10, January 2015

Who is more fitter: Men or women?

The latest research on life expectancy shows that women are still living longer than men. Look deeper, though, and there are many more subtle differences when it comes to susceptibility of the sexes to certain diseases.

Osteoporosis 
This bone-thinning disease is strongly associated with women, with 75 per cent of all hip osteoporosis cases suffered by them. However, one in five men over 50 will also develop the condition but they may go undiagnosed because most GPs also see it as a woman's complaint.
Why? Women start with lower bone density than their male peers and they lose bone mass more quickly as they age, especially after the menopause, thanks to the drop in the bone-protective oestrogen.

Heart disease 

Despite the fact men have more heart attacks than women, death rates by gender are actually 50:50. This is because women are more likely to die if they have a heart attack.
Why? Women benefit from the heart-protective effect of oestrogen before the menopause, but after it, their risk becomes even higher than a man of the same age.

Liver damage 

More men die from liver disease than women (60 per cent versus 40 per cent). But women can suffer serious liver damage after relatively low alcohol consumption. 

Why? Men still typically drink more alcohol, but figures show women are catching up - and have less of the enzyme needed to break down alcohol in the body, along with a higher body fat con- tent, meaning they're less able to dilute alcohol. As a result, drink for drink, women end up with more alcohol in their bloodstream, and therefore, higher levels reaching the liver.

Colds and flu 

Recent research suggests that women are less likely to catch cold and flu viruses than men.
Why? One study by Stanford University last year found that women had more active immune systems, thanks to their high levels of the hormone oestrogen, which appears to boost their ability to battle flu bugs. Men, meanwhile, have a weaker immune response because testosterone has a damping effect on the way their bodies fight viruses.

Lung cancer 

Lung cancer rates among women are rising.

Why? It's been noticed that female smokers now outnumber male smokers in some areas. Research shows women are less successful at quitting, plus oestrogen is suspected to increase women's susceptibility to lung cancer, which may explain why female smokers are three times more likely to develop lung cancer than their male counterparts.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

10.01.2015

Separation from iPhone can lead to anxiety

Researchers from the University of Missouri (MU) have found that separation from cell phone can have serious psychological and physiological effects on iPhone users, including poor performance on cognitive tests. 

"Our findings suggest that iPhone separation can negatively impact performance on mental tasks," said Russell Clayton, doctoral candidate at the MU's school of journalism and lead author of the study. 

Additionally, iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of ourselves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of "self" and a negative physiological state, Clayton added. 

For the study, researchers asked iPhone users to sit at a computer cubicle in a media psychology lab. 

The researchers told the participants that the purpose of the experiment was to test the reliability of a new wireless blood pressure cuff. 

Participants completed the first word search puzzle with their iPhone in their possession and the second word search word puzzle without their iPhone in their possession or vice versa while the researchers monitored their heart rates and blood pressure levels. 

While working on the puzzle, the researchers called the participants' iPhones. 

After the phones finished ringing, researchers collected blood pressure and heart rate responses. 

Clayton, along with Glenn Leshner, former MU professor and Anthony Almond, doctoral student at Indiana University-Bloomington, found a significant increase in anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure levels in participants who were separated from their iPhones. 

Also, performance decreased as compared to when iPhone users completed similar word search puzzles while in possession of their iPhones. 

"iPhone users should avoid parting with their phones during daily situations that involve a great deal of attention such as taking tests, sitting in conferences or meetings or completing important work assignments," the authors said.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

10.01.2015

If you have nothing, then you have everything, because you have the freedom to do anything, without the fear of losing something

 Jarod Kintz