Children who are fit during childhood have better functioning lungs in adulthood

Turns out, children who are fit during childhood and adolescence have better functioning lungs in adulthood. A new study has revealed that fitness in childhood is linked to healthy lungs in adulthood. Good lung function in early adult life is believed to lower the risk of developing chronic lung disease later in life. Chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are a leading cause of global ill health. Notably, with an ageing population, this is projected to get worse. The new study provided early evidence that keeping children fit could help reduce the burden of lung disease in the future.


The researcher explained, “We know very little about the links between physical activity, fitness, and lung growth. This is a difficult topic to research because following children over many years is expensive and time-consuming”. “This study shows that children who are physically fit go on to have better lung function as young adults. We think that this could reduce the risk of them developing chronic lung diseases as they get older,” he continued. The research was conducted on a total of 2,406 children, combining a study of 1,037 children in one country, and the second group of 1,369 in another country. The Study used a cycling test at ages 15, 26, 32, and 38 to estimate fitness from the heart rate response to exercise. In the group, aerobic fitness was tested at ages 9, 15, 21, and 29 using an exercise bike to see how much work-out each person could do before they were exhausted. Lung function tests were done at the same ages in both the studies. The link between lung function and fitness remained after the researchers took account of factors such as height, weight, asthma, and smoking. The results also showed a stronger effect in boys than girls. The Professor explained, “We don’t know why fitness and lung function are linked but one explanation could be that fitter people have better respiratory muscle strength as well as other muscle strength”. The two studies are ongoing and researchers hope to collect data on fitness and lung function as the participants get older. This will allow them to see if the effect of childhood fitness on lung function persists and whether fitness can indeed protect against lung disease. 

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Cancer-causing virus can lurk in your throat

It has come to light that cancer causing virus may hide in small pockets on the surface of tonsils in throats of unsuspected people.

The virus known as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the culprit behind cervical and some form of head and neck cancer.

The new study, carried out by researchers , claimed to be pivotal for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancers, i.e. tonsils and tongue cancers.

The study noted that by mid-adulthood, most people have been exposed to HPV. The same strains that are known to cause cervical cancer, mainly HPV 16 and 18, cause head and neck cancers.

While verified tests exist to detect HPV in people before they develop cervical cancer, the same cannot be said for HPV-related head and neck cancers, which are expected to outnumber cervical cancer cases by 2020.

Only about five percent of HPV-infected people will develop cancer of the mouth or throat, suggesting most people's immune systems can easily hold back HPV infections.

Associate professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery , found HPV encased in biofilm inside pockets on the tonsil surface, called tonsil crypts, which is where the HPV-related head and neck cancers often originate.

The study co-author and an Otolaryngology resident , studied tissue samples from 102 patients who had elective tonsillectomies.

Five of those samples contained HPV and four contained high-risk strains, HPV 16 and 18. In every case, HPV was found in tonsil crypts biofilm.

The group claimed to believe that HPV is shed from the tonsil during an active infection and gets trapped in the biofilm, where it may be protected from immune attack. In the crypts, the virus likely lays in wait for an opportunity to reinstate infection or invade the tonsil tissue to develop cancer.

"Given the lack of universal HPV immunization and the potential for the virus to evade the immune system even in individuals with detectable HPV in their blood, our findings could have far-reaching implications for identifying people at risk of developing HPV-related head and neck cancers and ultimately preventing them," Miller said.

Now, the team plans to further investigate potential screening tools, such as an oral rinse, to detect HPV in the mouth and throat. The next step would be to develop topical anti-microbials that would disrupt the biofilm and allow the immune system to clear the virus.

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Traumatic Brain Injury May Still Increase Dementia Risk Years After Accident

Findings of a new study have suggested that a concussion or other forms of  traumatic brain injury (TBI) can up a person's odds of developing dementia, even it the accident happened 30 years ago.

Several blows to the brain have long been linked to risk of dementia but the new study found that the risk still remains many years later.

For the study, researchers looked at the data of thousands of people from databases that cover the years 1964 to 2012. They found that the odds of getting diagnosed with dementia were highest within the first year of the injury. During this time, those with TBI had up to six times the risk of getting dementia as those without TBI.

TBI Patients Still At Greater Risk Of Dementia Years After Injury

The overall risk decreased over time but the researchers found that the individuals who had TBI still had a higher risk of dementia than those without TBI even after 30 years. The researchers, in particular, found that the risk for dementia rose by 80 percent for those with at least one TBI, contrary to those who did not experience any traumatic brain injury.

"The risk of dementia diagnosis decreased over time after TBI, but it was still evident 30 years after the trauma. The association was stronger for more severe TBI and multiple TBIs, and it persisted after adjustment for familial factors," researchers said.

The study is not conclusive that TBI causes dementia but it does show an apparent link between traumatic brain injury and the neurological disorder. Nonetheless, not everyone with TBI develops dementia.

"The preponderance of the literature I would say supports that there appears to be an increased risk of dementia after traumatic brain injury," said a researcher.

Reducing Risk

Although there is no medication that can prevent dementia, a person's lifestyle is believed to influence the risk for the condition. Those who keep a healthy weight and keep their blood pressure low, for instance, could be reducing their risk of dementia.

"I think this study will pinpoint the importance of continuing preventative safety measures in sports (and doing what we already know) to reduce the risk of dementia, such as avoiding excess alcohol intake and high blood pressure," the researcher said.
 

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What To Eat To Beat Diabetes !

An estimated 4.5 million people are living with diabetes in most countries today. Some 700 are newly diagnosed each day — it’s a modern plague and a horribly common cause of early death.

But in many cases, diabetes can be eased, and even reversed, through changes in diet. In fact, by switching to a healthy diet, you can start improving your health within a matter of hours.

There are two types of diabetes, both of which are characterised by chronically elevated levels of sugar in your blood. Type 1 occurs if your pancreas stops producing insulin (the hormone that keeps your blood sugar in check), and Type 2 if your body becomes resistant to insulin’s effects.

Type 2, the most common form of diabetes, is primarily caused by a fatty build-up around our muscle and liver cells, and 90 per cent of people who get it are overweight.

Although both forms of diabetes can be controlled through drugs, it is still regarded as a life-shortening condition because of the widespread damage caused by the build-up of sugar in the blood over time.

This can ultimately lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, and stroke.

A plant-based diet may even reverse Type 2 diabetes. Studies show that dietary changes can enable those who have had Type 2 diabetes for decades to get off all their insulin injections in as little as two weeks.

It seems the more plant-based your diet, the more likely you are to be able to maintain a healthy weight — an important factor in diabetes control.

You can essentially eat as much as you want without worrying about counting calories, skipping meals or portion control, because most plant foods are naturally nutrient dense and low in calories.

But beyond the weight loss aspect, there are clearly other protective benefits of a plant-based diet.

In studies, even participants who didn’t lose weight when put on a plant-based diet, or even those who gained weight, still appeared to improve their diabetes.

In fact, a study of tens of thousands of adults in the U.S. and Canada found people who cut out all animal products, including fish, dairy and eggs, appeared to have a 78 per cent reduced risk of diabetes. One key reason could be the fact that plant fats are so much better for the body than animal fats.

Saturated fats can wreak all sorts of havoc in muscle cells and may result in the accumulation of toxic compounds from being broken down.

But the unsaturated fats found mostly in nuts, olives, and avocados may protect against the detrimental effects of saturated fat.

Plant variety is important. The addition of just two different types of fruit and vegetables a week, for instance, has been associated with an 8 per cent reduction in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

There is an important medical warning: if you take drugs to control blood sugar or blood pressure, you should talk to your GP before adopting a plant-based diet so they can monitor the drugs as you get better naturally.

And if you take the blood- thinning drug warfarin, you should talk to your doctor before significantly increasing your greens intake. The drug works by crippling the enzyme that recycles vitamin K, which is involved in clotting your blood.

So, if your system gets an influx of fresh vitamin K, which is concentrated in greens, you can undermine the effectiveness of the drug. You should still be able to eat greens, but your doctor may have to adjust the dose of the drug to match your dietary intake.

LEGUMES

The more pulses, beans and legumes you eat, the healthier you may be. Many studies have shown that people who pack their diet with split peas, chickpeas, and lentils tend to weigh less, have slimmer waists and lower blood pressure compared with people who don’t eat many legumes.

One study asked people to eat 1 kg of pulses a week without making any other changes to their diet. A second group was asked to cut 500 calories a day from their diet. Even though the pulses group was eating far more food, these people lost the most weight.

It seems that eating chickpeas and other beans is just as effective at slimming waistlines and improving blood sugar as cutting calories. It also improves cholesterol and insulin regulation.

I knew beans were healthy, but I didn’t realise just how healthy they are until the amazing microbiome research — studying the array of bacteria that live in the gut, and how they can affect your health — started coming out.

Gut bacteria love pulses, beans and legumes, which is why they take such an important role in everyone's diet, and all should be encouraged to aim to eat three servings a day. A serving is 60 g of hummus; 130 g of cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or 150 g of fresh peas.

There are a few ways you can make it easier to get your three servings a day:

• Using dried pulses is cheaper, but it can be time consuming, so cook them in large batches, then portion and freeze.
• Instead of making one or two servings at a time, cook a large pot of a staple grain with a quick-cooking legume (such as lentils) mixed in, then portion and freeze until you need them.
• Prepare double batches of slow-cook soups and stews. You’ll save time, and flavour is enhanced, too.
• Double up on food prep such as chopping onions, refrigerating extra in a sealed container for the next meal.
• Keep an open tin of beans in the fridge as a reminder to put them in anything and everything.
• When you open a can of cooked beans, save the water. This viscous liquid, called ‘aquafaba’, is a great source of soluble fibre. It behaves like egg whites, and so it can be whipped into stiff peaks or added to recipes to be used as a binder.

The mix of starches, proteins, and other soluble plant solids which have migrated from the seeds to the water during the cooking process gives aquafaba a wide range of useful emulsifying, foaming, binding, gelatinising and thickening properties.

LIVER PROTECTION 

A condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has quietly become one of the most common cause of chronic liver disease. Obese people are particularly at risk of developing the condition.

It begins with the build-up of fat on the liver and can lead to inflammation and scarring (cirrhosis).

Just one can of a fizzy drink per day appears to raise the odds of fatty liver disease by 45 per cent.

But eating oats has the power to significantly improve liver function among overweight men and women — and help them lose weight as well.

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