'EVEN A SINGLE SHOT OF ESPRESSO IS BAD'

UNFAVOURABLE CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECT

London: Here's some bad news for those who can't get out of bed without sipping a hot espresso- a single cup of the caffeinated drink is enough to damage your heart, a new study has claimed.

                     Italian researchers have carried out the study and found that the high amount of caffeine in a single espresso can have "unfavourable cardiovascular effects"-it cuts blood flow to the heart by more than a fifth. Decaffeinated coffee, in contrast, boost blood flow, the study has found. 

                      A single espresso contains 130 mg of caffeine, compared to 75 mg in a cup of instant coffee. Filter coffee is estimated to contains around 120 mg per cup.

                    The researchers from the university of Palermo recruited 20 volunteers. They examined the blood  flow of the subjects who drank a single espresso and compared it to a decaffeinated alternative.

                   The caffeinated variety narrowed blood vessels, cutting blood flow to the heart by an average of 22% within an hour. This is because caffeine acts to block a chemical which keeps blood vessels expanded.PTI

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RICH BLOOD AFFECTS GROWTH OF BABIES

RED ALERT

Washington: Women with high blood pressure and blood over -rich in red blood cells are more likely to give birth to babies who are too small or born too early, researchers in the Netherlands said.

                Mothers who  smoked or who did  not take supplements correctly also were underweight or born too early, the study found-and these factors seem to affect the foetus during the first three months of pregnancy, before a women has had much prenatal care.

                But early ultrasounds may help identify the babies moat at risk, the study suggests. Dr Dennis Mook-Kanamori and colleagues at Erasmus Medical Centre in  Rotterdam studied 1,631 pregnant women, doing ultrasound scans of their fetuses between 10 and 13 weeks gestation. Babies that were the smallest during this period of early, rapid growth were also more likely to be born early or to be underweight at birth, Mook-Kanamori's team reported.

             But as they grew into toddlers, these babies tended to grow too fast - a pattern that can cause such children to become obese.

             "Higher diastolic blood pressure and higher hematocrit levels were associated with a shorter crown to rump length," the researchers wrote. REUTERS

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SWEET SCIENCE: Chocolates lower stroke risk

      

RICH IN FLAVONOIDS THAT SHIELD HEART

Toronto : Eating chocolate may lower your risk of a stroke, says an analysis of available, research.

                Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke. A study found that  eating chocolate may lower the risk of death after suffering a stroke. The analysis involved reviewing three studies on chocolate and stroke.

                The second study found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were

22% less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate.

               Another study found that 1,169 people who ate 50 grams of chocolate once a week were 46% 

less likely to die following a stroke than people who did not eat chocolate. Consuming flavonoids has been linked to heart benefits. The antioxidants help protect cells against damage that might come from environmental toxins.

               " More research is needed to determine whether chocolate truly lowers stroke risk, or whether 

healthier people are simply more likely to eat chocolate than others," said study author Sarah Sahib of McMaster University. IANS

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