Risk Factors for Recurrence of Depression

Depression is a common mental health disorder that negatively affects daily functioning and quality of life. Unfortunately, depression is often a recurrent disorder.

Current treatment guidelines are based on clinical features of the disease, but new evidence points to sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics that influence the severity and prognosis of depression. 

Specifically, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal highlights smoking and a feeling of lack of control over one’s life as significant predictors of a negative long-term prognosis of depression. 

The population-based survey evaluated nearly 600 people aged 16 or older who participated in a national health survey. The national survey included more than 17,000 participants, and the subjects in this evaluation were those who had reported a major depressive episode in the first year of the survey. The participants were followed for six years. 

More than half (64.5%) of the participants were women, and, at baseline, the average age of the group was approximately 39 years. Most of the participants were white (91.7%) and earned a middle to high income (81.5%). Nearly two-thirds had achieved greater than a high school education. Over the follow-up period, slightly more than half (55.3%) of the survey population experienced repeated episodes of depression. 

The authors evaluated numerous physical, emotional, psychological, social, and demographic characteristics of the participants to examine their association with depressive episodes. Daily smoking and low mastery (feeling that life circumstances are beyond one’s control) were significant predictors of recurrent depression. 

A history of depression, which is already a well-established risk factor for future episodes of depression, was also significantly related to recurrent depressive episodes in this study. The association between risk factors and depressive episodes varied with the severity of depression. Due to the nature of the study and the small sample size, the direction of effect and causal mechanisms are unclear. However, interventions that promote smoking cessation and increase mastery may provide positive mental health outcomes. 

Smoking cessation has obvious health benefits, and high levels of mastery are linked to regular physical activity, a healthy diet, decreased metabolic risk factors, and a decreased risk of death from cardiovascular factors. In fact, high levels of mastery at baseline were protective against recurrent episodes of depression in this population.

 Smoking and mastery are simple and straightforward to assess in routine clinical practice. According to the authors of the current study, these novel prognostic factors may offer new avenues for treatment of depression and prevention of recurrent depressive episodes.

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Posted in: depression gist,health gist,Risk Factors for Recurrence of Depression

Eating less 'can boost your brain and help you remember more'

Eating less could help you remember more, researchers have found. Skipping dessert and having an after-dinner coffee instead could also be good for your brain, as well as your waistline. The news comes from an Italian study into ‘calorific restriction’ – the idea that near-starvation rations boost health and extend life. 

Scientists have long known of the phenomenon, but have struggled to work out just what it is about severely cutting calories that improves health. Researcher Giovambattista Pani decided to focus on a protein called CREB1 that is known to be important to memory and learning. 

In experiments on mice, he showed that cutting calories boosted learning if the animals could still make CREB1. He also showed that cutting calories boosts the amount of the protein made in the brain. The animals’ calorie count was only cut by 25 to 30 per cent. In human terms, this equates to about 600 calories a day. 

 A cup of tea or coffee may also be beneficial, with studies crediting caffeine with upping the amount of CREB1 made in the body. The research could help explain why residents of Okinawa island in Japan have more people over 100 years old per 100,000 population than anywhere else in the world. 

The Okinawans eat fewer calories than the average person due to the cultural practice of Hara Hachi Bu - eating until you are 80 per cent full. This is through to reduce the number of free radicals produced leading to a healthier heart. The work by Dr Pani, of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome is detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Pani said: ‘It is just 25 to 30 per cent fewer calories. It is like not eating a cake at the end of the meal. 

‘This gives us a tool to better investigate this brain circuitry and try to figure out more drugs that do the same. ‘We are trying a couple of compounds right now on animals but it is at a very preliminary stage.’ Keeping the brain young could be of huge value in an ageing population. Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia affect more than 800,000 Britons, and the number expected to double in a generation. Dr Pani said: ‘Our findings identify for the first time an important mediator of the effects of diet on the brain. 

‘This discovery has important implications to develop future therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the ageing process. ‘Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through new drugs, so to keep the brain young without the need of a strict diet.’

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Posted in: eating habits,Eating less 'can boost your brain and help you remember more'

Loud iPods overtake noisy workplaces as most common cause of hearing damage

Loud iPods overtake noisy workplaces as most common cause of hearing damage Millions of commuters risk hearing damage because they have set the volume level too high on their MP3 players. In the past, loud workplaces were blamed for causing the majority of harmful noise. 

However, researchers at Michigan University in the US found that noise from MP3 players has overtaken as the biggest danger to hearing. Occupational health experts found nine out of 10 people using public transport were exposed to excessive noise through listening to loud music through their headphones, rather than from the environment. 

This could be because cheap headphones fail to seal against the ear properly, causing commuters to turn up the volume to block out exterior noise. The resulting tinny noise can drive fellow passengers up the wall. Professor Rick Neitzel, who co-authored the study, said: 'It's startling that two in three people get the majority of noise exposure from music.

'I've always viewed the workplace as a primary risk for noise exposure. But this would suggest that just focusing our efforts on the workplace isn't enough, since there's lots of noise exposure happening elsewhere. 'It's a serious problem as there aren't really any other experiences where we would tolerate having nine out of 10 people exposed at a level we know is hazardous. We certainly wouldn't tolerate this with something that caused cancer or chronic disease. Yet for some reason we do for noise.' 

 Researchers looked at noise exposure among 4,500 New Yorkers who used public transport, in work and non-work related activities, MP3 player and stereo use and during domestic activities. They found the average New York public transport user spent about 380 hours using buses and trains, exposed to average noise levels of 72 to 81 decibels. For comparison, the average speaking level is 60 decibels, a busy street corner is 80, a circular saw is 90, a baby crying 115. 

The threshold for pain is about 125, and even a brief, one-time exposure above that level can cause permanent hearing loss. Prof Neitzel said: 'Lots of people appear to be exposed at hazardous levels. 'A growing number of studies show noise causes stress, sleep disturbance, and heart disease. It may be the noise which we haven't historically paid much attention to is actually contributing to some of the top health problems in developed countries today.'

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Posted in: health gist,hearing gist,Loud iPods overtake noisy workplaces as most common cause of hearing damage

Young mother, 20, dies after taking 'a few extra paracetamol' to help cope with br*ast surgery pain

A young mother died from liver failure following routine surgery after she took 'a few extra tablets' of paracetamol each day to cope with the pain.

Desiree Phillips, 20, had a number of benign lumps on her br*ast removed earlier this year.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics and over-the-counter paracetamol to help her cope with the discomfort.

Her family suspected she was taking just ‘a few extra tablets’ a day before she was admitted to hospital with a failing liver nine days after the operation.

The single mother, from Llanelli, South Wales, endured a week of excruciating pain and a liver transplant. But she died at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth hospital on August 26.

Her grandfather Des Phillips and mother Ayshea spoke of their shock and sorrow.

Mr Phillips, 58, a chef, said: ‘She must have been taking a few extra tablets than the recommended eight a day. She seemed fine to us, then out of the blue her boyfriend found her stretched out on the sofa.

‘When we heard she was at hospital we never expected she might die. People don’t realise that an extra two over a period of time can harm your liver if you keep taking that over two to three weeks.’

He added:'We have lost part of our heart, losing her like this.'

.

Mr Phillips said: ‘They said she should have a liver transplant straight away but her body rejected the new organ.’

Although an inquest is yet to be held, Desiree’s family is keen for action to be taken to try to prevent similar tragedies.

Mr Phillips said: ‘If a painkiller is that dangerous, it should be prescribed. Cigarettes have a label saying “smoking kills” but paracetamol packets don’t look dangerous.’

Desiree’s family said her one-year-old son Jayden is now being cared for by his father Simon Dewi-Jones.

Desiree’s mother Ayshea, 38, added: ‘Jayden doesn’t deserve to be growing up without a mum because of this.’

The 20-year-old's funeral was held at Llanelli Crematorium yesterday.

Dr Kenneth Simpson, of the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit, who led a study on paracetamol-induced liver injury in 663 patients, says 161 of them had taken a ‘staggered overdose’ – taking one or two too many over several days.

‘Those who’ve taken a staggered overdose do worse, paradoxically, than the people who’ve tried to kill themselves,’ said Dr Simpson.

A Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesman said: ‘Paracetamol is a safe and effective painkiller when used correctly and when dosage recommendations are followed.

‘Every pack has a warning about overdose and instructions not to take more than eight tablets in any 24-hour period.’

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Posted in: 20,dies after taking 'a few extra paracetamol' to help cope with br*ast surgery pain,health gist,Young mother

Why fish makes the best baby food - it halves wheezing in young children

Eating salmon and cod could prevent the onset of breathing problems among young children according to scientists.

A study revealed that babies who were fed fish before they were nine months old were half as likely to report wheezing later in life compared to those who weren't.

It is hoped the findings will encourage parents to reassess their children's eating habits.

Each child's diet was assessed along with their health at six months, 12 months and four and a half years.

This is the latest piece of research, set to be published in the December issue of the Acta Paediatrica journal, lauding the positive effects of fish for children.

The NHS recommends that adults should include at least two portions of fish in their diet a week as it is a good source of protein, vitamins and rich in omega-3 fatty acids that can benefit the heart.

In 2009 another team of Swedish researchers discovered that babies whose mothers consumed fish oil during pregnancy were 16 per cent less likely to develop eczema and a 13 per cent less likely to develop food allergies.

In the UK, 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma - a condition more common in women than men.

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Posted in: baby gist,fish gist,health tips,healthy diet

Warning over hidden danger of taking too much Paracetamol

Taking too much paracetamol in pills and cold remedies could kill you, warn British researchers.

Victims of ‘staggered’ overdoses often fail to realise the amount they are taking could be fatal over a few days, they say.

Experts have also pointed out, however, that many of us will be taking paracetamol or combination remedies containing the drug this winter to combat colds and flu, and that it is a safe and effective painkiller when the correct amount is taken.

A study shows the risk of dying from liver failure is higher from accidental overdose than deliberate suicide attempts.

This is because people report feeling unwell to GPs or accident and emergency departments without knowing the cause, making it difficult to diagnose and treat in time.

In the study, a team led by Dr Kenneth Simpson analysed data from 663 patients who had been admitted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary between 1992 and 2008 with liver damage caused by paracetamol.

They found 161 people with an average age of 40 had taken a staggered overdose, usually to relieve stomach and back pain, headache or toothache.

Two out of five died from liver failure – a higher fatality rate than recorded for deliberate overdosing, says a report in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Dr Simpson, of Edinburgh University and the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit, said staggered overdoses can occur when people have pain and repeatedly take a little more paracetamol than they should.

He said: ‘They haven’t taken the sort of one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up and the effect can be fatal.

‘They are often taking paracetamol for pain and they don’t keep track of how much they’ve consumed over a few days.

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Posted in: health tips,paracetamol gist,Warning over hidden danger of taking too much Paracetamol

Chicken and eggs can boost your memory: Scientists discover nutrient that may slow down ageing of the brain

This may be the first time you've heard of it, but diets rich in choline may help protect your brain from the affects of ageing.

The nutrient from the B vitamin family is found in foods like chicken, eggs and saltwater fish as well as legumes such as kidney beans.

Researchers at Boston University found people who got plenty of choline in their diets performed better on memory tests and were less likely to show brain changes associated with dementia.

The findings add to evidence that your lifetime diet may make a difference in how your brain ages, said senior researcher Dr Rhoda Au.

However, she cautioned against looking to any one nutrient as a magic bullet against dementia.

'I think the message is that eating a healthy, balanced diet in mid-life is important,' she said.

Previous research has found a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes fish, vegetables and olive oil, might have a protective effect.

For the latest study, Dr Au combed through the results from a long-running heart health survey.

Nearly 1,400 adults aged 36 to 83 answered dietary questionnaires between 1991 and 1995. Then, between 1998 and 2001, they underwent tests of memory and other cognitive abilities and had MRI brain scans.

Want to lose weight? Why you should kick-start a health plan with exercise BEFORE you change your diet

The study found, men and women in the top quarter for choline intake performed better on the memory tests than those in the bottom quarter.

This held true even when factors including education and fat and calorie intake were taken into consideration.

People with higher choline intake at the outset were also less likely to show areas of 'white-matter hyperintensity' in their MRI brain scans.

Those age-related areas are thought to be a sign of blood vessel disease in the brain, which may signal a heightened risk of stroke or, eventually, dementia.

Dr Au said people who didn't consume much choline would not notice an 'appreciable difference' day to day.

However, she said the findings suggest that people with lower choline intakes were more likely to be on a 'pathway' toward mental decline than their counterparts with higher intakes.

While the study does not conclusively prove choline protects the memory there is reason to believe that choline matters. The nutrient is a precursor to the brain chemical acetylcholine, which plays a key role in memory and other cognitive functions; low acetylcholine levels are associated with Alzheimer's.

Experts generally recommend that men get 550mg of choline per day, while women should get 425mg.

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Posted in: chicken and egg gist,Chicken and eggs can boost your memory,health tips,healthy diet

7 easy ways to boost your immune system

Your body’s immune system is more powerful than you probably imagine.

How powerful, you ask? Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania recently took immune cells from three patients with leukemia, then genetically altered them into “serial killer” cells, designed to attack one tumor cell, then another and another.

The study was small and the treatment experimental, but the results were groundbreaking—two patients went into complete remission, and the other had a dramatic antitumor response. The modified immune system cells multiplied at least 1,000 times in the body, wiped out cancer cells, and stimulated a population of “memory” cells that may protect against recurrences.

Could this treatment work for other types of cancer? Maybe. Much, much (much) more research is needed, but this study suggests that with the right kind of prodding, your immune system can fight ridiculously hard-to-battle toplady killersand keep you healthy.

Granted, gene therapy is pretty serious prodding, but there are relatively simple steps you should take every day to strengthen your immune system, especially as we head into the sniffle season. Some of the best:

7 Surprising Signs Your Immune System Needs a Boost

1. Eat lean protein at every meal. No one food will magically fend off the flu, but certain nutrients take the lead in helping protect your body from billions of bacteria, viruses, and other germs—and protein is one of them.

One of the reasons is that the antibodies that help fight disease are actually made of protein. Another reason: Many foods high in protein also contain other immune-boosting nutrients. Lean cuts of beef and pork, as well as protein from beans, soy, and seafood (particularly oysters and crab), contain zinc—a mineral that helps up the production of infection-fighting white blood cells; even mild zinc deficiencies can increase your susceptibility to infections.

Nuts, like almonds and cashews, are also good sources of protein, as well as magnesium, both of which help support a healthy immune system.

2. Shoot for 5 cups of fruits and veggies a day. Almost any kind is good, but if you’re going to pick and choose, opt for the ones rich in vitamins A, C, and E. Here’s why: Vitamin A (which you get from sweet potatoes, carrots, and dark leafy greens) helps white blood cells fight off infections more effectively; it also helps regulate the immune system.

Citrus fruits (like lemons, oranges, and grapefruit), as well as bell peppers, papayas, and broccoli, contain vitamin C, which improves the absorption of iron from plant-based foods and helps the immune system protect against disease. And vitamin E, found in nuts, seeds, and turnip greens, has been shown in scientific studies to combat flu and upper respiratory infections.

If you eat a variety of greens (and oranges and yellows and reds) as part of a balanced diet, you’ll get all the good stuff you need to help fight disease. Taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement may help in some cases, but talk to your doctor—sometimes too-high doses of certain minerals can cause imbalances and actually suppress your immune response.

25 Best Foods For Your Health

3. Take a 10-minute walk a few times a day. Getting a total of 20 to 30 minutes of daily physical activity can bolster many defenses of the immune system. Exercise gets antibodies and white blood cells moving through the body faster, so they may detect illnesses sooner; plus, an increase in circulation may also trigger the release of hormones that “warn” immune cells of intruding pathogens.

Keep your workouts moderate; high-intensity activity, such as a marathon running or intense gym training, could actually decrease the amount of white blood cells circulating through the body and up your risk of illness.

14 Fat-Blasting Walking Workouts

4. Get your vitamin D levels checked. About 50 nmol/L is generally enough to maintain overall health; less than 30 nmol/L is too low for most people.

New research suggests vitamin D could boost immune response, and too-low levels may be linked to an increase in seasonal colds and flu. Many of us are deficient in vitamin D, which we can get from the sun and very few foods. Talk to your doctor; you may need a supplement to boost your numbers.

Slash Your Risk Of Heart Disease 92 percent

5. Reduce your stress levels. Do yoga, play with your dog, listen to music—find ways to chill out because research shows stressalters how well your immune system works.

Preliminary research published in the journal Biological Psychiatryexamined two groups of people—caregivers of family members with cancer and individuals without that type of stress. The scientists found something goes awry in the caregivers’ white blood cells, leaving them less responsive to inflammation and raising their risk of illness.

Slim Down With Yoga

6. Cook with olive and canola oils. These contain healthy fats, which act as a lubricant for cells. This lubricant improves flexibility and communication between the cells, which promotes immune function.

Just be careful that you’re not consuming too many omega-6 fats in the meantime: Research shows that people who consume disproportionately more 6s (found in the soybean oil used in most processed snack foods) than 3s are at higher risk for inflammation and immune system problems.

12 Ways To Lower Cholesterol Naturally

7. Limit your drinks. One is okay for most people, two is fine for some, but drinking any more could suppress the immune system. New research out of Brown University showed excessive alcohol consumption is toxic to immune system cells called dendritic cells, which play a critical role in helping seek and destroy invading microbes.

This could lead to serious, and even life-threatening, infections, not to mention increased vulnerability to the cold and flu virus.

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Posted in: 7 easy ways to boost your immune system,health tips,immune gist

Can eating too much make your stomach burst?

Someone at your Thanksgiving table will likely say some version of this tomorrow, after you've all stuffed your faces with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and the rest.

But how much would you have to eat in order for your stomach to actually burst? Is that even possible?

"Interestingly enough, you can rupture your stomach if you eat too much," says Dr. Rachel Vreeman, co-author of "Don't Cross Your Eyes ... They'll Get Stuck That Way!" and assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. "It is possible, but it's very, very rare."

A handful of reports over the years document the tales of people who literally ate themselves to death, or at least came dangerously close: Japanese doctors wrote in a 2003 case report that they believed it was a 49-year-old man's "excessive over-eating" that caused his stomach to rupture, killing him. And this 1991 case report describes a similar "spontaneous rupture" in an adult's stomach "after overindulgence in food and drink."

Normally, your stomach can hold about one or one-and-a-half liters, Vreeman says -- this is the point you may reach if you overdo it tomorrow, when you feel full to the point of nausea. Pathologists' reports seem to suggest the stomach is able to do OK handling up to about three liters, but most cases of rupture seem to occur when a person has attempted to stuff their stomach with about five liters of food or fluid. (One of the reports Vreeman came across described the sad case of a woman whose stomach contained 12 liters of stuff.)

It takes a certain amount of misguided determination to manage to override your natural gag reflex and continue to eat (and eat and eat), which is why, not surprisingly, reports of ruptured stomachs caused by overeating are most common in people with some sort of disordered eating, or limited mental capacity, Vreeman says.

"They have unusual eating habits to an extent that their bodies’ reflexes no longer respond as they normally do," Vreeman explains. "Their bodies’ reflexes have been ignored or abused for so long that they no longer vomit at the appropriate time. And then once the stomach gets to this extremely distended point, the stomach muscles are too stretched out to be strong enough to vomit the food out."

Speaking of strong stomachs, you'd best have one in order to read this next paragraph. If vomiting isn't happening, all that food and fluid still has to go somewhere. The increasing volume of stuff in the gut puts pressure on the stomach's walls, so much so that the tissue weakens and tears, sending the stomach contents into the body and causing infection and pain, Vreeman says. Surgical intervention is necessary to repair a ruptured stomach and save the patient's life.

In particular, she says, anorexics or bulimics may be at risk. In fact, Cedars-Sinai, the non-profit hospital in Los Angeles, actually lists this as a "symptom" of bulimia: "In rare cases, a person may eat so much during a binge that the stomach bursts or the esophagus tears. This can be life-threatening."

Other reported cases of spontaneous stomach rupture happen in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome, a congenital disease that is characterized by, among other things, a kind of disordered eating.

an "intense craving for food," resulting in "uncontrollable weight gain and morbid obesity." according to the National Institutes of Health. In a 2007 study examining the deaths of 152 individuals with the condition, 3 percent of those deaths were the result of gastric rupture and necrosis.

The takeaway here: This really happens, sometimes! Also: This is probably not going to happen to you.

"Even if you're starting to feel a bit sick or tired and overwhelmed from eating so much at Thanksgiving, you're still far, far away from the scenario where you're going to make your stomach actually explode," Vreeman assures.

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Posted in: Can eating too much make your stomach burst?,eating habits,healthy diet

Diabetes breakthrough could save sufferers from drawing blood by testing tears instead

Diabetics may be saved from having to draw blood several times a day to test their sugar levels after scientists found a way to use tears instead.

Diabetics have to test their blood sugar levels from two to 10 times a day by drawing a droplet of blood with a finger-prick test.
However, some people don't measure their levels often enough because of the discomfort it causes.

Now researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a sensor that can detect blood glucose levels in tears.

The study, which used rabbits as human substitutes, found glucose levels in tears correlated to glucose levels in the blood.

The researchers said in the journal Analytical Chemistry: 'Thus it may be possible to measure tear glucose levels multiple times per day to monitor blood glucose changes without the potential pain from the repeated invasive blood drawing method.'

Some type 1 diabetics must check their blood sugar levels 10 times a day
Doctors say there is a great demand for an alternative to using lancets, or pricking needles, to draw blood.

Fingers can become sensitive over time and there is always a small risk of infection.
Frequent tests are essential for people with type 1 diabetes, who can't produce the hormone insulin, needed to control blood sugar levels.

Skin prick tests are the only way to safely monitor glucose levels and will let patients know if they need an insulin injection.

If blood sugar levels fall too low, type one diabetics can develop hypoglycaemia, which can lead to coma and death if left untreated.

People with type 2 diabetes don't produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. Although it can be treated with a healthier diet and exercise it is a progressive condition and medication may be needed when the condition is more advanced.

Those with type 2 diabetes may only need to test themselves twice a week if they manage to get their sugar levels under control.

Diabetes affects 2.8 million people in the UK and 26 million people in the U.S. The majority of sufferers have type 2 of the condition.

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Posted in: crying maching for diabetes,diabetes gist

Eating Nuts Helps In Loss of Weight!

The researchers said that eating at least one ounce of raw and unpeeled nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds will help you manage your weight better. Eating nuts increased the levels of serotonin in the brain which reduces the feelings of hunger and is also beneficial to your heart.

Around 42 people took part in the study, led by Cristina Andres-Lacueva, of which 22 people followed a nut rich diet for over 12 weeks while the remaining were told to avoid nuts.

According to the study, published in the American Chemical Society Journal of Proteome Research, those who ate nuts regularly displayed increased levels of serotonin and reduced levels of substances that have been associated with heart disease and inflammation.

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Posted in: eatin g nut help in weight loss,health gist,nut gist

Children with low levels of zinc may be at higher risk of autism

Children who are low in zinc may be at higher risk of autism.

A study found that large numbers of children with autism and related conditions such as Asperger’s syndrome were deficient in the mineral, which is found in meat, bread and dairy products.

The researchers said their finding provided hope for the treatment and prevention of autism.
But British experts say it is impossible to draw any firm conclusions from the study – and people should not rush out to stock up on zinc supplements.

Autism and related conditions affect more than one in 100 British children – ten times more than just 30 years ago – but the condition is still little understood.
In the latest study, researchers in Tokyo measured levels of zinc in the hair of almost 2,000 children with autism and related conditions.

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Handful of nuts a day can help beat belly fat
This showed a ‘considerable association’ with zinc deficiency, especially in the youngest children, according to the journal Scientific Reports.


Pills: But experts warn that taking too many supplements can do more harm than good
The lowest levels were seen amongst the youngest children, with almost half of the boys and more than half of the girls aged up to the age of three judged to be deficient.
Some cases were severe, with one two-year-old boy having just one twelfth of the expected amount.

The researchers said it seems that infants need more zinc for growth and development than older children and that that lack of zinc early in life may be involved in the development of autism.

They concluded: ‘A nutritional approach may yield a novel hope for its treatment and prevention.’

But British experts in the development of the brain said that much more research is needed. And they stressed that linking something with a disease does not necessarily mean it caused it.

Professor Dorothy Bishop, of the University of Oxford, said: ‘If zinc deficiency is confirmed in future research, then it remains unclear whether this is a cause of autism, or rather reflective of dietary abnormalities.

‘Many children with autism will eat only a restricted range of foods and some have a habit of chewing on inedible objects.’

Uta Frith, of University College London, said there were weaknesses in the way the study was carried out. She said that on no account should people start medicating themselves – or their children – with zinc.
The professor told the Daily Mail: ‘It is just as bad to have too much zinc as too little.

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Posted in: health gist,zinc bebefit

How you CAN beat your 'fat genes' and lose weight... with exercise

When getting in to last season’s clothes is a struggle, it is all too easy to tell ourselves that being plump is in our genes.

But those cursed with the ‘fat gene’ are mistakenly shunning exercise in the belief they are powerless to shift those extra pounds, a study claims.

Experts have found that when it comes to our weight, we are not slaves to our genes after all.

Being active can melt away unsightly rolls of fat – even in those who have inherited DNA that makes them prone to obesity.

Their study focused on the ‘junk food gene’, a strain of DNA carried by around two-thirds of Britons which makes them crave fatty and sugary food.

Those with a flawed version of the FTO gene, as it is known, eat 100 calories more per meal than people without it. Over a week, this amounts to an extra 2,100 calories – a whole day’s food.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council’s Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge examined data on genes, weight and the exercise habits of 220,000 adults from around the world.

Like others before it, the study linked flawed FTO genes with obesity. But it also highlighted the value of exercise.

In couch-potatoes with one copy of the gene, odds of obesity were 30 per cent higher than in those who do not have it. In those who exercised, the gene only raised the odds 22 per cent.
It means exercise cuts the effect of the FTO gene by 27 per cent, the PLoS Medicine journal reports.

Those with two copies of the gene who did not exercise had a 69 per cent higher chance of obesity than those without the gene. The figure fell by 29 per cent in those who exercised.
A summary by the journal’s editors said: ‘The wider public view of genetically determined obesity not being amenable to exercise is incorrect.’

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Posted in: benefit of jogging,health gist

Two glasses of wine a day could increase br*ast cancer risk by 50 per cent

Women who drink just two glasses of wine a day are 50 per cent more likely to get br*ast cancer than those who don’t drink at all, a major study has found.

Even those who indulge in only three or four glasses of wine over an entire week – well within the Government’s recommended limits – are putting themselves at risk.

Researchers also warn that women who drink regularly in their 20s and 30s are far more likely to develop the illness in later life, regardless of whether they subsequently cut back.

The Government recommends that women should drink no more than 14 units a week, which is about seven medium glasses of wine or 14 measures of spirits.

But this study found that even half this amount – seven units a week – could raise the risk of br*ast cancer by 15 per cent.

And women who drank nearly four units daily – two glasses of wine – increased the likelihood by 50 per cent.

Researchers at Harvard University and Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, looked at the records of 105,986 women aged 30 to 55 who completed surveys on their current drinking habits and how much they drank when they were younger.

Over a period of nearly 30 years they monitored how many of the women developed br*ast cancer.

Their findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, show that women who drank nearly four units a day were 50 per cent more at risk than teetotallers.

Those who drank less than this amount but at least two and a half units daily were 28 per cent more at risk.

Women who drank between just over one unit and two and a half units daily were 15 per cent more at risk.

The study also found that women who drank two and a half units a day for a period of five years at any point between the ages of 18 and 40 were a third more likely to get the illness, even if they later cut down.

Br*ast cancer is by far the most common form of the illness in women and statistics show that one in eight will develop it at some point in their lives. Around 48,000 new cases are diagnosed in the UK every year and the majority of sufferers are over 50.

Scientists think that alcohol raises levels of the female s*x hormone oestrogen, which is believed to trigger the growth of tumours.

Professor Karol Sikora, cancer specialist and medical director of the private cancer clinic company CancerPartnersUK, said: ‘The relationship between alcohol intake and br*ast cancer is very complex.

‘We’ve known for some years now that even small amounts of alcohol can change hormone patterns. But not all women are equally affected. This very large study from a much-respected source suggested that just a few glasses of wine a week increases br*ast cancer risk significantly throughout adult life.’

Sarah Williams, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘This study adds to already strong evidence that drinking even small amounts of alcohol increases the risk of br*ast cancer.

‘Cutting down on alcohol can reduce the chance of developing br*ast cancer – as can keeping a healthy weight and being physically active.

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Posted in: br*ast cancer tip.

Nurse hopes to have world's first baby from a transplant womb donated by her own MOTHER

An intensive care nurse is so desperate to have a baby she has decided to undergo a womb transplant from her own mother. 

It means that should the operation be successful her child would be born from the same uterus from which she herself was born.

Melinda Arnold, 34, from Melbourne in Australia, was born without a womb but has ovaries that produce eggs. 

Her mother's age has not been disclosed, however she would only be accepted as a viable womb donor if she was pre-menopausal. The average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 52. Melinda and her husband Andrew were devastated after two attempts to use her mother as a surrogate and one attempt using a friend failed. 

They said attempts to have an interstate adoption had also come to nothing. 'Becoming a mother is something that has always been in me,' Mrs Arnold told the Herald Sun. 'It is ingrained in me. It is who I am. 

That's why I have gone into the work I have, as a neonatal intensive care nurse, so I could channel that passion into helping other mothers and their babies.' Now her own mother Denise Allen, says she is prepared to go under the knife to give her daughter one more chance. 

'People looking at her (Melinda) would never know the heartache that she carries about, but I see the chink,' Ms Allen told the Australian Sunday Telegraph. 'I also know that if anyone can do this, my daughter can.

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Posted in: health tip for women,Woman with monuopause expecting baby

Garra rufa fish can spread HIV

Health authorities in Britain are afraid that trendy pedicures in which fish are used can spread HIV and hepatitis C.

UK tabloid The Sun reported that the country's Health Protection Agency said risks from the treatment in which fish nibble the client's feet "could not be excluded".

And it said that people with illnesses such as diabetes or psoriasis, or those with a weakened immune system, were especially vulnerable and should not indulge in the latest pampering craze.

Infections and bacteria might be passed on by the tiny garra rufa fish or through water used in the pedicure of a previous client.

Blood-borne viruses could be transmitted if an infected client bled in spa water that was re-used.

The report conceded that the risk was "extremely low".

An agency spokesman said: "We have issued this guidance because there is a growing number of these spas.

"When the correct hygiene procedures are followed, the risk of infection is low.

"However, there is still a risk of transmission of a number of infections, including viruses such as HIV and hepatitis."

Some parts of the US and Canada have banned fish pedicures.

Equipment cannot be sterilised because this would kill the fish.

After a six-month review, the agency said in its report that pedicure salons must follow "strict standards of cleanliness" and ensure that fresh water is used for each client.

They should also check customers for health conditions that might make them vulnerable to infection, and for cuts and grazes.

Hundreds of beauty salons, malls, hairdressers and fashion shops offer the treatment, which celebrities have been spotted enjoying.

A spokesman for HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust told the tabloid: "The risk of picking up infections is minimal but people must be careful about where they choose to go for a pedicure." - Staff reporter

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Posted in: Gara rufa fish news,HIV infections

Vitamins linked with higher death risk in older women

When it comes to vitamins, it appears you could have too much of a good thing, say researchers who report a link between their use and higher death rates among older women.

Experts have suspected for some time that supplements may only be beneficial if a person is deficient in a nutrient. 

And excess may even harm, as the study in Archives of Internal Medicine finds. All of the women, in their 50s and 60s, were generally well nourished yet many had decided to take supplements. 

Multivitamins, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron in particular appeared to increase mortality risk. The researchers believe consumers are buying supplements with no evidence that they will provide any benefit.

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Posted in: health gist,health tip for women,vitamin pills unhealthy for wom,vitamins gist

Children of mothers who don't take folic acid ‘more likely to have severe language delays’

Women who fail to take folic acid in early pregnancy could be threatening their child's ability to speak according to scientists. A study has revealed that mothers who don't take the vitamin supplement are twice as likely to have children with severe speech delays. 

Experts at Columbia University in New York, say that the results highlight the health benefits of folic acid which is already known to reduce the risk of certain types of birth defects. 

Around 40,000 Norwegian women were questioned during the first stage of pregnancy on what supplements they were taking four weeks before and eight weeks after conception. 

Three years later researchers revisited the women investigating their children's language skills, including how many words they could string together in a phrase. Toddlers who could only say one word at a time or who had 'unintelligible utterances' were considered to have severe language delay. 

The scientists found four out of 1,000 children born to women who took folic acid had severe language delays. However, this rose to nine out of 1,000 children if the mothers hadn't taken folic acid. Folic acid has been linked to aiding language development 'What you do during pregnancy... is not only important for birth but also for subsequent development.' 

The pattern remained after Dr Susser's team took into account other detrimental factors, such as a mother's weight and education, and her marital status. They wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the study can't prove that folic acid, itself, prevents language delay and more research is needed. 

Usha Ramakrishnan, a maternal and child nutrition researcher from Emory University in Atlanta who wasn't involved in the study said: 'Clearly it plays a role in development that starts very early in pregnancy. 'I think this adds to what's already known about the benefits of folic acid.'

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Posted in: childrens health,mothers should take more folic acid for children longuage

Want to cure that snack habit? Eat more protein as too little makes you hungry

Too little protein in your diet makes you feel hungry and reach for fattening snacks, an international study shows. Eating more than the average amount of foods such as meat, fish, eggs and nuts can stop you gaining two pounds a month. Researchers found that those whose meals were ten per cent protein consumed 260 more calories a day than those on 15 per cent protein. 

 Not only did they eat more but 70 per cent of the extra calories they ate were between snacks between meals rather than at mealtimes. Raising consumption to 25 per cent – as advocated by the Atkins Diet – was no extra help in halting over-eating.

An average British adult eats around 12 per cent protein, but for many people this has gone down as a result of diluting their protein intake with lots of carbohydrates from processed foods.

The researchers from Cambridge University and the University of Sydney recruited 22 volunteer, all of a healthy weight and aged between 18 and 51, to live and eat in a science facility.

While the foods looked the same, they had different protein levels. Typical meals were a savoury muffin for breakfast, and tuna bake with salad for lunch and beef pasty or spaghetti bolognaise with vegetables and a dessert for dinner. 

The amount of fat remained constant at 30 per cent of the total calories in a meal but the carbohydrate was adjusted to either 45, 50 or 60 per cent of the meal. 

Volunteers all took the same amount of exercise – a one-hour supervised walk per day – and did the same activities to avoid them eating out of boredom or stress. People who consumed ten per cent protein a day ate on average an extra 1,036 calories over a four-day period compared with those who ate a 15 per cent protein diet. 

Over a year that would be enough to gain two stone. Each was asked to rate how hungry they felt at one-hour intervals and those who ate 15 per cent protein felt fuller two hours after a meal than those on the 10 per cent protein diet while at 25 per cent the difference was no higher.

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Posted in: health gist,more protein can cure snakes habit

Asthma inhalers to be banned by year's end for allegedly disrupting ozone layer

Asthma sufferers who use inexpensive, over-the-counter Primatene Mist (PM) inhalers will no longer be able to obtain them beginning in 2012, thanks to a phase-out of the product initiated by the Obama administration. 

In accordance with the Montreal protocols adopted during the Bush administration, products that emit chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which include PM inhalers, are an alleged threat to the ozone layer, and are thus being withdrawn from use. 

The decision is a curious one, though, as the Obama administration recently denied a new US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) smog rule that was allegedly designed to cut emissions and protect the ozone layer. Surely millions of vehicles produce more ozone-destroying pollution than those tiny inhalers do, right? 

Nevertheless, the Obama administration is moving forward with the inhaler ban, which will send thousands of asthma patients using epinephrine inhalers to the pharmacist counter to purchase more-expensive, prescription-only albuterol inhalers, which can cost up to three times more and are not necessarily as effective. 

We at NaturalNews do not necessarily endorse either type of inhaler, since the chemicals inside them can cause respiratory illness and other health problems in those that use them (http://www.naturalnews.com/020318.html). The simple fact of the matter is that a common medicine is being banned, not because it is harmful to human health, but because it is supposedly harmful to the environment. 

The minute amount of CFCs emitted by epinephrine inhalers is nothing compared to the massive amount of other pollutants permitted to freely plague the environment -- toxic waste from pharmaceutical plants, fluoride chemicals dumped in water, and the millions of tons of aerosol chemicals sprayed in skies by aircraft to allegedly "prevent global warming" are just a few examples. 

And yet the Obama administration is targeting a simple inhaler for extinction, which conveniently leaves several million asthma sufferers with no choice but to buy high-priced alternatives that require a trip to the doctor first in order to get a prescription. The good news, though, is that there are ways to treat asthma naturally without the use of any inhaler. For some, simply drinking more water is enough to "cure" the disease, as respiratory inflammation is often caused by a lack of hydration

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Posted in: Asthma gist,health gist,inhaler to be banned

Swimming Pool Chemicals Cause Thousands of Injuries: CDC

More than 28,000 cases of injury and illness caused by swimming pool chemicals are estimated to have occurred in the United States between 2002 and 2008, according to a new federal study. 

Most of the cases occurred at private homes, and the most common problems were respiratory symptoms and eye and skin injuries, the researchers said. 

The findings are based on projections from a nationally representative sample of hospital emergency rooms and a state-based injury and illness surveillance system, the researchers said. 

They noted that people can suffer injury or illness when pool disinfectants and other chemicals are used or stored improperly, and when they are handled or applied by untrained people or those who don’t use appropriate personal protective equipment. 

Factors that led to injury and illness included lack of proper training and supervision, spills/splashes of chemicals, and mixing incompatible pool products. The researchers outlined a number of ways to prevent pool chemical-related injuries and illness. 

They include: better chemical handling practices; pool chemical container and label redesign; and engineering controls, such as installing devices at pools to prevent the mixing of incompatible pool products.

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Posted in: health gist,swimming pool chemical may cause heat damage

Red Wine May Get Thumbs up for Br*ast Cancer

The latest research conducted jointly by Italian researchers collaborating with the Americans indicating that Resveratrol blocks estrogen receptors that make br*ast cancer grow, is perhaps the first study to claim positive effects of red wine against cancer but it must not make women to rush to the nearby wine bar yet, warns Subhash Arora.

The finding of the study published in the October, 2011 edition of the FASEB Journal is important for women whose br*ast cancer becomes resistant to hormonal therapy.

For the study, the scientists tested the effect of the red wine ingredient Resveratrol in br*ast cancer cell lines in the laboratory. They compared the resveratrol treated cells to those left untreated, finding drastic reductions of estrogen receptors that they also discovered was a direct result of the red wine ingredient.

The br*ast cancer cells showed significantly slower growth compared to the cells left untreated.

"Resveratrol is a potential pharmacological tool to be exploited when br*ast cancer become resistant to the hormonal therapy," said Sebastiano Andò, a researcher involved in the work from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Calabria in Italy.

However, Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal warns that women shouldn’t take resveratrol supplements or start drinking red wine to treat br*ast cancer, according to examiner.com.

According to the American Cancer Society, even one drink per day increases the risk of br*ast cancer and the risk gets bigger with more drinks. According to the editorial message of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, "from a standpoint of cancer risk, the message could not be clearer. There is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered safe."

The research though encouraging, must be treated with caution and as academic for the time being, according to delWine. The researchers did not study the effects of red wine, but rather the effects of one chemical in a test tube. A lot more studies are needed before one gives any medical opinion

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Posted in: br*ast cancer tip.,health gist,red wine news