The pros and cons of Soy Milk...

Assalamualaikum...Hi again.. Em, today I want to share some information regarding the pros and cons of Soy Milk. Actually, I don't do all the searches, I just copy it from sites I've visited. It turned out that it has some goodness but the consequences is too much. I guess it is best if we just stop drink it ??? Sorry, I'm not sure myself. It's up to you to decide what's best for yourself. So, here's the facts:

1) Soya bean drinks are best consumed on hot sunny days when the sun is strong. The soya milk will give lots of nutrients to the body as the body is able to absorb the protein well.However, avoid the drink when the weather is cloudy or raining.. Taking the drink in those weather, the body will not be able to take in the protein and will result in a disease called 'GOUT' or 'high acidic urine' due to the high protein residue in the body, after a long run.This disease will cause pain to your knee joints and it will only be in control when you control your food intake of proteins and medication. The pain is unbearable and usually you will have no idea what you have taken to cause the pain. Food like soya beans, anchovies, broccoli, spinach, peanuts, & n esp animal organs ( i.e. pork liver) etc will have to be avoided to prevent the pain from attacking.


2) Benefits:
Soy has become popular because of the many benefits it has in reducing chronic illness. Soy can help reduce the effects of heart disease, and lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides. These are important items in controlling heart disease and preventing heart attack and stroke. In addition to its benefits to your heart, many soy products are a rich calcium source. It is also used in treating menopause symptoms. Soy has also been shown to assist in the prevention of prostate cancer.

3) Disadvantages
Many of the benefits of soy have come under scrutiny. The American Heart Association is waiting for more research to be done to verify the benefits of soy in heart health. In addition, there are reproductive issues in children who are raised on soy formula and use many soy products early in life. This includes lower testosterone, lower sperm counts and infertility in girls. Additionally, soy may increase the risk of breast cancer in women by adding high levels of estrogen. There are suggestions that several learning disabilities are the result of high manganese levels in soy products during child brain development.

So my friend, pass this to your family, relatives and friends to keep an alert on the pros and cons of soya bean milk and when it is to be taken and to be avoided....

Is coffee good or bad for you ???

Assalamualaikum... Hi again.. Well, I just want to share some information about coffee. Em, actually I've been arguing with my friend, Atifa about this subject for a few days now. I said that coffee is good while Atifa don't. And, today, I've decided to search on it. The verdict is........ No winner. It turned out that coffee IS good for us, but it also comes with some consequences. So, here it goes:

Coffee Pros

• 1. Antioxidants. Coffee is rich in antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and melanoidins. Antioxidants help prevent oxidation, a process that causes damage to cells and contributes to aging.
• 2. Parkinson's disease. Regular coffee drinking reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. A number of studies [1],[2] have demonstrated that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are significantly less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
• 3. Diabetes. Coffee drinking has the potential to protect against the development of type 2 diabetes. A prospective study[3] as part of the US Nurses Health Study found that moderate consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle aged women.
• 4. Liver cirrhosis. Coffee drinking may protect against liver cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis.
• 5. Gallstones. There is some evidence [4] that coffee drinking may be protective against gallstone formation in both men and women.
• 6. Kidney stones. Coffee consumption lowers the risk of kidney stones formation. Coffee increases the urine volume, preventing the crystallization of calcium oxalate, the most common component of kidney stones.
• 7. Improved mental performance. Caffeine in coffee is a well-known stimulant. Coffee promotes alertness, attention and wakefulness. The cup of coffee can also increase information processing.
• 8. Alzheimer's disease. Regular coffee drinking may help to protect against Alzheimer's disease. Recent study [5] in mice showed that caffeine equivalent to 5 cups of coffee per day reduced the build up of destructive plaques in the brain.
• 9. Asthma. Caffeine in coffee is related to theophylline, an old asthma medication. Caffeine can open airways and improve asthma symptoms.
• 10. Caffeine safety. In 1958, caffeine was placed on the Food and Drug Administration's list as generally recognized as safe.

Coffee Cons

• 1. Heart disease. This is somewhat controversial. Most prospective cohort studies haven't found that coffee consumption is associated with significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

  On one hand, diterpenes cafestol and kahweol present in unfiltered coffee and caffeine each appear to increase risk of coronary heart disease. High quality studies [6] have confirmed the cholesterol-raising effect of diterpenes. Also, coffee consumption is associated with an increase of plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

  On the other hand, a lower risk of heart disease among moderate coffee drinkers might be due to antioxidants found in coffee.

• 2. Cholesterol. Heavy consumption of boiled coffee elevates blood total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels [7]. Unfiltered coffee contains two cholesterol-raising compounds cafestol and kahweol.
• 3. Blood vessels. Coffee negatively affects the blood vessel tone and function.
• 4. Heart rhythm disturbances. Coffee can cause rapid or irregular heartbeats (cardiac arrhythmias).
• 5. Blood pressure. Although coffee drinking is not a significant risk factor for hypertension, it produces unfavorable effects on blood pressure [8] and people prone to hypertension may be more susceptible. Recent Italian study found that coffee drinking can slightly increase the risk for development of sustained hypertension in people with elevated blood pressure.
• 6. Osteoporosis. Coffee intake may induce an extra urinary excretion of calcium. Heavy coffee consumption (600 ml or more) can modestly increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially in women with a low calcium intake [9].
• 7. Heartburn. A cup of coffee can trigger the heartburn.
• 8. Sleep. Most are aware of the stimulatory effects of caffeine. High amounts of caffeine taken before going to sleep can cause difficulty falling asleep, tendency to be awakened more readily by sudden noises, and a decreased quality of sleep. However, some people can drink coffee and fall right asleep.
• 9. Dehydration. The caffeine in coffee is a mild diuretic and can increase urine excretion. This effect may be easily neutralized by drinking an extra glass of water.
• 10. Dependence. Although "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, caffeine is still a drug, a mild central nervous system stimulant, and it produces dependence. Caffeine withdrawal is a real syndrome. You may get a few days of headache and irritability if you choose to quit drinking coffee, however, it is relatively easy to break this habit, and most people are not addicted to caffeine.