What Is Taurine? Benefits and Side Effects

Many people take taurine as a supplement, and some researchers refer to it as a “wonder molecule”.

Taurine has been shown to have several health benefits, such as a lower risk of disease and improved sports performance.

It is also very safe and has no known side effects when taken in reasonable doses.

What Is Taurine?

Taurine is a type of amino acid found throughout the body. It is particularly concentrated in the brain, eyes, heart and muscles.

Unlike most other amino acids, it is not used to build proteins in the body. It is classified as a “conditionally essential” amino acid.

Your body can produce some amount of taurine, and it is also found in some foods. However, certain individuals may benefit from taking a supplement.

Those with specific illnesses or diseases, such as heart issues or diabetes, may also benefit from additional taurine intake.

Despite common belief, this amino acid is not extracted from bull urine or bull semen. The name is derived from the Latin word taurus, which means ox or bull, so that may be the source of the confusion.

Bottom Line: Taurine is classified as a “conditionally essential” amino acid. It serves various important functions in the body.

Sources of Taurine

The main sources of taurine are animal foods such as meat, fish and dairy.

Although some vegetarian foods provide it in smaller amounts, it is unlikely that these will provide sufficient quantities to optimize the body’s levels.

Taurine is also often added to soda and energy drinks, which may provide up to 600-1,000 mg in an 8-ounce serving. However, it is not recommended to drink soda or energy drinks due to other ingredients that are harmful.

The form of taurine used in supplements and energy drinks (like red bull) is usually made synthetically and not derived from animals. It is therefore suitable for vegans.

An average diet will provide about 40–400 mg of taurine per day, but studies have used supplements with up to 400–6,000 mg per day.

Bottom Line: The main dietary sources of taurine are animal foods such as meat, fish and dairy. Smaller amounts are found in some plant foods. It is also added to many energy drinks.

Primary Roles of Taurine in the Body

Taurine is found in several organs, and its benefits are widespread.

Its direct roles include:

• Maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance in your cells.
• Forming bile salts, which play an important role in digestion.
• Regulating minerals such as calcium with cells.
• Supporting the general function of the central nervous system and eyes.
• Regulating immune system health and antioxidant function.

Since it’s a “conditionally essential” amino acid, a healthy individual can produce the minimal amount required for these essential daily functions.

However, higher amounts may be required in rare cases, making it an “essential” nutrient for some people. This includes people with heart or kidney failure, or premature infants that have been fed intravenously for a long time.

When a deficiency occurs during development, serious symptoms like impaired brain function and poor blood sugar control have been observed.

Bottom Line: Taurine plays many important roles in the body. Although extremely rare, deficiency is linked to several serious health issues.

Taurine May Have Benefits for Diabetics

Taurine may improve blood sugar control and have benefit for diabetics

Fasting blood sugar levels are very important for health, as high levels are a key factor in type 2 diabetes and many other chronic diseases.

Some research suggests that an increased intake could help prevent type 2 diabetes by reducing blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.

Interestingly, taurine levels tend to be lower in diabetics than healthy individuals, another indicator that it may play a role in this disease.

Bottom Line: Taurine may have benefits for people with diabetes. It may lower blood sugar levels and improve various risk factors for heart disease.

Taurine May Improve Heart Health

Taurine may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Research shows a link between higher taurine levels and significantly lower rates of death from heart disease, as well as reduced cholesterol and blood pressure.

Taurine may help reduce high blood pressure by decreasing the resistance to blood flow in the blood vessel walls. It may also minimize nerve impulses in the brain that cause blood pressure to increase.

In one study, 2 weeks of taurine supplementation in type 1 diabetics significantly reduced arterial stiffness. This should make it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body 

In one group of overweight humans, 3 grams of taurine per day for 7 weeks reduced body weight and improved several heart disease risk factors.

Additionally, supplementation has been found to reduce inflamation and arterial thickening. When combined, the factors mentioned above may drastically reduce the risk of heart disease.

Bottom Line: Taurine may reduce the risk of heart disease by improving several key risk factors, such as cholesterol and blood pressure.

Taurine’s Role in Exercise Performance

Taurine may also have benefits for athletic performance.

Research suggests that it can:

• 1. Cause muscles to work harder and for a longer duration in animals.
• 2. Increase muscles’ ability to contract and produce force in animals.
• 3. Remove waste products that lead to fatigue and cause the well-known “muscle burn” in humans.
• 4. Protect muscles from cell damage and oxidative stress in humans.
• 5. Increase fat burning during exercise in humans.

In mice, it reduced fatigue and muscle damage during a workout.

In human studies, trained athletes who supplemented with taurine experienced improved exercise performance. Cyclists and runners were able to cover longer distances with less fatigue.

Another study supports its role in reducing muscle damage. Participants placed on a muscle-damaging weight lifting routine found that it helped reduce markers of damage and muscle soreness.

In addition to these performance benefits, it may have benefits for weight loss by increasing the use of fat for fuel. In cyclists, supplementing with 1.66 grams of taurine increased fat burning by 16%.

Bottom Line: Taurine plays several important roles in your muscles and may help with various aspects of exercise performance. This includes reduced fatigue, increased fat burning and less muscle damage.

Other Health Benefits of Taurine

Taurine has a surprisingly wide range of health benefits.

It may improve various other functions in the body, such as eyesight and hearing in certain populations.

In one human study, 12% of participants supplementing with taurine completely eliminated ringing in their ears, which is associated with hearing loss.

Taurine is also found in large quantities in the eyes, with research showing that eye problems may occur when these levels start to decline. Increased concentrations are believed to optimize eyesight and eye health.

Because it plays an important role in regulating muscle contractions, research in animals has shown that it can reduce seizures and help treat conditions such as epilepsy.

It appears to work by binding to the brain’s GABA receptors, which play a key role in controlling and calming the central nervous system.

Finally, it can protect liver cells against free radicals and toxin damage. In one study, 2 grams of taurine 3 times per day reduced markers of liver damage while decreasing oxidative stress.

However, more research is needed on most of these benefits.

Bottom Line: Taurine has a wide range of potential health benefits, which range from reducing seizures to improving eyesight.

Side Effects and Safety Concerns

According to the best available evidence, taurine has no negative side effects when used in the recommended amounts.

While there have been no direct issues from taurine supplements, athlete deaths in Europe have been linked to energy drinks containing taurine and caffeine. This has led several countries to ban or limit the sale of taurine.

However, this may as well have been caused by the large doses of caffein or some other substances the athletes were taking.

As with most amino acid-based supplements, issues could potentially arise in people with kidney problems.

Bottom Line: When consumed in reasonable amounts by a healthy individual, taurine does not have any known negative side effects.

How to Supplement with Taurine

The most common dosage is 500–2,000 mg per day.

The upper limit for toxicity is much higher though, and even doses above 2,000 mg seem to be well tolerated.

Research on the safety of taurine has suggested that up to 3,000 mg per day for an entire lifetime is still safe.

While some studies may use a higher dose for short periods, 3,000 mg per day will help you maximize the benefits while staying within a safe range.

The easiest and most cost-effective method to achieve this is through powder or tablet supplementation, which can cost as little as $6 for 50 servings.

While you can obtain taurine naturally from meat, fish and dairy, most people will not consume enough to meet the doses used in the studies discussed above .

Bottom Line: Supplementing with 500-3,000 mg of taurine per day is known to be effective, cheap and safe.

Take Home Message

Now you know why some researchers call taurine a “wonder molecule.”

Very few supplements can provide so many health and performance benefits for less than $10 for a 2-month supply.

Whether you want to improve your health or optimize your sports performance, taurine can be a very cost-effective and safe addition to your supplement regimen.

NOKIA WORKING ON TWO HIGH-END ANDROID SMARTPHONES

The publication that the two handsets, one smaller (5.2 inches) and one larger (5.5 inches), have "sturdy" metal bodies characteristic of Nokia's historical designs. And one of their rumored features has the potential to break new smartphone ground: cameras, the "most sensitive ever" to come to market, that are reportedly the product of a years-long, $1.35 billion graphene development effort. Another reported innovation is a "touch & hover" interaction that might, much like Microsoft's scrapped McLaren project, use a combination of sensors to respond to finger gestures.

Other highlights include water and dust resistance up to IP68, fingerprint sensors, and OLED displays with QHD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) resolutions. In terms of software, the handsets will reportedly sport an improved version of Nokia's predictive Z-Launcher -- a newer version than the beta available in the Google Play app store, apparently -- atop the very latest version of Android, Android Nougat.

Assuming the report is accurate, it won't be Nokia at the helm of the forthcoming devices' development, technically speaking. HMD Global, a Finnish company co-founded by former Nokia executives Arto Nummela and Florian Seiche, acquired the rights the company's mobile brand from Microsoft in May. HDM has a contract with FIH, a subsidiary of iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, and under a strict licensing partnership, follows Nokia's design and hardware guidelines in exchange for access to the company's extensive patent library.

News of new handsets is consistent with HMD Global's stated intentions. In May, the company promised a range of devices, including feature phones, smartphones, and tablets, in late 2016.

In recent years, Nokia has struggled to gain a foothold in the high-end mobile market. Following the company's adoption of Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system in 2011 and its acquisition by Microsoft in 2014, sales of its handset suffered -- shipments in 2013 alone were down 22 percent year on year, according to Strategy Analytics.

And following Nokia's divestiture from its parent company earlier this year, things haven't looked much better. In April, thanks in part to lower-than-expected smartphone shipments, it announced 900 million euros in downsizing measures -- a plan which partially involves the layoffs of 1,400 staff members in Germany, 1,300 in Finland, and 400 in France.

Despite the Finnish company's woes, though, it's setting its eyes on the future. It has teamed up independently with Foxconn to produce the N1, an Android-based tablet. It has dipped its toes in virtual reality with the Ozo, a $60,000 professional-grade 360-degree camera. And it's getting into fitness, too: it acquired French fitness device company Withings this year.

"We have been reinventing ourselves for 150 years using this amazing brand," Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia's consumer Nokia Technologies division, told Digital Trends in June. "We're starting to focus on people's happiness and health in a way that wasn't possible before because the technology wasn't possible before. You can expect some really surprising products in the next year or two directly from this company as we turn a new chapter."

Effect of alcohol to the body system

When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream and affects every part of your body. In the long term, this can put your health at serious risk.

This are some common effect:

1.Pain in the Pancreas

2.Diabetic Danger Zone

3.Coordination

4.Blackouts

5.Shifty Eyes

6.Dependence

7.Stomach Distress

8.Fighting Fatigue

9.Infertility

10.Skinny Skeleton

11.The Liver Takes the Brunt

12.Slurred Speech

13.Shrinking Frontal Lobes

14.Strange Sensations

15.Hallucinations

16.Major Mouth Problems

17.Malnutrition

18.Hard on the Heart

19.Sexual Dysfunction

20.Birth Defects

21.Muscle Cramps

22.Check Out That Cough

How Alcohol Affects the Body

Even a small amount of alcohol has an affect on your body. When you drink, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream and distributed throughout your body. A tiny amount of alcohol exits your body in your urine and your breath.

You absorb alcohol more slowly if you eat, especially if the food is high in fat. However, if you drink more than your body can process, you’ll get drunk. How quickly alcohol is metabolized depends on your size and gender, among other things.

Alcohol consumption causes physical and emotional changes that can do great harm to your body. The long-term effects of alcohol abuse are many, putting your health in serious jeopardy and endangering your life.

Excretory System

The excretory system is responsible for processing and eliminating waste products like alcohol from your body. As part of that process, the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes that combine with bile from the gallbladder to help digest food. The pancreas also helps regulate insulin and glucose.

Excessive alcohol use can cause the pancreas to produce toxic substances that interfere with proper functioning. The resulting inflammation is called pancreatitis, a serious problem that can destroy the pancreas. One of the most frequent causes of chronic pancreatitis is alcohol abuse.

The liver’s job is to break down harmful substances, including alcohol. Excessive drinking can cause alcoholic hepatitis which can lead to the development of jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Chronic liver inflammation can lead to severe scarring known as cirrhosis. This formation of scar tissue can destroy the liver. When the liver fails to perform, toxic substances remain in your body. Liver disease is life threatening. Women are at higher risk for alcoholic liver disease than men, because women’s bodies tend to absorb more alcohol and take longer to process it.

When the pancreas and liver don’t function properly, the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) rises. A damaged pancreas can cause the body to be unable to utilize sugar due to a lack of insulin, which can lead to hyperglycemia. Unbalanced blood sugar levels can be a dangerous problem, especially for people with diabetes. Alcohol abuse also raises your risk of liver cancer.

Central Nervous System

One of the first signs of alcohol in your system is a change in behavior. Alcohol travels through the body easily. It can quickly reach many parts of your body, including your brain and other parts of your central nervous system. That can make it harder to talk, causing slurred speech, the telltale sign that someone who has had too much to drink. It can also affect coordination, interfering with balance and the ability to walk.

Drink too much, and your ability to think clearly is in trouble, as are your impulse control and ability to form memories. Over the long term, drinking can actually shrink the frontal lobes of your brain. Acute alcoholic withdrawal can lead to seizures and delirium. And severe alcoholism can progress to permanent brain damage, causing dementia.

Damage to your nervous system can result in pain, numbness, or abnormal sensations in your feet and hands. Alcoholism can cause a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, which can result in involuntary rapid eye movements, weakness, or paralysis of the eye muscles.

Men and women metabolize alcohol differently. It generally takes less alcohol to affect women.

Over time, a heavy drinker can become physically and emotionally dependent on alcohol. It may be very difficult to gain control. Unlike most other common addictions, acute alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening. Cases of severe, chronic alcohol addiction often require medical detoxification.

When an alcoholic stops drinking abruptly, they’re likely to experience symptoms of withdrawal, such as:

• nausea
• anxiety
• nervousness
• tremors

In severe cases, it may lead to confusion, hallucinations (delirium tremens), and seizures. Detoxification can take between two and seven days. Medications can help prevent side effects of withdrawal.

Digestive System

Alcohol can wreak havoc on your digestive system, from your mouth all the way to your colon. Even a single incidence of heavy drinking can injure parts of your digestive tract.

Alcohol abuse can damage the salivary glands and irritate the mouth and tongue, leading to gum disease, tooth decay, and even tooth loss. Heavy drinking can cause ulcers in the esophagus, acid reflux, and heartburn. Stomach ulcers and inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis) can occur.

Inflammation of the pancreas interferes with its ability to aid digestion and regulate metabolism. Damage to the digestive system can cause gassiness, abdominal fullness, and diarrhea. It can also lead to dangerous internal bleeding, which may be due to ulcers, hemorrhoids, or esophageal varices caused by cirrhosis.

Alcohol makes it harder for your digestive tract to absorb nutrients and B vitamins or control bacteria. Alcoholics often suffer from malnutrition. Heavy drinkers face higher risk of mouth, throat, and esophagus cancers. Moderate drinking in the presence of tobacco use can raise the risk of these upper-gastrointestinal cancers. Colon cancer is also a risk. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal may include nausea and vomiting.

Circulatory System

In some cases, a single episode of heavy drinking can cause trouble for your heart. It’s even more likely your heart will suffer if you’re a chronic drinker. Women who drink are at even higher risk of heart damage than men.

Circulatory system complications include:

• poisoning of the heart muscle cells (cardiomyopathy)
• irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• high blood pressure
• stroke
• heart attack
• heart failure

People with diabetes have an increased risk of low blood sugar levels, especially if they use insulin. Deficiencies in vitamin B6, vitamin B12, thiamine, and folic acid can cause lowered blood counts. A common symptom of anemia is fatigue.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Erectile dysfunction is a common side effect of alcohol abuse in men. It can also inhibit hormone production, affect testicular function, and cause infertility.

Excessive drinking can cause a woman to stop menstruating and become infertile. It also can increase her risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, and stillbirth. Alcohol has a huge effect on fetal development. A range of problems, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), can occur. FASD symptoms, which include physical abnormalities, learning difficulties, and emotional problems, can last a lifetime.

For women, the risk of breast cancer rises with alcohol use.

Skeletal and Muscle Systems

Long-term alcohol use makes it harder for your body to produce new bone. Drinking puts you at increased risk of osteoporosis (thinning bones) and bone fractures. Muscles become prone to weakness, cramps, and even atrophy.

Immune System

An immune system weakened by alcohol abuse has a hard time fighting off viruses, germs, and all types of illness. Heavy drinkers are more likely to get pneumonia or tuberculosis than the general population. Chronic alcohol use increases your risk of many forms of cancer.

Your health and sushi

This article takes a detailed look at sushi and its health effects.

It also provides simple tips on how to maximize the health benefits of eating sushi.

What Is Sushi?

Sushi is a popular dish that originates from Japan.

It consists of cooked, vinegar-flavored rice rolled together with raw or cooked fish and vegetables in seaweed known as nori.

It is commonly served with soy sauce, a spicy green paste called wasabi, as well as pickled ginger.

Sushi first became popular in 7th-century Japan as a way to preserve fish.

The cleaned fish was pressed between rice and salt and allowed to ferment for a few weeks until it was ready to eat.

Around the middle of the 17th century, people started adding vinegar to the rice as a way to reduce the fermentation time and improve taste.

The fermentation process was abandoned relatively recently in the 19th century, when fresh fish started being used instead of the fermented variety. This gave rise to an early version of the ready-to-eat sushi we’re now accustomed to.

Bottom Line: Sushi originates from Japan and consists of a seaweed roll containing vinegar-flavored rice, raw fish and vegetables.

Common Types of Sushi

These are the most common types of sushi:

• Hosomaki: A thin seaweed roll containing rice and just one type of filling — for example, an avocado or cucumber roll.
• Futomaki: A thicker specialty roll that usually contains a combination of rice and several types of ffillings.
• Uramaki: A specialty roll containing several ingredients, but with the seaweed on the inside and rice on the outside.
• Temaki: A cone-shaped hand roll that holds fillings inside.
• Nigiri: Mounds of rice covered by thin slices of raw fish.

Sashimi is thin slices of raw fish. It technically isn’t sushi, but is often served with it.

Bottom Line: Sushi comes in several different types. The five most popular are hosomaki, futomaki, uramaki, temaki and nigiri.

Nutrient-Rich Ingredients

Sushi is often regarded as a health food, mainly because it contains the following nutrient-rich ingredients.

Fish

Fish is a good source of protein, iodine as well as several vitamins and minerals.

In addition, it’s one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D.

What’s more, fish contains omega-3 fatsneeded for your brain and body to function optimally. They help fight medical conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Fish consumption is also linked to a lower risk of developing certain autoimmune diseases, depression and loss of memory and vision in old age.

Wasabi

Wasabi paste is often served alongside sushi. It is very spicy, so it is only eaten in small amounts.

It is made from the grated stem of theEutrema japonicum plant, which is part of the same family as cabbage, horseradish and mustard.

Wasabi is rich in beta-carotenes, glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. Research shows that these compounds may have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

However, due to the wasabi plant’s scarcity, many restaurants use an imitation paste made from a combination of horseradish, mustard powder and green dye, which is unlikely to have the same nutritional properties.

Seaweed

Nori is a type of seaweed used to roll sushi.

It contains many nutrients, including calcium,magnesium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, iodine, thiamine as well as vitamins A, C and E.

What’s more, 44% of nori’s dry weight is protein, which is comparable to high-protein plant foods such as soybeans.

However, one roll of sushi contains very little seaweed, which makes it unlikely to contribute to much of your daily nutrient needs.

Studies show that nori may also contain compounds that have the ability to fight viruses, inflammation and perhaps even cancer.

Some claim that nori also has the ability to clear heavy metals from the human body.

However, research shows that this property is more likely attributed to brown types of seaweed such as those found in wakame salad.

Pickled Ginger

Sweet pickled ginger, also known as gari, is often used to cleanse the palate between different pieces of sushi.

Ginger is a good source of potassium, magnesium, copper and manganese.

In addition, it may have certain properties that help protect against bacteria, viruses and perhaps even cancer.

Studies further show that ginger may improve memory and help reduce nausea, muscle pain, arthritic pain, menstrual pain and even LDL cholesterol levels.

Bottom Line: Sushi contains various healthy and nutrient-rich ingredients, such as fish, wasabi, seaweed and pickled ginger.

Refined Carbs and Low Fiber Content

The main component of sushi is white rice, which has been refined and stripped of almost all fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Studies show that refined carbs may cause inflammation and potentially increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

What’s more, sushi rice is often prepared with sugar. The added sugar and low fiber content means that the carbs are broken down quickly in your digestive system.

This can lead to a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, which has been shown to contribute to overeating in many studies.

However, studies also show that the rice vinegar that is added may help lower blood sugar, blood pressure and blood fats.

Asking for your sushi to be prepared with brown rice instead of white rice can increase its fiber content, nutritional value and reduce the blood sugar spike.

You can also request that your rolls contain a little less rice and more vegetables to further increase the nutrient content and make them feel more filling.

Bottom Line: Sushi contains a large amount of refined carbs. This can make you more likely to overeat and may increase your risk of inflammation, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Low Protein and High Fat Content

Sushi is often thought of as a weight loss friendly meal, but it may not be as beneficial as you think.

That’s because many types of sushi are made with high-fat sauces and fried tempura batter, which significantly increases the amount of calories you get.

What’s more, a single piece of sushi generally contains very little fish or vegetables. This makes it a low-protein, low-fiber meal and therefore not very effective at reducing hunger and appetite.

This perhaps also explains why eating a portion of sushi will leave most people still feeling hungry.

To make your next sushi meal more filling, try accompanying it with a miso soup, a side of edamame beans, a portion of sashimi or a wakame salad.

Bottom Line: Sushi often contains high-fat sauces and toppings, but relatively little vegetables or fish. This can easily turn it into a high-calorie meal that’s less likely to make you feel full.

High Salt Content

A sushi meal generally contains a large amount of salt.

First, the rice used to make it is often cooked with some salt. In addition, the smoked fish and pickled veggies used to make certain types of sushi also contain salt.

Finally, it’s usually served with soy sauce, which is very high in salt.

Too much salt in your diet may increase your risk of stomach cancer. It may also promote high blood pressure in people who are sensitive to sodium.

If you want to reduce your salt intake, then you should minimize or avoid the soy sauce, as well as sushi prepared with smoked fish, such as mackerel or salmon.

Although miso soup may help prevent you from overeating, it contains a lot of salt. If you’re watching your salt intake, you may want to avoid that as well.

Bottom Line: Sushi can contain a large amount of salt, which may increase the risk of stomach cancer and promote high blood pressure in some people.

Contamination With Bacteria and Parasites

Eating sushi made with raw fish may put you at risk of infection with various bacteria and parasite.

Some of the species most often found include Salmonella and various Vibriobacteria as well as the Anisakis and Diphyllobothrium parasites.

It’s important to note that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently regulate the use of the “sushi grade fish” label. Because of that, this label does not guarantee that the sushi you are eating is safe.

The only current regulation is that certain fish should be frozen to kill any parasites before being served raw.

One recent study examined the raw fish used in 23 Portuguese restaurants and found that 64% of the samples were contaminated with harmful micro-organisms

However, proper food processing and handling procedures can reduce the risk of contamination.

If you wish to reduce your risk of contamination, aim to eat sushi at reputable restaurants. These are more likely to follow proper food safety practices. Opting for vegetarian rolls or ones made with cooked fish can also be beneficial.

There are some people that may need to avoid sushi made with raw fish. This includes pregnant women, young children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems.

Bottom Line: Improper food processing and handling practices combined with the use of raw fish and seafood increases the risk of contamination with various bacteria and parasites.

Mercury and Other Toxins

Fish can also contain certain toxins due to pollution of the sea.

The best known toxin is mercury.

Predatory fish tend to have the highest levels of mercury.

These include tuna, swordfish, mackerel, marlin and shark. Seafood species that are low in mercury include salmon, eel, sea urchin, trout, crab and octopus.

Other types of toxins found in fish can lead to ciguatera or scombroid poisoning.

Sea bass, grouper and red snapper are the most likely to lead to ciguatera poisoning, whereas scombroid poisoning is most likely to result from consumption of tuna, mackerel and mahi mahi.

You can reduce your risk by simply avoiding the types of fish most likely to be contaminated.

Bottom Line: Certain types of fish are more likely to be contaminated with toxins. This includes mercury and toxins that can lead to ciguatera or scombroid poisoning.

How to Maximize the Health Benefits of Sushi

To get the most health benefits out of sushi, follow these simple guidelines:

• Increase your nutrient intake. Choose sushi rolls made with brown rice over those made with white rice.
• Favor cone-shaped hand rolls. Look for temaki on the menu. These rolls contain less rice than more traditional rolls.
• Increase the protein and fiber content of your meal. Accompany your sushi with a portion of edamame, a wakame salad, a miso soup or sashimi.
• Avoid rolls made with cream cheese, sauces or tempura. To create crunchiness without these unhealthy ingredients, ask for extra vegetables.
• Cut down on soy sauce. If you are salt-sensitive, avoid soy sauce or only lightly brush the top of your sushi with it.
• Avoid certain types of fish. Do not order rolls made with salty smoked fish or fish species at high risk of toxin contamination.
• Order sushi from reputable restaurants. They’re more likely to follow proper food safety practices.

Bottom Line: There are various ways to increase the health benefits of your sushi while reducing the risk of negative effects.

Mourinho off to winning start

Wigan - Jose Mourinho's first game as manager of Manchester United ended in a short trip and comfortable 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Championship side Wigan Athletic at their DW Stadium on Saturday.

Goals early in the second half from Will Keane and Andreas Pereira secured victory for United who parted company with former manager Louis van Gaal after winning the FA Cup on their last competitive outing two months ago.

It was a weakened United line-up at the disposal of their new manager given that 14 players who represented their countries in the European Championships and Copa America this summer were unavailable and have yet to return to training.

Nevertheless, it is a sign of the strength in depth that Mourinho will have at his call this season that the starting line-up he selected still boasted summer signings Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, bought for a total of nearly £60 million, and England left-back Luke Shaw, returning after 10 months out of action with a broken leg.

The game, arranged at short notice to give Mournho extra competition prior to his team leaving for a tour of China on Tuesday, was predictably low-key.

But it still represented a winning start to his reign as United manager as the 5,500 United supporters in attendance welcomed him by chanting his name within the opening minute.

The victory will doubtless have pleased their manager even if the opening goal was a gift from veteran Wigan goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen who made an appalling clearance directly to Juan Mata who squared for Keane to convert after 48 minutes.

Ten minutes later, United doubled their advantage with a goal that clearly owed much to the work put in by Mourinho in his first week on the training ground with his new charges.

A well-worked free-kick saw Mata pick out Ander Herrera in the Wigan penalty area and, after his shot was blocked, Brazilian Pereira was handed the simple opportunity to sweep the ball in from a dozen yards.

Otherwise, the game was a typical pre-season affair, with Mourinho making seven half-time substitutions, and swapping all 11 players before the end of the 90 minutes.

Interestingly, Ivory Coast defender Bailly, a new arrival from Villarreal, played longer than any other outfield player, seeing out 82 minutes of the contest, as Mourinho presumably attempts to acclimatise him to the English game.

But the United manager will nevertheless have gained satisfaction, and information, from the game with the new playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the first Armenian to play in the Premier League, particularly bright in the ppening exchanges.

His neat lay-off after eight minutes should have been converted by Memphis Depay only for the Dutchman to see his shot blocked and the same United forward was guilty of an even more glaring miss halfway through the opening period when he missed the target at the far post after more good approach play from Mkhitaryan.

Indeed, it was easy to see how Mkhitaryan led the Bundesliga in assists with Borussia Dortmund last season and he might have capped his first United outing with a goal just before the interval but volleyed over from a Jesse Lingard cross.

The 45-minute performance of Shaw will also have pleased his new manager as the left-back showed no ill effects from the horrific double broken leg he suffered early last season in a Champions League tie at PSV Eindhoven.

Mourinho will now welcome back the remaining 14 international players to Old Trafford this week ahead of Tuesday's departure to China where his team plays Dortmund in Shanghai and a Manchester derby meeting with City in Beijing.

However, while a number of those players, including England internationals Chris Smalling, Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford, will travel with the squad, Mourinho has indicated they will not play in the two fixtures.

Veteran newcomer Zlatan Ibrahimovic may remain in Manchester to concentrate on his fitness.

Muslim youths attack Catholic members for worshiping on Friday

Minna - Few days after a female pastor in the Redeem Christian Church of God,  Eunice Olawale, was brutally killed by suspected Muslim extremists, a group of another Muslim youths on Friday attacked St. Philip’s Catholic Parish, Baki Iku, close to Zuma Rock in Niger State, reports NewsDay.

The incident occurred around 2pm shortly after the Muslim youths had closed from their Jumat service.

The suspected Muslim youths stormed the parish while the members were praying and attacked the Catho­lic members claiming that Friday is their day of prayer and that the church only has right to worship on Sundays.

The youth beat the security man in the church premises to a pulp.

Some women who were holding a prayer meeting were chased away while the seminarian who is resident in the premises was also beaten up and chased away.

The Muslim youths also destroyed properties belonging to the church.

Ssome soldiers who later arrived at the church premises managed to pre­vent more damage car­ried out on the church properties

Signals decoded to make 12 cell types from stem cells

Scientists say they've mapped the biological and chemical signals needed to make bone, heart muscle and 10 other cells types from human stem cells within a matter of days.

Specialised tissue stem cells

The researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine say the ability to quickly coax human embryonic (pluripotent) stem cells to generate such cell types as skeletal muscle, bone and blood vessels would be a major advance in regenerative medicine. Pluripotent means the cells can develop into any type of cell in the body.

The researchers said the findings could potentially enable scientists to repair heart tissue after a heart attack, make cartilage to repair painful joints or produce bone to help people recover from accidents or other trauma.

"Regenerative medicine relies on the ability to turn pluripotent human stem cells into specialised tissue stem cells that can engraft and function in patients," said study co-senior author Dr Irving Weissman. He directs Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and its Ludwig Cancer Centre.

"It took us years to be able to isolate blood-forming and brain-forming stem cells. Here we used our knowledge of the developmental biology of many other animal models to provide the positive and negative signalling factors to guide the developmental choices of these tissue and organ stem cells. Within five to nine days we can generate virtually all the pure cell populations that we need," he said in a university news release.

Hodgepodge of cell types

Embryonic stem cells can become any type of cell by responding to cues within the developing embryo. These cues direct the cells to become specific cell types.

For the study, the researchers experimented with different combinations of known signallling molecules to prompt the stem cells to become more specialised precursor, or progenitor, cells.

"We learned during this process that it is equally important to understand how unwanted cell types develop and find a way to block that process while encouraging the developmental path we do want," said co-lead author Kyle Loh. Loh is a graduate student at Stanford's medical school.

After carefully guiding the stem cells' choices, the scientists said they were able to generate bone cell precursors that formed human bone within mice, according to the study published in Cell. They also produced beating heart muscle cells along with 10 other specific cell types.

New light on birth defects

"Previously, making these cell types took weeks to months, primarily because it wasn't possible to accurately control cell fate," Loh said. "As a result, researchers would end up with a hodgepodge of cell types."

At each stage of development, the researchers examined the activity of genes within single cells. This allowed them to identify brief, previously unknown patterns that occur as cells become increasingly specialised. They said the process reflects what happens in other animals.

The study authors said their findings could shed new light on how and when birth defects arise.

"Next, we'd like to show that these different human progenitor cells can regenerate their respective tissues and perhaps even ameliorate disease in animal models," Loh said.

Stimulating the brain can boost immunity

Artificially stimulating the brain's feel-good centre boosts immunity in mice in a way that could help explain the power of placebos, a study reported.

New drugs

"Our findings indicate that activation of areas of the brain associated with positive expectations can affect how the body copes with diseases," said senior author Asya Rolls, an assistant professor at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Faculty of Medicine.

The findings, reported in Nature Medicine, "might one day lead to the development of new drugs that utilise the brain's potential to cure," she said.

It has long been known that the human brain's reward system, which mediates pleasure, can be activated with a dummy pill devoid of any active ingredients – known as a placebo – if the person taking it thinks it's real medicine.

"But it was not clear whether this could impact physical well-being," Rolls told AFP.

Nor did scientists know – if, indeed, an immune response was strengthened – exactly how the signal travelled through the body.

Rolls and colleagues incubated immune cells from mice exposed to deadly E. coli bacteria after specific cells in the animals' reward centre had been stimulated.

These immune cells were at least twice as effective in killing bacteria than ordinary ones, they reported.

In a second test, the scientists vaccinated different mice with the same immune cells.

Thirty days later, the new set of rodents was likewise twice as likely to be able to fight off infection.

Food and sex

The immune-boosting information emanated from a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area, home to a reward system powered by the mood-modifying chemical dopamine.

This area lights up in brain scans when a mouse – or a human – knows that a tasty meal, or a sexual encounter, is in the offing.

From there, the study found, the message is routed via the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for snap responses in a crisis situation, until it triggers the bacteria-fighting immune response.

Evolutionary pressures may play a key role in the observed association, the researchers speculated.

Evolutionary advantage

"Feeding and sex expose one to bacteria," explained Rolls said.

"It would give one an evolutionary advantage if – when the reward system is activated – immunity is also boosted."

The next step will be mice experiments to find molecules – potential drugs – that could reproduce this cause-and-effect.

"Maybe they could be used as new therapeutic targets," Rolls said.

The breakthrough was made possible thanks to a pair of new technologies, said the study's other lead author, Shai Shen-Orr, also from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

One enables neurons to be switched on an off. The second gives scientists high-resolution profiles of hundreds of thousands of cells in the immune system.