Firstly, apologies for consuming too much time for writting a post. I have been really busy lately, apart from sleeping around 5.00 AM usually, also trying to complete two journal papers and at the same time, producing an interactive system for research purpose. In fact, I hate dealing with sound cues and programming scriptings, but I have no choice to continue working before I can continue writting the third paper this year.


Caption: Yonal and I


Caption: Dr. Rui and I

Last week, I met Dr. Rui and some collegues in the office. He is planning to leave the country soon, in approximate one months time from now, and not sure when to return. I always feel very happy to speak to him, due to his knowledge in the medical field. As usual, we will find a topic and start discussing that. We speak of aging. When we grow older, we will start realizing that our lives are at risk, producing some harmful effects (e.g. various diseases such as inflammation, cancer etc., subsequent memory deficits such as short term memory, or minor effects such as skin problem). Of course, Dr. Rui is right - these problematic does not mainly caused by aging. We might consider environmental factors such as pollution, sunlight, smoking and alcohol, produces harmful molecules. These molecules are free radicals. So, how does the environmental factors relate to aging? As we age, our body cells will continously being damaged by the oxidation effects in our body tissues. This has similar explanations to iron rusting.


Caption: tuna, salmon and wasabi

According to Dr. Rui, a person's lifespan should averagely be around 150. This means the factors explained in the above have subsequently reduces our lifespan unconciously. I also understand that some Japanese could live up to 100 years old or more. I remember reading a medical journal where the researcher investigated the average lifespan of British male and female, and concluded that female will live longer than male. They should averagely reach at least age 77 whilst males at 75. In that case, Japanese could live longer than most people, and why is that so? This is what I heard, saying that one of the many reasons is that the food that they consume, i.e. raw fishes such as tuna and salmon. The combination of both fishes and wasabi produces supernatural nutrition with which we can never find from any other food. I think I mentioned this before in some post that some research have proven that eating dark chocolates (only dark chocolates) regularly will expand a person's life span for a year, and consuming tofu / soya oftenly will increase that person's life for 3 years. Additional ways to expand a person's life is to attend Yoga exercises more often. That will extend a person's life by 2 years, but in regular interval.


Caption: berries

Therefore, consuming fruit is an approach to overcome this issue. I am going to discuss how the four mighty fruits that provide antioxidants could help our body to prevent from free radicals. The four fruits are Kiwi, Blueberries, Cranberries, and Strawberries. These fruits are very beneficial, mainly because they produces extremely high fibre (to help dieting), very low in calories, and specifically producing antioxidants for our body. In some previous posts (i.e., click HERE), I did mentioned that antioxidants are helpful to clean our immune system. It will also help our body to prevent from various diseases by fighting againsts free radicals. In this post, I will elaborate a little in depth of what antioxidant is.


Caption: a picture of enzymes

In fact, antioxidants are some kind of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and enzymes (a type of protein in our body, usually assist in chemical reactions such as digesting foods), which counteract the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. Speaking of enzymes, I would also like to explain very briefly of what I understand, since some friends asked me why will a person have gastric disease. Since we know the enzymes has a function to digest foods in our body from time to time, I also heard enzyme will start digesting food depending on our biological clock (an internal clock in our body that controls the periodicity of many physiological functions). So let says if you eat around 4.00 PM when the enzyme should start working at around 2.00 PM, you will usually suffer from gastric for 2 hours in that case. Why? Because the enzyme will melt any food in our stomach. So, try imagine, if there aren't any food for the enzyme to melt. What will the enzyme be melting in that case? That is why we will have gastric problem if we do not eat regularly at the same time. My suggestion is to eat 3 to 4 times a day, appropriately and the interval for breakfast, lunch and dinner should be similar everyday. For example, if you have your lunch at 3.00 PM, then stick to 3.00 PM everyday for lunch. Alternatively, you may also try drinking plenty of water to neutralize the acid produced by the enzyme, but it will only help preventing gastric for a very short time period.


Caption: kiwi and berries

The four fruits contained strong vitamin C, primarily water soluble antioxidants in our body. It helps to neutralize free radicals, help absorbing iron, and prevent us frm the rish of death from stroke. Cranberries and Strawberries are fruits enriched with beta carotene (actually all fruits that is red and orange in colour such as carrot contain beta carotene). Both antioxidants and beta carotene are water soluble vitamins, excellent at preventing free radicals from invading into our body. There is a kind of mineral which our body only need to consume it in small quantity, but we could not survive without consuming it. It is the Selenium.


Caption: kiwi fruit

Kiwi (we also called that as chinese gooseberry) contained 5 times the vitamin C produces by an orange. It also contained both vitamin A and E. I heard the combination of vitamin A and E wil produce an excessive preventation to free radicals. On the other hand, Kiwi is beneficial for people with heart disease and asthma, and actinidin to help in better digestion. A year 2004 study suggests that the vitamin C contained in Kiwi fruit produces significant protective effect against respiratory symptoms associated with asthma. Besides that, Kiwi is a good source of potassium, magnesium, copper, phosphorous and phytonutritients (this may help to prevent us from cancer disease). According to Dr. Rui, consuming 2 to 3 Kiwi a day will significantly reduce blood clots and fats (also known as triglycerides) that may help to reduce the rish of blood blockage.


Caption: cranberries


Caption: peptic ulcer

Cranberries is important for our body. A cup of cranberries only contain 46 calories. Cranberries are famous for the significant amount of antioxidants and phytonutritients that help preventing diseases such as heart-related diseases and cancer.Besides that, cranberries also contain flavonoids. According to some medical research, flavoniods are powerful antioxidants, which we could not get from any foods we consume and / or from any suppliments. I am sure many of us know that kidney stones are dangerous disease, that may bring death to a person. Cranberry juice is one of the best recognise fruit juice to help preventing the formation of kidney stones and urinary infections (some kind of bacteria get into our urine. A glass of cranberry juice a day should help patients to prevent these infections. Kidney stone is a hard form of crystal uniting in the urine. Have anyone of you heard of gum disease and stomach ulcers? I remember my uncle once thought the stomach ulcer found in his intestine were cancer cells. They produces quite similar effects, but cancers are usually deadly whilst stomach ulcers is normal disease if we handle them with care. Cranberries contain proathocyanidins that will help to prevent these bacterias. There are evidences showing that cranberry juices will help to reduce peptic ulcers. Peptic ulcers (also known as gastric ulcers) is usually found in stomach area.


Caption: blueberries


Caption: bilberries


Caption: measuring nutrition of blueberry

According to what I have read, blue berry contained vitamins A and C and B1, beta-carotene, potassium, zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium, high in fiber and low in calories. Similar to the 2 berries mentioned above, however, contained anthocyanosides will significantly treat the flow of blood in our blood vessels and help with varicose veins. Varicose veins are swollen veins below our skin, that is lumpy, usually in deep blue / purple through the skin. Similar to the Cranberry, the blue berry may help us prevent from urinary disease. In numerous medical papers, blueberries are associated with protection against cancer disease, ageing and brain damage from strokes, and may also reduce the build-up of bad cholesterol, which contributes to heart disease and stroke. Researcher found that consuming blueberries often will reduce alzheimer disease or dementia. Both were mental-related diseases. Consuming blueberries may also enhance learning capacity and motor skills (also known as body movements). There is a similar kind of berry, namely the bilberry is another type of blueberry, only found in european countries. In fact, both bilberry (a very similar berry to the blue berry) and blue berries may help to prevent macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a type of eye disease that may cause blindness. Blueberry is also important to reduce ovary cancer. A medical study analysing approximately 70,000womens from 1984 to 2002, has proven that blueberries helped to reduce 40% risk of ovarian cancer.


Caption: strawberries

According to numerous research, strawberry contain more vitamin c than any other berry (except the goji berry since I think they missed analysing the goji berries due to the popularity level back then), and are high in folic acid, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese. Usually the antioxidants found in strawberries are anthocynanins and ellagic acid, a type of phytochemical that helps to prevent our body from carcinogens (the spread of cancer disease). As explained in the above, antioxidants are important to also help preventation of heart disease. Have you ever feel bored, tired or mentally stressed, or subsequently loss of strength and energy? If so, that is a symptom of fatigue. Based on some research, consuming 10 to 15 strawberries a day will not only help in the reduction of fatigue, but also in fighting anemia (a condition indicating the lack of red blood cells in our blood). Strawberry also contain pectin (a soluble fibre that helps to eliminate cholestrol and environmental toxin). Originally, folic acid is helpful to prevent birth defects (related to pregnant women), however, a research in March 2006 argued that the lack of folic acid may lead to dementia, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis (lack of calcium and lead to the risk of fracture), and finally autism and depression. Consuming strawberries daily are able to help to prevent those issues!


Caption: prunes and dried plums

I personally have another conclusion for this post, that is prunes (or dried plums) are particularly important, or could be the best substitution for the 4 berries mentioned in the above. Why? Because it contained high protien, potassium, vitamin E, calcium and iron, substantial amount of vitamin A, B3 and B6, and small amount of zinc, beta carotene and niacin (related to vitamin B and the nervous system). Prunes is not only valuble for people who suffered from high blood pressure, but due to the richness in sorbitol (what is it) that may help us to loose sugar in our body. Besides that, it is cheap! However, in comparison to the 4 berries, prunes relatively produces high calories so do not eat too many at a time.