Health

Minced beef and chicken cause more hospitalisations than any other meat, an analysis of more than 33,000 cases of foodborne illness has shown.

The report by the US Centre for Science in Public Interest says chicken nuggets, ham and sausage pose the lowest risk of foodborne illness, News.com.au reported.

The group used US government data on 1700 outbreaks over 12 years to analyse salmonella, E. coli, listeria and other pathogens that were definitively linked to a certain meat.

Consumption of white potatoes is linked to increased intake of potassium, a new study has revealed.

For each additional kilocalorie of white potatoes consumed, there was a 1.6 mg increase in potassium intake among adults 19-years-old and older, and a 1.7 mg increase among children and teens from 2 to 18 years of age.

Gender, age, race/ethnicity and educational attainment, but not income or body mass index, were also highly predictive of potassium intake.

Washington, April 23 (ANI): Alternative therapies such as aerobic exercise, resistance or strength training, and isometric hand grip exercises reduce blood pressure and can be considered an adjunctive treatment for those who can’t tolerate or don’t respond well to standard medications, according to the American Heart Association.

In a new scientific statement, the association said alternative approaches could also help people with blood pressure levels higher than 120/80 mm Hg.

Washington, April 23 (ANI): Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D2 and is as effective as taking vitamin D supplements.

Vitamin D intake is crucial to the process of calcium absorption and maintaining healthy bones.

Vitamin D helps the body in maintaining bone density thus reducing the risk of fracture, osteomalacia, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The nutrient also plays an integral role in modulating the immune system to help fight infections like the flu and reduces the risk of many common diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and diabetes.

Washington, April 23 (ANI): Three new studies have contributed to the growing body of evidence for the health benefits of added fibres in the diet.

Many diets continue to lack recommended servings of foods naturally high in fibre like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains resulting in low fibre intake.

These types of fibre can be added to a wide range of foods and contribute similar health benefits as “intact” fibres, providing a viable option to help people increase their fibre intake to achieve daily recommendations.

Washington, April 23 (ANI): Cutting back on sleep could harm blood vessel function and breathing control, a new study has found.

A bevy of research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity.

However, it”s been unclear why sleep loss might lead to these effects. Several studies have tested the effects of total sleep deprivation, but this model isn”t a good fit for the way most people lose sleep, with a few hours here and there.

Scientists have developed radioactive bacteria that could help treat patients who are suffering from pancreatic cancer.

In lab tests, the modified microbes virtually halted the spreading of pancreatic cancer in mice without harming healthy tissue, the Daily Express reported.

The bacteria, a weakened form of the Listeria bug, which causes food poisoning, and act like missiles tipped with atomic warheads.

When the bacteria infect cancer cells, they destroy them with blasts of radiation but the emissions are short-lived, so damage is largely confined to the target area.

Three new studies have explored the health benefits of consumption of tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts).

Researchers found that tree nut consumption was associated with a better nutrient profile and diet quality; lower body weight and lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome; and a decrease in several cardiovascular risk factors compared to those seen among non-consumers.

Washington, April 22 (ANI): A researcher at the Children”s Hospital of Philadelphia, has identified factors in the brain that distinguish susceptibility and resiliency to depression and heart disease comorbidity.

The finding would be a major advance in predicting, preventing and treating these disorders.

Depression is the leading cause of disability with more than 350 million people globally affected by this disease.

Washington, April 22 (ANI): A new study by scientists including one of an Indian origin has found that aspirin slowed the growth of breast cancer cell lines in the lab and significantly reduced the growth of tumors in mice.

The age-old headache remedy also exhibits the ability to prevent tumor cells from spreading.

Results of the study by researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and the University of Kansas Medical Center, suggested that regular use of low-dose aspirin might prevent the progression of breast cancer in humans.

Sofia Vergara, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 28, has opened up about her battle with the disease.

The 40-year-old actress told Fox News that going through the whole process of getting her thyroid out, then the radiation and all the stuff, has of course changed her life because her priorities changed.

She said that you realize that no matter how much beauty, money, and success you have, if you don’t have health, you have nothing, because you can’t do anything.

Two large, landmark radiotherapy studies have shown that it is possible to treat cervical cancer effectively using image-guided brachytherapy.

Researchers will tell the 2nd Forum of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) that image-guided brachytherapy is able to deliver very high doses of radiotherapy, which prevent the tumour from growing in over 90 percent of patients, with few serious side-effects to the surrounding normal organs.

Washington, April 21 (ANI): Women at their peak fertility find the smell of men with higher testosterone levels more appealing, according to a new study.

In the new study, researchers tested how women”s sexual scent preferences changed depending on men”s levels of testosterone and cortisol.

Male volunteers were given T-shirts to wear for two consecutive nights, during which time they were prohibited from using scented soaps or detergents; drinking or smoking; or eating garlic, onion, green chiles, strong cheeses and other pungent foods.

New York, Apr 21 (ANI): Sex is not just two people making love, but it carries a number of health benefits without you even noticing it.

According to Dr. Jennifer Berman, co-founder of the Female Sexual Medicine Center at UCLA, orgasms increase your circulation, keeping the blood flowing to your genital area. This in turn keeps your tissue healthy, the Huffington Post reported.

Although it can’t be considered an alternative to daily exercise, having an orgasm is a cardiovascular activity.

Washington, April 20 (ANI): Wearing a knee brace offers significant relief to patients suffering from a type of osteoarthritis affecting the kneecap, according to a new study.

Current treatments are limited to pain relief and joint replacement.

Osteoarthritis of the knee affecting the kneecap (patellofemoral osteoarthritis) accounts for about 20 percent of patients with knee pain. They typically experience pain that is made worse by going up and down stairs, kneeling, squatting and prolonged sitting.

Biologists at UC San Diego demonstrated last May that algae can be engineered to produce a vaccine that blocks malaria transmission.

The same method may work as a vaccine against a wide variety of viral and bacterial infections.

In their most recent study, researchers fused a protein that elicits an antibody response in mice against the organism that causes malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, which afflicts 225 million people worldwide, with a protein produced by the bacterium responsible for cholera, Vibrio cholera, that binds to intestinal epithelial cells.

Short bursts of brain activity may help protect from Alzheimer`s, says a study conducted by researchers in Israel.

Evidence indicates that the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer`s patients, is critical for the development of Alzheimer`s disease, which impacts 5.4 million Americans. Not just the quantity, but also the quality of amyloid-beta peptides is crucial for Alzheimer`s initiation.

A new study has revealed that teenage pregnancy actually makes women more likely to become obese.

University of Michigan Health System researchers found that women who give birth as teens are significantly more likely to be overweight or obese later in life than women who were not teen mums.

Washington, April 19 (ANI): Heather Locklear has revealed that the secret to her great skin is ‘semen’.

When asked if she had any recommendations for anti-aging skincare products, Locklear told TMZ.com that “You just put semen on your face,” Huffington Post reported.

It’s unclear if the 51-year-old was talking about a cream product or just an ingredient.

Meanwhile, researches have proved that semen may have anti-aging benefits.

Semen as an anti-aging treatment saw a spike in popularity around 2009.

Washington, April 19 (ANI): A baseline adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) was found to be associated with a lower risk of hyperuricemia, defined as a serum uric acid (SUA) concentration higher than 7mg/dl in men and higher than 6mg/dl in women, according to a study.

Hyperuricemia has been associated with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, mellitus, chronic kidney disease, gout, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Over 1.3 million children in Pakistan have missed polio vaccination due to the worsening law, order and security situation during a three-day national polio immunisation campaign which started on April 15. The goal of the campaign was to immunize 33.5 million children under five years of age, reports The Express Tribune. A report compiled by the Polio Operation Room revealed that the campaign, hindered by varying factors in each province, fell short of its aims.

University of Alberta researchers are abuzz after using fruit flies to find new ways of taking advantage of caffeine’s lethal effects on cancer cells—results that could one day be used to advance cancer therapies for people.

Previous research has established that caffeine interferes with processes in cancer cells that control DNA repair, a finding that has generated interest in using the stimulant as a chemotherapy treatment.

Children ate more apples when they were provided with fruit slicers in school cafeterias, according to a new research.

The finding confirmed that increasing the convenience of fruit increases consumption.

Previous studies and surveys have shown that kids love to eat fruit in ready-to-eat bite-sized pieces, yet in most school settings, the fruit is served whole, which could be the cause that children are taking fruits but not eating them.

Most people believe that children avoid fruit because of the taste and allure of alternative packaged snacks.

Scientists have identified a specific gene that regulates the heart`s ability to regenerate after injuries.

Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center identified the previously unknown function of the gene, called Meis1, in the heart.

“We found that the activity of the Meis1 gene increases significantly in heart cells soon after birth, right around the time heart muscle cells stop dividing,” said Dr Hesham Sadek, assistant professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology, and senior author of the study.

The cost of immunising millions of the world`s most vulnerable children against five deadly and debilitating diseases is set to fall due to a supply agreement of GAVI with India based Biological E Ltd for five-in-one injections.

“A supply agreement with Biological E Ltd of India makes the five-in-one shot available to GAVI for just USD 1.19 per dose, compared to the 2012 weighted average price of USD 2.17,” GAVI Alliance web site today said.