Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Something New :)
OK, so I learned something new about water that I probably should have know before. Well better now than never! So the absorption of heat from when the hydrogen bonds break in water is the reason why we sweat. Crazy stuff! I guess you really do learn something new everyday.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Lets Talk About Carbs
Carbohydrates Article
In the article "Carbohydrates" that I read, it helped explain to me (in a simple way) what carbohydrates are all about. If you're like me, all that huge talk of scientific mumbo jumbo might be confusing so here is a little bit about carbs in a more "simple" version.
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body so that makes them pretty important. There are two types of carbs- sugars and starches. Sugars are the more simple carbohydrates that are easily digested by our bodies. These carbs include the real tasty foods like candy, pop, cake, and all that good sugary stuff. Starches are much more complex and take longer to be digested. These are more of the foods like grains, pastas, fruits, and vegetables. Some foods like fruits and vegetables are not only good sources of carbs but they are also very good suppliers of vitamins A and C and other minerals.
Statistics show that 60% of the calories that we eat on a day-to-day basis should be carbohydrates. However, that 60% should not be made up mostly of simple sugars. These are the ones that leave waste in your body and cause you to put on the pounds. You should try to focus on eating the more nutritional carbs that give you other good things as well. For example, fiber.
Fiber is a very important kind of carbohydrate that only comes from certain foods such as, grains, fruits, and vegetables(the same things that contain starches!). But of course being healthy can't be as simple as just having any kind of fiber in your diet. Oh no, there are to kinds of fiber- soluble and non-soluble. Soluble fiber helps to control blood sugar and may also lower cholesterol. Non-soluble fiber doesn't seem to help with those problems but may help reduce the risk of colon cancer and helps maintain bowel function. According to the American Dietetic Association, adults need 20-35 grams of fiber each day.
So now that you know some of the science behind what you should eat challenge yourself to have a better diet and eat the healthier things(most of the time =]).
In the article "Carbohydrates" that I read, it helped explain to me (in a simple way) what carbohydrates are all about. If you're like me, all that huge talk of scientific mumbo jumbo might be confusing so here is a little bit about carbs in a more "simple" version.
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body so that makes them pretty important. There are two types of carbs- sugars and starches. Sugars are the more simple carbohydrates that are easily digested by our bodies. These carbs include the real tasty foods like candy, pop, cake, and all that good sugary stuff. Starches are much more complex and take longer to be digested. These are more of the foods like grains, pastas, fruits, and vegetables. Some foods like fruits and vegetables are not only good sources of carbs but they are also very good suppliers of vitamins A and C and other minerals.
Statistics show that 60% of the calories that we eat on a day-to-day basis should be carbohydrates. However, that 60% should not be made up mostly of simple sugars. These are the ones that leave waste in your body and cause you to put on the pounds. You should try to focus on eating the more nutritional carbs that give you other good things as well. For example, fiber.
Fiber is a very important kind of carbohydrate that only comes from certain foods such as, grains, fruits, and vegetables(the same things that contain starches!). But of course being healthy can't be as simple as just having any kind of fiber in your diet. Oh no, there are to kinds of fiber- soluble and non-soluble. Soluble fiber helps to control blood sugar and may also lower cholesterol. Non-soluble fiber doesn't seem to help with those problems but may help reduce the risk of colon cancer and helps maintain bowel function. According to the American Dietetic Association, adults need 20-35 grams of fiber each day.
So now that you know some of the science behind what you should eat challenge yourself to have a better diet and eat the healthier things(most of the time =]).
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Just A Little Something About Water
GoAnimate.com: Stick figures and water by SidneyB
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
This last week in Biology I have been researching clinical trails. More specifically, I have been learning about a trail concerning prostate caner called, AVODART After Radical Therapy For Prostate Cancer Study. This study is still underway but I would be happy to share with you what I have learned so far.
This study was specifically designed to see if they discovered a new medicine to prolong the life of victims of prostate cancer after they have had radical treatment. This trial is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment. This just means that to test Avodart (the drug that might cure cancer) the scientists are using placebo (a sugar pill) as the control. Or in other words, just something to compare it to. Making the experiment double-blind just means that the patients, caregivers, investigators, and outcomes assessor won't know whether the patient is being given Avodart or the placebo. Having a double-blind trail helps eliminate bias or false results.
To be eligible for this study the subject must be between the ages of 18 and 85. They also have to have prostate cancer and have undergone radical treatments to try and cure or get rid of it.
The subjects in the study (no matter what pills they are given) are instructed to take one tablet by mouth daily. They will be given a three month supply of pills every three months when they come for their scheduled clinic visit. All of the patients will do this for exactly 24 months.
After all the subjects have completed the two year trial the scientists will collaborate the results. The estimated study completion date is March 2011.
This study was specifically designed to see if they discovered a new medicine to prolong the life of victims of prostate cancer after they have had radical treatment. This trial is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment. This just means that to test Avodart (the drug that might cure cancer) the scientists are using placebo (a sugar pill) as the control. Or in other words, just something to compare it to. Making the experiment double-blind just means that the patients, caregivers, investigators, and outcomes assessor won't know whether the patient is being given Avodart or the placebo. Having a double-blind trail helps eliminate bias or false results.
To be eligible for this study the subject must be between the ages of 18 and 85. They also have to have prostate cancer and have undergone radical treatments to try and cure or get rid of it.
The subjects in the study (no matter what pills they are given) are instructed to take one tablet by mouth daily. They will be given a three month supply of pills every three months when they come for their scheduled clinic visit. All of the patients will do this for exactly 24 months.
After all the subjects have completed the two year trial the scientists will collaborate the results. The estimated study completion date is March 2011.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)