Junk food may shrink your brain:
Study
The part of the brain
believed to be integral to learning, memory and mental health is smaller in
people who regularly consume unhealthy foods such as sweet drinks, salty snacks
and processed meats, new research has found.
Although the study was
conducted in adults over 60 years of age, the researchers believe that the
findings are relevant for people of all ages, including children.
"We have known for
some time that components of diet, both healthy and unhealthy, have a rapid
impact on aspects of the brain that affect hippocampal size and function, but
up until now these studies have only been done in rats and mice,” said lead
study author Felice Jacka, associate professor at Deakin University School of
Medicine in Geelong, Australia.
"This is the first
study to show that this also appears to be the case for humans,” Jacka noted.
The researchers used
magnetic resonance imaging to measure the size of hippocampi (there are two in
the brain - left and right) in Australian adults aged 60-64 years.
Older adults who ate
more unhealthy foods, such as sweet drinks, salty snacks and processed meats,
had smaller left hippocampi, the findings showed.
Those who ate more
nutrient-rich foods, such as vegetables, fruits and fish, had larger left
hippocampi.
These findings have
relevance for both dementia and mental health, Jacka said.
"As the
hippocampus is critical to learning and memory throughout life, as well as
being a key part of the brain involved in mental health, this study underscores
the importance of good nutrition for children, adolescents and adults of all
ages,” she pointed out.
The study was published
in the journal BMC Medicine.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
15.09.2015
World's first human head transplant
scheduled for 2017
Beijing: An Italian-Chinese medical
team plans to perform the world's first head transplant on a 30-year-old
Russian computer scientist in China and the procedure may take place by
December, 2017.
Dr Sergio Canavero, an Italian
neurosurgeon, plans to perform the procedure which is expected to last up to 36
hours. Valery Spiridonov, who was diagnosed with a genetic muscle-wasting
condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, has volunteered for the procedure
despite the risks involved.
It will require Spiridonov's head to be
cooled as well as the donor's body to extend the period during which the cells
can survive without oxygen, 'Fox News' reported.
Canavero, who previously announced he
will attempt to transplant a human head to a new body, will partner with Ren
Xiaoping, a Chinese surgeon with the second affiliated hospital of Harbin
Medical University, on this ultimate medical challenge.
"When I realized that I could
participate in something really big and important, I had no doubt left in my
mind and started to work in this direction," Spiridonov told CEN.
"The only thing I feel is the
sense of pleasant impatience, like I have been preparing for something
important all my life and it is starting to happen," he said.
"According to Canavero's
calculations, if everything goes to plan, two years is the time frame needed to
verify all scientific calculations and plan the procedure's details,"
Spiridonov said.
"It isn't a race. No doubt, the
surgery will be done once the doctor and the experts are 99 per cent sure of
its success." he said. The operation is aimed at restoring independence of
severely disabled people.
"Once I get it back I'll see what the life of a
healthier person looks like," Spiridonov said.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
15.09.2015
The pen that
writes your life story must be held in your own hand
Irene C. Kassorla
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