Yoghurt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cacık, a Turkish cold appetiser yoghurt variety.
Yoghurt or yogurt is a
dairy product produced by
bacterial fermentation of
milk. Fermentation of
lactose produces
lactic acid, which acts on milk
protein to give yoghurt its
texture and its characteristic tang.
Soy yoghurt, a non-dairy yoghurt alternative, is made from
soy milk.
People have been making—and eating—yoghurt for at least 4,500 years. Today it is a common food item throughout the world. It is a nutritional food with unique health benefits. It is nutritionally rich in
protein,
calcium,
riboflavin,
vitamin B6 and
vitamin B12.
[yoghurt is made at home because it requires neither special equipment nor unobtainable culture. It can be made at room temperature (20–30°C) in 10 to 15 hours.
Yoghurt has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk: people who are moderately
lactose-intolerant can enjoy yoghurt without ill effects, because the lactose in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. The reduction of lactose bypasses the affected individuals' need to process the milk sugar themselves.
[Yoghurt also has medical uses, in particular for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions,
[ and in preventing antibiotic-associated
diarrhea.
[One study suggests that eating yoghurt containing
L. acidophilus helps prevent vulvovaginal
candidiasis, though the evidence is not conclusive.
[Yoghurt is believed to promote good
gum health, possibly because of the probiotic effect of lactic acids present in yoghurt.
[A study published in the
International Journal of Obesity (11 January 2005) also found that the consumption of low fat yoghurt can promote weight loss. In the trial, obese individuals who ate 3 servings of low fat yogurt a day as part of a low calorie diet lost 22% more weight than the control group who only cut back on calories and did not have extra calcium. They also lost 81% more abdominal fat.
There is evidence of
cultured milk products being produced as food for at least 4,500 years. The earliest yoghurts were probably spontaneously fermented by wild bacteria
Lactobacillus bulgaricusThe use of yoghurt by mediaeval
Turks is recorded in the books Diwan Lughat al-Turk by
Mahmud Kashgari and
Kutadgu Bilig by
Yusuf Has Hajib written in the eleventh century. In both texts the word "yoghurt" is mentioned in different sections and its use by nomadic Turks is described. The first account of a European encounter with yoghurt occurs in French clinical history:
Francis I suffered from a severe
diarrhea which no French doctor could cure. His ally
Suleiman the Magnificent sent a doctor, who allegedly cured the patient with yoghurt. Being grateful, the French king spread around the information about the food which had cured him.
Tarator is a cold soup made of yoghurt popular in the
Balkans.
Until the 1900s, yoghurt was a staple in diets of the
South Asian,
Central Asian,
Western Asian,
South Eastern European and
Central European regions. The
Russian biologist Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, from the
Institut Pasteur in
Paris, had an unproven hypothesis that regular consumption of yoghurt was responsible for the unusually long lifespans of
Bulgarian peasants. Believing
Lactobacillus to be essential for good health,
Mechnikov worked to popularise yoghurt as a foodstuff throughout Europe.
11:46 PM
World Cyber Games 2009 Asian Championship kicks off in S'poreBy Jessica Yeo, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 03 July 2009 2058 hrs
Photos
1 of 1
> ">Suntec City, Singapore (File Picture)
SINGAPORE: The World Cyber Games 2009 Asian Championship kicked off in Singapore on Friday. The event is organised by the World Cyber Games, together with events firm Rapture Gaming. This is the fourth time the Asian Championship is taking place in Singapore. Lasting three days, it will see the participation of representatives from 14 countries across Asia, including Malaysia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Many of the representatives said they are unaffected by the current H1N1 situation. The event is taking place alongside the World Cyber Games Singapore National Finals, which is held at Suntec Singapore Hall 404.
6:04 AM
95 New Confirmed Cases of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) Posted: 2 July 2009
Singapore has confirmed 95 new cases (784th - 878th case) of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) today, bringing the total tally to 878 confirmed cases. Investigations are on-going for these 95 new cases. Of the 97 cases investigated yesterday, there were 49 local cases and 48 imported cases. To date, 329 patients have been discharged and the rest are recuperating.
Pandemic Preparedness Clinics (PPCs) are now geared up and H1N1 Ready
With the increase in local cases, we are taking a more targetted and risk-stratified approach in our management of the disease so that hospitals can focus on care for those who are more ill. Though H1N1 is infectious, the majority of the H1N1 cases here have been mild. Many patients have in fact fully recovered from the disease which is self-limiting in nature.
In this transition stage from containment to mitigation, we encourage members of the public with flu-like symptoms (eg fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose) to see their nearest PPC or polyclinics. At the PPC, doctors will assess the patient's condition, and based on the severity of the illness and other risk factors, PPCs may refer patients to hospitals for further management. This will alleviate the burden on 993 ambulances and enable the patients with more severe illness to receive prompt medical attention at the hospitals.
To date, there are more than 500 PPCs. The doctors have been trained on infection control measures and stocked with PPEs and Tamilflu from the national stockpile. Doctors will exercise their clinical judgment in prescribing anti-virals on a case by case basis taking into account patient's medical condition, risk of developing influenza related complications, prevalence of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) in the community and after weighing the risks and benefits of treatment. Patients at PPCs and polyclinics will not be required to take swabs for laboratory testing of H1N1 as such testing is not necessary before commencement of treatment. Laboratory testing to confirm H1N1 is also not available in PPCs and polyclinics. Patients with mild symptoms may not require Tamiflu.
For more information on PPCs, please refer to the
FAQs.
5:57 AM
Photos
1 of 1
> ">A physician holds samples of patients suspected of being infected with H1N1 flu at a hospital
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - A 12-year-old girl has become the first person to die in Brunei from the Influenza A(H1N1) virus, the health ministry said Friday. The girl, who died on Thursday, had tested positive for A(H1N1) influenza, and the ministry said it was investigating how she contracted the virus. Brunei, an Islamic monarchy on the northern tip of Borneo island in Southeast Asia, has 93 H1N1 flu cases so far.
5:46 AM
BEIJING: The death of Michael Jackson gripped China on Friday, as fans spoke of how his music became the soundtrack for the nation's early years of opening to the outside world nearly 30 years ago.
"I was in love with him and his music when I was in college," Wang Fang, a 45-year-old businesswoman, told AFP. "His life was bizarre, but his music has stayed with me since my youth."
Jackson died after collapsing from a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 50.
His most popular album, "Thriller", was released here just as China opened its doors to the outside world in the early 1980s, giving the once-isolated nation its first taste of Western pop music, Wang said.
Jackson's death was the top news item on popular Internet portals Soho.com and Sina.com, which called him the "most remarkable singer ever".
Only a few hours after his death, nearly 8,000 comments on Jackson had been posted in Sina.com chat rooms, debating the merits of the iconic star known as much here for his freakish personal life as his talent.
"No matter how anyone views him as a person, his music is beyond reproach. His name 'King of Pop' says it all," said one posting.
"Based on his record sales and concerts, there is no one who can compare with MJ," said another posting. "His contribution to mankind was overwhelming."
Most postings praised Jackson and expressed sadness at his death, but others took aim at Jackson's often bizarre lifestyle.
"He was a monster. A weirdo has died," said one posting.
5:45 AM
Three people have been killed in religious rioting in southern India between Muslims and Hindus, police said Friday.
Widespread violence broke out in Mysore Thursday after somebody threw a dead pig into the compound of an under-construction mosque.More than a dozen people were injured in the clashes.Police fired tear gas and used bamboo sticks to break up the rioting, according to Agarwal.
Authorities have, for now, banned assembly of five or more people on the streets of the troubled area, according to the police.
Mysore is a city in Karnataka, India's only southern state governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party
5:25 AM
