weird news,lifestyle,health and home improvement

Vitamin supplements taken by millions of people do not increase life expectancy and may raise the risk of a premature death , according to a review of 67 studies with more than 230,000 subjects.

The review, by the Cochrane Collaboration which regularly pools data from trials to evaluate drugs and treatments, found supplements vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene are detrimental to health. In 47 trials with 180,938 people and a low risk of bias, the “antioxidant supplements significantly increased mortality”, the authors wrote. When the antioxidants were assessed separately and low risk of bias trials were included and selenium excluded, vitamin A was linked to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7% increased risk and vitamin E to a 4% increased risk.

Evidence for vitamin C and selenium was more equivocal, suggesting there was no benefit to taking these pills compared with a placebo.

“The bottom line is current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general healthy population or in patients with certain diseases,” said Goran Bjelakovic, who performed the review at Copenhagen Universityhospital in Denmark. “There was no indication that vitamin C and selenium may have positive or negative effects. So regarding these we need more data from randomised trials.”

All the supplements are categorised as antioxidants; research has suggested these chemicals underlie some of the beneficial effects of eating fruit and vegetables because they soak up harmful byproducts of metabolism which can damage cells and cause aging.

While the evidence of a beneficial effect of a diet rich in fruit and veg is solid, the Cochrane data suggest antioxidant supplements are either useless or detrimental.

Bjelakovic’s team evaluated 67 randomised clinical trials with 232,550 subjects; 21 of the trials were on healthy subjects, while the rest tested patients with a range of diseases. The evidence suggests it would be safer to obtain the chemicals not as supplements but by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.

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Everyone are taught since young that you can’t just pluck any mushroom you see in the woods as it might be poisonous and deadly. Even though a Blowfish (Fufu) may look really cute and delicious in the sea, you still need a licensed chef to prepare it for you, simple because it’s 1200 times more toxic then cyanide.

However, there are some food out there, though commonly eaten by us, contains toxic that may cause harm when it’s not prepared properly. Here’s a list of 5 I’ve found on the net..

1. Potatoes.
   Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids (solanine and chaconine). Cooking at high temperatures mostly removes the toxin, although headaches, diarrhea, and cramps—and in severe cases, coma and death—can occur in rare cases. Ever wonder why we’re told to keep potatoes away from light? It’s to prevent higher concentrations of solanine. So don’t eat potatoes after they have turned green.
2. Tomato.
   Although the fruit itself is safe (more technically a berry), tomato plants contain glycoalkaloids, which are indeed toxic.
3. Chocolate.
   Chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine, which in unusually high doses can be toxic to humans. However, it would take an unholy amount of chocolate to achieve this. But other species react much worse: dogs, parrots, horses, and cats can be killed by ingesting chocolate.
4. Tapioca.
   Tapioca, if not processed properly, can be toxic. It contains a natural source of cyanide, whose precursor, linamarin, is rendered harmless if properly dried, soaked, and baked.
5. Shellfish.
   Shellfish poisoning is mostly associated with mussels, clams, oysters, and scallops. These shellfish are filter feeders and can accumulate high levels of toxics including domoic acid, produced by microscopic algae. Cooking doesn’t always inactivate these toxins and some can lead to death in high dosages.

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Men are more likely than women to have problems with memory and other thinking skills, symptoms considered to be an early stage of dementia, research suggests.
The new study, to be presented at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago this week, expands the field of research on aging and memory into a touchy arena — cognitive differences among men and women.
 
Forgetfulness linked with aging, or just a frenzied day, is normal. Say, you misplace your car keys or wallet, or you can’t remember where you parked the car. Red flags should pop up when you start forgetting things you normally remember, and on a routine basis, such as weekly appointments, doctors say. These are signs of so-called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can lead to dementia.
People with mild cognitive impairment are three to four times more likely than others to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Considered the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s is a neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move.

The recent findings come from a study of nearly 2,000 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who ranged in age from 70 to 89. Dr. Rosebud Roberts of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and her colleagues followed the participants beginning in the fall of 2004, collecting new data every 12 to 15 months.

Overall, 74 percent of the participants had normal mental function; about 16 percent had MCI; and 10 percent had full-on dementia.

Men were one-and-a-half times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than women. The prevalence in men increased from 12 percent in men ages 70 to 74 up to 40 percent in the oldest age group, ages 85 to 89. “This was an unexpected finding,” Roberts said during a press briefing, referring to the difference between men and women.

The finding remained the same regardless of a man’s education or marital status.
“These findings are in contrast to studies which have found more women than men, or an equal proportion, have dementia, and suggest there’s a delayed progression to dementia in men,” Roberts said. “Alternately, women may develop dementia at a faster rate than men.”

Continued study of the participants could help to solve this mind puzzle.
“To be able to find out whether the findings are definitive, we need to follow our subjects over time,” Roberts said, “to see if men indeed develop new MCI at a faster rate than women.”

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.

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As an avid coffee and tea drinker, I am well acquainted with the joy of small things. Nothing quite satisfies like that first mug of morning joe, or cozying up with a hot cup of tea on a cold night. Given the enormous growth in the beverage industry, I know I am not alone in my fondness for these infusions. So, here are some of my top picks (in no particular order) for this year’s wish list. Perhaps your favorite coffee or tea drinker would enjoy these in their daily imbibing as well.

Tea Lover Top Gift Pick # 10: The Sorapot

Sorapot

First up for the ultra mod kitchen is the Sorapot. Designed by Joey Roth, this modern teapot combines simple and stylish design with function. The glass body is removable for easy cleaning, and all of its components are fully recyclable. This teapot allows the user to sink deeper into the ancient art of tea making - the tea drinker gets to watch the leaves unfurl as they steep, bringing the visual sense to the process, and deepening one’s appreciation for the fine concoction about to be enjoyed. Its sleek, futuristic form adds a sophisticated panache to any kitchen. For a $50 deposit you can reserve one of the 300 limited edition models now available, and pay the remaining $129 at time of shipping.

Source: joey roth via popgadget

Tea Lover Top GIft Pick # 9 : The Lazy Teapot

The lazy person’s teapot

For the ultimate convenience, tea-making has never been easier with the Lazy Teapot by Lotte Alpert. This porcelain number sits on a holding device which keeps the water perfectly heated to your pre-set temperature, and from that resting place you can just swivel the spout forward and pour without having to lift a lazy finger. Found via yankodesign

Coffee LoverTop Gift Pick # 8: The WMF Coffeemaker

one button keeps it easy

And for all you coffee addicts out there, the WMF will bring your mornings up to speed with its sleek exterior and speedy brew time. At the simple touch of a button — the only button, to be precise — you can have your morning cup delivered within the minute. At this point it’s only compatible with 220-volt power outlets like the ones used in Europe, but hopefully it will jump the pond soon. Color choices are green, grey, red or yellow and it runs close to $200.

Found via slipperybrick

Tea Lover Top Gift Pick # 7: Float Tea Lantern

floating tea time Next up on the list of cool coffee and tea lovers’ goods is the Float Tea Lantern, made by master glassblowers in the Czech Republic. Each handcrafted piece is made from borosilicate glass, and is suitable for hot or cold use. The suspended bowl shape and vacuum jacket serve to insulate the beverage contained therein as well as protect the hand from its radiating heat. It also elevates condensation away from the surface area, so there’s no need for a coaster. Very swank.

Found via velocityartdesign

Coffee Lover Top Gift Pick #6: The Café Solo

Cafe Solo The Café Solo is pretty sweet. Consisting of four parts, these handy coffeemakers come with their own neoprene or knitted cover to keep your brew hot for up to a half hour. Also included is a filter funnel and tip-up lid which opens automatically when you pour. Just spoon ground coffee into the glass flask and add hot water. Wait a few minutes while your sleep-encrusted eyes open a little wider and voila - piping hot, freshly brewed java. All parts - except the jacket - are dishwasher safe. The Café Solo comes in either 0.6 liter or 1 liter sizes, and the jackets come in assorted colors.

Found at evasolo and Amazon

Coffee and Tea Lover Top GIft Pick # 5: The Tea Stick

that’s tea, officer, I swear! The Tea Stick is another nifty little gadget that can enhance and simplify the tea-brewing process, allowing you to join the ranks of sophisticated loose tea drinkers in style. Loose tea can be a bit of a nuisance to deal with, and this handy tea stick takes the pain out of the preparation. Perfect for a single cup, simply scoop the tea into the spring-loaded chamber and steep. Made of stainless steel and plastic, the tea stick would make an affordable and functional stocking stuffer or gift for that tea drinker at the office.

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Ever wondered how some people touch the 100-year milestone? Well, that’s because they have lots of children, take up farming and stay trim but not thin, according o scientists.

Husband and wife team Leonid and Natalia Gavrilov, from the Centre on Ageing at the University of Chicago looked at the health records of dozens of centenarians to determine why they had lived so long.

They found that not eating too much, but also not eating too little, was the crucial factor behind longevity, as was having more than four children by the age of 30 and working on the land.

“This study provides the first estimates of height, body build and other vital characteristics for the future centenarian,” the Telegraph quoted Leonid and Natalia, as saying.

The couple will reveal the details of their findings to a meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in San Francisco next week.

The study involved analyzing the records of 171 men born in 1887 who reached the age of 100.

“Our initial expectation was that thin people would live longer. But it really does not do much, compared with medium body build. There is no need to suffer,” Leonid said

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Irked spouses looking for a reason to stay married were offered a novel rationale by U.S. researchers on Monday: divorce is bad for the environment.

The global trend toward higher divorce rates has created more households with fewer people, scientists at Michigan State University reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More households means more energy expended to build, fuel, and provide water for them, the researchers wrote.

“Globally, the number of households is increasing much faster than the number of people,” said co-author Jianguo “Jack” Liu in a telephone interview.

“Even in regions with declining population, we see substantial increase in the number of households. Divorce is the main reason for reducing the number of people in a household,” he said.

The average divorced person’s household is about 40 to 50 percent smaller than the average married person’s household, Liu said. But whether there are three or six people in a house, the amount of fuel needed to heat them is about the same.
Divorce tosses out any economies of scale, the researchers found.

In the United States, divorced households used 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 2.850 trillion litres of water in 2005 that could have been saved if households had stayed the same size as when they were married. Thirty-eight million extra rooms were needed, with associated costs for heating and lighting.
In the United States and 11 other countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greece, Mexico and South Africa between 1998 and 2002, if divorced households had combined to have the same average household size as married households, there could have been 7.4 million fewer households.

The number of divorced households in those countries ranged from 40,000 in Costa Rica to almost 16 million in the United States around 2000. The number of rooms per person in divorced households was 33 percent to 95 percent greater than in married households.

Liu acknowledged that it wasn’t necessarily that marriage that was good for the environment. Rather, it was the size of the household that counted. And this could mean simply living together outside of wedlock.

“If you really want to get divorced, you know that two people cannot stay together, you don’t want to stay together forever, then maybe you remarry with somebody else, or live together with somebody else you like,” Liu said.

Sources:Chinadaily

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We usually detest insects, but this one is amongst our favorites. Ladybirds are beautiful, but for reputed gardeners they are also very useful. Why? Because their food is made almost entirely of plant lice, small soft bodied insects that invade garden plants and crops. Ladybirds eat plant lice both as adult and larva. A sole ladybird eats thousands of plant lice during its lifetime, but also other damaging insects. Some ladybirds also eat fungi attacking the plants. At the end of the 19th century, Iceria puchasi, a species of Australian plant lice, ruined the citrus fruits in California. The pest bred so quickly that it threatened to destroy all the citrus plantations in the area. An entomologist traveled to Australia to look for its enemy. This was a ladybird: Rodolia cardinalis. 500 individuals were brought to California and in about one year the lice were almost gone.

Most ladybirds do not bypass 12 mm in length, no matter if round or oval-shaped. The delicate rear flight wings are protected by tough shiny elytra wings, wearing the specific ladybird pattern. Of the about 5,000 species of ladybirds, not all have red elytra with black dots. Some can be yellow or orange with black dots, others are black with red dots. There are also dotless ladybirds and some are stripped or with small squares like a chess table.

Most ladybirds do not live more than one year. The adults hibernate in sheltered, dry places or under leaves in warmer places. When the wather is getting warm they awake and start flying searching for lice filled plants. After mating, the females lay a cluster of minute yellow eggs on the lower side of the leaves, close to a good lice reserve. The hatching larvae have three pairs of feet, eat plant lice continuously and grow between molts. After molting several times, the larva attaches to a plant and produces a pupa wrapping. From the pupa an adult gets out; at the beginning it is colorless but the pattern appears in just one day.

Ladybirds are avoided by the insect eaters as when threatened, they expel from the articulations a yellow liquid (children who touched a ladybird know this), foul scented and with a horrible taste. After experiencing this, birds or spiders will never approach a ladybird again. And the vivid colors have exactly this role: to remind of the nasty bite.

Some ladybirds proved harmful when introduced in foreign habitats. The Asian ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) co-exists peacefully with other ladybirds in its native northeastern Asia. Because it is a plant lice exterminator, it was introduced in Europe and North America. But here, it competes for food with the local species of ladybirds (and wins). When there’s no plant lice left, this species starts eating local ladybirds and other insects useful for the agriculture. Moreover, it also attacks ripe fruits and in autumn it invades houses to escape cold weather.

Some very few ladybird species are vegetarian and can attack crops but most of them are these natural contamination-free pest slayers.

Sources:softpedia

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