Why thigh gap is so important to women

They may make skinny jeans look sexy, but how far can you go to widen the distance between your thighs?

It's the body trend that's launched hundreds of blogs, Twitter IDs and memes in the west. While back home, the thigh gap may not have acquired cult status yet, cosmetic surgeons and gym trainers say young Indian women are eager to widen the distance between their inner thighs.

Do you have one?
Stand straight before a mirror with your back upright, your left and right knees touching each other. If you see space between your inner thighs, you've got yourself a thigh gap. Very few women manage to achieve this naturally, driving some to unnatural diets resulting in eating disorders. Most Indian women won't see one thanks to their genes.

Fitness experts Mirror spoke to, said Indian women are naturally blessed with child-bearing hips. "Compared to their counterparts in the west, Indian women have wider pelvic bones, making their thighs thicker. They are unlikely to have the gap naturally," says cosmetic surgeon Dr Abraham Zachariah.

Fitness expert Leena Mogre agrees. "A majority of Indians have an endomorphic body type; typically short and stocky, prone to weight gain, especially around the hip and thigh area," she says.

Genesis of idea 
It's one trend that can be directly linked to the way the world of fashion and entertainment lays down rules of an ideal body. Style bibles tell them they must be fashionistas. Nothing less than a Asos dress (or at least a rip-off) will do. And to fit into the latest styles, they must have the body for it. Counselors say it's up to parents to help their kids maintain a good body image. The idea they must drill into their girls is to eat healthy and be fit, rather than fashionably slim.

Fill into the gap
Mansi Astha, a physiotherapist and consultant at Santacruz's K11 Fitness Academy, says the gym regularly gets women aged 25 to 50, who are concerned about fat reduction in specific areas. After the abs, the thighs are their nightmare. "They want to look good in skinny jeans, short skirts and shorts — outfits that focus attention on the legs. So, losing fat from their thighs is a pre-occupation," she says, adding that spot reduction is far from easy, if possible at all. "Each individual is prone to fat accumulation in a different area. This also happens to be the last area from where fat will get burned, so we don't encourage members to work out specific areas."

With a fight against genes, for the Indian woman, being slim wouldn't guarantee a thigh gap. "You would have to be very determined in your workout regime to acquire it," says Astha.

Extreme measure 
What would work then, counter- productively of course, would be extreme diets. Some women choose to go the surgical route.

Cosmetic surgeons across Mumbai admit to receiving a steady stream of clients asking for fat removal from their thighs.

Dr Zachariah, who gets six patients a month for fat removal from the thighs, says the demand has functional reasons too. In not-so-slim-bodies, the inner thighs rub against each other, making walking tiresome. If the thighs are constantly pressed against each other, not only does the skin in the area turn dark and irritable, in our humid weather, it could lead to yeast infections.

Dr Mohan Thomas, cosmetic surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital & Cosmetic Surgery Institute explains that in the west, the obsession with thin thighs is as old as the beach culture. "When I was a medical student in the US, we'd call it letting the light through — the idea being that when there's a silhouette with the legs joined together, light should be able to pass through the legs."

Dr Thomas receives four patients a week, concerned about thick thighs. He says they may not use the term 'thigh gap', but are pre-occupied about the area nevertheless.

And to those willing to go to dietary extremes, Dr Thomas shares some bad news, "Starving won't help losing fat from regions like the butt and thigh."

Dr Purwa Duggal, a nutritionist with Fortis Hospital, says stubborn fat in areas such as thighs, hips, butt etc. are influenced by oestrogen. Prolonged starvation does not necessarily mean burning fat. It may initially cause muscle wasting or utilisation of glycogen stores.

Catecholamines, which are fight or flight hormones produced in the body in response to stress, are required to burn fat. "Blood flow to stubborn fat areas is usually very poor, as a result, the catecholamines are unable to reach the area to mobilise the fat. Even if the fat is mobilised, while it continues to be in the blood stream, it may get re-deposited in the original areas," she adds. However, both she and macrobiotic nutritionist Shonali Sabherwal agree that a controlled diet — excluding unhealthy fats, processed food and sugars — complimented with focussed exercise, under supervision, may aid in developing the desired muscle tone over time.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Kid's relationship with mom could influence risk of obesity

A new study has found that your bond with your mother or lack thereof, can have an indirect impact on your own child's chances of obesity. 

Kelly Bost, professor of human development and family studies at University of Illinois, explained that if your mother regularly punished or dismissed your anger, anxiety, or sadness instead of being sensitive to your distress and giving you strategies for handling those feelings, you may be insecurely attached and parenting your children in the same way.

A child who doesn't learn to regulate his emotions may in turn develop eating patterns that put him at risk for obesity, Bost said. The study documents the association between a parent's insecure attachment and their child's consumption of unhealthy foods, leading to weight gain, she said. According to Bost, children form secure attachments when their caregiver is available and responsive. That attachment gives the child a secure base to explore his environment, protection in times of distress or uncertainty, and a source of joy in everyday interactions. When that secure base isn't there, an insecure attachment can result, and children who are insecurely attached often experience feelings of anxiety and uncertainty in close relationships.

As adults, they are especially at risk for ineffective parenting surrounding some of the factors that are implicated in paediatric obesity, she said. The study found that insecure parents were significantly more likely to respond to their children's distress by becoming distressed themselves or dismissing their child's emotion. For example, if a child went to a birthday party and was upset because of a friend's comment there, a dismissive parent might tell the child not to be sad, to forget about it or the parent might even say: Stop crying and acting like a baby or you're never going over again, Bost explained. That pattern of punishing or dismissing a child's sad or angry emotions was significantly related not only to comfort feeding but also to fewer family mealtimes and more TV viewing, which led to children's unhealthy eating, including self-reported sugary drinks, fast foods, and salty snacks, Bost said.

Bost added that one explanation might be that insecure moms are more easily overwhelmed with stress, find it more difficult to organize family mealtimes, and allow their children to watch more television as a coping strategy. The study is published in the journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Eating and sleeping well: Key to a long life

Good sleep patterns can help men live longer but women will only benefit if they follow a diverse diet, a study has found. 

A Monash University-led collaborative study investigated the ways diet contributed to the relationship between sleep quality and mortality among elderly men and women. 

Women who ate a varied diet, including sources rich in vitamin B6, could still live long lives despite poor sleep habits, according to the study that had researchers from Monash University, National Defence Medical Centre, Taiwan, and National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan. 

Mark Wahlqvist, Emeritus professor at Monash University, said sleep played a more important role in men's mortality than women's. 

"Poor sleep has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality, including obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. We found that for both genders, poor sleep was strongly correlated with poor appetite and poor perceived health," Walhqvist said. 

He said there was significant interaction between sleep quality and dietary diversity. For men, poor sleep was not associated with a greater risk of death unless there was also insufficient dietary diversity. For women, good sleep only provide a survival advantage if they had a diverse diet. 

The study, recently published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, found women were almost twice as likely as men to sleep badly. 

Women who were poor sleepers had a lower intake of vitamin B6 from food than those whose sleep was rated fair or good. Also, fair sleepers had lower iron intakes than good sleepers. 

However, both men and women could improve their outlook by eating a more varied diet. 

"Sufficient dietary diversity in men could offset the adverse effect on mortality of poor sleep while women need to make sure they are eating foods high in vitamin B6," he said. 

People who did not sleep well were also less able to chew, had poor appetites and indulged in less physical activity. These characteristics could contribute to lower overall dietary quality and food and nutrient intake, especially for vegetables, protein-rich foods, and vitamin B-6, Walhqvist said. 

"They may also contribute to the risk of death, either in their own right or together with problematic sleep. Intervention focusing on education on healthy dietary practices in elderly people could improve sleep duration and provide more stable levels of health," he said.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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2 Simple Home Remedies For Acidity

Many people suffer from acidity. Here are 2 simple trusted remedies told to me by my friend an old lady, who has used them.

1) Gulkhand- that is dried rose petals are soaked in sugar syrup. This can be taken 1/2 tsp daily before breakfast.

2) Guava/ Amroodh- wash & cut the fruits, put in a mixie jar, blend it well, with some water if needed. Strain it well, as seeds shouldn't be there in the juice. If it is too thick, add some more water, keep sipping it in the morning before breakfast. This cures faster than the previous one the old lady said.

The 3rd one is, to swallow 10 grains of raw rice & 8 grains of fenugreek/ methi seeds early morning with water. If done regularly, this also helps.

All the best to all those suffering from acidity.

Best wishes to all for good health & lots of happiness.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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JUICE FOR ASTHAMATICS

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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South African geranium root may kill HIV-1

Extracts of the South African geranium plant can inactivate the most widespread type of HIV and prevent the deadly virus from invading human cells, according to a new study.

Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Germany have found that these extracts represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 agents for the treatment of AIDS.

Researchers demonstrate that root extracts of the medicinal plant Pelargonium sidoides (PS) contain compounds that attack HIV-1 particles and prevent virus replication.

A team spearheaded by Dr Markus Helfer and Professor Ruth Brack-Werner performed a detailed investigation of the effects of PS extracts on HIV-1 infection of cultured cells.

They demonstrated that PS extracts protect blood and immune cells from infection by HIV-1, the most widespread type of HIV.

PS extracts block attachment of virus particles to host cells and thus effectively prevent the virus from invading cells.

Chemical analyses revealed that the antiviral effect of the PS extracts is mediated by polyphenols. Polyphenol mixtures isolated from PS extracts retain high anti-HIV-1 activity but are even less toxic for cells than the crude extract.

Safety of PS-extracts has been established in several clinical trials, researchers said.

"PS-extracts are a very promising lead for the development of the first scientifically validated phytomedicine against HIV-1. PS extracts attack HIV-1 with a mode-of-action that is different from all anti-HIV-1 drugs in clinical use," research group leader Brack-Werner said.

"Therefore a PS-based phytomedicine may be a valuable supplement for established anti-HIV therapies. Furthermore, PS extracts are attractive candidates for increasing anti-HIV-1 therapy options in resource-limited settings, since they are easy to produce and do not require refrigeration.

"The results of our study and the proven safety of PS extracts encourages their testing in HIV-1 infected individuals as next step," said Brack-Werner.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 35 million people in the world are infected with HIV, the majority with HIV-1, researchers said.

Without treatment, HIV destroys the immune system and causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is a life-threatening disease. HIV/AIDS is one of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide, they said.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Third-hand smoke is just as deadly as first-hand smoke

Non smokers beware! Frequently visiting smoking areas in houses, apartments, offices and hotels is just as deadly as first-hand or second-hand smoke, shows research. 

Third-hand smoke is a potential health threat to children, spouses of smokers and workers in environments where smoking is allowed, it warned. 

"We studied on mice the effects of third-hand smoke on several organ systems under conditions that simulated third-hand smoke exposure of humans," said Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Riverside. 

"We found significant damage occurs in the liver and lung. Wounds in these mice took longer to heal. Further, these mice displayed hyperactivity," Martins-Green added. 

Contamination at smokers' homes is high - both on surfaces and in dust - including children's bedrooms. 

Re-emission of nicotine from contaminated indoor surfaces in these households can lead to nicotine exposure levels similar to that of smoking. 

The research team was surprised to find that the damage caused by third-hand smoke extends to several organs in the body. 

The researchers found that the mice exposed to third-hand smoke in the lab showed alterations in multiple organ systems and excreted levels of a tobacco-specific carcinogen similar to those found in children exposed to second-hand smoke and consequently to third-hand smoke. 

"There is a critical need for animal experiments to evaluate biological effects of exposure to third-hand smoke that will inform subsequent human epidemiological and clinical trials," said Martins-Green. 

"Such studies can determine potential human health risks, design of clinical trials and potentially can contribute to policies that lead to reduction in both exposure and disease," she added in the study that appeared in PLOS ONE. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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