Page 22 - 6-3-16 Friday's Edition

Health
Things Every African American Should Know About HIV/AIDS In 2016
F. Y. I.: Types Of Body Fat You Should Know About To Separate The ‘Good’ From The ‘Bad’
Yes, it’s 2016 –
nearly 35 years since
the first cases of HIV/AIDS in the U.
S. But, the sexually transmitted disease is
just as dangerous today as it was years ago.
More than 37 million people were living with HIV by the end of 2014, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And since the early 1980s, about 39 million people have died from infection across the world.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Who Is More At Risk?
Black men just can’t catch a break. According to the Center for Disease Control, an esti- mated 1 in 20 Black men will contract HIV in their lifetime. That’s compared to 1 in 132 white men.
Black people have to be care- ful in general, though. They are the most at risk to catch HIV than any other racial group.
The Dirty South
Sorry, southerners. You are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than anyone else in the U. S., the CDC reports. Poverty and lack of access to healthcare are a couple of the reasons why this is so.
Washington D.C. ranks the highest on the prevalence list, followed by Maryland, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana.
Gay Or Straight?
Unfortunately, 1 in 6 men who have sex with men will become in-
fected with HIV in their lifetime, according to the CDC. Also, half of Black men and a quarter of Latino men who engage in sex with men are more at risk for the virus, as
well.
White Fat - Also called subcutaneous fat, white fat settles mainly around your hips and thighs, sculpting curves and providing cushion. It’s also the most common type found in your body.
Why it’s important: It burns energy and produces a hormone called adiponectin. Research suggests adiponectin has anti-inflammatory and “insulin-sen- sitizing” properties and that may help reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Brown Fat - A.K.A., “good fat” burns energy even when you’re lounging – much like muscle. Al- though early experts believed this form of fat de- pleted during childhood, a 2009 Harvard study discovered that 7.5% of women and 3.1% of men had
small amounts of brown fat lurking in their bodies. These individuals appeared to have healthier metab- olisms.
Visceral Fat - This fat is the devil. Often referred to as “belly fat,” it somewhat suffocates your organs deep inside your abdominal cavity – releasing stress hormones called cortisol and inflammatory sub- stances called cytokines. These toxins impact your body’s production of insulin. As a result, you run the risk of developing both Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
What To Do
Develop healthy habits, like eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
Getting Tested
Smoking May Put African Americans At Higher Risk For Kidney Damage
There are options. You don’t have to visit a doctor to get tested these days. You can also take an at-home test. Fourth- generation blood tests can de- tect the virus within days to weeks after exposure. Make sure you find a test site near you, or ask your physician about at-home tests.
Treatment
Guidelines
Today, new WHO guidelines state people diagnosed with HIV should take antiretroviral therapy medication as soon as possible. It’s not a cure, but it can stop the virus from multi- plying and transmission through sex. It can also prevent the virus from developing into AIDS.
If you fear that you may have been exposed to HIV, don’t hesitate to seek help from your physician. The best way to practice safe sex is through ab- stinence, but condoms are an- other great way to protect yourself.
Cigarette smoking — a universal health hazard — may particularly damage kidney function in African- Americans, according to new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Cardiovascular and kidney diseases are closely linked, but few people are aware of the impact of smoking on kidney function,” said Michael Hall, M.D., study lead author and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Researchers determined rates of decline in kid- ney function in 3,648 African-Americans in a study which examined cardiovascular disease in African- Americans ages 21-84.
After adjusting for factors such as age, gender, physical activity, diabetes, hypertension and preva- lent cardiovascular disease, researchers found:
• Kidney function declined 83% higher in smok- ers compared to those who had never smoked.
• The rate of kidney decline worsened with more smoking: those who smoked up to 19 cigarettes daily had 75% greater decline in kidney function and those who smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day had a 97% greater decline in kidney function.
• Smokers had 38% higher inflammation levels compared to non-smokers.
African-Americans are disproportionately af- fected by chronic kidney disease because of higher
rates of hyperten-
sion, obesity and
diabetes, and may
be more suscepti-
ble to adverse ef-
fects of smoking
to the kidneys.
Yet little data
exist examining
the effects of smoking and kidney disease among African-Americans.
While Blacks are less likely than whites to smoke, their metabolism of substances in cigarettes also dif- fers compared with other ethnic groups.
Menthol-flavored cigarettes - popular among many African-American smokers - has been associ- ated with increased concentrations of blood cad- mium, a toxic metal used in protective coatings. Exposure to low levels of the metal has also been linked to kidney damage.
“We should be aggressive with screening patients who have risk factors for kidney disease by finding out if they smoke and, if so, encourage them to quit or cut back as much as possible if they can’t quit,” Hall said. “There does seem to be a dose-dependent effect, meaning patients who smoke more are at higher risk for having worsening kidney injury over time.”
Why You Should Detox Your Liver
The job of your liver is to filter out all the bad par- ticles from your body. However, outside factors in- cluding smoking, poor diet, and pollutants can have a bearing on your liver and impede its ability to per- form its job.
When you utilize these simple liver detoxing methods, you will feel: Lighter, More balanced, Healthier, Sexier, and Zesty.
Go On A Juice Diet - When you eat high processed foods that have lots of sugar, carbohy- drates and chemicals, the liver has to work extra hard to do its job. That’s why it is important that you give your liver a rest for 2-3 days. The most reliable way to give your liver and digestive system a rest is to go on a juice diet and consume fruits, vegetables and healthy liquids.
Day 1: Green Juice - Fun Fact: The celery and parsley in this juice deliver apigenin, a compound that promotes the death of cancerous cells, accord- ing to new research from Ohio State University.
Day 2: Tomato-Vegetable Juice Fun Fact: When people drank a glass of vegetable juice daily, they got double the veggie servings of people who just tried eating more vegetables.
Day 3: Strawberry-Cucumber Juice - Fun Fact: Strawberries are the third-best food source of polyphenols, antioxidants believed to reduce risk of cancer and heart disease, and researchers have shown help keep your teeth healthy.
Day 4: Blueberry-Cabbage Power Juice - Fun Fact: Red cabbage and blueberries pack this juice with anthocyanins, which may help keep your mem- ory sharp.
Day 5: Spinach-Apple Juice - Fun Fact: The spinach in this juice provides a healthy dose of vita- min K, which helps keep your bones strong.
Day 6: Ginger-Beet Juice - Fun Fact: Drinking beet juice before a workout may increase your stam-
ina by boosting blood flow, which gets your muscles the fuel and oxygen they need.
Day 7: Carrot-Orange Juice - Fun Fact: When people washed down a high-fat meal with a vitamin- C-rich fruit juice (this one provides 66% daily value) they had significantly lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood versus those who drank a placebo.
Flush Your Liver - Liver flushing is one of the most popular ways to cleanse and detox your liver. Liver flushing allows you to literally flushout toxins, parasites, gallstones and food by-products. A liver flush usually involves drinking or eating an eclectic mix of herbs, teas, juices and oils. It essentially takes 2-3 days of flushing your liver to have it working like normal again. However, it is imperative that you eat a diet that is full of organic fruits and cruciferous vegetables to keep your liver in good standing.
Try Diverse Herbs - While you don’t have to become an herbalist, there is a wide variety of herbs you can use together or alone to help your liver func- tion properly.
Some of the most preferred herbs to detox your liver include but are not limited to the following:
Milk Thistle – Contains strong antioxidants that help repair a damaged liver as a result of toxins, alcohol, processed food and other destructive sub- stances.
Fenugreek – Composed of powerful antioxi- dants that naturally cleanses the liver
Yellow Dock -Is a strong blood purifying herb that is widely used in all parts of the world
Licorice Root – Supports both digestive system and liver health
Whether you are using herbs, going on a juice diet, or flushing your liver, you will feel healthier and sexier once your liver is properly functioning again.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016