French fries might kill us, but do we really care?

Agencies

June 13, 2017

Jun 13: Just imagine life without French fries and all forms of fried potatoes. Pretty boring and tasteless, right? We can't imagine living without potato fries, which is why a lot of foodies join gyms. It's better to have fried potatoes at any cost rather than not having them at all. Frenchfries

But a recent study has revealed that eating fried potatoes can increase the risk of death. This has not, however, deterred us from indulging in those French fries, both homemade and the ones available at burger joints.

This killjoy of a study was first published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers observed the potato consumption of 4,400 older people between the ages of 45 and 79 years, over a course of eight years. Of these, 236 people died by the end of the study. A closer look revealed that these people consumed fried potatoes at least twice a week.

While having boiled or baked potatoes does not increase the risk of death, eating fried potatoes doubles it. We understand that this is the result of a scientific study, but it's a bit hard to believe, especially as an Indian.

We have indulged in aloo bhaja and bhujiya and homemade chips for generations. It has increased our cholesterol levels, yes, but we have balanced it out by eating more veggies and fruits--instead of cutting out fried potatoes completely. And, there are more things on earth that can kill us. Seriously, take a look at our list of things more fatal than fried potatoes.

1. The air in Indian cities, especially Delhi, can actually kill you. The pollution levels are on the rise, and respiratory infections are increasing with them. We're sure the air we breathe in has more chances of killing us than some fried potatoes.

2. Why blame a certain food when annoying people can frustrate you enough to want to die anyway? If you had to choose between people who irritate you to no end, and a plate of French fries or potato wedges, we're sure you'd go with the latter as the less harmful of the lot.

3. You might not know it yet, but too much healthy food can kill as well. It can kill your spirit, your taste buds, and your will to live--especially if you're a foodie.

So you might be inclined to believe a study which says something you love to eat, and have been eating forever, can increase your chances of dying. Or you can just go home, and fry some potatoes for dinner. Just remember to balance your meals with lots of veggies, and regular exercise, and you'll live a long and happy life anyways.

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Practising yoga may boost brain chemical levels, prevent depression: Study

News Network

February 4,2020

Boston, Feb 4: Practising yoga may increase levels of a messenger molecule involved in regulating brain activity, and completing one yoga class per week may maintain elevated levels of this chemical, according to a study which may lead to better ways of mitigating depressive symptoms.

The study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, assessed a group of 30 clinically depressed patients who were randomly divided into two groups.

According to the researchers, including those from Boston University in the US, both groups engaged in coherent breathing, and Iyengar yoga -- a form of hatha yoga, developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, emphasising on detail, precision, and alignment in the performance of yoga postures.

The only difference between the groups, the scientists said, was the number of 90 minute yoga sessions, and home sessions in which each group participated.

Over three months, they said, the high-dose group (HDG) was assigned three sessions per week, while the low-intensity group (LIG) engaged in two sessions per week.

The participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brain before the first and after the last yoga session, and also completed a clinical depression scale to monitor their symptoms, the study noted.

Results of the study revealed that both groups had improvement in depressive symptoms after three months.

Their MRI analysis showed that levels of the brain messenger molecule GABA were elevated after three months of yoga, as compared to the levels before starting yoga.

According to the study, this increase was found for approximately four days after the last yoga session, but the rise was no longer observed after about eight days.

"The study suggests that the associated increase in GABA levels after a yoga session are 'time-limited' similar to that of pharmacologic treatments such that completing one session of yoga per week may maintain elevated levels of GABA," explained study co-author Chris Streeter from Boston University.

Providing evidence-based data may help in getting more individuals to try yoga as a strategy for improving their health and well-being, the scientists said.

"A unique strength of this study is that pairing the yoga intervention with brain imaging provides important neurobiological insight as to the 'how' yoga may help to alleviate depression and anxiety," said study co-author Marisa Silveri from Harvard University.

In this study, we found that an important neurochemical, GABA, which is related to mood, anxiety, and sleep, is significantly increased in association with a yoga intervention," Silveri said.

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Pasteurising breast milk may inactivate novel coronavirus, claims study

News Network

July 10,2020

Toronto, Jul 10: Pasteurising breast milk at 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes inactivates the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, making it safe for consumption by babies, a study claims.

According to the research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, current advice for women with Covid-19 is to continue to breastfeed their own infants.

In Canada, it is standard care to provide pasteurised breast milk to very-low-birth-weight babies in hospital until their own mother's milk supply is adequate, the researchers said.

"In the event that a woman who is Covid-19-positive donates human milk that contains SARS-CoV-2, whether by transmission through the mammary gland or by contamination through respiratory droplets, skin, breast pumps and milk containers, this method of pasteurisation renders milk safe for consumption," said Sharon Unger, a professor at the University of Toronto in Canada.

The Holder method, a technique used to pasteurise milk in all Canadian milk banks at 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, is effective at neutralising viruses such as HIV, hepatitis and others that are known to be transmitted through human milk, the researchers said.

In the latest study, the researchers spiked human breast milk with a viral load of SARS-CoV-2 and tested samples that either sat at room temperature for 30 minutes or were warmed to 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

They then measured for active virus, finding that the virus in the pasteurised milk was inactivated after heating.

More than 650 human breast milk banks around the world use the Holder method to ensure a safe supply of milk for vulnerable infants, the researchers said.

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