Month: October 2019

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Horns Of The Dilemma – Dairy Good Or Bad For Health

Though fruits and veggies are known to be healthy options as far as food is concerned there are conflicting views over dairy products and even their consumption levels on a regular basis. Milk and milk products in plenty are a must for kids and adolescents as milk is a rich source of calcium. Though milk is good, it comes under saturated fats and hence for people on a diet skimmed milk is a better option.

As per global standards the average consumption is around 2 to 2.5 servings a day for children. Organizations like USDA and National Institute of Health (NIH) dairy is a vital source of magnesium, phosphorous, Protein and Vitamin D. A deficiency in calcium could raise the risk of osteoporosis as bones become weak and brittle.

Having said that there are conflicting views around consumption of dairy products. As per a systematic review as well as meta-analysis says that increase in dairy consumption increases the risk of osteoporosis. But, not all studies are included in the said analysis.

Another long term study of Sweden that included 61000 women and 45000 men revealed a potential link between high milk consumption as well as high rate of bone fractures. Though a Japanese study carried out over 94,980 people revealed that a rise in consumption of milk did lower the mortality risk.

Even the American heart Institution (AHA) has said that saturated fats could lead to increase in cholesterol as well as heart disease. Hence, some full fat dairy products do not come in the list of heart healthy diet recommendations. Furthermore, the national lung and blood institute has advised people to limit their dairy intake and use low fat dairy in their diet.

There is an article with umpteen analyses as well as reviews that do not believe that saturated fats cause heart disease. It also states that the saturated fats could decrease the risk of diabetes that is linked to obesity.

So, while there is conflict with studies to support, dairy could be a healthy option if taken in limit. It could be helpful for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

*Sourced from Internet

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How Much Fiber Intake For Prevention Of Diseases

A new study revealed exactly how much fiber is required for keeping the chronic conditions as well as premature mortality at bay. The objective of the study is to set the guideline for consumption of fiber besides bringing to light information around the carbs responsible for protection against non-communicable diseases as well as curb weight gain.

The author of the study namely Professor Jim Mann, of Otago University New Zealand and the author of the paper Andrew Reynolds is a postdoctoral research fellow at Otago’s Dunedin School of Medicine.

The study was carried out by Reynolds and colleagues by examination of a data that had 185 observational studies that included 135 million person-years besides 58 clinical trials that involved the participation of 4600 people. The study analysis was carried across 40 years.

As per prof. Mann, the motivation behind this study was analysis of previous reviews and meta-analysis. The scientists studied chronic condition incidences as well as premature deaths resulting from them. The conditions included cardiovascular diseases, stroke, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, cancers such as esophageal cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer to name a few.

The results of the study revealed that people who consume more fiber daily are 15-30% less prone to premature deaths or any of the aforementioned conditions. It also determined that daily consumption of 25 -29 gms of fibre is good for health. Though consumption of more than 29 gms of fibre could be even more beneficial.

Having said that, the authors cleared that the study did not present any side effects of fibre consumption but too much fibre could also be harmful particularly for people with iron and mineral deficiencies. Even consumption of whole grains in excess can lead to iron deficiency as per researchers.

Lastly, the study also found that consumption of high amount of fibre results does relate to less weight and cholesterol levels.

Prof. Mann says “ Health benefits of fiber are supported by over 100 years of research into its chemistry, physical properties, physiology and effects on metabolism.

*Sourced from Internet

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Finances and Aging – The Connection

A recent study has revealed that people who have to suffer from economic hardships for even as less as 4 years are prone to ageing faster as compared to their peers who are economically stable. The researchers at the Department of Public health at the Copenhagen University of Denmark carried out a study to compare economically well to do, late middle aged adults and adults experiencing financial issues.

The study involved over 5575 adults in their late middle ages with a benchmark hardship of 60% less than that of the national average over 22 years period. Out of these 5575, 18% were having financial hardship during the period of 1987-2008. Lead by Rikki Lund, the team studied and analyzed cognitive as well as physical functions like chair rise, jump, balance, grip and strength.

The study found that people who experienced poverty over 4 years performed less as compared to people of the same age who were living without any financial problems. The findings suggest that the absence of economic problems protects from aging faster while the opposite not only increases ageing but also the blood CRP levels.

When people are less capable of doing physical activities earlier than then the others of the same age it is called accelerated aging. It could be a result of higher inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 or poor cognitive functioning.

In the Western society, aging population means more healthcare costs and hence healthy ageing is promoted. The study has results that match the earlier studies with did show an inverse connection between economic difficulties and physical abilities besides cognitive difficulties that have been already reported.

Having said that, there is one story that has a different story to tell. It states that a human’s perception about economic hardships is more significant indicator and not their real financial condition. The study does come with a few limitations though, which include factors like not considering data of various societies, not considering any other potential confounding factors responsible or even diseases and conditions that are not a result of poverty but still could affect longevity and speed ageing.

*Sourced from Internet

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