Health

If you are under high stress, following a Mediterranean diet -- rich in fruits and veggies, nuts and legumes -- may help, according to a research. The research by a team from Binghamton University, State University of New York compared the Mediterranean diet versus the traditional Western diet to understand how diet influences stress. Stress can be a precursor to mental distress, said Lina Begdache, Associate Professor of health and wellness studies, adding that the findings show people can lower their perception of how much stress they can tolerate by following a Mediterranean diet. Begdache said the study, published in Nutrition and Health, "demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet lowers mental distress". It "may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived ...

A new investigational drug, nipocalimab, has shown promising results in altering the standard treatment for Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN), potentially delaying or preventing anemia and reducing the need for intrauterine blood transfusions in high-risk pregnancies.  HDFN is a severe condition where the blood types of a mother and her foetus are incompatible, leading to life-threatening anemia in the baby. Currently, treatment typically involves multiple ultrasound-guided intrauterine blood transfusions, which carry risks like fetal death, premature rupture of membranes, and pre-term birth. “If further studies support using nipocalimab to treat HDFN, it will make treating the foetus in these pregnancies safer and easier for pregnant moms,” said Dr. Kenneth Moise Jr. a ...

Increased use of social media and digital interactions are affecting the mental health of more young girls in India than boys, according to an expert.  Late childhood and adolescence are the age groups when personality starts developing and gradually solidifying before getting further established in the early 20s. Dr. Rakesh K Chadda, HoD, Psychiatry, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad said advances in technology are making adolescents and young adults aged between 15-25, vulnerable to developing mental health challenges. He blamed it on “the rise of information technology, particularly the increased use of social media and digital interactions” for the negative impact on health, especially mental well-being. It is because the overuse of technology has diminished physical activity and exercise...

Increasing heat wave conditions due to climate change may be detrimental to the health of people with diabetes -- about 537 million adults worldwide, according to a study. A team of endocrinologists and researchers from the University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Queen Mary University of London argued that as climate change is increasing seasonal temperatures and causing more frequent heat waves, understanding their effects, especially on diabetics, has become more crucial than ever. Hormones play a role in nearly all biological functions -- controlling processes such as conservation of body water, sweating, and heat generation from cell metabolism -- yet the influence of environmental factors on hormone release and action is not well characterised...

Indian wrestler and Paris Olympics 2024 finalist Vinesh Phogat has reportedly been disqualified by the IOC from playing her final match against US wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt after it was found that she was 100 gm overweight in her 50 kilos category. The decision has left many Indians disappointed as it would have been India’s first chance at getting a gold or silver in this Olympics. Unfortunately, the dream seems unachievable, and worse for Phogat who has dealt with a lot in the last one year. In one of the most notable protests in Indian sports history, she along with other wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia organised a protest against the Wrestling Federation of India’s president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and coaches for allegedly sexually harassing female wrestlers for years. Th...

Is your brain in a dilemma wondering if you should go for exercise or instead have those tasty extra fries? A study released by Swiss researchers on Tuesday may finally provide your answer.  Until now, science has had no idea what happens in our brain when we make this decision. Researchers at ETH Zurich have uncovered a key factor in the brain`s decision-making process when it comes to this particular decision. Scientists discovered that the chemical messenger orexin and its neurons may be transferable to humans, explaining why some resist temptations and maintain regular physical activity. Researchers found that mice with a blocked orexin system preferred a milkshake over exercise, while those with an intact orexin system spent more time on the running wheel and less time at the milks...

New findings show that all plants contain essential amino acids, countering the common but mistaken belief that plants lack one or more amino acids, giving them major health advantages over animal-based proteins, a belief that has long been held but has been finally demolished. “Plant-based proteins are associated with reduced mortality compared with animal proteins,” says Dr. Neal Barnard, adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. A major Harvard University study showed that when plant-based proteins are consumed instead of protein from beef, poultry, fish, dairy products, or eggs, mortality is reduced, as far as statistics are concerned. Long-term, high protein-high meat diets may cause bone and calcium...

Human miscarriages could finally be decoded by their mammalian counterparts, horses, shows a new study.  A study of horses, which share significant similarities with humans in chromosomes and pregnancies, revealed that 42 per cent of miscarriages and spontaneous abortions in the first two months of pregnancy were due to complications from an extra set of chromosomes, a condition called triploidy. “Over that embryonic period (up to eight weeks from conception), triploidy had rarely been reported in mammals outside of women,” said Mandi de Mestre, professor of equine medicine at Cornell University. “The study tells us that over the first six weeks of gestation, this will likely be the primary cause of pregnancy loss following natural conception,” said De Mestre who is the corresponding au...

Doctors at a private hospital in Hyderabad have successfully operated on a woman and son, suffering from aortic aneurysms. In what is claimed to be extremely rare case, the woman inherited the heart condition from her mother and the same was passed on to both her sons. Although such conditions can occur due to genetic factors, the occurrence of the extremely rare Marfan Syndrome is even rarer, affecting only 0.19 people per 100,000. Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Vishal V. Khante said mother and son were successfully treated with surgery at Kamineni Hospital, where the doctors replaced the aneurysmal aorta with an artificial one, saving their lives. According to doctors, this family is significantly tall and faces various issues. Their bones and ligaments are weak, and they have pro...

Employers must provide better support to breastfeeding mothers who return to work, said health experts on Monday, as part of the ongoing World Breastfeeding Week. World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August every year, supported by WHO and UNICEF. The theme for 2024 is Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby`s life. Breastfeeding plays a significant role in promoting a child`s health due to its many benefits for both the baby and the mother. Breast milk provides the perfect balance of nutrients essential for the growth and development of the baby. It is easier to digest and offers emotional security. Babies who are breastfed tend to have higher IQs and be...