Category: Health

{A seven-year study on 500,000 Chinese adults have found that eating fresh fruits could lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.}

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. They tracked the health of these 500,000 Chinese adult citizens for seven years.

Fruits which are a good source of potassium, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and various other potentially active compounds have a lower consumption rate in China.

According to study author, Dr Huaidong Du, University of Oxford, UK: “The association between fruit consumption and cardiovascular risk seems to be stronger in China, where many still eat little fruit, than in high-income countries where daily consumption of fruit is more common.”

The study co-author Professor Liming Li, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said “A recent Global Burden of Disease report put low fruit consumption as one of the leading causes of premature death in China. However, this was based on little evidence from China itself.”

Also, senior author, Professor Zhengming Chen, University of Oxford, UK, said “It’s difficult to know whether the lower risk in people who eat more fresh fruit is because of a real protective effect. If it is, then widespread consumption of fresh fruit in China could prevent about half a million cardiovascular deaths a year, including 200,000 before age 70, and even larger numbers of non-fatal strokes and heart attacks.”

Besides reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, the study also found that regular fruit consumption has been associated with many other factors, such as education, lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose, and not smoking.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

{Do not ignore these warning signs of a heart disease. Make sure you get yourself checked if you experience any of these signs.}

Below are 7 warning signs of heart disease.

{{1. ARM PAIN}}

That arm pain you feel could turn out to be a heart attack. If you experience a pain that starts from the chest and spreads to the arm, it could be a warning sign of a heart disease.

{{2. UNEXPLAINED WEAKNESS}}

Make sure you see your doctor right away if you suddenly feel fatigued after performing a task you easily carried out in the past. Unexplained weakness can be a sign of a heart attack

{{3. SWEAT FOR NO REASON}}

If you find yourself sweating for no reason, it’s important you see your doctor immediately as sweating for no obvious reason could signal a heart attack.

{{4. SWOLLEN LEGS, FEET AND ANKLES}}

Swollen legs, feet and ankles could signal your heart isn’t pumping blood as it should.

{{5. PAIN IN YOUR THROAT OR JAW}}

See your doctor immediately if you experience pain in the centre of your chest that spreads to your throat or jaw.

{{6. PAIN OR TIGHTNESS IN YOUR CHEST}}

Discomfort in the chest is a common sign of a problem with your heart. If the discomfort lasts longer than a few minutes, please see a doctor.

{{7. YOU EASILY FEEL DIZZY}}

If lots of things make you feel dizzy, accompanied with shortness of breath, please see a doctor. This could signal a drop in your blood pressure due to your heart’s failure to pump the way it should.

{Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that higher levels of vitamin D — specifically serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D — are associated with a correspondingly reduced risk of cancer. The findings are published in the April 6, online issue of PLOS ONE.}

“We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined, which had been terra incognita until publication of this paper,” said Cedric Garland, DrPH, adjunct professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health and member of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.

Garland and his late brother, Frank, made the first connection between vitamin D deficiency and some cancers in 1980 when they noted populations at higher latitudes (with less available sunlight) were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D, which is produced by the body through exposure to sunshine, and experience higher rates of colon cancer. Subsequent studies by the Garlands and others found vitamin D links to other cancers, such as breast, lung and bladder.

The new PLOS ONE study sought to determine what blood level of vitamin D was required to effectively reduce cancer risk. The marker of vitamin D was 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main form in the blood. The researchers employed a non-traditional approach, pooling analyses of two previous studies of different types: a randomized clinical trial of 1,169 women and a prospective cohort study of 1,135 women. A clinical trial focuses upon whether a specific test or treatment is safe and effective. A prospective study looks for outcomes during the study period, in this case incidence of cancer among participants.

By combining the two studies, the researchers obtained a larger sample size and a greater range of blood serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D.

The only accurate measure of vitamin D levels in a person is a blood test. In the Lappe trial cohort, the median blood serum level of 25(OH)D was 30 nanograms per milliliter. In the GrassrootsHealth prospective cohort, it was higher: 48 ng/ml.

The researchers found that the age-adjusted cancer incidence was 1,020 cases per 100,000 person-years in the Lappe cohort and 722 per 100,000 person-years in the GrassrootsHealth cohort. Cancer incidence declined with increased 25(OH)D. Women with 25(OH)D concentrations of 40 ng/ml or greater had a 67 percent lower risk of cancer than women with levels of 20 ng/ml or less.

Recommended blood serum levels of vitamin D have been a source of vigorous debate in recent years. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that levels lower than 12 ng/ml represented a vitamin D deficiency and recommended a target of 20 ng/ml, which could be met in most healthy adults (ages 19 to 70) with the equivalent of 600 International Units of vitamin D each day.

Subsequently, other groups have argued for higher blood serum levels: 50 ng/ml or more. Above 125 ng/ml, there may be side effects. Many vitamin D supporters now advocate 800 to 1,000 IUs daily; more for persons older than 70 and pregnant or lactating women.

Garland does not identify a singular, optimum daily intake of vitamin D or the manner of intake, which may be sunlight exposure, diet and/or supplementation. He said the current study simply clarifies that reduced cancer risk becomes measurable at 40 ng/ml, with additional benefit at higher levels.

“These findings support an inverse association between 25(OH)D and risk of cancer,” he said, “and highlight the importance for cancer prevention of achieving a vitamin D blood serum concentration above 20 ng/ml, the concentration recommended by the IOM for bone health.”

Garland said a broad effort to increase 25(OH)D concentrations to a minimum of 40 ng/ml in the general population would likely and substantially reduce cancer incidence and associated mortality.

“Primary prevention of cancer, rather than expanding early detection or improving treatment, will be essential to reversing the current upward trend of cancer incidence worldwide,” the researchers wrote. “This analysis suggests that improving vitamin D status is a key prevention tool.”

{After a hectic day at work, getting a good rest is needed. So many people struggle to fall asleep at night. Some things you do before going to bed might just be the reason you can’t sleep at night.}

Here are 5 things you should never do before going to bed.

{{1. AVOID EXERCISING}}

Exercising before going to bed is a terrible idea as it often leads to an inability to fall asleep. When you exercise, it takes a long time for your heart rate and breathing to return to normal and this often leads to an inability of fall asleep. Yoga or sex is fine as they relax the body.

{{2. AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL}}

Alcohol consumption can lead to disrupted sleep. Passing out after consuming alcohol keeps your sleep in a lighter state which means you don’t get as much deep sleep which is important.

{{3. AVOID LEAVING THE LIGHTS ON}}

You should avoid going to bed with the lights on because it’s not the proper environment for sleep. Your body needs darkness to usher in rest so when you sleep in a room with the lights on, you confuse your body. A small nightlight will have no big impact on your sleep.

{{4. AVOID CAFFEINE}}

Caffeine consumption before going to bed should be discouraged or you risk lying in bed unable to sleep. Experts recommend you restrict caffeine intake after lunchtime.

{{5. AVOID BIG MEALS}}

Eating a big meal before bed can affect your ability to sleep. It’s important you give your body time to digest food before going to bed.

{When was the last time you had an apple? A new research found that an apple a day really keeps the doctor away.}

Researchers from the University of Western Australia found that eating an apple a day slashes the risk of dying early by 35 per cent.

The researchers also found that women who ate more than 100 grams of the fruit each day – one small apple – were likely to have a longer life expectancy than those who didn’t, reports Mail Online.

The researchers studied 1,456 persons aged 70 to 85 for 15 years.

According to the researchers, apples have high levels of flavonoids and fibre which are linked to artery relaxation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and a reduced cancer risk.

Apples are also a good source of magnesium, potassium and vitamin C.

So make sure you eat an apple today.

{For the first time, the world has more overweight than underweight people, according to a body mass index analysis.}

Rates of obesity worldwide are continuing to rise and by 2025, 18 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women worldwide will be obese, according to a report published by The Lancet medical journal in the UK.

The study, released on Thursday, covers individuals from nearly 200 countries and reveals an increase in the number of obese people from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014, adding that quick action is needed to avoid “an epidemic of severe obesity”.

More than one in 10 men and one in seven women are obese.

It was also revealed that the world has more overweight than underweight people, according to an analysis of global trends in body mass index (BMI).

“Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight,” said senior author Professor Majid Ezzati from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.

“The number of people across the globe whose weight poses a serious threat to their health is greater than ever before.”

The study found that over the past four decades, the average age-corrected male BMI rose to 24.2 from 21.7, and in women rose to 24.4 from 22.1.

This is equivalent to the world’s population becoming on average 1.5 kg heavier each decade, the researchers said.

Almost a fifth of the world’s obese adults live in six high-income countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Britain, and the US.

Island nations in Polynesia and Micronesia have the highest average BMI in the world, while East Timor, Ethiopia, and Eritrea have the lowest average BMI.

Meanwhile, excessively low body weight remains a serious public health issue in the world’s poorest regions, the study’s authors said, and rising global trends in obesity should not overshadow the problem of many people not getting enough to eat.

In South Asia, almost a quarter of the population is underweight. In Central and East Africa, about 12 percent of women and 15 percent of men are underweight.

In India and Bangladesh, more than a fifth of men and a quarter of women are underweight, the researchers found.

More than one in 10 men and one in seven women are obese.

It was also revealed that the world has more overweight than underweight people, according to an analysis of global trends in body mass index (BMI).

“Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight,” said senior author Professor Majid Ezzati from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.

“The number of people across the globe whose weight poses a serious threat to their health is greater than ever before.”

The study found that over the past four decades, the average age-corrected male BMI rose to 24.2 from 21.7, and in women rose to 24.4 from 22.1.

This is equivalent to the world’s population becoming on average 1.5 kg heavier each decade, the researchers said.

Almost a fifth of the world’s obese adults live in six high-income countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Britain, and the US.

Island nations in Polynesia and Micronesia have the highest average BMI in the world, while East Timor, Ethiopia, and Eritrea have the lowest average BMI.

Meanwhile, excessively low body weight remains a serious public health issue in the world’s poorest regions, the study’s authors said, and rising global trends in obesity should not overshadow the problem of many people not getting enough to eat.

In South Asia, almost a quarter of the population is underweight. In Central and East Africa, about 12 percent of women and 15 percent of men are underweight.

In India and Bangladesh, more than a fifth of men and a quarter of women are underweight, the researchers found.