14 May, 2013

Smaller breakfasts key to losing weight

A new study has revealed the smaller breakfasts can help people lose weight. Researchers served cereal, milk, scrambled egg, ham, brown toast with butter and orange juice to 33 overweight people in the study.

However, they reduced the portion sizes for some of the participants, and then counted their calories over the rest of the day to see if it had any impact on their eating habits. They found that the difference in size did not affect the amount of food the participants ate over the rest of the day, The Telegraph reported.

Breakfast portion size was reduced by up to 40 per cent in the study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research Unit, resulting in up to 269 fewer calories consumed over the course of the day.

Dr Jebb (Head of Diet & Population Health at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Unit) who supervised the study, said that results may not be borne out in everyday life, where there are far more opportunities to snack between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

‘This research was done with people in a controlled laboratory environment and more work is required to determine if the effect remains in real life where there are more opportunities to eat,’ he said.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

Diagnostic lab in a suitcase – designed by an IITian!

An IITian has designed a portable biochemistry lab that can be carried around in a suitcase and could be the panacea to rural India’s healthcare woes. The mobile lab that can conduct tests which could lead to early identification of many diseases has been designed by Amit Bhatnagar, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Roorkee. Bhatnagar quit a plush job in Hollywood’s famed Universal Studios and designed this portable biochemistry laboratory, which comes packed in a suitcase and can perform 23 crucial medical tests, including tests for kidney, liver, heart, anaemia, diabetes and arthritis.

The portable lab was launched by science and technology minister S Jaipal Reddy on Saturday. It could be a boon to people staying in remote areas with little access to diagnostics, which results in several diseases remaining undetected. ‘It is a complete, compact lab in a suitcase with power backup,’ Bhatnagar said. ‘It has been designed to perform 23 vital blood tests for kidney, liver, heart, anaemia, diabetes and arthritis accurately, cost-effectively and timely.’

The lab, which costs a maximum of Rs. 3.5 lakh, includes blood analyser, centrifuge, micro pipettes, incubator, laptop with patient data management software and consumables.

‘The key advantage of the mobile lab is in its design, rugged analyser, portability and cost-effectiveness,’ Bhatnagar said. The portable lab is being used by the Border Roads Organisation at its dispensaries in remote areas of Kargil, Leh and Nagaland, and by the Central Reserve Police Force in the jungles of Chhattisgarh. The lab is also being utilised under various programmes of the National Rural Health Mission in Haryana and Kerala on a pilot basis.

‘We did a trial for 800 to 900 people in our dispensaries in remote areas. It has a lot of potential for early detection of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiac problems and in emergencies,’ said brigadier SB Mahajan, deputy director general, Border Roads Organisation.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

Diabetes linked to workplace stress?

Scientists in Israel have linked development of diabetes to stress at the workplace, made worse by low social support. Cases of type 2 diabetes continue to rise in the US. And while the development of the disease is more commonly associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity, research has shown that stress can also have a significant impact. Now, Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Management has found that low levels of social support and high levels of stress in the workplace can accurately predict the development of diabetes over the long term — even in employees who appear to be healthy otherwise.

Published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, the study contributes to an ongoing body of research linking work conditions to physical and mental health, reports Science Daily. Toker says these findings paint a grim picture, with a worrying rise in the rate of diabetes in the researchers’ middle-aged study cohort, which had a mean age of 48. ‘You don’t want to see working populations have an increasing rate of diabetes. It’s costly to both employees and employers, resulting in absenteeism and triggering expensive medical insurance,’ she explained.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write

STEPHEN KING