April 7: World Health Day March 31: World Kidney Day May 19: World Hepatitis Day May 31: World No Tobacco Day September 21: World Alzheimer's Day September 28: World Rabies Day September 29: USA National Women's Health & Fitness Day September 30: World Heart Day October 4: USA National Child Health Day October 10: World Mental Health Day October 16: World Food Day October 20: World Osteoporosis Day December 1: World AIDS Day … [Read more...]
Is overweight good for health?
November 10, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Being slightly overweight is good for health, according to a United States federal research. According to the research results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, overweight protect us from some causes of death. Researchers analysed death data of 2.3 American adults. Overweight people are at low risk for deaths from tuberculosis, emphysema, pneumonia, emphysema and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the researchers, the extra fat in these people may provide additional vital energy to fight against these diseases. 5 to 8 kilogram extra weight is not as harmful as many thinks off. Overweight: Body Mass Index (BMI) -25 to 30. 65% of Americans are obese. According to World Health Organisation, more than 400 million people are overweight around the world. Obesity: Body Mass Index – above 30. 30% of American adults are obese. Obesity increases mortality from diabetes, cancer, heart disease and kidney diseases. But overweight is not associated with excess deaths from cancer and heart diseases. Overweight increases death risk from diabetes and kidney disease. Obesity especially increases risk for some cancers like Colon cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer. People with BMI of more than 30 are at high risk for obesity related disorders. More research is needed on this controversial subject. … [Read more...]
Cadila launched anti obesity drug – Slimona
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Cadila healthcare launched an anti-obesity drug “Slimona” in India. The drug is used to treat obese patients with associated risk factors like type2 diabetes or dyslipidemia. Slimona (Rimonabant) is a selective CB1 Endocannabinoid (EC) receptor antagonist. The drug comes in a tablet form of strength 20 mg to be consumed before breakfast once a day and is priced at Rs 5.50 a tablet. Obesity: A person is called obese when his Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or above. Obesity is mainly due to uncontrolled diet habits and sedentary lifestyle. In urban India, 29% men and 45% women are overweight. According to WHO statistics, 300 million people are obese all over the world and 1 billion people are overweight. Obesity is the major reason behind increase in incidence of type2 Diabetes. Slimona is a new class of drug in the treatment of Obesity. … [Read more...]
What are Trans fats?
May 4, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Fat is a major source of energy for the body and aids in vitamin absorption both animal and plant-products contain fat. Fats are of two types: 1. Unsaturated fats are beneficial when consumed in moderation. 2. Saturated and Trans fat are harmful to the body. Therefore choose foods low in both saturated and Trans fats for a healthy diet. What are trans fats? Trans fat (also known as Trans fatty acids), is a specific type of fat formed when liquid oils are converted into solid fats by adding hydrogen through process of hydrogenation. This increases stability of flavor and palatability and shelf life of food. The Trans fatty food is unable to break down, So it accumulates in the body causing harmful effects. Foods containing Trans fat: A small amount of trans fat is naturally found in some animal foods such as Butter, Cheese, milk products, Beef and lamb. Other foods containing trans fat are: 1. Some margarine, candies, cookies, Snack foods, French fries, noodles 2. Vegetable shortenings, Fried foods, Backed foods and other processed foods made with hydrogenated Vegetable oils. The Nutritionists advises us a total fat in take of not more than 30 per cent of calories is ideal in the daily in take of food. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) recommends that trans fat should not be taken in food at all. Harmful Effects due to trans fats: 1. Cardiovascular risk: The primary health risk from trans fat consumption is more risk of Cardiovascular disease. The consumption of trans fatty acids raises levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and reduces levels of HDL (High Density lipoprotein) which is good cholesterol. 2. It causes the arteries to become clogged and develop heart disease and stroke. 3. There is a growing risk of Type-2 diabetes increase with trans fat consumption. 4.Trans fat may increase body weight and abdominal fat. 5. Trans fat causes liver dysfunction. 6. Trans fat intake is associated with greater risk of infertility of 50 per cent or more. 7. Trans fatty acids adversely affect the immune system in the body by lowering the efficiency of B-cell response and increases proliferation T-cells. 8. Trans fat lowers the amount of the cream in milk from lactating mothers and over all affects the quality of milk available to the infant. 9. Trans fatty acids affect the physiological functions of biological membranes that are critical for cell homeostasis. Some Foods and their tarns fat content is as shown below. 1. Salad and toppings-contains 3 % of Trans fat. 2. Potato chips and popcorn---4% 3. Fried potatoes ---8% 4. Margarine---17% 5. Animal products---21% 6. Cakes, cookies, pies, breads and pizzas---40% Steps to be taken to lower Trans fat in take: 1. Choose vegetable oils (expect coconut and palm oil) for cooking. 2. Limit foods which contain high amount of cholesterol such as liver and meat. 3. Most fish are in lower in saturated fat compared to meat and fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids which protects the heart. Hence fish may be taken in as food. 4. Replace saturated and Trans fat with mono and polyunsaturated fats in the food. 5. Avoid taking hydrogenated oil foods such as Dalda and Vanaspati. Trans fat is not essential and provide no known benefit to human health and more over it causes harm to the human body, hence it is always good not to take trans fat containing food preparations in our diet. Source: The Hindu … [Read more...]
A-Z about Fat and fatty foods
April 3, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If excess fat is taken, it is stored in the body. This accumulated fat is the major reason for Obesity and Chronic diseases. Stay away from fast food restaurents. Follow disciplined diet habits. Take diet at regular intervals. A for Apple: If fat is stored around the stomach, the person looks like apple- leads to heart disease. B for Break- fast: Never avoid it. Breakfast is to be taken like a king. C for Cereals: Eat whole grains. The extra fiber prevents cancer of the colon. D for Dairy products: They are rich in Calcitriol hormone which preserves calcium in the body for stronger bones. It also burns more body fat. E for Eggs: Take white part of it, if you are fatty. Otherwise take whole egg which contains more nutrients. F for Fish: Take Salmon or Mackard fish which are rich in Omega -3 acids which are good for heart. G for Green tea: Contains HDL Cholesterol (good Cholesterol) helps in reducing fatty levels in the blood. H for Human Adeno virus: May cause obesity. Solution is washing your hands. I for ice creams: Take sparingly. Otherwise it causes obesity and respiratory troubles in children. J for Junk food: Some say it is an oxymoron. Stay away from fast food. K for Ketogenic diet: It controls high BP and decreases obesity to some extent. L for Lard: It is better to be avoiding it. M for Meat: Red meat is strictly avoided. Chicken is taken in limited quantity. N for Nuts: They contain Trans-fatty acids which are bad for the heart. It is rich in vitamin E. O for Oil: Mono-saturated variety like olive oil is good. Corn and Sunflower oil are also good. P for Prickles: Taking them leads to burning sensation in the stomach. Better to avoid. Q for Quality: Quality of food taken is important not quantity. R for Resvertroll: It is present in grapes. It lowers cholesterol. S for Sugar: Which is white poison: Sugar causes diabetes& obesity, harms the teeth. T for tea: High in flavonoids. Tea can protect the heart. U: Up to date knowledge about health care is essential to every one. V for Vegetables: Dark green vegetables are good for the heart. W for Waist to Hip ratio: If stomach (abdomen) is 1.5 times larger than Hip, it is high risk of diabetes and high B.P. X: As you like eat any thing in limited quantity. Y for Yellow fruits: They contain vitamin A. which is good for healthy skin, eye sight. Example: papaya and mango fruits. Z for Zero – sugar and less calories diet is good. Fasting weekly once is good for health. … [Read more...]
Prostate cancer in Obese people
January 10, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Research from National Institute of Cancer indicates that while excess weight may not be a causative factor for prostate cancer, there is a great chance that obese men are more likely to die of the condition. Study was conducted over 5 year duration. While obesity did not impact the risk of developing prostate cancer, obese men were 46 percent more likely to die of the disease, while thin men were 25 percent as likely to die of cancer. Lower levels of testosterone in obese men were linked to reduced risk of developing the cancer, while higher levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 in obese men helped the rapid progression of cancer resulting in death. Obese men with prostate cancer are more likely to have aggressive tumors and to experience cancer recurrence after surgery compared to men of normal weight. … [Read more...]
New indicator to evaluate Obesity related diseases
January 4, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Body-Mass index (BMI) is replaced by Waist-to-Hip ratio (WHR) as a better indicator to evaluate a person’s health status. WHR is ratio between waist and hip circumferences. For women, waist to hip ratio should not be more than o.8. For men, waist to hip ratio should not be more than o.95. Older people with high waist to hip ratios have a higher mortality risk than those with high body mass index. WHR is the best obesity indicator for assessing heart attack and other obesity related disorders like stroke and diabetes. As per WHR, fat is more important than person’s weight to decide health status. WHR indicates the proportion of fat stored on your body around your waist and the hip. Fat is stored in the body in two ways. Around the abdomen –Apple shape. Around the hip – Pear shape. Your health is affected not only by amount of fat, but also where that fat is stored. Abdominal fat is more important in assessing your health status. It changes the hormonal levels to cause inflammation which in turn leads to clogged arteries. Clogged arteries may gradually cause heart attack. Please comment on this article. … [Read more...]
Surprise: Bacteria in the Gut May contribute to Obesity!
December 25, 2006 by Leave a Comment
As per new research report, Intestinal bacteria may contribute to your Obesity. Along with high calorie food intake (fast food) and decreased physical activity, microbes play a crucial role in your over weight. These bacteria by their extra activity in the intestine, release more calories in obese people than in lean ones.Obese people have more of these bacteria as per research. This research is going to change many perceptions on Obesity. Why some people are obese even though they take diet in normal quantities? Why one sibling is lean while other one is obese? Obesity Statistics: Obesity is gradually becoming an epidemic. 65% of American adults are overweight and more than 30% are obese. The proportion of children who are overweight has gone from 7% to 15% over the last 20 years, and the proportion of overweight adolescents has risen from 5% to almost 16%. Human intestines contain trillions of bacteria, perhaps 10 of them for every cell in the body. Almost 90% of the bacteria fall into two major divisions: the Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes. Obese people contain more Firmicutes than bacteroidetes, which are responsible for their obesity (To some extent). This is another surprise identification after stomach bacteria's role in peptic ulcer. Even though most of bacteria in the in the gut are useful in digestion, this research finding is going to change the perception about these microbes. Obesity is responsible for many diseases like Diabetes, Hypertension, stroke and Heart attack. Prevention is better than cure. Please comment. … [Read more...]
