Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (E)

Good night everyone, long time no post in my blog coz i was busy to work with my homework last week, and my first post in this april is about a disease that maybe almost all of the people ever got this.... Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Well you can check my post if you want to know more about it....

Gastroesophageal (pronounced: gas-tro-ih-sah-fuh-jee-ul) reflux disease is a disorder that results from stomach acid moving backward from the stomach into the esophagus. GERD usually happens because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) — the muscular valve where the esophagus joins the stomach — opens at the wrong time or does not close properly.

When the stomach contents move backward into the esophagus, this is known as gastroesophageal reflux. (Because the stomach makes acid to help a person digest food, gastroesophageal reflux is also known as acid reflux.) Almost everyone has this type of reflux at some time. Often a person isn't even aware this is happening.

GERD can causes a Heart Burn. Heartburn is an irritation of the esophagus that is caused by stomach acid( in this case because of GERD) . This can create a burning discomfort in the upper abdomen or below the breast bone. And believe me, It's really hurt because i ever felt it.

Well Now you've known about GERD... Stay tune on my blog if you want to know more all about my world in Nutrition...:D Bye bye

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The Importance of Water for your Health (E)

Good night readers, sorry I was not posting again since 2 days ago, it's because i am moody... but now my mood is back... and Now i want to tell you about Water... You must be known about it right? 

Water is a chemical compound with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms that are connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at standard ambient temperature and pressure, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state, steam (water vapor).

Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. It is vital for all known forms of life. On Earth, 96.5% of the planet's water is found in seas and oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, a small fraction in other large water bodies, and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation. Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater, and 98.8% of that water is in ice and groundwater. Less than 0.3% of all freshwater is in rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere, and an even smaller amount of the Earth's freshwater (0.003%) is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products.

Water Have so many benefit for humanity, such as :

• Water helps regulate our body temperature through perspiration, which dissipates excess heat & cools our bodies.
• We even need water to breathe! As we take in oxygen & excrete CO2, our lungs must be moistened by water. We lose about 1 to 2 pints of water each day just exhaling.
• Asthma is frequently relieved when water intake is increased. Histamine plays a key role in regulating the way the body uses & distributes water & helps control the body' s defense mechanisms. In asthmatics, histamine level increases with dehydration. Our defense for the body is to close down the airways.
• The kidneys remove wastes such as uric aced, urea & lactic acid, all of which must be dissolved in water. When there isn't sufficient water, those wastes are not effectively removed, which may result in damage to the kidneys.
• Water lubricates our joints. The cartilage tissues found at the ends of long bones & between the vertebrae of the spine hold a lot of water, which serves as a lubricant during the movement of the joint. When the cartilage is will hydrated, the two opposing surfaces glide freely, & friction damage is minimal. If the cartilage is dehydrated, the rate of "abrasive" damage is increased, resulting in joint deterioration & increased pain.
• The actively growing blood cells in the bone marrow take priority over the cartilage for the available water that goes through the bone structure.
• Rheumatoid joint pain frequently decreases with increased water intake & flexing exercises to bring more circulation to the joints.
• 75% of the upper body weight is supported by the water volume that is stored in the spinal disc core. 25% is supported by the fibrous materials around the disc. The spinal joints are dependent on different hydraulic properties of water which is stored in the disc core. Back pain is frequently alleviated with hydration.
• Brain tissue is 85% water. Although the brain is only 1/50th of the body weight, it uses 1/20th of the blood supply. With dehydration, the level of energy generation in the brain is decreased. Depression & chronic fatigue syndrome are frequently results of dehydration.
• Migraine headaches may be an indicator of critical body temperature regulation at times of "heat stress." Dehydration plays a major role in bringing on migraines. Dehydration causes stress & stress causes further dehydration.

Well... You've known about the water and how's this thing is so important for us ... See you next time for the other post...:D

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The Importance of Vitamin D for Health (E)

Well... Good Nite Readers.... Now this time I want to tell you about the other kind of Vitamin, that's Vitamin D... What is Vitamin D? Why Vitamin D is Important for health...? In this post, I will tell you....

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate and zinc. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 (also known as cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol can be ingested from the diet and from supplements. The body can also synthesize vitamin D (specifically cholecalciferol) in the skin, from cholesterol, when sun exposure is adequate (hence its nickname, the "sunshine vitamin").

Vitamin D isn’t like most other vitamins. Your body can make its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to sunlight. But your body can’t make other vitamins. You need to get other vitamins from the foods you eat. For example, you need to get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.

Also what makes vitamin D unique compared to other vitamins, is that when  your body gets its vitamin D, it turns vitamin D into a hormone. This hormone is sometimes called “activated vitamin D” or “calcitriol.”

Getting the right amount of vitamin D doesn’t depend on the foods you eat. To get enough vitamin D you need to expose your skin to sunlight regularly and you may also need to take supplements. This makes getting the right amount a little more complex compared to other vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D is very important for strong bones. Calcium and phosphorus are essential for developing the structure and strength of your bones, and you need vitamin D to absorb these minerals. Even if you eat foods that contain a lot of calcium and phosphorus, without enough vitamin D, you can’t absorb them into your body. Vitamin D is important for general good health, and researchers now are discovering that vitamin D may be important for many other reasons outside of good bone health. Some of the functions of the body that vitamin D helps with include:

• Immune system, which helps you to fight infection
• Muscle function
• Cardiovascular function, for a healthy heart and circulation
• Respiratory system –for healthy lungs and airways
• Brain development
• Anti-cancer effects

So now, you've known about the Importance of Vitamin D for health, hope you satisfy with my post, if you have a question, just comment below....:D Thanks

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The Importance of Vitamin A for Health (E)

Now.. I want to tell you about the other kind of Vitamin, on the last post, I've told you about Vitamin C... And now I will tell you about Vitamin A...

Vitamin A is a group of unsaturated nutritional organic compounds, that includes retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids, among which beta-carotene is the most important. Vitamin A has multiple functions: it is important for growth and development, for the maintenance of the immune system and good vision. Vitamin A is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of retinal, which combines with protein opsin to form rhodopsin the light-absorbing molecule, that is necessary for both low-light (scotopic vision) and color vision. Vitamin A also functions in a very different role as an irreversibly oxidized form of retinol known as retinoic acid, which is an important hormone-like growth factor for epithelial and other cells.

In foods of animal origin, the major form of vitamin A is an ester, primarily retinyl palmitate, which is converted to retinol (chemically an alcohol) in the small intestine. The retinol form functions as a storage form of the vitamin, and can be converted to and from its visually active aldehyde form, retinal. The associated acid (retinoic acid), a metabolite that can be irreversibly synthesized from vitamin A, has only partial vitamin A activity, and does not function in the retina for the visual cycle. Retinoic acid is used for growth and cellular differentiation.

All forms of vitamin A have a beta-ionone ring to which an isoprenoid chain is attached, called a retinyl group. Both structural features are essential for vitamin activity.The orange pigment of carrots – beta-carotene – can be represented as two connected retinyl groups, which are used in the body to contribute to vitamin A levels. Alpha-carotene and gamma-carotene also have a single retinyl group, which give them some vitamin activity. None of the other carotenes have vitamin activity. The carotenoid beta-cryptoxanthin possesses an ionone group and has vitamin activity in humans.

Health Benefit Of Vitamin A

Vitamin A Is important for vision

When we look at objects, light is reflected from the object and enters the eye, striking a tissue located in the back of the eye. This tissue is known as the retina. When light strikes the retina, retinol is converted to retinal, which is then shuttled to rods – the cells that help you to see in the dark. In rod cells, retinal binds to a protein called opsin. As a result, opsin changes shape and causes nerve impulses to be generated. These nerve impulses then carry messages to the brain regarding the objects in our visual field. Retinal is then converted back to retinol, ending the visual cycle.

A hallmark of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness – an impaired ability to see in low light conditions. This is because with a reduced availability of retinol, the nerve impulses necessary for our brain to interpret visual information are hindered.

Vitamin A Regulates Genes

Our genes hold the code for vital proteins needed to carry out the body’s day to day functions. Thus, when these proteins are needed, the genetic code needs to be transcribed. However, gene transcription is highly regulated. This includes when it occurs and how fast it occurs. The retinoic acid form of Vitamin A helps to regulate the rate of gene transcription.

Vitamin A Supports the Immune System

The skin and the lining that covers the digestive, respiratory and urinary tracts are important components of the immune system. They are your body’s first barrier against infection. The retinol form of vitamin A is responsible for maintaining the function of the cells that make up these barriers. Vitamin A is also needed for the formation and activation of white blood cells.

Vitamin A Is Important for Red Blood Cell Production

All blood cells are developed from stem cells. Vitamin A facilitates the specialization of stems into red blood cells. Vitamin A also allows iron to be incorporated into hemoglobin – the oxygen carrying component of red blood cells.

Now You've known about Vitamin A and the health benefit of It... Thanks for reading.. :D
Good Nite

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Classification Of Whole Grain : Corn (E)

Yay..... It's Weekend....:D.... And It's time to refreshing myself today... Now I want to tell you about one kind of whole grains... that's Corn, You know corn right? What, but you don't know corn is one of cereal? Oh how poor you are...:D Ok now, I will tell you....

Corn or Zea Mays or Maize is one of the most successful cereal grasses of all time. It has been under human cultivation for over 10,000 years and has spread itself into every niche of commercial agriculture. Like most grain producing grasses, corn is an annual that must be replanted each year. While the plant originates in the New World, it is grown all over the world and used for a staggering array of products. It is far more productive than most cereal crops and able to sustain a higher population than relatives like wheat, rye, or rice.

Corn is often considered to be a starch, but the fact is that whole versions are technically grains. Whole grain corn contains bran, cereal germ, and endosperm. In some commercial grains, the refining process takes away portions of corn that no longer constitute the food as being whole. When consumers shop for unrefined grains, they can easily identify it so long as the label indicates that the corn used is “whole.” Whole grain corn is traditionally eaten off of the cob, but it is also used to make a variety of cakes, snacks, and tortillas.

CORN AND HEALTH

Each whole grain offers different nutrients, and in the case of corn, its high point is Vitamin A – with more than 10 times that of other grains. Recent research shows that corn is also high in antioxidants and carotenoids that are associated with eye health, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. As a gluten-free grain, corn is a key ingredient in many gluten-free foods.

In many traditional cultures, corn is eaten with beans, as they have complementary amino acids that work together to provide complete proteins. In Central and South America, corn is often nixtamalized for better health – soaked in an alkaline solution (often lime-water) – then drained and made into masa flour, tortillas and other foods. The nixtamalization process makes many of the corn kernel's B vitamins hugely more bioavailable, while also adding calcium. (The only downside: a small amount of bran is lost in the soaking, but the US Department of Agriculture still considers masa to be whole grain.) Hominy, a corn product eaten in the southern United States, is also nixtamalized corn.

So now, you have known about Corn and the relation between Corn and Health... Stay tune if you want to now about the other kind of whole grain...:D

Have a nice Weekend... :D

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Importance of Vitamin C for Health (E)

Well guys, good night.... You have known about Vitamin right? yes Vitamin is one of Micronutrient... If you haven't know, you can see my post here about Micronutrient.. Now I want to introduce one kind of Vitamin, And that's Vitamin C....:D

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. Vitamin C refers to a number of vitamers that have vitamin C activity in animals, including ascorbic acid and its salts, and some oxidized forms of the molecule like dehydroascorbic acid. Ascorbate and ascorbic acid are both naturally present in the body when either of these is introduced into cells, since the forms interconvert according to pH. Vitamin C is a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions, including several collagen synthesis reactions that, when dysfunctional, cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy. In animals, these reactions are especially important in wound-healing and in preventing bleeding from capillaries. Ascorbate may also act as an antioxidant against oxidative stress. 

A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables contain a large amount of vitamin C. Citrus fruits are famous for including vitamin C, and shoppers buy oranges, lemons and limes by the bag in order to get vitamin C into their diet.

The Health Benefits of Vitamin C

So what is so important about this essential vitamin? Vitamin C contains antioxidants, which help fight off free radicals in the body, warding off inflammation, infections, and viruses. Furthermore, by helping to build proteins in various types of cellular constructions, vitamin C also protects against heart attacks and strokes. In general, this nutritional element promotes better vascular health and longevity

So now, you've known about Vitamin C, stay tune on my blog and I will introduce you about another kind of Vitamin.... Thanks...:D

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Classification of Micronutrients (E)

Okay... in this post, I want to tell you about the Classification of Micronutrients. It's the second post of Micronutrients, 

Classification of Micronutrients

if you haven't read the first post of it, you can read first... Micronutrients : Slightly needed with High Benefit...

Micronutrients have three classification :

1. Vitamins,  is an organic compound required by an organism as a vital nutrient in limited amounts. An organic chemical compound (or related set of compounds) is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet.
2. Minerals, is a naturally occurring substance that is solid and stable at room temperature, representable by a chemical formula, usually abiogenic, and has an ordered atomic structure. It is different from a rock, which can be an aggregate of minerals or non-minerals and does not have a specific chemical composition. and of course because it's about nutrition so, mineral is a substance that has a function in the body
3. Marginal Compounds, is a micronutrients compound that are not included on Minerals or Vitamins.

So now you have known about the classification of Micronutrients, Stay tune on my blog, because I will always share anything about nutrition.... :D

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