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Tag: Benefits

  • Chivita 100% lists nutritional benefits to consumers

    Chivita 100% lists nutritional benefits to consumers

    Chi Limited, makers of Chivita 100 per cent, has said it has made it easier for everyone to keep fit, by creating beverages that are simply healthy and affordable.

    In spite of stiff competition and uncertainties in the marketplace, it said it has endured to build a brand that is a huge delight to fruit juice consumers.

    Its Managing Director, Deepanjan Roy, said: “For us at Chi Limited, we place premium on our consumers by ensuring that they get optimum nutritional value from Chivita 100 per cent. We employ the most advanced technology in the production of fruit juice and ensure that it is packaged in the most hygienic and convenient form available anywhere.

    “Our technological process ensures that the juice retains its natural fruity composition and is of the highest quality. We are confident that Chivita 100 per cent would continue to delight and nourish our numerous consumers across Nigeria.”

    A nutritionist, Dr Adeleke Adelakun, said nutrition is a key enabler to meet almost every development goal for human beings, and we cannot over-emphasise the role that natural foods without artificial preservatives and refined sugars can play in achieving this.

    He said:“Chivita 100 per cent fruit juices are naturally nutritious and are usually fortified with nutrients like vitamin C, calcium and vitamin D. They are considered a “nutrient dense” beverage because they contain far more nutritional value than other beverage choices per calorie.”

    A health and lifestyle expert Angela Maduka, also said regular consumption of the orange flavour has helps to maintain a healthy mucus membrane, skin and good vision.

    This is because oranges contain very good levels of vitamin A and other flavonoid antioxidants  which are known to have antioxidant properties. It has also been established that oranges are a good source of B-complex vitamins which are essential because the body requires them from external sources to replenish itsel.

  • Tap into many benefits of cucumbers

    Researchers have long been familiar with the presence of unique polyphenols in plants called lignans, and these health-benefiting substances have been studied extensively in cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli or cabbage) and allium vegetables (like onion or garlic). Recent studies, however, have begun to pay more attention to the lignan content of other vegetables, including cucumbers. Cucumbers are now known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol-three lignans that have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

    •Fresh extracts from cucumbers have recently been show to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While research in this area must still be considered preliminary-since it’s only been conducted on animals in a lab setting-the findings are clear and consistent. Substances in fresh cucumber extracts help scavenge free radicals, help improve antioxidant status, inhibit the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes like cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), and prevent overproduction of nitric oxide in situations where it could pose health risks. It’s highly likely that cucumber phytonutrients play a key role in providing these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, supporting health alongside of the conventional antioxidant nutrients-including vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese-of which cucumbers are an important source.

    •As a member of the cucurbitaceae family of plants, cucumbers are a rich source of triterpene phytonutrients called cucurbitacins.  Cucurbitacins A, B, C, D and E are all contained in fresh cucumber. They have been the subject of active and ongoing research to determine the extent and nature of their anti-cancer properties. Scientists have already determined that several different signaling pathways (for example, the JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways) required for cancer cell development and survival can be blocked by activity of cucurbitacins. We expect to see human studies that confirm the anti-cancer benefits of cucumbers in the everyday diet.

    Health benefits

    Cucumbers have not received as much publicity as other vegetables in terms of health benefits, but this widely cultivated food provides us with a unique combination of nutrients. At the top of the phytonutrient list for cucumbers are its cucurbitacins, lignans, and flavonoids. These three types of phytonutrients found in cucumbers provide us with valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits. Specific phytonutrients provided by cucumbers include

    Flavonoids

    •apigenin

    •a luleolin

    •a quercetin

    •a kaempferol

    Lignans

    •pinoresinol

    •lariciresinol

    •secoisolariciresinol

    Triterpenes

    •cucurbitacin A

    •cucurbitacin B

    •cucurbitacin C

    •cucurbitacin D

    Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits

    Cucumbers are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese. In addition, cucumbers contain numerous flavonoid antioxidants, including quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, and kaempferol. In animal studies, fresh extracts from cucumber have been shown to provide specific antioxidant benefits, including increased scavenging of free radicals and increased overall antioxidant capacity. Fresh cucumber extracts have also been shown to reduce unwanted inflammation in animal studies. Cucumber accomplishes this task by inhibiting activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes like cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), and by preventing overproduction of nitric oxide in situations where it could increase the likelihood of excessive inflammation.

    Anti-cancer benefits

    Research on the anti-cancer benefits of cucumber is still in its preliminary stage and has been restricted thus far to lab and animal studies. Interestingly, however, many pharmaceutical companies are actively studying one group of compounds found in cucumber-called cucurbitacins-in the hope that their research may lead to development of new anti-cancer drugs. Cucurbitacins belong to a large family of phytonutrients called triterpenes. Cucurbitacins A, B, C, D and E have all been identified within fresh cucumber.

     

     

    Source: www.whfoods.com

  • Abia community benefits from WAAPP’s technologies

    Abia community benefits from WAAPP’s technologies

    The West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP)-Nigeria has adopted Oriendu Village, a rural Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State for the establishment of Biogas Digester.

    This step, in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, is meant to demonstrate to the adopted community alternative cheap source of energy for cooking and lighting in the rural areas; creation of employment opportunities by training some persons in this respect; and discouraging deforestation, among others.

    At the training, the NRCRI Director of Extension Services/  WAAPP, Dr. Godwin Asumugha, said the technology is an alternative and cheap source of energy in rural areas, adding that already more than 10 youths were undergoing training on how to establish, or set up the technology.

    According to NRCRI Executive Director, Dr. Julius Okonkwo, the organisation has since 2011 been collaborating with WAAPP to facilitate the dissemination of improved agricultural technologies, stating that  the Adopted Village Concept which was first introduced to the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) in 1996 under the World Bank- assisted programs of the National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) was re-activated and consolidated by the WAAPP.

    According to him, the concept was introduced for developing, disseminating and evaluating technologies emanating from Research Institutes. The institures are to conduct their demonstrations in the identified and adopted villages for adoption and impact, and impres on intending farmers and end users on the viability of technologies being promoted.

    Other objectives,he listed, are to encourage large-scale adoption of improved technologies, economically empower resource poor farmers, and create job opportunities for youths and enhance  food security.

    On the main features of the adopted villages, he said they include empowerment of the communities through initial provision of some facilities, capacity building of the communities, empowerment of farmers to identify their problems and search for solutions, facilitate community activities, operate an agricultural research outreach center including information flow.

    On the other activities, Okonkwo said that apart from establishing adopted villages, the Institute established secondary schools outreach programs around them for the purpose of establishing Agricultural Research Outreach Centres (AROCs).

    The main purpose, he explained, “is to ensure that the impact of agricultural research and training is felt in these schools and increase students interest in agriculture and home economics, adding that NRCRI has 13 Outreach Schools in seven states out of which five are in Abia.

    Describing the training and the Biogas Digester project as first of its kind in his community, the community’s traditional ruler, Eze Philip Ajomiwe, a farmer, commended WAAPP and NRCRI for considering to adopt Oriendu for the project.              Meanwhile, the management team from the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), Nigeria, has lauded FUNAAB during its visit to the university, to assess the progress made so far by Institute for Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR) in the  collaboration between both bodies. While welcoming the team, the Director, IFSERAR, who is also the WAAPP Co-ordinator in the university, Prof Akin Omotayo, thanked management as well as WAAPP for their support in ensuring that IFSERAR was at the fore-front in research and increasing food productivity so as to end hunger in the land. He said a lot of progress had been made since the collaboration started about a year ago.

    Omotayo said IFSERAR was into projects such as cassava seed multiplication and fingerlings multiplication, distribution, technology dissemination and adopted school project, noting that recently, the institute empowered some farmers by giving them farm inputs such as fingerlings and cassava stem, free of charge.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, who is also the President of Association of African Universities (AAU), appreciated the contributions of WAAPP-Nigeria through IFSERAR, in strengthening the University’s extension village farmers. He added that the FUNAAB recently bought a Toyota Hilux Van to support the programme, adding that a lot of things needed to be done in providing food security. He stressed the need to embark on sensitisa-tion and enlightenment activities that would enable the youth take up farming as a means of livelihood, to create more employment opportunities. He gave the assurance that the University would continue to ensure that its research efforts waxed stronger and that WAAPP team members should feel free to visit various ongoing farm projects on campus.

    The National Co-ordinator of WAAPP-Nigeria, Dr. Sheu Salawu, said he was impressed with the serenity of FUNAAB, noting that the objective of the visit was to review the activities of the project in the University in line with the determination of the World Bank to eliminate poverty globally.

    He acknowledged the enormous effort being made by FUNAAB in supporting the WAAPP programmes, adding that he had a strong belief that the communities around the university were feeling the positive impact of WAAPP.

    Salawu urged the Vice-Chancellor to continue to support, and include entrepreneurship courses for graduating students to facilitate their accessing of finance. The team members were shown various research findings in the University as they visited ongoing agricultural projects on campus.

  • China’s economic reforms bring benefits

    China’s ongoing economic reforms and initiatives on regional development will benefit both itself and the rest of the world, top European economists have said.

    Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the Chinese economy, the world’s second largest, is not heading for a hard landing.

    During the economic transformation and upgrading, “the only risk for China was stagnation, but this has been overcome,” Daniel Gros, director of the Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies, told Xinhua in an interview.

    China’s economic reforms benefit the world in two ways, according to Gros, a former economic adviser to the European Commission and then the European Parliament.

    “First, everybody benefits if China grows more strongly, especially if growth is re-balanced from investment and exports towards consumption,” he told Xinhua.

    “Second, making the market the main determinant of economic decisions also facilitates trade,” Gros continued.

    Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), a world-economy think tank based in Brussels, said economic reforms that open up for more competition and innovation are key to China’s development.

     

     

    “The country could add a new dimension to its global economic leadership by fastening economic reforms that can reverse the country’s growth trend,” the Swedish economist said.

    In recent years, China has been eyeing economic upgrading through coordinating its financial and monetary policies and through long-term investment in such areas as infrastructure.

    China has also proposed or promoted a host of initiatives, including the Silk Road Economic Zone, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the BRICS Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as part of efforts to fund global public investment and pursue win-win results.

    On these initiatives, Gros said a distinction should be made between internal investment drive and the financing of investment abroad.

    “Internal infrastructure investment has been useful to maintain demand and employment in the short run, but it does little to address the domestic demand deficiency which one can see in the continuing very high national (not merely household) savings rates,” he explained.

     

    Chinese efforts to finance global public investment are laudable, but the size of this investment would be much smaller than domestic investment because other countries have an absorption problem for foreign capital, Gros said.

    Noting that these initiatives will help push growth, Erixon said that “new investments that are combined with economic reforms have a much better multiplying effect.”

    Regarding China’s trade policies, the ECIPE chief said China’s efforts to spur regional trade integration are important.

    China’s trade negotiations with the United States or the European Union should not be that far off, provided that domestic economic reforms are sped up, he added.

    Chinese capital going overseas

    Asked to comment on the going-out of Chinese capital, Erixon said the global market has seen an increasing competitve presence of Chinese companies.

    Some sectors are sensitive in some countries, especially the infrastructure sector and those previously privatized sectors, but countries with a protectionist sentiment towards Chinese are declining in number, he said.

    China can contribute to better conditions for cross-border investment by allowing more competition between outward oriented Chinese investors and by reforming corporate governance that will make it easier for others to understand how companies in China work, according to Erixon.

    Innovation

    Both economists also offered their insights on how China can step up its innovation-led growth, as Chinese governments are pushing for more innovation-supporting measures, including encouraging people to start undertakings and promoting the development of the internet economy.

    Erixon said apart from increasing the scope for competition in the economy, China could accelerate its own innovation-led growth by education.

    “The experience of many other countries is that it is smarter to invest in readiness to adopt innovations than invest in the capacity to create them,” he added.

    Innovation is best left to the private sector, Gros said, noting that in reality, the government is rarely the source of innovation.

  • Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Let me commence this contribution to this historical conference on Beer and the Healthy Lifestyle by expressing my gratitude to organisers of this symposium, for the invitation to chair and speak at this occasion. I am particularly gratified that that at last the Nigerian beer drinkard (as the Nigerian writer would have put it) is being served by a Nigerian conference. Beer has been an important component of a healthy life style in human history for over four thousand years. It continues to be.

    My particular interest in beer and other beverages such as palm wine and grape wine began long ago, as a boy sent by my grandfather to harvest the juice of the palm tree which had been cut down and laid horizontal for easy collection. Later travels and further immersion in lifestyles led to particular passion for the ultimate relationship between alcohol and beer.

    Each area of human manipulation and invention contains an abiding puzzle. With car making it is always to invent a car that would, like the horse that inspired the automobile, move itself without a rider. The invention of automatic transmission brought that day forward. Today self-driving cars are being tested and we might have soon self-driving cars competing with life horses on the race course!

    In the field of aeroplanes, it would be the one that would fly without a pilot. Today, drones fly past birds to do what they need to do. What then is the abiding puzzle in the case of beer brewing? Before I go into this I want to quote some of the major ways that Beer and Beer Brewing has enriched the languages and cultures of the world.

    “It was the accepted practice in ancient Babylonia 4000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, the period was called the ‘honey moon’ – or what we know today as the honey moon.”

    “Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thump or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast would not grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase ‘rule of thumb’.”

    “In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in Old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settled down. It’s where we get the phrase mind your p’s and q’s!”

    “Beer, we are told, was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It’s clear from the Mayflower’s log that the crew did not want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers were hasted ashore and made to drink water so that the seamen might have the more beer.”

    “After consuming a bucket or even two of a vibrant brew they called ‘aul’ or ‘ale’, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armour or even shirts. In fact, the term ‘berserk’ means ‘bare shirt’ in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.”

    “In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water-down the navy’s rum. Needless to say, the sailors were not too pleased and called Admiral Vernon Old Grog, after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore. The term ‘grog’ soon began to mean watered down drink itself. When you were drunk on this grog, you were ‘groggy’, a word still in use today.”

    I remember that one particular brand of beer Becks had been so domesticated that when my Uncle called for his Abeke I knew where to go and bring her!

    Now to go back to that abiding puzzle mentioned in the case of the automobile and aeroplane industries, which is still to be resolved in the industry of brewing of beer. What is the correct alcoholic content to make beer the best beer can be? Whoever can discover that formula would have done in beer brewing what the automobile and aeroplane industries have done for the pleasure car and the aircraft? Brewers have reduced the alcohol content drastically to create Beer Lite. At other times brewers have increased the alcohol content to hasten intake and effective inebriation! And there has been non-alcoholic beer as well.

    In the rest of this presentation I wish to look at the health benefits of each one of these versions of beer: the non-alcoholic, the lite and the high alcoholic content. But let me sound a note of warning. All cultures preach one particular central virtue over and above every other virtue. In the Yoruba culture it is possible to state categorically that moderation, iwotunwosi, the washing of the left hand and of the right hand, is the singular pillar of existence as contained in the Ifa Divination poems “highly valued by the Yoruba as the guardian of Yoruba culture, the wisdom of the ages and the teachings of the ancestors and the divinities.”

    In terms of drink, “to drink moderately is to drink within the limits set by your health, the society in which you live and your obligations towards your family and friends: this means 1 – 3 drinks a day for most men. Women are more sensitive to alcohols, so they are advised to drink less than men: 1 – 2 drinks a day.” This amounts to a quarter litre glass having between 4 and 5 per cent alcohol 10g by volume. This approximates to beer lite.

    Alcohol and the natural raw materials from which beer is brewed are good to drink and are also good for the health. They are not health risks when taken moderately. Foods and drinks consumed by human beings contain both bad fat and good fat. When alcohol is consumed there is an increase of good fat. This is the fat that the body can easily convert to energy. Bad fat has a habit of sitting at the neck or at the guts or anywhere else that would give it space. Alcohol does not contain this bad type of fat.

    There is also medical evidence that alcohol consumption has a blood thinning effect and this leads to the reduction of the tendency of blood to form clots. As we know now blood clots prevent the flow of blood to the heart and the brain thus causing massive heart attacks. It is also true that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the inflammation of the inner linings of the nerves as well as a lower level of insulin resistance. Any alcohol, whether sourced from beer or wine or any other beverage, protects the heart. How much and how often must be governed by the rules of moderation spelt out earlier. The consumption of beer with a meal is considered a better way rather than drinking on an empty stomach.

    Specifically, there are some illnesses and diseases which can be prevented, minimised or completely prevented by the consumption of alcohol. Some of these are Diabetes Mellitus, weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) as a result of the increase in blood of oestrogen associated with alcohol consumption in women. Others are Dementias which is the decline of cognitive ability with the advance of age. Parkinson’s disease, Gallstones and Kidney stones are other illnesses.

    These illnesses and diseases are helped by the presence of flaveroid and silicon, minerals present in beer. Moderate consumption of alcohol creates a feeling of well-being, reducing stress and tension.

     

    Moderate consumption of beer for health effects:

    Beer drinking can make a positive contribution to a healthy diet because of its wholesome raw materials used in brewing beer. These natural raw materials are cereals, hops, yeast and water. There are soluble fibres derivable from the cell walls of barley which are good for human health. All these natural materials contain antioxidants, vitamins especially of the B variation, silicon and fibre. Beer generally on the average is 93 per cent water. As a result beer is a thirst quencher of the first order with low alcohol. Research on alcohol-free beer has shown that these benefits are also present as well. This would mean that it is not only beer that has alcohol content that gives these benefits. So, beyond alcohol, the potential beneficial effects of the natural ingredients of beer are likely to apply to non-alcoholic beer.

    Going further on barley’s soluble fibre, two glasses of beer contains in average 10% of the recommended daily intake of soluble fibre. Some beers can provide up to 30% of this food item. Fibre slows down digestion and absorption of food and reduces cholesterol levels. Cholesterol as we all know or should know helps the risks of heart disease.

    People who drink beer have protection from bacterium helicobacter pylori, a bacterium known to cause the majority of stomach ulcers and may be a risk of stomach cancer.

    Depending on style and process of brewing antioxidants present in beer from malt (barley) and hops as ingredients can be high or low. It is generally believed that antioxidants may play a role in the protection against cancer through their action against free radicals. Antioxidants also inhibit blood clotting.

     

    Vitamins and Minerals:

    Present in beer and various forms of vitamin B: macin, riboflavin (vitamin B2) pyroduxine (vitamin B6) folate (vitamin B9) and cabolamin (vitamin B12).

    Some of the minerals present in beer are high potassium, low sodium, low calcium and rich magnesium which protects against gall stones and kidney stones formation. Silicon intake is associated with healthy bones.

     

    Hops:

    Small quantities of the flower from hops are used to preserve beer as well as to flavour it. Beer is the only dietary source of hops and flavonoids found in hops helps to fight cancer.

    Beer does not contain fat or cholesterol and it is low in free sugar. Any calories which beer contain, comes from the alcohol content. And as mentioned earlier research into non-alcoholic beer shows that the benefits derivable from beer with alcohol are also found in beer without alcohol.

    I would like to bring these comments to a close by quoting a poem that should be familiar to all of us. It is the sum total of what I have been saying in the last so many minutes:

    “I am not scared of goblins or ghouls and things that go bump in the night

    Werewolves and bats and witches and such do not give me much of a fright.

    But there is this one thing that scares me to death and only this one thing I fear.

    And that’s to open my fridge at night and find that I’m all out of beer!”

     

    •Prof. Omotosho is a Professor of Drama at the Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa

  • ‘Many benefits of Apple cider vinegar’

    ‘Many benefits of Apple cider vinegar’

    Apple cider vinegar, known as cider vinegar or ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple. It has a pale to medium amber colour. Apple cider vinegar is easy to identify in the market, it is the murky brown vinegar, the one with the sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Apple cider vinegar has been used for hundreds of years largely for medicinal purposes.

    Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is made from nutritious organically grown apples and retains many of the fruits’ beneficial components because raw apple cider vinegar is not pasteurised. And in its two fermentation processes, it produces enzymes and life giving nutrients that make apple cider vinegar the powerhouse it is.

    Unpasteurised or organic ACV contains ‘mother of vinegar’, which makes the vinegar look thicker and amber coloured.  The “mother” is made up of living nutrients and bacteria. You can actually see it settled in the bottom of the bottle like sediment.

    It is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and Yeast are added to the liquid to start the alcoholic  fermentation process, and the sugars are turned into alcohol.  In a second of fermentation process, the alcohol is converted into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria. Acetic acid and malic acid give vinegar its sour taste.

    AVC is rich in minerals. Beneficial ingredients in raw apple cider vinegar give it its power to make us feel better, look better and feel energised. Some of the beneficial ingredients in raw apple cider vinegar are- Potassium – helps to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses; Pectin – helps to regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol; Malic Acid – gives ACV the properties of being anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal; Calcium – helps create strong bones and teeth; Ash – gives ACV its alkaline property which aids your body in maintaining proper pH levels for a healthy alkaline state and Acetic Acid –acid slows the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals.

    There is a long history of its use in medicine dating back to 400 B.C., when  Hippocrates used it to treat his patients. AVC is considered to be a potent remedy for illnesses and overall health. Here are at a glance some of its health benefits:

    Anti-inflammatory: The anti-inflammatory properties of apple cider vinegar work to help internal inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract when added to salads or taken diluted with water. It helps reduce bloating, belching and heartburns.

    Aids with weight loss: By regulating blood sugar levels, apple cider vinegar also assists in weight loss. Insulin will not direct sugar to be stored as fat

    Clears skin: Apple cider vinegar is astringent and it is an antiseptic. It helps with acne and pimples.

    Gets rid of dandruff: The fungus Malassezia furfur, which causes dandruff, is eradicated by the antifungal properties of apple cider vinegar.

    Helps with Arthritis: Apple cider vinegar has potent anti-inflammatory properties and helps with pain of the joints.

    Lowers glucose in diabetics: Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which can slow down starch digestion. This will help lower glucose levels in the bloodstream.

    Lowers bad cholesterol:  The presence of pectin in apple cider vinegar helps reduce bad cholesterol in the body.

    Rich in minerals: Potassium, magnesium and many other minerals are in apple cider vinegar. Potassium controls the water balance in the body. Magnesium helps with digestion.

    Protects against cancer: Apple cider vinegar contains beta-carotene, which according to the Mayo Clinic, possesses antioxidant properties that counteract damage caused by free radicals. ACV protects against cancer and boosts the immune system.

    Yeast Infection: Apple cider vinegar reduces yeast infections in women by adding two tablespoons of the vinegar to a douche. This remedy should be taken with caution.

  • Benefits of new auto policy

    SIR: No matter the amount of destructive criticisms of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the good intentions of the administration is beginning to manifest in all spheres of the country’s economy as well as the well-being of the electorate.  The administration has not stopped churning out well-thought-out policies that are pro-people despite attacks by the combination of Boko Haram and the opposition party.

    When the Federal Government rolled out the new auto policy, arm-chair critics went to work to reduce the policy to a mere propaganda tool to garner support of Nigerians ahead of 2015 general elections.  To their disappointment, the policy has started yielding positive and practical results. Stallion Group, parent company of Hyundai Motors Nigeria has since fixed its locally assembled 1.1 liter engine Hyundai 110 car at N1.5m and the 1.2 litre engine Grand at N1.9m.

    Before now, the imported version of the above cars was priced at N2.7m. Other automobile industries in the country have put finishing touches to assembling their brand of cars locally thereby making the products affordable to many Nigerians.

    With this, the era of importing used cars known in the local parlance as “Tokunbo” is over.

    There is enormous capability of the new policy to create jobs for our teeming youths and adults alike.  Imagine the large workforce that these automobile industries would accommodate in the course of assembling cars locally in the country.

    Moribund automobile industries are rapidly being revived since this new policy took effect. Recently, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria revived its moribund assembly plant in the country with the inauguration of Peugeot 301 production line in its Kaduna factory.  Imagine the number of Nigerian unemployed youths that this company will engage in the course of its production.

    It will do Nigerians a whole lot of good if this and other achievements are allowed to endure.  This can be done by supporting the administration beyond 2015.  The administration has shown that the good things we see in other climes could be replicated here in our country.

    For once, let the opposition accept that this administration has tried in the face of the myriad challenges that it faces on daily basis. In months to come the supply of electricity will improve to enable artisans and self-employed Nigerians engage others to expand whatever businesses they are doing.

     

    • Chika Onuora

    Asokoro, Abuja

  • Benefits of financial inclusion, by experts

    FORGING Inclusive growth in payment systems and financial inclusion initiatives in Nigeria’ was the theme of this year’s  Business Day Mobile Money Roundtable in Lagos

    The event, which is in its thirdedition, was organised by Business Day Media Ltd, the publishers of Business day newspapers,; it was an avenue for mobile money operators, regulators, consumers and journalists to come together and dialogue on how to improve mobile money in Nigeria.

    Mr Valentine Obi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of eTranzact International PLC; Mr Sim Shagaya, CEO of Konga.com; Mr Niyi Ajao, ED(Technology & Operations), NIBSS; Mr Olaoluwa Awojoodu, CEO, CashEnvoy and Mr Emmanuel Okoegwale, Principal Associate, Mobile Money Africa, were among those who attended.

    Obi kicked off the discussions. The owner of PocketMoni, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed mobile money service, said: “Financial inclusion without value add will not work, and every day at eTranzact we are working on unique solutions that continue to add value to the end consumer.’’

    ‘’Over the years, we have worked hard to understand and deploy strategies that have truly helped mobile money grow, and though we have been hit with challenges along the way, we continued to invest financial, educational and other resources to ensure we can reach both the banked and unbanked.

    He added:‘’For the potential of mobile money to truly explode, it is important that we begin to see it as more than an add-on, but a truly important part of the future of payments in Nigeria.

    ‘’Right now, teams from PocketMoni are on ground in Kano and Ogun states driving mobile money adoption; the project is done in collaboration with EFInA, and we are happy with the results we have seen so far. We believe collaboration can help in building the industry.”

    Also, Shagaya urged Nigerians to think less of value destruction but more of value creation.

    He cited China as country where finanicial inclusion has been successful, adding that it opened up the economy.

    He said: “Human beings are economic animals, and they want value and convenience. We need to rethink mobile experience even on the hard ware basis, and the power of mobile money will truly come alive. Today, 70 per cent of Nigerians will rather pay on delivery, and even though we do not have a problem with this, most of these people still insist on paying cash, but until we can solve some of these underlying issues, we will not be able to truly unlock the potential of mobile payments.”

    Alao said: “Mobile is a critical technology needed to achieve inclusiveness. Some of the challenges I see are in the way the mobile money solution is communicated to the average man on the street. We, at NIBSS, are committed to ensuring the success of mobile payments in Nigeria, and we have been working closely with providers like eTranzact and the banks to ensure that we truly achieve the set out goals for mobile money.”

    Okoegwale harped on the importance of collaboration among the players to achieve success.

    Iheukwumere, Manager, Conferences/Enterprise and Promotion, Business Day, who served as the moderator of the event, urged stakeholders to help in achieving mobile money goals in the coming year.

  • Seven benefits of eating Walnuts

    Oftentimes, the simplest foods are best for your health, and this is certainly the case for nuts, in which mother nature has crafted a nearly perfect package of protein, healthy fats, fibre, plant sterols, antioxidants, and many vitamins and minerals.

    Among nuts, the case may be made that walnuts are king, as research shows they may boost your health in a number of ways at very easy-to-achieve “doses.”  Eating just seven shelled walnuts a day may be all it takes to take advantage of their beneficial properties.

     Seven top reasons to eat walnuts

    Walnuts belong to the tree nut family, along with Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Each has its own unique nutritional profile.

    One-quarter cup of walnuts, for instance, provides more than 100 percent of the daily recommended value of plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin. Some of the most exciting research about walnuts includes:

     Cancer-fighting properties

    Walnuts may help reduce not only the risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well. In one study, mice that ate the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts for 18 weeks had significantly smaller and slower-growing prostate tumors compared to the control group that consumed the same amount of fat but from other sources.

    Overall the whole walnut diet reduces prostate cancer growth by 30 to 40 per cent. According to another study on mice, the human equivalent of just two handfuls of walnuts a day cut breast cancer risk in half, and slowed tumor growth by 50 percent as well.

    Heart health

    Walnuts contain the amino acid I-arginine, which offers multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased risk for heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.

    If you struggle with herpes, you may want to avoid or limit walnuts, as high levels of arginine can deplete the amino acid lysine, which can trigger herpes recurrences.

    Walnuts also contain the plant-based omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is anti-inflammatory and may prevent the formation of pathological blood clots. Research shows that people who eat a diet high in ALA are less likely to have a fatal heart attack and have a nearly 50 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death.

    Eating just four walnuts a day has been shown to significantly raise blood levels of heart-healthy ALA, and walnut consumption supports healthful cholesterol levels.

    Separate research showed that eating just one ounce of walnuts a day may decrease cardiovascular risk, and among those at high cardiovascular risk, increased frequency of nut consumption significantly lowers the risk of death.

     Rare and powerful antioxidants

    Antioxidants are crucial to your health, as they are believed to help control how fast you age by combating free radicals, which are at the heart of age-related deterioration.

    Walnuts contain several unique and powerful antioxidants that are available in only a few commonly eaten foods. This includes the quinone juglone, the tannin tellimagrandin, and the flavonol morin.

    Walnuts contain antioxidants that are so powerful at free-radical scavenging that researchers called them “remarkable,” and research has shown that walnut polyphenols may help prevent chemically-induced liver damage.

    In another study, researchers found that nuts, especially walnuts, have potent antioxidant powers. Walnut polyphenols had the best efficacy among the nuts tested and also the highest lipoprotein-bound antioxidant activity. The researchers concluded:

    “Nuts are high in polyphenol antioxidants which by binding to lipoproteins would inhibit oxidative processes that lead to atherosclerosis in vivo. In human supplementation studies nuts have been shown to improve the lipid profile, increase endothelial function and reduce inflammation, all without causing weight gain.”

     Weight control

    Adding healthful amounts of nuts such as walnuts to your diet can help you to maintain your ideal weight over time. In one review of 31 trials, those whose diets included extra nuts or nuts substituted for other foods lost about 1.4 extra pounds and half an inch from their waists. Eating walnuts is also associated with increased satiety after just three days.

    Improved reproductive health in men

    One of the lesser-known benefits of walnuts is their impact on male fertility. Among men who consume a Western-style diet, adding 75 grammes (a bit over one-half cup) of walnuts daily significantly improved sperm quality, including vitality, motility, and morphology.

      Brain health

    Walnuts contain a number of neuro protective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3, fats, and antioxidants. Research shows walnut consumption may support brain health, including increasing inferential reasoning in young adults.

    One study also found that consuming high-antioxidant foods like walnuts “can decrease the enhanced vulnerability to oxidative stress that occurs in ageing,” “increase health span,” and also “enhance cognitive and motor function in ageing.

     Diabetes

    The beneficial dietary fat in walnuts has been shown to improve metabolic parameters in people with type 2 diabetes. Overweight adults with type 2 diabetes who ate one-quarter cup of walnuts daily had significant reductions in fasting insulin levels compared to those who did not, and the benefit was achieved in the first three months.

    •Culled from: www.articles.mercola.com

  • Bitter kola’s many health benefits

    Bitter kola’s many health benefits

    Chairman, Bioresource Development Group (BDG) Prof Maurice Iwu answers the question from his Enugu base.

    Question:

    My spouse is fond of eating bitter kola, and he is encouraging me to as well, claiming that it has some health benefits. What health benefits are inherent in it and can you tell me if there is a processed one because I don’t like its bitterness?

    Mrs Faith Ihesie, 22 year old house wife, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos.

     

    Bitter Kola, Garcinia kola, used extensively in West Africa as a social beverage and offered to guests as ‘Kola’ in many of Nigeria’s cultural settings, is valued also for its medicinal properties. It is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of Laryngitis, general inflammation, bronchitis, viral infections and diabetes as well as a rejuvenating agent, adaptogen and general antidote. Scientists at our laboratories have performed extensive research and written many books on this wonder plant called ‘Garcinia’. Researchers have identified bitter kola as a potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and a potential detoxifying agent.

    Bitter kola is a food supplement and anti-infective agent in the management of cold, bronchitis, and it reduces congestion of the upper respiratory tract.

    Because some people do not like to chew Bitter kola, yet want to experience its potency in some of the above, at Bioresource Development Group (BDG) has come up with a formulation, called Garcinia-IHP.

    Garcinia-IHP is a scientifically processed garcinia kola which retains all the goodness of bitter kola in capsules, with the potency and effectiveness guaranteed.

     Major indications

    Cold remedy

    Very effective in managing symptoms of cold and sore throat, pains, cough, nasal congestion and helps coagulate phlegm.

    Antimicrobial

    It is used in many tropical countries to fight infectious diseases. It is effective for managing pains, bacteria and viruses.

    Detoxification

    Garcinia has a cleansing effect on the liver, gall bladder and the entire body system.  It reduces the absorption of poison.

     Anti-inflammatory activity

    Kolaviron is a deflated ethanol extract from the seeds of garcinia kola, which studies have shown to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

    Other health benefits

    Immunity:The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant property makes the body resistant to infections. It is used to prevent infections especially in people with immune system.

    Libido enhancement:Impotence is restored by increasing blood supply to the core area in men who have hardening of the arteries. Bitter kola is the number one sexual performance medicine for men. Few natural products can match the sexual benefits of bitter kola.

    Hangover:It prevents the alcoholic induced hangover and improving lung function.

    Improving lung function: Garcinia kola has been used for centuries to treat chest colds in traditional medicine, but research has taken a look and found out why it is effective. A study in the 2008 issue of The Internet Journal of Pulmonary Medicine, performed on mice, reports that Garcinia Kola works by dilating the alveolar duct and sacs in the lungs by improving the strength of the fibres in the lungs tissue. Garcinia Kola’s beneficial attributed to its high antioxidant content.

    Reduction of eye pressure:An increase in eye pressure can lead to glaucoma, according to a report from The New York Times Health Guide. Researchers at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos, tested the effectiveness of eye drops that contained 0.5 percent extract of Garcinia Kola. The results of their study, published in the January 2010 issue of Middle East African Journal of the Opthamology showed that the opthamolic solution that contained the Garcinia significantly reduced eye pressure when used twice a day.

    Relieve arthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, characterised by pain, inflammation and limited movement in the joints, according to the National Institutes of Health. Causes of osteoarthritis can include joint injury, obesity and aging. Since many arthritis sufferers prefer natural herbal medicines to other pain relievers and medications, researchers at Obafemo Awolowo University in Nigeria tested the effects of Garcinia kola against arthritis symptoms. The result of the study, written by Olayinka O. Adegbehingbe and published in the July 2008 issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, conclude that Garcinia kola significantly reduced inflammation and pain and increased joint movement in subjects that had osteoarthritis symptoms. It is believed that Garcinia Kola works well as a result of its antioxidant properties. What the study termed as the “side effects” of Garcinia Kola were “weight loss”, “increase in sex drive” and “extended sleep” which many considered helpful to meet their individual and marital demands.

    Medical significance: Garcinia kola is used to fight infectious diseases. It has shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral properties.

    Blood glucose lowering: The folk use of bitter kola in the management of elevated blood sugar has been validated by several laboratory studies. Garcinia-IHP is beneficial as a food supplement for diabetics.

    Weight loss: Bitter kola has been shown to be a natural hunger suppressant and also increases the urge to drink more water.

    How to use bitter kola: It should be eaten by removing outer brown coated skin. As the name implies it is very bitter to eat, hence, Garcinia-IHP is encapsulated Garcinia kola, so if you cannot handle the bitter taste of the raw seeds, you can still enjoy the benefits that it offers to your health.

    Antioxidant property: Bitter kola contains kolaviron, mixture of bioflavonoids,  benzophenones and chromanols which are responsible for its strong antioxidant activities. An evaluation of the antioxidant properties of garcinoic acid (structurally similar to vitamin E) and its congeners showed that it has a stronger antioxidant activity than vitamin E.

    Bitter kola as an adaptogen: It is intriguing that bioflavonoids of Garcina kola are capable of modulating almost any physiological anomaly. The answer perhaps lies in the role of flavonoids in the evolutionary course of human beings. Humans, over many millennia, have adapted to a diet, which is favourable for the survival and the flavonoid-like structures, were part of that primordialphysiological scheme.

    If you take Garcinoa-IHP and experience diarrhea, hives, irregular heartbeat other signs of allergic reaction, discontinue use immediately and seek medical attention.