High-Octane Caffeine May Trigger Headaches

FRIDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) — Caffeine, known to help alleviate headaches, may cause them if consumed in large quantities.
That’s the finding of a study of more than 50,483 people who were questioned about caffeine intake and headache frequency as part of the 1995-1997 Nord-Trondelag Health Survey (HUNT 2) in Norway.
The study was published recently in the Journal of Headache Pain.
People who drank large amounts of caffeinated beverages each day had 18 percent more non-migraine headaches than those who drank few caffeinated beverages, according to researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
High caffeine consumption was defined as more than 500 mg of caffeine daily, about what’s in five cups of coffee. Low caffeine consumption was about 125 mg per day, the study authors noted.
But although there was “no obvious reason,” the study also found that low caffeine consumption was associated with greater odds of having chronic headaches (headaches for at least 14 days each month).
Caffeine, the world’s most commonly consumed stimulant, is a common ingredient in headache analgesics, according to information in a news release about the study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
But the research on how much caffeine is optimal for headaches is conflicting. Some studies have shown that high caffeine consumption increases the prevalence of headaches and migraines, while other studies have shown no connection.
Scandinavians consume about 400 milligrams of caffeine per day on average, or about four cups of coffee. That’s about twice the average caffeine intake in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, the new release states.
It’s unclear if the caffeine is causing the headaches or if people who tend to get headaches use caffeine to treat their pain, explained lead study author Knut Hagen.
Hagen recommended that people who get frequent headaches consider cutting back on their coffee consumption.
“People who suffer from headaches should be focused on their caffeine use, because it can be a cause of their headaches,” Hagen said in the news release.

LATEST:- ALLERGY

The incidence of allergy diseases in the Western world has been a scientific question. As rates of asthma, fever and cold flu has become increase remarkably, the number of cases in less developed countries remains relatively low, and that put’s a big question mark on all the research which has been done by our scientists. Allergy affects the lives of thousands of people every year and rapidly becoming life threatening disease.If you are an allergy sufferer, spring can be a miserable time of wheezing, sneezing, coughing, and constant discomfort, unless you have the proper allergy treatment. Allergy promotes and maintains contact between basic and clinically applied allergology and immunology.

CAUSES OF ALLERGY:

An allergy refers to a misguided reaction by our immune system in response to bodily contact with certain foreign substances. It is misguided because these foreign substances are usually harmless and remain so to non- allergic people.

There is growing evidence that one of the inadvertent consequences of the fight against infectious diseases and our obsession with cleanliness might have been the interference with the immune system development.

gastrointestinal system is quantitatively the most colonized area of human body. Composition of gut microbiota may influence the development of allergic disease, but the effect may differ depending on the geographical region, diet and hygiene practices.

Children who do not have regular contact with stable and farm animals have higher incidence of atopic sensitisation, hay fever and asthma

In order to understand risk factors for asthma and allergies one needs to study the interaction between the inherited risk and the environment

ADVISES:

Patients should properly understand written consent

Training program should be conduct to increase patients’ safety

Medical education to patients, so that they become well aware of diseases

Never disregard professional medical advice because of something you have read.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other health care expert

To understand risk factors for asthma and allergies one needs to study the interaction between the inherited risk and the environment

Effects:

Symptoms vary in severity from person to person. Most people have symptoms that cause discomfort without being life-threatening. A few people have life-threatening reactions (called anaphylaxis).

When an allergen enters the body of a person with a sensitized immune system, histamine and other chemicals are released by certain cells. This causes itching, swelling, mucus production, muscle spasms, hives, rashes, and other symptoms.

Three most popular prescription causes by allergy medications are Allegra, Clarinex, and Zyrtec. Keep in mind, these side effects only occur in a small percentage of those taking them.

LATEST:-Can Quercetin Supplements Power Up Your Workouts?

Sara Altshul

Content by Health.com

I wish I were a naturally active, athletic kind of woman—then maybe it wouldn’t be such a constant battle for me to stay in shape.

I’m thrilled that I’ve finally managed to drop 30 pounds or so, and that I’m getting myself to the gym three times a week. But I’m not fooled into thinking my life has totally changed: I’m still addicted to my former overeating, indolent ways, and any minute now, I could fall right off the wagon. Some days, staying on that exercise bike for a full 45 minutes seems like an impossible thing to do.

If only there was some magic pill I could take to make this easier, I think to myself when I’m 20 minutes or so into the pedaling.

Well, maybe there is.

A new study from the University of South Carolina crossed my desk this morning. Researchers there discovered that an antioxidant compound found in fruits and vegetables can significantly boost your endurance and aerobic fitness after just one week—making it easier for people to exercise a little longer.

The supplement is quercetin, and study author Mark Davis, PhD, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health says, “This is great news for those who often think they’re too tired to exercise.” People like me, he means.

Davis and his team first gave 12 student volunteers in their 20s (all fit but not considered “highly trained”) an exercise test to determine their VO2 max status, a measure of aerobic fitness. Then, half the volunteers got 500 milligrams of quercetin twice a day (mixed in Tang, to mask the supplement’s taste); the other half got Tang plus placebo.

After a week, the students were tested again—and those who’d taken quercetin were able to exercise about 12 minutes longer than they’d been able to before they took the supplement.

I did the math and figured out that by adding 12 minutes to my exercise-biking routine three times a week for a year, I could lose an additional 4 pounds. On my 5’1” frame, losing even a little chunk like that could be the difference between a convex or concave (heck, I’d settle for nearly flat) tummy.

What is this stuff?
Even if you’re not looking for a magic bullet to make exercising easier, you might want to consider taking a daily dose of quercetin. It’s an antioxidant that gobbles up the cell-damaging particles known as free radicals, it acts as antihistamine and could improve allergy symptoms, and it may protect against heart disease, according to the excellent University of Maryland Medical Center’s alternative medicine database.

I’m heading out to pick up a bottle now—you can find quercetin in any health-food store and many drug stores. Fingers crossed that a week from now, I’m spinning for an extra 12 minutes without even noticing it!