29, April 2014

Sedentary lifestyle in Mumbai leading to increased cases of liver disease

Alcohol is no more the only cause of end-stage liver disease in the city. Doctors say sedentary lifestyle has led to an increasing numbers of Mumbaikars getting the fatty liver problem leading to liver cirrohosis (advance liver disease).

For a long time, excessive consumption of alcohol was considered as the root cause of a damaged liver. But even teetotallers who are overweight, with high abdominal obesity or waist circumference, can suffer from liver disease, say gastroenterologists and liver surgeons.

"The kind of lifestyle people have these days has by and large led to fatty liver disease becoming common among people, and the number is going to increase even further," said Dr SK Mathur, liver transplant expert at Fortis hospital. Fatty liver affects up to 10% of the urban population.

According to health experts, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) can reach epidemic proportions in the years to come, considering the improper lifestyles our youth are tempted to adopt today. Doctors say that in the last few years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of liver cancer patients in India, especially in urban cities, because of unhealthy lifestyles.

NAFLD may cause the liver to swell (steatohepatitis). A swollen liver may cause scarring (cirrhosis) over time and may even lead to liver cancer or liver failure.

Dr Pravin Rathi, head of gastroenterology, BYL Nair Hospital and Bombay Hospital, said, "Obesity is more dangerous than alcohol. Globalisation and westernisation has led to many people getting NAFLD. As obesity and diabetes are correlated with fatty liver, there is an upward trend to the latter. NAFLD is increasing mainly due to wrong dietary habits and high intake of fats and carbohydrates and less of proteins."

While obesity is a cause for concern amongst the youth of India, doctors warn against rapid weight loss regimes. "Rapid weight loss regimes can lead to severe damage to liver. Therefore, people trying to lose weight should go for a gradual loss programme and adopt a healthy lifestyle," added Rathi.

Source: www.dnaindia.com/health

29.04.2014

Facebook leading women to eating disorders!

 Are you hooked all the time to Facebook in anticipation of another 'like'? Stop this habit as increased time on Facebook could lead women to negative body images - and possibly eating disorders later.

In a first study to link time spent on Facebook to poor body image, researchers found that more time on Facebook could lead to more negative feelings and more comparisons to bodies of friends.

Health professionals who work in the area of eating disorders and their prevention now have clear evidence of how social media relates to college women's body image and eating disorders.

"While time spent on Facebook had no relation to eating disorders, it did predict worse body image among participants," said Petya Eckler from Glasgow-based University of Strathclyde. To understand this, the researchers surveyed 881 college women about their Facebook use, eating and exercise habits and body image.

They were able to predict how often women felt negatively about their own bodies after looking at someone else's photos or posts, and how often women compared their own bodies to those of their friends."The findings also showed that more time spent on Facebook was associated with more negative feelings and more comparisons to the bodies of friends," co-author Yusuf Kalyango Jr from Ohio University added.

They also found that for women who want to lose weight, more time on Facebook led to more attention being paid to physical appearance.

This included attention to one's body and clothing. Poor body image can gradually lead to developing an unhealthy relationship with food. The attention to physical attributes may be even more dangerous on social media than on traditional media because participants in social media are people we know, researchers cautioned.

The team is scheduled to present its findings at the 64th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association in Seattle, Washington.

 Source: www.dnaindia.com/health

29.04.2014

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