Zestz for LAUGHS

A man finally gets his prescription for Viagra. Anxious to try it out, he takes one as soon as he gets home, and waits for his wife to come home from work, but, in his excitement he forgets and leaves the package open on the table and his cockatiel eats all of them.

Seeing the results and panicking the man grabs the bird and stuffs him into the freezer to cool off.

Just as his wife comes home, the Viagra kicks in and it's hours later before he remembers the cockatiel. He runs and looks in the freezer expecting the worst, only to find the bird breathing heavily, drained with sweat and totally exhausted.

"What happened?" the man asks, "You were in there for hours and yet you're not only alive but you're sweating like crazy?"

The cockatiel pants: "Man, have you ever tried to pry apart the legs of a frozen chicken?"

CLICK HERE : Learn how to really take good care of your cock-a-tiel

Joke credit: http://www.impotence-guide.com/viagra-jokes.html

Photo credit : http://letustalk.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/viagra.gif

Zestz JAZZ

Mimpiku Semalam - Rachel Guerzo Trio with Finn Martin

Instrumental piece composed by the late Alfonso Soliano. 'Live' at No Black Tie, Dec 2007 - Rachel Guerzo on piano, Halim on bass, Rizal Soliano on drums and Finn Martin on soprano sax.
CLICK HERE to play

You can also catch Rachel

LIVE at DEWAN FILHARMONIK PETRONAS

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 at 9.00 p.m.

Click here to purchase your tickets.

Photo credit: www.alexis.com.my

Futsal May Significantly Reduce Blood Pressure in Inactive People

It is well known that physical inactivity is a substantial risk factor in developing cardiovascular diseases in itself, but it is new that a pleasurable team sport like soccer is effective in treating high blood pressure

A European research experiment on inactive men with high blood pressure shows that just 3 months of soccer practise twice a week causes a significant fall in blood pressure, resting pulse rate, and percentage of body fat, and is more effective than the doctor's usual advice on healthy diet and exercise.

Other parallel experiments on both women and men further demonstrates that a regular game of soccer affects numerous cardiovascular risk factors such as maximal oxygen uptake, heart function, elasticity of the vascular system, blood pressure, cholesterol and fat mass far more than e.g. strength training and just as much if not more than running.

Led by Professors Peter Krustrup and Jens Bangsbo from Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 50 researchers from seven countries have studied the physical, psychological and social aspects of soccer and the results are remarkable. A number of scientific articles from the project are published on 2 February 2010 at a seminar at the University of Copenhagen and later this month the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports will publish a special edition issue entitled "Football for Health" containing 14 scientific articles from the soccer project.

When untrained children, teens, adults and older people play soccer, their pulse rate remains high and they perform multiple intense actions like sprints, turns, kicks and tackles. The pulse rate and activity profile is the same in small-sided games where only 4, 6, 8 or 14 people play. In other words, it is very easy to obtain a combination of cardio and strength training with soccer.

Furthermore, football may have other favourable effects on the vascular system, namely a reduction of arterial stiffness, which has been associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes.

So, couch potatoes, get up and rediscover the zestz of life with soccer. But before you hit the arena, make sure that you supplement your bulk with adequate vitamins, minerals and probiotcs. CLICK HERE for details!

Photo credit : http://my-rawk.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/futsal.jpg

Katsuobushi oligopeptides May Also Decrease Diabetes Risk

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The findings of the recent HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation) trial strongly suggest that ACE inhibitor therapy may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes in patients who are non-diabetic at baseline. This finding is readily rationalized by previous evidence that ACE inhibitors can potentiate the insulin responsiveness of both adipocytes and muscle fibers.

Since the population at risk for diabetes is huge and increasing dramatically, the recent development of orally absorbable food-derived peptides with clinically significant ACE inhibitory activity – such as ‘Katsuobushi oligopeptides’ derived from bonito – may make it more logistically feasible to achieve this protection on a widescale basis, while simultaneously promoting blood pressure control and reducing risk for atherothrombotic disease.

Nevertheless, adhering to your healthcare professional's recommendations, eating wisely, exercise and a positive mindset remain crucial aspects the maintenance of optimum health.

McCarty MF (2003) ACE inhibition may decrease diabetes risk by boosting the impact of bradykinin on adipocytes. Med Hypotheses 60:779 –783

Available as Kordel’s BPGard. It contains 375mg of the Katsuobushi Oligopeptide per capsule. Recommended Retail Price :RM108.00 per 60 capsules, Dose: two capsules once or twice daily, depending on individual requirement

Photo credit : http://www.parasaito.com/wp-content/katsuo-bushi.jpg

This scientific review was written by the Zestzfulness Team

Smoking reduction increases the probability of future cessation

With the introduction of gory images on cigarette packs, smokers are beginning to realize that smoking is a slow and for many a painful way to die. But will these scary pictures stop people lighting up?

Many smokers think about giving up and yet continue to puff away oblivious to the dangers they are exposing their nearest and dearest to with their secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

Passive smoking causes lower respiratory illness in children and lung cancer in adults and contributes to the symptoms of asthma in children. Click Here for more gory details.

Quit smoking as soon as you can. If you find the going tough. Here’s a clinically proven fact to help keep you going.

In a qualitative review of 19 studies on smoking reduction in individuals who did not want to quit, researchers at the University of Vermont found this method, typically coupled with the use of nicotine replacement products, led to an increase in quitting in 16 of the studies.

This review contradicts the commonly held belief that quitting requires stopping abruptly and provides evidence that smokers can quit successfully by reducing the amount of cigarettes smoked. Furthermore, it indicates cutting back is often a great way to start changing smoking that can lead to eventual quitting.

Lead author John Hughes, however, warns that smokers do need to understand that there is no good evidence that cutting back alone decreases smoking-related health risks and thus health care providers should promote reduction only as a step towards eventual cessation to their patients.

Hughes JR, Carpenter MJ. Does smoking reduction increase future cessation and decrease disease risk? A qualitative review. Nicotine Tob Res. 2006 Dec;8(6):739-49.

Photo credit: http://www.stopsmokingsteps.com

Aroma Incredibellous – I smell….you stink!

Aroma Incredibellous – I smell….you stink!

There’s a layer of warm air that immediately surrounds our body.

It is called the human thermal plume. This plume originates at the top of your feet, swirls and rises, gathering speed and increasing in volume, staying with you as you move through the day and ascending the length of your torso until it flows from the top of your head.

As the air moves up and away from you, dead cells (also known as rafts), body secretions and bacteria that were present on your skin's surface can also be carried upward. The warm air currents carry these loaded rafts into the surrounding area depositing your odour in the environment.

Human body odour consists of various odour components. Studies examining the volatile components have detected the presence of fatty acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, ethers, hydrocarbons, and other substances in body odour(1,2).

Odour individuality can be due to the slight differences in the overall composition of this mix(3).

References:

1. Bernier UR, Kline DL, Barnard DR, Schreck CE & Yost RA. Analysis of human skin emanations by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 2. Identification of volatile compounds that are candidate attractants for the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti). Anal Chem (2000) 72: 747–756
2. Ellin RI, Farrand RL & Oberst FW et al. An apparatus for the detection and quantitation of volatile human effluents. J Chromatogr (1974) 100: 137–152.
3. Nicolaides N. Skin lipids: their biochemical uniqueness. Science (1974) 186: 19–26.

Get Zestz DeO Spray today! Zestz DeO has an active pH balance and contains the right ingredients to fight odour without affecting the natural functions of the skin.
CLICK HERE for more info.

Blood Pressure Lowering Activity of Katsuobushi oligopeptide

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and the chief risk factor for stroke and heart failure, and also can lead to kidney damage.

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) defines optimal blood pressure as below 120/80,

When the arteries become hard due to the build-up of plaque containing cholesterol, blood pressure rises.

Some of the important lifestyle factors which may cause high blood pressure include stress, lack of exercise, and smoking.

Some of the dietary factors include: obesity; high sodium to potassium ratio; low fiber, high sugar diet; high saturated fat and low omega-3 fatty acid intake; and a diet low in calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.

These same factors are known to also impact the ability of the kidneys to regulate fluid volume and control blood pressure.

You are diagnosed as prehypertensive if your systolic blood pressure is in the range of 120 to 129 and your diastolic ranges between 80–89mmHg. Your doctor may not prescribe any antihypertensive drug and would recommend instead a non-medicinal approach to lowering blood pressure. Diet, lifestyle modification, and proper supplementation should be the first steps.

Katsuobushi is a traditional Japanese food made from dried Bonita fish (a member of the tuna family). It is used to make soup stock and to season food. Katsuobushi oligopeptide has been found to moderately inhibit ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) activity (1).

This enzyme converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II - a compound that increases both the fluid volume and the degree of constriction of the blood vessels. Narrowing the diameter of the blood vessels sends up the blood pressure.

By inhibiting the formation of angiotensins, Katsuobushi oligopeptide relaxes the arterial walls and reduce fluid volume, thus lowering blood pressure.

Thus Katsuobushi oligopeptide can be a useful supplementation in the maintenance of optimal blood pressure.

Nevertheless, adhering to your healthcare professional's recommendations, eating wisely, exercise and a positive mindset remain crucial aspects in lowering or bringing your blood pressure under control.

1. Fujita H, Yasumoto R, Hasegawa M, Ohshima K. Antihypertensive activity of "Katsuobushi Oligopeptide" in hypertensive and borderline hypertensive subjects. Jpn Pharmacol Ther 1997;25:147-51.

Photo: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

This scientific review was written by the Zestzfulness Team