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Q. Can food relieve my aches and pains?

A. It is possible that certain food can relieve aches.

Anthocyanins of the tart cherries have an anti-inflammatory effect similar to aspirin.              But the benefit has not been well studied in human subjects. Myfitdiet research has shown some effect on the relief of pain (www.myfitdiet.com). But the study is small and should be considered as preliminary finding.

 

Q. Is it true that grapefruit juice lower cholesterol?

A. Yes, but grapefruit juice can also interfere the metabolism of certain medications such as cholesterol-lowering stations.

 

Q. Is coffee good for health?

A. Maybe, some studies show that coffee may offer some protection against Parkinson disease and Alzheimer's disease. But the causes of these diseases could be multi-factorial. More study is needed. Coffee contains antioxidants.

 

Q. What are some of the diet pills available in the market?

A. 1) Fenfuramine: a dopaminergic agonist, has been shown in a study to cause 15.6% reduction from initial body weight vs a mean 4.9%  decrease in placebo group over 28 weeks.

     2) Orlistat: an inhibitor of lipases. In a 24 week study, 9.8% of weight reduction was achieved compared to 6.5% in placebo group.

     3) Sibutramine: a serotonin, dopamine abd bireoubeogrine reuptake inhibitor. In a 12 week trial, 6% weight reduction was achieved compared to 1% in the placebo group.

 

Q. What is the average dietary composition?

A. The average diet consumed contains 20-40% fat, 40-60% carbohydrate, 10-20% protein.

 

Q. What role does protein play in our health?

A. 50% of the stored protein can be mobilized for energy. However, depletion below 50% of total protein stores is incompatible with life. Depletion of protein is associated with impaired immunity to infection. Conservation protein is very important during acute starvation.

 

Q. Which hormone primarily regulate protein metabolism?

A. insulin.