. In Egypt, it is called gawafa.

Classified as a berry by most botanists, each guava berry is covered by a rough green rind that turns yellow when ripe. The pulp inside occurs in colors of white, pink, or red with numerous tiny, semi-hard edible seeds, concentrated especially at its center. The fruit is soft when ripe with sweet musky aroma and creamy in texture. Ripe fruits have rich flavor with sweet-tart taste.

The early Spanish explorers of the 1500′s found Strawberry Guava, ‘Acca sellowiana O.,’ growing as a native tree in America, where they were firmly established from Mexico southward to Peru. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Guavas are now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, subtropical regions of North America, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and Spain.

TOP 20 HEALTH BENEFITS OF GUAVA:

1. Relieves Diarrhea & Dysentery: Astringents, in guava, are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines. Other nutrients such as vitamin-C, Carotenoids and potassium, strengthen and tone the digestive system.
2. Eye Care: Vitamin A or retinol slows down the appearance of cataracts, macular degeneration, and prevents degradation of eyesight and night blindness.
3. Brain Health: Guavas contain Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B6 (niacin and pyridoxine), which helps in improving blood circulation to the brain, relaxing your nerves and stimulating cognitive function.
4. Regulates thyroid: Guavas contain the trace element Copper which regulates thyroid metabolism, helping to control hormone production and absorption.
5. Diabetics cure: Rich in fibre and with a low glycaemic index, guavas, help to regulate the absorption of sugar by the body and can be consumed for prevention and cure of Type 2 diabetes.
6. Effective Laxative: Constipation is caused when food is stuck in our colon. Guava, super rich in fibre, aids the body in retaining water and thoroughly cleaning your intestines and excretory system.
7. Nervous Relaxant: Guava is magnesium rich food which acts as a nervous relaxant. It helps to relax muscles and nerves of the body.
8. For pregnant mothers: Guavas contain Folic acid, or Vitamin B-9, which is recommended for pregnant women since it can help in developing the foetus’s nervous system and protect the newborn from neurological disorders.
9. For Fertility: Guavas contain good amount of Folate which help to boost fertility in humans.
10. Speeds Absorption:  Being rich in Manganese, Guavas help the body in quick absorption of key nutrients like biotin, vitamins, minerals from the food that we eat.
11. Immunity Booster: Vitamin C provides a huge boost in antioxidants, which are the major lines of defense against the proliferation of free radicals in the body.
12. Infection Control:Relieves coughs and colds by reducing mucus, disinfecting the respiratory tract, throat and lungs, and inhibiting microbial activity with its astringent properties.
13. Aids Weight loss: Guava is very rich in vitamins, proteins, fibre and minerals and has no cholesterol and a very low number of digestible carbohydrates.
14. Cancer Cure: Being rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants like Lycopene, eating guavas can protect your cells from damage and reduce chances of prostate, breast, and oral cancers.
15. Skin Care: Vitamins, minerals and nutrients, in conjunction with Guava’s astringent property, help keep your skin toned, hydrated, improves elasticity, removes blemishes, acne, dark spots, blackheads, wrinkles and pimples.
16. Scurvy Buster: A deficiency of vitamin-C can cause scurvy, and proper intake of super vitamin-C rich guavas are the best remedy for this dangerous disease.
17. Anti-ageing: Guavas are rich in Vitamin A, B, C and potassium which are good antioxidants and detoxifiers. Lycopene and carotene protect the healthy cells from toxins and UV rays rendering your skin wrinkles free.
18. Blood pressure Stabilizer: Potassium in Guava helps to reduce cholesterol in the blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining the fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure.
19. Combats Hair Loss: Rich in vitamin C, guava helps promote healthy hair growth. It also helps in combating hair loss problems.
20. Oral Care:  The juice of guava leaves has been known to cure toothaches, swollen gums & oral ulcers, and the juice speeds up the healing power of wounds when applied externally.



Side Effects and Precautions:

No side effects have been reported for excessive consumption of guava. But herbal supplements derived from the plant and fruits need to be taken under medical supervision.
http://www.curejoy.com/content/20-reasons-why-guava-is-truly-the-ultimate-super-fruit/

Thank Your Gut Bacteria For Making Chocolate Healthful

by MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF

Boy, it's a good time to be a dark-chocolate lover.

We've noted before the growing evidence that a daily dose of the bitter bean
may help reduce blood pressure. There also seems to be

 a link between a regular chocolate habit and lower body weight.

Now scientists are offering an explanation for just why cocoa powder may be
good for the heart and waistline. The magic may reside 

in our microbes.

The friendly bacteria in our guts can gobble up cocoa powder and turn it into
 compounds known to help the heart, food scientists 

from Louisiana State University reported Tuesday at the American Chemical
 Society meeting in Dallas.

The critters also convert the cocoa powder into molecules that reduce
inflammation and help tell us when we're full.

 For centuries, people have been attributing a vast array of health benefits 
to eating chocolate, from curing infertility and fatigue to 

fever and dental problems. But so far, the links to lower blood pressure and
 heart health have been the strongest — and one of the 

few benefits to pass muster in the eyes of science."These are good
compounds to have in your gut," says John Finley, who led 

the study. "They can get absorbed into your blood" and protect cells in your
blood vessels from stress, he says.

"I was holding out for scientists to prove chocolate's aphrodisiac effect,"
Finley jokes. "But it's the cardiovascular benefits that will 

probably pan out. Our findings are one more brick in the road to proving
that one."

Of course, Finley is talking about cocoa powder here: The stuff that has
 no sugar and milk in it. "Our results don't translate to a 

Hershey bar," he says. "But cocoa powder goes well with many foods.
I put it on my oatmeal every morning with berries."

Cocoa powder is packed with potent antioxidants, called polyphenols. These
 healthful molecules are also found in dark berries and 

black tea. And they're known to help the heart and possibly prevent cancer.

But there's one major problem with many polyphenols: They're so large that
 they don't get absorbed into the blood. That's where the

 critters in your gut can help out, Finley says.

Previous studies have found that gut bacteria like to feast on polyphenols
from blackberries and tea. So Finley wanted to see what 

the bugs would do with the polyphenols in cocoa powder.

"It's a rather yucky way of mimicking people's lower gut," Finely says. 
"It's just a mixture of fecal matter. We pay people $20 to

 give us a sample. We get a lot of graduate students to volunteer."He and
 his students passed the cocoa powder through a

 device that mimics the human gut. First, it treats the cocoa with enzymes
 like the ones in your stomach. And then the remaining 

material goes through an "artificial colon."

Sounds gross, but those "donations" are teeming with life — trillions of
bacteria that see the cocoa powder as a five-star dinner.

"The microbes break down the polyphenols into smaller molecules that
 are more likely to make it across the gut into the blood,"

 Finely says. Those compounds are the good ones that help reduce
 inflammation and stress in the blood vessels.

And the friendly bacteria don't stop there. They also feasted on the
fiber in cocoa powder, Finley and his team found. "The 

microbes break down the fiber into short fatty chain acids, which get
 absorbed and can have an effect on satiety," he says.

Of course, Finley and his team have to confirm their results in real
digestive tracts. "The next step is to give people cocoa powder

 and see if we can find these metabolites in the blood," he says.

Those types of experiments are critical to figuring out exactly what's
in chocolate that makes it healthy for the heart, says 

Joshua Lambert, a food scientist at Pennsylvania State University,
 who wasn't involved in the study.

"That's the big missing link right now," Lambert tells The Salt. We know
 now that gut bacteria can break down cocoa into compounds

 that have beneficial cardiovascular effects, he says. But we don't
 know yet if these are the critical ones inside the blood.

In the meantime, I'll keep indulging my gut bacteria with a few cubes
of extra dark chocolate each day. Seems like a win-win

 situation for both of us.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/18/290922850/chocolate
-turns-into-heart-helpers-by-gut-bacteria?

Munching Peanuts can Boost Your Fertility & Brain Power. 20 Other Health Facts.

by James Dudley

Munching Peanuts can Boost Your Fertility & Brain Power. 20 Other Health Facts.

The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), is a species in the legume or “bean” family (Fabaceae). The peanut is native to South America, Mexico and Central America. Peanuts are also referred to as earthnuts, ground nuts, goober peas, monkey nuts, pygmy nuts and pig nuts. Peanuts are not the same as tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.), which grow on trees but grow underground and are part of the plant family, legumes. Other examples of legumes include beans, peas, lentils and soybeans. Originating in Peru about 7,600 years, the plant was later spread worldwide by European traders. Although the peanut was mainly a garden crop and cattle feed for much of the colonial period of North America, it was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that agricultural production and human consumption of peanuts really took off.

TOP 20 HEALTH BENEFITS OF PEANUTS:

1. Promote Fertility: Intake of folic acid, before and during early pregnancy, reduces serious neural tube defects in the fetus by up to 70%.
2. Blood Sugar Regulation: Manganese, abundant in peanuts, plays a vital role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation.
3. Cholesterol Control: The mono-unsaturated fatty acids, especially Oleic acid, present in peanuts, help lower bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol in the body. Copper also assists in the body’s defense against coronary diseases.
4. Prevent Gallstones: Just eating an ounce of peanuts, or 2 tbps of peanut butter each week, can reduce your risk of gall stones formation or gallbladder diseases, by almost 25%.
5. Fights Depression: Peanuts are good sources of tryptophan, an essential amino acid critical for the production of serotonin, which is one of the key brain chemicals involved in mood regulation.
6. Boosts Memory Power: High levels of Vitamin B3 or Niacin content aid brain function and boosts memory power. Fatty acids provide excellent nutrition for nerve cells in the brain. Additionally, a flavonoid called Resveratrol helps improve blood flow to the brain significantly.
7. Prevents Heart Disease: Peanuts are rich in heart-friendly monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and antioxidants such as Oleic acid. Along with Resveratrol, they prevent heart diseases, cancers, nervous diseases and viral or fungal infections efficiently.
8. Prevents Cognitive Decline: A diet of Niacin-rich peanuts brings down the risks of neurodegenerative induced diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, by almost 70%.
9. Cancer Protection: Beta-sitoserol (SIT), a form of phytosterol, protects against cancer by inhibiting tumor growth. P-Coumaric acid has the ability to reduce the risk of stomach cancer by reducing the productions of carcinogenic nitrous-amines.
10. Weight Management: Peanuts are rich in fiber which means that eating peanuts before your meal can leave you feeling fuller and make you eat lesser. They also are good sources of energy and helpful in increasing your metabolic rate.
11. For Pregnant Women: Eating peanuts during pregnancy can decrease the risk of allergic diseases like asthma in newborns.
12. For Growing Children: Peanuts are a good source of protein and amino acids, providing rich energy needed by active growing children for overall body development.
13. Eliminates Toxins: Peanuts are loaded with fiber which helps in flushing out the excess toxins from your body. Toxins are responsible for breakouts, excess oil on our skin.
14. Hair Care: Vitamin C aids production of collagen that keeps tissues in our hair together. L-arginine, is used in male pattern baldness treatment along with omega 3 fatty acids which strengthen hair follicles and promote hair growth.
15. Reduces Stroke Risk: The poly-phenolic anti-oxidant, Resveratrol, in peanuts prevents heart strokes by increasing the production of nitric oxide.
16. Anti-Oxidant: Peanuts contain anti-oxidants in high concentrations like Biochanin-A and Genistein, which fight against damage from free radicals produced in the body.
17. Anti-inflammatory:  Omega 3 fatty reduce inflammation in the body to prevent skin eruptions, lowering the risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer. It also moisturizes and hydrates the skin from within to treat skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema.
18. Skin care: Vitamin E in peanuts defends against cell damage through oxidative stress, provides UV protection. Vitamin C, which helps production of collagen, is required to sustain tendons, skin and cartilage. Beta carotene is converted into Vitamin A in the body which helps in the growth and repair of body tissues. Peanuts are very effective for treating skin problems like pustules, skin rashes and rosacea.
19. Vitamin Store: Peanuts contain B complex vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, and Pantothenic acid.
20. Mineral Store: Potassium, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, and zinc are some of the minerals present in peanuts.

Side Effects and Precautions:

• Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies. Peanuts can cause a severe, potentially fatal, allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
• Excessive peanuts intake may lead to gas, heartburn, and a suddenly developed food allergy to peanuts.
• Peanuts are susceptible to contamination of aflatoxin produced by a fungus, aspergillus flavus, which is very toxic and carcinogenic, especially a risk factor to liver carcinoma. If the peanuts turn greenish yellow, discard it.
• Those who suffer from stagnancy of dampness-cold and lingering diarrhea should not eat it.
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) a fatty acid found in peanuts can increase risk of prostate cancer.
• Weight gain: In spite of their nutrients and antioxidants, peanuts are high in calories, and eating too many of them could interfere with the absorption of minerals, and if you buy salted peanuts, you’ll consume a lot of sodium.
• Peanuts are one of the most pesticide-contaminated crops.
• http://www.curejoy.com/content/munching-peanuts-can-boost-your-fertility-brain-power-20-other-health-facts/