Health aNd Fitness Guide

Benefits of Exercising With Cancer

Aziz — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:18:06 +0000

Cancer treatment for mesothelioma, breast cancer, colon cancer, and many other types of malignancies usually consists of a plethora of drugs and radiation therapy. While this type of treatment is necessary, it also causes the patient to be lethargic and sickly. Many may think of exercise as something that help with weight loss, but it has been shown to alleviate the symptoms associated with cancer treatment, improve quality of life for those with cancer, and prevent cancer from returning. (more…)

Blood Pressure: The Cold Facts

Aziz — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:07:43 +0000

Cold weather may cause dangerous changes in blood pressure, say Veterans Affairs researchers in the US. Their study of 443,632 former armed forces personnel with high blood pressure found that we’re more likely to have high readings during colder months, probably because of winter weight gain & inactivity. Study author Dr Ross Fletcher, advises, “People who are borderline, with a reading of 130/80 in the summer, should be checked again in winter.”

What blood pressure should you aim for? For heart health, experts agree: in general, the lower, the better. A group of US researchers found that only patients who got their pressure below 120/80 showed signs of reversal of coronary disease. Those with higher numbers saw no change or an increase in arterial plaque.

Obese Impact Climate?

Aziz — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:31:52 +0000

Obesity contributes to global warming and food shortages. Obese people consume 18 per cent more calories than lean people, and require more fuel for transportation, which contributes to demand for food and fuel, according to researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This in turn drives up prices and leads to shortages and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Delaying Onset Of Diabetes

Aziz — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:31:18 +0000

Lifestyle changes like having more vegetables, avoiding alcohol, and exercising regularly can delay onset of diabetes for years, reports journal Lancet. Researchers in China divided 577 people with high risk of diabetes into four groups: one group focused on diet, another on exercise and the third on both; the fourth did not make any lifestyle changes. (more…)

‘Fast’ Way To Beat Jet Lag

Aziz — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:31:20 +0000

Fasting during a long flight could help beat jet lag. The body’s primary functions are regulated by a biological circadian clock, which responds to daylight, but a study on mice published in journal Science notes that a second ‘feeding clock’, which responds to mealtime patterns, may take over in the absence of food, keeping the person awake till he finds food. (more…)

Why Juices Are Good

Aziz — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:31:08 +0000

Fruit juices have better effect against atherosclerosis (clogged arteries, which can cause heart attack or stroke), than the fruits themselves. To study the effect of juicing on beneficial phenolic compounds (antioxidants) in fruits, researchers in France fed rodents grapes, apples and their juices, or water, along with a high cholesterol diet. (more…)

Breast-Fed Babies Branier

Aziz — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:31:01 +0000

Children who were exclusively breast-fed become smarter than those who were fed supplements also. Researchers from Belarus and Canada studied nearly 14,000 children, half of whom were exclusively breast fed, and the rest given breast milk with other supplements. A standardized IQ test taken when the kids were six years old showed that exclusively breast-fed kids scored an average of 7.5 points higher on verbal intelligence, 2.9 points higher on non-verbal intelligence, and 5.9 points higher on overall intelligence.

Mentally Taxing Jobs Help

Aziz — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:31:14 +0000

Mentally challenging jobs keep your brain sharper and help ward off dementia. It will help preserve cognitive abilities through retirement, regardless of one’s intelligence, age or education. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center looked at the IQ scores of 1,036 male twins when they joined the US army and compared them with the scores they got after retirement. (more…)

Wealth Lowers Stroke Risk

Aziz — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:31:43 +0000

Greater wealth is linked to lower risk of stroke among men aged 50 to 64, reports journal Stroke. A study observed around 20,000 stroke-free participants for a period of 8.5 years; 1542 of them suffered stroke during the study period. Ten per cent of the participants with the least wealth were three times more likely to suffer a stroke, compared with the wealthy ones. Researchers feel “wealth may increase individual’s sense of control over their lives, reducing psychosocial stress and subsequently stroke risk”.

Pregnancy, Stress & Asthma

Aziz — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:31:49 +0000

Babies born to women who were stressed out during pregnancy have a greater risk of developing asthma and all allergies later in life. Harvard Medical School researchers measured the levels of Immunoglobulin E (IgE, an antibody involved in allergic and asthmatic reactions) in the umbilical cord blood of 387 babies and found that women who had high levels of stress during pregnancy gave birth to babies with higher levels of IgE.