Medicine & TechnologyBoth sugar and salt have gotten bad publicity over the years as far as healthy diet is concerned. Sugary food consumption has been linked to diabetes and obesity, while excessive intake of salt and salty foods has been associated with cardiovascular illnesses, particularly high blood pressure. However, a recent study puts sugar in a worse light as it claims that sugar may increase blood pressure more than salt does.
Waterpipe, narghile, arghila, qalyān, shisha-- all these refer to Hookah, a single or multi-stemmed instrument for vaporizing and smoking flavored tobacco called shisha. In recent years Hookah smoking has been a popular activity among college students due to its flavor, smell and sweet taste; as well as it has also been used as a tool for socialization. A new study, however, reveals that Hookah smoking may eventually increase the risk of cigarette smoking in adolescents.
Despite the number of mixed results in gene therapy which has had its share of setbacks, drug company giant Pfizer Inc. is pushing through with its gene therapy project. This is backed by advancement in technology and better research facilities, and for its first project, a partnership with privately-owned biotech firm Spark Therapeutics.
Ever wondered why men who smoke have a shorter life spans compared to female smokers? A recent study may have provided the answer for this query as it revealed an association between smoking and loss of the Y chromosome in male smokers. According to the Uppsala University (in Sweden) research which was published in the journal Science, male smokers were three times more likely to lose their Y chromosomes, compared with non-smoking men.
Having negative thoughts could be the result of lack of sleep or getting to bed very late at night, a recent Binghamton University study revealed. Repetitive pessimistic thinking was linked to people who get only a few hours of sleep compared to those who get "enough" hours of slumber. And relating sleeping habits to the patterns of behavior participants exhibited, researchers found that there was a large contrast in thought patterns for those who sleep late versus early bed goers.
One of the largest health trends in the 21st century that many people have subscribed to, or at least tried for a bit, is the vegetarian and/or vegan diet. The growing consciousness of a "healthier" lifestyle led to the popularity of going completely green. The shift from omnivore-carnivore to strictly herbivore has been easy for some, and a struggle for others. But a recent study found that going green isn't as easy as it's often made out to be. In fact, the gradual relapse and going back to a meaty diet was observed in more than 80 per cent of vegetarians.
However, a recent study found that regular dosage of aspirin could actually do more harm than good, especially amongst middle-aged women. The study investigated 30,000 women over the age of 45 years old, and participants were randomly assigned to take either 100 mg of aspirin or placebos every other day, to determine whether it lowered their risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The result showed that those taking aspirin were at a significantly higher risk of suffering from stomach bleeding, while the protective effect of aspirin was found to be marginal.
While the number of HIV-infected people have gone down over the years, and massive information campaigns have been carried out all over the world to curb the spread of the cure-less disease, figures have shown that HIV-AIDs are more prevalent in mentally-ill people.
Researchers from McGill University found that obesity can shorten one's life expectancy by up to eight years for those who are very obese. The number of years that could be slashed in one's life depends on the severity of the person's obesity, according to the study. Aside from this, obesity is also linked to poor health, with constant illnesses within almost 20 years; this is attributed to diseases caused by obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Toys are thought to be children's object of refuge, especially in times when parents are too busy to engage in some playful moments with them. Toys are simply the most convenient attention grabber for children to be "busy" in times when everyone in the household is busy as well. However, a study reveals that toys aren't as child-friendly as parents presumed to be.
As Ebola treatments and vaccines have been gaining ground as of late, fear and anxiety over the spread of the disease have been slowly allaying in communities around the world.
Diabetes has been linked to earlier onset of dementia and Alzheimer's, and leaving the illness untreated or unchecked may lead to the progression of other diseases and changes in behavior, as well as emotions. A recent study reveals that mid-life diabetes contributes to an accelerated aging process by five years. People with diabetics experience decline in mental performance compared to people with normal blood sugar.