Tag Archives: Blood

March 28, 2023 · 11:55 pm

Common meat-free proteins may trigger allergic complaints in some legume-allergic patients

Many people keen to reduce their meat consumption are turning to substitutes made of legumes packed with protein, vitamins, and fiber. But allergies to legumes like soy or peanuts are both common and dangerous. Are patients allergic to particular legumes at risk from meat-free proteins made of legumes even if they contain different legumes? Dr Mark Smits and a team of scientists at University Medical Center Utrecht set out to investigate.

“Both protein consumption and the world’s population are increasing which leads to an urgent demand for sustainable protein sources,” said Dr Thuy-My Le, senior author of the study published in Frontiers in Allergy. “An increase in the consumption of legumes may increase the number of allergies to these foods. Furthermore, these new legumes may elicit allergic complaints in already legume-allergic patients. Therefore, we investigated how often sensitization and allergy to different legumes occurs in these patients.”

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Higher antioxidant levels tied to lower dementia risk

People with higher levels of antioxidants in their blood may be less likely to develop dementia, according to a new study.

People with higher levels of antioxidants in their blood may be less likely to develop dementia, according to a study published in the May 4, 2022, online issue of Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Aerosol from vaping devices negatively impacted blood vessel function

Aerosol generated from vaping devices likely impairs blood vessels’ ability to function comparable to traditional cigarette smoke, according to preliminary research in rats presented at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2021. The virtual meeting, Aug. 23-25, offers the latest research on basic and translational cardiovascular science.

Vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, is often promoted as a less harmful alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes contain a cartridge with a liquid containing nicotine that generates an aerosol that is inhaled, like smoking a cigarette. Despite the popularity of these devices, knowledge is still limited about the impact of the aerosols from e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and newer, coil-less, ultrasonic vaping devices on cardiovascular function.

Photo by Miguel Arcanjo Saddi on Pexels.com

“When you inhale a suspension of particles or a mist, whether it is from tobacco or marijuana, whether it’s smoke or aerosol, it all has the same effect,” said Matthew L. Springer, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. “Our research reinforces the previous findings that vaping is not without harm, and it underscores the importance of counseling patients about the risks of vaping because it does affect cardiovascular function.”

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MCH levels in blood tests: What do they mean? – MNT

I get blood work done at least once a year and confess that I do not know what all the information they get means. Thought this piece from Medical News Today (MNT) might be useful in that regard.

Doctors regularly order blood tests to get an idea of the overall health of their patients.

One of the things they check for is MCH levels.

These levels are regularly used to help diagnose blood disorders but can be difficult to understand. Different MCH levels may cause a variety of symptoms, which will require individual treatments.

What is MCH?

MCH stands for mean corpuscular hemoglobin.

MCH levels refer to the average amount of hemoglobin found in the red blood cells in the body. Hemoglobin is a protein in the blood that allows red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the cells and tissues in the body.

What is a CBC test?

A complete blood count test, or simply CBC test, is designed to give doctors a general overview of a person’s health. The test can help screen people for a variety of issues at once and may help diagnose conditions, such as bleeding disorders, infections, and anemia. Continue reading →

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Filed under Blood, blood cells

Tagged as anemia, Blood, blood cells, hemoglobin, liver, MCH levels, thyroid

May 1, 2016 · 8:12 am

More Bad News about Inadequate Sleep

I created the Page – How Important is a good night’s sleep? more than eight years ago after taking a course on sleep. My opening sentence is “Sleep is one of the under-appreciated aspects of our daily lives.” Arianna Huffington’s book The Sleep Revolution is one of Amazon’s bestsellers.

Now comes the University of Helsinki reporting on the damage too little sleep does to the
blood vessels.

Getting too little sleep causes changes in the metabolism of cholesterol, demonstrates a study conducted at the University of Helsinki. According to the results, long-term sleep loss may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Lack of sleep has previously been found to impact the activation of the immune system, inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism and the hormones that regulate appetite. Now University of Helsinki researchers have found that sleep loss also influences cholesterol metabolism. Continue reading →

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Filed under good night's sleep, sleep deprivation

Tagged as Blood, Cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, sleep, sleep deprivation, Sleep Team Helsinki

July 26, 2015 · 5:40 pm

20 Health Benefits of Bananas – Infographic

Bananas are another of the common foods that we sometimes overlook when we are searching for good nutrition. Superfoods can be good, but don’t overlook diamonds in the rough like bananas which are sold everywhere, don’t cost much money and provide wonderful nutritional benefits.