Health Jockey

We just came to terms with a report stating women to be encountering more pain than men. Narrowing down the list further, scientists from the Stony Brook University have found an apparent link between obesity and pain with higher rates of pain observed in the most obese individuals.

About 63% of the 1,010,762 respondents of a survey were regarded as obese as per their BMI. These people were further classified into 3 sub-classes of obesity according to WHO guidelines. As per the observations, overweight individuals reportedly experienced higher degrees of pain, as compared to persons with low or normal weights. Moreover, the reported rate of pain grew in each of the obese categories with 68%, 136% and 254% for Obese 1, Obese 2 and Obese 3 groups, respectively.

“Our findings confirm and extend earlier studies about the link between obesity and pain. Read the rest of this story >>

MRI imaging does not utilize ionizing radiation and is therefore considered to be safe for clinical trials. With regards to autism, scientists from the Institute of Education (London) have put forth that gauging brain activity of infants aged 6 months could help in indicating the development of autism in the future.

The team believed that infants who are likely to develop autism in the future apparently manifest brain abnormalities corresponding to their reaction to someone’s gaze. As part of the trial, the scientists observed six 10-month old babies who seemed to be at greater risk for developing autism, owing to family history of the same.

Professor Mark Johnson, MRC Scientist and head of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck, University of London, cited, “Our findings demonstrate for the first time that direct measures of brain functioning during the first year of life associate with a later Read the rest of this story >>

Commonly, children with uncontrolled asthma are prescribed the acid reflux drug lansoprazole, irrespective of gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) symptoms. However, professionals from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have put forth that inclusion of the drug lansoprazole does not account for improvement in asthma symptoms or its control and could raise the risk for upper respiratory infections or other serious events in children.

The aforesaid medication belongs to a class of drugs namely proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) that helps combat acid in the stomach. Use of this drug for treating effects of asthma has increased since the last 10 years. In the trial, about 306 kids in the age-group 6 to 17 years participated. These children apparently suffered from asthma that was not suitably controlled by the consumption of inhaled corticosteroids and also did not have the normal symptoms associated with GER.

“The data Read the rest of this story >>

In September, a team of professionals introduced a new blood test for lung cancer detection. Now, University of California (UCSF) scientists have developed a new molecular test that is cited to gauge the likelihood of death more accurately in case of patients suffering from a condition called non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

2 clinical trials were conducted to gauge the efficacy of the test, where the first one studied almost 433 specimens of people suffering from early-stage lung cancer. The second analysis involved approximately 1,006 individuals with the aforesaid condition. In both the studies, the team found that the test could accurately indicate if the chances of death in the 5 years of surgery to eliminate Read the rest of this story >>

Gender differences appear to be highlighted more often in studies, the recent one talking of women experiencing more pain than men. In this study by a team at American Academy of Neurology (AAN), it came to light that men are apparently at higher risk for encountering mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild memory loss that takes place in the stage between normal aging and dementia, as compared to women.

In the trial, about 1,450 people in the age-group 70 to 89 and not suffering from dementia were exposed to memory tests every 15 months for a median of 3 years. They were also interviewed regarding their memory by professionals. At the conclusion of the study, approximately 296 individuals seemingly developed MCI.

“These results are surprising, given that women generally have higher rates of dementia than men. The risk of MCI in men and women combined was high in Read the rest of this story >>

A lot of diabetes health tips must have been published on World Diabetes day that went by in November with a lot of press and fanfare. I am sure most of you caught some of the action, it was hard to miss. Yet, millions in our country go undiagnosed. So if you are undergoing diabetes treatment, you are lucky enough to have identified your condition. The next step now is to make adjustments required to manage diabetes.A condition such as diabetes definitely changes your way of life but it need not define it. Here are some useful health tips.

1. No table sugar: Since you expected this, let us get it out of the way first. We do not know the true flavor of many foods from tea to curd because all we taste every time is the same sugary sweetness. Immediately cutting out added sugar will be too hard on your taste buds. Decrease the added sugar gradually. Once you learn the true flavor of tea, you will wonder how you ever swallowed that sugary syrup before.

2. Read the rest of this story >>

Not all of us may know that psilocybin is an active ingredient of magic mushrooms, which is used as a psychedelic drug. In this study conducted at Imperial College London, scientists analyzed the brain scans of people under the influence of psilocybin that has given them an insight into the working of psychedelic drugs.

As part of the trial, 30 healthy individuals were exposed to psilocybin in their bloodstream, while they were inside MRI scanners. The reports showed that activity in the hub portions of the brain apparently decreased. These regions are well-connected with other regions of the brain. In another separate analysis, the team found that psilocybin improved the subjects’ recall of personal memories that the scientists believe could be an important addition to psychotherapy.

Read the rest of this story >>

Black tea has been associated with some health benefits, but professionals advise to consume it in moderation. In another study, scientists from the University of Western Australia have shown that people consuming a cup of black tea thrice in a day may have low blood pressure.

Almost 95 participants in the age-group 35 to 75 were incorporated for the trial. Out of these, 35 of them were instructed to consume 3 cups of black tea each day, while 75 of them were asked to drink 3 cups of black tea or placebo meshed in the same flavor with caffeine content that was not obtained from tea. After a period of 6 months, the team found that the subjects who drank 3 cups of black tea each day apparently manifested lower 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure that was in the range of 2 to 3mmHg.

“There is already mounting evidence that tea is good for your heart health, but Read the rest of this story >>

All individuals have a distinct set of values that they may not want to compromise, while succumbing to temptations. Now, a study conducted by scientists from the Emory University has shown that personal values which people do not give up even if a bribe is offered for the same, are processed differently in the brain, relative to values that they willingly disavow.

The team utilized fMRI scans to note the crucial brain responses of 32 individuals during a trial. At the first stage, participants were exposed to some simple statements related to daily habits, beliefs and preferences such as gay marriage, tea consumption and so on. Each of the statements also had a contradictory pair.

The subjects were then instructed to auction their values. Those who did not wish to sell out their most prized values could step out of the auction. Around $100 could be earned per statement by means of signing a document that presented the opposite of what the corresponding Read the rest of this story >>

The moment we set sights on fried food, all possible imaginations of good health seem to vanish for many. A new report from the British Heart Foundation states that munching on fried foods may not be associated with heart disease or premature death, but only if they are fried in olive or sunflower oil.

This study incorporated above 40,000 adults who were inspected for a span of 11 years. The health of all these people was monitored where no apparent link between fried food consumption and coronary heart disease risk came forward.

Victoria Taylor, our Senior Heart Health Dietitian, cited, “Before we all reach for the frying pan it’s important to remember that this was a study of a Mediterranean diet, rather than British fish and chips. Our diet in the UK will differ from Spain, so we cannot say that this result would be the same for us too.”

The volunteers of the analysis utilized sunflower or olive oil to fry the food. Read the rest of this story >>