Health & Food

London, Dec 19: Skin plays a significant role in harbouring and transmitting a parasite that causes African sleeping sickness - a condition which is often fatal if left untreated, a new study has found. The study by researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and the Institut Pasteur in France, may have a major impact on the way the disease is diagnosed, treated and potentially...

Dec 17: Wrinkles, grey hair and niggling aches are normally regarded as an inevitable part of growing older, but now scientists claim that the ageing process may be reversible. The team showed that a new form of gene therapy produced a remarkable rejuvenating effect in mice. After six weeks of treatment, the animals looked younger, had straighter spines and better cardiovascular health, healed...

Boston, Dec 14: The health benefits of playing the popular augmented reality game Pokemon GO are moderate and wear off after just six weeks, according to a new Harvard study. Pokemon Go improves physical activity among adults who use the game, but the effect is moderate and not sustained over time, researchers said. Results show that the daily average steps during the first week of installation...

Houston, Dec 13: Intermittent fasting may inhibit the development and progression of the most common type of childhood leukaemia, a new study has claimed. The strategy is not effective, however, in another type of blood cancer that commonly strikes adults, researchers said. "This study using mouse models indicates that the effects of fasting on blood cancers are type-dependent and provides a...

Mumbai, Dec 10: Wrapping food items in newspaper is bad for your health as its ink has multiple bio-active materials with known negative health effects, FSSAI said on Friday. "Wrapping food in newspapers is an unhealthy practice and the consumption of such food is injurious to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically," the Food, Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) said in...

Dec 8: Practicing yoga for one hour daily can reduce blood pressure in people with prehypertension, says a new study conducted by Indian researchers. The study was presented at the 68th Annual Conference of the Cardiological Society of India (CSI) in Kochi, India. "Patients with prehypertension (slightly elevated blood pressure) are likely to develop hypertension (high blood pressure) unless they...

Dec 6: According to a study, repeated dieting may cause weight gaininstead of shedding extra pounds. This is due to the reason that brain interprets the diets as short famines, hence, urges to store fat for future food shortages. "Surprisingly, our model predicts that the average weight gain for dieters will actually be greater than those who never diet," said Andrew Higginson, Senior Lecturer at...

London, Dec 5: Eating at least 20 grammes of nuts a day - equivalent to a handful - may lower the risk of heart disease, cancerand premature death, new research has claimed. The analysis of all current studies on nut consumption and disease risk showed that 20 grammes daily can cut people's risk of coronary heart disease by nearly 30 per cent, cancer by 15 per cent, and premature death by 22 per...

London, Dec 3: Homelessness makes people vulnerable to mental and health problems, according to a study by British researchers that sheds light on the plight of society's most marginalised people. Research into the experiences of 64 people who are homeless or facing housing problems in Newham, London, found some living in slum-like temporary housing and others living in constant insecurity and...

New Delhi, Dec 3: As per a new research, sleep loss can be a strong reason for various heart ailments and is capable of adversely affecting a person's heart function. The study has further warned that people who are associated with jobs like medical services, fire and emergency and are forced to work 24-hour shifts with little opportunity to sleep are at a higher risk. "For the first time, we have...