Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Ben Tuffler

Brown fat cells help regulate blood sugar,

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:39:41 +0800

STUDIES building the case for brown fat by focusing on its role in metabolism and healthy weight maintenance are rolling in. The most recent indicates it could help regulate blood sugar, making it a possible combatant against diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have produced the first evidence that, in addition to a faster metabolism, people with high brown fat levels have better blood sugar control and higher insulin sensitivity.

"We showed that exposure to mild cold raised whole body energy expenditure, increased glucose removal from the circulation and improved insulin sensitivity in men who have significant amounts of brown adipose tissue depots," says UTMB's Labros Sidossis, professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine.

Building on research that says white fat cells can be converted to brown by means of exposure to mild cold, Sidossis's team worked with a group of 12 healthy men of which seven had high brown fat quotients and five had low levels.

After collecting data on their glucose levels and insulin sensitivity, each man underwent prolonged exposure of between five and eight hours to mildly cold 19C (66.2F) temperatures.

Each man was later exposed to comfortable room temperature conditions for a period of between five and eight hours for comparative purposes.

After testing, researchers collected data and observed that for those with high brown fat levels, resting metabolism was increased, as was insulin sensitivity and glucose processing.

"This is good news for overweight and obese people," stated Sidossis in the hopes that more research could lead to faster, simpler natural conversions of white fat to brown.

"Of even greater clinical significance may be the finding that brown fat can help the body regulate blood sugar more effectively," he says. "This is great news for people with insulin resistance and diabetes and suggests that brown fat may prove to be an important anti-diabetic tissue."

The study was published in the journal Diabetes. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Elegant sleep tracker assesses respiration,

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:38:22 +0800

THOUGHT to offer the most complete analysis of sleep quality in relation to one's sleeping environment, Sense is creating a crowdfunding sensation on Kickstarter.

Two days after founders launched the campaign, 2,709 backers had already contributed over $345,000, crushing its original goal of $100,000.

What's all the hype about? Well, for starters, investors believe in inventor James Proud, 22, who received a Thiel Fellowship to skip college and invest a $100,000 grant into creating a business.

As for the product, Sense is able to detect light, temperature, humidity and even air particles in the room.

The particle detector is important, according to the product's Kickstarter campaign, because abundance can cause nasal allergies, which impact sleep quality.

Sense comes with a device that attaches to the pillow called the "Sleep Pill," which tracks sleep quality by sensing sound, movement and respiration, whereas the bedside table device -- which doubles as a decoration -- is equipped with the environmental sensors.

In a sort of cross-study, data from the two devices is transferred via Bluetooth to the corresponding app, which provides the user a daily assessment of the previous night's sleep, simplified in a "sleep score."

For example, the app could alert users if the Sleep Pill detects, by means of its sound sensor, more snoring and reduced quality of sleep on nights when the table topper detects high particle volume, and the user might have the good idea to vacuum the next day.

The Sleep Pill is waterproof, which helps if the small object gets accidentally thrown in the wash with the pillowcase to which it attaches.

With no need for a potentially uncomfortable wearable, the device follows in the footsteps of the Misfit Beddit Sleep Monitor, which attaches to the bed.

Sense also has the capacity to play sounds of rainfall or white noise to lull the user to sleep if he chooses.

A pledge of $99 is all it takes to pre-order Sense, which is expected to ship in November 2014. An extra $15 is required for international orders. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Malaysia demands unrestricted access to MH17

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:27:53 +0800

KIEV: Malaysia is demanding immediate and unrestricted access to the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site and guaranteed safety for its officials and those of the joint international investigation team.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pix) said Malaysia also demanded that all human remains must be allowed to be recovered, identified and repatriated.

He said Kuala Lumpur was deeply concerned that the international team was effectively being prevented from entering the crash site.

"It's imperative that international investigators as well as search and recovery personnel are afforded full and unhindered access to this site," said the minister who arrived in Kiev on Sunday.

He noted that the only international body that had so far managed to briefly access the crash site was the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Liow met with the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, who is chair of the Ukrainian Special Government Commission on MH17. He also met Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Maksym Burbak and Denys Antonyuk, chairman of the Ukrainian State Aviation Administration.

"The Ukrainian government has stated that it has been unable to establish a safe corridor to the crash site for the international team...and it can't guarantee the safety of the international team in and around the crash site," Liow said.

The international investigation team, he said, comprised officials from the Netherlands, Malaysia, Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The Malaysian team of 133 officials and experts comprising search and recovery personnel, forensic experts as well as technical and medical experts had arrived in Kiev on Saturday.

Flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200 plane, was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it is believed to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile on Thursday.

The Malaysian jetliner with 298 people aboard went down in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Liow said the Ukrainian government had informed the joint international investigation team that the crash site was under the full control of separatist groups.

Regarding reports that such separatist groups had custody of the plane's black boxes, Liow said Malaysia insisted that these crucial pieces of evidence were not tampered with and were handed over to the international team.

"Despite reported comments by the leader of a separatist group that his group has not interfered with the crash site, Malaysia is very concerned that the sanctity of the crash site has been severely compromised," the transport minister said.

Liow arrived in Kiev accompanied by Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman and Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof.

He is scheduled to meet the Dutch ambassador to the Ukraine, Kees Klompenhouwer. Liow said Malaysia was deeply concerned about the apparent "lawlessness" at the crash site, the situation further hampered by reports of the presence of competing separatist groups there with no clear leader or chain of command. – Bernama

Source from: The sun daily news

Brainfood: Fish oil as a cognitive health

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:25:50 +0800

A TEAM of hospital researchers in Rhode Island have concluded that regular doses of fish oil could reduce brain atrophy and help seniors maintain cognitive function.
The findings, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, offer hope for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

"The field is currently engaged in numerous studies to find better treatments for people suffering with AD," says principal investigator Lori Daiello, PharmD, of the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital. "However, researching ways to prevent AD or slow cognitive decline in normal aging is of utmost importance."

In the study, a total of 819 older adults participated, undergoing MRI scans and neuropsychological testing every six months.

Testing methods included the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) and the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE).

Among the participants, 229 were cognitively normal, 397 had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and 193 had been diagnosed with AD.

For those who had not been diagnosed with dementia before joining the study, fish oil supplement use was associated with increased cognitive preservation according to results of the aforementioned tests.

"Additionally, serial brain imaging conducted during this study showed that the participants with normal cognition who reported taking fish oil supplements demonstrated less brain shrinkage in key neurological areas, compared to those who did not use the supplements," Daiello said.

The omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil is well known for its health benefits, most commonly associated with dermatological, articular and cardiovascular health.

In terms of cognition, it turns out omega-3 supplementation could be good for people of all ages, according to another recent study that involved healthy young adults.

Researchers worked with 228 healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 in a randomized controlled trial that lasted six months.

They concluded that 1.16 grams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplement per day made significant improvements to reaction time, and the reaction time of the working memory, although working memory itself did not improve.

For women, the episodic memory, also known as the "autobiographic memory," increased, although the DHA supplements did not have the same effect on men.
This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last year.

Also last year, Oxford University researchers found that children who had trouble reading were likely to have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood.
The study, published in PLOS ONE, worked with 493 children between the ages of seven to nine. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Tendency to cooperate increases with age

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:24:31 +0800

SPANISH researchers joined forces to explore cooperative attitudes across all ages, concluding that teenagers are most fickle, while people over the age of 66 are the most likely to lend a hand.

In the experimental study, 168 participants between 10 and 87 years of age who had been selected at random from the Barcelona Board Games Festival (Festival DAU Barcelona de Juegos de Mesa) played a game via web interface that generates Prisoner's Dilemma type situations.

Prisoner's Dilemma is a game based on the theory that two rational individuals might not necessarily cooperate even if it is in their best interests to do so. The game, formalised in the 1950s, inspired a host of literary and media works including the 1988 novel "Prisoner's Dilemma" by American author Richard Powers.

The situations that Prisoner's Dilemma can present make for an effective way to analyse individuals' attitudes towards cooperation, according to researchers.

In the laboratory, participants were divided based on age into four groups and an additional control group, then asked to play 25 consecutive rounds in which the game rewarded them based on their tendency to cooperate.

Players were kept abreast of opponents' decisions and reward tallies were accessible to all. Rewards were transferred into actual money that participants received at the end of the study, although in the case of minors, their parents received it.

"In general, people consider what others have done when they collaborate, but our experiments show that adults also consider their own previous actions," says Yamir Moreno of the University of Zaragoza, explaining how the game unfolded for the elders. "That is to say, there is a different strategy in the way they act and there is a tendency to end up cooperating; the way they act is more predictable and it helps a bit in keeping up the cooperation."

As Moreno implies, the younger set threw a wrench into the results by abandoning strategy and cooperating based on the actions of other players.

"Kids' tendency is to watch what the other players are doing and react according to their response, instead of being conditioned by their own past actions," says Mario Gutiérrez-Roig of of the Complex Systems Interdisciplinary Group (Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos -- GISC). "This makes it difficult for a cooperative environment to be generated."

While results clearly imply that one's penchant for cooperation increases with age, Professor Anxo Sánchez of GISC says his team has yet to fully grasp just what makes retirement age people the most cooperative, and that further testing is necessary.

"These results lead us to think that there is an evolutionary and cultural component throughout the life cycle, and that being prone to cooperate is a quality that can be learned," emphasises Carlos Gracia-Lázaro of the University of Zaragoza.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

PC cannot connect to internet

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:53:52 +0800

Hi all, any solutions about this r? I have been figuring out about two weeks already but it still cannot connect to internet even using cabel also.

Samsung tab 3 or Ipad Mini 2

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:44:03 +0800

Hi all, i wish to buy a table for my parents. Erm, u guys think samsung tab 3 is better or ipad mini 2 is better and suitable for them?

Scientists find inexpensive recipe

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 12:03:14 +0800

SCIENTISTS have managed to circumvent the once-complicated production process for the sweetener erythritol, replacing rare yeasts and highly concentrated molasses for straw and fungi to create the exact same product on the cheap.

Having earned enthusiastic reviews from consumers and few doubts from health experts, erythritol is increasingly sought after in Europe and North America.

Not only is it free of laxative effects- - a common complaint surrounding other sweeteners - it does not cause tooth decay nor does it affect blood sugar levels and, of course, it's calorie-free.

Understanding that straw contains chemical components that can turn to sugar when treated with the correct enzymes, researchers in Vienna found that genetically modifying a fungus creates mass amounts of these hard-to-come-by enzymes.

"We knew that the mould fungus Trichoderma reesei is in principle capable of producing erythritol, but usually only in tiny quantities," says Dr. Robert Mach of the Vienna University of Technology.

"By genetically modifying it, we managed to stimulate the production of an enzyme, which enables the large-scale production of the sweetener."

The Vienna research team has already patented their recipe, together with the company ANNIKKI.

"We have proven that the new production method works. Now we want to improve it together with our industry partners so that it can be used for large-scale production," says Dr. Mach.

The study was published in the AMB Express, a journal with a focus on applied industrial microbiology. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Curry spices lower hypertension in rats

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:59:27 +0800

INDIAN medical researchers say they have successfully tested a blend of curry spices that lower blood pressure in lab rats, raising hopes for a natural and affordable drug to treat the chronic disease.

S. Thanikachalam, a cardiology expert who headed the research, said his team had tested a mixture of ginger, cardamom, cumin and pepper -- common ingredients in Indian kitchens -- along with white lotus petals and others on the rodents.

"We saw tremendous positive changes in rats induced with high blood pressure during our laboratory experiments," said Thanikachalam, who heads the department of cardiology at Sri Ramachandra University in the southern city of Chennai.

"The drug was very effective in reducing the blood pressure and bringing down oxidative stress in rats," he told AFP.

The study said the spices were successful at reducing renovascular hypertension, a secondary form of high blood pressure caused by a narrowing of the arteries in the kidneys.

Indians are genetically predisposed to hypertension with one in four people in cities suffering from the disorder, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Hypertension is mostly treated with modern pharmaceuticals but high costs and the possibility of side effects deter many from taking daily medication.

The latest research is not the first time a curry ingredient has been associated with healthy benefits.

In February 2011, scientists released a study suggesting a new hybrid drug tested on animals, made in part from the chemical in the yellow spice turmeric, could help regenerate brain cells after a stroke.

Thanikachalam said the herbal treatment tried by his team, known as venthamarai chooranam, was a combination mentioned in ancient Indian literature.

"It's been passed on from one generation to the other. It's just that it's not been validated scientifically," he said.

The researchers want to expand the animal study to see if the herbal medicine works for chronic conditions before turning to human clinical trials, a mandatory step before any new drug can be brought to market.

"We will be observing the rats in the long run and see if it sustains. Our goal is to develop a drug that is effective and cheap," he said."

The results of the study were published in the June edition of the medical journal Experimental Biology and Medicine. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Healthy gut microbes associated

Ben Tuffler — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:09:41 +0800

IN a small study that supports previous findings connecting certain digestive bacterial species with obesity and type 2 diabetes, Turkish researchers have found inconsistencies in the "microbiota" of those affected by the aforementioned conditions compared with that of healthy individuals.

Microbiota is a scientific term to describe the digestive bacterial community, composed of at least 160 species, and is considered part of the immune system for its ability to ward off a variety of diseases.

"The gut microbiota may be used as an important marker to determine the risk of these metabolic diseases -- obesity and diabetes -- or it may become a therapeutic target to treat them," says Yalcin Basaran, MD, an endocrinologist from Gulhane Military Medical Academy School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

In the study, researchers worked with 27 severely obese adults, 26 adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a control group of 28 healthy adults.

A selection criterion was the absence of medications and antibiotics in the system, which can alter microbiota composition.

Researchers say fecal analysis showed greater microbiota diversity in the healthy subjects, and that the obese and diabetic groups were missing several important species.

"Further studies should be carried out to elucidate if the gut microbial changes are a cause or effect of metabolic diseases," says Basaran. "Manipulation of intestinal bacteria could offer a new approach to manage obesity and Type 2 diabetes."

The study succeeded in linking several conditions to specific bacterium, as patients' body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and blood sugar control, among other factors, corresponded to their respective counts of certain species.

Although maintining diverse microbiota is a matter of diet for most individuals, transplantation via fecal matter may be necessary for cases in which altering eating habits does not bring results.

Also known as fecal bacteriotherapy, fecal transplants have been used sparingly in recent history, although they are increasingly common as studies continue to emerge pointing to microbiota as playing a key role in a variety of health aspects.

The idea may sound extreme, but fecal transplants were first suggested as a way of engrafting new microbiota to fight diabetes in a 2010 study. A 2012 study presented at the International Liver Congress used fecal transplants to associate diabetes with microbiota, independent of obesity.

Results of the new study were presented at a joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014 in Chicago.

Source from: The sun daily news

Scientists explain stress-heart attack link

Ben Tuffler — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 11:31:01 +0800

SCIENTISTS said Sunday they may have unravelled how chronic stress leads to heart attack and stroke: triggering overproduction of disease-fighting white blood cells which can be harmful in excess.

Surplus cells clump together on the inner walls of arteries, restricting blood flow and encouraging the formation of clots that block circulation or break off and travel to another part of the body.

White blood cells "are important to fight infection and healing, but if you have too many of them, or they are in the wrong place, they can be harmful," said study co-author Matthias Nahrendorf of the Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Doctors have long known that chronic stress leads to cardiovascular disease, but have not understood the mechanism.

To find the link, Nahrendorf and a team studied 29 medical residents working in an intensive care unit.

Their work environment is considered a model for chronic stress exposure given the fast pace and heavy responsibility they carry for life-and-death decisions.

Comparing blood samples taken during work hours and off duty, as well as the results of stress perception questionnaires, the researchers found a link between stress and the immune system.

Particularly, they noticed stress activate bone marrow stem cells, which in turn triggered overproduction of white blood cells, also called leukocytes.

White blood cells, crucial in wound healing and fighting off infection, can turn against their host, with devastating consequences for people with diseases like atherosclerosis -- a thickening of artery walls caused by a plaque buildup.

The study then moved on to mice, which were exposed to the rodent equivalent of stress through techniques like crowding and cage tilting.

The team chose atherosclerosis-prone mice.

They found that excess white blood cells produced as a result of stress accumulated on the inside of arteries and boosted plaque growth.

"Here, they (the cells) release enzymes that soften the connective tissue and lead to disruption of the plaque," said Nahrendorf.

"This is the typical cause of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke."

He added leukocytes were only a part of the picture -- factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking and genetic traits also contribute to heart attack and stroke risk.

"Stress might push these over the brink," the researcher told AFP. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Study suggests a high protein diet reduces

Ben Tuffler — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 11:56:25 +0800

RESULTS of a meta-analysis published in the online journal Neurology suggest that even a moderate increase in protein intake of 20g per day can reduce the risk of stroke, especially if the protein is from fish.

The participants with the highest protein consumption, however, had the most significant stroke reduction: they were 20 percent less likely to develope a stroke that those with the lowest protein consumption.

The meta-analysis involved seven studies that followed a total of 254,489 patients for an average of 14 years each. Other stroke risk factors such as cholesterol and smoking were taken into account.

Risk of stroke decreased by 26 percent for every additional 20g consumed per day.

Protein is able to lower blood pressure, according to results, which is presumed to be the reason for decreased risk of stroke in those with a high-protein diet.

"If everyone's protein intake were at this level, that would translate to more than 1.4 million fewer deaths from stroke each year worldwide, plus a decreased level of disability from stroke," said study author Xinfeng Liu, MD, PhD, of Nanjing University School of Medicine in Nanjing, China.

However, the research also suggests that the source of the protein makes a difference.

Two of the studies were conducted in Japan, where red meat consumption is significantly less than in the West, meaning that the results do not apply to those getting most of their protein from red meat.

"These results indicate that stroke risk may be reduced by replacing red meat with other protein sources, such as fish," Liu said.

He added that animal protein, however, was more effective at decreasing risk of stroke than vegetable protein. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

White bread might be a wonder after all

Ben Tuffler — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 11:55:09 +0800

THE whole-grain craze kicked white bread into the ranks of junk food, but new research says to eat up and savour every pillowy bite due to the beneficial gut bacteria it promotes.

In a pilot study, a Spanish research team from the University of Oviedo in Spain concluded that the defamed staple encourages the growth of bacteria that actually protect against disease rather than causing it.

The team worked with 38 healthy adults and asked them about their diets. They also conducted stool sample analysis.

White bread provides hemicellulose and resistant starch, which encourages the spread of Lactobacillus.
Derived from Latin, the name means "acid-loving milk-bacterium" and has been associated with health benefits from fever symptom reduction to protecting against diseases such as salmonella.

Although Lactobacillus is sold as a nutritional supplement in pill or powder form, the ACS report says the best way to maintain a healthy balance of the bacteria is through diet.

The team's study found evidence that pectin, once thought to be beneficial, can reduce populations of beneficial bacteria. Pectin is a component of citrus fruit, so a slice of white bread should be considered a healthy balance to an orange, for example.

The study was published in the ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Outdated fitness rules

Ben Tuffler — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 15:46:15 +0800

TO UPDATE the readers, here are some outdated rules and advices for physical training.

► Rest indefinitely in between sets

Well, yes. Do catch a breath and shake off the muscle fatigue after a set of exercises.

The guideline for intervals between rest sets is no more than 30-45 seconds in between sets or opt for circuit training.

If you sign up for an hour-long workout on your busy schedule, resting 2-5 minutes between sets and exercises is counterproductive.

Fitness is becoming more time-efficient with each passing day. We want results. And we want them in 30 minutes or less.

Shorter intervals and higher physical challenges ensure time efficiency.

By cutting down your rest time, you challenge your body to do more, while it’s still warmed up.

Longer intervals lead to muscle cool-down in between sets, which could cause injury or cramps.

Quick tip. Keep your smartphone in the locker. That way, your 3 minutes will fly by quickly.

► Pre and post workout snacks

Unless you are in the habit of getting gastric attacks or low blood pressure, then yes, have a 200 calorie snack.

If you’ve eaten a heavy meal a couple of hours before the workout, a pre-workout snack is unnecessary, especially if your workout goal is to lose weight.

Snacking up to 300 calories before a session to workout 300 calories? That’s not smart.

The rule, however, is more of a personal check. Do you feel hungry, tired, and low on energy 30 minutes before a workout?

If yes, then eat a pre-workout snack of 100-300 calories, depending on what your day’s calorie budget permits you. Post workout snacks are not for the average exerciser.

This method is originally intended for high intensified workouts as such of athletes and bodybuilders that last more than 2 hours.

A typical calorific expenditure of such is close to 1,000 cals. Fast replenishment of calories is thus needed to prevent muscle loss. For you and me, the smart choice is a planned post-workout meal.

► Is aerobics or walking best for long term fitness?

Hour long sessions of aerobics in the form of classes and walking are great exercise. But if your goal is for the long term exercise and optimal weight management, you need to work those muscles with weight training.

Cardio exercises are great for cardiovascular fitness, but not good enough for weight-loss or weight management.

Strength training directly affects weight management and benefits your body by boosting metabolism and training your body to burn calories more efficiently.

► Light weights for women, and heavy weights for men

Lift weights that challenge your body , increase muscle performance, joint strength and stability irrespective of gender or weight.

If you’re able to complete three sets of 15 reps each

without breaking into a sweat, you aren’t challenging yourself enough.

The only thing heavier weights will do is give you a leaner and stronger body that is better capable of maintaining a desired weight.

Weight lifting does not bulk up women as women just don’t have the levels of testosterone men do. Lifting weights build strength and power. Isn’t that what women have been striving for this century? Go women power? Well, start with the weights then.

► Yoga is enough for weight loss

Yoga is great for aiding breathing technique, digestive problems, fighting allergies, and body weight strength but it isn’t the most complete fitness workout. How yoga impacts your fitness goals, depends on what your fitness goals are.

If you just want flexibility, light strength and better lung power, then yoga’s the workout for you.

But if you aim to lose weight, get toned, and lose inches, then you’re better off with cardio and weight routines.

Then there is the lack of cardiovascular fitness in yoga sessions. One hour of yoga, even power yoga, burns approximately 200-350 calories only. This isn’t enough for a sustainable weight loss fitness routine.

► Spot target for abs, legs, shoulders, hips and thighs

Every once in a while, I’ll get a question like this, “I hate my thighs. Tell me what do I have to do?”

Only programmes that tackle overall weight loss or toning will help you deal with your problem areas.

Spot targeting exercises like hip abductions, a million crunches, lunges to hell and tricep extensions won’t lose the fat as how you would imagine.

What actually works when you spot target is waste time and make the area more pronouncedly bigger than what it is. It’s unproductive.

A well-rounded programme that includes cardio and strength training produce the best results.

The same amount of time spent on 10 extra sets could have in fact been spent on a more comprehensive programme that increases your metabolism and intensity.

Source from: The sun Daily News

No water ration during El Nino

Ben Tuffler — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:41:23 +0800

SHAH ALAM: Millions of consumer in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya can now breath a sigh a relief as there will be no water rationing during the El Nino phenomena forecast anytime soon.

This is because the Selangor state government has taken all proactive measures to ensure there is sufficient raw water supply to the seven dams during the dry spell..

"There will be no water rationing during the upcoming El-nino phenomena," said Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim today.

He said the state government among other measures have:
- taken a comprehensive plan and readiness to supply raw water to all its dams during the dry season which is expected to go on for three months
- to pump water from ponds into the rivers when the water level is low
- cloud seeding
- minimise the raw water supply to ensure there is continuous treated water supply from the Sungai Selangor Water Treatment Plant.
- regular water samplings at ponds to ensure the water to be pumped met the required standards stipulated by the Health Ministry

He said that there will be some 20 pumps placed in some nine ponds in Bestari Jaya which could supply some 800 million litres of water per day to support the production of raw water from the Sungai Tinggi and Sungai Selangor.

He added that samples of the water from these ponds have also been taken on a weekly basis to ensure they strictly adhered to the standards stipulated by the Health Ministry.

Source from: The sun daily news

Early exposure to dirt, bacteria

Ben Tuffler — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:57:55 +0800

EXPOSING newborns to dust, animal dander and germs may seem abhorrent, but a new study says it can reduce risk of developing allergies and asthma later in life.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins tracked the health of 467 inner-city newborns from Baltimore, Boston, New York and St. Louis over a three-year period.

They also measured the pollution levels in the subjects' homes.

By three years old, children who had been exposed to mouse and cat dander as well as cockroach droppings within their first year of life wheezed significantly less than those who hadn't.

It took exposure to all three allergens, cat, mouse and cockroach, to shape the children's immune responses and this had to happen within the first year to benefit from the protective effect.

"Our study shows that the timing of initial exposure may be critical," says study author Robert Wood, M.D., chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. "What this tells us is that not only are many of our immune responses shaped in the first year of life, but also that certain bacteria and allergens play an important role in stimulating and training the immune system to behave a certain way."

Children unexposed to the three allergens in question developed wheezing problems at a rate of 51 percent, while wheezing occurred in only 17 percent of children with exposure.

In the case for good bacteria, normally associated with microbes that inhabit the digestive system, infants living in bacteria-rich homes were less likely to develop environmental allergies later on.

The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news

Share Workouts

Ben Tuffler — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 14:00:59 +0800

Can you guys share your best workout routines for chest, abs and biceps?
Its kinda hard for me to make up a perfect abs..
Thanks

Supplemet Consumption

Ben Tuffler — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 13:46:25 +0800

What is the exact way we should take on our protein supplements?
I took it 2 times per day and 4 times per day on gym day..
We should took them before breakfast or after breakfast?
I usually took it after breakfast but my friend suggested me to take it before so that it can maximize the amount of nutrients absorbed.
I have read that consuming supplements before or on empty stomach is bad

Apple Allows Virtual Currencies in Apps,

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:47:36 +0800

Apple Inc. (AAPL) changed its policy to let software developers include virtual-currency transactions in their applications, paving the way for new forms of money like bitcoin to appear on iPhones and iPads.

While Apple didn’t mention bitcoin specifically, its developer terms now allow for certain “approved virtual currencies,” without saying what those were. Apps that use the digital money must comply with state and federal laws wherever they’re designed to work, the terms say.

The change signals that Apple is warming up to virtual currencies after previously blocking programs like Blockchain.info from its App Store. Bitcoin is the most popular digital currencies, which governments are struggling to determine how to regulate because they exist only as software.

“This is a sign that the ecosystem is maturing and gaining credibility,” Bill Lee, an investor in bitcoin wallet BitGo, said in an e-mail. “To be clear, I still think bitcoin is in its infancy as a technology, but its acceptance is becoming more and more mainstream.”

Bitcoin entrepreneurs were already predicting an explosion of activity.

“Get ready for a plethora of bitcoin iOS apps!” bitcoin venture capitalist Adam Draper said in an e-mail. “Very exciting news!”

Developer Rob Banagale said he’s planning to submit a new version of his app, called Gliph, which was kicked out of Apple’s store last year because it let users send bitcoins to each other in instant messages. Banagale had to strip out that function for iOS devices; the app is only fully functional on phones and tablets that use Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

Source from: Forbes

Find the best place to watch the World Cup

Ben Tuffler — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:45:19 +0800

WORLD Cup fans looking for a festive pub or piazza to cheer on their favuorite team may want to consult Pinterest, which has teamed up with TripAdvisor to chart the best places around the world to watch the games this summer.

So far, Pinterest boards for 13 countries, including the USA, France, Japan, Brazil and South Korea, have been created, curating the top sports bars and pubs as recommended by TripAdvisor users on travel forums and reviews.

According to the Pinterest map, Spanish fans in New York City, for example, may want to head to Boqueria, where they'll find big screen TVs, "die-hard Spain fans," tapas, beer and sangria.

Fans in Los Angeles, meanwhile, may want to head to Tom's Urban where flat-screen TVs are plastered across their walls to offer even the shortest fan an unobstructed view of the action.

"Lots of TVs visible from every seat in the house, great sharable food, and big drinks, including a 33 oz chilled stein full of cold beer, perfect for watching a game with!" wrote one fan.

And fans who may be visiting Paris during the games can also cheer for their home team at popular pubs such as Kitty O'Shea, The Cork and Cavan Pub, and at Hotel de Ville, the city's town hall, where the city will set up large outdoor screens for the public.

Fans can also add more venues to the boards at https://pinterest.wufoo.com/forms/places-to...-the-world-cup/.

Check out the list of national Pinterest boards at http://www.pinterest.com/watchworldcup/. – AFP Relaxnews

Source from: The sun daily news