Different types of booze impact desire for food differently

August 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, August 25 (ANI): The type of alcoholic drink you consume may have an impact on your desire for food, suggests an Australian study.

Dr. Anna Kokavec, a research psychologist at La Trobe University in Bendigo, found that the additional nutritional content of various alcoholic beverages influence the body’s reaction to alcohol, reports ABC Science.

The lead author, along with her team, measured the effect of red wine, white wine, light beer or regular beer on the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, which is responsible for the synthesis of the steroid hormones cortisol and dehyrdoepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS).

Kokavec said that DHEAS and cortisol, commonly known as a stress hormone, influence appetite, adding: “We need a sufficient release of cortisol to make us feel hungry.”

She found that cortisol levels went down in participants after the consumption of alcohol, and decreased their appetite despite having fasted for half a day.

But DHEAS levels varied depending on what type of alcohol was consumed.

The DHEAS levels initially took a dip for those who took beer before going up, resulting in an eventual increase in hunger.

Kokavec said: “Beer completely confuses the system.”

Consumption of red wine was also observed to have led to an increased appetite.

But, unlike beer and red wine, white wine completely switched off the HPA axis, indicating hunger remained low.

The study has been published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour. (ANI)

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Cat’s pee, sweaty passionfruit core aromas of leading Kiwi wines

May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 11 (ANI): Cat’s pee and sweaty passionfruit are core aromas of some of the New Zealand’s leading wines, researchers have found.

The wine scientists spent more than 12 million dollars in describing the flavours of the country’s most popular grape variety, sauvignon blanc, which has a unique flavour and character.

During the study, the research team carried out tests to differentiate between sixteen flavours, including canned and fresh asparagus, stone fruit, apple and snow peas.

A wine region called Wairarapa, near the capital of Wellington, was found to have cat’s pee influences in the white wine.

A panel of ordinary wine drinkers rated the flavour as intense “sweet, sweaty passionfruit” and asparagus.

Plant and Food science research leader Dr. Roger Harker said that wine lovers routinely describe their favourite drink using the terms like cat’s pee and capsicum.

One of the wineries, Cooper’s Creek, has already named its sauvignon blanc ‘Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush’.

Sue Blackmore, a wine science lecturer at New Zealand’s Lincoln University, said that the flavours were only found in moderation.

“We’re talking about parts per billion, very tiny amounts to make the wine more complexing and interesting,” The Age quoted Blackmore as saying.

“If you had a whole lot of the compounds that give you cat’s pee it obviously wouldn’t be great but it’s amazing what a little can do,” she added.

A wine retailer said that Kiwis were unfazed by the unsavoury associations in their favourite wine.

“Most wouldn’t stop to think about it. Most people drink purely for enjoyment – they don’t stop to analyse the wine,” said the retailer. (ANI)

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Average wine drinker gains half a stone of fat annually

April 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 18 (ANI): Owing to high calories in alcohol, the average wine drinker gains as much as half of stone of fat in a year, according to a new Government campaign on Britain’s drinking culture.

The drive will be focussing on the high calorific content of alcohol, in the hope of prompting people to cut down on their drinking.

The campaign has highlighted that the average wine drinker consumes an extra 2,000 calories a month – the equivalent of 184 bags of crisps.
Not many middle class drinkers realise that a couple sharing a bottle of red wine a night are both consuming the equivalent of a Snickers chocolate bar in alcohol.

This implies that a woman would consume eight days’ worth of calories in a week, which would mean putting more than two stone in fat within a year, unless extra calories were burned off in exercise or food intake was reduced to compensate.

If a man drinks five pints of lager a week, he would consume 44,200 calories in alcohol a year, which is equivalent to 221 doughnuts.

This could make him gain 12 pounds of fat unless he cut his diet elsewhere.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said that a YouGov poll found the average wine drinker admitted to consuming around a bottle of wine per week.

Another survey conducted by the Know Your Limits campaign found that one in three drinkers said that they order crisps, nuts or pork scratching with their alcohol, which made them put on more calories.

The survey’s findings also revealed that one-fifth of drinkers would grab a burger or takeaway when consuming more than two pints of beer or two glasses of wine.

“Many women don’t know that two large glasses of white wine not only puts them over the recommended daily limit for alcohol consumption, but also provides them with nearly 20 per cent of their daily calorie allowance, at approximately 370kcals in total,” the Telegraph quoted Heather Caswell, spokesperson for the British Nutrition Foundation, as saying.

“Most people would baulk at consuming a full glass of single cream, but wouldn’t think twice about a couple of pints. But the calorie content is similar and, over time, excess alcohol intake is likely to lead to weight gain.

“Sticking to sensible drinking habits and keeping to the recommended units will not only help keep off those extra pounds but will also help decrease your risk of serious health problems, such as some types of cancer and liver disease,” he added. (ANI)

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White wine can leave your teeth stained

April 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

Washington, Apr 2 (ANI): Think you’re doing your teeth a favor by sipping white wine instead of tea or coffee? Well, its time you rework the tooth-whitening mantra, for a new study has found that the transparent beverage increases the risk of dark dental stains.

In the study, NYU dental researchers compared two sets of six cow teeth, whose surface closely resembles that of human teeth, and used a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures color intensities, to evaluate staining levels.

They found that teeth soaked for one hour in white wine before being immersed in black tea had significantly darker stains than teeth immersed for one hour in water before exposure to the tea.

“Dipping teeth in white wine for one hour is similar to the effect of sipping the wine with dinner,” said Dr. Mark Wolff, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry, who oversaw the study, which was led by Ms. Cristina M. Dobrescu, a third-year student at New York University College of Dentistry.

The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in Miami.

“The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth,” Dr. Wolff explained.

However, when the researchers repeated the experiment with red wine, the resulting stains were significantly darker than those in the white wine group.

“Red wine, unlike white, contains a highly-pigmented substance known as chromogen,” explained Dr. Wolff.

But he added that connoisseurs concerned about staining need not cut back on their consumption.

“The best way to prevent staining caused by wine, as well as other beverages, is to use a toothpaste containing a whitening agent,” advised Dr. Wolff.(ANI)

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Women buy 8 out of 10 wine bottles to drink at home

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 2 (ANI): Women have invaded men’s terrain a little further – a new study has found that ladies buy eight out of 10 bottles of wine to drink at home.

The study, which shows women as the major buyers of wine, prompts experts to urge wine brands to cater for feminine tastes, reports The Sun.

According to the UK study, 55 per cent of the 1,300 British women quizzed said that red wine was their favourite, followed by 35 per cent who favour white wine and seven per cent rose.

More than half of the British women questioned for Vinexpo said they were not put off by health warnings.

Around 4,306 women across the UK, France, Germany, Japan and the USA were questioned. (ANI)

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Lily Allen throws up after boozy gig in Scotland

March 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 18 (ANI): British singer Lily Allen was recently spotted throwing up after a gig in Scotland, the results of drinking during the show.

According to MTV News, Allen, 23, had been drinking a bottle of white wine during her performance at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on March 14, reports the Daily Star.

The LDN singer was later seen vomiting in a street on her way back to her tour bus.

But even though she was feeling nauseous, Allen still managed to be professional enough to pose for photographs with her fans. (ANI)

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Gazza says he died three times in rehab

March 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 16 (ANI): Retired English footballer Paul Gascoigne a.k.a. Gazza has revealed that he ‘died’ three times in rehab before being revived by medics.

Gascoigne, 41, was admitted for alcohol abuse to the Sporting Chance clinic founded by his former England teammate Tony Adams, and during his stay there, his heart stopped beating thrice and each time the doctors had to resuscitate him.

“My heart failed a few times and three times they revived me,” the Sun quoted him as telling Sky News.

Gazza, who is now four months sober and beating the depression, admitted to having knocked back four bottles of whisky a day before moving on to 30 cans of Special Brew lager.He was sectioned three times under the Mental Health Act last year, after playing his Nintendo Wii 24 hours a day for six weeks and drinking bottle after bottle of white wine and gin. (ANI)

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Scurvy cure ‘discovered 46 years earlier than thought’

March 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 6 (ANI): A cure for scurvy – disease resulting from a deficiency of Vitamin C – was discovered nearly 50 years before physician James Lind came up with a treatment.

A newly discovered handwritten book has pointed that Ebot Mitchell concocted a remedy in 1707 – some 46 years before Lind realised vitamin C could cure the condition.

According to the newly discovered tome, the disease which was the scourge of sailors for centuries could be cured with the help of extracts from various plants mixed with a plentiful supply of orange juice, white wine or beer.

Had the remedy been known earlier in the 18th century, it could have saved thousands of lives, reports The Telegraph.

Lind’s later work on the cure and prevention of scurvy was prompted by the round-the-world voyage of Cdr. George Anson in the early 1740s, in which only 145 men out of 1,300 arrived back home, the majority of them dying of scurvy.

Ebot Michell’s “Recp.t for the Scurvy” was found in a 100-page household book “Ebot Michell Her Book 1707″ discovered in a house in Hasfield, Gloucestershire.

The book is expected to fetch about 600 pounds at Bonhams in London on March 24.

Manuscripts specialist Simon Roberts said: “It’s a fascinating read. With the exception of the alcohol, the writer appears to be spot on with her recipe for scurvy.” (ANI)

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Drinking wine may reduce esophageal cancer risk

March 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 2 (ANI): Drinking a glass of wine a day may help reduce the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus by about 56 per cent, according to a new study.

The findings reported by experts at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research attain significance as Barrett’s Esophagus is a precursor to esophageal cancer.

The researchers point out that people with Barrett’s Esophagus have a 30- to 40-fold higher risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of esophageal cancer, because the Barrett’s Esophagus cells can grow into cancer cells.

The untreatable condition does not have any symptoms or warning signs, and thus people are diagnosed with it only when an endoscopy for anaemia, heartburn or a bleeding ulcer reveals esophageal cells that were damaged, and then changed form during the healing process.

Currently, Barrett’s Esophagus can only be monitored.

The researchers claim that theirs is the first and largest population-based study to examine the connection between alcohol consumption and risk of Barrett’s Esophagus.

During the study, the research group looked at 953 men and women in Northern California between 2002 and 2005, and found that people who drank one or more glasses of red or white wine a day had 56 per cent reduced risk of Barrett’s Esophagus.

There was no reduction of Barrett’s Esophagus risk among people who drank beer or liquor.

“The rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma in this country is skyrocketing yet very little is known about its precursor, Barrett’s Esophagus. We are trying to figure out how to prevent changes that may lead to esophageal cancer,” said Dr. Douglas A. Corley, a Kaiser Permanente gastroenterologist and the study’s principal investigator.

These findings are in line with two other studies published in the same issue of the journal Gastroenterology-one by Australian researchers, and the other by Irish scientists.

The Australian researchers found that people who drank wine were at a lower risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, while the Irish scientists found that people who drank wine were at a lower risk for esophagitis-an irritation of the esophagus that follows chronic heartburn and often precedes Barrett’s Esophagus and cancer.

Although ther esearchers are still uncertain as to why wine reduces the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus and esophageal cancer, they believe it likely that the wine’s antioxidants neutralize the oxidative damage caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease, a risk factor for Barrett’s Esophagus.

Dr. Ai Kubo, an epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente and lead author on the study, said that another possibility was that wine drinkers typically consume food with their wine as opposed to drinking straight liquor without food, thereby reducing the potentially damaging effect of alcohol on esophageal tissue.

“But we cannot preclude the possibility that wine drinking is a proxy for other ‘health-seeking’ behaviour,” Kubo added.

The current study was carried out as part of a larger, case-controlled study, led by Kaiser Permanente researcher Dr. Corley, which looked at abdominal obesity and consumption of dietary antioxidants, fruits and vegetables in connection with Barrett’s Esophagus.

The study suggested that the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus could be reduced by eating eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and maintaining a normal body weight.

My advice to people trying to prevent Barrett’s Esophagus is: keep a normal body weight and follow a diet high in antioxidants and high in fruits and vegetables. We already knew that red wine was good for the heart, so perhaps here is another added benefit of a healthy lifestyle and a single glass of wine a day,” Corley said.

The researchers noted that the protective effect of wine in terms of preventing Barrett’s Esophagus, though greatest with just one or two glasses a day, did not increase with higher consumption.

“It’s not actually clear that treating the acid reflux will necessarily prevent getting someone from getting Barrett’s Esophagus. The best way to prevent reflux is to maintain a normal weight,” said Dr. Corley. (ANI)

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Drinking wine may reduce esophageal cancer risk

March 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 2 (ANI): Drinking a glass of wine a day may help reduce the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus by about 56 per cent, according to a new study.

The findings reported by experts at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research attain significance as Barrett’s Esophagus is a precursor to esophageal cancer.

The researchers point out that people with Barrett’s Esophagus have a 30- to 40-fold higher risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of esophageal cancer, because the Barrett’s Esophagus cells can grow into cancer cells.

The untreatable condition does not have any symptoms or warning signs, and thus people are diagnosed with it only when an endoscopy for anaemia, heartburn or a bleeding ulcer reveals esophageal cells that were damaged, and then changed form during the healing process.

Currently, Barrett’s Esophagus can only be monitored.

The researchers claim that theirs is the first and largest population-based study to examine the connection between alcohol consumption and risk of Barrett’s Esophagus.

During the study, the research group looked at 953 men and women in Northern California between 2002 and 2005, and found that people who drank one or more glasses of red or white wine a day had 56 per cent reduced risk of Barrett’s Esophagus.

There was no reduction of Barrett’s Esophagus risk among people who drank beer or liquor.

“The rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma in this country is skyrocketing yet very little is known about its precursor, Barrett’s Esophagus. We are trying to figure out how to prevent changes that may lead to esophageal cancer,” said Dr. Douglas A. Corley, a Kaiser Permanente gastroenterologist and the study’s principal investigator.

These findings are in line with two other studies published in the same issue of the journal Gastroenterology-one by Australian researchers, and the other by Irish scientists.

The Australian researchers found that people who drank wine were at a lower risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, while the Irish scientists found that people who drank wine were at a lower risk for esophagitis-an irritation of the esophagus that follows chronic heartburn and often precedes Barrett’s Esophagus and cancer.

Although ther esearchers are still uncertain as to why wine reduces the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus and esophageal cancer, they believe it likely that the wine’s antioxidants neutralize the oxidative damage caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease, a risk factor for Barrett’s Esophagus.

Dr. Ai Kubo, an epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente and lead author on the study, said that another possibility was that wine drinkers typically consume food with their wine as opposed to drinking straight liquor without food, thereby reducing the potentially damaging effect of alcohol on esophageal tissue.

“But we cannot preclude the possibility that wine drinking is a proxy for other ‘health-seeking’ behaviour,” Kubo added.

The current study was carried out as part of a larger, case-controlled study, led by Kaiser Permanente researcher Dr. Corley, which looked at abdominal obesity and consumption of dietary antioxidants, fruits and vegetables in connection with Barrett’s Esophagus.

The study suggested that the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus could be reduced by eating eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and maintaining a normal body weight.

“My advice to people trying to prevent Barrett’s Esophagus is: keep a normal body weight and follow a diet high in antioxidants and high in fruits and vegetables.

We already knew that red wine was good for the heart, so perhaps here is another added benefit of a healthy lifestyle and a single glass of wine a day,” Corley said.

The researchers noted that the protective effect of wine in terms of preventing Barrett’s Esophagus, though greatest with just one or two glasses a day, did not increase with higher consumption.

“It’s not actually clear that treating the acid reflux will necessarily prevent getting someone from getting Barrett’s Esophagus.

The best way to prevent reflux is to maintain a normal weight,” said Dr. Corley.(ANI)

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Drinking himself to death is Gazza’s greatest fear

February 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb.27 (ANI): Former England football star Paul Gascoigne has one great fear – drinking himself to death like his hero George Best.

According to The Sun, Gazza poured out his anguish at the same health farm where tragic Bestie fought his last vain battle with the bottle.

Man United legend Best looked a haggard, broken man as he nursed a glass of white wine months before his death at 59 in November 2005.

But smiling, sun tanned Gazza was drinking bottled water at the same spot yesterday – and looked sober and fighting fit after a three-hour gym workout.

The ex-Spurs and Newcastle star has been in rehab at soccer pal Tony Adams’s Sporting Chance Clinic in the grounds of the Champneys health spa at Forest Mere, Hants.

Doomed Best spent months at the same spa as he struggled to contain his drink problem and even has a suite there named after him.

Gazza said: “I’m humbled when people say I’m the George Best of my generation.

“He was a great guy and a great player and I wished to God I’d had his looks.

But what happened to him will always be a lesson to me. I knew George and really felt for him in the end for obvious reasons – our experiences in life had been so similar,” he added.

“He was a great man, but was never left alone to recover from his problems. I just hope I am left alone to get on with my recovery. I cried when he died.

I called his son Calum and spoke to him when he was at his dad’s bedside in hospital. It was a very emotional time,” Gazza said.

Like Gazza’s, Best’s life was a catalogue of drunken episodes, booze-fuelled arrests and domestic bust-ups.

And like Gazza he gave up alcohol many times before relapsing into his old, self-destructive ways.

Gazza said: “I’m an alcoholic like George and I know that – in some ways – my behaviour has been even more self-destructive than his. George never took cocaine. I have admitted that and my problems got so bad that I ended up in a mental hospital.

“But now I’m sober I know that alcoholism affects people in different ways and that if I ever drink again, it will be no one’s fault but my own.

Gazza said he is now forced to structure his day around times when he is most at risk of reaching for the bottle.

Therapy, meetings and simple tasks are organised to coincide with his daily moments of weakness, which start at 11am – incredibly the time he used to start drinking.

The soccer hero admitted there had been many tears and tantrums as he clawed his way back to health.

His plunge into the abyss was so deep that in September last year rumours spread that he had been found dead in a North East hotel room.

The story had to be quashed by Northumbria Police.

“I can never say never, I know I might drink again. But I have to hope that I will have the strength to stop before it destroys me. (ANI)

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Lily Allen yells profanities during online album launch party

February 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, February 12 (ANI): British singer-songwriter Lily Allen’s fans were left stunned upon hearing her yelling profanities from the stage, and talking candidly about oral sex, when she launched her new album with an Internet gig in New York on Tuesday.

She was promoting the album titled It’s Not Me, It’s You at the Bowery Ballroom as part of MySpace.com’s Secret Show series.

According to reports, Lily sipped white wine, and started the show by poking fun at the Bowery crowd

“You’ve been illegally downloading, you f**kers!” before launching into her new anti-George W. Bush anthem F**k You and urging fans to sing along with the chorus: “F**k you, f**k you very, very much,” Contacmusic quoted her as saying.

The website further revealed that Lily even performed ‘Not Fair’, which pokes fun at a former boyfriend who could not satisfy her after she performed oral sex on him.

The singer also slammed DJ Mark Ronson, who produced her debut album, for not being part of the MySpace show.

She told the crowd: “Mark was supposed to f**king be here tonight, but he’s recording with some band in Brooklyn. He’s too busy for me these days.” (ANI)

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Enjoy heart-healthy Valentine’s Day with chocolate, wine and romance

February 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Feb 10 (ANI): With Valentine’s Day come sweet indulgences, but a University of Michigan researcher says that extravagances like chocolate, wine and romance can turn out to be really good for your heart, if taken in moderation.

Dr. Steven F. Bolling, professor of cardiac surgery at the U-M medical school, says that tart cherries, grapes and wine have components that can lower blood pressure and protect heart muscle.

A glass of wine and massage can do wonders for lowering stress and anxiety, the researcher adds.

“There are many fruits associated with Valentine’s Day, most commonly cherries, of course. In cherries there are compounds called anthocyanins, which also can be very good for your heart. Perhaps we could even take the cherries and dip them in chocolate to make a very good, heart-healthy Valentine’s snack,” says Bolling.

However, not any chocolate, but dark chocolate is the kind that contains flavonoids, that can guarantee a healthy heart.

“People have asked the question which is better for you red wine or white wine? Probably wine in itself is good for you, just because it reduces stress and anxiety; let’s not over do it. But red wine has specific agents, perhaps in the dark skin of red wine grapes that are heart-healthy and heart friendly,” warned Bolling.

In a recent study it was shown that grapes intake lowered blood pressure and improved heart function in lab rats.

It is believed that the beneficial effect of the grapes is from their high level of phytochemicals – naturally occurring antioxidants – that grapes contain.

Also, similar advantages have been found to be associated with tart cherries.

“A ‘tart, heart-smart diet’ has shown to be very beneficial in terms of heart health, heart function and also really reducing belly fat and changing your metabolic obesity syndrome, all very helpful,” said Bolling.

Animals that received powdered tart cherries in their diet had lower total cholesterol, lower blood sugar, less fat storage in the liver, lower oxidative stress, and increased production of a molecule that helps the body handle fat and sugar.

Cherries were found to alter factors that can lead to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Other activities associated with Valentine’s Day that are heart-healthy include massage. Reducing stress and anxiety has long been linked with benefiting the heart.

“There is proven research that indicates that massage itself is beneficial in the post-operative state, in hospitalized patients to reduce stress and anxiety and even probably to reduce blood pressure,” said Bolling.

He added: “All of these indulgences really do not have to be limited to Valentine’s Day itself and certainly will lead to a much better heart-health status if we practice them everyday.” (ANI)

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Rumpole’s creator Sir John Mortimer dies aged 85

January 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Jan 17 (ANI): Dramatist Sir John Mortimer, who created character Rumpole of the Bailey, has passed away following prolonged illness. He was 85.

Sir John, who began working as a barrister in the 1940s, died at his Buckinghamshire home at 6am on Friday.

He had been in poor health for some time, reports the Telegraph.

Sir John’s agent, Anthony Jones, said: “He died at home, surrounded by his family. He had been unwell for some time.”

Sir John worked as the author of the 1970s television series about Horace Rumpole, a London defence lawyer.

He also penned the television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisted. He was knighted in 1998.

In one of his last interviews, given in July 2008, he said: “I drink brandy and soda, and I don’t eat a meal without drinking white wine. I’ve smoked all my life and, although I’d given up a bit, I now force myself to smoke because of the ban.” (ANI)

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