2 Health Tips for 1/4/07

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1. Hot Pepper May Keep Poultry Meat Safe A study suggests adding capsaicin, the spicy component of peppers, to the diet of broiler chicks may increase their resistance to Salmonella. Researchers have said that whether a diet that included hot peppers might protect commercial poultry from intestinal disease. They divided 1,530 chicks into three groups. One was fed a standard corn and soybean diet. The second had five parts per million of pure capsicum added to the feed, and the third, 20 parts per million. The chicks on hot diets were found to be more resistant to the Salmonella enteritidis bacteria. The researchers are looking into exactly why. The pepper diet could have a side benefit as well. While the poultry seem to have no objection to the spicy taste, rodents have an aversion it. "Feeding poultry feed to which capsaicin has been added could be very beneficial in poultry houses," McElroys said. "Rodents love to get into poultry house, where they eat the feed, destroy buildings, and spread Salmonella and other diseases. If the food is unappetizing to them, it might keep them away." 2. Health An Easy Fix for Asthma Do you suffer from debilitating asthma attacks? Try eating 3/4-cup of tomato sauce a day and cut your risk of exercise induced asthma in half. According to a recent study, men who added 30 milligrams of lycopene to their daily diets improved their bodies' ability to fight off asthma attacks by 45 percent. The added protection may come from lycopene's antioxidative properties within the body. So heat up the pasta and get your favorite brand of tomato sauce to combat asthma.