12 March, 2015

Beware! Too much salt in your diet can damage your organs

Too much salt in your diet can wreak havoc on your body. People diagnosed with High Blood Pressure therefore have to avoid those salty snacks and most readymade foods. But is that the only threat that too much salt poses? According to a new study, it can do much further damage.

Even in the absence of an increase in blood pressure, excess dietary sodium can adversely affect target organs, including the blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain, said the researchers from the University of Delaware.

‘Blood pressure responses to alterations in dietary sodium vary widely, which has led to the concept of ‘salt-sensitive’ blood pressure,’ said one of the study authors William Farquhar.

‘If blood pressure increases during a period of high dietary sodium or decreases during a low-sodium period, the person is considered salt sensitive. If there is no change in blood pressure with sodium restriction, an individual is considered salt resistant,’ Farquhar noted.

However, the new research points to evidence of adverse effects on multiple target organs and tissues, even for people who are salt resistant.

Potential effects on the arteries include reduced function of the endothelium, which is the inner lining of blood vessels. Endothelial cells mediate a number of processes, including coagulation, platelet adhesion and immune function.

Elevated dietary sodium can also increase arterial stiffness, the researchers noted.

‘High dietary sodium can also lead to left ventricular hypertrophy, or enlargement of the muscle tissue that makes up the wall of the heart’s main pumping chamber,’ co-author of the review paper David Edwards noted.

‘As the walls of the chamber grow thicker, they become less compliant and eventually are unable to pump as forcefully as a healthy heart,’ Edwards pointed out.

Regarding the kidneys, high sodium is associated with reduced renal function, a decline observed with only a minimal increase in blood pressure, the researchers noted.

Finally, sodium may also affect the sympathetic nervous system, which activates what is often termed the fight-or-flight response.

‘Chronically elevated dietary sodium may ‘sensitize’ sympathetic neurons in the brain, causing a greater response to a variety of stimuli, including skeletal muscle contraction,’ Farquhar noted.

The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

12.03.2015

A mother who gave birth to her grandson

A UK-based man has become the first single man to have a baby through surrogacy and the first to use his own mother as a surrogate. Kyle Casson, who is gay and desperately wanted to be a father, turned to his 45-year-old mother Anne-Marie to carry a donor egg that he had fertilised after being turned away by surrogacy clinics across the country, the Daily Express reported.

The 27-year-old Casson welcomed son Miles into the world eight months ago, but in the eyes of the law, Casson is also Miles’s brother because Anne-Marie gave birth to him. The supermarket worker from Doncaster said that he understands that not everyone will agree with it, but they can have their opinions, adding that he has a son and he is very happy.

Casson noted that as long as people can provide a home, and they have the support, he doesn’t see why anyone should be denied the right to be a parent, adding that he paid for it himself, it’s not taxpayers’ money, he owns his own home and is going back to work.

Anne-Marie said that when Casson first came to her and his dad, she thought ‘she could do it’ and when some people found out, they said ‘urgh’, but they don’t understand that he is not biologically tied to her, other than he’s her grandson.She added that she love being a parent and for Casson to experience that, she would do that for him.

However, the baby is legally Kyle’s mum and dad’s, after a High Court adoption ruling said the woman who carried the child is the legal mother. Her husband is the father because he consented to the pregnancy.

The judge argued adoption would not break laws because the Miles and Kyle are legally related as brothers and social workers backed the adoption, saying it would ‘strengthen the bond the father and child already share.’

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

12.03.2015

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired

Jules Renard