Reducing sedentary time may cut early death risk: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Reducing sedentary time may cut early death risk: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By PTI |New Delhi |Published: January 15, 2019 12:44:48 pm

Reducing sedentary time may cut early death risk: Study

While the study estimated the degree to which the risk of dying from any cause could be cut by swapping sitting for movement, it did not look at specific health-related outcomes.

If you have a job or lifestyle that involves a lot of sitting, you can lower your risk of early death by moving more often, says study. (Source: Getty Images/ Thinkstock)

Swapping just 30 minutes of sitting time with physical activity of any intensity or amount, may help reduce the risk of early death, a study claims. The study highlights the importance of movement regardless of its intensity or amount of time spent moving for better health. “Our findings underscore an important public health message that physical activity of any intensity provides health benefits,” said Keith Diaz, assistant professor at Columbia University in the US.

About one in four adults spends more than eight hours a day sitting, researchers said. The study included 7,999 individuals, age 45 and older, who took part in an investigation of racial and regional disparities in stroke between 2009 and 2013. The individuals wore activity monitors for at least four days to record the amount and intensity of physical activity they engaged in while awake.

The researchers tabulated the death rate among participants through 2017. Using this data, they estimated how substituting time spent sitting with time being physically active would affect risk of early death. The study found that replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with low-intensity physical activity would lower the risk of early death by 17 per cent, a statistically significant decrease.

Swapping the same amount of sitting for moderate to vigorous activity would be twice as effective, cutting the risk of early death by 35 per cent. The researchers also found that short bursts of activity — of just a minute or two — provided a health benefit.

“If you have a job or lifestyle that involves a lot of sitting, you can lower your risk of early death by moving more often, for as long as you want and as your ability allows — whether that means taking an hour-long high-intensity spin class or choosing lower-intensity activities, like walking,” Diaz said. While the study estimated the degree to which the risk of dying from any cause could be cut by swapping sitting for movement, it did not look at specific health-related outcomes.

“In our next study, we plan to look at the risk of specific cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack, heart failure, and cardiovascular-related deaths, associated with physical activity versus sedentary behaviour,” Diaz said.

Personal income may increase risk of heart disease and death: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Personal income may increase risk of heart disease and death: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By Lifestyle Desk |New Delhi |Published: January 14, 2019 4:07:14 pm

Personal income may increase risk of heart disease and death: Study

With an aim to find out whether there was a link between income fluctuations and risk of cardiovascular events as well as death, an ongoing study has been tracking the health of young people for nearly three decades now. 

The personal income of a person is expected to affect their heart’s health. (Source: Thinkstock Image)

While, having an unstable income can easily turn into a stressor, falling into the volatility of personal income could translate into the risk of having serious heart disease or even cause death, according to a study by The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) which started back in 1990.

With an aim to find out whether there was a link between income fluctuations and risk of cardiovascular events as well as death, the ongoing study has been tracking the health of young people for nearly three decades now.

According to Media News, author Tali Elfassy, Ph.D., at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, explained why money matters at all. “It is not clear what exactly prompts income volatility to result in an elevated risk of cardiovascular problems, death, or both. It could be that fluctuations in a person’s income result in unhealthful behaviours, such as excessive alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise, stress, and high blood pressure”, he said.

Per the Medical News Daily, “they first studied income levels taken from five assessments in 1990–2005. They defined income volatility as a percentage change from one income figure to the next. They also looked at income drop, or an income decrease of 25 percent or more from the previous assessment figure. They then tracked the number of people who experienced cardiovascular events — both fatal and non-fatal — or died of any cause in 2005 – 2015.”

The team took into account factors such as pre-existing heart risk and sociodemographic background but the results, now published in the journal Circulation, found that substantial fluctuations in personal income were associated with a higher risk of death and cardiovascular diseases in the decade following this income change. The study revealed that the highest levels of income volatility were linked with almost double the risk of death and over double the risk of conditions such as strokes, heart failure, or heart attacks.

Fasting may help keep age-related diseases at bay: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Fasting may help keep age-related diseases at bay: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By PTI |New Delhi |Published: January 16, 2019 6:04:02 pm

Fasting may help keep age-related diseases at bay: Study

While food is known to influence clocks in peripheral tissues, it was unclear, until now, how the lack of food influences clock function and ultimately affects the body.

Fasting can boost the body’s metabolism. 

Fasting can boost the body’s metabolism and help protect against age-related diseases, a study has found. The circadian clock operates within the body and its organs as intrinsic time-keeping machinery to preserve homeostasis in response to the changing environment. While food is known to influence clocks in peripheral tissues, it was unclear, until now, how the lack of food influences clock function and ultimately affects the body.

“We discovered fasting influences the circadian clock and fasting-driven cellular responses, which together work to achieve fasting-specific temporal gene regulation,” said Paolo Sassone-Corsi, a professor at the University of California, Irvine in the US. “Skeletal muscle, for example, appears to be twice as responsive to fasting as the liver,” said Sassone-Corsi.

The research, published in the journal Cell Reports, was conducted using mice, which were subjected to 24-hour periods of fasting. While fasting, researchers noted the mice exhibited a reduction in oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and energy expenditure, all of which were completely abolished by refeeding, which parallels results observed in humans.

“The reorganisation of gene regulation by fasting could prime the genome to a more permissive state to anticipate upcoming food intake and thereby drive a new rhythmic cycle of gene expression,” he said. “In other words, fasting is able to essentially reprogram a variety of cellular responses. Therefore, optimal fasting in a timed manner would be strategic to positively affect cellular functions and ultimately benefiting health and protecting against ageing-associated diseases,” said Sassone-Corsi.

The study opens new avenues of investigation that could ultimately lead to the development of nutritional strategies to improve health in humans.

Contact with nature can improve your mood: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Contact with nature can improve your mood: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By Lifestyle Desk |New Delhi |Published: January 16, 2019 4:57:30 pm

Contact with nature can improve your mood: Study

According to a study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, spending even five minutes outdoors can give a considerable boost to one's mood.

Nature has more benefits that we know. (Source: File Photo)

Spending time outside, in the proximity of nature has always been touted as a good practice. But turns out it has more benefits that one could anticipate. According to a study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, as quoted by a report in Bustle, apparently spending even five minutes outdoors can give a considerable boost to one’s mood.

The study states that “There is robust evidence that contact with the natural world improves human health, including emotional well-being. However, the specific conditions of emotional benefits of nature contact are sparsely understood.”

In order to arrive at the result, two studies were conducted with the help of participation from university students. In the first study, it was examined whether five minutes of contact with nature can influence “hedonic and self-transcendent” emotions.

In the second study, it was examined whether the improvements in the mood are reliant to the time duration spent outside. It was deduced that even a brief contact leads to an improvement in the “both hedonic and self-transcendent emotions”. The duration of the contact, however, had no effect on the improvement.

According to a report in Time, spending time in any green space can help improve mental health as well make one a happier person. The same report stated that it is the quality and not the quantity of the green space that matters. The report quotes a study published in BMC Public Health and states that no significant link could be traced between an individual’s mental well being and the amount of green space they have.

Gluten Intolerance: The rising problem of wheat-related disorders | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Gluten Intolerance: The rising problem of wheat-related disorders | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Written by Sukanya Nandy |New Delhi |Published: January 16, 2019 1:30:07 pm

Gluten Intolerance: The rising problem of wheat-related disorders

The International Symposium on Wheat related Disorders (ISWD) 2019 organised by the Celiac Society of India (CSI) in January in Delhi aimed to create awareness about early diagnosis and management of the disease of which "Indian have little or no knowledge".

Is wheat really good for your health? (Source: Thinkstock/Getty Images)

Wheat has been listed among the top eight allergens in the world and adverse reactions to this cereal grain can be in the form of an allergy, skin rashes, bloating, digestive disorders or other intolerances. To create awareness about early diagnosis and management of the disease of which Indians generally “have little or no knowledge”, the International Symposium on Wheat related Disorders (ISWD) 2019 was organised in the Capital by the Celiac Society of India (CSI) from January 10-13. Gluten allergy, also known as celiac disease, is an autoimmune disease that occurs because of ingestion of a protein, called gluten, which is present in the cereals – wheat and barley. In these patients, the gluten protein is not digested completely and that leads to damage of the small intestine, where food is absorbed. With the damage of the small intestine, the food is not absorbed and thus, these patients fail to grow in height and weight, develop chronic diarrhea, anemia (low hemoglobin), and weakness of bones.

The panelists at ISWD.

Tom O’Bryan, the founder of theDr.com and one of the panelists at the ISWD explained that according to a study, every one in nine persons suffers from diseases caused by wheat. He further added, “Wheat is a primary inflammatory trigger and for some people, it is the mechanism that causes diseases.” Right from Lady Gaga and Victoria Beckham to Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, many celebrities have opted for gluten-free diet. According to O’Bryan, wheat is the new sugar. “Everyone knows that sugar is not healthy for your body but we all need a little sugar. It’s the same with wheat. It’s not good for anybody but we all need a little wheat. And for some people, it the primary problem that causes the continuation of some of their health issues”, he added.

But unlike celiac disease, not many people are aware of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. “The main difference celiac and non-celiac disease are between their mechanisms,” explained Ms. Ishi Khosla, Founder President, Celiac Society of India to indianexpress.com. According to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), non-celiac disease has been defined as “the onset of a variety of manifestations related to wheat, rye and barley ingestion, in patients in whom celiac disease and wheat allergy have been excluded.” Khosla says, “Manifestations and control remain same for both types of diseases. There’s a difference in the intestinal damage. Celiac disease has a higher degree of intestinal inflammation. But for both, celiac and non-celiac disease, there has to be a genetic predisposal. If there’s a problem in the genes it can definitely affect.”

The symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity include bloating, gas or abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, headache, brain fog, joint pain, numbness in the legs, arms or fingers and fatigue. In order to spread awareness, one has to know the symptoms of the celiac disease first. Khosla adds, “Sometimes it so non-specific that symptoms may not be there at all. In that case, do check if there is a family history of celiac related diseases. For example, if their’s a family history of cancer, then it is important to screen for celiac. The beginning of most diseases is inflammation and wheat is one of the causes of the inflammation.”

According to Prof. (Dr) Anupam Sibal, Apollo Hospitals Group, “One should not go on a completely gluten-free diet just on the basis of a blood test.” On a similar note, Ms. Khosla adds, “It is good to be on a diet for a few months and then reintroduce it. Once you are back in the diet, then check if the same symptoms are there. If it is still there, then you are wheat sensitive. When the gut breaks down, supplements are given accordingly.”

Dr. Sibal also pointed out that celiac disease may depend on a location. “Celiac disease is a common problem in North and East India but not so much in South India. According to a survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, in Haryana the prevalence of the disease is 8 people per thousand, in Assam, it is 4 per thousand and in Tamil Nadu, it is only 0.1 per thousand. So, we have a lot of variation.”

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New skin patch provides long-acting contraceptive protection

New skin patch provides long-acting contraceptive protection

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By Sally Robertson, B.Sc.Jan 14 2019Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new skin patch that uses microneedle technology to deliver a long-acting contraceptive hormone and can be self-administered.

Image Point Fr | Shutterstock

Once the patch has been applied for several seconds, microscopic needles break away and stay beneath the skin surface, where the contraceptive is slowly released by biodegradable polymers.

While current long-acting contraceptives do provide a high level of effectiveness, they are available in formats such as patches that must be worn continuously, drugs that require hypodermic injection by a healthcare professional or intrauterine devices that require implantation.

Short-acting contraceptives are also available, but require ongoing user compliance, which can mean effectiveness is often reduced.

If the microneedle skin patch technology receives approval, it could become the first long-acting contraceptive that can be self-administered, without requiring supervision by a healthcare professional.

As reported in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, an experimental microneedle contraceptive skin patch provided an effective level of contraceptive for over a month in an animal model, after just one single application that took several seconds.

It is hoped that the patch will be used by women in developing nations where access to healthcare resources is limited, but may also offer an alternative form of contraception to women in developed nations.

There is a lot of interest in providing more options for long-acting contraceptives. Our goal is for women to be able to self-administer long-acting contraceptives with the microneedle patch that would be applied to the skin for five seconds just once a month."

Mark Prausnitz, co-author

Prausnitz and team would like to develop a patch that could be applied on a six-monthly basis: "There is a lot of interest in minimizing the number of healthcare interventions that are needed," he explains. "Therefore, a contraceptive patch lasting more than one month is desirable, particularly in countries where women have limited access to healthcare.”

Although the cost of producing the patches on a large scale has not yet been determined, Prausnitz is hopeful that they will be cost-effective enough for application in developing countries.

Source:

Long-acting contraceptive designed to be self-administered via microneedle patch.