Healthtips , Health News, Health Care and Fitness,Health and Nutrition Tips

Leaving the house on an empty stomach increases the risk of potentially deadly heart disease, says a new research. It shows that regularly skipping breakfast leads to  obesity , larger fat stores around the stomach and higher cholesterol levels - all major risk factors for heart disease, reports the Daily Mail. It also triggers higher insulin levels in the blood, a warning sign that  diabetes  could soon set in.  The study showed the greatest risks are among adults who regularly went without breakfast when they were children and carried on the habit when they grew up.  Although previous studies have suggested breakfast can be good for the heart, this is the first to track the long-term dangers.  The results show that, by the time they are in their late twenties, those who rarely have breakfast as children or adults are already on the way to developing heart disease.  Scientists think one reason is they are more likely to snack on sugary foods and l...

The conventional method of placing ice on an injury may prevent  healing , according to scientists . For years, people have been told to put a bag of frozen peas on a torn or sprained muscle to reduce the swelling. But for the first time, researchers have found a hormone produced by inflamed tissue that could help heal damaged muscle.  This discovery turns the conventional wisdom that swelling must be controlled to encourage healing, the Daily Mail reported. It also paves the way for new methods of treating sports injuries. The findings could lead to new therapies for acute muscle injuries caused by trauma, chemicals, infections, freeze damage and exposure to medications, according to the journal Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Researcher Lan Zhou, from the Neuroinflammation Research Centre at the Cleveland  Clinic , Ohio, US, said: "We hope that our findings stimulate further research to dissect different roles played by tissue inflammation i...

If you suffer from breathing problems and Diwali spells trouble for you, then it's time to start taking precautions. The use of fire crackers during the festive season of Dussehra and Diwali pose health hazards for people suffering from asthma, bronchitis and other  breathing disorders .  Crackers like "phuljari" and "anar" include highly toxic heavy metals like copper, cadmium, lead, manganese, zinc, sodium and potassium.  "These metals, if present in the air, can trigger asthma in a patient. They can cause severe headache,  respiratory  diseases  in the lungs, apart from chronic cough," said S.P.S. Bakshi, president of Homoeopathic Medical Association of India. Some of the precautions suggested by doctors are -- avoid highly polluted areas, avoid sudden temperature change, physical stress and identify the source of allergy. According to the World Health Organization, India has an estimated 15-20 million asthma patients. --IANS

Health tips Regular consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a clear and consistently greater risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, reveals a new study. According to the Harvard School of Public  Health (HSPH) researchers, the study provides empirical evidence that intake of sugary beverages should be limited to reduce risk of these conditions. This study is the first meta-analysis to quantitatively review the evidence linking sugar-sweetened beverages with type 2  diabetes  and metabolic syndrome.  The researchers, led by Vasanti Malik and senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, did a meta-analysis that pooled 11 studies that examined the association between sugar-sweetened beverages and those conditions.  The findings showed that drinking one to two sugary drinks per day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26pc and the risk of metabolic  syndrome  by 20pc compared wi...

Health tips - A new study at the Tel Aviv University suggests that strep throat - a common infection in children - can lead to brain dysfunction and OCD. Prof. Daphna Joel and her team of researchers have scientifically demonstrated that strep throat can lead to problems with a child's heart, joints or brain if left untreated. And when the brain is involved, motor and mental functioning may be compromised, leading to syndromes such as  attention  deficit  disorder  and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The team developed a new animal model to show how exposure to strep affects the brain and leads to a number of physical and mental ailments. Comparing them to a strep-free control group, Prof. Joel measured a distinct difference in behavior in the strep-exposed animals. The results showed that those exposed developed balance and coordination difficulties, as well as compulsive behaviors such as increased and repetitive grooming. This breakthrough finding could ...

Health tips - Brief History of Brown Rice The earliest record of rice being cultivated in China date back to 7000 B.C.E., and rice was exclusive to Asia before travelers brought it into ancient Greece. Although typically viewed as a side dish in Western nations, rice provides up to half the calories in a typical daily diet in many Asian countries. Most of the world’s rice is grown in Asia. There are more than 8,000 varieties of rice. Nutrients in Brown Rice Brown rice is an excellent  source of  magnesium ,  iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and  B6 . Brown rice is a good source of dietary fiber, protein, and gamma-oryzanol.  White rice is brown rice that has had essential nutrients removed when processed  in order to make it easier and faster to cook, and to give it a longer shelf life. This is accomplished by removing the bran, and with it, minerals and vitamins that are necessary in our diet. Brown Rice for Cardiovascular Dis...

Experts have suggested that an intensive lifestyle intervention helps individuals with type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep it off, along with improving fitness, control of blood glucose levels and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Improving blood glucose control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes is critical in preventing long-term complications of the disease. The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Research Group conducted a multicenter randomized  clinical  trial  comparing the effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention to diabetes support and education among 5,145 overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes. Of these, 2,570 were assigned to the lifestyle intervention, a combination of diet modification and physical activity designed to induce a 7 percent  weight  loss  in the first year and maintain it in subsequent years.  The 2,575 individuals assigned to the  diabetes  support and...