Health

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...

Childhood obesity is one of the leading and steadily increasing health concerns, experts said on Sunday.  With a large segment of the population falling in the younger age group, childhood obesity is a growing concern that could lead to significant health problems in adulthood. Addressing the rising issue of childhood obesity in India, experts emphasise the long-term health risks associated with it and the need for early intervention. Initiatives like school-based education and healthy meal programs are crucial in managing and preventing obesity. Lifestyle changes remain the primary tool so that adulthood risks can be managed, with bariatric surgery remaining an option for more serious/specific cases. "Childhood obesity is a significant problem in our country, given our large young popu...

Losing just an hour of sleep at night may be harmful to health and lead to problems with memory and focus, according to an expert. The human body requires an optimum sleep duration of 7-8 hours per night. But when people do not get adequate sleep, “it results in various problems, such as poor attention, focus, concentration and memory,” said Dr Sudhir Kumar from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, in a post on X. “Losing just one hour of sleep could take up to four days of time to recover,” he added. He noted that poor sleep also increases the risk of headaches, anxiety and stress. People deprived of sleep are more likely to make “poor decisions, and have driving errors, leading to more vehicle crashes”. In addition, “sleep deprivation is associated with higher risk of diabetes...

Sleeping habits play a key role in physical and mental health. In addition to a compromise in recommended rest levels, insufficient sleep and unmanaged sleep schedules can cause or exacerbate other health issues. Sleep is a critical component of maintaining overall health, particularly for people managing diabetes or at risk of it. In a conversation with mid-day.com, Dr. David Chandy, Consultant and Section Co-ordinator - Endocrinology, Sir HN Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, explains how sleep affects blood sugar and why maintaining good sleep hygiene is essential. Link between sleep and blood sugar Sleep and blood sugar levels are closely interconnected. During sleep, your body undergoes various processes, including the regulation of hormones that affect blood sugar. For instance, insulin, ...

US researchers have found how obesity impacts muscle structure in patients with a form of heart failure called "heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)".  HFpEF is responsible for more than half of all heart failure worldwide. It also has quite high hospitalisation and death rates (30-40 per cent over 5 years). While it used to be generally associated with having high blood pressure and excess muscle growth (hypertrophy), in the last 20 years, HFpEF has been occurring more often in patients with severe obesity and diabetes. Even as both obesity and diabetes are rising globally, understanding the underlying causes of the diseases is critical, said researchers from Johns Hopkins University. For the study, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, the team ...

If you are looking to limit your calorie intake, skipping the dip with salty snacks may help, suggests a study.  The latest study conducted at the Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center in the US investigated how eating behaviour changes when consumers are served a dip with a salty snack. The findings showed that people who ate chips and dip together had a 77 per cent greater caloric intake and a faster total eating rate compared to those who just had chips. However, there was no difference in chip intake, revealed the study, forthcoming in the journal Food Quality and Preference. John Hayes, professor of food science and director of the Center said that "people didn`t eat fewer chips when dip was available -- they ate the same amount of chips, plus the dip". This means that "adding dip...