11 February, 2013

Fruits, veggies protect kidneys from acidity

Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet may help protect the kidneys of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with too much acid build-up, according to a study.

Western diets that are based in animal and grain products are highly acidic and can lead to metabolic acidosis, when too much acid builds up in the body.

This is particularly common in patients with CKD because the kidneys are responsible for removing acid through the urine. Metabolic acidosis can cause rapid breathing, confusion, and lethargy. Severe cases can lead to shock or death.

Alkali supplementation therapy such as bicarbonate is used to treat CKD patients with severe metabolic acidosis, but simply adding more fruits and vegetables—which contain alkali—to the diet might also help.

Nimrit Goraya, MD, Donald Wesson, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine) and their colleagues tested this by randomizing 71 patients with hypertensive stage 4 CKD to receive added fruits and vegetables or an oral alkaline medication for one year. The treatments were dosed to decrease dietary acid by half.

They found that kidney function was similar between the two groups after one year.

One-year plasma total carbon dioxide (PTCO2) increased in both groups, which is consistent with a lessening of metabolic acidosis. PTCO2 was higher in patients receiving bicarbonate than in those receiving added fruits and vegetables.

Urine measurements of kidney injury were lower after one year in both groups.

Although fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium and might raise blood potassium to dangerous levels, levels did not increase in either group.

"We showed that by addition of alkali such as bicarbonate or alkali-inducing fruits and vegetables, patients had a favorable response by reduction of urinary kidney injury markers," said Dr. Wesson.

"Our study suggests that these interventions will help maintain kidney health in those with kidney disease," added Dr. Goraya.

The findings appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

Source: www.timesofindia.com

11.02.2013

Interesting facts about the human brain

Wonder why it's tougher to learn new things as we grow older? US researchers have concluded that the reason might be our inability to filter and eliminate old information, rather than a limited capacity to absorb new ideas.

Why does it happen?

- According to neuroscientist and study author Joe Z Tsien, when we are young, our brain is able to strengthen certain connections and weaken certain others to make new memories. "It is that critical weakening that appears hampered in the older brain," he said.

- Also, NR2B, a type of neural receptor, is present in a higher percentage among children. This enables the brain cells or neurons to talk a fraction of a second longer and make stronger bonds called synapses (junctions that permit neurons to pass on signals to other cells), thereby optimising the brain's ability to learn and memorise.

- Among the changes that occur in the body when children hit puberty, there is a slightly reduced communication time between neurons. "If you don't get rid of the noise or less useful information, it is a problem," said Tsien. While each neuron averages 3,000 synapses, their continuous exposure to large quantities of information and experiences demands that the brain erase some of the old information to make room for new. This is probably why we lose the ability to speak a foreign language perfectly after the onset of sexual maturity.

Interesting facts about the human brain:

- Scent acts as a powerful memory trigger. The olfactory nerve is located closely to the amygdala — an area of the brain associated with emotional memory — and the hippocampus.

- The hippocampus, a horseshoe-shaped area of the brain, plays an important role in organising and storing information from short-term memory into long-term ones.

- Countless movies and TV shows depict characters suffering from amnesia, losing past memories and identities. However, real-life cases of amnesia are very rare. Also, these depictions are highly inaccurate.

- Neurons develop at the rate of 250,000 per minute during early pregnancy.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

11.02.2013

A challenge is an opportunity to prove your ability to yourself, and others

Joe Brown