19 June, 2015

Love eating junk food? Your memory may be at risk

Dietary trans fatty acids are commonly used in processed food to improve taste, texture and durability. A new study has linked the high consumption of these trans fatty acids with worsening memory power in young men. Trans fatty acid makes you angry and irritable

Researchers evaluated data from 1,018 men and women, ages 20 to 85, who were asked to complete a dietary survey and memory test involving word recall. On average, men aged 45 and younger recalled 86 words; however, for each additional gram of dietary trans fatty acids (dTFA) consumed daily, performance dropped by 0.76 words. This translates to an expected 12 fewer words recalled by young men with dTFA intake levels matching the highest observed in the study, compared to otherwise similar men consuming no trans fats. ‘Trans fats were most strongly linked to worse memory in men during their high productivity years,’ said lead author Beatrice Golomb, professor of medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in the US. ‘Trans fat consumption has previously shown adverse associations to behaviour and mood — other pillars of brain function. However, to our knowledge a relation to memory or cognition had not been shown.

‘Trans fats were most strongly linked to worse memory in men during their high productivity years,’ said lead author Beatrice Golomb, professor of medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in the US. ‘Trans fat consumption has previously shown adverse associations to behaviour and mood — other pillars of brain function. However, to our knowledge a relation to memory or cognition had not been shown.’ 

After adjusting for age, exercise, education, ethnicity and mood, the link between higher dTFA and poorer memory was maintained in men 45 and younger. An association of dTFA to word memory was not observed in older populations.

The research was primarily focussed on number of men and women in the same age group, which was too small to draw conclusions about whether the link held true for them as well.‘As I tell patients, while trans fats increase the shelf life of foods, they reduce the shelf life of people,’ Golomb said.

The study was published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

19.06.2015

One more reason for diabetics to exercise regularly

The importance of exercise cannot be stressed enough, especially in such times, where health usually takes a back seat, and work and careers are at the forefront. Lifestyle diseases like heart disease,hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, etc. are on the rise and exercise plays an important part maintaining them.
A new study has now said that in diabetics, exercise along with helping to shed kilos, also controls blood sugar levels. Here’s an expert diet and exercise tips to manage diabetes

Are there any other benefits of exercising for diabetics?

Researchers found that waist circumference, the percentage of body fat and hemoglobin A1c leveled improved in diabetics who regularly exercised as compared in those who did not exercise. The researchers also found that even if exercising regularly did not improve the exercising capacity, it improved the body’s ability to control diabetes.

How was the study conducted?

Researchers measured the ability of the respiratory system to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen. However, a sub-group of exercises were considered non-responders because they were unable to improve the cardio-respiratory fitness levels despite exercise regularly.

What does the study conclude?

According to the study, exercise programmes for type 2 diabetics should measure improvements in glycemic control, waist circumference, and percentage of body fat.

The study is published in Journal Diabetes Care.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

19.06.2015

A problem is a chance for you to do your best

Duke Ellington