Category: Health

{Drinking highly caffeinated alcoholic beverages triggers changes in the adolescent brain similar to taking cocaine, and the consequences last into adulthood as an altered ability to deal with rewarding substances, according to a Purdue University study.}

Richard van Rijn, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology, looked at the effects of highly caffeinated energy drinks and highly caffeinated alcohol in adolescent mice. These alcohol studies cannot be performed in adolescent humans, but changes seen in mouse brains with drugs of abuse have been shown to correlate to those in humans in many drug studies.

These energy drinks can contain as much as 10 times the caffeine as soda and are often marketed to adolescents. But little is known about the health effects of the drinks, especially when consumed with alcohol during adolescence.

Van Rijn and graduate student Meridith Robins published results in the journal Alcohol that showed adolescent mice given high-caffeine energy drinks were not more likely than a control group to drink more alcohol as adults.

But when those high levels of caffeine were mixed with alcohol and given to adolescent mice, they showed physical and neurochemical signs similar to mice given cocaine. Those results were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

“It seems the two substances together push them over a limit that causes changes in their behavior and changes the neurochemistry in their brains,” van Rijn said. “We’re clearly seeing effects of the combined drinks that we would not see if drinking one or the other.”

With repeated exposure to the caffeinated alcohol, those adolescent mice became increasingly more active, much like mice given cocaine. The researchers also detected increased levels of the protein ΔFosB, which is marker of long-term changes in neurochemistry, elevated in those abusing drugs such as cocaine or morphine.

“That’s one reason why it’s so difficult for drug users to quit because of these lasting changes in the brain,” van Rijn said.

Those same mice, as adults, showed a different preference or valuation of cocaine. Robins found that mice exposed to caffeinated alcohol during adolescence were less sensitive to the pleasurable effects of cocaine. While this sounds positive, it could mean that such a mouse would use more cocaine to get the same feeling as a control mouse.

“Mice that had been exposed to alcohol and caffeine were somewhat numb to the rewarding effects of cocaine as adults,” van Rijn said. “Mice that were exposed to highly caffeinated alcoholic drinks later found cocaine wasn’t as pleasurable. They may then use more cocaine to get the same effect.”

To test that theory, Robins investigated if mice exposed to caffeinated alcohol during adolescence would consume higher amounts of a similarly pleasurable substance — saccharine, an artificial sweetener. They predicted that if the mice exhibited a numbed sense of reward, they would consume more saccharine. They found that the caffeine/alcohol-exposed mice drank significantly more saccharine than mice exposed to water during adolescence, confirming that the caffeine/alcohol-exposed mice must have had a chemical change in the brain.

“Their brains have been changed in such a way that they are more likely to abuse natural or pleasurable substances as adults,” van Rijn said.

Van Rijn plans to continue studying the effects of legal, available psychostimulatory substances that may be harmful to adolescent brains. His next project involves investigating ethylphenidate, a drug similar to methylphenidate, the drug used for attention deficit disorder and most commonly known as Ritalin. The latter requires a prescription, while the former can be purchased without one, often online. His research group also works on finding new treatments for alcohol use disorder.

{Heart disease remains the UK’s biggest killer, but there is much to be optimistic about: deaths are plummeting as we get better at preventing, diagnosing and treating the problem. Heart attacks have fallen by 40 per cent since the introduction of the smoking ban in 2007, according to a major review published earlier this year. }

Indeed, we’re learning more and more about how lifestyle can wreck – or protect – the health of the heart. Last week, American researchers reported that simply brushing your teeth thoroughly can dramatically reduce levels of inflammation in the body and help protect against heart attacks.

It’s never too early to start thinking about your heart and taking steps to care for it, says Johannes Hinrich von Borstel, prospective cardiologist and former paramedic, and author of a new book Heart: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Important Organ. After all, atherosclerosis – the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart disease and stroke – starts at the age of 25.

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Johannes Hinrich von Borstel reveals some surprising ways to keep your heart healthy, whatever your age
Johannes Hinrich von Borstel reveals some surprising ways to keep your heart healthy, whatever your age
“Atherosclerosis is the only disease that everyone in the world has from the age of 50,” says von Borstel. “One hundred per cent of people have it. It is something you cannot completely stop, but you can influence how fast it develops.”

Drawing on the latest research, and his own experience treating patients with a host of heart conditions, von Borstel reveals some of the surprising ways to keep your heart beating healthily, whatever your age – from having more sex to ditching the weekend lie-ins.

According to von Borstel, exerting yourself between the sheets is one of the most beneficial exercises you can do for your heart. “As well as an entire cardiac workout, before and during intercourse there is a big release of hormones that have a protective effect on our cardiovascular system,” he explains.

An orgasm can release 50 different chemical messengers. One substance, oxytocin, the so-called cuddle hormone, triggered by affectionate physical contact, is proven to lower blood pressure, promote the healing of wounds and reduce stress.

Having sex with someone you love, rather than a stranger, is far better for hearts because genuine affection causes the release of higher levels of oxytocin, says von Borstel.

This was borne out in a recent study of 2,200 people by Michigan State University, which found women over 50 who had regular sex tended to have lower blood pressure, and so a lower risk of heart problems – but the benefits were only seen in those who reported high levels of satisfaction and enjoyment from sex.

Endorphin is another useful hormone released during sex – this helps to lower heart rate and blood pressure to the heart muscle during exercise. Meanwhile, both oestrogen, which is anti-inflammatory, and testosterone, which lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, receive a boost through sex, too. High cholesterol causes fatty deposits in blood vessels to attach to artery walls, causing clogging and arteriosclerosis, says von Borstel, who recommends having “as much loving sex as possible”.

Is sex safe if you have a heart condition? People suffering with angina – chest pain from narrowed arteries – or who have recently had a heart attack or heart surgery often feel anxious about sexual activity. But experts advise that it can be safely resumed as soon as a patient feels well enough after their treatment – normally four to six weeks.

Last year, a study by Ulm University, which followed more than 500 heart attack survivors, found no relationship between how often they had sex and their risk of future heart problems. The authors said sex provided a good form of physical exercise for the heart, and patients should not give it up.

Von Borstel recommends grating garlic into a glass of water a day to naturally reduce blood pressure.

“Vegetables and fruits have secondary phytochemicals that have the same effect as different [heart protective] medications but not in a dose that is dangerous for your body,” says von Borstel. He cites ginger, onions and garlic as blood thinners which promote blood flow through vessels and improved blood supply to organ and tissues, and recommends grating a teaspoon of root ginger or two or three teaspoons of grated garlic into a glass of water a day to naturally reduce blood pressure.

“As long as you eat in a balanced way, it is no problem to eat these every day,” he says. Allicin, the key ingredient found in garlic and onions, is thought to act on the kidneys, changing levels of hormones and dilating the blood vessels. Research by the Institute of Food Research found that eating a 100g to 200g serving of onions (one to two onions) had the biggest impact on inflammation.

Sleep well (but not too much)

Sleepless nights are associated with an increased heart rate, high blood pressure and a spike in chemicals linked with inflammation – all of which can strain the heart. Researchers from the University of Warwick recently reported that those who sleep for less than six hours a night and have disturbed sleep have a 48 per cent greater chance of heart disease and 15 per cent greater chance of stroke.

Insomnia is also a source of stress and stress triggers adrenalin, which makes our hearts beat faster and, over prolonged periods, can lead to angina or even heart failure.

However, getting too much sleep can be dangerous too – researchers at the University of West Virginia in 2010 have found that those who regularly sleep for more than nine hours a night have an almost 50 per cent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease.

Increasingly, evidence suggests that irregular sleep patterns – for example, lying in on the weekends – disrupts the delicate balance of our circadian rhythms, which may alter processes in the body such as the metabolism of sugar and raise the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

Although research is ongoing, von Borstel’s conclusion is clear: “Sleeping too much and too little can be harmful to our health. Seven is the perfect number for most adults.”

The lifestyle changes that work like statins

Statins – cheap, cholesterol lowering drugs taken by an estimated 7 million people in the UK – continue to be the subject of debate, with critics arguing they are being inappropriately prescribed to healthy people and cause side-effects such as muscle aches.

This month, scientists from Florida Atlantic University made the startling claim that brushing teeth thoroughly with specialist toothpaste that shows plaque in the mouth could prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing inflammation in the body close to levels achieved by statins.

Von Borstel says statins can be highly beneficial in patients with dangerously high cholesterol, or who have a history of heart disease, “but the risk of side effects should be balanced with the positive effects of this therapy. Even if the risk of side effects is quite low, it exists.” He says following a healthy Mediterranean style diet, low in saturated fat and rich in healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts and oily fish can help to lower cholesterol naturally.

{{Why the Egyptians had heart disease}}

X-rays of mummies have revealed that the ancient Egyptians, whose lifestyles more than 3,000 years ago ensured they didn’t smoke, exercised regularly and had typically low fat diets, suffered atherosclerosis. One explanation put forward by experts for their diseases arteries is the fact their diet relied so heavily on bread made from white flour.

White flour is a refined, simple carbohydrate that leads to a rapid rise in blood sugar and increases a person’s chances of weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes – all of which puts you at a higher risk of coronary heart disease.

{{}}“Too much sugar is not good for your heart because it can cause weight gain and diabetes,” says von Borstel. “The biggest problem is that sugar sometimes hides in food and is not recognisable – for example in noodles, white bread and potatoes. One of the best ways to reduce sugar intake is to cut down on food made with white flour.” He advises switching from white carbohydrates to wholemeal varieties, to reduce the spike in blood sugar.

‘Heart: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Important Organ​’ by ​Johannes Hinrich von Borstel is published by Scribe (£14.99). To order a copy for £1​2.99 plus p&p, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk.

{Every day in the United States, millions of expectant mothers take a prenatal vitamin on the advice of their doctor.}

The counsel typically comes with physical health in mind: folic acid to help avoid fetal spinal cord problems; iodine to spur healthy brain development; calcium to be bound like molecular Legos into diminutive baby bones.

But what about a child’s future mental health? Questions about whether ADHD might arise a few years down the road or whether schizophrenia could crop up in young adulthood tend to be overshadowed by more immediate parental anxieties. As a friend with a newborn daughter recently fretted over lunch, “I’m just trying not to drop her!”

Yet much as pediatricians administer childhood vaccines to guard against future infections, some psychiatrists now are thinking about how to shift their treatment-centric discipline toward one that also deals in early prevention.

In 2013, University of Colorado psychiatrist Robert Freedman and colleagues recruited 100 healthy, pregnant women from greater Denver to study whether giving the B vitamin choline during pregnancy would enhance brain growth in the developing fetus.

The moms-to-be were randomly given either a placebo or a form of choline called phosphatidylcholine. Choline itself is broken down by bacteria in the gut; by giving it in this related form the supplement can more effectively be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Those in the treatment group received 3,600 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine in the morning and 2,700 milligrams at night. Since phosphatidylcholine is roughly 13-15 percent choline, the amount the women received was about 900 milligrams of choline a day, twice that recommended by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies (and about the same amount contained in three large eggs).

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After birth, infants were given either 100 milligrams of liquid phosphatidylcholine or placebo once a day for approximately three months. Given that both groups were also getting choline from regular feeding, the dose ensured that those supplemented received well over the Institute of Medicine’s guideline that infants receive at least 125 milligrams a day.

At 5 weeks old, the children were exposed to a series of clicking sounds in the lab while their brain activity was monitored by electroencephalogram, or EEG, a method for recording electrical brain activity via electrodes placed on the scalp. Normally, when exposed to the same sound successively, both infant and adult brains will exhibit “inhibition,” or a far weaker pulse of activity in response to the second sound. We realize that the now familiar tone is insignificant; our brains are unmoved.

However, in some kids this inhibition doesn’t occur — a finding linked with an increased risk for attention problems, social withdrawal and, later in life, schizophrenia.

The results published in 2013 in the American Journal of Psychiatry by Freedman’s group show that 76 percent of newborns whose mothers received choline supplements had normal inhibition to the sound stimuli. The proportion fell to 43 percent in those born to mothers who didn’t get them. It appeared that choline might steer the infant brain away from a developmental course that predicted mental health problems.

A follow-up study at 40 months found that the children who had received choline supplements in utero and after birth had fewer attention problems and less social withdrawal.

Excessive choline consumption — or that over 7,500 milligrams a day — has been associated with drops in blood pressure, sweating, gastrointestinal side effects and a “fishy” body odor. Most American diets contain a significant amount of choline, and supplementation to optimal levels poses no known side effects or risk to fetal development, Freedman says.

A genetic theory

One of the first genes to be linked to schizophrenia goes by the catchy name “CHRNA7.” Normally it encodes for a receptor on neurons in the brain that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine as well as nicotine, a transmission essential to normal brain function and cognition. Genetic mutations in the CHRNA7 gene cause decreased levels of the neuronal receptor to be produced in people with schizophrenia.

A light bulb glowed for Freedman.

And the idea, he admits, is rather simple when you think about it: Choline is known to be essential to brain development and function and is also frequently deficient in pregnant women.

Couple these facts with animal and human research by Freedman and his colleagues showing that choline in the amniotic fluid also activates the CHRNA7 receptor in the developing fetal brain.

“It occurred to us that just as folic acid can help overcome defects in brain and spinal cord development, perhaps supplementing mothers with choline could help prevent mental illness,” Freedman recalls. “And now that the children in our study are over 4 years old, we can see that those given the supplement appear to be on a different developmental track, one with fewer mental problems.”

Moreover, though experimental psychosis treatments targeting the CHRNA7 gene and the receptor it codes for are being explored by other researchers, Freedman explains that levels of the receptor peak in the fetal brain and diminish after birth. “We realized the optimal time to try this intervention is during pregnancy,” he says.

Though choline is available in a number of foods — eggs, seafood and liver are particularly rich in the nutrient — Freedman’s work suggests that for many women, dietary sources may be inadequate during pregnancy. Also, prenatal supplements tend not to include it.

Two past observational studies — conducted with diet questionnaires rather than the more rigorous placebo-controlled supplementation Freedman’s group tried — also found beneficial effects associated with higher maternal choline intake during pregnancy. At 7 years of age, children of moms consuming over 400 milligrams of choline a day performed better on memory and intelligence tests. At 18 months, infants whose mothers had higher blood levels of choline had significantly higher cognitive test scores.

Dr. Steve Zeisel of the University of North Carolina was one of the first doctors to strongly advocate for choline supplementation in pregnancy. In 2012, Zeisel published the only other placebo-controlled trial of the vitamin in pregnant moms. While he did not assess for future mental health risks, the findings suggested that choline supplementation did not enhance infant cognitive function at 1 year of age. However, Freedman point outs that all of the women included in the trial were highly educated and were found to have blood metabolites reflecting diets high in healthful, choline-containing foods.

The prospects of choline supplementation in pregnancy have piqued medical interest, but also notes of caution. “I think the choline research is really intriguing, and we’re starting to investigate maternal choline levels as well,” says Catherine Monk, an associate professor in psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center. “Some prenatal vitamins do contain it and foods rich in choline are readily available. But we have a lot more research to do before we start recommending it widely.”

In general, evidence-based interventions during pregnancy and early childhood to prevent mental illness are scant. Yet there are some modifiable risk factors that might make a difference, many of which focus on improving maternal wellbeing.

Monk’s own research explores on the impact of an expecting mother’s emotional state on the developing fetus. She and others have shown that stress, depression and anxiety during pregnancy increase a child’s risk for ADHD, conduct disorders and depression later in life. At Columbia, Monk and her colleagues employ a program Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting, or PREPP, in which pregnant women who are distressed and at high-risk for postpartum depression are counseled and taught coping skills to make pregnancy and parenting more manageable emotionally.

Optimal nutrition, including choline and adequate amounts of zinc and omega-3 fatty acids, may also have developmental and mental health benefits as might avoiding smoking.

The future of funding

Despite incomplete data on choline supplementation, Freedman’s research colleague Dr. Camille Hoffman-Shuler, an obstetrician, sees it as a promising intervention that should continue to be explored.

“Obstetricians and midwives are not widely aware of choline supplementation,” she says. “But I do recommend it to pregnant women, especially if they have other mental health vulnerabilities. And I’d personally want it with a future pregnancy based on existing data.”

Both Freedman and Hoffman-Shuler hope to continue choline research, yet decry the obstacles to securing the money to do it.

“The NIH is currently funding no trials of any intervention in humans during pregnancy to prevent mental illness,” says Freedman, “yet ideally we’d follow these children for another 20 to 25 years to see if they develop mental illness. This is beyond the scope of most imaginable — and fundable — experiments.”

Hoffman-Shuler is prepared to do what it takes. “The hardest part is getting this across to the funding agencies and the public,” she says. But this is a serious public health issue in which prevention during pregnancy is far more preferable to the loss of health and consequences that come with mental illness!”

{With five more states voting on whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana come November, millions more Americans are closer than ever to being able to smoke pot freely and legally.This makes it a perfect time to take another look about some of the facts about marijuana’s effects.
}

Mic has done extensive reporting on the positive and negative effects of weed. For those interested in marijuana’s effects on the body — from your brain to your heart to your uterus — here are all the facts you need.

{{What are marijuana’s effects on the body? }}

What are marijuana’s effects on the lungs? Marijuana is often smoked, but its effects on the lungs aren’t as well understood as, say, smoking cigarettes, which has been indisputably linked to lung cancer. Mic’s Kathleen Wong explored the complicated answer of how marijuana affects lung function back in February. Here it is in full:

How does smoking marijuana affect your lungs? Here’s why the answer is so conflicting.
Smoking from bongs, joints and hand pipes are some of the most common methods that people use to consume marijuana. As it’s common knowledge that cigarette smoking is a life-damaging addiction, it’s unclear if marijuana smoking is equally damaging to our precious (and just about only) set of lungs.

A 2012 study observed over 5,000 smokers over a 20-year span, and reported that its participants who smoked marijuana did it on average two to three times per month, while tobacco smokers lit up on average about eight times a day, according to Time.

For the most part, since marijuana is habitually smoked less frequently than cigarettes and marijuana smokers tend to inhale deeper and for longer compared to cigarette smokers, smoking marijuana becomes a sort of pulmonary function test and may improve lung capacity, Time reported. The study’s findings may also be attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of the THC in marijuana.

Granted, smoking is smoking, and marijuana smoking can lead to more coughing, shortness of breath and sore throats.

Cigarette smokers have higher instances of lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but there has been conflicting information regarding the lung cancer rates of marijuana smokers.

“The THC in marijuana has well-defined antitumoral effects that have been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of cancers in animal models and tissue culture systems, thus counteracting the potentially tumorigenic effects of the procarcinogens in marijuana smoke,” said Dr. Donald Tashkin — professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles — according to Time.

However a 2008 New Zealand study linked heavy cannabis smoking with a higher likelihood of lung cancer. The 2012 study also noted that those who smoke marijuana frequently will probably experience considerable lung damage.

One study found that marijuana smoke contained up to “20-fold” more ammonia compared to tobacco smoke.

Smoking marijuana could also lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease gained from smoking that is bronchitis-like, according to CBS News.

If you’re worried about smoking marijuana, you could always try a vaporizer —though the jury’s still out on how safe those are.

Weed and sleep: Some marijuana users swear by smoking before bed, while some avoid it. There’s no one answer about how marijuana affects sleep, but Mic’s Max Plenke investigated the truth about weed and sleep. Here is his piece in full:

Here’s how smoking weed will affect your sleep
Some project has been stressing you out at work. You’re on hour three of unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep. Another episode of Breaking Bad just gets you even more wired, so you pull out a bong that looks like a dragon and get a little stoned. Boom. You pass out.

But when you wake up, how do you feel? Groggy? Refreshed? Was your weed-induced sleep better or worse than it would have been if you’d just fallen asleep naturally, using this breathing trick, for example?

Mic spoke with a number of medical marijuana advocates and addiction experts about the benefits and drawbacks of getting high before bed, and the conclusion is… there isn’t one. Researchers say it all depends on what you want out of sleep.

Experts agreed on a few things: Marijuana probably helps you fall asleep, as long as it’s a type of marijuana plant categorized as indica, rather than sativa. Indica is known the relaxing type of marijuana; sativa is thought to be energizing.

Cannabinoid receptors, which are mechanisms you already have in your brain that receive cannabis, play an important role in regulating your anxiety and keeping those lizard-brain “fight-or-flight” responses to a minimum. That’s why weed makes you calm down enough to fall asleep.

But after that, its impact on your sleep is uncertain. The most important question here: Which stage of sleep is more important, stage 3 or stage 4?

“The key sleep state is the REM sleep,” or stage 4, Dr. Kevin Hill — director of the Substance Abuse Consultation Service, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate — told Mic. “That’s the restorative stage for your sleep. Evidence suggests that’s lowered by marijuana.”

Dr. Perry Solomon, chief medical officer at HelloMD, a digital health care platform for medical marijuana, says it’s the third stage of sleep — deep sleep or slow-wave sleep — that seems to let your body “renew and repair itself,” as an adaptation of a health report from Harvard Medical School stated. Stage 3 is “the most sensitive to cannabis,” Solomon told Mic. “Marijuana seems to make that stage longer, and people get a more restful sleep when [slow-wave sleep] is longer.”

While Solomon (and the adaptation of the health report) says that stage 3 sleep is probably what repairs your body the best, Hill says stage 4, or REM sleep, is what refreshes your brain. Weed makes that brain-refreshment stage less effective.

“You need it all,” Hill told Mic. “But if you’re using cannabis to help you sleep, your sleep architecture is not optimal. You might optimize stages prior to REM, but if you cut into REM, you’re hampering your efforts.”

The possible risks: Dr. Harold Urschel, chief medical strategist at Enterhealth, a drug and alcohol addiction rehab center in Texas, thinks using cannabis to get to sleep is more of a slippery slope than you might expect.

For one, he says, if marijuana has been cutting into your REM sleep and reducing dreams, cutting it out of your night routine could mean those dreams could return in unsettling ways. If you’ve been using cannabis to fall asleep every night for weeks, trying to phase it out can result in withdrawal that often includes insomnia.

There’s a problem with this whole story: The science is inconclusive because marijuana research is barely crawling. As much as anecdotal evidence stands to at least pave the way, our physiological understanding of the substance as a whole is barely more than personal experience.

That’s because, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, weed is a Schedule 1 drug, the same category as heroin, peyote and Ecstasy. Schedule 1 means the drug has no medicinal value — and running trials is the only way to prove it can have value. So in order to better understand the effects of marijuana on a physiological level, the DEA needs to reschedule marijuana to reflect its potential for medical use.

That is, if we’re ever going to fully understand the pros and cons of weed once and for all.

“I wish we could have a less theoretical conversation about this,” Hill said. “If you’re treating people with cannabis and say it works for certain things, it would be great to have scientific evidence to back it up. Rescheduling marijuana would definitely help that.”

The bottom line: From what experts deduce, you have to choose what kind of sleep is important to you. If you smoke weed, you’ll probably be more physically restored. But you could become mentally foggy and dream less, if you dream at all.

{{What are marijuana’s effects on the brain? }}

Marijuana and mental health: Some people use marijuana to treat anxiety, but for some, the drug feels like it causes anxiety. But, as Mic’s Jordyn Taylor reported in February, the latest science indicates that marijuana does not cause clinical anxiety. Here is that report in full:

New study finds cannabis doesn’t cause clinical anxiety or depression
Marijuana doesn’t get the best rap when it comes to mental health. Past research has shown it causes short-term paranoia. Another study found that high-potency cannabis — or “skunk” — could be directly responsible for one in four new cases of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.

But the results of a new, widespread study offer some slightly more chill news: Despite what you may have read, cannabis does not increase your risk of developing mood or anxiety disorders.

To conduct their study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of approximately 35,000 U.S. adults. They started by gauging the group’s marijuana habits; three years later, they analyzed the group’s mental health status.

Countless people report feeling anxious when they use marijuana. “Does anyone else get really bad anxiety when smoking weed?” one marijuana user asked Reddit. “It sort of seems like my anxiety started to come out much more after smoking weed for a while.”

“During prom I ate an edible, had a panic attack and hid in the bathroom for three hours,” another user responded.

And yet, when the researchers adjusted their findings for several covariates, they found “cannabis use was not associated with increased risk for developing mood or anxiety disorders,” according to the study.

But the findings weren’t all positive. Weed may not increase your likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder, but it was linked to a “significantly increased risk for developing alcohol, cannabis and other drug use disorders,” according to the study. That included nicotine dependence, too.

Folks who reported using cannabis were nearly three times more likely to have an alcohol use disorder or other drug use disorder, and nearly two times more likely to have nicotine dependence, according to the study.

When it comes to the gradual legalization of marijuana across the U.S., the researchers suggested that policymakers should take their findings into account.

“Our findings suggest caution in the implementation of policies related to legalization of cannabis for recreational use,” the researchers wrote, “as it may lead to greater availability and acceptance of cannabis, reduced perception of risk of use and increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, such as substance use disorders.”

Marijuana and brain health: It turns out that one of the possible benefits that marijuana may have on the brain is as a potential guard against Alzheimer’s disease. Mic’s Jordyn Taylor investigated the latest research in July. Here is that report in full:

New research shows marijuana compounds could protect the brain from Alzheimer’s
Scientists are searching for ways to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that affects more than 5 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death among U.S. adults.

{{It turns out weed may help.}}

The latest research: According to new findings out of the Salk Institute, tetrahydrocannabinol and other compounds found in marijuana may help remove amyloid beta — a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease — from nerve cells in the brain.

“Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,” the paper’s senior author, Salk professor David Schubert, said in a statement.

{{How it works}}

Let’s start with those “toxic proteins.” Though scientists don’t have a definitive cause of Alzheimer’s disease, they suspect it’s partly to do with plaques: clumps of a “sticky” protein — amyloid beta — that develop between neurons in the brain, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Using lab-grown tissue, the Salk Institute researchers found that higher levels of amyloid beta led to increased inflammation — and, in turn, cell death.

Here’s where the weed comes in: Our bodies naturally produce compounds called endocannabinoids, which facilitate signaling in the brain. According to the new study, endocannabinoids also protect nerve cells from amyloid beta and inflammation.

THC and other cannabinoids were found to have the same effect.

“When we were able to identify the molecular basis of the inflammatory response to amyloid beta, it became clear that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying,” the paper’s first author, Antonio Currais, said in a statement.

“I think it is exciting, to tell you the truth,” Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association — which funded research that informed this study — said in a phone call Wednesday.

Currently, there are five drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. But “they don’t actually do anything to slow down the disease’s process,” Fargo said. “They help with the condition for a little while, but the disease progresses unabated.”

“Really, the holy grail is to find something that would stop the progress of the disease, or at least slow it down,” he continued. The Salk Institute’s research is a step in that direction.

{{Weed and Alzheimer’s disease}}

A number of other studies have explored marijuana’s potential role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Research like this 2014 study and this 2006 study found THC inhibited amyloid beta aggregation.

Still, it’ll be some time before America’s Alzheimer’s patients can put the Salk Institute’s findings to the test. As the press release points out, the research team used “exploratory laboratory models” — and “the use of THC-like compounds as a therapy would need to be tested in clinical trials.”

If the therapy works in humans, “it probably won’t be the whole plant marijuana that’s recommended,” Fargo cautioned. “Not everybody wants to have that psychoactive experience you have with marijuana use.”

Instead, pharmaceutical companies could create treatments that target the brain’s cannabinoid system — and don’t get patients stoned.

It may be a far off goal — but it’s still an important one, Fargo said.

“There are 5 million Americans today that have dementia from Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “That’s just going to increase unless we find something that can slow down the progress of the disease.”

What are marijuana’s effects on the heart?
Marijuana and exercise: Marijuana can raise heart rates, which for some people may feel uncomfortable, even frightening. Yet some athletes swear by getting high before a workout. Mic’s Jordyn Taylor investigated the link between weed and working out in May. Here’s that piece in full:
Here’s how weed can change your favorite workout
Some people drink overpriced kale juice before hitting the gym. A growing body of athletes is fueling up on a different green treat: weed.

Coming soon to San Francisco is a gym that’ll let clients consume marijuana while working out, according to Tech Insider. The gym, Power Plant Fitness, will reportedly allow edibles and vaping on-site and plans to add an “outdoor smoking deck” in the future.

The gym sees cannabis as “a tool for focus and recovery,” according to Tech Insider, which spoke to founder Jim McAlpine via email:

New members will take a “cannabis performance assessment” under the supervision of staff to determine the “most optimal ways to consume.” Some might find a bite out a pot brownie gives them the push they need to complete a circuit training workout, while others find it knocks them on the floor.
“It won’t be a place to get high and just screw around,” McAlpine said in a blog post. “We are focused on the athletic side, not the cannabis side.”

So! Can weed actually help you work out?
Plenty of athletes claim weed ups their game. One of them is Seibo Shen, a jiujitsu enthusiast and founder of the vaping company VapeXhale. The 39-year-old recently starting vaping before entering jiujitsu matches, and says it’s helped him achieve the perfect mental state for fighting.

“When I consume cannabis, I’m just in a state of — I don’t want to call it ‘oneness’ — but I’m very calm,” Shen said Thursday in a phone interview. “I just go in super loose.”

In intense, competitive sports like jiujitsu, mixed martial arts or football, so much of athletes’ success depends on “getting in the zone,” Shen said — and marijuana stands to help them get there.

“When you can get your mind out of the way and let your body do what it’s supposed to do based on muscle memory and repetition, you have athletes performing at a higher level,” he said.

There’s also Ross Rebagliati, the Canadian snowboarder who tested positive for THC after winning a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games. Rebagliati — who ultimately got to keep his medal — has said cannabis helps him train.

Cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive compound in cannabis, “is excellent for athletes who are recovering, in particular because it’s such a big anti-inflammatory,” Rebagliati said, according to Vocativ.

“It’s excellent for those guys and girls who are out there training hard every day and needing to recover muscles that would naturally be inflamed or after any injuries they may incur on a regular basis,” he said. “Pain through inflammation is a big deal.”

Of all the ways people incorporate cannabis into their fitness routines, “the most popular way right now is on the recovery side,” Shen said.

Does science back any of it up? Because the Drug Enforcement Agency still classifies weed as a Schedule 1 drug, it’s hard for researchers to run studies on it, according to Business Insider.

Past studies have suggested weed could have a negative impact on fitness — but they’re not the most compelling, thorough or up-to-date.

A 1975 study involving just eight people — all of whom had asthma — found a 25% “decrease in power output among study subjects after smoking marijuana,” Business Insider reported. A 1977 study — this one involving just six people — found “some decreased motor control” among “experienced pot smokers when they got high, though they didn’t show significant changes in reaction time.”

Yes, there are risks. Smoking marijuana can irritate your lungs and make you cough, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse — which is not ideal if you’re heading outside for a 5-mile run. It also raises your heart rate for “up to three hours after smoking,” which “may increase the chance of heart attack.”

Learning how to incorporate weed into a workout takes time, Shen cautioned.

“Using cannabis in fighting is like surfing for the first time,” he said. “It just feels really unsteady. You’re off balance, you fall a lot — it’s not a really good time.”

But with regular use, Shen has been able to use it to his advantage. “Once you understand how to surf, there’s this oneness, this connectedness, this effortless movement you have with the board along with the water,” he said.

{{What are marijuana’s effects on sex?}}

Does marijuana improve sex? Marijuana has been known to increase libido and even improve orgasms in some users, although there’s not much research to suggest what, if any, science backs up those anecdotal claims. And marijuana use has been linked to a lower sperm count in men. Mic’s Max Plenke reported on the combination of marijuana and sex back in 2015. Here is that story in full:

{{Here are the science-approved health benefits of having sex while high}}

Having sex and getting high are two fun things to do separately — but they’re even more fun to do at the same time. There are real-deal psychological and physiological benefits of a quick toke — or nibble, or spray — before climbing into bed.

If you’re in the right headspace for it, sex with a head full of cannabis is great. It’s been shown that cannabis can act as an aphrodisiac, strengthening orgasms in women and boosting libido. “Sometimes when couples smoke marijuana, they take more time to have a fuller sensual experience and slow down, which would allow more time for vasocongestion (blood flow to genitals) and myotonia (muscular tension),” sex therapist Ian Kerner previously told Mic. He said weed can cause couples to feel “relaxed, comfortable and sexy, [which may] lead to a higher quality of orgasm.”

It’s all in your head: When it comes to sex and biology, men tend to obsess over erectile dysfunction. Drugs like Viagra and Cialis can fix the physiological symptoms, but the root problem is often psychological: stress and anxiety. “The mentality for men is that they just need a pill and that will solve all the psychological issues, but that doesn’t work,” Dr. Jordan Tishler, a cannabis therapeutics physician for Inhale MD, told Mic. “Whatever the psychological causes of the dysfunction or inability to make intimate contact, women are more willing to discuss above-the-neck issues than men.”

Cannabis, unless taken in excessive doses, is known to help curb stress and anxiety. Why and how it affects the brain isn’t talked about as much.

Your body actually makes cannabinoids in a part of your brain and nervous system called the endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate our stress and anxiety levels. THC, marijuana’s champion psychoactive ingredient, is chemically similar to a brain chemical called anandamide — better known as our body’s natural marijuana — that makes us less anxious.

Marijuana’s impact on sex looks a lot like the way it impacts everything else: It helps shelf stress and anxiety in order to make users more present. Not only does it help you feel more comfortable in your skin, but with the release of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for the feeling of bonding, cannabis can help you feel more connected to your partner.

“The endocannabinoid system does help restore a healthy neurological firing pattern of existing oxytocin already in an individual’s body,” Stephanie Viskovich, a medical marijuana advocate in Washington, told Mic. “Cannabis won’t deplete what is there to increase sensation in one giant shot.” She said it helps your body “naturally restore a healthy firing of neurological pistons directly correlated to balancing the oxytocin, which is naturally produced by your own body.”

Research needs to aim higher: Overall, marijuana is the ingestible equivalent of meditation when it comes to getting stress levels in check. But there aren’t a lot of studies to prove the impact. According to Nicole Prause, founder of Liberos, a company that uses brain stimulation to impact sex drive issues, the problem comes from the lack of funding and support for sex-related research.

“No one will apply to study THC and sexual arousal,” Prause told Mic. “You need a lot of money to run fMRI studies, usually $600 an hour, just for scanner time. Congressional aids scan NIH funding for the word ‘sexual’ and have brought five grants up for defunding. One was successful — the only time in the history of NIH it has ever happened.”

Until then, we’ll just have to go on largely anecdotal evidence, which is why it’s all the more important for couples to experiment, communicate and find what works for them.

“Everyone reacts differently to strains, and there is a lot of misconception about sativas being good for energy and ‘daytime use,’” Viskovich told Mic. “Depending on your body’s physiological makeup, a sativa could help you focus and give you energy, or it could induce anxiety and paranoia.” She compared it to how Ritalin affects people with and without ADD.

Viskovich recommends running the stoner gamut: Try a pure indica strain, a pure sativa strain and a hybrid mix of the two. Plenty of home research needs to be done on your own to see what works in your bedroom — so have fun.

{Healthy people know that sleeping well is a vital part of their wellness routine. So if you want a better wellbeing, below are 7 things you should do before sleeping so you would wake up well-rested.}

{{1. Shower }}

Showering at night before going to bed helps you feel relaxed as well as improve your sleep quality. According to sleep experts, body temperature is crucial in regulating sleep and showering before going to bed will help this process.

{{2. Avoid going to bed late }}

Seven to nine hours of sleep per night is what you need according to the National Sleep Foundation. You can’t achieve this if you go to bed late. Try going to bed early so you can get a good amount of sleep each night.

{{3. Meditate }}

One of the benefits of meditating before going to bed is that it calms your mind and ensures you sleep peaceful. Ensure you meditate before going to bed.

{{4. Ditch your gadgets }}

Studies have shown that the blue light emitted from our phones, laptops, TVs can disrupt our sleep cycles. Avoid using your gadgets just before going to bed as this actually wreak havoc on your rest.

{{5. Drink water }}

Avoid alcohol before going to bed and take water instead. Drinking water before going to bed means you’ll wake up hydrated and with a good night’s sleep under your belt.

{{6. Work out }}

Research has shown that working out can help you get a good night’s rest. Ensure you work out before hitting the sheets tonight.

{{7. Brush your teeth }}

Many people fail to brush their teeth before going to bed. The American Dental Association recommends you brush twice daily to avoid plaque and bacteria from building up and making your breath foul.

{Researchers have found measurable brain changes in children after a single season of playing youth football, even without a concussion diagnosis, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.}

According to USA Football, there are approximately 3 million young athletes participating in organized tackle football across the country. Numerous reports have emerged in recent years about the possible risks of brain injury while playing youth sports and the effects it may have on developing brains. However, most of the research has looked at changes in the brain as a result of concussion.

“Most investigators believe that concussions are bad for the brain, but what about the hundreds of head impacts during a season of football that don’t lead to a clinically diagnosed concussion? We wanted to see if cumulative sub-concussive head impacts have any effects on the developing brain,” said the study’s lead author, Christopher T. Whitlow, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.A., associate professor and chief of neuroradiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The research team studied 25 male youth football players between the ages of 8 and 13. Head impact data were recorded using the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITs), which has been used in other studies of high school and collegiate football to assess the frequency and severity of helmet impacts. In this study, HITs data were analyzed to determine the risk weighted cumulative exposure associated with a single season of play.

The study participants underwent pre- and post-season evaluation with multimodal neuroimaging, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain. DTI is an advanced MRI technique, which identifies microstructural changes in the brain’s white matter. In addition, all games and practices were video recorded and reviewed to confirm the accuracy of the impacts.

The brain’s white matter is composed of millions of nerve fibers called axons that act like communication cables connecting various regions of the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging produces a measurement, called fractional anisotropy (FA), of the movement of water molecules in the brain and along axons. In healthy white matter, the direction of water movement is fairly uniform and measures high in FA. When water movement is more random, FA values decrease, which has been associated with brain abnormalities in some studies.

The results showed a significant relationship between head impacts and decreased FA in specific white matter tracts and tract terminals, where white and gray matters meet.

“We found that these young players who experienced more cumulative head impact exposure had more changes in brain white matter, specifically decreased FA, in specific parts of the brain,” Dr. Whitlow said. “These decreases in FA caught our attention, because similar changes in FA have been reported in the setting of mild TBI.”

It is important to note that none of the players had any signs or symptoms of concussion.

“We do not know if there are important functional changes related to these findings, or if these effects will be associated with any negative long-term outcomes,” Dr. Whitlow said. “Football is a physical sport, and players may have many physical changes after a season of play that completely resolve. These changes in the brain may also simply resolve with little consequence. However, more research is needed to understand the meaning of these changes to the long-term health of our youngest athletes.”

{To reduce the risk of sudden death, babies should sleep in the same room as their parents but in their own crib or bassinet for the first year of life, US doctors said Monday.}

The new policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics still says babies should sleep on their backs, on a clean surface free of toys and blankets, a guideline that has been in place since the 1990s and has reduced sudden infant deaths by about 50 percent.

Still, some 3,500 infants die each year in the United States from sleep-related deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation and strangulation.

The main change to the AAP guidelines, which were last issued in 2011, is the specific call for infants to stay in their parents’ room for six months to a year if possible — but not sleep in the same bed.

“Parents should never place the baby on a sofa, couch, or cushioned chair, either alone or sleeping with another person,” said lead author Rachel Moon.

“We know that these surfaces are extremely hazardous.”

{{‘One never forgets’}}

Experts say that urging parents to put babies to sleep on their backs instead of their bellies helped drive down the rate of sudden infant death from 120 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1992 to 56 deaths per 100,000 in 2001 — a 53 percent reduction in one decade. That advice still stands.

Deaths from SIDS have plateaued in recent years, but it is still the leading killer of babies aged one month to one year.

Children may become entangled in bedding, or suffocate under bumpers or toys, get squeezed in the corner of a couch or armchair, get overheated, or simply stop breathing for no apparent reason.

“It is nothing but tragic,” said Peter Richel, chief of the department of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital, who remembers losing two patients in the past 26 years to sudden infant death — a four-month-old boy and a two-week-old girl.

“Often there is nothing special to point to, other than they are just kind of taken away,” he said.

“It is something that one never forgets.”

Other risk factors for SIDS include smoking in the home, and exposing babies to drugs or alcohol.

Richel said that the new policy means doctors will have to change some of their long-held advice.

“Many pediatricians will suggest that by two months of age, infants go to their own room, and with the use of a monitor so that you can hear them cry out for a feeding,” said Richel.

“This really goes against that kind of usual advice, which is fine, because if it saves lives we are all for it.”

{{Latest data }}

The new policy is described in a paper called, “SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment,” and will be presented Monday at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco.

“The most important thing to remember is that the crib should be free of all loose objects that could lead to strangulation or suffocation,” said Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, who was not involved in the research.

“This means that a bare environment is ultimately safest.”

The AAP policy also suggests placing newborn infants skin-to-skin with the mother “immediately following birth for at least an hour as soon as the mother is medically stable and awake.”

Breastfeeding is recommended, but mothers are urged to move the baby to a separate sleeping space afterward.

“If you are feeding your baby and think that there’s even the slightest possibility that you may fall asleep, feed your baby on your bed, rather than a sofa or cushioned chair,” said co-author Lori Feldman-Winter, a member of the Task Force on SIDS.

“If you do fall asleep, as soon as you wake up be sure to move the baby to his or her own bed,” she said.

The highest risk period for SIDS comes between the ages one to four months. SIDS is rare in babies older than eight months.

Other strategies include offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime, and making sure infants get all their recommended vaccines.

Parents are warned against using expensive home monitoring systems, as well as wedges or positioners that may be marketed as reducing the risk of SIDS.

“We know that we can keep a baby safer without spending a lot of money on home monitoring gadgets but through simple precautionary measures,” Moon said.

{It’s not so bad to hand your child an iPad once in a while depending on how it’s used. Playing a game together or Skyping with Grandma? That’s OK. Helping your little one calm down or trying to keep peace in the house? Not so much.}

New guidelines announced by the American Academy of Pediatrics today say parents not only need to pay attention to the amount of time children spend on digital media — but also how, when and where they use it.

For children ages 2 to 5, media should be limited to one hour a day, the statement says, and it should involve high-quality programming or something parents and kids can view or engage with together. With the exception of video-chatting, digital media should also be avoided in children younger than 18 months old.

“Digital media has become an inevitable part of childhood for many infants, toddlers and preschoolers, but research is limited on how this affects their development,” says one of the lead authors of the statement Jenny Radesky, M.D., a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Radesky coauthored the statement for children ages 0-5 with Dimitri A. Christakis, M.D., M.P.H., of Seattle Children’s Hospital. The AAP also put out a separate policy statement the same day for older kids (ages 6 to teenage).

“In children over three, the research is solid: high-quality programs like Sesame Street can teach kids new ideas. However, under three, toddlers’ immature brains have a hard time transferring what they see on a screen to real-life knowledge,” Radesky says. “We don’t yet know if interactivity helps or hinders that process.”

“What we do know is that early childhood is a time of rapid brain development, when children need time to play, sleep, learn to handle emotions, and build relationships. Research still suggests that excessive media use can get in the way of these important activities. Our statement highlights ways families and pediatricians can help manage a healthy balance.”

Why limit screen time

Too much time using digital media in the wrong way is linked to children’s quality of sleep, child development and physical health, the statement notes. (Heavy media use in preschool is associated with small but significant increases in body mass index.)

The guidelines recommend banning digital media use an hour before bed, turning off devices when not in use and keeping bedrooms, mealtimes and parent-child playtime screen free.

Although there are specific instances when using digital media as a soothing tool is helpful, such as on airplanes or during medical procedures, parents should also avoid using media as the only way to calm down children, authors note. Using devices as a common soothing strategy may limit children’s ability to regulate their own emotions, Radesky says.

“We have to be realistic about the ubiquity of digital media use. It is becoming ingrained in our culture and daily life. For this reason, it is even more important that parents help their children understand the healthy ways to use media from the earliest ages,” Radesky says.

“Videochatting with grandparents, watching science videos together, putting on streaming music and dancing together, looking up new recipes or craft ideas, taking pictures and videos to show each other, having a family movie night … these are just a few ways media can be used as a tool to support family connection,” Radesky says.

Radesky notes that it is crucial that adults interact with children during use, to help young children apply what they’re seeing on the screen to the world around them. Research shows that for the youngest children — ages 18-36 months — this is essential, she says.

Authors acknowledge that well-designed TV programs such as “Sesame Street” may help improve literacy and social outcomes for children ages 3 to 5. But many apps parents find under the “educational” category are not evidence based and include little input from developmental educators.

Parents may want to limit their own screen time, too, the authors say. Heavy parent use of mobile devices is associated with fewer verbal and nonverbal interaction between parents and children and may be associated with more parent-child conflict.

Pediatricians are also encouraged to help parents be “media mentors”- role models and guides for how to pick good digital content. Doctors have an opportunity to educate families about brain development in the early years and importance of hands on social play for language cognitive and social emotional skills. They can also guide parents to resources for finding quality products.

“Pediatricians have the opportunity to start conversations with parents early about family media use and habits,’” Radesky says. “We can help parents develop media use plans for their homes, set limits and encourage them to use devices with their children in a way that promotes enhanced learning and greater interaction.”

The takeaways

Here’s a breakdown of the new AAP guidelines for parents of children 0-5 years:

• Avoid digital media use (except video chatting) in children younger than 24 months.

• If digital media is introduced to children between 18 and 24 months, choose high-quality programming and use the media with your child. Avoid solo use by the child.

• Do not feel pressured to introduce technology early. Interfaces are so intuitive that children will figure them out quickly once they start using them.

• For children ages 2 to 5, limit screen use to one hour a day of high-quality programming. Watch with your child and help them understand what they are seeing.

• Avoid fast-paced programs and apps with lots of distracting content or violence.

• Turn off TVs and other devices when not in use

• Avoid using media as the only way to calm your child. This could lead to problems with limit setting and ability to self-sooth and regulate emotions.

• Test apps before your child uses them, and play together.

• Keep bedrooms, mealtimes and parent-child playtimes screen free. Parents can set a “do not disturb” option on their phones during these times.

• Set a rule: No screen time an hour before bed.

• Consult the American Academy of Pediatrics Family Media use plan.

• Ask your pediatrician if you need help.

{You’ve probably heard rumours of how unhealthy it is to keep a mobile phone around your head for long, but didn’t take it seriously because there wasn’t much proof to back it up, or ‘no one you know has suffered any mobile phone related disease’, however, I doubt you’d repeat the act after reading this post.
}
Mobile phones cause radiation that is dangerous to human health, according to recent studies (2, as a matter of fact).

In Denmark, a group of young students conducted a research that has further given credence to the danger associated with prolonged mobile phone usage.

A group of five female 9th grade students from a Danish school used plants to conduct this study.

The experiment involved the women monitoring seeds from similar plants which they planted in two spaces at the same temperature level, both facing the sunlight and watered with equal amounts of water. In one area, they positioned the router for a wireless network that produces the same kind of radiation as an ordinary mobile phone, and the other, they placed in a space where there was none.

After 12 days, the germinated seeds alongside the router had not expanded, as some of them were mutated or totally dead. The plants arising from the seeds that were in a space without radiation advanced generally and also were entirely healthy. The experiment proved that radiation from mobile phones when kept too close to the head or used for long, can hinder rest and focus.

That is one research. In a similar study, which was conducted in 2016, the W.H.O also found that cell phone related radiation is carcinogenic, meaning that it can cause cancer. They therefore, have issued a stern warning to all mobile phone users around the world to limit mobile phone usage, or at least, keep it as far away from their head as possible.

Most of us are used to keeping their phones close to their bed or pillow when they want to sleep, even I was guilty of that habit, but ever since I read up about how unhealthy and dangerous it is, I changed it swiftly. You too should do the same. Turn off your phones before you sleep at night, but if you must, keep them far away from your head. If you have to take calls, use a hands free device, don’t put a phone around your head for long, don’t!

{We all know by now how important exercising is to the health, but researchers from UCL and the University of Cambridge have given us one more reason to take exercise seriously.}

People who carry out an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day can reduce their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 40%, the researchers found. The study also revealed that any amount of physical activity can reduce the risk of developing the disease.

The study analysed data from 23 studies carried out in the USA, Asia, Australia and Europe. By combining observations from these studies, the researchers were able to separate out the effect of leisure time physical activity from other behavioural factors, and obtain better estimates of the effects of different physical activity levels.

The UK Department of Health recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, which includes brisk walking, gentle cycling or sports such as doubles tennis.

The study, which analysed summarized data from over a million people, demonstrated that while any amount of physical activity is good for you, the benefits of exercise are greater for people who exceed this recommended level.

According to Andrea Smith (UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre and Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge), who led the study: “Our results suggest a major potential for physical activity to slow down or reverse the global increase in type 2 diabetes and should prove useful for health impact modelling, which frequently forms part of the evidence base for policy decisions.”

Another reason to take exercise seriously.