Posts tagged health
Sleeping pills may kill you early: Study
Feb 29th
Taking sleeping pills frequently can increase the risk of premature death more than five-fold a new study has warned.
The study published in the British Medical Journal Open found that patients who even take fewer than 18 pills a year more likely to die early than those not on medication.
The higher the dose the greater the risk. And those on higher doses also have an increased risk of cancer said the researchers at the Jackson Hole Centre for Preventive Medicine in Wyoming and the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Centre in California.
The commonly prescribed drugs that may raise such
risks included benzodiazepines newer sedative hypnotics zolpidem zopiclone and zaleplon and barbiturates and antihistamines.
However experts said worried patients should not stop taking the pills but talk to their doctors first the Daily Mail reported.
Eat nuts daily for healthy heart
Nov 7th
Scientists have for the first time found a link between eating nuts and higher levels of serotonin in the bodies of patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), who are at high risk for heart disease.
Serotonin is a substance that helps transmit nerve signals and decreases feelings of hunger, makes people feel happier and improves heart health.
Cristina Andres-Lacueva and colleagues from the Biomarkers and NutriMetabolomics Research Group of the University of Barcelona in collaboration with the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University explained that the rise in obesity around the world means more and more patients have MetS.
Symptoms of MetS include excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
To check the biochemical effects of nut consumption, the researchers put 22 MetS patients on a nut-enriched diet for 12 weeks and compared them to another group of 20 patients who were told to avoid nuts.
The scientists analysed the broad spectrum of compounds excreted in the patients’ urine and found evidence of several healthful changes.
One surprise was evidence that nut consumption had boosted patients’ levels of serotonin metabolites in urine.
They point out that the study provides the first evidence in humans of the beneficial effects of nut consumption in reducing levels of substances in the body associated with inflammation and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients with metabolic syndrome.
Drinking tea daily as good as water
Aug 8th
A new study has found that drinking four to six mugs of tea daily is as good as a litre of water for keeping yourself hydrated.
The finding disproves the idea that regular tea drinking can dehydrate the body because of itscaffeine content.
The research also found no negative health effects from drinking that amount of tea.
In the high quality UK clinical trial, 21 volunteers drank either four 240ml mugs of tea over a 12-hour period – equivalent to just under one litre of tea in total – or a similar amount of plain, boiled water served warm.
The tea included 20ml of semi-skimmed milk but no sugar.
The test was also repeated using six cups of tea or plain water, equivalent to nearly 1.5 litres of fluid, to investigate the effect of intakes.
Blood samples were taken before consumption and at regular intervals to check hydration levels. Analysis found no significant differences between drinking tea and water.
“Tea is an excellent way to maintain healthy fluid levels. In addition, tea is a rich source of flavonoids, which have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke,” the Daily Mail quoted Carrie Ruxton, nutritional advisor to the panel, as saying.
Sitting for long hours ups death risk
Jun 27th
A new study has revealed that sitting for more than six hours daily could raise risk of early death and cannot be reversed by exercise.
The study said women who sit for more than six hours daily are around 40 per cent more likely to die than those sitting for less than three hours a day, reports the Daily Mail .
The figure was about 20 per cent for men, according to American Cancer Society researchers who looked at 123,000 people’s health over 14 years.
Extended periods of sitting down increases risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and obesity, the study said.
It also stated sitting for extending periods of time can do significant damage to your health that cannot be countered by exercising.
This result puts sitting down for extended periods of time in the same bracket as smoking.
Lowering fat intake can prevent diabetes
May 24th
Lower fat or carbohydrate intake can stave off diabetes, even without weight loss, new research says.
“At eight weeks, the group on the lower fat diet had significantly higher insulin secretion and better glucose tolerance and tended to have higher insulin sensitivity,” said Barbara Gower, professor in nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who led the study.
Gower says the unique aspect of this study was that the results were independent of weight loss, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The participants were fed exactly the amount of food required to maintain their body weight, and the researchers took into account any minor fluctuations in body weight during analyses, according to an Alabama statement.
Results from this study suggest that those trying to minimize risk for diabetes over the long term might consider limiting their daily consumption of fat at around 27 percent of their diet.
“People find it hard to lose weight,” said Gower. “What is important about our study is that the results suggest that attention to diet quality, not quantity, can make a difference in risk for type 2 diabetes.”
Teen drinking linked to higher internet use
May 11th
Teenagers who drink alcohol spend more time on their computers for social networking, downloading and listening to music compared to peers who don’t drink.
These results are based on an anonymous survey of 264 teenagers by Weill Cornell Medical College researcher Jennifer Epstein.
“It seems likely that adolescents are experimenting with drinking and activities on the internet,” Epstein was reported as saying by the journal Addictive Behaviours.
In turn, exposure to online material such as alcohol ads or alcohol-using peers on social networking sites could reinforce teens’ drinking, added Epstein, assistant professor of public health at Weill Cornell.
“Children are being exposed to computers and the internet at younger ages. For this reason it’s important that parents are actively involved in monitoring their children’s computer usage, as well as alcohol use,” she said, according to a Weill Cornell statement.
“According to a national study…, more than half of parents of teenagers had filters installed on the computers their child uses to block content parents find objectionable, yet many parents do not use any form of parental monitoring, particularly for older teens.”
The Weill Cornell survey was completed by participants aged 13 to 17. Drinking was also linked to more frequent social networking and listening to and downloading music. There was no strong link between video games and drinking or online shopping and drinking.
Parsley, celery fight against breast cancer
May 11th
Parsley and celery, usually used as a decorative accent to a scrumptious meal, can stop certain breast cancer tumor cells from multiplying and growing, suggests a new study.
In his study, Salman Hyder, a University of Missouri researcher, exposed rats with a certain type of breast cancer to apigenin, a common compound found in parsley, celery, apples, oranges, nuts and other plant products.
The rats that were exposed to the apigenin developed fewer tumors and experienced significant delays in tumor formation compared to those rats that were not exposed to apigenin. Hyder believes this finding could impact women who are taking certain hormone replacement therapies. “Six to 10 million women in the United States receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT),” Hyder said.
“We know that certain synthetic hormones used in HRT accelerate breast tumor development. In our study, we exposed the rats to one of the chemicals used in the most common HRTs received in the United States – a progestin called medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) – which also happens to be the same synthetic hormone that accelerates breast tumor development.” Hyder also found that the compound reduced the overall number of tumors. However, while apigenin did delay tumor growth, it did not stop the initial formation of cancer cells within the breast. Hyder said, “Researchers have not identified a apigenin dosage for humans yet.” “However, it appears that keeping a minimal level of apigenin in the bloodstream is important to delay the onset of breast cancer that progresses in response to progestins such as MPA,” Hyder said. It’s probably a good idea to eat a little parsley and some fruit every day to ensure the minimal amount,” he added. The study was published recently in Cancer Prevention Research.
Male menopause really does exist!
Apr 6th
Menopause is not limited to women, it hits men too, say researchers.
Scientists at the Centre for Men’s Health in London say, “women aren’t the only ones who have to worry about shifting hormones wrecking havoc as they age, men also suffer from andropause – a menopause-like condition – as they get older.”
They found that 20 per cent of the 10,000 men over 50 were affected by a hormonal imbalance, according to the Daily Mail.
Much like the fairer sex, men experience dips in hormone levels as they age.
Testosterone deficiencies cause some to experience similar symptoms to menopause, including energy loss, diminished libido, memory loss and night sweats.
But while the condition may be more pronounced in women undergoing hormonal changes, male symptoms are often much more gradual.
Erectile dysfunction is one common indicator – a condition some men are embarrassed to get checked out.
“Others are hesitant to believe they might be undergoing andropause at all,” according to Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, who runs the Centre for Men’s Health.
“Testosterone deficiency syndrome is a common and serious condition that is not being diagnosed or treated,” the New York Daily News quoted him as saying.
