HoNey- a sweet and viscous liquid produced by insects known as BeeS

Honey! This term reminds me of a sweet, sticky and thick liquid produced by fearful insects that sting painfully called bees.

Honey has many uses in daily life. Traditionally, it is believed to cure sore throats by mixing honey with lemon. It can be used to aid stomachaches and some eye problems. Recent researches have proven that honey can obstruct the growth of oral bacteria. It is able to coat the human throat and reduce throat irritation. Honey is also used to treat gastric or peptic stomach ulcers.

Because of the antimicrobial properties present in honeys, honeys can be used to treat wounds and infections. The antimicrobial properties refer to the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties of honey. Honey also allows blood to perform better circulation around the body and helps others cells, tissues and organs in the body to receive oxygen. The receive of oxygen is crucial for the brain to function properly. This makes honey an antioxidant.

Honey can be used to treat burns and postoperative wounds. Honey is also proven to be low in calories and contains a lot of sugar and minerals. Because honey contains very low calories, it is suitable to be used as a sweetener for diabetic patients, heart disease patients and overweight people.

Scientists are still bemused about why honey provides many benefits for humans, but day after day, we are discovering more. Thanks, HONEY!!

Now, let's enumerate about WHAT IS HONEY!! Honey is a carbohydrate, belonging under the group of sugar and starch. Honey is made mostly of water and comprises two invert sugars, dextrose and levulose. Dextrose is glucose or sometimes called grape sugar, whereas levulose is fructose called occasionally fruit sugar.

Why the terms dextrose and levulose?? These terms originate from the use of the two prefixes, dexter and levis. Dexter which means right and levis which means left. Dexter turns the polarised light to the right and the latter turns it to the left.

These two invert sugars are simple sugars. Simple or natural sugars are sugars that can be readily absorbed into the bloodstream without involving salivary, gastric or intestinal secretions. But, sugar cane and other artificial sugars must first be converted into simple sugars before they can be assimilated into the bloodstream.

Besides dextrose and levulose, honey contains some proteins, many enzymes, vitamins, colouring matter, mineral elements like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus and aromatic volatile oils.

However, researchers of honey are still arguing about the disputed vitamin content in honeys. Hoyle, who works for Lister Institute in London, Hawk, Smith and Bergheim claim that honey lacks vitamins. But, Dutcher, another scientist, claims that there is a very small, negligible amount of vitamin in honey. Then, Faber thinks that there could be no antiscorbutic vitamin (a vitamin that cures and prevents scurvy) in honey.

French scientists A. L. Clement, L. Inches, and Laborde found minute water-soluble vitamins, Vitamin B and C and fat-soluble vitamins, Vitamin A. Honey is soluble in water and becomes vinous (become or related to wines) when fermented. What is bemusing is whether honey is an animal product or a vegetable product? QUITE A DILEMMA for vegans and vegetarians.

Honey produced by bees is from the sugar type, white sugar. White sugar is a sugar in which all vegetable constituents are destroyed. So, honey is an animal product (from bees). Too bAD, vegans and vegetarians !!

Levulose is a more important sugar compared to dextrose. Sugar cane's sweetness is half as sweet as the sweetness of dextrose. And, more shocking is that levulose is two times sweeter than dextrose. Dahlia bulbs, some chicories, and the Jerusalem artichoke are rich in levulose of about 12-15 of percentage.

Levulose has a delightful flavour, easily absorbed or assimilated and highly soluble. It creates the good potential energy for human beings because it is a good glycogen (animal starch)producer. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and converted to dextrose and is oxidised to supply energy for body cells. Because levulose absorbs slowly, it is suitable to be used by hyperglycaemia patients and does not cause rise in blood sugar levels.

The pie chart below will show the percentage composition of honey. CHECK it out!!



According to the pie chart above, honey contains about 80% of carbohydrates. It has monosaccharides, fructose (38.2%) and glucose (31%). Honey also contains about 9% of disaccharides, sucrose, maltose, turanose and kojibiose. There are about 4.2% of oligosaccharides (short-chain carbohydrates) which includes erlose, theanderose, and panose. These saccharides are present in nectars and honeydews and are formed from the incomplete breakdown from higher saccharides.

Honey also have 18 free amino acids and the most abundant of the 18 is proline. Honey also contains invertase, which converts sucrose to fructose and sucrose to glucose (disaccharide-->monosaccharide). Honey also have amylase, glucose oxidase, catalase and acid phosphorylase.

Amylase can break down polysaccharide starch into smaller polysaccharides and disaccharides. Glucose oxidase converts glucose to gluconolactone. This, in turn, produces gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide.

Catalase will, then, break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Acid phosphorylase rids inorganic phosphates from organic phosphates.

To cut a long story short, honey is an essential substance and brings a lot of benefits and helps human beings in many, different ways. We may not know it today, but someday, yes.

ViTAmIn C- a vitamin abundant in citrus fruits

Vitamin C? What does it remind you of?? It reminds me of a vitamin found in large amounts in citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit and lemon and beverages like orange juice and lemon juice.

When I say vitamin C, there some who are still bemused. What is a vitamin? Quite a good question, though. Vitamin is a substance that cannot be synthesized in the body, but important for metabolism. Metabolism is the rate of burning fats in the human body. Vitamin is also defined as a chemical that is an important part of food other than carbohydrates, fats, proteins and mineral salts.

Without vitamins, many deficiency diseases can be caused. Animals that need Vitamin D must manufacture it from ergosterol in the presence of UV (ultraviolet) light. This vitamin manufacturing mechanism is not well understood by scientists. Some animals cannot synthesize their own vitamins, and some cannot.

Vitamin D is vital to synthesize other vitamins. Humans cannot produce their own vitamins as they cannot manufacture Vitamin D. Human beings only obtain Vitamin D from direct exposure to sunlight. Humans can only get vitamins through the daily intake of food.

Besides metabolism, vitamins are important to control or regulate bodily processes that take place in the human body. Now! Enough about vitamins. Let's enumerate about Vitamic C.

Vitamin C or better known as ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin. It is an enolic form of 3-oxo-L-gulofuranolactone. It can be produced by the synthesis of glucose and plant extracts like rose hips, blackcurrants, or citrus fruits.

Vitamin C easily performs oxidation in air. Vitamin C can be found in broccoli, cauliflower, mangetout, cabbage, brussel sprouts, green leafy vegetables, chillies, red peppers, parsley, watercress, strawberries, kiwi fruits, citrus fruits, and guavas.

In alkaline solutions, ascorbic acid can be utilized as a photographic developing agent. Ascorbic acid is also important to heal wounds and formation of bone and teeth, collagen (fibrous protein, an important structural component of bone, cartilage, tendon and other connective tissues) and intercellular material.

This vitamin also improves resistance to infections, helps in the absorption of iron into the body and retains skin elasticity. Vitamic C is also essential to prevent cancer and can be used to treat scurvy (spongy and bleeding gums and bleeding under the skin caused by the deficiency of ascorbic acid).

Ascorbic acid can also synthesize neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. A neurotransmitter can affect mood, important for brain function and help neurons move through synapse. Vitamin C is required in the synthesis of carnitine, an important molecule to transport fats to the mitochondria organelle of a cell to convert fats into energy.

An recent research on Vitamin C was done and proved that Vitamin C helps cholesterol metabolizes to bile acids which affect blood cholesterol levels in the body and formation of gallstones.

There are still more about Vitamin C. Vitamin C does help us in many ways. It is also known that Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant and it can protect indispensable molecules like proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and lipids from being damaged by free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Vitamin C can also regenerate Vitamin E, another antioxidant.

Attached below is the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C. The table explains about the amount of vitamin C that must be consumed by which age group and which gender. In a nutshell, Vitamin C is indeed vital for the human body and we should consume in the form of foods, juices, tablets and other available food sources. Vitamin C is also important in reducing cold and increasing the strength of our immune system. So, if you do not want morning colds, TAKE VITAMIN C!!!!

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C
Life Stage	Age	Males (mg/day)	Females (mg/day)
Infants	0-6 months	40 (AI)	40 (AI)
Infants	7-12 months	50 (AI)	50 (AI)
Children	1-3 years	15	15
Children	4-8 years	25	25
Children	9-13 years	45	45
Adolescents	14-18 years	75	65
Adults	19 years and older	90	75
Smokers	19 years and older	125	110
Pregnancy	18 years and younger	-	80
Pregnancy	19-years and older	-	85
Breastfeeding	18 years and younger	-	115
Breastfeeding	19 years and older	-	120

"Swine Flu" - an epidemic in M'sia and a pandemic around the globe !!

Swine Flu! An influenza quite common among you and me. This "flu" has caused hell broke loose all over the place. I MEAN all over Malaysia and the world. It has become an epidemic and pandemic ailment, now! An outbreak! People are seen wearing masks to avoid getting infected. People who fell sick-having fever, running nose and sore throat are lining themselves up in clinics waiting to run tests for this contagious flu.

This year, on the 11th of July, the pandemic scare of H1N1 has developed into an alarming phase of Phase six. This was reported by World Health Organisation (WHO). More than seventy (70) countries are infected by swine flu and the virus is spreading like wildfire in multiple regions of the world. The swine flu was FIRST isolated in USA in 1930 from a pig. Then, in 1976, at Fort Dix, New Jersey, four soldiers were infected with pneumonia with other symptoms of swine flu after contracting the H1N1 virus. One of the four died as a result. In the close quarters of the group's basic training, the virus circulated for a month and disappeared.

After that, in 1988, a pregnant woman died of pneumonia like the soldiers at Fort Dix and a swine flu virus was discovered in her body. Four days before her fatality, she visited a country fair swine exhibition. The swines there are believed to have been infected by a influenza-like virus. A possibility of the existense of H1N1 virus among those swines!!!

Then, a boy, in La Gloria in southern Mexico was the first to have contracted swine flu in Mexico by the name of Edgar Hernandez. God have blessed his soul! Phew! A breakthrough!!

The influenza continued in Mexico, killing about 150 people. Swine flu, then spread to the Middle East, Australia, Israel, Spain, America, Singapore and Malaysia.

What is exactly "Swine Flu"? Swine flu, or better known as Type A Swine Influenza is a respiratory disease of hogs, only believed to infect pigs. The virus, type A H1N1 causes low death rates and high illness rates among swines. This virus are known to inhabit pigs throughout the year, but is very active during late fall or winter months of the year.

The swine flu does not comprise of only one type of virus. Among the virus subtypes isolated from hogs are H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. The virus subtype H1N1 was isolated from a pig in 1930. But, H1N1 virus has been the common virus subtype isolated. Over the years, the swine flu virus has been changing and varying. The virus has been swapping genes with human and avian (bird) flu viruses. As a result, the swine flu virus is a mixture virus with human influenza virus and avian influenza virus, H5N1.

The symptoms of swine flu are fever, sore throat, nausea, vomitting, lethargy (excessive tiredness), diarrhoea, coughing and loss of appetite. Swine flu can also infect human beings besides hogs. The swine flu infections on humans have been very sporadic and irregular. In 1988, in Wisconsin, an outbreak of swine flu infections occured which resulted in numerous human infections. However, no community outbreak of the swine flu resulted. Still, antibody evidence of virus transmission from patients to health care workers was reported.

Consuming pork will not cause the consumer to be infected by swine flu. Pork meat must be handled and cooked carefully. The pork meat must be cooked to a temperature of 160 degree Fahrenheit for the swine flu virus not to survive.

The type A, H1N1 virus is very agile in its transmission. The virus can be spread from humans to pigs and pigs to humans again (vice versa). Human beings can easily infected by H1N1 when being in a close proximity with infected hogs at pig barns, pig livestocks fairs, and when working in a swine industry. Infected people of the virus can easily spread around this wild virus by letting out cough, catching cold or touching places with the virus on it.

Scientists in the USA (United States of America) have developed four different antiviral drugs. They are amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. The federal agency in the Health and Human Services Department of Atlanta, Center for the Control of Diseases and Prevention (CDC) claimed recent swine flu viruses isolated are immune to amantadine and rimantadine in USA and Mexico. CDC Scientists are now recommending oseltamivir and zanamivir antiviral drugs.

A respiratory specimen must be send to the CDC for laboratory testing within 4 to 5 days of early sign of the infection. At this time, it is very critical for the person to shed the virus. Children may take a longer time to shred the virus, about 10 days or more.

To avoid being infected by swine flu, we must make sure we follow this simple checklist:

• When coughing or sneezing, a tissue must be held at the mouth and nose and the tissue thrown
• Hands must be washed with soap or alcohol-based hand cleaners and water when catching cold or coughing
• Eyes, nose and mouth are three places NEVER TOUCHED. It can be germ-polluted.
• Rest at home if you are sick. Avoid being stressful and anxious. (Advise from the CDC)
  

To avoid infection, follow the guidelines seriously and strictly as a life can be led without involving the H1N1 virus or viruses. To cut a long story short, we must take care of our health all the times because health once GONE never returns. STay healthy anD BE HEALTHY.

"MeLaMiNe" - a pandemic scare found in MILKS!

MiLk! Milk has been an important and a necessary drink to mankind. Mankind around the globe, mind you (even Malaysia), have been drinking milk since the earlier centuries. Milk contains a lot of nutritional values. This unique drink contains abundant amount of calcium which can digested into the human body to build bones and teeth. Even, women are resorting to milk to build their fragile, weak bones. Owing to menstruation, many women worldwide have been prone to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, osteo for bones and porosis, a condition which causes pores. As a result, bones tend to be weak and are brittle.

Milk can help women reduce the scare of osteoporosis, by building their weak bones to stronger bones. Men have always known for ages that women keep avoiding milk for a long time. But, now, they just cannot avoid. Mind you, my MUM tells her three children to drink milk. Pitifully, she does not have the habit to ingest milk. Drinks like Anlene and Anlene Gold (for women with osteoporosis) have been circulated around to help women with their "osteo" problem.

But, "melamine" is coming in the way between mankind and milk! How? Hmmm! Quite difficult to understand why?

Melamine is an organic compound. It is an alkali (base) with the general formula of C3H6N6. According to the IUPAC (International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry) Nomenclature, the chemical formula is 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine. This chemical's molecular mass is about 126. It is white, a powdered crystal and slightly soluble in water.

As its nitrogen content is high, it is released as flame-stifling nitrogen gas when the compound is combusted and scorched. As a result, it is used in fire retardants in polymer resins. Since its nitrogen content is high, it is mistaken to have high protein content. But, IT IS NOT!!

Melamine has 66% mass of nitrogen which gives it an analytical characteristic of a protein molecule. This molecule is described as a ring of three cyanamide units joined together. Melamine is very harmful and causes cancer and reproductive damage. It also irritates the skin, respiratory system and the human eye.

In China, countless infants suffered from acute kidney failure with several fatalities after consuming melamine-contained milk. Thousands of cats and dogs died after ingesting melamine-contained pet foods. Ice cream produced by "Yili" also contained melamine according to U.S. Bloomberg.

As the milk produced by "Yili", a Olympics Games sponsor is tainted with melamin, Starbucks Coffee Company stopped purchasing them. A great suprise for Starbucks! NOw, I can drink Starbucks' coffee as long as I want.

But, there is nothing to worry. Milk can still be potable. Milk companies like Sanyuan and Nestle had performed tests on their products AND it tested NEGATIVE! Great!

Melamine has not just attacked milk, but also candies, coffee creamers and chocolates. No wonder, Starbucks stopped importing milk from China. Not only that, Progressive Laboratories (Qualibet Testing Center) has discovered that eight food products have been tested positive for melamine. These products include processed meats and iced drinks sold by a typical coffee shop. Not a delight at all.

Luncheon meat, corned beef, some milk candies and chocolates and formulated milk for expecting mums are all melamine-contained. Be careful, children and future mums. Moreover, samples of whey powder and skimmed milk replacer have faced the same problem. The public should know that melamine is highly toxic and used in the making of household things like glues, counter tops, plates and fabrics. All these are plastic renin-contained.

In a nutshell, we, as members of the public should be cautious and well-informed about the bizarre, uncanny changes in our risk-shapen society. We should read up a lot and be fussy when purchasing our household items like "milk". This applies to adults, young adults, teenagers and senior citizens.

Perfumes and Fragrances-Bottled Liquids We Use Daily

Perfumes have always amazed and bemused mankind since the day one of civilisation. People use perfumes or fragrances to enable them to smell fresh and prove elegancy. Even, I find perfumes a must in my daily life. No perfumes mean I am dirty and my armpits will start smelling. Pretty embarrasing, though!

Perfumes are complex mixtures of chemicals, concocted to produce invigorating scents and be stable over time and also non-toxic. Different scents have different appeal on people. Some may like Scent A and some may not like Scent A. Depending on the scent, different chemicals are put into a perfume concoction.

The idea of perfumes was not meant for scientific purposes. People, last time, wanting a particular smell or scent, mix chemicals together they think produce that specific smell. If they succeed and the concoction does not produce brain damage in rats and other side effects in other lab animals, the concoction will be marketed.

Perfumes or fragrances are three-part mixtures of chemicals. The first part is the fragrance. Esters, aldehydes and other aromatic organic compounds that occur naturally in flowers, fruits or other things that smell nice.

The second part, solvent that dissolves all the scents in the concoction and evaporates slowly as the perfume is left to the open air and not all at once. Examples of solvents used in perfumes are acetone or ethanol.

The last part of the perfume are stabilizers and fillers. Stabilizers and fillers add bulk to the perfume and make sure the perfume doesn’t degrade in time. Sometimes, the solvent will act as a preservative and filler depending on compounds used.

Since the 20th century, perfumes has been made cheap and became more widespread that fragrances are using synthetic ingredients. The National Academy of Sciences admits this. They have reported that 95% of the chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds, derived from petroleum. The petroleum used has toxins that can cause cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.

The government does not protect perfume users by attempting to regulate the perfume-making industries. These industries use harmful chemicals and are self-regulatory. They are not required to give formulations, test results, safety data and customer complaints to the rightful authority like the government or the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).


The harmful chemicals used by these industries in their products may not be harmful to their customers, but harmful to people close to their customers. These chemicals go directly into the bloodstream when applied to the skin and are absorbed into the skin when applied to clothes. The chemical fumes can damage the human brain and have narcotic effects.


The effects may surface days after these perfumes are used. Fragrances can affect the body in multiple ways. Perfumes can enter the body via the nose by inspiration, via the skin by absorption and through the mouth by ingestion. Fragrances can affect many parts of the skin, nose, eyes and brain. According to a source, chemicals in perfumes consist of volatile organic compounds which are respiratory irritants. These chemicals can cause shortness of breath and asthmatic symptoms.

Nose as the chemical receptor can be affected by perfumes by causing sneezing and sinus. Inspiring these odoured liquids can cause circulatory changes and electrical activity in the brain. These sudden changes can start/trigger migraine headaches, dizziness, fatigue and the inability to concentrate. The skin react to fragrance chemicals by producing rashes, hives, dermatitis, eczema, chest tightness, and nausea.

According to June Russell, a fragrance critic, said perfumes materials, when absorbed by the skin and broken down into smaller materials are stronger sensitizers than the chemicals itself.
She also said fragrance is the main cause our skin produces adverse reactions to cosmetics and laundry products!

Chemicals in perfumes like acetone can cause mild central nervous system disturbances when inhaled. Acetone causes dizziness, drowsiness, lack of coordination, slurred speech and irritates the eyes, throat, nose and skin.

Alpha-pinene moderately irritates the skin, eyes and mucus membranes. Alpha-terpineol, on the other hand, causes excitement, hypothermia (extremely low body temperature), lack of muscular coordination and respiratory depression.

To cut a long story short, we must be careful and meticulous when we purchase our odour refreshers.