Olive oil may contain compounds that protect against liver damage, suggests a new study in rats.
Olive oil, an integral part of Mediterranean diet, is known to have numerous health benefits that protect against heart diseases and some cancers. It also modifies the immune and inflammatory responses of the body. A new study showed that extra virgin olive oil and its hydrophilic extract protect against oxidative damage of the liver.
An impaired antioxidant defence of the body is one of the major causes for the development of heart disease, cancer and premature degeneration of the nerve cells. A healthy human body maintains a balance between the generation of Reactive Oxidant Species (ROS) which cause oxidation, and the counteractive antioxidant defences. ROS are by-products of normal metabolic processes and accidental exposure to occupational chemicals like pesticides accelerate their production.
Ar ecent study reported that rats fed on a diet containing olive oil were protected from liver damage following exposure to a moderately toxic chemical called 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2,4-D). 2,4-D is one of the most widely used herbicides that causes liver damage. It is known to produce oxidative stress, and/or deplete antioxidants.
In the study, rats fed on the herbicide 2,4-D were supplemented with either extra virgin olive oil, or one of its extracts (hydrophilic or lipophilic).
2,4-D caused significant liver damage in the rats. Intake of extra virgin olive oil or its hydrophilic fraction induced a substantial increase in antioxidant activity and decreased markers of liver damage. These two contained a high amount of phenols, which could contribute to the antoxidant effect. The lipophilic fraction, which was deprived of phenols, failed to produce a protective effect.
Authors of the study concluded that extra virgin olive oil and its hydrophilic extract protect against oxidative damage of liver cells. More detailed studies dealing with the effect of antioxidant compounds separately and/or their interactions could corroborate these results.
Reference: Effects of olive oil and its fractions on oxidative stress and the liver's fatty acid composition in 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid-treated rats; Amel et al; Nutrition & Metabolism 2010.
Source-Medindia
Scientists have discovered the reason behind the pre-menstrual tension that affects more than 90 percent of women of reproductive age.
The finding could lead to improved treatments for the often-agonising monthly condition.
Imbalances in levels of the female sex hormone have long been linked to the monthly blues.
Now, university experts in Beijing have found that PMT is triggered by brain cells going into overdrive in the part of the brain that controls emotions, the Daily Express reported.
Source-ANI
Undiagnosed constipation can be a cause for bedwetting and may not always be due to problems with bladder, reveals a new study.
Constipation is often the culprit and if it isn't diagnosed, children and their parents must endure an unnecessarily long, costly and difficult quest to cure nighttime wetting, say researchers at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
They found that 30 children and adolescents who sought treatment for bedwetting all had large amounts of stool in their rectums, despite the majority having normal bowel habits. After treatment with laxative therapy, 25 of the children (83 percent) were cured of bedwetting within three months.
"Having too much stool in the rectum reduces bladder capacity," said lead author Steve J. Hodges, M.D., assistant professor of urology at Wake Forest Baptist.
"Our study showed that a large percentage of these children were cured of nighttime wetting after laxative therapy. Parents try all sorts of things to treat bedwetting-from alarms to restricting liquids. In many children, the reason they don't work is that constipation is the problem," he said.
Hodges said the link between bedwetting and excess stool in the rectum, which is the lower five to six inches of the intestine, was first reported in 1986.
However, he said the finding did not lead to a dramatic change in clinical practice, perhaps because the definition of constipation is not standardized or uniformly understood by all physicians and lay people.
"The definition for constipation is confusing and children and their parents often aren't aware the child is constipated," said Hodges.
"In our study, X-rays revealed that all the children had excess stool in their rectums that could interfere with normal bladder function. However, only three of the children described bowel habits consistent with constipation," he explained.
Hodges explained that guidelines of the International Children's Continence Society recommend asking children and their parents if the child's bowel movements occur irregularly (less often than every other day) and if the stool consistency is hard.
"These questions focus on functional constipation and cannot help identify children with rectums that are enlarged and interfering with bladder capacity," said Hodges.
"The kind of constipation associated with bedwetting occurs when children put off going to the bathroom. This causes stool to back up and their bowels to never be fully emptied. We believe that treating this condition can cure bedwetting," he added.
The finding was reported online in the journal Urology.
Source-ANI
