Single kids at a 50% higher risk of
being obese
Single
children may be suffering from more than just loneliness. According to a new
study, Scientists have found that single children are at a 50% higher risk of
being overweight or obese than those with siblings. The study comprised of
12,700 children in eight European countries, including Sweden.
The
study was conducted under the aegis of the European research project
Identification and prevention of dietary and lifestyle-induced health effects
in children and infants (IDEFICS), focussing on the effects diet, lifestyle and
obesity have on children between the ages of two to nine years.
A
questionnaire handed out to the parents of these children measured various
parameters including their BMI( Body mass index) , eating habits, TV watching
habits and the amount of outdoor play time they get. As reported by the journal
of Nutrition and Diabetes. The study shows that only children play outside less
often, live in households with lower levels of education more often, and are more
likely to have televisions in their bedrooms, said study co-author Monica
Hunsberger, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,
Sweden. “But even when we take these factors into account, the correlation
between singleton status and overweight is strong. Being an only child appears
to be a risk factor for overweight independent of the factors we thought might
explain the difference”, adds Hunsberger, according to a Gothenburg statement.
The
fact that only children are more susceptible to obesity may be due to
differences in individual family environment and family structure that we were
not able to measure in sufficient detail, said Lauren Lissner, researcher at
the Sahlgrenska. Over 22 million children in Europe are estimated to be overweight.
The study shows that obesity among children in general is three times more
common in southern countries such as Italy, Spain and Cyprus than in Sweden and
other northern countries.
Source: http://health.india.com
20.09.2012
Breakthrough in asthma research
Scientists may have hit upon an effective way to
block asthma attacks by identifying the two most
significant biological triggers that bring them on.
Researchers from the Universities of California-San Francisco (UCSF), Johns Hopkins and Duke universities demonstrate that these two triggers for asthma are tied to a specific calcium-activated chloride channel, called TMEM16A.
They regulate airway secretions and smooth muscle contraction, the two major factors linked with asthma attacks, according to the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".
"Maybe if we could inhibit both of these processes by blocking this one channel, we could affect the two symptoms of asthma," said senior study author Jason Rock, assistant professor of anatomy at UCSF.
Asthma, a respiratory disorder that causes shortness of breath, coughing and chest discomfort, results from changes in the airways that lead to the lungs.
It affects 18.7 million adults and 7.0 million children in the US alone, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Normally, humans have few mucus-producing cells. Those suffering from asthma, however, have an elevated number of these cells lining the tubes that lead to the lungs.
"The overabundance of mucus plugging the airways combined with hyper-contractility of the smooth muscle - when the tubes get really small - make it difficult to move air in or out," Rock said. "A lot of people equate that feeling with breathing through a straw."
Rock and colleagues focused on a calcium-activated chloride channel called TMEM16A. This channel secretes chloride ions, besides regulating biological processes such as neuron firing, gastrointestinal activity and the secretion of sweat and tears.
The authors identified three chemicals that inhibit the channel. "We tested the ability of these chemicals to inhibit TMEM16A and other channels, and we found that they specifically block TMEM16A," Rock said.
"It is great that we came across these molecules that were unknown previously since we can now try to get into clinical trials to benefit patients," said Rock.
Source: www.timesofindia.com
20.09.2012
Forgiveness does
not change the past, but it does enlarge the future
No comments:
Post a Comment