OMH CAPSULE: Vitamin Supplements May Do More Harm Than Good , Know why.

 

Only My Health brings you a quick round-up of all the latest health news that you need to know. 

Vitamin Supplements May Do More Harm Than Good

In the year 2021, the Indian market for dietary supplements reached Rs 331 billion. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the demand for herbal supplements and vitamins and minerals witnessed tremendous growth. But, do they really help?

A new analysis by the Journal of American Association found little or no evidence that vitamins helped prevent heart disease or cancer for an average healthy person.
In fact, the U.S. Preventive Task Force said Beta Carotene, was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and death from heart disease. Beta-carotene belongs to a group of colored pigments called carotenoids. It's converted to vitamin A in the body and found in many fruits and vegetables.
It also stated that Vitamins D and E are not associated with increased or decreased risk of heart diseases or cancer. And, high doses of vitamin C have been linked to renal failure. In short, no benefit at all.
In most healthy adults, key vitamins and minerals can be obtained from a well-balanced diet and daily early morning sunlight. The report suggests that supplementation might only be necessary for those who cannot get enough sunlight or who are elderly or suffer from high-risk conditions that make it difficult to consume vitamins from diet alone.

Virus Infected People Are More Attractive To Mosquitoes

According to a study published in the journal Cell, mosquitoes choose their prey selectively.
Researchers found that infection with some viruses like dengue or Zika can change the scent of their infected host, making them more attractive to hungry mosquitoes and increasing disease transmission.
The study, using data from both mice and humans, found that once infected, mice and humans secrete a compound called acetophenone; and, mosquitoes are crazy for it. This compound leads them to bite their hosts, suck their blood and carry the virus to their next victim.

Surprisingly, reducing the amount of acetophenone can also help prevent mosquito bites.

For this researchers introduced isotretinoin - a vitamin A derivative that's commonly used in acne medications. When the researchers fed isotretinoin to the infected mice, they found the mosquitoes didn't bite the sick mice any more than the healthy ones.

Researchers believe this finding could be used to develop strategies to stop mosquitoes from seeking out and biting infected hosts.

Potatoes Milk Can Be As Good As Animal Milk

Lactose intolerance affects 60 to 65 percent of Indians. Are you among them? If so, finding the best milk substitute is critical for your diet. But have you ever thought about making potato milk? According to a new study, potato milk can be just as effective as animal milk in terms of muscle building.

According to the study, which was conducted by researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, because potato protein and animal milk protein have a very similar amino acid composition, they may have a similar effect on muscle protein synthesis, or the body's way of converting amino acids into skeletal muscle protein.

And that's not all. It's inexpensive - much less expensive to make than to buy dairy milk. It is also environmentally friendly, with a carbon footprint that is 75% lower than that of dairy milk.

Because potato milk is free of lactose, milk, soy, gluten, and nuts, it may be appealing to allergy sufferers.