A diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease among overweight and obese adults, say researchers. Such a low-glycemic-load diet, which does not cause
blood-glucose levels to spike, also increases a hormone that helps regulate the metabolism of fat and sugar.

A new study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which involved 80 healthy Seattle-area men and women half of normal weight and half overweight or obese found that among overweight and obese study participants, a low-glycemic-load diet reduced a biomarker of inflammation called C-reactive protein by about 22 percent.

"This finding is important and clinically useful since C-reactive protein is associated with an increased risk for many cancers as well as cardiovascular disease," said lead author Marian Neuhouser, Ph.D., R.D., a member of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

Neuhouser and colleagues also found that among overweight and obese study participants, a low-glycemic-load diet modestly increased by about 5 percent blood levels of a protein hormone called adiponectin.

This hormone plays a key role in protecting against several cancers, including breast cancer, as well as metabolic disorders such as type-2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hardening of the arteries.

Glycemic load refers to how the intake of carbohydrates, adjusted for total grams of carbohydrate, affects blood-sugar levels.

"The bottom line is that when it comes to reducing markers of chronic-disease risk, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Quality matters," Neuhouser said.

"There are easy dietary changes people can make. Whenever possible, choose carbohydrates that are less likely to cause rapid spikes in blood glucose," she said.

These types of low-glycemic-load carbs include whole grains legumes such as kidney beans, soy beans, pinto beans and lentils milk and fruits such as apples, oranges, grapefruit and pears.

Neuhouser also recommends avoiding high-glycemic-load carbohydrates that quickly raise blood glucose. These include highly processed foods that are full of white sugar and white flour, and sugar-sweetened beverages and breakfast cereals.

These findings are published online ahead of the February print issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Scientists have identified two substances in licorice used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults.

They say that these substances could help in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Stefan Gafner and colleagues explained that the dried root of the licorice plant is a common treatment in Chinese traditional medicine, especially as a way to enhance the activity of other herbal ingredients or as a flavouring substance.

Despite the popularity of licorice candy in the U.S , licorice root has been replaced in domestic candy with anise oil, which has a similar flavour.

Traditional medical practitioners use dried licorice root to treat various ailments, such as respiratory and digestive problems, but few modern scientific studies address whether licorice really works.

To test whether the sweet root could combat the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities, the researchers took a closer look at various substances in licorice.

They found that two of the licorice compounds, licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, were the most effective antibacterial substances.

These substances killed two of the major bacteria responsible for dental cavities and two of the bacteria that promote gum disease.

One of the compounds licoricidin also killed a third gum disease bacterium. The researchers said that these substances could treat or even prevent oral infections.

A glass of milk a day used to be a good idea. But, if the latest round of tests by the Food Safety Standards Authority are anything to go by, it's only safe to drink milk in Goa and Puducherry.

A new report shows that in the first cup of morning milk, one is having a lot of things with milk, like starch, detergent, salt, glucose, urea and water, which also contains pesticides and other heavy metals.

In Delhi, 50 of 71 samples randomly tested by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India were found to be contaminated with glucose and skim milk powder, probably added to increase the volume.

In 33 other states and territories, detergent, fat, urea and water were found in 68.4 per cent of the samples.

Not a single sample from West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Mizoram conformed to standards. The only good news came in from Goa and Puducherry, with all samples getting the all-clear stamp.

Water is the most common adulterant, that is a problem as not just dilution, the inclusion of contaminated water poses health hazards.

Detergent was found to be present. This could pose a health hazard, and also indicates lack of hygiene during handling of milk.

"These are virtually poisons. These are compounds that can cause neuro toxicity, cardio toxicity, harm skin, muscles and can really paralyse a person. So we are talking about something that can really be a big health hazard," Dr Rakesh Gupta said.

The message clearly seems to be - Drink that milk, at your own risk.

Scientists have found a link between miscarriages and the growth of an embryo in the early stages of pregnancy which could lead to ways of preventing such tragedies.

Researchers discovered that nearly 80 per cent of single-baby pregnancies which ended in miscarriage involved foetuses with restricted growth in the first trimester.

Now they hope this trend could be used as a predictor to identify those mothers most at risk.

A team from the University of Nottingham measured the length of more than 500 single and twin embryos conceived through IVF during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

It was carried out with IVF mothers so they could determine the exact gestational age.

The distance from the top of the baby's head to the bottom of its buttocks was then recorded using an ultrasound scan.

They worked out that 78 per cent of single-embryo pregnancies that miscarried were growth-restricted, while 98 per cent of those that did not miscarry were not growth-stunted.

Could an antibody from the blood of an Indian HIV patient help create the elusive HIV vaccine? (Antibody is an infection-fighting protein produced by our immune system when it detects harmful substances).

The hunt has begun to identify 100 volunteers belonging to a rare group of HIV infected patients who stay healthy for years without requiring life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART). These antibodies in their blood are the ones that bars HIV from entering their blood cells and replicating, thereby progressing to AIDS.

Scientists say these antibodies would ultimately reveal the Achilles heel of the virus and help create the elusive vaccine. This is part of International Aids Vaccine Initiative's (IAVI) programme called Protocol G, a global hunt for such antibodies launched in 2006.

So far, blood samples of 1,800 such HIV patients have been screened across 12 countries and 19 broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAbs) have been identified. A bNAb is an antibody capable of stopping a variety of HIV subtypes from infecting their target cells.

"Only a minority of people who are infected with HIV produce bNAbs. Although HIV is a wildly mutable virus, certain parts of it are relatively resistant to change. These parts are essential to the virus's ability to infect, and they are the elements of HIV that bNAbs target," experts said.

Just a few weeks ago, department of biotechnology (DBT) cleared the proposal to roll out Protocol G in the country. It is being implemented by IAVI and YRG Care from Chennai - the same organization that isolated the first HIV case in India in 1986.

The blood samples collected from the 100 volunteers will be tested at Translational Health Sciences and Technology Institute (THSTI), which is being built in Gurgaon.

IAVI's India chief Dr Rajat Goyal told TOI that "This is a landmark project for India. We are presently identifying volunteers, who are at least 18 years, infected with HIV at least three years ago but has not received ART. By April, samples will be picked up and tested against a standard panel of HIV isolates by the end of 2012. We will then know whether there is a population of interest from whom these bNAb can be identified and characterized."

Careful study of bNAbs is expected to reveal vulnerabilities of the different types of HIV. Most importantly, scientists expect that they can use information about how bNAbs bind to HIV to construct immunogens - the active ingredients of vaccines - that elicit similar antibodies. The more such antibodies researchers have in hand, the more clues they can get about how best to target HIV with a vaccine.

The project has tested HIV patients in Thailand, the UK, the US, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Australia and Zambia to identify bNAbs.

HIV infects 7,100 people daily. The quest to develop an AIDS vaccine has consumed scientists for 25 years since the discovery of HIV. Scientists say HIV is the most mutable virus ever encountered. A number of different subtypes of the virus, known as clades, circulate in different regions of the world. Within those clades there is considerable variability, and, beyond that, the virus mutates furiously within the people it has infected.

Second, because no one is known to have cleared an HIV infection, scientists do not know which elements of the immune response must be engaged to control the virus - and thus are uncertain how to replicate such responses.

The immune system has a very narrow window of opportunity in which to neutralize HIV before the virus establishes a lifelong infection.