Health
Avocado Pear Helps The Eyes
Avocados are power foods that should not be taken for granted. Though they are highly seasonal and expensive, yet contain eye friendly nutrients like lutein, a natural antioxidant in the carotenoid family, and beneficial fats that may aid its absorption.
Currently we know of about 600 different carotenoids that exist in nature; lutein is one of only two (the other is zeaxanthin) comprehensively shown to help maintain eye health as we age.
It works by filtering out blue light which can damage the macula – the small area at the centre of the retina responsible for what we see straight in front of us, at the centre of our field of vision. The yellow colour of the macula comes from the lutein and zeaxanthin in our diets.
Macular damage, or age-related macular degeneration, is a leading cause of vision loss among people aged 50 and older and lutein supplements are often recommended to help maintain the thickness or density of the macular pigment.Researchers in the US have found that a daily use of avocado can help preserve the macula – the part of the retina responsible for our central vision.
According to them Avocados contain lutein – though at lower levels than are found in most supplements. Yet daily consumption doubled the density of the macular pigment compared to previous studies using supplements. It is believed that the fats in avocados aid bioavailability.
A supplemental finding was that the increase in macular pigment density was related to improvements in working memory and problem solving.
The small study, published in the journal Nutrients, involved 40 healthy adults aged 50 and older, who ate either one avocado each day or a control diet consisting of either one potato or a cup of chickpeas daily over a six month period.
Chickpeas and potatoes were selected as a control diet because they have a similar calorie content to avocados but contain a negligible amount of lutein and monounsaturated fats.
After six months, the scientists from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University found that blood lutein levels in avocado group had significantly increased, by 25 percent compared to a 15 percent increase in the potato/chickpea-control group. However, only participants in the avocado group experienced significant increases in macular pigment density (MPD).
Lutein supplements typically contain 10-12 mg of lutein and 0.5 mg of zeaxanthin per day. Previous research by this same team found significant increases in MPD after four months of supplementation.
In contrast, avocados provided a lower daily lutein dose (0.5 mg) but, in this study, more than doubled the MPD compared to the supplement.
“This suggests that other components in avocado are particularly effective in the enrichment of neural lutein. The most likely components are monounsaturated fatty acids,” they wrote.
The study also had a bonus finding: the increase in macular pigment density was related to improvements in working memory and problem solving.
The researchers were not able to explain the finding but, earlier this year, data examining paediatric brain tissue suggested that 60 percent of the total carotenoids in the paediatric brain were lutein, even though lutein is only about 12 percent of the carotenoids in the average infant’s diet. This accumulation suggests that the brain has a preference for lutein.
Other studies have shown that consumption of lutein is linked to the preservation of what is termed the “crystallised intelligence” – essentially, the ability to use the skills and knowledge one has acquired over a lifetime.
Lead investigator, Jean Mayer, observed that a balanced diet including fresh avocados may be an effective strategy for health.
By: Kevin Nengia
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.
