Dietary and lifestyle differences could possibly explain why South Asians and Europeans require different doses of drugs to treat similar conditions, according to Vidya Perera, final year pharmacy doctoral student at the University of Sydney.

Perera found that people from South Asia could manage with lower drug doses because of lower levels of CYP1A2, which is an enzyme that metabolizes drugs.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

Vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are known to increase levels of CYP1A2,’ according to a Sydney statement.

‘The lower levels of CYP1A2 in South Asians, however, appears to be due to the common practice of cooking these vegetables, using ingredients such as cumin and turmeric, ingredients known to inhibit the enzyme,’ explained Perera.

‘This is the first study to look at CYP1A2 activity in South Asians. Understanding the correct dose of a medicine is crucial to achieving beneficial results and avoiding adverse drug reactions,’ she said.

The research was presented by Perera at the AusBiotech 2011 in Australia.

There just could not be anything better than inspiration when it comes to health, fitness, and lifestyle.

You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are. – Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content webcomic, #352, 05-04-05

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.  – Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It’s also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be. -  Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, 2009

Health is not valued till sickness comes. – Dr. Thomas Fuller (1654 – 1734), Gnomologia, 1732

Be not slow to visit the sick. – Ecclesiastes

I have never cared much for fish – it floats in the belly as much as in the pond.  – Erica Eisdorfer, The Wet Nurse’s Tale, 2009

Preserving health by too severe a rule is a worrisome malady. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 – 1680)

It is amazing how much crisper the general experience of life becomes when your body is given a chance to develop a little strength. – Frank Duff, A Coder in Courierland, 03-20-05

What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn’t much better than tedious disease. – George Dennison Prentice

Exercise could benefit irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, according to a recently concluded study.

The research, which was conducted at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and at Alingsas Hospital, included 102 IBS patients between the ages of 18 and 65.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

Half the group was randomly allocated to increase their physical activity and the other half to maintain their usual lifestyle.

The active group increased their physical activity on their own, but with the advice and support from the physiotherapist.

“They were advised to perform moderate to vigorous physical activity for 20 to 30 minutes three to five times a week,” said Elisabet Johannesson, one of the authors of the article.

At the start of the study and after three months the participants in the study were asked to rate their different IBS complaints, such as abdominal pain, stool problems and quality of life.

“The group with unchanged lifestyle had an average decrease of symptoms by 5 points. The active group on the other hand showed a symptom improvement with an average reduction of 51 points,” said Riadh Sadik, a senior physician.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

If you have tried every single method to go slim but seen no results then advice of celeb dietician Anita Bean has come to your rescue with her new no-nonsense strategy for a proper diet to help you stay away from fat forever.

Anita, has published Slim Secrets that gives a safe diet based on scientific facts from her experience.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Slim Secrets, addresses the psychology and emotions behind dieting which she feels is the main barrier to long term weight loss. “Before you begin working out whether you are going to have broccoli or a chocolate cookie, the starting point of any diet has to be sorting out your emotions. You have to start taking control, not only of your eating but also your whole lifestyle,” she says.

She admits this “all sounds a bit serious,” but adds “the reason why many women have weight issues is because they haven’t got control over what they are eating. Food becomes tangled up with negative beliefs about yourself and your past. It’s got to be a long-term process. If as a child you were hurt or upset and given sweets you might associate food as a reward or use it to hide emotions. I am not talking about heavy-duty psychology here, it’s about getting people to be honest with themselves and face up to what they are doing,” she added.

The Daily Express quoted her, as saying that any diet for losing weight offers short-term results because low calories are taken but often the proposed diet plan is not sustainable.

A tailored diet and fitness programs should be followed to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

It is never too late to adapt a new and a healthy lifestyle. You can start practicing from the day you realize that you are not any more a fit and a healthy person. Look to activities such as exercise, aerobics, swimming, jogging, yoga and other physical activities in your daily routine and see the difference. The more you are active, higher is your metabolism rate and higher number of calories you burn. You see much happier days with the gaining health every day.

Exercise has lots of benefit-Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, Improve joint stability, it increases and improve range of movement, it helps maintain flexibility as you age, it also maintains bone mass, prevents osteoporosis and fractures, improves mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, Enhances self esteem, improve memory in elderly people, reduces stress. Along with the physical health part, you really should try including a diet rich in protein and fiber.  Making small changes to the diet plan you have daily can show drastic changes. Adding salads, green leafy veggies in the diet is very important. Switching to low fat diet or fat tree diary is essential.

Including an exercise plan in your daily routine increases longevity and provides a disease

In today’s busy times, most of us suffer from sleep disturbances. Stress, excess workload, and hectic schedules are just a few factors contributing to sleep disturbances and the earlier we make changes to our lifestyle, the better.

Small measures such as taking a hot milky drink, a bath, switching off the computer, listening to soothing music, and meditation can considerably improve quality of sleep besides helping us in realizing our dreams with added zeal and power.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Experts say the surroundings could be rearranged to create an atmosphere more suited to sleep. Sleeping with the television on should be avoided as the waves disrupt sleep patterns.

To sleep well, there needs to be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain, a warm body and a cool head. If a person prepares for sleep well before midnight (between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.), he stands a much better chance of getting a good sleep.

Vital deep sleep occurs an hour or so after a person drops off. So one can optimise the quality of this initial stage by going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Experts also say that one should have breakfast within half-an-hour of waking. This not only stimulates body metabolism, but when one eats a healthy breakfast, the person starts to create the perfect internal chemistry for optimal sleep.

It is always good to keep a gap of 90 minutes between eating dinner and going to bed. A heavy meal late in the evening disrupts sleep pattern.

In addition to that, we can even emphasize upon exercises for half an hour so that the body can get relaxed, breathing is improved, body appearance gets better, and sleep is induced.