Toddlers were given milk for sleep likelier to get fat

A recent study showed that infants were given milk before going to sleep much more to be overweight when they are older.

U.S. researchers followed almost 7,000 children found those who regularly eat a bottle of milk at age two to 30 percent more likely to be overweight at the time the age of five and a half, reports the Daily Mail.

They warn that parents who continue to give the kids bottle of old when he started solid food is that overfeeding.

They said that an 8oz bottle of full-fat milk contains 150 calories – 12 percent of the energy a child aged between one and two needs in a day.

Mothers are advised to gradually wean their babies off either breast milk or formula milk from the age of six months.
But many carry on giving children bottles of milk – either formula, or whole or semi-skimmed – just before bedtime to help them sleep, even when they are on solid food.

The study found that almost a quarter of children – 22.9 percent – still being given bottles when they were two were obese by the time they were five and a half, even after accounting for other factors such as the mother’s weight and the child’s birth weight.

That compared with just 16 percent of children not being given a bottle.

The researchers said midwives and GPs should encourage mothers to wean their babies off bottles completely once they reach their first birthday.

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

Source: healthlets.com

Skin patch to cure life-threatening allergies

Ben, 4, and Lucy, 2, are severely allergic to both nuts and milk. Ben almost died when his father kissed him after eating a peanut butter sandwich.

For them, and millions of people worldwide, a cure for anaphylactic shock would transform their lives.

Now, a team of child health specialists has pioneered a revolutionary skin patch that can cure people of life-threatening allergies, reports theDaily Express .

Researchers have already successfully used the device against cow's milk allergies in babies and children.

Teams in Europe and the US are now testing the 'allergy patch' to prevent reactions to nuts.

It works by releasing minute doses of the allergen that causes the reaction into the immune systemthrough the skin, desensitising the sufferer.
 

"It is a completely novel method of treating allergies. It will be a very easy treatment to administer, it is safe and possible to treat both adults and children, who will be able to lead a normal life," said Dr Pierre-Henri Benhamou, one of its two French inventors.

Source: The times of India

Small pox virus may become poor man's atom bomb

BANGALORE: The resolution by the World Health Organization (WHO) to hold on to the two last known remaining stocks of the smallpox virus for "crucial research" raises the spectre of bioterrorism, warns a leading Indian virologist.

"If the destruction is delayed indefinitely, the synthesis and preparation of small pox virus as a bio-weapon, by a non-superpower would increase and it may truly become a poor man's atom bomb," says Kalyan Banerjee, former director of the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

The World Health Assembly-WHO's decision-making body-announced Tuesday that it would defer until 2014 any decision on the destruction of the two remaining stocks of the virus since "crucial research" based on the virus remains to be completed.

After smallpox was officially eradicated in 1980, all countries were asked to surrender their stocks of the virus to the WHO to prevent accidental release. Currently the virus is held at two WHO-sanctioned repositories - the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and a Russian facility in Koltsovo in Siberia.

The debate over whether or not to destroy these two last samples had been going on since 1980. But the WHO has constantly been postponing the date of destruction under pressure from the United States and Russia that wanted to retain the samples until the needed research was complete to develop new drugs and vaccines to counter a potential bioterror attack.

"In my opinion, the world will gain much more by destroying the last traces of the virus than by keeping it," said Banerjee who himself was former member of a WHO advisory committee on smallpox research and now a committee adviser.

"The arguments tendered in favour of retaining the virus appear to be unconvincing," he told IANS. "To put it bluntly, it is the same logic, by which the superpowers continue the possession of the nuclear weapons; they wish to hold on to the smallpox virus as a super bio-weapon."

"The research is being drawn on and on, but research cannot be made a tool or apology for the indefinite retention of the virus," Banerjee said.

Source: The economic times

Don't miss! Top 10 tips for the season - Summer

If you're a domestic diva or a career girl or a mix of both, these fantastic tips are bound to make your season fun and memorable!

1 Line your serving trays with a sheet of cork (you can get it at any upmarket departmental store) cut to size - this prevents condensation from making glasses slippery.

2 A quick-and-stylish summer dessert: use an icecream scoop to make icecream balls on a baking sheet. Stick an icecream stick into each scoop and put in the freezer till frozen. Take out, roll in toasted nuts, liqueur, syrup or crushed candy, and put back in the freezer on a tray lined with a baking sheet, till the toppings set.

3 Buy a few yards of patterned outdoor fabric and get your tailor to make outdoor-friendly covers for your floor cushions. You've got temporary outdoor seating for rare pleasant evenings.

4 Keep buying fresh flowers only to have them wilt in a couple of days? Get the "floral" effect by hanging framed prints of florals, or framed floral tapestry across the home; including bathrooms and guest powder rooms. Even a stunning square of floral gift-wrap paper, when framed, can become a piece of art.

5 If you get strong sunlight direct on your windows, get a layer of UV film on them (the stuff you use on your car windows). You will find a noticeable reduction in the intensity of the sun's glare.

6 Clean all the glass in your home - from windows to cabinet doors and mirrors. If you don't have storebought glass cleaner handy, a mixture of vinegar and water is effective. Clean glass adds a noticeable fresh sparkle to your rooms at zero cost.

7 Rid your home of musty winter smells by placing half a cup of vinegar in open bowls in different corners of each room. Vinegar absorbs strong scents, including one of the hardest smells to rid of - cigarette smoke!

8 With airconditioners on and windows firmly closed, ridding your home of strong food flavours can be tough. A useful trick, especially when expecting guests, is to put a pan of water on the gas, add some whole cinnamon and cloves, and boil for 10-odd minutes. Throw in some lemon and/or orange peel, if handy. The spices will release their strong fragrance and mask "tadka" and frying aromas. Also try essential oils in water.

9 Use kites to add an unexpected dose of colour, pattern and fun to your space - you can have just one, or a collection, perched above a WC in the bathroom, lining a staircase wall or taped to the wall in a row above a teenager's bed. This makes for cheap and light summer décor!

10 Paint the inside of a bookshelf or storage cupboard with fresh colour. Lime, sunflower yellow, orange and leafy greens look "cool". And the unexpected burst of colour on the inside - rather than exterior - of the shelf, will become a talking point when entertaining guests.

source: yahoo.com

Repairing damaged heart

When someone has a heart attack, the cells in the affected area of the heart die off, and the damage can’t be repaired. In the not-so-distant future, however, that may not be the case. Engineers from Rhode Island’s Brown University, working with colleagues in India, have created a carbon nanofiber patch that has been shown to regenerate heart cells. It is hoped that such patches could eventually be placed on the heart, like a Band-Aid, to regrow dead areas.

The patch itself is 22 millimeters long, 15 microns thick, has a scaffold-like structure, and can expand and contract like heart tissue. It is made from a govt-approved polymer and carbon nanofibers. The fibers are said to be excellent conductors of electrons, and so are able to transmit the electrical impulses that the heart uses in order to maintain a steady beat.

The Brown team laid the patch on a glass substrate, then seeded its nanofibers with heart cells known as cardiomyocytes. After four hours, five times as many cells had colonised the nanofiber patch, than a control patch that consisted of the polymer only. This figure rose to six times the cell density, after five days. 
Additionally, after four days, the density of neurons on the nanofiber patch had doubled.

According to the engineers, the elasticity of the scaffolding and the electrical qualities of the nanofibers are what makes it such an ideal spawning ground for the cardiomyocytes and neurons.

There is still work to be done, however. The team now wants to alter the pattern of the scaffolding in order to better mimic the heart’s electrical current, along with placing a patch in a live subject to see how it handles the heart’s voltage and beat regime. They also want to confirm that the cardiomyocytes which grow on the patch are able to function in the same ways as regular heart cells.

The research, which was conducted in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, was recently published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia. –GM


source: nation.com.pk

Tech loss: Computers making kids weaker

LONDON: Computers may have become a necessity for today's kids, but a study says that the machines are producing a "generation of weaklings" as children swap outdoor play for computer games and surfing the internet.

The study of 10-year-olds found that the number of sit-ups they could do dropped nearly 30% between 1998 and 2008. And, while only one in 20 kids failed to hold their own weight hanging on wall bars in 1998, the number doubled to one in ten by 2008.

The Essex University study, based on a survey, also found that as children followed fewer traditional activities, such as tree-climbing, their arm strength dropped 26% — and their grip 7%, the Sun reported.

Children's fitness expert Gavin Sandercock, who led the study, was quoted by the daily as saying, "Typically, these traditional activities boosted children's strength, making them able to lift and hold their own weight."


Source: Times of india

Drink daily, keep dementia at bay

A study has found that older people who continue to drink a glass of alcohol everyday are less likely to develop dementia. 

Scientists found that pensioners, 75 or over, who like a pint of beer, glass of wine or a reviving tot, are helping to stave off senility.

They are 30 per cent less likely to develop dementia and 40 per cent less likely to suffer Alzheimer's than those who don't drink.

Some 3,200 older Germans attending GPs and free of dementia, were studied and checked 18 months and three years later.

"Some 217 met criteria for dementia during follow-up," the Daily Express quoted a research group spokesman as saying.

The beneficial statistics of drinking alcohol then emerged. It suggests light to moderate consumption is inversely related to dementia incidence.

"Elderly folk handle alcohol more responsibly than the young and may derive greater health benefits from moderate drinking," Dr Harvey Finkel, of Boston university, said about the findings.

"Age is not a reason for abstinence," he stated.


source: Times of india

How crossing your arms can confuse your brain and help lessen pain

Crossing your arms after burning your hand or suffering an injury could lessen pain, research suggests.

Scientists found that crossing the arms across the body may confuse the brain about where pain is occurring.

Researchers think the theory has most impact on pain felt in the hands, and have not yet tested it on other parts of the body.

A team from University College London (UCL) used a laser to generate a four millisecond pin prick of pure pain (without touch) on the hands of eight people.

The test was then repeated with the arms crossed.

The participants recorded their perception of the intensity of the pain, and their electrical brain responses were also measured using scans.

The reports and the scans revealed that people's perception of pain was weaker when the arms were crossed.

Dr Giandomenico Iannetti, lead author of the paper from the UCL department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, said: 'Perhaps when we get hurt, we should not only 'rub it better' but also cross our arms.

'In everyday life you mostly use your left hand to touch things on the left side of the world, and your right hand for the right side of the world - for example when picking up a glass of water on your right side you generally use your right hand.

'This means that the areas of the brain that contain the map of the right body and the map of right external space are usually activated together, leading to highly effective processing of sensory stimuli.

'When you cross your arms these maps are not activated together anymore, leading to less effective brain processing of sensory stimuli, including pain, being perceived as weaker.'

The study, published in the journal Pain, involved crossing arms over the midline (an imaginary line running vertically down the centre of the body), as happens when people cross their arms naturally.

According to the researchers, the discovery could lead to therapies to reduce pain.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

Tomatoes a day keep heart diseases away, says study

Want to be free of high cholesterol and blood pressure (BP)? Tomatoes can be a way out for you! 

Tomatoes may be an effective alternative to drugs in lowering cholesterol and BP and in preventing heart disease.

A bright red pigment called lycopene found in tomatoes and to a lesser extent in watermelon, guava, papaya and pink grapefruit has antioxidant properties that are vital to good health.

Karin Ried and her colleague Peter Fakler from the University of Adelaide are the first to summarise the effect of lycopene on cholesterol and blood pressure (BP), analysing the collective results of 14 studies over the last 55 years.

"Our study suggests that if more than 25 milligrams of lycopene is taken daily, it can reduce LPD (bad) cholesterol by up to 10 per cent," says Ried, reports the journal Maturitas. 

Tomatoes have high levels of lycopene, with half a litre of tomato juice taken daily, or 50 grams of tomato paste, providing protection against heart disease, according to an Adelaide statement.

"That's comparable to the effect of low doses of medication commonly prescribed for people with slightly elevated cholesterol, but without the side effects of these drugs, which can include muscle pain and weakness and nerve damage," says Ried.

Lycopene is better absorbed in processed and cooked tomatoes or tomato paste rather than fresh tomatoes. As a supplement, lycopene is available in soft gelatine capsules or tablets.

"Research shows that high lycopene consumption has been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, including hardened arteries, heart attacks and strokes," she adds.

Why do women prefer tall men?

Tall men attract the ladies because they remind them of our violent ape-like ancestors, according to a new theory.

A study shows men hit harder when they stand on two legs than when they kneel down, and when directing punches downwards.

This might explain why early humans began walking upright, and also why women prefer tall men, say US researchers.

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"The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that our ancestors adopted bipedal posture so that males would be better at beating and killing each other when competing for females," said Professor David Carrier, from the University of Utah.

"Standing up on their hind legs allowed our ancestors to fight with the strength of their forelimbs, making punching much more dangerous.

"It also provides a functional explanation for why women find tall men attractive.

"Early in human evolution, an enhanced capacity to strike downward on an opponent may have given tall males a greater capacity to compete for mates and to defend their resources and offspring. If this were true, females who chose to mate with tall males would have had greater fitness for survival."

The findings are reported in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE.

Professor Carrier's team measured the force of punches delivered by male boxers and martial arts experts as they hit in four different directions, forwards, sideways, down and up.

A punch bag fitted with a sensor recorded the force of the forward and sideways blows.

For strikes downward and upward, the men struck a heavy padded block on the end of a swinging lever.

The men hit the targets as hard as they could, both from a standing posture and on their hands and knees.

For all punching angles, the blows were much harder when delivered standing up rather than kneeling down. From a standing position, side-strikes were 64 per cent harder, forward and upward strikes were 48 per cent harder, and downward strikes were 44 per cent harder.

And whether standing up or kneeling down, the men could hit three times harder punching downward.

The switch to walking on two legs was a defining point in human evolution, but the reason it happened is still unclear.

Charles Darwin, the "father" of evolution, thought human ancestors stood up so they could handle tools and weapons.

Later a host of other reasons for bipedalism were suggested, including carrying food, dissipating heat, efficient running, and reaching high branches.

Today, one of the most popular theories to explain the upright human posture is locomotor advantage. Standing on two legs is said to increase the efficiency of walking and running.

But Professor Carrier said this was not born out by research showing that bipedal walking is "energetically more expensive".

Nearly all mammals, including chimpanzees and gorillas, move on all fours when running or covering long distances on the ground, he pointed out.

On the other hand, many four-legged animals stood up and used their forelegs to fight, including anteaters, lions, wolves, bears, horses and rabbits.

Many studies have shown that women find tall men more attractive. But Professor Carrier disagrees with the theory that this is chiefly because height indicates "good genes" which may be passed onto offspring.

"If that were the whole story, I would expect the same to be true for men - that men would be attracted to tall women," he said. "But it turns out they're not. Men are attracted to women of average height or even shorter."

The alternative explanation may be that among human ancestors, tall males were better able to defend their resources, partners and offspring, Professor Carrier believes.

He stressed this did not imply that women are attracted to physically abusive men.

"From the perspective of sexual selection theory, women are attracted to powerful males, not because powerful males can beat them up, but because powerful males can protect them and their children from other males," Professor Carrier said.

"In a world of automatic weapons and guided missiles, male physical strength has little relevance to most conflicts between males. But guns have been common weapons for less than 15 human generations. So maybe we shouldn't be surprised that modern females are still attracted to physical traits that predict how their mates would fare in a fight."

Read more: www.smh.com

Is My Memory Loss Normal?

Everyone forgets things now and then, and remembering everything naturally becomes more difficult as you get older.

But certain types of memory loss may indicate something much more serious. The American Academy of Family Physicians says the following warning signs should not be ignored:

• Suddenly forgetting things much more frequently than you once did.
• Having difficulty remembering tasks you have performed many times.
• Having trouble learning how to do new things.
• Telling the same stories or saying the same phrases repeatedly in a conversation.
• Having problems dealing with money or making decisions.
• Having difficulty keeping track of daily events.

A simple blood test to tell how long you will live

A blood test that can show how fast someone is aging - and offers the tantalising possibility of estimating how long they have left to live - is to go on sale to the general public in UK later this year. 

The controversial test measures vital structures on the tips of a person's chromosomes, called telomeres, which scientists believe are one of the most important and accurate indicators of the speed at which a person is aging. 

Scientists behind the £435 test said it will tell whether a person is biologically aging, as measured by the length of their telomeres, and is older or younger than their actual chronological age, as measured by years since birth. 

The scientists, however, do not yet believe they can narrow down the prediction to calculate the exact number of months and years a person has yet to live. They do not yet believe the information could be used to calculate the exact number of years a person has left to live, but several studies have indicated that individuals with shorter-thannormal telomeres are likely to die younger than those with longer telomeres. 

Medical researchers believe that telomere testing will become widespread within the next five or 10 years, but there are already some scientists who question its value and whether there should be stronger ethical controls over its wider use. 

In addition to concerns about how people will react to a test for how old they really are, some scientists are worried that telomere testing may be hijacked by unscrupulous organisations trying to peddle unproven anti-aging remedies and other fake elixirs of life. 

The results of the tests might also be of interest to companies offering life-insurance policies or medical cover that depend on a person's lifetime risk of falling ill or dying prematurely. 

However, there is a growing body of respectable scientific opinion that says testing the length of a person's telomeres could provide vital insights into the risk of dying prematurely from a range of age-related disorders , from cardiovascular disease to Alzheimer's and cancer. 

"We know that people who are born with shorter telomeres than normal also have a shorter lifespan," said Maria Blasco of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, who is the inventor of the new commercial telomere test. "But we don't know whether longer telomeres are going to give you a longer lifespan. That's not really known in humans." 

"What is new about this test is that it is very precise. We can detect very small differences in telomere length and it is a very simple and fast technique where many samples can be analysed at the same time. Most importantly, we are able to determine the presence of dangerous telomeres - those that are very short." 
Blasco's company, Life Length, is in talks with companies across Europe to market the test and collect blood samples for analysis. 

Technology Leads to Obesity

 According to a study published in Science Daily, people who can’t live without technology are at high risk of obesity. Of all the technological factors included in our current lives, excess vehicle usage is linked to the No.1 death cause in America these days.

 Obesity is no joke. It is a reality. These days the United States population is facing the highest number of obese citizens in history. The city life, with all the technology it involves, has made it deadly easy to gain weight. There is a large number of factors that contribute to overweight results. These include the incredible amount and variety of junk food on the market; the technological devices that keep us between the walls of our homes like video games and “mother-TV”; the lacking in will to exercise or to be in the nature. Now, scientists have proven that cars are “public health No.1”.

 Professor Sheldon H. Jacobson, a of computer science specialist and director of the simulation and optimization laboratory at Illinois gathered a team of experts to study the impact of using cars daily and obesity. According to Jacobson, there is a strong argument that links the two: people eat and this way they gather energy. Then, when they have to consume it, they go around it – instead of walking, running or exercising in other way, they go by car.

 The team analyzed data from national statistics between the years 1985 and 2007 and discovered a correlation between vehicle usage and obesity rate. “When you are sitting in a car, you are doing nothing, so your body is burning the least amount of energy possible” said Jacobson and added that if you are eating while driving it gets even worse.

 Over the last 60 years the American society has evolved greatly from the technology point of view, adding more and more devices and apparels that would make people’s lives easier. But when technology meets health, the results are not always positive. Comfort generally leads to laziness, lack of interest, and ultimately to illnesses.

This phenomena is being observed in countries that have started introducing vehicles gradually into people’s lives. “In places like China and India, where the automobile is increasingly competing with cycling and walking as a mode of transportation, they are observing more obesity” said Jacobson and stated that there is no possible way to eliminate obesity and keep up with the same driving schedule. But he concluded that some small changes could make a big difference: “If every licensed driver reduced their travel by one mile per day, in six years the adult obesity rate would be 2.16 percent lower.”

Source: newsinabox.net

SQUARE SHAPED WATER MELONS

Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.

For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.

And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.

But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.

The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.

Fashion food

To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.

But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.

Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.

"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu.

Five Healthy Foods to Eat at your Workstation

We've all heard it times and again that sitting all day long at the desk isn't really good for the health. Sadly, there aren't any feasible alternatives to this mode of working. While you can't just leave your job, you can surely do something which is beneficial for your health. Eating the right kind of fruits can help you overcome the negative effects of sitting like a robot all day.

Here are five power foods you can enjoy while sitting at your desk.  They can work wonders for your heart, blood pressure, and can even improve your memory and concentration.

Walnuts

  Some new researches have pointed out that walnuts have more (and better quality) antioxidants than almonds, peanuts, pistachios and many other nuts. All nuts have been found to improve lipids and can reduce the risk of heart diseases. Walnuts have also been found to enhance cognitive and motor function in animals with Alzheimer's. Experts recommend seven walnuts a day. 

Cup of Green Tea

Polyphenols, one of the major ingredients of green tea, is known to help repair the damaged DNA and stimulate the immune system. Besides, research shows that green tea also helps in reducing the risk of cancers, including skin cancer and prostate cancer.

Popcorn

If there ever was a list of healthy snacks, this is definitely going to be on the list. In fact, many say that popcorn is the healthiest snack available. It is 100 percent whole grain and is big on fiber and antioxidants. If you can air-pop your popcorn and add a minimal quantity of salt, you'd have the best popcorn, say experts. If your office has a microwave, just make sure you bring a pack of low sodium popcorn to work.

Dark Chocolate

This, too, contains those powerful antioxidants called Polyphenols which combat the risk factors (like oxidation of LDL cholesterol) for heart diseases and also inhibit clotting. Studies have also indicated that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate daily can reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. Caffeine, another active ingredient of dark chocolate, can give you that much-required kick and a boost in concentration levels.

Fruits

Not only they help you conquer that "false hunger", they are also brimming with nutrients which are needed to keep you going all day. You can choose between apples, bananas, mangoes, oranges, papayas etc. but make sure you carry some fruits to the office on a daily basis.

Study solves mystery of fading childhood memories

A team of researchers has found that like most adults who cannot recall much from before the age of three or four, children can remember memories from their earliest years, but forget most of them later.

In the study, researchers asked 140 children aged 4 to 13 to describe their three earliest memories. Two years later, they asked the children again about their earliest memories. The children were also asked to estimate how old they were at the time of each memory.

Parents confirmed that the events happened and provided their own estimates of how old their children were at the time of the memories.

Children who were between 4 and 7 at the first interview showed very little overlap between the memories they recalled the first time and those they remembered two years later, suggesting that very early memories of young children are fragile and vulnerable to forgetting.

In contrast, a third of the 10- to 13-year-olds described the same memory as their very earliest when asked two years apart, and more than half of all the memories they provided were the same at both interviews.

"Younger children's earliest memories seemed to change, with memories from younger ages being replaced by memories from older ages," according to Carole Peterson, professor of psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, who led the study.

"But older children became more consistent in their memories as they grew older."

"So our 'psychological childhood' begins much later than our real childhood. And most or all of those events that previously were talked about, that caused laughter or tears, are no longer accessible if they occurred in our preschool years,” he added.

The study has been published in the journal Child Development.