Month: September 2013

Nuclear plants don’t raise child leukemia risk

Despite fears to the contrary, children who live near nuclear power plants have no greater risk of developing leukemia or a type of cancer known as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a large British study published on Friday.

Researchers who studied some 10,000 children aged fewer than 5 and analyzed birth records for nearly every case of childhood leukemia in Britain from 1962 to 2007 found no apparent extra risk from living near an atomic power station.

John Bithell of the Childhood Cancer Research Group, who led the study, noted there have been concerns about child leukemia near nuclear plants in Britain since the 1980s, when a television program reported an excess of cancer in children near the Sellafield plant in north-west England.

There have since been conflicting reports in Britain and other European countries about whether children living near such reactors are at greater risk of developing childhood cancers.

A study on Germany, published in 2007, did find a significantly increased risk. But a 35-year-long survey in Britain by the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, published in 2001, found no evidence that living near nuclear plants increased the incidence of children developing leukemia.

Bithell said the findings of his research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, and should be reassure the public.

“Our case-control study has considered the birth records for nearly every case of childhood leukemia born in Britain and, reassuringly, has found no such correlation with proximity to nuclear power plants,” he said in a statement.

Leukemia is a cancer of immature white blood cells that mostly occurs in children between 2 and 4 years old.

It is rare, affecting around 500 children a year in Britain, and experts say 85 to 90 percent can now be cured.

Bithell’s research group was funded by the Scottish and English governments and the charity Children with Cancer UK.

They measured the distance children lived from the nearest nuclear plant both at birth and when diagnosed with leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Data on cancer cases came from the National Registry of Childhood Tumours, which has kept records of nearly all children diagnosed since 1962 and is estimated to be more than 99 percent complete for leukemia cases over the period studied.

Hazel Nunn, head of health information at the charity Cancer Research UK, said the results were “heartening”.

“This study supports the findings of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment that being born or living near a nuclear power station doesn’t lead to more cases of leukemia and similar cancers in children under 5 in the UK,” she said.

“But these results can’t rule out any possible risk, so it’s still important that we continue to monitor both radiation levels near nuclear power plants and rates of cancer among people who live close by.”

Source: fox news

10 ways to prevent bloating

The reason for your puffy belly may be bloat, not fat. In fact, one of the worst culprits for this problem—a slow digestive system—is common among women over age 40

Nothing’s more frustrating than grabbing your favorite jeans and—eek!—they aren’t even close to buttoning. But don’t despair: The reason for your puffy belly may be bloat, not fat. In fact, one of the worst culprits for this problem—a slow digestive system—is common among women over age 40. The good news is that there are lots of simple tweaks that can counteract common bloat-inducers. Here’s how to slim your silhouette.

Start off with fiber

There’s nothing distends a belly like constipation, so start your morning with a breakfast cereal packed with fiber to get things moving. Look for a cereal with both insoluble fiber (from bran) and gel-like soluble fiber (from psyllium).

Slim your veggies

Instead of noshing on raw vegetables, opt for steamed ones instead. A half-cup serving of cooked carrots delivers the same nutrition as one cup raw, but it takes up less belt-bloating room in your GI tract.

Hold the hot stuff

Give dishes a flavor boost with in-season fresh or dried herbs like dill, basil, mint, sage, tarragon, and rosemary—instead of super-spicy additions like black pepper, Chili powder, hot sauces, and vinegar. Spicy foods can stimulate the release of stomach acid, which can cause irritation.

Spit out the gum

When you chew gum, you swallow air. All that air gets trapped in your gut and causes pressure, bloating, and belly expansion.

Skip fake sugars

Sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol are bloat-inducing sugar alcohols found in diet sodas and sugar-free gum. Avoid them for a slimmer silhouette.

Cut the carbs

As a backup energy source, your muscles store a type of carbohydrate called glycogen—and each gram of glycogen is stored with about three grams of water. But most people don’t need all this stockpiled fuel. Decreasing high-carb foods like bagels, pasta, and pretzels will help drain off excess stored fluids.

Be smart about beans

There’s a reason they’re called the magical fruit. Legumes and veggies like cabbage and Brussels sprouts induce more gas in your GI tract and can make you look like you swallowed a balloon. Soak dried beans overnight or take the OTC enzyme Beano.

Get a move on

Moving your body helps release air that has been trapped in your GI tract, relieving pressure and—you guessed it—bloating. Increasing your heart rate and breathing stimulates the natural contractions of the intestinal muscles, helping to prevent constipation and gas buildup by expediting digestion. Walk for at least five minutes to help get things moving inside your belly.

Guzzle more liquids

It seems counterintuitive—you’d think more liquid would equal more puff, right?—but getting rid of bloat means being well hydrated, so aim for at least eight glasses of water each day. Instead of plain water, try our Sassy Water that has ginger in it to help soothe your GI tract.

Avoid acidic sips

Coffee, tea, juice, and alcohol are all high-acid beverages that can irritate your GI tract, causing swelling

Bring on the bananas

Foods such as bananas, potatoes, and spinach help your body get rid of excess water weight, minimizing your middle. Extra fluid tends to accumulate when your potassium and sodium levels are out of balance. Increasing your potassium intake can bring lower your sodium.

Source : fox news

UN: 6.6 million children under 5 died last year

Childhood death rates around the world have halved since 1990 but an estimated 6.6 million children under the age of 5 still died last year, the U.N. children’s agency said Friday.

Nearly half of all children who die are in five countries: Nigeria, Congo, India, Pakistan and China, it said in a report.

“Progress can and must be made,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF’s executive director. “When concerted action, sound strategies, adequate resources and strong political will are harnessed in support of child and maternal survival, dramatic reductions in child mortality aren’t just feasible, they are morally imperative.”

The top killers are malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea, the report said, taking the lives of about 6,000 children under age 5 daily. A lack of nutrition contributes to almost half of these deaths, the U.N. said.

Eastern and Southern Africa have reduced their death rates for children under 5 by more than 50 percent since 1990. West and Central Africa are the only regions not to have at least halved the number of children under 5 dying over the past 22 years, the U.N. said.

Nigeria bears more than 30 percent of early childhood deaths for malaria and 20 percent of the deaths associated with HIV. Globally, the country accounts for one in every eight child deaths, the U.N. said.

While these numbers are grim, the rate of improvement globally seems to have plateaued at about 4 percent improvement per year since 2005, the report said. The estimated numbers are based on solid data from about half the world’s countries. And for regions with the biggest problems, they had to rely on modeling techniques.

Countries like Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Brazil showed tremendous progress, due in part to increased community health care. Affordable and increased interventions – like treated mosquito nets, medicines, rehydration treatments and improved access to safe water – helped improve the early childhood death rate in other countries as well.

But improvements were not as bold in countries like Nigeria, Congo, Sierra Leone and Pakistan, the report showed.

Lake said a new sense of urgency was needed to improve the figures.

“Yes, we should celebrate the progress,” he said. “But how can we celebrate when there is so much more to do?”
Read more: Fox news

 

How to fight 14 classroom germs

Children in day care or in school can have as many as eight to 12 colds a year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics

If you think your kids are sick a lot during the school year, that’s because they are. Children in day care or in school can have as many as eight to 12 colds a year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. And that’s just respiratory infections. Often colds and other germ-triggered conditions aren’t that serious and symptoms disappear on their own (if they can’t be treated by a doctor). But isn’t it better to prevent them in the first place?

Here’s how to protect your kids from germs that tend to circulate in classrooms.

Conjunctivitis

More commonly called “pink eye” because it can cause the whites of one or both eyes to turn pink, conjunctivitis is transmitted by touching the germy discharge from someone else’s eyes or touching a surface that has been contaminated. The type cased by bacteria is more contagious than the type caused by viruses, but the risk of either can be minimized by hand washing and telling kids to not touch their face unless they’ve washed their hands.

Coxsackievirus

Coxsackievirus infections can cause a number of ailments, chief among them the uncommon, but painful hand, foot, and mouth disease. This causes a nasty rash inside the mouth and on the palms and soles of the feet. There’s no treatment, so go for prevention. The virus lives in the saliva. Make sure kids don’t put objects, especially shared objects like pencils, in their mouths and stress that they need to eat their own lunch, not anyone else’s, says M. Kathryn Sanders, RN, assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing in Round Rock.

Head lice

Head lice infestation can happen to anyone—and it does. These tough-to-eradicate critters spread from person to person and, most often, with head-to-head contact, says Sanders. If kids are studying in a group, heads huddled together, lice can spread. Lice can also crawl on back packs, sleeping bags, and pillows. Girls should keep long hair up and shorter haircuts can help minimize (but not eliminate) risk, says Sanders. Tell children to avoid head-to-head contact, and not to share combs, hats, or back packs. Too late? Here are 20 Ways to Get Rid of Head Lice.

Impetigo

This skin infection can be caused by Streptococcus or Staphylococcus bacteria and results in pus-filled blisters and open sores that crust over. The bad news is that it is quite contagious, and can be spread by coming into contact with another person, by touching a contaminated surface, or by moving germs from one part of the body to another. The good news is that you actually have to have an open sore or cut for it to infect you, says Sanders. Avoid direct contact with someone who is already infected and keep washing those hands.

Influenza

Coinciding with the start of the school year is the beginning of flu season. Aside from avoiding these surprising risk factors for the flu, the best protection against the seasonal flu is the flu vaccine, which is updated annually. The effectiveness of the vaccine varies from year to year but, according to one study, can be up to 83 percent effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all healthy children aged 6 months and older get the vaccine each year.

Measles

Thanks to the highly effective MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, measles in children was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. In recent years, though, there have been troubling outbreaks around the country, probably due to a drop in vaccination rates. (Sort out fact from fiction with 12 Myths and Facts about Vaccines.) Vaccination is the key to prevention. In fact, proof of vaccination is often required before a child can start school. The initial shot is given when the child is 12-to-15 months old and another when they reach school age.

Meningitis

This potentially fatal infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord is more common in preteens and teens (it can be a hazard in college dorms) than younger children, and fortunately, is relatively rare. The best way to prevent it is a meningococcal vaccine, which stops some of the major meningitis-causing germs. The CDC recommends all 11-12 year olds be vaccinated then receive a booster dose at age 16. If you notice any symptoms in your child—severe headache, sensitivity to light, neck pain—seek medical attention right away, says Sanders.

Mononucleosis

Known as the “kissing disease,” mononucleosis can be transmitted through kissing and other contact with contaminated saliva. It is most common in teens aged 15 through 17. While it may not be possible to regulate kissing in maturing kids, you can caution them to avoid sharing food, drinks, and utensils. These can spread mono-causing viruses, which can cause fever, swollen glands, sore throat, and fatigue.

Norovirus

You’ve heard about outbreaks of this stomach bug on cruise ships, but it can make the rounds in any crowded space, including schools. The virus is spread through feces so avoid sharing food, drinks, and eating utensils with other people. Washing hands frequently can help. There have been reported instances of contracting norovirus from swimming pools. Tell your kids not to get pool water in their mouth, says Sanders.

Otitis media

Also known as an ear infection, otitis media is common, especially among young children. That’s partly because the structure of the developing ear makes it easier for fluids to get trapped, says Sanders. There’s not much you can do about that, but some childhood immunizations (including influenza and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines) may reduce the risk of ear infections, as can basic hygiene techniques such as washing your hands.

Pertussis

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, is a serious and potentially dangerous respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Infected people spread the bug through coughing, sneezing, or close contact with another person. Vaccines are available for children, teens, and adults—but not babies, who can get life-threatening infections. If your child has a serious cough, see your doctor and, make sure he or she stays home (this goes for all illnesses). Healthy children should be vaccinated and wash their hands often to avoid getting sick.

Rhinovirus

Rhinoviruses are behind most cases of the common cold, which run rampant in schools. Once your child has caught a cold there’s not much you can do except treat the symptoms. To stay healthy, it’s best to encourage hand washing. At a minimum, children should wash their hands or use a hand sanitizer after using the restroom; after they blow their nose; if they cough or sneeze into their hands (tell them to aim for the crook of their arm, instead of hands); and before they eat, says Dr. Andrea Green Hines, a pediatrician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus is highly contagious bug that causes diarrhea and can quickly lead to dehydration, especially in small children. But this is another case when a vaccine, given orally when your child is still a baby, can prevent future ailments. The vaccine is not given to older children, so if your child missed the chance, be aware that the virus is spread through feces. To help prevent its spread, make sure diapers are properly disposed of and wash your hands.

Strep throat

Strep throat, caused by infection with groups A streptococcus bacteria, can cause not only severe throat pain, but also fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. The bug is spread through contact with contaminated saliva, either directly or indirectly through droplets in the air. If a strep test is positive, antibiotics are necessary due to the risk of more serious complication that may affect the heart and brain. Kids of school age shouldn’t share objects and, importantly, shouldn’t stick them in their mouths. Making sure your child has his or her own cool pencil box may help reduce the risk.

Source: Fox news

Try these 7 tricks to boost your metabolism

7 tricks to boost your metabolism

While marathon sweat sessions can certainly kick your metabolism into high gear, there’s a faster, better way to rev up your fat-burning potential. Below are seven seriously simple moves that will slash through more calories than minutes.

“Your metabolism is the sum of everything your body does to convert food into energy,” says Jim White, an American College of Sports Medicine-certified health-fitness instructor and the owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios in Virginia. “So while you can’t change how many calories it takes to keep your brain humming and your heart beating, you can help your body burn an extra 500 calories or more each day by implementing some easy lifestyle strategies.”

Turn Down the Temperature

Your body loves to sit pretty at 98.6 degrees, so if you throw off your internal temperature, your body will burn more calories to raise it back to where it belongs, White says. In fact, researchers from Humboldt University  found that drinking two liters of ice-cold water can up your metabolic burn by about 95 calories per day, while in a new study by the National Institute of Health Clinical Center , people who slept in a 66-degree room burned more than 7 percent more calories than those who snoozed at 75 degrees.

Pack More (Lean) Protein

A meal’s not a meal unless it contains lean protein, says White. Why? Protein contains the amino acids your body needs to produce metabolism-revving, calorie-burning muscle . “Every pound of muscle gained increases your metabolism by 20 to 30 percent,” he adds. Each day, aim to eat one gram of lean protein (from sources like chicken, fish, grass-fed beef, or eggs) for every pound of body weight. Vegetarian or vegan? Swap meat out for nuts, seeds, dark greens (kale packs a protein-rich punch), and, if you eat them, eggs and Greek yogurt.

Drink (Quality) Green Tea

Found in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG for short) gets a lot of attention for its disease-fighting properties. But it turns out this little antioxidant can make a big difference when it comes to numbers on a scale. Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  shows that the compound can up your metabolic rate for a full 24 hours by increasing your energy production from digestion of fats. While a few cups a day should be enough to move the needle over time, that’s only if you opt for high-quality brews. Cheap-o brands often don’t contain enough of the fat-burning ingredient to increase metabolism, says weight-loss specialist and board-certified internist Dr. Sue Decotiis. Try Teavana Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea.  Brewed from loose green-tea leaves, it packs 86 milligrams of EGCG per serving, the most of any teas studied in a recent Consumer Lab study.

Add Weight for Less Workout Time

More muscle = less fat. But who wants to spend hours sweating it out with strength sets when you can opt for quick, high-intensity resistance training? Brief workouts using heavy weights can increase your metabolism by 452 calories for the following 24 hours, according to recent research in the Journal of Translational Medicine .  That’s 354 calories more than the increase experienced after traditional low-intensity strength training (and it takes just four sets of 8 to 10 reps).

Here’s how it works: The harder your muscles work, the more post-workout rebuilding they have to do, which burns calories and elevates metabolism-revving hormones, according to researchers. The best part? In the study, the high-intensity resistance trainers completed only three exercises. Talk about time-saving.

Spice Up the Menu

Capsaicin, which gives peppers and spices their heat, can also fire up your fat burners. Eating spicy foods regularly can increase your body’s production of heat as well as the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for both the fight-or-flight response and spice-induced sweating) by about 50 calories a day, which translates to a full five pounds of fat lost in a single year, Decotiis says. While cayenne, chili peppers, and jalapeños are great, the hotter the pepper, the better. The ridiculously spicy Korean pepper gochu (which just happens to be slang for “penis”) is believed to have the highest calorie burn out there and is typically sold as a paste, called gochujang.

Sleep More

Not getting enough sleep affects more than just your energy the next day; it throws off your levels of of leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that help regulate energy use and appetite. Research from Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin  shows that regularly clocking just five hours of sleep reduces levels of leptin by 15.5 percent and increases levels of ghrelin by 14.9 percent. When it comes to a healthy metabolism, shoot for nine hours a night, suggests

Eat Organic

As you already know, processed foods and nonorganic fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that can interfere with your body’s basic metabolic pathways, says Decotiis. Glyphosate (a common herbicide), bisphenol (a plastic-hardening chemical used in canned-food linings and other food containers), and meats and poultry from hormone-fed livestock have been singled out for leading to obesity. Whenever possible, skip the packaged goods for fresh ones. Always choose organic versions of apples, bell peppers, celery, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, and pears over their nonorganic counterparts, which tend to have the highest levels of metabolism-stalling pesticides out there.

 

Michelle Obama wants people to drink more plain water


Michelle Obama has pushed Americans to eat healthier and to exercise more

Michelle Obama has pushed Americans to eat healthier and to exercise more. Now she says we should “drink up” too. As in plain water and as in more of it.

The first lady, an exercise fanatic who loves French fries and whose biceps are envied by women everywhere, is getting behind a campaign being launched Thursday to encourage people to drink more plain old-fashioned water. Whether it comes from a faucet, an underground spring, a rambling river or a plastic bottle, the message is: “Drink up.”

She was joining the Partnership for a Healthier America as the nonpartisan, nonprofit group launches the nationwide effort from Watertown, Wis., with backing from a variety of likely and unlikely sources, including the beverage industry, entertainers, media and government. Mrs. Obama is the organization’s honorary chairman.

Every bodily system depends on water, which makes up about 60 percent of a person’s body weight, according to the Mayo Clinic. Water is a calorie-free option for people concerned about weight control, and is largely inexpensive and available practically everywhere.

Yet despite recent trends showing a rise in water consumption and declines in the amount of soda people drink, Larry Soler, the partnership’s president and chief executive, says the “drink up” water campaign is still needed. Health advocates have blamed the corn syrups and other sugars in soda for obesity.

“That’s exactly the type of impact we’re glad to be seeing, and we want to accelerate that because we still have an enormous problem in this country with rates of obesity,” Soler said.

Sam Kass, executive director of “Let’s Move,” the first lady’s anti-childhood obesity initiative, cited federal statistics showing that about 40 percent of consumers drink less than half the typically recommended eight cups of water a day and that about a fourth of kids below age 19 don’t drink any plain water at all on any given day.

“Water is sort of our original energy drink,” he said.

Soler emphasized that the campaign is not about pushing a particular type of water, or stressing water over other beverages, although Mrs. Obama in the past has counseled people to switch from sugary soda to water. She also has talked about seeing improvement in her two daughters’ health after making that substitution in their diets.

The first lady also has been criticized by people who accuse her of being the nation’s food police.

“Every participating company has agreed to only encourage people to drink water, not focus on what people shouldn’t drink, not even talk about why they may feel their type of water is better than another,” Soler said. “It’s just `drink more water.'”

The first lady has recorded individual messages that are to air from morning to night Thursday on various TV talk shows, including “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “Nuevo Dia,” “Despierta America,” “The View,” “Live With Kelly and Michael,” “Katie” and the late-night programs with comedians Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon. The hosts also will drink water on air and encourage viewers to do the same.

The campaign’s logo, a blue water drop with the words “drink up” in white, eventually will be plastered on millions of packages of bottled water, individual bottles of water themselves and reusable bottles, Soler said, as well as on more than 10,000 outdoor public drinking fountains.

The American Beverage Association, which represents the makers of soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, juices and juice drinks, and bottled water and water beverages, supports the campaign, as does the International Bottled Water Association, among others, Soler said.

Individuals bottled water brands behind the push include Aquafina, Dasani, Deer Park, Evian, Nestle Pure Life, Poland Spring and Zephyrhills, Soler said.

Watertown, which is located on the banks of the Rock River in southeastern Wisconsin about midway between Milwaukee and Madison, is home to two companies with ties to the soft drink industry. Wis-Pak Inc., which manufactures and distributes Pepsi-Cola products, has its corporate office there with about 200 workers and is among the city’s top 10 employers, according to the local Chamber of Commerce. The smaller 7-Up Bottling Co. is a family-owned beverage distributor.

Neither company returned telephone messages left Wednesday seeking comment on the campaign.

Kass said Watertown wasn’t chosen because of the soda distributors but because it twice had won an award for having the best-tasting water in the state. The Wisconsin Water Association, which represents public utilities, however, said it could find a record of only one win, in 2010. This year’s winner was the state capital, Madison.

Source : Fox news

Johnson & Johnson recalls schizophrenia drug

Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling one lot of schizophrenia drug Risperdal Consta after discovering mold during a routine testing process, a company spokeswoman said, and the latest in a string of recalls over the past two years.

Risperdal Consta is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. The company is recalling the drug from wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies and healthcare providers.

The medicine is a long-acting form of J&J’s Risperdal anti-psychotic medication, and is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It is injected, unlike basic Risperdal, which is a pill.

“We estimate that fewer than 5,000 dose packs remain in the market considering our current inventory levels and the usage of this product,” spokeswoman Robyn Reed Frenze said in an email to Reuters. A single lot of Risperdal Consta consists about 70,000 dosage packs.

Frenze said that the risk to patients is considered low, and “there have been no trends of adverse events of infection associated with this lot”.

The spokeswoman added that the medication is administered to patients by healthcare professionals only, “and it is important that patients continue their prescribed treatment”.

In the past two years J&J has recalled over-the-counter drugs, contact lenses, heart devices, and insulin pump cartridges.

Source: Fox news

Obesity tied to semi-frequent migraines

everyone should be aware that obesity is associated with an increased risk of episodic migraine and not wait until a patient has chronic migraine

Overweight and obese people are at higher-than-average risk of migraines, suggests a new study.

Researchers looking at so-called episodic migraines – headaches that occur less than every other day – found they were almost twice as common among obese people as among normal-weight adults.

“This suggests patients and doctors need to be aware that obesity is associated with an increased risk of episodic migraine and not wait until a patient has chronic migraine to address healthy lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, and to choose medications that impact weight with care,” lead researcher Dr. Lee Peterlin, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, told Reuters Health in an email.

However, the researchers couldn’t be sure which came first – the extra weight or the headaches. And one migraine researcher not involved in the study said he would be cautious interpreting its findings.

“If this helps of course to make people believe they should lose weight, that’s great, but does it mean that reduction in weight will reduce migraine attacks, or treat migraines? That’s a question they haven’t addressed,” Dr. Tobias Kurth, of the French national research institute INSERM and the University of Bordeaux, said.

About 10 to 15 percent of people have episodic migraines, according to Peterlin.

Previous studies have linked obesity to chronic migraines, which by definition occur at least every other day. But there’s less evidence on whether weight also plays a role in less frequent migraines, researchers said.

To try to answer that question, Peterlin and her colleagues analyzed data on 3,862 people who participated in a national U.S. survey in the early 2000s, including 188 who reported having migraines an average of three or four times each month.

About 32 percent of people with episodic migraines were obese, based on their self-reported height and weight, compared to 26 percent of non-migraine sufferers.

After accounting for other differences between people with and without migraines, such as their age and smoking rates, the researchers found that being obese was linked to an 81 percent higher chance of having episodic migraines, they reported Wednesday in Neurology.

The obesity-migraine link was stronger among women and people under 50 years old but less clear for men and older adults, who have lower migraine rates in general.

Peterlin said there are a few possible explanations for the association, including that the same systems in the body that are activated during a migraine help regulate how much people eat. Also, people who get regular migraines may be less active because of the pain or take medications that influence weight gain, she said.

Kurth, who wasn’t involved in the new study, agreed lifestyle factors may play a role in both obesity and migraines. But he cautioned against drawing a direct link between weight and episodic migraines in the absence of more research.

“I’m just very careful, because I’m missing the big picture,” he told Reuters Health.

“If obesity would cause migraine, which is the suggestion of this study, we would expect to see an increase … in the prevalence of migraine, because we have such an epidemic of obesity in the United States,” he said. “And this is just not true.”

However, Peterlin said, rates of the two conditions wouldn’t necessarily be expected to go hand and hand on a larger scale – and that some studies have suggested episodic migraines are in fact becoming more common.

Source: fox news

 

Ethiopian farmer claims he is 160 years old

He claims to have clear memories of Italy’s invasion of his country in the 19th century. However, there is no birth certificate to prove his age.

Many people won’t be aware of Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1895, but one man doesn’t just know about the battle – he claims to have lived through it.

Retired farmer Dhaqabo Ebba, from Ethiopia, says he is a staggering 160 years old, which would make him the world’s oldest living man.

He claims to have clear memories of Italy’s invasion of his country in the 19th century. However, there is no birth certificate to prove his age.

In a statement to Oromiya TV, he provided so much detail on the history of his local area that reporter Mohammed Ademo became convinced that Mr Ebba must be at least 160 years old.

This would make him 46 years older than the oldest ever recorded man.

“When Italy invaded Ethiopia I had two wives, and my son was old enough to herd cattle, “said Ebba.

He then recounted his eight-day horseback rides to Addis Ababa as a child – a journey that takes only a few hours today.

As Ebba grew up in an oral society, there is no paper trail and no living witnesses to verify his age.

However, if his claim can be medically confirmed, he would oust 115-year-old Misao Okawa, who is currently recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person.

Source: Fox news

Lobsters may be the answer to immortality

Scientists say they may have found the key to eternal life in an unexpected creature – lobsters.

Research shows the crustaceans possess an enzyme called telomerase, which makes them ‘biologically immortal.’ Growing older doesn’t raise their chance of death, The Sun reported.

In other living creatures, strands of DNA get shorter as cells replicate and die, and they eventually become too badly damaged to copy new cells.

But in lobsters, telomerase prevents DNA strands from shortening, allowing perfect cells to replicate again and again, according to biologist Simon Watts, founder of ReadySteadyScience.com.

The average lobster weighs under 2 pounds, but near the coast of Maine in 2009, fishermen caught a lobster that weighed 19 pounds, meaning the creature was approximately 140 years old.

Medical experts hope further studies about telomerase will help discover new ways to increase lifespan and prevent cancer.
Source: Fox news