Health

People suffering from common laryngopharyngeal dysfunction like chronic cough, hoarseness, recurrent throat clearing, especially after Covid, may be at significant risk of developing a heart attack or stroke, warns a study on Wednesday.  Researchers from the University of Southampton observed a reduction in baroreflex sensitivity -- a measure of how much a person`s heart rate changes in response to changes in blood pressure -- in patients with throat symptoms. The team noted that the findings could be explained by the Vagas nerve -- which controls the autonomic nervous system -- prioritising protection of the airways over less urgent functions, such as blood pressure regulation. “Our immediate survival depends on the throat being able to separate air and food passages each time we swall...

With over 170,000 lives lost annually due to suicide in India, it is imperative to focus beyond mental health to prevent suicide cases in the country, said an expert in a new study published in The Lancet journal on World Suicide Prevention Day, on Tuesday.  Suicide is a major public health challenge, with more than 700,000 deaths each year globally. India has one of the highest number of suicide deaths. World Suicide Prevention Day is observed every year on September 10 to raise awareness about the importance of reducing stigma and encourage open conversations to prevent suicides. The theme this year is “Changing the narrative on suicide”. In line with the theme, a new six paper Series published in The Lancet Public Health, argues that a change in the narrative is needed to move from p...

Apart from the much-anticipated iPhone 16 series, Apple also launched the Apple Watch Series 10 and new features for AirPods Pro 2 at the ‘It’s Glowtime’ event on Monday in California. The company has added groundbreaking health features to its newly-launched Apple Watch which will deliver sleep apnea notifications, while its AirPods Pro 2 will feature the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience. “With Apple Watch, we continue to offer our users the ability to uncover important health conditions with new sleep apnea notifications. And on AirPods Pro, powerful features put users’ hearing health front and centre, bringing new ways to help test for and receive assistance for hearing loss,” said Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple’s vice president of Health, in a statement. The sleep apnea d...

National strategies aimed at preventing suicide should include measures to address social issues to prevent people from reaching "crisis point," even as clinical services for those in crisis are critical, argue authors of a new six-paper series published in The Lancet Public Health journal.The international team of authors, including those from the Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, called for a change in the narrative around suicide -- to move away from presenting it as a purely mental health issue and acknowledge the impact of social risk factors, such as poverty, domestic violence, addictions and isolation.This was particularly relevant for India, which released the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in November 2022, and grounded most of its proposed solutions within the m...

Sports-related concussions (SRC) may not be linked to long-term cognitive problems for non-professional players, according to a study on Wednesday.   The research, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (JNNP), showed that people who reported having any SRC in their lives performed marginally better cognitively than those with no concussion history. In fact, participants who had sustained SRC actually performed better cognitively in some domains than those who had never had a concussion, suggesting that sports activity may have preventive effects. Led by researchers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, an international team from the US, and the UK analysed data from over 15,000 participants aged 50 to 90. The research aimed to comprehend cogniti...

Night owls -- a person who is habitually active or wakeful at night -- tend to have a higher body mass index (BMI), larger waists, and more hidden body fat and thus are almost 50 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D) than those who go to bed earlier, shows new research on Monday. Previous studies have indicated that late chronotype -- people who prefer to go to bed late and wake up late -- live an unhealthy lifestyle, and are at higher risk of obesity and metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes. The new study showed that a late chronotype had a 46 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes, which suggests that the increased risk of T2D can`t be explained by lifestyle alone. "We believe that other mechanisms are also at play," said lead researcher Dr. Jeroen van de...

People suffering from poor gut health with constipation and nausea for a long period may signal the risk of developing Parkinson`s disease, according to a study that shows the neurological disorder may begin in the gut and not the brain.  Parkinson`s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It affects an estimated 8.5 million people worldwide; and is majorly characterised by tremors, stiffness, and loss of balance. The study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, found that a history of damage to the lining of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract has a 76 per cent higher chance of developing Parkinson`s. Trisha S. Pasricha, a neurogastroenterologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US noted that science is yet to completely unravel how the gut ...

The rising consumption of processed and packaged food in India will likely affect health outcomes and policies may be required to regulate the nutritional content of these foods and promote healthier alternatives, a government paper has stressed.  According to the paper, titled ‘Changes in India’s Food Consumption and Policy Implications,’ by the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the Prime Minister, across regions and consumption classes, “we observe a significant increase in the share of household expenditure on served and packaged processed food”. This increase was universal across the classes but more pronounced for the country`s top 20 per cent of households and significantly more in urban areas. “While food processing is a growth sector and a significant creator of jobs, this risi...

Limiting the use of mobile phones in making and taking calls may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, according to a top neurologist. Taking to social media platform X, Dr. Sudhir Kumar from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said that limiting mobile phone use, along with other healthy lifestyle measures may be good for boosting heart health. “It is useful to limit the duration of taking and making calls in order to reduce the risk of CVDs,” said Kumar. “Ensure good sleep and minimise psychological stress,” he added, while also suggesting to quit smoking. He said this citing a recent Chinese study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, which showed an increased association between mobile phone use and heart diseases like stroke, coronary artery disease, atrial fibri...

Regular consumption of junk food -- rich in sugar, salt, and fat -- hampers micronutrient absorption in the body and leads to nutrient deficiencies, affecting overall health, said experts on Saturday. National Nutrition Week is observed annually from September 1 to September 7. The theme this year is ‘Nutritious Diets for Everyone’. A nutritional deficiency occurs when the body doesn`t get enough of a nutrient from food or has trouble absorbing it. Junk foods typically lack the necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber that facilitate proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Deficiencies can affect digestion, and bone growth, cause skin disorders, anaemia, dementia, nervous system damage, and more. “Consuming junk foods regularly can significantly hinder micronutrient absorption, leadin...