Spain has recorded the first suspected Marburg virus infection in a person returning from Equatorial Guinea, where the virus first appeared. While the World Health Organization warned that the death rate due to the virus could reach 88%.
Spain has announced its first suspected case of Marburg virus, a deadly infectious disease, authorities in the Spanish province of Valencia said on Saturday.
The health authorities in the region said that a 34-year-old person who visited Equatorial Guinea recently was transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit in a hospital in Valencia, adding that he was undergoing medical examinations.
The virus had isolated more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea last week.
The World Health Organization has stated that the death rate due to Marburg virus infection can be as high as 88%. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment approved yet.
So far, Equatorial Guinea has placed more than 200 people in quarantine and restricted the movement of citizens on February 13 in Qui Ntim province, where infections first appeared with the virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever, and led to the death of 9 people.
Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or surfaces and materials.
Contrary to what is believed Reducing the amount of salt may increase the risk of early death in a certain group by 80%
Salt has long been cited as enemy number one for those with heart problems, with doctors telling patients to reduce the amount of sodium they consume.
But a new study says excessive salt restriction may actually increase the risk of early death for patients with heart failure.
This study builds on a growing body of research that posits that the benefits of eliminating salt for this subset of patients may be overstated.
Previous studies have linked excess sodium to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart failure and can worsen existing heart failure.
Too much sodium leads to increased fluid retention in the body, which increases the volume of blood inside the blood vessels. When more blood flows through the blood vessels, blood pressure increases, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body.
The Heart Failure Society of America recommends two to three grams of sodium per day for healthy individuals. However, those with moderate or severe heart failure should consume less than two grams per day, which is just under one teaspoon.
Sodium is found in almost every food, which makes it difficult to track and even harder to avoid.
Many people with heart failure have to severely restrict their diet and avoid these foods for fear of consuming too much sodium.
And in a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual summit last week, doctors reported that restricting sodium intake in the diet to less than the usual recommendation was counterproductive.
The researchers combined data from nine previous clinical trials, each of which assessed the effectiveness of different levels of sodium restriction for patients with heart failure.
Together, the studies collected data on nearly 3,500 patients with heart failure. After analyzing it, the researchers found that heart failure patients who followed a diet with a sodium intake goal of less than 2.5g per day were 80% more likely to die than those following a diet target of 2.5g per day and more.
Dr. Anirudh Balicherla, of Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, who led the study, said: “Sodium reduction is still the way to go to help manage heart failure, but the amount of restriction has been up for debate. This study shows that the focus should be on Establish a safe level of sodium intake rather than restricting sodium excessively.
The study authors urge the scientific community to continue research into optimal dietary sodium targets in otherwise healthy people with potentially fatal conditions.
Until then, to limit sodium intake, experts recommend eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and cooking with basic ingredients rather than processed, packaged and canned foods and sauces that are often high in sodium.
Source: Daily Mail
What is the best case for eating bananas, oranges and berries? Experts reveal the health benefits of the fruit when it is ripe!
Waiting for blackberries to ripen can increase the fruit's immune-boosting benefits, while speckled bananas are the most sugary variety.
And not leaving oranges in the fruit bowl for too long could guarantee eating the citrus when vitamin C levels are at their highest, in theory.
In this regard, experts tell MailOnline which fruit you should eat ripe - and why.
Wait until the blackberries are ripe and juicy
It is believed that blackberries improve with sufficient ripeness, but not only because they become a flavor enhancer.
Summer berries also develop more compounds with antioxidant qualities.
This effect is due to an antioxidant called anthocyanin, which gives it its deep purple colour, explains Ty Ipetwe, a registered dietitian in London.
These antioxidants are found in other dark, red or purple berries, and the darker the fruit, the more antioxidants it contains.
"When the berries ripen, the levels of antioxidants increase fourfold, but the mechanism behind this happens is not that clear," Ibetoye said.
And the increased levels of antioxidants can help your body tackle disease, according to Ibetoye.
She said: "Antioxidants help fight free radicals, which are harmful substances in the body that can cause diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, for example."
However, there is one caveat. Our bodies aren't very good at absorbing this type of antioxidant, according to registered dietitian Dr Duane Mellor at Aston University in Birmingham.
"If you look at the purple pigments in berries, they are very large molecules and are not easily absorbed," he said. "Although they may contain a lot of antioxidants in fruits, they are not always available to us."
For this reason, the amount that we can absorb from the fruit is very small.
But blackberries also bring a host of other health benefits. It is also rich in vitamin C and potassium.
Dr. Mellor stresses that eating a variety of different colored foods is key to getting a mix of these compounds.
Ripe orange
Just like the antioxidants found in blackberries, oranges also get a boost in their ripening stage, when they produce more vitamin C.
"It's not clear why this happens, but vitamin C could increase due to weather or fruit ripening," said Ibetoye.
According to a 2017 study conducted by a Nigerian university, published in the International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology, it found that the vitamin C content in oranges was at its highest concentration when it became "half-ripe" and then decreased slightly when the fruit became "ripe".
The same pattern was also observed in limes, but the vitamin C concentration was lower.
However, the vitamin continues to increase in peppers and pineapples, according to Dr. Mellor.
Vitamin C plays a vital role in protecting cells, maintaining healthy skin and bones and aiding in wound healing, according to the NHS.
However, the changes in vitamin C are very minor and are unlikely to make a noticeable difference to your health.
But how the fruit is stored and cooked is important when it comes to vitamin levels.
Dr Mellor said: 'As the fruit slowly dies and decomposes in cupboards or in the fridge, the vitamin C will be broken down. "Higher vitamin C than old potatoes. Same goes for apples. That's why you have to store things in the fridge, so they don't decompose in the same way."
But you don't have to worry too much about the vitamin C contents of the fruit and how ripe it is, because eating just one orange, whether ripe or overripe, provides more than enough.
"You don't have to worry too much about how ripe the fruit is, as all fruits contain healthy vitamins, but how you prepare the food is important," said Ebitwe. Vitamin C is water soluble, so the content of foods will be greatly reduced if boiled.
Instead, Ibetoye says we should eat fruits and vegetables in their raw or steamed form, because this cooking process preserves vitamin C.
The best of bananas
Not only does the flavor and texture change as the banana ripens—they get sugarier, too.
As with all fruits, bananas break down starch into simple sugars, such as sucrose, glucose and fructose, when they're ripe.
They are more easily absorbed into the bloodstream, which may cause blood sugar levels to spike, according to Debra Williams, a registered dietitian who runs a private practice.
This makes bananas an ideal snack for those looking for a quick source of energy for exercise, Mellor suggests.
While the increase in sugar does not change the calorie content of the fruit, it can be a problem for people with diabetes.
"It's something to consider if you have diabetes because ideally you want to eat carbohydrates that are absorbed slowly. For diabetics, it's best to eat unripe bananas," Williams said.
She said that unlike the sugar content, mineral levels in bananas rarely change during the ripening process.
For example, green bananas contain a similar amount of potassium as yellow bananas.
But unripe bananas contain more fiber and resistant starch -- a carbohydrate that feeds the good bacteria in the gut.
"With green, unripe bananas, you're getting different, semi-digestible carbohydrates that can be beneficial for gut health," Mellor said.
He suggests eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, but recommends avoiding too many sweet and very ripe tropical fruits because of their high sugar content.
Source: Daily Mail