WHO Urges Limit For Sugar Consumption Comments Off

WHO Urges Limit For Sugar Consumption

Posted by on Mar 7, 2014 in What's On The Plate?

The World Health Organization issued a new guidance that urges people to cut back on sweets, saying that sugar intake should stay below 10% of total calorie intake per day.

Suggested sugar intake

WHO has changed its sugar intake guidelines for the first time in 10 years. It urges people to consume even less sugar if possible.

In a statement, WHO said: “The new draft guideline also proposes that sugars should be less than 10% of total energy intake per day… It further suggests that a reduction to below 5% of total energy intake per day would have additional benefits.”

Health impact

The suggested limit applies to both added sugars in food and sugars that are present in honey, fruit juices, and syrups.

The draft guidelines are now open to public consultation on the WHO’s website.

The WHO says its aim is to provide solid evidence on the health impact of sugar, including damage to teeth and increased risk of obesity.

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British Scientists Aim To Grow Ears From Fat Comments Off

British Scientists Aim To Grow Ears From Fat

Posted by on Mar 5, 2014 in What's On The Plate?

British scientists are aiming to grow ears and noses with stem cells to transplant them to humans in an attempt to treat people with facial defects.

New ear

The doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London have managed to use body fat and turn it into cartilage. They believe it could be used to reconstruct ears and noses.

The doctors hope that the technique could help patients who have been born with microtia, a condition in which the ear fails to develop properly and can be missing or malformed.

‘The Holy Grail’

Experts say it has the potential to be “transformative.”

“It is really exciting to have the sort of cells that are not tumorogenic, that can go back into the same patient so we don’t have the problem of immunosuppression and can do the job you want them to do,” Dr Patrizia Ferretti, one of the researchers, said in a statement.

“It would be the Holy Grail to do this procedure through a single surgery, so decreasing enormously the stress for the children and having a structure that hopefully will be growing as the child grows,” Ferretti explained.

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Be Skin-sational: Healthy Glowing Skin at the Beach Comments Off

Be Skin-sational: Healthy Glowing Skin at the Beach

Posted by on Mar 3, 2014 in Beauty and Health

When was the last time you went to the beach and had some fun? You surely are excited to wear your swimsuit and dive into the warm water. A trip to the beach is the perfect time to show off your beautiful body. It’s not enough to trim down your waistline and tone that abs, however. You can be sexier and more confident if you have fair and healthy skin.

Here are some important tips to help you get that beach ready skin.

Rejuvenate Your Skin

Schedule an appointment to a dermatologist. A skin specialist knows what you need to stand out from the crowd. Go for a treatment intended to remove visible varicose or spider veins on your legs. Having flawless skin may help you be more confident. You can also undergo a chemical peel or to rejuvenate your skin and make it look younger. Ask your insurance provider if your policy covers dermatological, cosmetic, or surgical treatments.

Replenish Your Body

Your body needs enough nutrition to stay healthy inside and out. You can sometimes, see signs of nutrient deficiency by looking at the color or texture of your skin. Eat nutritious food and drink plenty of water to replenish your body and moisturize your skin. You can also take vitamins and minerals to supplement your diet.

Relieve Some Stress

Stress causes rapid cell and skin aging. Take time to relax and do things that make you happy. Attend a yoga class or play your favorite sport. Change your lifestyle by working out, quitting smoking, and having enough sleep. Your skin will thank you for that.

Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to turn heads on your next beach trip. Look for a trusted cosmetic and vein center in your area to learn about the skin treatments you might need.

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Study Finds Link Between Child’s Health And Father’s Age Comments Off

Study Finds Link Between Child’s Health And Father’s Age

Posted by on Feb 28, 2014 in Beauty and Health

A new study shows that children born to middle-aged men are more likely to  develop any of a range of disorders and problems compared to those born to younger fathers.

Risk of mental disorders

The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found a link to father’s age and child’s vulnerability to disorders such as autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. It suggests that mutated sperm were to blame.

The researchers looked at 2.6 million people, comparing children of a 45-year-old father to those of a 24-year-old dad.

Delayed childbearing

“The implications of the study is that delaying childbearing is also associated with increased risk for psychiatric and academic problems in the offspring,” said Dr Brian D’Onofrio, one of the researchers, in a statement.

“The study adds to a growing body of research, that suggests families, doctors, and society as a whole must consider both the pros and cons of delaying childbearing,” he further explained.

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US Doctors Warn Of Emerging Polio-Like Disease Comments Off

US Doctors Warn Of Emerging Polio-Like Disease

Posted by on Feb 25, 2014 in Stretch!

Doctors at the American Academy of Neurology are warning the public of an emerging polio-like disease in California, where about 20 people, mostly children, have been infected. Some patients developed paralysis in all four limbs, which hadn’t improved with treatment.

Polio-like Virus

A detailed analysis of the cases showed that enterovirus-68, which is related to the poliovirus, could be the reason for the infection. Polio is a dangerous childhood infection. Its virus invades the nervous system and causes paralysis in one in 200 cases. It also stops the lungs from working, which can cause death.

Not an Epidemic

Doctors say the infection remains rare, but they don’t expect an epidemic of the polio-like virus. “There has been no obvious increase in the pace of new cases so we don’t think we’re about to experience an epidemic, that’s the good news,” Dr. Emanuelle Waubant, a neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco said.

She stressed, however, that it’s “bad news” for individuals who develop symptoms which tend to be moderate to severe.

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Major Heart Healing Trial Starts Comments Off

Major Heart Healing Trial Starts

Posted by on Feb 24, 2014 in The Reconstruction

Doctors at the London Chest Hospital have started treating heart attack patients with their own stem cells, the biggest ever stem cell trial.

Stem cell trial

The London patients are among the first of 30,000 participants in 11 European countries to look at the life prolonging effects of stem cell treatment.

All the patients will have a standard procedure to widen their narrowed arteries. This involves inserting a small tube known as a stent.

A few days after suffering a heart attack, stem cells will be harvested from the patient’s own bone marrow and then injected into heart muscles in the hope that they repair some of the damage.

Increase survival rates

The study should determine whether the treatment can reduce death rates and repair damaged tissue after a cardiac arrest.

Although more and more patients are surviving, they can be left considerably weak.

There have already been a number of smaller trials using stem cells, as heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK.

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