Sudhir Ahluwalia's Blog, page 41

What is the best weightloss product?

I have looked at the scientific support for the following weight-loss products:
1. Garcinia cambogia extract
2. Hydroxycut
3. Caffeine
4. Orlistat
5. Raspberry Ketones
6. Green Coffee Bean extract
7. Glucomannan
8. Meratrim
9. Green tea extract
10. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
11. Forskolin
12. Bitter Orange/Synephrine
My review shows that scientific study-based evidence supporting most of the above-listed weight loss products is tenuous and restricted to animal trials. It is not feasible for me to provide you details on each of these products. But in a nutshell, obesity is a complex disease.
Losing weight is best achieved when we proceed systematically. Check with your physician before consulting a weight loss dietitian. Do not pick up one of the weight-loss diets from those reviewed earlier or even hire a personal trainer before a medical consultation.

Additional reading:
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What is a great example of digital transformation in large enterprises?

I regard Walmart as a great example of successfully using digital technologies to transform itself not once but repeatedly.
The first wave of digital transformation of Walmart began when Sam Walton was alive. Walmart was one of the first big retail companies in America to build an enterprise-wide communication network connecting all their stores. He built a supply chain and logistics management system that are the envy of people in the retail industry to date. The use of RFID technologies and inventory management is one of the best in the retail industry.
Probably the greatest success of digital transformation in those early days of Walmart was the introduction of a technology appreciation culture which many enterprises operating in traditional businesses find difficult to deploy successfully.
The second wave of digital transformation in Walmart is taking place now. The company has rapidly moved into online retailing and preventing itself from getting disrupted by e-Commerce retailers like Amazon. It is leapfrogging and bridging the gap between itself and e-Commerce companies through a mix of acquisitions and technology adoption strategies.
Walmart is a great case study for business school students interested in how digital transformation strategies are deployed to bring about enterprise-wide efficiency.

About myself:

I am an author of multiple books. I specialize in evidence-based analytical content writing. Would you please take a look at my UPWORK Profile?Similar Posts:

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Is there scientific study based evidence in support of anti-diabetic properties of Aloe vera?

Aloe vera is a succulent plant from the lily family—Asphodelaceae or Liliaceae. Aloe vera juice is one of the few antidiabetic herbal medicines that have reached the clinical trial stage. A trial in which a combination of anti-diabetic medication -glibenclamide and Aloe vera juice did show the juice bringing about a significant reduction of fasting blood glucose in two weeks. Glibenclamide alone did not show improvements. It was further observed that within four weeks a reduction in triglycerides levels occurred. (Bunyapraphatsara, N. et al., 1996)

There were no follow-up trials. We will need to wait for corroborative evidence before a final declaration on the plant’s medicinal effects can be determined.

A few supporting studies on experimental rats indicate that the extract of this plant can help maintain blood sugar levels. Carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes in the plant are responsible for these antidiabetic properties. (Rajasekaran, S., et al., 2004; Rajasekaran, S et al., 2006)

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Why don’t we combine modern and ancient medicinal practices in healthcare management?

Nearly all ancient medicine systems emphasize food and lifestyle as primary defenses against disease. Let me take Ayurveda as an example and present how much modern medicinal practices have inherited from the thinking on ancient medicine.
Ayurveda recommends that treatment should commence when the disease is at an early stage. It emphasizes lifestyle, diet, procedures, and medication. It emphasizes further rest, fasting, and reassurance.
The Ayurveda code of health is not a code for asceticism. The stress is on personal hygiene, nutrition, diet, procedures, and medication. All these seek to correct imbalances in the human body, which are the root causes for any disease.
Ayurveda stresses aligning treatment with the personality of an individual. The effort of the physician is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
The human personality, according to Ayurveda, is determined by not just the physiology but also the psychology of an individual. The brain, nervous system, hormonal secretion, and the individual’s personality all together make up an individual’s personality.
According to Charaka (100–200 BC), “health is the personal experience of physical, mental, and spiritual contentment. “ Ayurveda treatment is supported by dietetics, promoting mental health, medicinal plants, and pharmacological interventions.
And of course, we are aware that most of the molecules in modern drugs are of plant origin.
Integration of modern and ancient medicine exists. Modern medicine sits on the shoulders of ancient medicine. It all depends on how we look at the question.

Additional reading:

Holy Herbs: Modern Connections to Ancient PlantsAsian Herbs and their wondrous health-giving propertiesNatural Solutions of Diabetes, Cancer, and Obesity (Tri-series)Nutrition Facts- a guide for good health.

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What the major cancer prevention foods?

Plants have an important role in disease prevention and cure. They possess immunity-building chemicals that protect us from disease. Diet and exercise are essential components of ancient medical systems.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals—these help in building body immunity. Vitamins B and D and calcium found in plant and other foods have cancer-preventive properties. Plant-based phytochemical-rich foods help regulate hormones such as estrogen, slow cancer cell growth, and block inflammation.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, related vegetables, lycopene found in tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon, and apricots all protect several types cancers.

No single antioxidant molecule has been found that can replace the health benefits generated by a combination of natural phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables. Consumers need to eat 5–10 servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases and to meet nutrient requirements essential for optimum health (Liu, 2004).

Dietary phytochemicals act as modulators of cellular signals that trigger proteins that will make cells turn cancerous (Lee et al., 2001). In both preclinical animal models and human studies, dietary phytochemicals were cancer-preventive (Lee et al., 2013).

Turmeric (curcumin), red chili (capsaicin), cloves (eugenol), ginger (zerumbone), fennel (anethole), kokum (gambogic acid), fenugreek (diosgenin), black cumin (thymoquinone) contain chemicals—shown in the bracket after each herb—that prevent cancer (Aggarwal et al., 2008).

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are observed to reduce cancer risk in organs such as colorectum, lung, prostate, and breast. This protection is attributed to the high amount of glucosinolates molecules found in such vegetables (Abdull et al., 2013).

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How are digital transformation strategy and business strategy related?

In the 21st-century digital transformation, strategy is probably a subset of an enterprise’s business strategy. Digital technologies help speed up business processes, improve efficiency and performance, and add to shareholder value if well executed.
Let me explain how business strategy and digital transformation strategy work with a real-life example.
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, built the first Walmart store in 1962 at Rogers, Arkansas. This was a pre-digital age. Walton understood the needs of the Southern customer, who was hardworking with limited income. His customers wanted merchandise at bargain prices.
His business strategy was to source merchandise cheap, sell these at discounted margins and keep the margins down to a reasonable level. His competitor’s strategy was to maintain a high store margin. The focus was on profit. Walton’s store strategy was to build store margins through economies of scale.
Walton also understood the importance of the store manager. He picked his store managers from competing stores, watching them perform over extended periods of time before making the offer.
As the store network grew, Walton’s maintained a ledger to monitor store performance rigorously. With the advent of the digital age, Walton was one of the first store chains in Amazon to build a communication and monitoring digital network. He was the first to use supply chain and logistics applications to increase productivity gain and rising efficiency.
At the core, the business strategy of sourcing cheap, selling cheap has endured. Technology today is used to add wings to the business strategy.

About myself:

I am an author and a content writer specializing in analytical writing. Would you please take a look at my UPWORK profile?Similar Posts:

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Between whey and soy, which protein should I consume?

Proteins are the building blocks of the human body, and they play a critical role in human health and well-being. Dietary protein can be split into two categories: the first is composed of nutritionally indispensable amino acids like histidine, isoleucine, leucine, and lysine. The second component contains nutritionally dispensable amino acids like aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, alanine, and serine.

A combination of plant-protein foods can serve as a complete and well-balanced source of amino acids essential for all our physiological requirements for this class of molecules.

Soy products are low in sulfur-containing amino acids. Nutrients get denatured by heat, changes in pH, detergents, organic solvents, urea, and other chemicals. Heat treatment of soy flakes (while it inactivates nearly all biologically active components) the protein contained therein retains most of its functionality (Wu et al., 1974).

Soy products are particularly beneficial for cardiovascular and overall health. These are rich in polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and low saturated fat (Sacks et al., 2006).

A 100 g of whey fluid contains 2 percent protein. It is a complete, high-quality protein containing all of the essential amino acids. In addition, it is very digestible, absorbed from the gut quickly compared to other types of protein.

As a dietary supplement, whey protein is widely popular among bodybuilders, athletes, and others who want additional protein in their diet.

Consuming excess whey may cause flatulence in some individuals. The choice of protein – whey or soy is an individual preference. I could not find anything in science that would make me choose between the two.

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What is the future of the organic food industry?

According to the World Bank, the food and agriculture industry is around 10% of the global GDP of $78 trillion. The world’s natural and organic food and retail industry is estimated in 2015 to stand at $92 billion (deduced from Statista projection figures). The US is the major market for organic products, with a market of $55 billion. Other market intelligence agencies have estimated the global organic food market to be over $100 billion. Anyway, we may look at this; the organic food industry still constitutes a small percentage of the global food industry.

The largest area under organic food production in the world is in Australia. It has 22.49 million hectares under organic agriculture. Argentina is the distant second with 3.07 million hectares, followed by the USA (2.03 million hectares). Two of the world’s most populous countries, China and India, have 1.61 and 1.18 million hectares under organic agriculture. (FiBL Survey, 2017)

According to the 2015 report of FiBL-IFOAM, 170 countries are reporting organic farming activities. Data factsheets from data compiled up to the end of 2013 have been compiled and reported in the 2015 report. These findings are backed up and validated by observations and studies conducted by scholars spread in different countries of the world.

Organic food market size is said to constitute 5% of the total food market. Some estimate a CAGR growth of 12% for North America. Global sale of organic food has risen by 170% in under a decade from 2002 onwards.

Growth is concentrated in countries where consumers have high purchasing power like North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc.

Demand for fresh organic produce overall outstrips supply in most developed country markets. Pricing of organic commodities is affected by usual market influencers like currency, weather, logistics, and other risks. The demand-supply gap is largely in favor of organic producers. This market exhibits substantial price volatility.

The above facts indicate that, as of now, the future of the organic food industry is bright.

References:

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Are there any herbs that reduce stress?

There are multiple herbs mentioned in ancient herbal medicinal literature used in ancient times in mental disorders, including stress. These uses are extensively reported in popular herbal medicine literature available on the internet. Some of the common herbs mentioned herein are Bacopa monnieri, ginseng, ginkgo, Pfaffia paniculata (common name Suma), Astragalus spp, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and G. uralensis, and many others. The scientific support to most of the above-listed plants is limited at best to animal studies or anecdotal evidence.

I did find a scientific reference to a human clinical trial using Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) that claims the role of this herb in reducing stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension, leading to under-performance and adverse clinical conditions. Adaptogens are herbs that help in combating stress. Ayurvedic classical texts, animal studies, and clinical studies describe Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) as a safe and effective adaptogen. Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual’s resistance towards stress and improves self-assessed quality of life. (Chandrasekhar. K, et al.)

Memorial Sloan Kettering Center too has references to ashwagandha that claims the plant possessing stress-reducing properties. Mild to moderate and transient drowsiness, upper GI discomfort, loose stools adverse reaction of this herb has also been reported here. Less common effects reported are: Giddiness, drowsiness, hallucinogenic, vertigo, nasal congestion (rhinitis), cough, cold, decreased appetite, nausea, constipation, dry mouth, hyperactivity, nocturnal cramps, blurring of vision, hyperacidity, skin rash, and weight gain.

This brief preview indicates that using any of the herbs for reducing stress should be used only under medical supervision. Herbs have side effects and are also known to interact with other herbs and medications.

References:

Holy Herbs: Modern Connections to Ancient PlantsAsian Herbs and their wondrous health-giving propertiesNatural Solutions for DiabetesNatural Solutions for ObesityNatural Solutions for Cancer

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Who has the most strategies for making money?

People who follow their passion, and those who do not chase money, make the most money. Take a look at the biggest and most successful entrepreneurs around you, and you will find passionate people dedicated to their dream.
Bill Gates loved coding and created the world’s biggest software product company. Sam Walton loved retail and what do we have- the world’s pre-eminent retail enterprise.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook is another example. I can go on and on.
None of these individuals chased money. They chased a passion. They had the grit and determination to overcome challenges as they went about creating these iconic brands.
They gave everything they had to the vision that they sought to follow. All of them were highly confident individuals. They were confident in their abilities. I could not find any streak of dishonesty or desire to resort to trickery.
Take Steve Jobs as another example. Was he a super engineer or a design engineer? No, there were many brilliant individuals in Apple. Jobs had a knack for hiring only the best. He drove them with his passion.

About the author:

I have 6 published books to my credit. I undertake writing work that requires innovative thinking. Here is my UPWORK Profile link.Similar Posts:

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