Healthy Living » Health & Fitness

Calcium pills make bones smile but make heart cry

Rupali Gupta — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:15:22 +0000

Calcium supplements are very popular among the dietary supplements category. Millions of people take calcium supplements in an effort to stave off osteoporosis. If we take a look of statistics, ten million Americans and three million people in UK suffer with osteoporosis. Majority of them rely on calcium supplements. A recent study brings the fact that calcium supplement intake may increase the risk of heart diseases.

About the study
Researchers from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States examined 11 studies of more than 12,000 elderly people over four years. Half of the patients were given calcium supplements and the other half received placebo or dummy pills with no therapeutic content. The results showed that people who took supplements were 30% more likely to have a heart attack. Researcher further clarified that “If you have 1,000 people taking calcium for five years, we will expect to find 14 more heart attacks, 10 more strokes and 13 more deaths in the people given calcium than they would have had if they hadn’t been treated with calcium.”

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Calcium in natural state
Researchers supported natural intake of calcium as they found that those who had a diet naturally high in calcium were at no increased danger. In my understanding many people consider calcium pills as a natural remedy however, it calcium body. The Food Standards Agency recommends adults have 700mg of calcium a day from milk, cheese and green, leafy vegetables.

The National Osteoporosis Society said most people should be able to get enough calcium through their diets, rather than reaching for the medicine cabinet.

Calcium pills vs Heart attack
Although the reason for the increased risk of heart attack is not clear, but it is thought that the extra calcium circulating in the blood could lead to a hardening of the arteries. Calcium deposition in the arteries leads to the formation of plaques in blood vessels, which can cause heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Researcher further added that this condition doesn’t arise when people get calcium from their diet because the calcium from food is absorbed slowly, so the blood calcium level does not change.

As people age, bone breakdown gradually may occur more than bone buildup, leading to weak bones and increased risk of fracture. If you are taking calcium pill for your healthy bones and also suffering with heart disease, you should take advice with your doctor before taking calcium supplements.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Hug your baby more to relieve stress

Christine Stomes — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:07:18 +0000

There is no surrogate of mother for children in the whole world. Although both father and mother plays an important role in child’s life, but mother’s worth as a role model and guardian is indisputable. Recently published study further adds weight to this fact and presents a new wing to mother care. The study claims that mothers, who shower their babies with warmth of affection, make them better to cope with stressful situations in later their life.

About the study
The study involved 482 children in Rhode Island and led by Joanna Maselko of Duke University in North Carolina. At the start of the study, researchers rated the quality of interactions between the mothers and their eight-month-old children during a routine developmental check-up. Decades later, at a mean age of 34, those grown-up babies were assessed whether they thought their mothers had been affectionate towards them. The researcher examined the specific elements such as anxiety ,hostility and general levels of distress. .

Results of the study
The researchers found that 10% of the mothers offered very low levels of affection toward their children, 85% showed a “normal” degree of affection, whereas 6% showered their children with excess amounts of maternal affection. Those, whose mothers had been the most affectionate, showed the lowest levels of anxiety, hostility and general distress.

The research is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Dr Joanna says “High levels of motherly affection are likely to facilitate secure attachments and bonding. This not only lowers distress but may also help a child to develop effective life, social, and coping skills, which will stand them in good stead as adults.”

The study showed evidence of mother’s care has great impact on children’s life. It’s come with no surprise as to why I get revitalized after talking to my mother just for few minutes. I believe mother is the most perfect creature on earth, the loveliest and the most infallible. Mother’s love and affection, not only creates bond between mother and child, but bonds whole family together. Coming back to the study, researchers were able to strong findings of positive effects of mother’s affection by collecting the data after 30 years, however researchers were unable to find a significant relationship between low levels of mothers’ affection and elevated levels of distress. Hope further studies may fill the gap in near future.

Healthy Parenting!

Source: cbc.ca

Boost your lifespan by socializing

Christine Stomes — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:05:10 +0000

What are your plans for weekend? If you are planning to spend time with your friends and family members, here you go! You are among the luckiest persons in the world who live longer. The recent study determined that people who have a strong social network and spend quality of time with friends and family are 50% more likely to live longer than the people who are lonely.

The positive thing about the study is it is very easy to implement in our life. There is no guideline to follow or instructions to avoid eating some of the food that can be harmful for the body, just socially connect with people.

About the study
The research was conducted by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Researchers examined the collective data from 148 studies, which included total of 308849 people, to measure the effect of social relationships on death risk. The studies tracked health outcome for an average time period of 7.5 years.

Results of the study: Social relation vs. longetivity
The findings of the study revealed that

People who have a strong social network are 50% less likely to die early
Being reclusive is harder on physical health than smoking or being an alcoholic.
Being socially isolated is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Being socially isolated can be more harmful than not exercising or twice as bad as the risks posed by obesity.
Factors like age, gender, or health status had almost no effect on the study results.

The study was published in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal

We learn a lot from our surroundings. Being involved in social gatherings, we keep ourselves busy and at the same time enjoy the time with people. I personally experienced that more we become aloof, more we become unhappy. If some of you don’t have much friends and relatives, you might want to go to church, mosque or temple to increase your social interaction. You can also volunteer in orphanages and other nonprofit organizations, where people need you. I am sure you will be much happier and healthier mingling with the people instead of being just sitting at home alone.

Healthy Socializing!

Source: foodconsumer.org

Internet surfing may have weight-loss potential

Christine Stomes — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:26:44 +0000

Obesity has been a health concern for many countries as it increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes and breathing difficulties. There are various weight loss programs available in the market such as weight loss diet, weight loss exercises or weight loss surgery and so on. An interesting study was released today, which revealed that people who surf internet regularly have more potential to lose weight.

We heard that sitting on computer for a long time can be troublesome for your eyes, back and can lead to carpel syndrome. This is one of the positive studies, I found related to health of the people.

About the study
The study is a randomized controlled trial which was conducted by Kaiser Permanente, UK. The study aimed to compare the web-based weight loss package with traditional dietary treatment of obesity provided within General Practice (GP) surgeries in Leeds, UK. Total 348 people participated in the study and were allowed to use the same Internet weight management program. Participants were encouraged to log in at least once a week, receiving e-mail reminders and follow-up automated phone messages if they did not. The participants were monitored for 2.5 years. The results revealed that

Participants who consistently used the website throughout the 30-month study retained 44% of their initial weight loss.
Participants who used the website infrequently regained all of the weight they lost initially during two years of follow-up

The article was published online in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Are you looking for weight loss websites?
If you are looking to lose some weight and searching information on internet, you may want to look for these elements when choosing a site:

Sites that encourage accountability by asking users to consistently record weight, exercise, and calories consumed
Sites that include tailored or personalized information
Sites with interactive features that allow users to communicate with each other and with nutrition and exercise experts
Sites with accurate health information.

The internet is a sea of information where you can find information on any topic of your interest. The information available on the internet is unregulated or may not be written by qualified people. You may find various sites claiming the guaranteed health solution without any substance. You should be smart enough to rely on the information you find and to follow the advice of the chosen website, in case of weight loss. However, I must agree that internet offers a fast approach to deliver the health information, enabling 24-hour access of help and advice.

Healthy Surfing!

Source: medpagetoday

What does colors in fruits and vegetables tell you?

Jenni Agar — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:37:34 +0000

Being a vegetarian whenever I go for grocery shopping I get perplexed about what to buy and what not to. I mean it’s unlikely that I would land up purchasing unhealthy when it comes to fruits/vegetables. And as a general notion I know that greens are healthy. I therefore have tendency to buy as many greens as possible from spinach to collard greens, from green peas to broccoli. I always thought that more the greens, better it is. Well, turns out that greens are great but not enough.

In our previous post, we discussed about 5-miraculous colors of fruit & vegetable for health that provides basic information on phytonutrients. This article throws light on daily requirement of colored fruits and vegetables, which are needed to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Recommended daily consumption

Ideally one should consume approximately 9 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
One serving is defined as quarter cup for dried fruits, half cup for fresh fruits and 2 cups for fresh vegetables.

US National Cancer Institute found that different phytonutrients (nutrients from plants) have shown promising results as preventive and protective activity against Cancer. How could one keep record of which phytonutrients are present in which fruits/ vegetables and how to attain a good balance of these nutrients are some of the questions that start surfacing in our minds. But Mother Nature has always been gracious in making things easier for us.

Nature has color coded its products to help us identify what we need and what we are consuming.

Green – enhance calcium absorption and boosts mental alertness, helps with cell regulation
White and red – both are boon for bones, white supports protein metabolism, maintains healthy white blood cells, and red maintains consistent energy levels
Blue/purple – Good source of antioxidants and help to sustain good healthy blood sugar levels
Yellow /orange – Maintains bone density, supports energy production and helps in protecting cells

So, different colors of fruits/ vegetables exhibit diversified activities and to achieve overall health, we need to include fruits /vegetables of varied colors in our daily diet regime.

Source –The star

Women hit the beauty and confidence peak at age 31

Christine Stomes — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:10:12 +0000

If you are in early thirties, you might be playing various roles like a mother and wife. You may think that you are no more attractive as you were in your early twenties. You are not right here. There might be a general perception that women are most attractive in her teen ages, but a latest study showed that the exact age when women are most beautiful and attractive is 31, the age when the average female is both a wife and a mother.

About the study
The study was conducted by TV shopping network QVC on 2,000 men and women. The findings of the study show that

two thirds of women agreed with the notion ‘with age, comes beauty’,
over half said that as they age they shed their insecurities and feel more beautiful
55% felt they knew the best make-up to wear.

QVC Marketing Director Sue Leeson told that “This research shows what many have always suspected – real beauty is about more than just good looks but a combination of confidence, style and personality too.” During the survey:

70% women agreed that beauty was defined as being confident
67% felt that beauty was defined as having good looks
47% defined beauty as being stylish

Different people have different ways to define beauty, but I believe in old proverb “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder”. I think it is true. This means that something or someone is beautiful, depending on the person who is looking at it. For me beauty is not only the external beauty, but it also reflects person’s nature, intelligence, politeness, integrity and elegance. None the less, I hope that this study will increase self-confidence in the women who thinks they have lost their charisma due to their age.

Source: Thaindiannews

Women feel more unfavorable stress at work

Rupali Gupta — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:12:15 +0000

There is a significant difference in the diversity at the workplace between today and one or two decades ago. More and more women are working either to support their family or to make a career or fulfill their aspirations. In fact, I observed at least in India, high school girls passing percentage is more than their male counterpart for several years. A global survey revealed that women at work experience more “unreasonable” stress as compared to males.

About the survey
A survey was conducted by Kenexa Research Institute, an HR advisory firm based in the US. About 29,338 men and women were surveyed in 19 countries including; India, China, Brazil, Russia, America, Britain, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Main findings of survey
The survey revealed that 56% women felt their stress level was reasonable, while 26% felt they were under unreasonable stress. The results were analyzed on the basis of roles women were performing at work:

front-line supervisory jobs, women experienced 10% additional stress than their male counterparts who carried out the same kind of functions.
service and production-related jobs, women felt 8% additional stress.
middle and upper manager level, the stress levels were up by 6% as compared to men.

Factors influencing unreasonable stress
The factors that lead to increased unreasonable stress included:

work life balance
doing exciting work,
having a respectful manager
being paid fairly and
having a clear career path

Brenda Kowske, research consultant at Kenexa Research Institute said that “This research may partially explain why there are fewer women in the management roles. The media and academia have substantiated the existence of the glass ceiling. Women fight the commonly held perception that they may lack the motivation to climb the corporate ladder, and our data indicate that fewer women feel that achieving career goals are likely while maintaining a balance between personal and professional lives. All these factors increase stress levels for women workers. Again, women are more open to report stress conditions, compared to men.’’

The survey also revealed that there was difference in reasons for work stress depending on the gender. Women work stress is more related to managerial support and equal opportunity, whereas men’s stress drivers focus more on product quality and trust in senior leadership.

I don’t think the survey results come as a surprise to me. There have been many reports, which have revealed that women have been paid less than their male counterparts for same level and job. In fact a month ago, a big multinational company has to pay fine as some female workers filed lawsuit for this discrepancy in pay.

Healthy Working!

Source: Economictimes

Obese people to pay fat tax in Germany

Rupali Gupta — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:06:17 +0000

Preventive health care is on top priority of governments and health companies. To promote and inspire preventive health care by maintaining active lifestyle, many health insurances companies have chipped in partial gym membership fee, if consumer goes to gym for certain days in week or month.

Germany has taken it to other extreme, where it has imposed a tax on overweight people living unhealthy lifestyles. This tax was put forth to fine people for overburdening the healthcare system due to unhealthy lifestyle.

Marco Wanderwitz, the conservative Member of Parliament from the state of Saxony said that

The question must be admitted whether the immense costs that, for example, arise from excessive consumption of food, can be permanently paid out of the consolidated health system.
I think it’s sensible that people who knowingly live unhealthily carry a responsibility for it in a financial respect.
As with tobacco, we should tax the purchase of unhealthy consumer goods at a higher rate and pay that tax into the health system

This tax was slammed by opposition party but was praised by many people including Juergen Wasem, an economist and researchers at the Jacobs University in Bremen City.

The fat-tax as it is called is a similar step taken by City of New York, which put heavy taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The question I have is how you would implement this tax. Gauging unhealthy lifestyle is bit difficult and up to certain extent lead to privacy issues. I think forcing people to maintain active lifestyle is a necessary step, but taxing them is a big question? There are many cases when people fail to maintain healthy lifestyle due to various factors such as genetic, immunity and climate.

It may seem harsh to many people, but I would like to gauge, what you think about this tax. The question is to what extent, should the government intervene to force them to maintain their own healthy life?

Healthy Living!!

Source: aolnews.com

Prolonged sitting can be fatal

Christine Stomes — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:13:16 +0000

What do you do after you come home after spending eight hours in your office? If your answer is you like to sit and watch TV for hours than according to a latest research, you are not doing yourself any good.

A fourteen year study reported in July online edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology revealed that

People sitting leisurely for six hours or more in a day are more likely to die sooner than who sit for three hours
People who sit and exercise less are more prone to early death
Women were found to found at higher level of risk than men, though elevated level of risk of death was significantly higher for both due to sitting.

Lead researcher, American Cancer Society epidemiologist, Alpa V. Patel, and colleagues lead a study, which included:

data from 53,440 U.S. men and 69,776 women who were 50-74 years old when the study began in 1992
Participants were asked, “During the past year, on an average day (not counting time spent at your job), how many hours a day did you spend sitting (watching television, reading, etc.)?”
The results were adjusted for smoking, height/weight, and other factors

The team found that sitting six or more hours a day as compared to sitting less than three:

Increased the death rate by about 40% in women
Increased the death rate by about 20% in men
Increased the death rate by 94% in the least active women
Increased the death rate by 48% in the least active men

Why?
You would think that sitting around is a trigger for eating more junk and etc. It may be factor, but the results were attributed to the fact that

your immune system is affect by prolonged sitting, which increases the risk of cancer and other diseases
blood circulation is altered due to prolonged sitting, which can potentially cause blood clot
potential to increase resting blood pressure and cholesterol, which resulted in higher heart disease seen due to prolonged sitting

Dr. Patel and colleagues concluded that “It is beneficial to encourage sedentary individuals to stand up and walk around as well as to reach optimal levels of physical activity.”

It is important that you maintain a healthy life style. Get regular exercise either by evening walk for half an hour or go to gym and spend some of your energy at treadmill or elliptical. The fact is, better is your life style, less problems you face as your age progresses. I hope you will choose not to be a couch potato and live more active and healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Living!

Source: pagingdr.gupta

ACOG – Moderate coffee intake safe during pregnancy

Christine Stomes — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:59:36 +0000

Pregnancy is an enjoyable feeling for all women, but at the same time is discomforting. Pregnant women are supposed to take precautions during many routine activities and balanced diet in order to have healthy child birth. In the US, about 15% – 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage and about 12% of babies are born prematurely. Until recently, studies have had conflicting findings about the effect of moderate caffeine consumption on pregnancy complications. A recent study brings hope for pregnant women that documents that moderate amount of caffeine consumption is safe during pregnancy.

Why was Caffeine linked with complications during pregnancy?
In 1980, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published recommendations that advised pregnant women to avoid or limit consumption of foods and drugs that contained caffeine. The advice stemmed from a study in which pregnant rats were exposed to caffeine and various teratogenic effects, resorption of fetuses, and a reduction in fetal and placental weight occurred.

However, subsequent studies have identified lack of association between congenital malformations and maternal caffeine consumption.

New research confirmed caffeine is safe during pregnancy
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new guidelines that confirm that women can drink a cup of coffee or one soft drink a day during pregnancy with no harmful effects. Drinking moderate amount of caffeine might not put them at risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.

The researchers committee reviewed two studies, each of which followed more than 1,000 pregnant women.

One study, led by Dr. David Savitz of The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, found no increased rate of miscarriage for women who consumed low, moderate, or high levels of caffeine at different points in their pregnancy.

· Another study which was led by Dr. De-Kun Li and his colleagues at Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, found a higher risk of miscarriage in women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, but no extra risk at lower levels.

The Committee Opinion “Moderate Caffeine Consumption During Pregnancy” appears in the August’10 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Caffeine content
According to experts,

In general 200 milligrams of caffeine is equal to one 12-ounce cup of coffee, but coffee drinkers should watch as there can be tremendous discrepancies in different brews. For example, a grande 16-ounce Starbucks brewed coffee has 320 milligrams of caffeine.
Eight ounces of caffeinated tea has less than 50 milligrams of caffeine
Most 12-ounce soft drinks have less than 50 milligrams of caffeine
1.55-ounce chocolate bars have less than 35 milligrams of caffeine

Safe level of caffeine
Sami David, MD, a New York City-based reproductive endocrinologist and pregnancy loss expert says,”One cup of coffee a day, which is about 8 ounces and has around 100 milligrams of caffeine, or two cups of black or green tea per day is OK.”

For several years, we have been getting mixed messages in terms of safety of caffeine during pregnancy. The latest guidelines are based on scientific evidence and confirm the safety of caffeine or products rich in caffeine during pregnancy, if taken in moderate amount. If pregnant women suffer with any complications, please consult with your doctor.

Source: WebMD