1 January, 2014

Bad news for non-vegetarians: Diet rich in meat and animal products as bad as smoking

A new study has revealed that smoking, diets rich in animal products, and alcohol have the strongest correlations with cancer incidence rates.

This study is an ecological study in which incidence rates for the various types of cancer for males and females from 87 countries with high quality cancer incidence rate data as well as all 157 countries with cancer incidence rate data were compared statistically with indices for various risk modifying factors.

Dietary supply data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Data for various periods back to 1980 were included since there is generally a lag of up to 20 years between dietary changes and peak cancer rates.

The animal products index includes meat, milk, fish, and eggs. Lung cancer incidence rates were used as an index for the effects of smoking and air pollution.

This index integrates the effect of all factors contributing to lung cancer and other cancers linked to lifetime smoking and is a much better index than a snapshot of smoking rates. Latitude was used as an index of solar ultraviolet-B irradiance and vitamin D production.

For the 87 countries with high quality cancer data, the smoking and animal products indices explained over half of the cancer incidence rates, with alcoholic beverage supply explaining a smaller amount.

For males, the smoking index was twice as important as the animal product index, while for females, the animal product index was twice as important.

The types of cancer for which animal products had the strongest correlation include female breast, corpus uteri, kidney, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, testicular, thyroid cancer, and multiple myeloma.

The reason why animal products increase the risk of cancer is most likely since animal products promote growth of the body as well as tumours through production of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I).

Alcoholic beverage supply was found significantly correlated with only one type of cancer, colorectal. Lung cancer was associated with animal fat supply in addition to cigarette supply.

The study is published in journal Nutrients.

Source: http://health.india.com

01.01.2014

Fructose found in fruits does not lead to heart disease

Fructose, naturally found in fruit, vegetables and honey, is the sugar often blamed for the obesity epidemic and doctors the world over warn against having an excess of it.

A new research has shown that fructose does not itself has any impact on an emerging marker for the risk of cardiovascular disease known as post-prandial triglycerides.

‘This is more evidence that fructose has adverse effects only insofar as it contributes to excess calories,’ said John Sievenpiper, researcher in the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Sievenpiper conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies on fructose and its impact on the level of triglycerides, a fat found in blood, after eating.  

‘Fructose doesn’t behave any differently than other refined carbohydrates. The increases you see are when fructose provides extra calories,’ added Sievenpiper.

Testing for these triglycerides – in addition to the standard testing for blood glucose levels – is becoming more common for people trying to determine their risk for cardiovascular disease, said the study published in the journal Atheroclerosis.

Fructose is a simple sugar that together with glucose forms sucrose, the basis of table sugar. It is also found in high-fructose corn syrup, the most common sweetener in commercially prepared foods.

Glucose also comes from starches like potatoes, our bodies produce it and every cell on the face of the earth has glucose in it. Fructose, however, is not. Humans don’t produce fructose and throughout evolutionary history have never consumed it except seasonally when fruit were ripe.

Glucose and fructose are metabolised very differently by the body.

Source: http://health.india.com

01.01.2014

Life is only as hard as you make it, so make it a good one, because its the only one you got

31 December, 2013

Texting proves to be a boon for diabetic patients

A new research has revealed that texting can help in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

The research conducted by the New University of Michigan has found that the majority of people who had enrolled in customized texting service 'txt4health' for 14 weeks were more aware of their diabetes risk and more likely to make diet-related behavior changes and lose weight. 

It was also found that the program worked fine for those 39 percent of people who completed the 14 weeks duration. 

78 percent of the participants reported that after completing the program, they were more likely to replace sugary drinks with water, 74 percent of them said that they have started eating a piece of fresh fruit instead of dessert, 76 percent said that they substitute a small salad for chips or fries when dining out. 

80 percent of the respondents said that they have started buying healthier food when they go for grocery shopping, while 76 percent said that they now eat more grilled, baked, or boiled foods instead of fried. 

88 percent of the people stated that that the text message service program made them aware of their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and the same percent said that they were more aware of their dietary and physical activity habit. 

The findings have been published online in the form of two new studies in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.12.2013

Healthy? Check heart rhythm to avoid stroke

It is no longer uncommon to see young and apparently healthy people getting a stroke -- and the cause may well be a heart rhythm disorder. 

So the next time you experience a rapid and irregular heart beat in carrying out not so stressful activities like climbing stairs, time may be ripe for you to visit the doctor to check for atrial fibrillation - a condition involving an irregular heart rhythm, known as arrhythmia. 

People with symptomatic A-fib, as it is commonly called, may experience periodic palpitations, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, unusual fatigue or dizziness, said researchers at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). 

"People with a high rate of premature atrial contractions face a significantly increased risk of developing A-fib," Gregory M. Marcus, senior author and director of clinical research at UCSF's cardiology division, was quoted as saying. 

However, "the condition is also becoming more prevalent at any age, experts say, because of a rise in three leading risk factors - high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity", added the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Other risk factors include a prior heart attack, overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, excessive alcohol consumption, abnormal heart valves, lung disease and congenital heart defects. 

Important steps in treating A-fib, said the study, are to include taking proper steps to reverse the risk factors and preventing "blood clots from forming by treating patients with anticoagulant". 

Here is a warning. 

"Once a person has had A-fib, there is an increased risk of stroke even if their heart is in normal rhythm," the study concluded.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.12.2013

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once

Lillian Dickson

30 December, 2013

New device allows scientists to operate on living cells

London: Scientists have developed a device that can take a "biopsy" of a living cell, sampling minute volumes of its contents without killing it. The new tool, called a nanobiopsy, uses a robotic glass nanopipette to pierce the cell membrane and extract a volume of around 50 femtolitres, around one per cent of the cell's contents.

It will allow scientists to take samples repeatedly, to study the progression of disease at a molecular level in an individual cell. It can also be used to deliver material into cells, opening up ways to reprogramme diseased cells.

"This is like doing surgery on individual cells," said Dr Paolo Actis, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, who developed the technology with colleagues at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

"This technology will be extremely useful for research in many areas. You could use it to dynamically study how cancer cells are different from healthy cells, or look at how brain cells are affected by Alzheimer's disease. The possibilities are immense," Actis said.

To get inside the cell, the nanopipette is plunged downwards about one micrometre to pierce the cell membrane. Applying a voltage across the tip makes fluid flow into the pipette. When the pipette is removed from the cell, the membrane remains intact and the cell retains its shape.

The device is based on a scanning ion conductance microscope, which uses a robotic nanopipette, about 100 nanometres in diameter, to scan the surface of cells.

The nanopipette is filled with an electrolyte solution and the ion current is measured inside the tip. When the pipette gets close to a cell membrane, the ion current decreases.

This measurement is used to guide the tip across the surface of a sample at a constant distance, producing a picture of the surface.

In an initial study published in the journal ACS Nano, the researchers used the nanobiopsy technique to extract and sequence messenger RNA, molecules carrying genetic code transcribed from DNA in the cell's nucleus. This allowed them to see which genes were being expressed in the cell.

They were also able to extract whole mitochondria - the power units of the cell. Mitochondria contain their own DNA, and the researchers discovered that the genomes of different mitochondria in the same cell are different.

Source: www.zeenewsindia.com/news/health

30.12.2013

Reading a book may change your brain

Washington: Scientists have found that reading a novel may change your brain - for days after going through the book, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Emory University have detected what may be biological traces related to this feeling: Actual changes in the brain that linger, at least for a few days, after reading a novel.

The study focused on the lingering neural effects of reading a narrative. Twenty-one undergraduate students participated in the experiment, which was conducted over 19 consecutive days. All of the study subjects read the same novel, 'Pompeii' - a 2003 thriller by Robert Harris that is based on the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ancient Italy.

For the first five days, the participants came in each morning for a base-line fMRI scan of their brains in a resting state. Then they were given nine sections of the novel, about 30 pages each, over a nine-day period. They were asked to read the assigned section in the evening, and come in the following morning.

After taking a quiz to ensure they had finished the assigned reading, the participants underwent an fMRI scan of their brain in a non-reading, resting state.

After completing all nine sections of the novel, the participants returned for five more mornings to undergo additional scans in a resting state.

The results showed heightened connectivity in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, on the mornings following the reading assignments.

"Even though the participants were not actually reading the novel while they were in the scanner, they retained this heightened connectivity," said neuroscientist Gregory Berns, lead author of the study.

"We call that a 'shadow activity,' almost like a muscle memory," said Berns.

Heightened connectivity was also seen in the central sulcus of the brain, the primary sensory motor region of the brain. Neurons of this region have been associated with making representations of sensation for the body.

"The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist," Berns said.

The neural changes were not just immediate reactions, Berns said, since they persisted the morning after the readings, and for the five days after the participants completed the novel.

The study was published by the journal Brain Connectivity.

Source: www.zeenewsindia.com/news/health

30.12.2013

Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it

Mark Twain

28 December, 2013

Health benefits of chillies

Chillies have a ubiquitous presence in Indian cooking due to their pungent flavour. But few of us users and lovers of chillies realise their healthproperties. Nutritionist Neelanjana Singh, Heinz Nutri Life Clinic, Delhi shares with us, some of the health benefits of chillies.

Chillies come in many shapes and sizes. The more pungent ones that generate extreme distress and sweating tend to be long, thin and smooth with a tapering and pointy end. The larger bell shaped fruit, which includes paprika, is less pungent and is used as a cooked vegetable or in salads.

Besides being a potential and potent antibiotic, there are other health and medicinal benefits connected with chillies. One of these is related to capsaicin, the one common factor that makes them pungent.

The presence of capsaicin qualifies any variety of the spice to be called a chilli. It is one of the principal ingredients in many pain-relieving ointments as it stimulates the release of pain-relieving endorphins.

Chillies are also a great aid for the digestive process. When crushed in the mouth, they stimulate the taste buds and this in turn results in an increased flow of salivary juices. Gastric emptying is also improved with capsaicin, which means that it could rid the feeling of food 'sitting' in the stomach.

Scientific data shows that this happens because the sensory nerves regulating the stomach movements are capsaicin sensitive.

In addition, if you are ever feeling low, it may be worthwhile trying to eat some chillies. This releases some endorphins in our system, which generates a 'feel good' effect. It's no wonder that people can get addicted to the chillies.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.12.2013

Do you have cyberchondria?

The anxiety that arises about health concerns and makes people look for solutions online, is on the rise.

The next time you develop a sudden rash on your arm that might look funny, don't jump on the keyboard and type away your concerns; if you do so you might be a cyberchondriac! Searching for health worries online is escalating into a new phenomenon — cyberchondria.

Born out of the fear of the unknown

So what makes smart young professionals, homemakers and even young students, try this? Psychologists peg it down to the fear of the unknown, which makes the internet the answer provider. Says psychologist Dr Seema Hingorrany, "We are seeing such cases; these are psychosomatic. A person has an exaggerated view of things, it often happens to people who are sensitive. People read vague symptoms and fear develops. Sometimes they have a maskeddepression and they tend to 'ruminate' a lot about things. A simple knee pain might make them continuously feel that they might have arthritis."

How harmful it is

Doubts and fears over health can trigger other anxieties, sleeplessness, loss of appetite and even put a regular job in danger if you are caught being a cyberchondriac too often at work. "You can develop hyperchondria (a fear of major illnesses). It's important to remember that online material needs to be filtered and validated. What you are thinking could be a psychological masked depression and nothing more." says Dr Seema.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.12.2013

Never regret If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience

Victoria Holt

27 December, 2013

8 Promising Medical Research from 2013

 The year 2013 had a remarkable impact on healthcare that has mounted the expectations of millions worldwide to witness its consequences in 2014.

·         Insulin Pills: Just 3 to 5 years away

A revolutionary innovation in diabetes treatment was the recent introduction of insulin pills that promise to replace timely administration of painful insulin injections.

·         The landmark case of Mississippi baby who was cured of HIV

The year 2013 saw the case of a child being ‘functionally cured of HIV.’ The infant (now, popularly known as Mississippi baby) was diagnosed with HIV at birth and was given rigorous antiretroviral treatment soon after.

·          Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to reduce the chances of dengue

Early this year, researchers suggested that genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes, developed by altering specific genes, can be used to reduce the number of mosquitoes transmitting dengue.

·          A new imaging technique that can make the brain transparent

CLARITY (Clear, Lipid-exchanged, Anatomically Rigid, Imaging ), a breakthrough imaging technique that was published in the journal Nature, opened up new possibilities for neuroscientists by eliminating the most challenging obstacle to traditional brain imaging procedures.

·          A single dose of HPV vaccination found equivalent to 3 doses

A Canadian research suggested that a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is as good as three doses of the same vaccine to protect women against HPV infection.

·          Stem cells from cloned human embryos to make therapeutic cloning possible

Just imagine the possibility of cloning yourself to replace any of your tissues in future. Yes! It’s now possible. After repeated attempts and years of failure, a milestone in stem cell research was achieved by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, who successfully extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos.

·         Scientists will soon find a new vaccine to cure tuberculosis

A study published in the journal Nature Medicine highlighted the path towards the development of new vaccines to prevent the hard-to-treat infections.

·          Anastrozole drug to prevent breast cancer

A study by Australian researchers showed the drug anastrozole reduced the chances of development of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, having a family history of breast cancer, by 50 percent.

Source: http://health.india.com              27.12.2013

Google Glass – the surgeon’s new best friend?

In what could turn out to be a major breakthrough in the surgical world, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Alabama-Birmingham prepared for a shoulder replacement surgery using, surprisingly, the Google Glass. Google’s contribution to technology can let an expert lend a helping hand in the operating room, even when he or she is in another part of the world, CBS News reported.

Dr Brent Ponce acquired the help of Dr Phani Dantuluri, who was 150 miles away in Atlanta, during the shoulder replacement procedure. Dr Dantuluri could not only see, but actually offer her virtual help to Ponce who wore the wearable computer that sent a live video of the procedure via a built-in camera. Ponce described first putting on the Google Glass as a ‘little bit of a light bulb experience’

Source: http://health.india.com             

27.12.2013

 

 

 

 

 

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out

Art Linkletter

24 December, 2013

Alzheimer’s disease – where does it originate from?

Scientists have for the first time pinpointed the part of the brain where Alzheimer’s originates, a finding that can lead to early diagnosis and better treatments for the nuerodegenerative disease. Using high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) imaging in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and in mouse models of the disease, Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) researchers have clarified three fundamental issues about Alzheimer’s: where it starts, why it starts there, and how it spreads.

In addition to advancing understanding of Alzheimer’s, the findings could improve early detection of the disease, when drugs may be most effective. ‘It has been known for years that Alzheimer’s starts in a brain region known as the entorhinal cortex,’ said co-senior author Scott A Small. 

‘But this study is the first to show in living patients that it begins specifically in the lateral entorhinal cortex, or LEC. The LEC is considered to be a gateway to the hippocampus, which plays a key role in the consolidation of long-term memory, among other functions,’ Small said. The study also shows that, over time, Alzheimer’s spreads from the LEC directly to other areas of the cerebral cortex, in particular, the parietal cortex, a brain region involved in various functions, including spatial orientation and navigation.

The researchers suspect that Alzheimer’s spreads ‘functionally,’ that is, by compromising the function of neurons in the LEC, which then compromises the integrity of neurons in adjoining areas.

A third major finding of the study is that LEC dysfunction occurs when changes in tau and amyloid precursor protein (APP) co-exist. ‘The LEC is especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s because it normally accumulates tau, which sensitises the LEC to the accumulation of APP. Together, these two proteins damage neurons in the LEC, setting the stage for Alzheimer’s,’ said co-senior author Karen E Duff. The researchers used a high-resolution variant of fMRI to map metabolic defects in the brains of 96 adults. All were free of dementia at the time of enrollment.

‘This study has given us a unique opportunity to image and characterise patients with Alzheimer’s in its earliest, preclinical stage,’ said Small. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Source: http://health.india.com

24.12.2013

It’s official – women need more sleep than men!

A new study has justified women’s usually grumpy behavior in the mornings, suggesting that females need more sleep than men and odds are, they don’t get enough.

Researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, found that women undergo a lot of stress, both mentally and physically, during the day and skimping on sleep only makes it worse, News.com.au reported. Sleep-deprived women are more at risk of developing heart disease, depression, psychological problems, and strokes, and have higher inflammation markers, which are linked to pain, the study also found.

Dr Michael Breus said that the inflammation markers indicate that women can literally be in more pain when they wake up than men. Breus added that the study also showed that sleep-deprived women had more depression, anger, and hostility early in the morning. It is worth noting that the study also found that the state of a sleep deprived man’s health does not appear to be closely linked to how much he sleeps.

Source: http://health.india.com

24.12.2013

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say

Martin Luther

21 December, 2013

New method for treating pancreatic cancer on the cards

British researchers have developed a new method for treating pancreatic cancer which enables the body’s immune system to attack and kill cancer cells. The method developed by the researchers at the Cambridge University’s Cancer Research Institute uses a drug to break down the protective barrier surrounding pancreatic cancer tumours, enabling cancer-attacking T cells, a type of white blood cells, to enhance the immunity.

The drug is used in combination with an antibody that blocks a second target and improves the activity of these T cells, a Cambridge University press release said on Friday.  Pancreatic cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tumour removal is the most effective treatment but it is suitable for just one in five patients. ‘By enabling the body to use its own defences to attack cancer, this approach has the potential to greatly improve treatment of solid tumours,’ Professor Douglas Fearon, who leads the research, said. 

Source: http://health.india.com

21.12.2013

Canadian experts disagree with new blood pressure guidelines for people over 60

According to new guidelines published in the Journal of American Medical Association, the high blood pressure threshold for people above 60 years of age has changed from 140/90 to 150/90. This has caused a storm in the field of cardiovascular medicine and many patients are now visiting doctors with queries.

The news has not gone down well with Canadian doctors and a lot of claim that not treating blood pressure below 150 could put patients at risk of heart attack or strokes. ‘They didn’t consider that many patients, after age 60, have elevated cholesterol, they may be smokers, they may be overweight or obese. For those patients, perhaps a majority of patients above age 60, recommending blood pressures under 150 may be under-treating them,’, Dr Ernesto Schiffrin, a Canadian hypertension expert told The Globe and Mail. 

Not all doctors are against the new guidelines. ‘As we get older our blood pressure increases – this is just part of the aging process. If that’s the only thing that you have, then trying to bring down blood pressure may not be realistic or necessary.’, Dr Peter Liu, the scientific director of Ottawa Heart Institute told The Globe and Mail. He added that blood pressure medications may have side effects, and if given unnecessarily they could cause more harm than good.

Source: http://health.india.com

21.12.2013

 

 

 

 

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think

A. A. Milne