Provocative Dietary Factors in Geriatric Hypertension: A Surveillance Study.
Provocative dietary factors in geriatric hypertension: A surveillance study.
Ayu. 2012 Oct; 33(4): 530-6
Jagtap MV, Deole YS, Chandola H, Ravishankar B
Hypertension is the most common psychosomatic disorder affecting 972 million people worldwide being more prevalent in old age. The present survey of hypertensive patients fulfilling the standard diagnostic criteria of WHO/ISH (2004) is carried out in geriatric age group from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in India to observe the dietary pattern and provocative factors. Total 120 patients of 50 to 80 years of age having systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg and ?180 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg and ?110 mm Hg irrespective of gender and religion were selected for the present study. They were interviewed for list of provocative factors enlisted in Ayurveda. As observed, the study supported the facts described in Ayurveda that dietary etiological factors, such as excess intake of Lavana (salty), Amla (sour), Katu (pungent), Tikshna, Ushna (hot), Vidahi (producing burning sensation), Viruddha (incompatible), Snigdha (unctuous), Abhishyandi (leading to obstruction), Madhura (sweet), Guru (heavy to digest) dietary articles, Ajirnashana (taking diet before complete digestion of previous meal), Adhyashana (repeated eating at short intervals), will vitiate Rakta dhatu as well as Pitta dosha in the body leading to disorders like hypertension. Hypertension in old age is found to be a disease of Vata-Pitta dominant vitiation with the involvement of Rasa, Rakta, Meda as main Dushya (vitiated factors) and dietary factors can contribute to worsening of the disease. The etiological factors having role in the pathogenesis can also be applied for preventive guidelines for the management of hypertension. HubMed – eating
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (1743-1794) and the birth of respiratory physiology.
Thorax. 2013 May 30;
Karamanou M, Androutsos G
BACKGROUND: For more than 1500 years, the status of knowledge concerning the physiology of human respiration has remained almost unchanged. In the 18th century, the French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier conducted breathing experiments on human and animal respiration. METHODS: The main bibliographic sources concerning Lavoisier’s life and work on respiration have been investigated and analysed. RESULTS: Using an ice-calorimeter, Lavoisier proved that combustion and respiration were one and the same. He also measured the oxygen consumed during respiration and concluded that the amount changes depending on human activities: exercise, eating, fasting, and sitting in a warm or cold room. Moreover, he found variations in pulse and breathing rate. CONCLUSIONS: Lavoisier’s work on respiration is of great historical significance as it represents the first effort to measure human respiratory gas metabolism contributing significantly to the development of respiratory physiology. HubMed – eating
Leaving a Flat Taste in Your Mouth: Task Load Reduces Taste Perception.
Psychol Sci. 2013 May 30;
van der Wal RC, van Dillen LF
In recent years, people have tended to pay less attention to their meals, often consuming them while engaging in other activities. At the same time, foods have become increasingly sweet and salty. We therefore investigated how performing concurrent activities affects taste perception and how this relates to actual consumption. Participants tasted sour, sweet, and salty substances in various concentrations under differing task loads. Our results demonstrated that under high task load (relative to low task load), participants rated the substances as less intense, consumed more of the substances, and preferred stronger tastants. Our findings suggest that increased task load reduces people’s taste perception by limiting attentional capacity to assess taste intensity and that people adjust their consumption accordingly. HubMed – eating