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