"Carb" has become a bad word today. People try to avoid "carbs" because they think carbs are harmful. It is true, there are many detrimental effects of carbs. However, we cannot completely eliminate them from our diet and expect to remain healthy. It is important, then, to understand the difference between carbs that are harmful (bad carbs) and carbs that promote healthy cellular function (good carbs). It also helps when we can boil this down to a simple way to eat that emphasizes the good carbs. Before we get into that, however, let's understand a little bit about how carbs, or sugars, affect our physiology. How carbs affect the body When carbs are ingested, in whatever form, they are broken down into glucose for use by the cells. As blood glucose levels rise, the brain tells the pancreas to secrete insulin. When cells receive this insulin via the bloodstream, they know it is time to ingest the sugar. Without the insulin
By Clara MoskowitzStaff writer updated 4/2/2009 2:52:39 PM ET It was long thought that the human heart, like the brain, was unable to grow new cells after birth. But today scientists announced the first evidence that new heart cells are made throughout a person's life. Brain cells also grow and change well into adulthood, scientists announced a few years ago. "If you cut your skin, your skin can heal. If you break your bone, bones can heal. But organs like the heart and brain, people thought, couldn't make new cells ," said Ratan Bhardwaj of the University of Toronto. "But now we've shown that the human heart does make new cells." Bhardwaj and colleagues detail their discovery in the April 3 issue of the journal Science. "We feel that this is a very fundamental breakthrough in basic science," Bhardwaj told LiveScience. "We totally open the door for future therapies." For instance, the finding could help doctors design treatments
A muscle cramp can bring a jogger to his knees or elicit the fear of drowning in a swimmer; however, athletes are not the only individuals to experience a muscle cramp or spasm. According to one estimate, approximately 95 percent of people will at some time in life experience the sudden, sharp pain associated with a muscle cramp. A muscle spasm is an involuntary contraction of a muscle, part of a muscle, or several muscles that usually act together. If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. Most people describe a muscle cramp as a feeling of tightness in the muscle; it’s not unusual to feel a lump of hard muscle tissue underneath the skin in the vicinity of the cramp. During a spasm or cramp, it may be painful, or even difficult, to use the affected muscle or muscle group. Cramps and spasms can affect any muscle, even those affiliated with the body’s various organs; however, they are most common in the calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Cramps in the feet, hands,
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