1, January 2015

Your birth year can influence obesity risk

People born before 1942 are less likely to be affected by a variant to a gene linked to obesity risk than those who are born after 1942. The effect is stronger in those born in later years, finds a fascinating research.

The findings underscores the effect of broad environmental changes to increase in obesity in recent times.

"We found that the correlation between the best known obesity-associated gene variant and body mass index increased significantly as the year of birth of participants increased," said lead author James Niels Rosenquist from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The researchers used data gathered between 1971 and 2008, when participants ranged in age from 27 to 63.

Looking at the relationships between participants' body mass index (BMI), as measured eight times during the study period, and the FTO gene variants they had inherited.

The previously reported association between a specific FTO variant and BMI was seen, on average, only in participants born in later years.

While there was no correlation between the obesity-risk variant and BMI for those born before 1942, in participants born after 1942 the correlation was twice as strong as reported in previous studies.

Post-World War II factors such as increased reliance on technology rather than physical labour and the availability of high-calorie processed foods are likely contributors to the environmental effects of obesity, the authors noted.

The study appeared in the journal PNAS Early Edition.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.01.2015

Economic insecurity impacts diabetes control

People facing difficulty paying for food and medicines find it harder to manage their diabetes than those who are affluent, a study says.

Poor diabetes control leads to higher blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure than normal.

The findings suggest that mere access to health insurance may not lead to better diabetes care unless people can meet even their basic material needs.

"Health care systems are increasingly accountable for health outcomes that have roots outside of clinical care," said lead author Seth Berkowitz from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

"Strategies that increase access to health care resources might reasonably be coupled with those that address social determinants of health, including material need insecurities," Berkowitz said.

The study of 411 patients included data from June 2012 to October 2013 in Massachusetts.

The researchers found that food insecurity and medication under-use were associated with greater odds of poor diabetes control.

Greater number of economic insecurities increases the likelihood of poor diabetes control and increased health care use, the findings showed.

"Food insecurity and cost-related medication under-use may be promising targets for real-world management of diabetes mellitus," the researchers said.

The study appeared online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.01.2015

Inaction breeds doubt and fear, action breeds confidence and courage

Dale Carnegie

31, December 2014

Born after 1942? You are more likely to be obese!

People born before 1942 are less likely to be affected by a variant to a gene linked to obesity risk than those who are born after 1942. The effect is stronger in those born in later decades, finds a fascinating research. The findings underscores the effect of broad environmental changes to increase in obesity in recent times. Â’We found that the correlation between the best known obesity-associated gene variant and body mass index increased significantly as the year of birth of participants increased,’ said lead author James Niels Rosenquist from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). 

The researchers used data gathered between 1971 and 2008, when participants ranged in age from 27 to 63. Looking at the relationships between participants’ body mass index (BMI), as measured eight times during the study period, and the FTO gene variants they had inherited. The previously reported association between a specific FTO variant and BMI was seen, on average, only in participants born in later years.

  

While there was no correlation between the obesity-risk variant and BMI for those born before 1942, in participants born after 1942 the correlation was twice as strong as reported in previous studies.  Post-World War II factors such as increased reliance on technology rather than physical labour and the availability of high-calorie processed foods are likely contributors to the environmental effects of obesity, the authors noted.  

The study appeared in the journal PNAS Early Edition.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

31.12.2014

Risk of having cancer again can be prevented by reprogramming stem cells

After full body radiation, certain faulty stem cells re-engineer the blood system that creates cancer risk in people which can be prevented by artificially activating a stem cell maintenance pathway, research has found. ‘In a healthy blood system, healthy stem cells out-compete stem cells that happen to have the C/EBPA (gene) mutation,’ said senior author James DeGregori, investigator at University of Colorado Cancer Center.

‘But when radiation reduces the heath and robustness (what we call ‘fitness’) of the stem cell population, the mutated cells that have been there all along are suddenly given the opportunity to take over,’ DeGregori added. The study does not just shows why radiation makes hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) differentiate; it also demonstrates that by activating a stem cell maintenance pathway, it can be kept at bay. Even months after irradiation, artificially activating the NOTCH signaling pathway of irradiated HSCs lets them act ;stemmy’ again – restarting the blood cell assembly line in these HSCs that would have otherwise differentiated in response to radiation, the findings showed.

The Notch signaling pathway is an inter-cellular signaling mechanism essential for proper embryonic development. The researchers explored the effects of full body radiation on the blood stem cells of mice.In this case, radiation increased the probability that cells in the hematopoietic stem cell system would differentiate. Only, while most followed this instruction, a few did not. Genetic inhibition of the gene C/EBPA allowed a few stem cells to keep the ability to act as stem cells. With competition from other, healthy stem cells removed, the stem cells with reduced C/EBPA were able to dominate the blood cell production system.

The study appeared in the journal Stem Cells.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

31.12.2014

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not

André Gide

30, December 2014

How tea can better our mood

Research has found that tea might play a role in changing your mood, helping you feel less depressed, more alert or even energetic.

Some of the benefits of tea include lower rates of some cancers, reduced risk for heart disease and stroke, and may protect against Alzheimer's.

These benefits are seemingly endless and so are the ways you can use tea to alter your mood, the Huffington Post reported.

Drinking a hot cup of tea is always an option, but so is using it to scent your room

The following teas can change your mood accordingly, for instance Herbal teas with lemon verbena makes the mood happy, Green tea or black "chai" make you feel energized.

Green and black teas makes you feel productive, while Honeybush and herbal chai blends release the stress.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

30.12.2014

Probiotics may ease anxiety, depression

Supplements to boost probiotics -- the helpful micro-organisms that reside in our bodies -- can alter the way people process emotional information and ease anxiety and depression, new research suggests.

Gut bacteria may also affect the immune system, which could in turn, influence the brain, Philip Burnet, researcher at the University of Oxford was quoted as saying.

For the study, researchers recruited 45 healthy people aged 18 to 45 years to take either a probiotic supplement to boost "good" bacteria or a placebo, every day for a period of three weeks.

They completed several computer tests to assess how they processed emotional information such as negative and positive words.

During one test, people who took the supplement paid less attention to negative information and more attention to positive information, compared with people who took a placebo, the findings showed.

A similar effect was seen in people who took drugs for depression or anxiety and the findings suggested that the people in the supplement group had "less anxiety about negative or threatening stimuli," Burnet added.

Researchers are not sure of how changes in gut bacteria might affect the brain. Some researchers suspect that the vagus nerve -- which conveys sensory information from the gut to the brain -- plays a role, LiveScience reported.

The study appeared in the journal Psychopharmacology.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

30.12.2014

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure

Bill Cosby

29, December 2014

Early death more likely in areas with lots of alcohol outlets

Toronto: Scientists have found a link between the density of both cheque-cashing places and alcohol outlets in a given neighbourhood and the risk of premature death. The relation was stronger in men than in women, according to Dr Flora Matheson and Dr Joel Ray from St Michael's Hospital, Canada.

The findings suggest that the strategic placement of cheque-cashing places and alcohol outlets in certain areas may provide local residents with ready access to quick cash and the purchase of alcohol.

Matheson, a medical sociologist and research scientist, said this is particularly true in the holiday season, when banks may be closed, people need money quickly and alcohol sales go up dramatically. However, the authors do not say that cheque-cashing or alcohol outlets directly play a role in premature deaths. Their survey of Toronto's 140 neighbourhoods found that men had a 1.25 times greater risk of premature death in areas with high densities of cheque cashing places.

They had a 1.36 times greater risk of premature death in areas with high densities of alcohol outlets - alcohol and beer stores and on-premise licensed facilities such as bars.

The premature mortality rate was 96.3 for every 10,000 males and 55.9 for every 10,000 females ages 20-59 years. The researchers looked at people ages 20-59 only, so as to eliminate causes of premature death traditionally related to newborns, children and seniors.

Intentional self-harm, accidental poisoning and liver disease are among the top five causes of premature death among men ages 20-59, and many of these deaths are highly preventable, they said. A substantial amount of research has been conducted on the relation between neighbourhoods and residents' health.

Neighbourhood disadvantage is associated with poor psychological and physical health. However, the current study already factors in neighbourhood income and crime rates.

While there is some compelling evidence around limiting the number of alcohol outlets and hours of operation, less is known about cheque-cashing places. Researchers said this is the first study to examine the relation between cheque-cashing places and premature death.

The study was published in the journal BMJ Open.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com                      29.12.2014

Blood groups A, B, AB at higher diabetes risk

London: Compared to individuals with blood type O, women with blood groups A, B and AB are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a study has found.

"Our findings support a strong relationship between blood group and diabetes risk, with participants with the O blood type having a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes," said Guy Fagherazzi from Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France.

For the study, the researchers collected data from more than 80,000 women in France followed between 1990 and 2008.

The results showed that, compared to women with group O blood, women with group A were 10 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and those with group B 21 percent more likely.

The AB group was 17 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Compared with O- women, the highest increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was found in B+ (35 percent increased risk), followed by AB+ (26 percent), A- (22 percent), A+ (17 percent).

"The present study shows for the first time in a large prospective cohort that specific ABO blood groups are associated with an increased Type 2 diabetes risk," Fagherazzi said.

The authors say that the reasons behind the association are currently unknown, but could be related to a number of factors.

It has been suggested that the human ABO locus might influence endothelial or inflammation markers.

ABO grouping is also associated with various molecules known to be connected to Type 2 diabetes.

The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com                  

29.12.2014

Confidence is the bridge connecting expectations and performance, investment and results

28, December 2014

Hateful content on Facebook bad for your brain

Are you exposed to reading homophobic, racist, misogynistic or other hateful content on Facebook? It may have a harmful effect on your brain in the long run.

According to a recent Italian study, the use of online networks may threaten subjective well-being in several ways.

Social networks increase the risk of being exposed to offensive behaviours and hate speeches that could have a harmful effect on people's mental well-being, it added.

To reach this conclusion, authors Fabio Sabatini and Francesco Sarracino from the Sapienza University of Rome and the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques du Grand-Duche du Luxembourg explored survey data from 50,000 people in 24,000 Italian households using social networking sites .

According to researchers, many opinions found online can expose people to ideas that challenge their world view, make them feel less exceptional and, when opinions include hateful content, offend them.

Online networking exposes individuals to the risk of worsening people's trust in others and therefore hampering relationships.

"This finding suggests the need to update social networking sites' policies against hate speech and aggressive behaviours, as already requested by a growing number of advocacy groups, particularly focusing on gender and race-based hate," the authors concluded.

Previous research has also found that social networking sites can impact people's happiness

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.12.2014

If things go wrong, don’t go with them
Roger Babson

27, December 2014

New drug therapy to help kidney transplantation

A new pre-operative drug therapy to reduce antibodies in kidney patients may increase their chance for kidney transplantation and decrease the likelihood of organ rejection, says a study. The new therapy was found to reduce antibodies with greater success than with traditional methods in a clinical trial spanning over three years. ‘This study is important because it has the potential to change the way we approach kidney transplantation,’ said the study’s principal investigator, E Steve Woodle from University of Cincinnati.

Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins which, in most instanceks, are good because they help fight infection, but people can also make antibodies that work against other humans, which is often a major barrier to transplantation. Since 2008, the researchers have been on forefront of developing therapies that target plasma cells–the cells that make antibodies.

These new therapies used bortezomib, a drug already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of multiple myeloma, a type of cancer. The traditional method for reducing antibody levels, Woodle said, uses a blood product termed intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). In this first-of-its-kind trial, however, 50 kidney transplant candidates with high antibody levels were treated with the new regimen. ‘The rejection rates were low and the chances of the patient developing a new antibody against their kidney were very low,’ Woodle said. ‘This also may benefit 10 to 20 percent of heart and pancreas transplant candidates who often have such high levels of antibodies that transplantation is nearly impossible,’ Woodle said. The study appeared in the American Journal of Transplantation.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

27.12.2014

Blood-based therapy an answer to Ebola?

With no drugs available to treat Ebola, all eyes are now on a therapy that had largely been relegated to the history books. The therapy is all about transfusing patients with blood plasma donated by survivors, which contains antibodies against the virus, scientific journal Nature reported. Clinical trials of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) have started in the past few weeks in Liberia and are due to begin soon in Guinea and Sierra Leone. If the therapy saves lives, the approach could quickly be scaled up.

Success would also raise awareness of CPT’s potential to treat other new and emerging infectious diseases for which there are no readily available effective drugs or vaccines, such as SARS, avian influenza and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). ‘Clinical trials of convalescent plasma should be considered in other emerging infections,’ David Heymann, infectious disease researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and chair of Public Health England, was quoted as saying.

Results from the first safety and efficacy trials in West Africa are expected within weeks. If the therapy is effective, many of the thousands of Ebola survivors there will be potential donors, each capable of giving up to one litre of plasma every two weeks. ‘Even relatively poor countries often have a good enough infrastructure for processing blood to use the therapy,’ Heymann said. However, adequate screening for pathogens in donated blood can be an issue in poorer countries.

In the CPT Ebola trials, a chemical is being added to the donated blood. When the mixture is exposed to ultraviolet light, the compound irreversibly crosslinks the DNA and RNA of pathogens, preventing their replication. Many scientists have long argued that CPT has been wrongly neglected, both as a therapy for emerging diseases and in preparation for future unknown threats. Today, the approach is gaining ground. Trials of convalescent plasma are beginning for the treatment of patients with MERS, which has infected 938 people and killed 343 of them since it was discovered in 2012, the report added.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

27.12.2014

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success

Dale Carnegie

24, December 2014

Salt can kill cancer cells

The next weapon to effectively fight cancer could be salt as researchers have found that an influx of salt into a cell triggers its death.

The finding could lead to new anti-cancer drugs, said the researchers who created a molecule that can cause cancer cells to self-destruct by carrying sodium and chloride ions into the cells.

"This work shows how chloride transporters can work with sodium channels in cell membranes to cause an influx of salt into a cell," said study co-author professor Philip Gale from the University of Southampton in Britain.

"We found we can trigger cell death with salt," Gale added.

Cells in the human body work hard to maintain a stable concentration of ions inside their cell membranes.

Disruption of this delicate balance can trigger cells to go through apoptosis, known as programmed cell death, a mechanism the body uses to rid itself of damaged or dangerous cells.

Unfortunately, when a cell becomes cancerous, it changes the way it transports ions across its cell membrane in a way that blocks apoptosis.

The new synthetic ion transporter works by essentially surrounding the chloride ion in an organic blanket, allowing the ion to dissolve in the cell's membrane, which is composed largely of lipids, or fats.

The researchers found that the chloride transporter tends to use the sodium channels that naturally occur in the cell's membrane, bringing sodium ions along for the ride.

"We have shown that this mechanism of chloride influx into the cell by a synthetic transporter does indeed trigger apoptosis," said co-author of the study Jonathan Sessler from the University of Texas at Austin.

The study appeared in the journal Nature Chemistry.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.12.2014

Women who drink face greater suicide risk

Alcohol use increases suicide risk among women, especially those who have symptoms of insomnia such as sleep disturbance and daytime tiredness, shows research. 

"These results are important as they help demonstrate that alcohol use is associated with an increase in suicide risk, and that this increase may be partially due to insomnia symptoms," said principal investigator Michael Nadorff, assistant professor at Mississippi State University.

The study suggests that the targeted assessment and treatment of specific sleep problems may reduce the risk of suicide among those who consume alcohol. 

"By better understanding this relationship, and the mechanisms associated with increased risk, we can better design interventions to reduce suicide risk," Nadorff added. 

The study involved 375 undergraduate students at an university in the US. 

The participants completed an online questionnaire that examined insomnia symptoms, nightmares, alcohol use and suicide risk. 

The study appeared in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.12.2014

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people

Eleanor Roosevelt

23, December 2014

Consumption of fast food could slow down your kid’s brain

Eating fast food affects not only your child’s general health but could also slow down his/her brain, a new research suggests. The researchers found that children who eat the most fast food score less in tests for maths, science and reading. ‘Research has been focused on how children’s food consumption contributes to the child obesity epidemic,’ lead researcher Kelly Purtell from the Ohio State University in the US was quoted as saying.

‘Our findings provide evidence that eating fast food is linked to another problem: poorer academic outcomes,’ Purtell added. Lack of iron in fast food leads to a slowing in development of certain processes in the brain, the researchers suggested. For the study, the researchers used data from a sample of 8,500 school children from the US, whose fast food consumption was measured at the age of ten. This was then compared against academic test results three years later.

Children were asked how many times they had eaten a meal or snack from a fast-food restaurant, including outlets such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and KFC. Those who consumed fast food daily scored an average of 79 points in science, four points less than those who never ate fast food. Similar differences in academic achievement were observed for reading and maths, the Daily Mail reported. The study appeared in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

23.12.2014

Pakistan plans counselling sessions or traumatised children

Pakistan’s National Health Services (NHS) has prepared counselling session programme on post-traumatic stress management for the children who survived the gruesome Peshawar school attack, media reported Sunday. According to an official statement, sessions will be held with students, their families and teachers that would help them recover from the shock, Dawn online reported. A committee of members from the mental health and non-communicable disease coordination cell of the health ministry, the Army Medical Crops, psychiatrists from Islamabad and Peshawar, WHO collaborating centre and UNICEF, held an emergency meeting to prepare a counselling session programme.

WHO collaborating centres are research institutes, parts of universities or academies, which are designated by the director-general to carry out activities in support of the organization’s programmes. Information, education and communication (IEC) materials, messages, modules on post-traumatic stress disorder would be made available for public. Another objective of the committee is to develop a strategy to mitigate the after-effects of the incident through the media.

The ministry would finalise the plan by Monday in consultation with the WHO collaborating centre and Rizwan Taj of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), while Unicef would be providing relevant support. Assad Hafeez, the executive director of the Health Services Academy, said that all students of the country have been affected by the unfortunate shoioting. “The army team which has been carrying out rehabilitation activities in Army Public School, Peshawar, contacted the NHS ministry and sought counselling facility for the traumatised children and families,’ he said.

‘We have experts who conducted post-trauma counselling of the survivors of the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas of the country,’ he added. ‘At the moment, students are scared of going to school,’ Hafeez said. Psychiatrists will counsel the children in groups and provide supporting material to their parents that will help them and their children recover from the trauma. The terror attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar by members of the Pakistan Taliban killed 148 people, of them 132 children.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

23.12.2014

If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs

22, December 2014

Blood groups A, B, AB at higher diabetes risk

Compared to individuals with blood type O, women with blood groups A, B and AB are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a study has found.

"Our findings support a strong relationship between blood group and diabetes risk, with participants with the O blood type having a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes," said Guy Fagherazzi from Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France.

For the study, the researchers collected data from more than 80,000 women in France followed between 1990 and 2008.

The results showed that, compared to women with group O blood, women with group A were 10 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and those with group B 21 percent more likely.

The AB group was 17 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Compared with O- women, the highest increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was found in B+ (35 percent increased risk), followed by AB+ (26 percent), A- (22 percent), A+ (17 percent).

"The present study shows for the first time in a large prospective cohort that specific ABO blood groups are associated with an increased Type 2 diabetes risk," Fagherazzi said.

The authors say that the reasons behind the association are currently unknown, but could be related to a number of factors.

It has been suggested that the human ABO locus might influence endothelial or inflammation markers.

ABO grouping is also associated with various molecules known to be connected to Type 2 diabetes.

The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

22.12.2014

Full moon night reduces sleep by 20 minutes?

Next time when your grandmother tells you a folklore as you try to sleep on a full moon night, tell her to cut short as you are going to lose some sleep owing to the effect of lunar cycle on your brain.

Researchers have found that people actually sleep 20 minutes less when the moon is full.

"Participants slept an average of 20 minutes less and had more trouble falling asleep during the full moon phase. However, the greatest impact on REM sleep (during which most dreaming is believed to occur) appeared to be during the new moon," said Michael Smith from Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Based on a study of 47 healthy adults aged 18 to 30, the results support an earlier theory that a correlation between sleep and the lunar cycle exists.

"The brain is more susceptible to external disturbances when the moon is full," Smith added.

A Swiss research study conducted last year showed that the full moon affects sleep.

The findings demonstrated that people average 20 minutes less sleep, take five minutes longer to fall asleep and experience 30 minutes more of REM sleep.

"There may be a built-in biological clock that is affected by the moon, similar to the one that regulates the circadian rhythm," researchers said.

Re-analysis of the data showed that sensitivity, measured as reactivity of the cerebral cortex in the brain, is greatest during the full moon.

Greater cortical reactivity was found in both women and men whereas only men had more trouble falling asleep and slept less when the moon was full, said the paper that appeared in the journalCurrent Biology.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

22.12.2014

Be yourself, everyone else is already taken

Oscar Wilde

20, December 2014

Heart harvested in Bengaluru, transplanted in Chennai child

Bengaluru: The heart of a brain dead one year and 10-month-old infant was harvested here and flown to Chennai Friday by a special aircraft to be transplanted in a two year and eight-months-old child, in record time, thanks to the 'green corridor' the city traffic police opened up for the emergency operation.

"We got a call from Manipal Hospital around noon asking us to create a green corridor for taking a heart from the HAL airport for transplantation in a Chennai hospital. Though the distance is 2.2 km, we stopped vehicular traffic on the busy road to allow the ambulance reach the airport in record time," Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) N. Satish Kumar said.

The donor's heart was rushed to Chennai in a blue box containing an organ transplant solution, which allows it to beat for at least six hours after being retrieved from the body.

"The infant was declared brain dead late Thursday four days (Dec 14) after he was brought to our hospital with brain damage due to hypoxia (lack of sufficient oxygen supply to brain)," Manipal Hospital medical director Sudarshan Ballal said.

The hospital alerted the zonal coordination committee for Karnataka, the nodal agency for organ transplants in the state, which identified the recipient boy at Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai, waiting for a donor's heart in the same age group.

"When the doctors told us that our boy was brain dead but his other vital organs were functioning, we consented to donate his heart to the needy child in Chennai," a grieving father told reporters at the hospital here.

This is the second time in four months when traffic police facilitated a green corridor (vehicular traffic-free roads) to transport a heart from one city to another in record time.

A 37-year-old dead woman's heart was harvested Sep 3 at the privately-run BGS Hospital in the city's south-west suburb and flown to Fortis in Chennai in a special aircraft for transplantation into a 60-year-old ailing patient in four hours.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

20.12.2014

Stress triggering diabetes in developing nations

Washington: By migrating to urban areas in search of better life opportunities, people in developing countries are increasing their risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders, shows a study.

"Our findings indicate that people who leave a rural lifestyle for an urban environment are exposed to high levels of stress and tend to have higher levels of the hormone cortisol," said one of the study authors Peter Herbert Kann from Philipps University in Marburg, Germany.

"This stress is likely contributing to the rising rates of diabetes we see in developing nations," Kann added.

Chronic exposure to the stress hormone cortisol is one of the factors that can raise a person's risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic problems.

Cortisol can counteract insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, and slow the body's production of it.

To test the theory, researchers examined rural and urban population from one ethnic group -- the Ovahimba people of Namibia in southwestern Africa.

Among the urban residents, 28 percent of the people had diabetes or other glucose metabolism disorders. The rate was less than half that for rural residents.

The urban dwellers also had significantly higher cortisol levels than their rural counterparts.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

20.12.2014

The world suffers a lot not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people

Napoleon