When is a cold not the flu? When is the flu not a cold? Colds cause sneezing. Flu does not. Flu causes fever, malaise (being exhausted and feeling like crud), and headaches. Colds do not. There are no definitive diagnostic differences other than fever and sneezing. The aches and pains, the feverish chill, and plain old feeling worse should make the diagnosis. But beware; many other infectious diseases begin with identical symptoms. So it is not a bad idea to consult your physician. Still, when you get these symptoms, it’s more likely to be a flu (influenza) than anything else.
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A large Japanese study of the effects of green-tea consumption on mortality suggests that several cups a day may help prolong life. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that people who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a 16% lower risk of death from all causes than those averaging less than one cup a day. (A cup in Japan is 3.3 ounces, not 6-8 as in the US.)
The apparent benefits were more pronounced for death from cardiovascular disease-a 26% lower risk for the most avid green-tea drinkers-and seemed particularly effective against clot-related strokes.
The exact mechanism of green tea’s health benefits is unknown, but researchers suggested it may be related to the high levels of polyphenols-natural antioxidants-in green tea. (see also the benefits of polyphenols in their prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease)
Note: Herbal teas do not have the same compounds as black and green tea and do not have the same potential benefits. Also, while sugar and lemon are not thought to affect the antioxidants in tea, milk may. It appears that the protein in milk could potentially bind to the antioxidants and thereby render them unavailable to the body. That’s not a problem with iced tea because it’s generally not drunk with milk. But it could help explain why the Irish and the Britishwho drink more tea than anyone else in the world but traditionally drink it with milk-do not appear to be more protected against heart disease and cancer than people in other countries.
A new study suggests that a glass of fruit or vegetable juice at least every other day may help fend off Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that those who drank at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable juice per week were 76% less likely to develop the disease compared with those who averaged less than one glass per week.
Even those who drank only one or two servings weekly had some protection (16%) compared with those who consumed less juice, reported lead author Qi Dai, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
“These findings are new and suggest that fruit and vegetable juices may play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Dai and colleagues wrote in The American Journal of Medicine.
The study was part of the Kame Project, a cross-national study with collaborators in Hawaii and Japan examining age-related impairment to memory and cognitive function. Alzheimer’s is relatively uncommon in Japan, but its prevalence has been rising among Japanese-Americans, suggesting environmental and lifestyle factors may be at work, the investigators said.
Nearly 2,000 dementia-free JapaneseAmericans living in the Seattle area-roughly half men, half women, with an average age of nearly 72-completed a food frequency questionnaire and underwent clinical evaluation. They were re-evaluated every two years for the next nine years.
Although the current study did not identify the kinds of juices participants consumed, previous studies have shown that apple, grape and citrus fruit juices are high in polyphenols, which are particularly rich in the skin and peel of fruits and vegetables.
I suggest you look for organic fruit juices without all the additives and extra sugar.
