Knowledge Update

London, March 17 (IANS) Adults between 40 and 69 years of age can draw significant health benefits by using public transport, walking and cycling to work as these are linked to reductions in Body Mass Index (BMI) and percentage body fat compared with those who commute by car, say researchers.

"We found that, compared with commuting by car, public transport, walking and cycling or a mix of all three are associated with reductions in body mass and body fat percentage even when accounting for demographic and socio-economic factors," said study author Ellen Flint from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Many people live too far from their workplace for walking or cycling to be feasible, but even the incidental physical activity involved in public transport can have an important effect.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, looked at data from over 150,000 individuals from Britian's Biobank data set -- an observational study of 500,000 individuals aged between 40 and 69 in Britain.
The researchers saw the strongest associations for adults who commuted via bicycle compared to those who commute via car. For the average man in the sample (age 53 years; height 176.7cm; weight 85.9kg), cycling to work rather than driving was associated with a weight difference of 5kg. 
For the average woman in the sample (age 52 years; height 163.6cm; weight 70.6kg), the weight difference was 4.4kg.After cycling, walking to work was associated with the greatest reduction in BMI and percentage body fat, compared to car users. For both cycling and walking, greater travelling distances were associated with greater reductions in BMI and percentage body fat.

The link between active commuting and BMI was independent of other factors such as income, area deprivation, urban or rural residence, education, alcohol intake, smoking, general physical activity and overall health and disability.​

New York, March 15 (IANS) Expenses during weddings -- and even at funerals -- can be exploitative, say researchers, adding that people do not think twice before spending on happy or solemn occasions while buying an engagement ring, desserts for a birthday party or even cremation urns.

"People's buying behaviour changes when they're making purchases out of love because it feels wrong to engage in cost-saving measures," said lead author Peter McGraw from University of Colorado Boulder.People abandon cost-saving measures when it comes to sentimental buys because they want to avoid having to decide what is the right amount of money to spend on a loving relationship, McGraw added in the paper published in the journal of Judgment and Decision Making. 

The study involved nearly 245 participants and the team asked attendees at a wedding show about their preference between two engagement rings. The attendees nearly always chose the more expensive ring when deciding between a more expensive ring with a bigger carat and a less expensive ring with a smaller carat.

Even when they identify a less expensive alternative to be equally desirable, people choose the more expensive of two items. They also avoid searching for lower prices and negotiating better prices when the goods they're buying are symbolic of love, the researchers explained."The loss of savings can really add up and put people in compromising financial situations," McGraw stated. ​

​New York, March 11 (IANS) A team of US researchers has identified a new bacteria that may keep bad bacteria in check and can help prevent oral cavities using probiotics.

According to researchers, the findings could lead to the development of a supplement that patients could take orally to prevent cavities.

"A12" bacteria has a potent ability to battle a particularly harmful kind of streptococcal bacteria, which metabolises sugar into lactic acid, contributing to acidic conditions in the mouth that form cavities. 

The researchers found that A12 not only helps neutralise acid by metabolising arginine in the mouth, it also often kills Streptococcus mutans.

“To maintain a healthy mouth, the oral environment must have a relatively neutral chemical make-up, or a neutral pH. When the environment in the mouth becomes more acidic, dental cavities or other disorders can develop,” said Robert Burne from the University of Florida's college of dentistry.

"At that point, bacteria on the teeth make acid and acid dissolves the teeth. It's straightforward chemistry," Burne added in the paper published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

For the study, researchers collected plaque samples, isolating more than 2,000 bacteria and then screened them to find bacteria that fit the bill.

Dental plaque is a mass of bacteria that grows on the surface of teeth and can contribute to the formation of cavities.

The results showed that out of these, "A12" stood out for having all of the properties in a bacteria strain that could prevent cavities in a probiotic application.

The researchers have sequenced the entire genome of A12 and plan to turn this discovery into a tool to screen for people who are at a higher risk for developing oral cavities.​

London, March 14 (IANS) Yoga may improve quality of life in patients suffering from abnormal heart rhythm because it gives them a method to gain some self control over their symptoms instead of feeling helples, says a new study.

The researchers examined the effects of yoga on patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) in which faulty electrical signals and rapid heart rate begin suddenly and then stop on their own.

"Many patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) can't live their lives as they want to -- they refuse dinners with friends, concerts and travelling - because they are afraid of an AF episode occurring," said one of the researchers Maria Wahlstrom from Sophiahemmet University in Sweden.

"AF episodes are accompanied by chest pain, dyspnoea and dizziness," added Wahlstrom in the study published in the European journal of cardiovascular nursing.

These symptoms are unpleasant and patients feel anxious, worried and stressed that an AF episode would occur. 

AF is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder and has no cure, the researches pointed out.

Patients with paroxysmal AF experience episodes of AF usually lasting less than 48 hours and stop by themselves, although in some patients they can last up to seven days. 

The team included 80 patients with paroxysmal AF who were randomised to yoga or a control group that did not do yoga. 

Yoga was performed for one hour, once a week, for 12 weeks in the hospital with an experienced instructor, which included light movements, deep breathing and meditation.

After 12 weeks, the yoga group had higher "SF-36" mental health scores, lower heart rate and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than the control group.

"We found that patients who did yoga had a better quality of life, lower heart rate and lower blood pressure than patients who did not do yoga. The breathing and movement may have beneficial effects on blood pressure," Wahlstrom stated.

"Patients in the yoga group said it felt good to let go of their thoughts and just be inside themselves for awhile," Wahlstrom noted.

​New York, March 4 (IANS) Five or more servings of yoghurt a week are likely to help women in reducing the risk of having high blood pressure, finds a study.

Women who ate five or more servings of yoghurt per week, compared to those consuming one serving per month, had a 20 percent reduction in the risk of having high blood pressure, the results of the study showed.Adding yoghurt to an otherwise healthy diet seems to reduce the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women.
"Our study shows that daily intake of dairy products, particularly yoghurt, lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure, which is a key risk factor for the development of heart diseases and strokes," said lead author Justin Buendia, doctoral student at Boston University in US.
Moreover, several servings of milk and cheese each day can also have beneficial effects on blood pressure "although the effects of yoghurt seemed stronger than other forms of dairy", Buendia noted.
To examine the long-term effects of yoghurt on high blood pressure in middle-aged adults, researchers analysed data of participants in two Nurses' Health Study cohorts (NHS and NHS II),on women between 25-55 years of age, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study on men between 40-75 years of age.
The authors also evaluated whether the effects of consuming larger amounts of yoghurt were different among subjects with a healthy overall diet. 

To do this, subjects were given a score to reflect how closely their diet matched that of a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans to lower blood pressure.The benefit of five or more servings of yoghurt on the risk of high blood pressure was stronger than the DASH diet. 
In the pooled analysis, men and women who had a higher DASH score and who consumed yoghurt five or more times per week had a 31 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure compared with those who had the lowest yoghurt intakes (one time per week) and the lowest DASH scores, the researchers claimed.The study was presented at the ongoing American Heart Association's Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions in Arizona.​

​New York, March 3 (IANS) A 10 percent drop in price for healthy foods and a 10 percent increase in the price of unhealthy foods could potentially prevent a significant number of people from dying from heart disease and stroke, suggests a new study.
Using a computer-based model, the researchers from Harvard University in US revealed how price changes might impact eating habits over time and whether this could reduce heart diseases. The study revealed that a 10 percent price reduction on fruits and vegetables could overall decrease 1.2 percent deaths from cardiovascular diseases in five years and almost 2 percent within 20 years. 
Heart attacks and strokes can decrease by 2.6 percent and 4 percent, respectively, over a period of 20 years.Also, a 10 percent price reduction on grains can result in 0.2 percent decrease from heart diseases within five years and 0.3 percent by 20 years. Further, a price increase of 10 percent on sugary drinks, deaths from heart diseases overall could decrease by nearly 0.1 percent within 5 years and 0.12 percent within 20 years. Specifically, heart attacks could decrease by 0.25 percent in both timeframes and strokes could decrease by 0.17 percent in 20 years. 
Diabetes could decrease by 0.2 percent in five years and 0.7 percent in 20 years.Combined, the model shows that by 2035 it would be possible to prevent 515,000 deaths from heart disease and nearly 675,000 events, such as heart attacks and strokes, across the nation with these small changes in price. 
If a change by one serving occurred daily, for example one more piece of fruit (100gm), one full serving of a vegetable (100 gm), one serving of whole grains (50 gm), and one less 8 oz sugar sweetened beverage were consumed then up to 3.5 million deaths and 4 million heart disease events could be averted over a 2 year period. 
"A change in your diet can be challenging, but if achieved through personal choice or changes in the market place, it can have a profound effect on your cardiovascular health," said lead author Thomas A. Gaziano, assistant professor at Harvard University.State and community leaders who want to improve the health of their communities can use these data to make impactful change, the researchers explained adding that the findings support the need to combine modest taxes and subsidies to better represent the real costs of food to health and society.
The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific 2016 meeting.​

​New York, March 3 (IANS) Glued to your smartphone? A new study has found that addiction to -- and not simply use of -- mobile phones and internet is linked to anxiety and depression in teenagers.
However, there was no relationship between cell phone or internet use and negative mental health outcomes among participants who use these technologies to escape from boredom."There's a long history of the public fearing new technologies as they are deployed in society," said lead researcher Alejandro Lleras from University of Illinois in the US."This fear of new technology happened with televisions, video games and most recently, smartphones," Lleras added in the paper published in the journal Computers in Human behaviour.
The team surveyed over 300 university students with questionnaires that addressed the students' mental health, amount of cell phone and internet use and motivations for turning to their electronic devices.
The goal was to see if addictive and self-destructive behaviours with phones and the internet are related to mental health.
The findings showed that people who self-described as having really addictive style behaviours toward the internet and cell phones scored much higher on depression and anxiety scales.
Breaking addictive technology habits may provide an important supplemental treatment for addressing mental health issues such as general anxiety disorder or depression, the author noted."The interaction with the device is not going to make you depressed if you are just using it when you are bored. This should go toward soothing some of that public anxiety over new technology," Lleras explained.​

​London, Feb 27 (IANS) James Ware, a YouTube personality in Britain, has claimed to have built the world's longest selfie stick but his unusually long monopod may not guarantee a stunning selfie, a media report said.
Currently, the Guinness World Record for building the world's longest selfie stick is held by Ben Stiller, who used his 8.56 metre monopod to click selfies at the London premiere of "Zoolander 2" earlier this month. But Ware was determined to break the record, tech website cnet.com reported on Friday. So he went shopping for bits of tape and pipe that cost him around $62. Using the material, he built a selfie stick that he said measured 9.57 metres.
"I'm just trying to get a new profile picture," he explained to a security officer in London's Trafalgar Square where he went to click a selfie.But the officer didn't feel secure so Ware had to go elsewhere.
Although Ware successfully got his selfie using the stick, his iPhone also captured a passing truck quite well. He looked like a man who was desperately trying to stop a lamppost from falling in a windstorm, cnet.com said.He admitted that his pose made him look like he was "taking a slash" - a British slang for urinating. Moreover, there was no one from the Guinness World Records organisation to witness his feat.Ware may not have been successful to be able to register his name with the Guinness World Records this time, but he got ample admirations from his followers on YouTube for the feat.

​New York, Feb 27 (IANS) Nearly 108 million people in the world - one out of every 90 of the world population -- are suffering from correctable vision impairment, a global study has estimated.
Uncorrected refractive error (URE) - nearsightedness, farsightedness, and other focusing problems correctable by prescription lenses - is responsible for moderate to severe vision impairment in 101 million people and blindness in seven million people worldwide, the study said.The findings appeared in Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. "Uncorrected refractive error continues as the leading cause of vision impairment and the second leading cause of blindness worldwide," said one of the study authors Kovin Naidoo from Brien Holden Vision Institute, Durban, South Africa.
Refractive error refers to any of the common vision problems causing decreased sharpness of vision, including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia, (farsightedness), or astigmatism. In developed countries, eyeglasses or contact lenses are routinely prescribed to correct these causes of impaired vision.But millions of people around the world still have impaired vision or even blindness caused by URE. In the study, a group of leading optometrists and ophthalmologists specialising in world blindness analysed the best available research on URE. Pooled data from nearly 250 studies performed between 1990 and 2010 were analysed to estimate the number of people affected by blindness and visual impairment due to URE, including trends in prevalence and differences by region.Uncorrected refractive error was found to be the leading cause of moderate to severe visual impairment, affecting an estimated 101.2 million people.It was also the second leading cause of blindness (after cataracts), affecting another 6.8 million. 
"In 2010, URE contributed 20.9 percent of all blindness and 52.9 percent of all moderate to severe vision impairment," Naidoo said