How our Genes can predict if medication can help quit smoking

Why some people cannot stop smoking?


The fact that trying to quit smoking is an expensive proposition makes it difficult for many. Whilst the cost of cigarettes continues to inflate out of proportion, it's still cheaper to smoke than to try to quit. What smokers need to remember is that once the habit is gone from their lives, they will save a huge amount of money on cigarettes and return to a normal life without the burden of smoking? The social factor is another reason why people can't quit smoking. Unless a person surrounds him or herself with other non-smokers, it can be a challenge to not light up when others are. Attending parties, meeting for coffee and any number of other instances are made more challenging when one's friends or associates smoke. One will offer a cigarette and it can be hard to refuse.




Most smokers are aware of the risks for lung disease and cardiovascular disease, but smoking affects nearly every organ in your body. Research has shown that smoking causes more than 25 different diseases.

Short term effects of smoking


If you decide to stop smoking, you will experience immediate improvement of your health. The body starts healing itself within 20 minutes after quitting and all of the below short term health effects of smoking will improve.





•Blood pressure increases

•Pulse rate increases

•Body temperature of hands and feet drops

•Chances of having a heart attack increases

•Decreased ability to taste and smell

•Decreased lung function

•Decreased circulation

•Coughs

•Colds

•Bronchitis

•Shortness of breath

•Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance for premature birth and respiratory illnesses.




Long term effects of smoking


The long term effects of smoking are severe. A number of diseases can be caused by smoking, they include:

•Cardiovascular disease

•Lung cancer

•Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (chronic bronchitis, emphysema)

•Cancer of the mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, kidneys , pancreas, and cervix and other cancers.

Smoking cessation will reduce the chances of obtaining long term effects of smoking and if disease caused by smoking is already present, there are still great short and long term health benefits.

New Research will help us to know who can quit smoking….


The same gene variations that make it difficult to stop smoking also increase the likelihood that heavy smokers will respond to nicotine-replacement therapy and drugs that thwart cravings, a new study shows. The research, led by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will appear online May 30 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study suggests it may one day be possible to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from drug treatments for nicotine addiction.


Smokers whose genetic makeup puts them at the greatest risk for heavy smoking, nicotine addiction and problems kicking the habit also appear to be the same people who respond most robustly to pharmacologic therapy for smoking cessation,” says senior investigator Laura Jean Bierut, MD, professor of psychiatry. “Our research suggests that a person’s genetic makeup can help us better predict who is most likely to respond to drug therapy so we can make sure those individuals are treated with medication in addition to counseling or other interventions. For the new study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 5,000 smokers who participated in community-based studies and more than 1,000 smokers in a clinical treatment study. The scientists focused on the relationship between their ability to quit smoking successfully and genetic variations that have been associated with risk for heavy smoking and nicotine dependence. People with the high-risk genetic markers smoked an average of two years longer than those without these high-risk genes, and they were less likely to quit smoking without medication,” says first author Li-Shiun Chen, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University. “The same gene variants can predict a person’s response to smoking-cessation medication, and those with the high-risk genes are more likely to respond to the medication.



In the clinical treatment trial, individuals with the high-risk variants were three times more likely to respond to drug therapy, such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches, the antidepressant buproprion and other drugs used to help people quit. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States and a major public health problem worldwide. Cigarette smoking








contributes to the deaths of an estimated 443,000 Americans each year. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of smoking-related cancer death among both men and women, tobacco also contributes to other lung problems, many other cancers and heart attacks. Bierut and Chen say that the gene variations they studied are not the only ones involved in whether a person smokes becomes addicted to nicotine or has difficulty quitting. But they contend that because the same genes can predict both heavy smoking and enhanced response to drug treatment, the genetic variants are important to the addiction puzzle. “It’s almost like we have a ‘corner piece’ here,” Beirut says. “It’s a key piece of the puzzle, and now we can build on it. Clearly these genes aren’t the entire story — other genes play a role, and environmental factors also are important. But we’ve identified a group that’s responding to pharmacologic treatment and a group that’s not responding, and that’s a key step in improving, and eventually tailoring, treatments to help people quit smoking. Since people without the risky genetic variants aren’t as likely to respond to drugs, Beirut says they should get counseling or other non-drug therapies.



This is an actionable genetic finding, Chen says. Scientific journals publish genetic findings every day, but this one is actionable because treatment could be based on a person’s genetic makeup. I think this study is moving us closer to personalized medicine, which is where we want to go. And Beirut says that although earlier studies suggested the genes had only a modest influence on smoking and addiction, the new clinical findings indicate the genetic variations are having a big effect on treatment response. These variants make a very modest contribution to the development of nicotine addiction, but they have a much greater effect on the response to treatment. That’s a huge finding,” she says.

(Source- American Journal of Psychiatry)

Lastly some common ideas for quit smoking

1. Nicotine replacement products:

• Nicotine patch
• Nicotine gum
• Nicotine inhaler
• Nicotine lozenges
• Nicotine nasal spray

2. Hypnosis

 

Hypnosis puts people into an altered state of consciousness where they are more open to suggestion.

 

3. Zyban

 

Zyban (Bupropion hydrochloride) is originally an anti-depressant. Users of this drug reported a loss of interest in smoking, which is how zyban was discovered as a stop smoking pill.

 

4. Chantix

 

Chantix is a stop smoking pill that blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, which reduces the cravings when you quit smoking

 

Other quit smoking aids

 

5.Laser therapy

 

6• Acupuncture

 

7• Herbs

Watch your Vitamin D use; Both Too much or too little is bad

What is Vitamin D?




Vitamin D is a steroid vitamin, a group of fat-soluble prohormones, which encourages the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous. People who are exposed to normal quantities of sunlight do not need vitamin D supplements because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin.




Five forms of vitamin D have been discovered, vitamin D1, D2, D3, D4, D5. The two forms that seem to matter to humans the most are vitamins D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).



Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, suggesting a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss.

Vitamin D for humans is obtained from sun exposure, food and supplements. It is biologically inert and has to undergo two hydroxylation reactions to become active in the body. The active form of vitamin D in the body is called Calcitriol (1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol). Calcitriol promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from food in the gut and reabsorption of calcium in the kidneys - this increases the flow of calcium in the bloodstream. This is essential for the normal mineralization of bone and preventing hypocalcemic tetany. Hypocalcemic tetany is a low calcium condition in which the patient has overactive neurological reflexes, spasms of the hands and feet, cramps and spasms of the voice box (larynx). Calcitriol also plays a key role in the maintenance of many organ systems.

What do we need vitamin D for?



1.It is crucial for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which have various functions, especially the maintenance of healthy bones.


2. It is immune system regulator.


3.It may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, say scientists from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston.




4.It may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is much less common the nearer you get to the tropics, where there is much more sunlight, according to Dennis Bourdette, chairman of the Department of Neurology and director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center at Oregon Health and Science University, USA.


5.Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, according to a study of 3000 European men between the ages of 40 and 79.


6.Vitamin D is probably linked to maintaining a healthy body weight, according to research carried out at the Medical College of Georgia, USA.


7.It can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms, and also the likelihood of hospitalizations due to asthma, researchers from Harvard Medical School found after monitoring 616 children in Costa Rica.


8.It has been shown to reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women.


9.A form of vitamin D could be one of our body's main protections against damage from low levels of radiation, say radiological experts from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.



How much vitamin D do I need?


The information below relates to people who do not have exposure to sunlight.

According to the Food Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, which created the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), people should be intaking the following amounts of vitamin D if nothing is being synthesized (no sunlight exposure):

Children up to 13 years - 5 mcg (200 IU)

14-18 years - 5 mcg (200 IU)

19-50 years - 5mcg (200 IU)

51-70 years - 10 mcg (400 IU)

71+ years - 15 mcg (600 IU)





New Research- Vit D -Too Much Can Be As Unhealthy As Too Little
Various studies have shown that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer, compared to people with lower levels. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status, in a study carried out by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.





Scientists know that Vitamin D deficiency is not healthy. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen now indicates that too high a level of the essential vitamin is not good either. The study is based on blood samples from 247,574 Copenhageners. The results have just been published in the reputed scientific Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Vitamin D is instrumental in helping calcium reach our bones, thus lessening the risk from falls and the risk of broken hips. Research suggests that vitamin D is also beneficial in combating cardiac disease, depression and certain types of cancers. The results from a study conducted by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences now support the benefits of vitamin D in terms of mortality risk. However, the research results also show higher mortality in people with too high levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream:

We have had access to blood tests from a quarter of a million Copenhageners. We found higher mortality in people with a low level of vitamin D in their blood, but to our surprise, we also found it in people with a high level of vitamin D. We can draw a graph showing that perhaps it is harmful with too little and too much vitamin D, explains Darshana Durup, PhD student. If the blood contains less than 10 nanomol (nmol) of vitamin per liter of serum, mortality is 2.31 times higher. However, if the blood contains more than 140 nmol of vitamin per liter of serum, mortality is higher by a factor of 1.42. Both values are compared to 50 nmol of vitamin per liter of serum, where the scientists see the lowest mortality rate.

More studies are needed

Darshana Durup emphasises that while scientists do not know the cause of the higher mortality, she believes that the new results can be used to question the wisdom of those people who claim that you can never get too much vitamin D, It is important to conduct further studies in order to understand the relationship. A lot of research has been conducted on the risk of vitamin D deficiency. However, there is no scientific evidence for a 'more is better' argument for vitamin D, and our study does not support the argument either. We hope that our study will inspire others to study the cause of higher mortality with a high level of vitamin D," says Darshana Durup. She adds, We have moved into a controversial area that stirs up strong feelings just like debates on global warming and research on nutrition. But our results are based on a quarter of a million blood tests and provide an interesting starting point for further research.



The largest study of its kind


The study is the largest of its kind - and it was only possible to conduct it because of Denmark's civil registration system, which is unique in the Nordic countries. The 247,574 blood samples come from the Copenhagen General Practitioners Laboratory: "Our data material covers a wide age range. The people who participated had approached their own general practitioners for a variety of reasons and had had the vitamin D level in their bloodstream measured in that context. This means that while the study can show a possible association between mortality and a high level of vitamin D, we cannot as yet explain the higher risk, explains Darshana Durup. Therefore in future research project scientists would like to compare the results with information from disease registers such as the cancer register. Financial support is currently being sought for such projects.

(Source-Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism)

How Mediterranean diet linked it to well-being of mental and physical health

What is Mediterranean diet?





Health expert believes that The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle where good taste meets good health. This diet was introduced as a Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993. There is no single Mediterranean diet. Instead, each region across Europe -- from Spain to the Middle East -- customizes the basic diet to take advantage of food availability and cultural preferences. Similarities include a reliance on plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, olives, and olive oil along with some





cheese, yogurt, fish, poultry, eggs, and wine. These foods form the basis of the plan and provide thousands of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that work together to protect against chronic disease.




Most of the foods on the plan are fresh, seasonal whole foods - they're not processed. Preparation methods tend to be simple; foods are rarely deep-fried. Only small amounts of saturated fat, sodium, sweets, and meat are part of the plan. The Mediterranean lifestyle also includes leisurely dining and regular physical activity, which are an important part of the equation.



This diet has long been considered one of the healthiest diets on the planet - and rightfully so. For thousands of years, residents along the Mediterranean coast have enjoyed the delicious diet, leisurely dining, and engaging in regular physical activity. They don’t think of their eating habits as a diet plan; it’s simply a way of life that can lead to long, healthy lives with less chance of chronic disease A



growing body of research continues to prove that eating a diet rich in plant foods and healthy fats is good for you. Studies show that following a Mediterranean diet protects against the development of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, some types of cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease -- and also leads to a longer lifespan. The health effects of a Mediterranean diet have been studied extensively in the last 10 years, resulting in better science and more clinical evidence. There are numerous health benefits, the strongest and most profound evidence is the protection of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, Dr PH, a researcher, cardiologist, associate professor, and co-director of the cardiovascular epidemiology program at Harvard School of Public Health. Health benefits are not attributed to diet alone; it is the whole package, which includes the lifestyle of the people who live along the Mediterranean.



New Research Finding confirming why this diet is good for all-Mediterranean diet definitively linked to quality of life



For years the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lesser chance of illness and increased well-being. A new study has now linked it to mental and physical health too.The Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by the consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses, fish, olive oil and nuts, has been proven to be beneficial to the health in terms of a lesser chance of chronic illness and a lower mortality rate. A new study headed by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra took the next step and analyzed the influence of the Mediterranean diet on the quality of life of a sample of more than 11,000 university students over a period of four years. “The progressive aging of the population in developed countries makes it even more interesting to find out those factors that can increase quality of life and the health of the population,” as explained to SINC by Patricia Henríquez Sánchez, researcher at the centre in the Canary Islands and lead author of the study. Dietary intake data was taken at the beginning of the study and self-perceived quality of life was measured after the four year monitoring period. In order to ascertain whether the Mediterranean diet was followed, consumption of vegetables, pulses, fruit, nuts, cereals and fish was positively valued whereas consumption of meat, dairy products and alcohol was negatively valued. Published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results reveal that those who stick more to the Mediterranean diet score higher on the quality of life questionnaire in terms of physical and mental well-being. This link is even stronger in terms of physical quality of life.

The Mediterranean Pyramid



Henríquez states that “the Mediterranean diet is an important factor associated with better quality of life and can be considered as a healthy food model.” Its food pyramid combines food to be eaten daily, weekly and occasionally.Main meals should never lack three basic elements: cereals, fruit and vegetables and dairy products. Furthermore, it must include a daily intake of 1.5 and 2 litres of water. Olive oil constitutes the main source of fat for its nutritional quality and moderate consumption of wine and other fermented beverages is recommended. Furthermore, fish, lean meat and eggs are sources of high quality animal protein. Fish and seafood are also sources of healthy fats.At the top of the pyramid are sugar, sweets, cakes, pastries and sweetened beverages that should be consumed occasionally and in small amounts.

(Source- European Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

How eating Indian dishes with Curry help in “innate” our immune system

What is curry?


Noun: A dish of meat, vegetables, etc., cooked in an Indian-style spicy sauce and served with rice.




Verb: 1.Prepare or flavor with a sauce of hot-tasting spices.



2. Groom (a horse) with a rubber or plastic curry-comb.



Why North American should use Indian Spices in food- Part 3
Curry is a very flavorful and aromatic blend of spices. The spiced that normally can be found in curry are cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, as well as Tamil. Curry is well used in South Asian cuisine, but is loved worldwide and can be found in the United States.

Curry is a broad word used to describe a variety of dishes flavored with different spices. Although the concept of curry originated from India, curries exist throughout the world, and can be found in Japanese, Ethiopian, Thai, Caribbean, and German cuisines, among others. Virtually any spiced, sauce-based dish with vegetables and/or meat can be call a curry, but the popular variety we think of contains curry powder with high proportions of turmeric, cumin, and coriander seed. The other familiar term, masala is simply a spice mix; curry powder is in fact a masala. In countries like Pakistan that have numerous curry dishes, however, each has a specific name, and might include a range of spices such as fenugreek.




What is Turmeric (yellow spice)?
The golden spice of life” is one of most essential spice used as an important ingredient in culinary all over the world. Turmeric is a tropical plant perennial herbs, curcuma domestically cultivated in India since ancient time. As early as 3000 B.C., the turmeric plants were cultivated by Harappan civilization. Turmeric belongs to ginger family Zingiberaceae.



Turmeric Powder
This yellow spice with subtle flavor is called turmeric powder obtained from dried grounded underground stem “rhizome”. The rhizome of the turmeric is yellowish orange tuberous juicy stem. The outer part of rhizome is covered with segmented yellowish brown color. Turmeric is a strong dyeing agent creating permanent stain on cloths with just drop of turmeric juice from rhizome.



Turmeric medicinal use
Turmeric usage dates back from 3000 B.C. in India. From a significant part in daily cuisine to treating diseases like cancer, turmeric is beneficial to mankind. It is impossible to think of Indian food without turmeric. Today, turmeric has found application all over the world in various purposes such as medicinal purpose, cosmetic purpose, dyeing and coloring purpose. Woman in India apply turmeric before taking bath as its antibacterial property protects the skin from infects and protects it from harsh sunlight.



Nutritional information
1 tbsp. of curry powder contains the following nutritional information according to the USDA

Calories: 20

Fat: 0.87

Carbohydrates: 3.66

Fibers: 2.1

Protein: 0.8



All Indian people know this before but this new research has confirmed this that how curry powder help us in enhancing our immune system.

New Research- How eating Indian dishes with Curry help in “innate” our immune system

Scientists have just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you. New research at Oregon State University has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that’s known to be important in the “innate” immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals. This cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP, is part of what helps our immune system fight off various bacteria, viruses or fungi even though they hadn’t been encountered before. Prior to this, it was known that CAMP levels were increased by vitamin D. Discovery of an alternative mechanism to influence or raise CAMP levels is of scientific interest and could open new research avenues in nutrition and pharmacology, scientists said.




Turmeric is a flavorful, orange-yellow spice and an important ingredient in many curries, commonly found in Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has also been used for 2,500 years as a medicinal compound in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India – not to mention being part of some religious and wedding ceremonies. In India, turmeric is treated with reverence. The newest findings were made by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU and published today in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.“This research points to a new avenue for regulating CAMP gene expression,” said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the Linus Pauling Institute. “It’s interesting and somewhat surprising that curcumin can do that, and could provide another tool to develop medical therapies.





The impact of curcumin in this role is not nearly as potent as that of vitamin D, Gombart said, but could nonetheless have physiologic value. Curcumin has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. “Curcumin, as part of turmeric, is generally consumed in the diet at fairly low levels,” Gombart said. “However, it’s possible that sustained consumption over time may be




healthy and help protect against infection, especially in the stomach and intestinal tract.”In this study, Chunxiao Guo, a graduate student, and Gombart looked at the potential of both curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids to increase expression of the CAMP gene. They found no particular value with the omega-3 fatty acids for this purpose, but curcumin did have a clear effect. It caused levels of CAMP to almost triple.There has been intense scientific interest in the vitamin D receptor in recent years because of potential therapeutic benefits in treating infection, cancer, psoriasis and other diseases, the researchers noted in their report. An alternative way to elicit a related biological response could be significant and merits additional research, they said. The CAMP peptide is the only known antimicrobial peptide of its type in humans, researchers said. It appears to have the ability to kill a broad range of bacteria, including those that cause tuberculosis and protect against the development of sepsis.