Health

Love to binge on savoury snacks, ready meals, and sugar or artificially-sweetened beverages? Beware, every 10 per cent intake of these ultra-processed foods (UPF) may raise your risk of type 2 diabetes by 17 per cent, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Europe on Monday. Importantly, the study showed that the risk can be lowered by consuming less-processed foods instead, said researchers from the University College London (UCL), University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. To investigate the relationship between the degree of food processing and diabetes risk the team included 311,892 individuals from eight European countries in the study. They were followed over 10.9 years on average, during which time 14,236 people developed diabetes. In the top 25 pe...

While the importance of exercise in stroke rehabilitation cannot be overstated, experts on Saturday affirmed that short bursts of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) could be more effective than continuous moderate physical exercise.  When a stroke occurs, blood flow to the brain is disrupted, leading to damage that can impact physical and cognitive functions. Exercise plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation process by promoting neuroplasticity, where the brain reorganises itself to recover lost functions. HIIT involves repeated one-minute bursts of intense exercise followed by short recovery periods. Use of a stationary bike, treadmill, bodyweight, kettlebell, dumbbells, or jumping rope are some examples of HIIT workouts. “HIIT represents a paradigm shift in rehabilitation, part...

A diet low in carbohydrates could be beneficial for children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes, claimed a study.  People suffering from Type 1 diabetes -- an autoimmune disease that results in the loss of beta cell mass -- have insulin deficiency and hence need lifelong insulin therapy. Researchers from Charles University and Motol University Hospital in the Czech Republic showed that a short-term low-carbohydrate diet led to an improvement in glycemic parameters. To achieve optimal metabolic control, T1D requires frequent insulin administration and daily control of carbohydrate intake and physical activity. While the targets are often missed, especially in children and adolescents, dietary interventions can be a promising way to achieve the goal, said the team. A low carbohydrate ...

A team of doctors here successfully performed a complex, emergency surgery to save the life of a critically premature baby boy with Amyand’s hernia -- a rare condition where the appendix is located in the groin.  “It is only the fourth case of its kind in medical history in the world,” said SRM Global Hospitals in a statement on Thursday. The boy, born at just 28 weeks to Manju, a housewife, and Moorthy who works as a daily wage laborer, underwent surgery on the 23rd day after his birth while under general anesthesia. “The newborn had been in the Neonatal ICU since birth. The baby developed obstructed right inguinoscrotal swelling on the 23rd day. We had to do emergency surgery, as the condition was life-threatening,” said Dr. Saravana Balaji, from the hospital. Balaji explained that a...

A team of doctors at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Bhopal performed a complex and life-saving surgery on an eight-year-old child suffering from rib cancer.  Initially, the doctors applied chemotherapy to kill growing cells, however, the child’s condition was worsening and the cancer in the ribs continued to spread. Notably, chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than other cells in the body. Seeing the child’s condition worsening, the medical team decided to proceed with the complex surgery. The surgery was performed, however, the next challenge for the medical team was to fill the gap in the ribs. For that, the medical team developed a new chest wall using a novel chest wall reconstruction technique. “Thi...

Immediate treatment is crucial to warding off sepsis -- a life-threatening emergency caused by a dysregulated host immune response to an infection, said experts on World Sepsis Day on Friday. World Sepsis Day takes place annually on September 13 and is aimed at raising awareness of the devastating condition that claims millions of lives globally each year. In 2020 alone, there were 48.9 million sepsis cases globally, leading to 11 million deaths -- representing 20 per cent of all global deaths. The burden is particularly heavy in low- and middle-income countries, where 85 per cent of sepsis-related deaths occur. In India, there were an alarming 11.3 million cases and 2.9 million deaths in 2020, underscoring the urgent need for improved prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatme...

Love to lather your children with lotion to keep their skin hydrated? Beware, a new study has linked personal care products like lotions and conditioners with increased levels of chemicals known to cause hormonal disruptions in their bodies. The study, published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Health Perspectives Journal, showed that lotions, hair-care products like shampoos and conditioners, and sunscreens contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates, posing severe health risks in children. A team of researchers led by George Mason University, in the US, examined urine samples of children aged between 4 and 8 years from 2017 to 2019, and found increased levels of mono-benzyl phthalate, Monoethyl phthalate, monobutyl phthalate. These chemicals cause hormonal changes in me...

Ganesh Chaturthi is a time of celebration for many but with festivities come a lot of song, dance and music too. With a vibrant atmosphere filled with loud music throughout the city to honour Bappa and seek his blessings, experts say it is important to be aware of the effect of loud sounds. The joy of celebrations can quickly become distressing, as the high volume of sounds during the festivities poses a risk of ear damage for 20 per cent of individuals. Many may experience noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), discomfort, pain, or ringing in their ears. To safeguard your hearing and enjoy the celebrations without issues, it`s advisable to limit exposure to loud sounds by using noise-canceling headphones or ear muffs and distancing yourself from the source of loud sound. Ganeshotsav is celeb...

Including fungal pathogens is crucial in the fight against deadly antimicrobial resistance, which is rapidly becoming a public health threat worldwide, according to a study published in The Lancet journal on Friday.  The study, led by scientists at the universities of Manchester in the UK, Amsterdam, and the Westerdijk Institute in the Netherlands, showed that most fungal pathogens identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) are either already resistant or rapidly acquiring resistance to antifungal drugs. These fungal pathogens account for around 3.8 million deaths a year. The study, which comes ahead of the UN meeting on AMR later this month, calls for including resistance developed in many fungal pathogens to curb AMR. The scientists argued that focussing on bacteria alone will...

If you are suffering from chronic pain in your body, it may be time to actively work towards losing that belly or abdominal fat, suggests research on Wednesday. Reducing belly fat may help reduce chronic musculoskeletal pain particularly if it’s at multiple body sites, especially in women, revealed the study, published in the open-access journal Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Musculoskeletal pain, which affects about 1.71 billion people globally, affects bones, joints, ligaments, tendons or muscles. Previously published research has shown that obesity is associated with musculoskeletal pain, but it’s unknown if excess fat tissue is linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain at multiple body sites, said researchers from the universities of Tasmania and Monash in Australia. “Abdomina...