Dr. Navtej Kohli Blog

The risk of Cancer can be abated by the choosing and eating the right kind of food.  Navtej Kohli tells you how:

Diet rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals fortify our immune system and sustain good health. Below is a quick step guide to make your diet a cancer-fighting tool:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables especially with strong, vivid colors. Like red peppers, green broccoli and orange yams. The antioxidants and phytochemicals in these foods protect us against cancer.

Gorge on fish intakes like salmon, mackerel and halibut provides the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Prostaglandins compound present in such food inhibits cancer growth. Limit red meat.

Drink green tea. Aim for three cups a day to help block the formation of cancer-causing compounds.

Switch to white flour products over whole grains. Breads that offer 100 percent whole grains may cut colon cancer risk.

Take high fiber foods such as legumes and vegetables, and drink plenty of water to help your body eliminate toxins.

Reduce your exposure to pesticides. Try to buy organic, especially when purchasing foods in which pesticides are present in high concentration.  Like - Meat, eggs, cheese and milk, to name a few.

What we choose to eat actually boosts our health and helps us fight off diseases.

Navtej Kohli Blog brings some odd yet true news, that will make you jump off you chair. Now, make your mornings more aromatic with coffee.

Nah! Not just by drinking it, studies suggest -  Mere fragrance of coffee can get you out of the bed.

Don’t take my words, read this:

We all know that sipping a strong cup of coffee can help do away with drowsiness, but can the aroma of the beverage also perform the same task? Well, Japanese scientists say yes, it may.

Dr Yoshinori Masuo of the National Institute of Industrial Science in Japan carried out tests on sleep-starved rats, and found the aroma-boosted genes that produce chemicals in the brain to fight fatigue and sleep deprivation.

He said that the aroma of coffee also boosted genes that control anxiety, and made the rats less stressed.

“Many of the genes have human equivalents,” the Mirror quoted him as saying.

Dr. Masuo revealed that his team was planning studies to identify the chemicals in coffee aroma that cause such effects.

He said that such research efforts might give rise to a potential new approach to liven up tired workers who would not have time for a coffee.

A recent study in Washington claims that Vitamin B3 can reduce the risk of heart diseases, while help maintaining optimum cholesterol levels. Navtej Kohli found this report:

A team led by an Indian researcher claim to have uncovered how niacin (vitamin B3) helps in maintaining good cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of developing heart disease.

Niacin can increase plasma HDL levels, however, the mechanism of how it works has been mysterious. Some researchers also believed that niacin does not actually increase HDL production.

The work also identifies a new drug target, as no other drug in currently known to raise HDL by inhibiting the surface expression of the beta chain of ATP synthase.

The new study has found that a component of ATP synthase (the protein that makes ATP) is present on the surface of liver cells, and this subunit known as the ‘beta chain’ can take up HDL.

The team led by researcher Moti Kashyap found that this beta chain is the basis of niacin’s effect.

They added niacin to samples of human liver cells and found that treatment reduced the presence of Beta chain on the cell surface by 27pct, and as a result HDL uptake was reduced by 35pct.

This shows that niacin hinders the liver from removing HDL from the blood, thus maintaining high plasma HDL levels.

However, it does not affect another major pathway known as “Reverse Cholesterol Transport.”

Therefore, it maintains HDL levels while still allowing the removal of other cholesterol types, explaining why niacin is especially beneficial.