Health News

For pre-diabetics, just 2,000 steps a day reduces the risk

People who are already on the way to developing diabetes could significantly reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke by walking for just an extra 20 minutes a day for a year, scientists said on Friday.

A large international study of people with a condition called impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) – a precursor to diabetes – found that taking an extra 2,000 steps a day over one year cut the risk of serious heart illness by 8 percent.

IGT affects around 344 million people worldwide, or almost 8 percent of adults, and this number is projected to rise to 472 million by 2030 as populations grow and age and unhealthy diets contribute to increasing rates of diabetes.

“People with IGT have a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Thomas Yates of Britain’s University of Leicester, who led the research.

“While several studies have suggested that physical activity is beneficially linked to health in those with IGT, this is the first study to specifically quantify the extent to which change in walking behavior can modify the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular-related deaths.”

Yates’ team took data from a trial covering more than 9,300 adults in 40 countries who had IGT and heart disease or at least one cardiovascular risk factor.

All the participants were given a lifestyle change programme aimed at helping them lose weight and cut fat intake while increasing physical activity to 150 minutes a week. Using a pedometer, researchers recorded usual walking activity over a week both at the start of the study and again 12 months later.

After adjusting for a wide range of confounding factors including body mass index, smoking, diet and use of medication, the researchers used statistical modeling to test the relationship between the number of steps taken a day and the risk of subsequent heart disease.

They found that for every 2,000 additional steps a day the start of the study there was a 10 percent reduction in risk of heart disease.

On top of this, the risk of heart disease and so-called cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes was further reduced by 8 percent for every extra 2,000 steps a day between the start of the study and 12 months later.

“These findings provide the strongest evidence yet for the importance of physical activity in high risk populations and will inform diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention programmes worldwide,” said Yates.

“Changing physical activity levels through simply increasing the number of steps taken can substantially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” he added, noting that the benefits of extra walking showed up regardless of a person’s bodyweight or the level of activity they started at.

Source: reuters

New gene linked to cleft lip and palate syndrome identified

An international team of researchers has identified a new gene related to the Van der Woude syndrome, the most common syndrome with cleft lip and palate.

The study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden can lead the way to improved genetic diagnostic of individuals and families with orofacial clefts.

Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common birth defects and can be found in the form of cleft lip or cleft palate alone; or cleft lip and palate together.

Now, through an international collaboration between researchers from Sweden, USA, Finland and Israel, a second gene related to VWS has been found.

The researchers started by doing a so called genetic linkage study of a large family from Finland. The family had been diagnosed with VWS, albeit no IRF6 mutations had been found.

By comparing the DNA of affected individuals with DNA from healthy family members, the researchers identified another gene, called Grainy-head like 3 (GRHL3), which was mutated only in the affected family members.

The same gene was found to be altered in 7 additional families with VWS where no IRF6 mutations had been found previously

“The discovery of a new gene, GRHL3, responsible for the most common of the syndromic forms of cleft lip and palate means that researcher or clinicians with collections of families or isolated cases with cleft lip and palate, syndromic or non-syndromic, now will be able to look for mutations in this gene,” lead researcher Myriam Peyrard-Janvid said

“As it has been shown for IRF6, one or several polymorphisms in GRHL3 might be found to be associated with increased risk of clefts in non-syndromic cases,” Peyrard-Janvid added

The study is published in the American Journal of Human.

Source: DNA India

Small Changes to Combo Meals can Help Cut Calorie Consumption

What would happen if a fast-food restaurant reduces the calories in a children’s meal by 104 calories, mainly by decreasing the portion size of French fries? Would children compensate by choosing a more calorie dense entrée or beverage? Researchers at Cornell University, Dr. Brian Wansink and Dr. Andrew Hanks, analyzed transaction data from 30 representative McDonald’s restaurants to answer that question.

Prior to 2012, the Happy Meal® was served with one of three entrée options (chicken nuggets, cheeseburger, hamburger), a side item (apples or small size French fry), and a beverage (fountain beverage, white milk, chocolate milk, apple juice). By April 2012, all restaurants in this chain served a smaller size “kid fry” and a packet of apples with each CMB. Wansink and Hanks found that this change in default side offerings resulted 98 of the 104-calorie decrease in the CMB.

With such a large decrease in calories, would children compensate by choosing a more calorie dense entrée or beverage? Wansink and Hanks found that 99% of children ordered the same entrée, and orders of chicken nuggets (the lowest calorie entrée) remained flat at nearly 62% of all orders. Yet, nearly 11% fewer children took caloric soda as a beverage and 22% more chose white or chocolate milk–a more satiating beverage. This increase was partially due to small changes in advertising for milk. Interestingly, the chocolate milk served in 2012 was of the fat-free variety compared to the 1% milk variety served previously. It also contained 40 fewer calories. Overall, the substitutions in beverage purchases resulted in 6 fewer calories served with the average CMB.

Small changes in the automatic—or default—foods offered or promoted in children’s meals can reduce calorie intake and improve the overall nutrition from selected foods as long as there is still an indulgence. Importantly, balancing a meal with smaller portions of favored foods might avoid reactance and overeating. Just as managers have done this in restaurants, parents can do this at home.

Source: Food psychology

Ancient hand bone dates origins of human dexterity

The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand dexterity more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.

In all ways, the bone – a well-preserved metacarpal that connects to the middle finger – resembles that of modern man, PNAS journal reports.

It is the earliest fossilised evidence of when humans developed a strong enough grip to start using tools.

Apes lack the same anatomical features.

The 1.42 million-year-old metacarpal from an ancient hominin displays a styloid process, a distinctively human morphological feature associated with enhanced hand function.

Its discovery provides evidence for the evolution of the modern human hand more than 600,000 years earlier than previously documented and probably in the times of the genus Homo erectussensu lato.

The styloid process helps the hand bone lock into the wrist bones, allowing for greater amounts of pressure to be applied to the wrist and hand from a grasping thumb and fingers.

bones
The styloid process can be clearly seen in the Kaitio bone
Prof Carol Ward and her colleagues note that a lack of the styloid process created challenges for apes and earlier humans when they attempted to make and use tools.

This lack of a styloid process may have increased the chances of having arthritis earlier.

Prof Ward, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia, said: “The styloid process reflects an increased dexterity that allowed early human species to use powerful yet precise grips when manipulating objects.

“This was something that their predecessors couldn’t do as well due to the lack of this styloid process and its associated anatomy.

“With this discovery, we are closing the gap on the evolutionary history of the human hand. This may not be the first appearance of the modern human hand, but we believe that it is close to the origin, given that we do not see this anatomy in any human fossils older than 1.8 million years.

“Our specialised, dexterous hands have been with us for most of the evolutionary history of our genus, Homo. They are – and have been for almost 1.5 million years – fundamental to our survival,” she said.

The bone was found at the Kaitio site in West Turkana, near an area where the earliest Acheulian tools have appeared. Acheulian tools are ancient, shaped stone tools that include stone hand axes more than 1.6 million years old.

Higher blood pressure threshold safe in older adults

Many older adults with high blood pressure can be treated less aggressively, which could mean taking fewer pills to get it under control, according to new treatment guidelines from an expert panel. But not all experts are on board with the advice – including the federal agency that appointed the group.

Panel members stressed that they are not changing the definition of high blood pressure: 140 over 90. For adults aged 60 and older, they are recommending a higher treatment threshold, prescribing medicine only when blood pressure levels reach 150 over 90 or higher.

Too aggressive blood pressure treatment can cause fainting and falls in older patients, or bad interactions with drugs they’re already taking for other illnesses, panel members said.

The panel does endorse the lower target of 140 over 90 for younger adults – and for all adults who also have diabetes or kidney disease.

The guidelines released Wednesday are based on a review of the most rigorous kind of medical research – studies in which patients are randomly prescribed drugs or dummy pills – published since the last update in 2003. The research suggests older patients can avoid major health problems like heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease even when their blood pressure is above the current recommended level, the panel said.

For many patients, two or three drugs – or more – are needed to bring their blood pressure down. Many older adults could probably reduce their doses, or take fewer drugs, to reach the new, less strict target, said Dr. Paul James, a panel member and family medicine specialist-researcher at the University of Iowa.

While the guidelines were updated by a government-appointed panel, they don’t have the government’s endorsement like previous versions. The panel completed its work earlier this year, around the same time that the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute announced that it was getting out of the guidelines business and turning the job over to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Updated guidelines from those medical groups are expected in late 2014.

In the meantime, the heart association is raising concerns about the new recommendations, saying that many studies they are based on didn’t last long enough to reveal dangers of undertreated high blood pressure in older patients. The panel also overlooked other evidence suggesting the 2003 government-backed recommendations are sound, said Dr. Elliott Antman, the heart association’s president-elect. He noted that his group last month published a treatment formula that echoes the 2003 advice.

Dr. Gary Gibbons, the federal agency’s director, issued a statement Wednesday emphasizing that his agency has not sanctioned the panel’s report, nor has the broader National Institutes of Health. While noting that the panel decided not to collaborate with the heart groups’ efforts, Gibbons said his agency would work with those groups “to transition” the panel’s evidence review into their update. His statement did not address whether the agency opposes all the panel’s recommendations.

James said panel members chose to release their guidelines independently to get the recommendations out sooner and into the hands of primary care doctors, who treat large numbers of patients with high blood pressure. The guidelines were published online Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Curtis Rimmerman, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, called the guidelines “exceedingly important” given the prevalence of high blood pressure, which affects about 1 in 3 U.S. adults, or 68 million.

Whether many doctors immediately adopt the advice “remains to be seen,” he said. Rimmerman predicted that some will continue to push to get older patients’ blood pressure lower than the new recommendation, especially those with previous strokes or heart problems.

The panel said their guidelines are simply recommendations, and that doctors should make treatment decisions based on patients’ individual circumstances. The experts emphasized that everyone with high blood pressure can benefit from a healthy diet, regular exercise and weight control, which all can help lower blood pressure.

Source; news.nom

 

Scientists create ‘robotic’ sperm to fight infertility

Researchers in Germany say they have created remote-controlled sperm that could be used to help with fertilization.

These “spermbots” are made by catching sperm cells in nanotubes and fabricating them onto a wafer or “chip.” The tubes are narrower at one end and guided by a magnet to the egg, increasing a patient’s chance of getting pregnant.

How are they doing this?
The method for this technology, is simply using the tail of the sperm to do the electrical work then using a magnetic field to direct the sperm. Think of it like a compass needle aligning with the Earth’s magnetic field. It is far easier to control a single cell (like the sperm) that propels itself through fluid with its whip-like tail.

Until now, researchers had only managed to persuade groups of cells to cooperate, with the help of mathematical measurements over a distance and magnetic fields. To create the “spermbots,” the research team builds the nanotubes from using iron and titanium nanoparticles. They then add the tubes to fluid containing sperm. The nanotubes are designed with one end of each tube slightly narrower than the other. The sperm that swims into the wider end becomes trapped, headfirst, with their whip-like tail propelling it toward the egg.

What is the future of this technology?
If this technology works, you will start to see the use of this method being applied to all fields of medicine. For example, chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which grow and divide quickly. However, this can harm healthy cells that separate quickly, such as those that line your mouth and intestines. During chemotherapy treatment the patient will typically suffer from damaged healthy cells which can cause serious side effects.

How will this help improve chemotherapy treatment?
With this cutting-edge technology, doctors will be able to deliver chemotherapy and guide the treatment to the specific target. While in the process, eliminating organs and cells from being over exposed to toxicity from the chemotherapy agent. Overall, this method will give physicians and patients a less toxic form of cancer treatment and protect their healthy cells from being over exposed or even killed off.

Source: viral news chart

Apple a Day Could Save Thousands of Lives: Study

The 150-year-old proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” stands the test of time, say Oxford University researchers, and would be effective today in preventing heart disease among people over 50.

Using mathematical models, the researchers calculated that prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over in the U.K. would prevent around 8,500 deaths from heart attacks and strokes every year.

They say this is similar to the 9,400 fewer heart deaths that would be seen if everyone over 50 who was not already taking them was given statins – modern cholesterol-lowering heart drugs.

This last figure uses the results of recent large study led by a different Oxford group which found that statins can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, including in people with low risk of heart problems.

Lead researcher Dr Adam Briggs of the BHF Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University says: “The Victorians had it about right when they came up with their brilliantly clear and simple public health advice: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.'”

He adds: “It just shows how effective small changes in diet can be, and that both drugs and healthier living can make a real difference in preventing heart disease and stroke.”

Although apples are more expensive than statins, the researchers conclude that an apple a day is able to match the more widespread use of modern medicine.

The researchers stress that no-one currently taking statins because they are at high risk of heart disease should stop, although they add: “by all means eat more apples.”

Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, an organization which funds the research group, agrees: “The ‘apple a day’ message has survived for over a century, though now we encourage people to eat five different fruits and vegetables a day, not just one apple.

“However, while fruit is undoubtedly good for you, it shouldn’t replace vital heart medicines, such as statins, prescribed by your doctor.

“This study reiterates that statins save lives. They are one of the safest medicines available and their benefits far outweigh any risks of side effects. If you’re unsure about your medication, speak to your doctor as there are often different types or doses you could try.”

The study was published in the Christmas edition of the BMJ medical journal.

Source: News Max health

How Viruses Take a Short Trip from London to NYC

Using measures of connectivity between airports, rather than actual distances, makes it possible to better predict where an emerging infectious disease will strike next, the researchers of a new study said.

In the study, the researchers defined an “effective distance” between any pair of airports in the world based on the air traffic between them, rather than the miles. The resulting model predicted when a newly emerged disease could reach any given place, for both simulated future outbreaks and real epidemics of the past — for example, the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

The model was also able to quickly identify the origin of an emerging pathogen, which is essential for determining a disease’s cause and finding ways to curb its further spread, according to the researchers, whose study will appear tomorrow (Dec. 13) in the journal Science.

“With this new theory, we can reconstruct outbreak origins with higher confidence, compute epidemic-spreading speed and forecast when an epidemic wave front is to arrive at any location worldwide,” said study researcher Dirk Brockmann, a theoretical physicist who conducted the research at the Northwestern University. “This may help to improve possible mitigation strategies.”

The researchers calculated the effective distances between cities based on air traffic because such traffic reflects how many people travel a certain path, and how often. With the results, patterns of disease spread that once seemed complex start to look simpler, the researchers said.

“If the flow of passengers from point A to point B is large, the effective distance is small,” said study researcher Dirk Helbing, a professor of sociology at the Swiss university ETH Zurich. “The only thing we had to do was to find the right mathematical formula for this.” In addition to defining effective distances between airports, the researchers also defined the shortest paths for indirect journeys, and included models of local spread of disease within a city.

Infectious diseases have long been spread across borders by travelers. For historical cases such as the spread of the Black Death in Europe, simple, intuitive models that focused on geographical distances between places could show how a disease spread.

Today, however, travelers are just a few hours’ flight from distant destinations, and so physical distance no longer determines how a disease will spread.

Source: Discovery news

Aloo Methi: Healthy recipe

Servings: 7
Total Time: 35 min
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min

Methi is a common ingredient in many North Indian recipes especially during winter months. This dry potato and methi recipe is very simple and easy to cook. It is cooked as part of a main course meal and is eaten with rotis and paranthas. The characteristic aroma of fresh fenugreek leaves is enhanced with the blend of powdered spices used.

Ingredients
1 pound potatoes
3/4 pound picked fresh fenugreek leaves (methi)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
A pinch of asafetida
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 green chili (finely chopped)

Step by Step:

Wash the fresh fenugreek leaves thoroughly under running water multiple times to remove all the dirt. Drain and finely chop the leaves. Keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Heat olive oil in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. Sauté for 2 minutes. When the cumin seeds start cracking add all the powdered spices and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, till a specific aroma comes out.

Now add the potatoes, fenugreek leaves and salt. Mix well so that the potato cubes and fenugreek leaves are coated with the fried masala all over. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook on low- heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You can cook longer if there is water left from the fenugreek leaves and cook until all the water is fully evaporated.

Serve hot with rotis and parathas.

Source: health

One Week of Junk Food May Be Enough to Damage Your Memory

 

Everyone knows that junk food is bad for the waistline, but new research suggests it can damage memory, too.
Australian researchers found that even a short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s cognitive ability.
The study suggests that obesity can trigger rapid changes in the brain.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) showed for the first time that rats fed a diet high in fat and sugar had impaired memory after just a week.

Interestingly, the results were similarly poor for the rats fed a healthy diet that had been given sugar water to drink, according to the study, which was published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

The animals found it more difficult to recognise specific places after their junk food diet and showed a lesser ability to notice when an object shifted to a new location.
The mice also had inflammation of the hippocampal region of the brain, which is associated with spatial memory.

‘We know that obesity causes inflammation in the body, but we didn’t realise until recently that it also causes changes in the brain,’ said Professor Margaret Morris from UNSW Medicine, who co-authored the study.

‘What is so surprising about this research is the speed with which the deterioration of the cognition occurred,’ she said.
‘Our preliminary data also suggests that the damage is not reversed when the rats are switched back to a healthy diet, which is very concerning.’

Some aspects of the animals’ memories were spared, regardless of their diets.
All the animals were equally able to recognise objects after eating either the healthy, healthy with sugar or ‘cafeteria’ diets, the latter of which was high in fat and sugar, including cake, chips and biscuits.
The change in the animals’ memory appeared even before the mice eating junk food gained any weight.
Ongoing work will attempt to establish how to stop the inflammation in the brain of animals with the unhealthy diets, which could unlock secrets relating to humans who eat unhealthily.
‘We suspect that these findings may be relevant to people,’ said Professor Morris.
‘While nutrition affects the brain at every age, it is critical as we get older and may be important in preventing cognitive decline. An elderly person with poor diet may be more likely to have problems.’

The research builds on previous work that has implications for obesity.
‘Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory,’ Professor Morris said.
‘People might be less aware of their internal cues like hunger pangs and knowing when they have had enough,’ she said.

Source: mail online