Food is divine and the love for eating is omnipresent. Sitting on the floor and eating meals was the unwritten law followed in earlier days. With the advent of dining tables and chairs the concept of sitting down on the ground for a meal has almost vanished from our culture and even kids hesitate to take a seat on a mat considering it to be below their dignity. But as we progress into a super-fast world where even time for a healthy breakfast is lacking our outlook on the way we eat also keeps changing. Its not new to see young adults rapidly gobbling up food (cooked with love and affection by their moms) on their way to college or office. Where is the time for them to sit down at the table with their family and finish breakfast before heading out? Its almost unimaginable as kids and adults these days finish their food on the go in a standing position. I agree that standing has become the latest trend-standing at work, standing while talking over the phone or even standing and having meetings. But haven’t we heard our moms and grandmas plead with us to take a seat, eat the food and then proceed with our VIP work? Alas, have we ever paid heed to their golden words? Never! But now, we have a new study that proves that food tastes better when we are sitting down. The study focused on how the vestibular sense that’s responsible for balance, posture and spatial orientation interacts with the gustatory sense that controls taste and flavor. Researchers confirmed this by recruiting 350 participants who rated the tastiness of a pita chip either in a standing or sitting position. It was observed that those who were standing gave it a less favourable rating than those sitting in a padded chair. Again, the researchers provided the participants with bite-sized brownies at a restaurant which they commented to be delicious, especially by those who were sitting down. The baker was told to add an extra serving of salt to make the brownie taste unpleasant. Again, when both the sitting and standing participants were served with the salted brownie those standing found it to be much tastier than previously compared to those who were seated. The standing participants couldn’t even decipher the change in taste in the brownie served as they were in a standing posture. On a lighter note, maybe its time for parents to make their children eat healthy, tasteless foods in a standing position! Or even consume your bitter medications while standing! The same participants were made to taste fruit snacks at a grocery stop with handful of bags. This created additional stress which made those standing and sitting to report negative comments on the fruit snacks. Hot cups of coffee served made those standing lack much insight into the steaming nature of the beverage but led them to reduced consumption of the same compared to those sitting. Maybe, eating while standing can lead to reduced consumption and increased weight loss? But of course, there is increased stress placed on the heart making it to pump more blood. Standing position causes stress muting taste buds-that’s because, there is more focus placed on the stress hormone cortisol which decreases sensory sensitivity decreasing taste perception and in turn, overall consumption. Folks, its better to sit down and have a meal patiently than to rush with it in a standing posture. After all, we earn to live well and what’s there to life than eating a peaceful meal that provides us with health and nutrients for a good quality of life?
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Workout or fitness would be the last thing on your mind after coming back from a busy day at work and all that we dream about is to spend time doing some sedentary leisure activity that keeps us happy. Exercise might be a priority item on the ‘To Do’ list alongside earning money and taking care of children but it seems to be the best one to skip as the beneficiary is none other than ourselves and our needs are least prioritized or in fact, even ignored. Exercise has become like a diet fad. We have different new ones cropping up every other day to attract us and swallow our money-Cross Fit workout, HIIT, kick boxing classes, Zumba dance, aerobic classes, gym machines, jogging, marathons and boot camps that include play-way exercises. What is exercise basically? It is a physical activity that involves bodily movements aimed at improving overall fitness and health. It does not, in any way try to deliver the fact that exercise must involve any of the options listed above. In fact, we do have fossil records showing that prehistoric humans were fitter and healthier than our Olympians of today! It is indeed a shame but it’s us, our technological revolutions and discoveries, that’s led us to this state of life. Caveman Origin Our early cavemen survived life day in and day out by fighting and facing challenges imposed. They had to hunt for food, strive for drinking water, fight against predators, toil hard in the sun to build homes for staying and even prepare tools by themselves for various purposes. Even a century ago our forefathers worked hard-scrubbing doors, mopping floors, buying groceries and washing clothes and scrubbing utensils-though it wasn’t as hard as our early caveman days. But now, technological discoveries have dramatically reduced our burden of workload. Dishwashers do our dishes, groceries are delivered online, food is ordered via apps and delivered to our homes, vacuum cleaners clean our rugs, washing machines does our laundry and above all, we employ servants to take care of all other needs of the house and save time reassigning jobs to others. We love our way of life thinking of all the time saved due to the evolution of machines and technology but scarcely do we think about compensating for the movement saved through the entire course of the day! The richer and economically stable, the lesser work and household chores that you do. Our ancestors had to hand-grind idli/dosa batter or clean up the entire house before festive seasons. Now, we buy batter from outside and delegate work to cleaning apps to refurbish our homes. Maybe, we are failing from losing 200-300 calories in this process of delegation! Our pride might grow up and instantly all of you might come up with bombarding replies that involve going to the gym for a workout, hitting the roads for a morning jog/walk or even shaking your hips for Zumba. There is even the birth of activity trackers such as Fitbits that help us move more but we need more efforts to reverse all the lost hopes. Exercise is not an option or a choice but is necessary to keep us healthy and safe. We need to find out ways to accomplish this task in life that’s not going to reward us with money but do something much more-a better quality of life. Restart Your Active Lifestyle Sedentariness is the root cause of a multitude of health problems right from obesity and heart disease to depression and high blood pressure. More than the type of exercise done it depends on our approach, how we perceive daily activities and work. Even those you don’t even consider as workouts can help in improving your well-being (https://time.com/5550764/light-exercise-heart-health/). A new study even shows that compared to women who exercise less those who achieve fulfilling more periods of light physical activity are at a 42% reduced risk of dying from coronary problems and a 22% lesser risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Exercise includes all that we do from the time we get out of bed to the time we tuck into bed to sleep-moving around the house, combing hair, gardening, hanging clothes, walking back from the grocery shop and walking to the parking lot to get onto the bike-all of them count as exercises. We have lost hours of physical activity from daily household chores such as washing clothes and mopping floors that we have reached such a state that’s overruled by obesity and diabetes. Sometime back we got a study result that sitting continuously for hours together is bad for health and companies and employers came up with the idea of standing desks but these too were overruled by yet another study that gave away the disadvantages of such desks. Again, people have resorted to sitting down and working. We live in an era where we need not leave our cubicles for anything except nature’s call, a desktop and a smartphone are more than enough to complete our jobs and we do have the freedom to eat at our desks. Hence, there are some people who hardly stay active for more than 15 minutes in their 9-hour timeframe at work. Get off the message from your brain that a sweaty workout or a kick-boxing session is the only way to stay active. Include activity as a part of your daily life without which you cannot surely accomplish daily activity needs-working out at least for 150 minutes a week. Take a walk while talking over the phone, go for walking meetings that also helps you breathe fresh air, do exercises while watching television, do your own laundry, take the stairs instead of the elevator and try to use public transport for commuting-this gives you quite enough time to walk, flex your bones and muscles, decrease pollution and increase sustainability. The real solution to health is in movement. Doing exercise for 45 minutes at the start of your day and sitting sedentary for the rest of the day will not bestow you with benefits. Of course, the 45 minutes of exercise does have a positive impact on health but its not going to change the fact that you are sedentary for the rest of the day thereby increasing your risk of a number of illnesses and studies do prove this right. We are not like our ancestors who toiled hard in the farm for their living. We work in offices where getting out of the desk seems to send out signals to superiors that the employee is not concerned with his/her work, forget about stretching yourself or going for a short walk every couple of hours. But its yourself who needs to motivate your body. Forget about others opinions and thoughts. You prepare a to-do list and start acting accordingly. Maybe you can even set an alarm every hour to get up and workout for five minutes. Others might alienate you initially but your energy and aura are surely going to bring about a change in your entire work floor and benefit all. Take a coffee break where you go for a quick walk around your office and use your lunch break to do a few yoga poses. It might seem intimidating initially but the benefits are beyond the embarrassment sustained. So, rather than thinking about taking up weight loss as a New Year Resolution or going for a gym membership at the start of every new year, maybe it’s time to incorporate quick movements all through the day to help you stay active, stress-free and even happier. References Exercising is great but even light activities like walking and housework can improve your health: https://time.com/5438387/exercise-guidelines-benefits/ Why exercise alone won’t save us: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/03/why-exercise-alone-wont-save-us Picking fresh carrots from underground and biting into them directly after washing, plucking guavas, mangoes and melons directly from the plant and consuming it or boiling your garden-fresh vegetables and eating them sounds alluring and praiseworthy. Rather than to prepare fresh green garden salad simply by chopping all the vegetables and eating we have always had a passion for dressing them up as much as possible- sprinkling freshly crushed pepper, chopping cilantro leaves, squeezing lemons, sprinkling salt & chilli powder over guava pieces and so on. Isn’t it better to relish the original taste of each fruit and vegetable at least sometimes? Indeed cilantro, lemon and pepper are good for health and should be included in our healthy diet routine but consuming food in its natural state does have its perks. This not only saves immense time but also helps you understand each of the produce’s authentic taste and flavour. So, what about dried fruits and what’s their role in influencing our overall health? It goes without saying that to the common man dried fruits are nutrition-rich as they are only dried versions of our healthy fruits which are ought to be consumed regularly. But the arrival of too many varieties of healthy foods in our supermarket aisles confuse us rather than comforting us as it has become an immense challenge to the health-conscious customer to choose those foods that have authentic nutrition value as denoted in their food packaging and nutrition labelling. The Traveller’s Best Friend My friend often comes for outings with a box full of different varieties of dried fruits and even offers us the same during snacks. Every now and then she pops a raisin or a dried apricot besides eating an extremely portion-controlled lunch which mainly constitutes of vegetables. It isn’t news that fresh fruits are always welcome in our diet plans but getting hold of them anywhere you go or anytime of the day is sometimes impractical and dried fruits come to our rescue here. Dried fruit are fruits that have almost all of their water content removed through drying methods. The fruit undergoes an enormous size shrink during this process resulting in a smaller, energy-dense fruit the most common of which are raisins, prunes, figs, dates and apricots. We also do have dried versions of mangoes, pineapples, cranberries, kiwis and strawberries available but these mostly exist as sugar-coated foods that contain ample sweet content. So, when dried fruits are simply dried versions of the same natural fruit what is there to debate on their goodness and health benefits? Indeed these dried versions contain the same nutrient content as fresh fruits, one serving can fulfil the daily recommended intake of many vitamins and minerals (but there are exceptions as vitamin C content of dried fruits are much reduced than fresh ones) and are rich sources of fibre compared to fresh ones thereby existing as a great source of antioxidants. Basically, removing water content from fruits ups the fibre and nutrient contents which is good but too much of it can also cause cramps and bloating when the individual is not used to high intake of fibre-rich foods. At the same time, it also reduces serving size to about 75% (https://time.com/4082532/dried-fruit-prunes-sugar-raisins/). A Green or Red Signal Shrinking reduces the size of the fruit and such smaller serving size can easily promote overeating of the fruit among individuals. We rarely eat 3-4 fresh apricots or figs but consuming even a dozen of their dried versions doesn’t make us feel so full-one, due to the smaller size and two, as their water content has been completely drained out. At the same time, there is enriched fibre content in dried versions of the fruit and increased phenol (antioxidant) levels too. The presence of fibre is beneficial in tackling heart disease, obesity and even certain types of cancer while polyphenols lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and degenerative brain diseases in individuals. Cancer, is one of the leading causes of death presently and there is clear-cut evidence that diet and lifestyle changes can avert 40% of cancer deaths. We have results of a systematic review published in the ‘Advances in Nutrition’ journal that clearly showed that increasing dried fruit consumption to 3-5 or more servings per week has beneficial health effects including reducing the risk of certain cancers such as the pancreas, prostate, stomach, bladder and colon. It also found that higher intake of dried fruits controlled risk of cancers of the digestive system (https://www.nutfruit.org/health-professionals/news/detail/dried-fruit-intake-may-help-in-the-prevention-of-digestive-cancers). But, the scariest effect of overconsuming these dried fruits is the presence of abundant sugar in many of them. Such abundant sugar content can lead to digestion problems, the body experiences added stress trying to process all the sugar at once and inflammation is also on a rise. Already fruits are natural sources of sugar and dressing them with more sugar syrup makes them equivalent to a candy! It is recommended to always choose those dried fruits that don’t have added sugars in them. Another important concern is overconsumption of dried fruits given their smaller sizes that can lead to greater consumption risks. This can lead to calorie addition and weight gain in course of time. But if you are looking out for weight gain tricks then dried fruits are the go-to foods as they are energy dense and provide the perfect platform to gain weight and stay healthy. While raisins have always been our favourite dried apricots are popularity as they are rich in calcium (strengthen bones), magnesium (relief from muscle spasms and cramps), keep cravings in check, contain iron that improve blood health and hence are recommended for pregnant women in moderation (https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/dried-apricot-khubani-dr-harshvardhan-health-benefits-6150446/). HCA, a salt made from the rind of dried fruits is proposed to help reduce the absorption and increase the metabolism of fat, inhibit appetite and might also minimize the bad cholesterol levels. Dried fruits are definitely a healthy choice for an evening or morning snack given that you pay close attention to the portion sizes, refrain from consuming sugar-laden varieties of the fruit and ensure that their intake don’t promote unnecessary weight gain. References Fruits that Help in Gaining Weight Naturally: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/fruits-that-help-in-gaining-weight-naturally/articleshow/70127128.cms 10 ‘Healthy’ Foods that Are Actually Bad For You: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2019/03/30/10-healthy-foods-that-are-actually-bad-for-you/#21dc9ddd1aa6 Ten Weight Loss Supplements You Need to Know About: https://www.forbes.com/pictures/eigl45hgff/hca-or-hydroxycitric-acid-extract-from-dried-fruit-2/#639c3a3b9c28 Battle’s sign is not a sign of bravery after waging a war or a symbol of victory but a bruise that occurs after a person breaks a bone at the base of their skull. This break, known as basilar skull fracture can land a person in greater trouble such as meningitis, permanent brain injury and other such complications.
Dissecting the Condition: Battle’s Sign A crescent-shaped bruise appears on one or both ears indicating an intensive brain injury. The skull which houses the brain and forms the head is composed of 20 different bones one of which is the basilar bone. The basilar bone at the base of the skull protects our ears, eyes, cerebellum, brain stem and nerves to the head and neck. The bruise behind the ear is not a direct injury but an indication that one or more basilar bones of the skull have been broken. A head injury is of the worst injuries as it can be life-threatening or cause debilitating side effects in many cases. Major complications include: Meningitis: Basilar skull fracture might result in leakage of the brain and spinal fluids in almost 20% of people which increases the risk of bacterial meningitis (infection of brain and spinal cord). Meningitis mostly occurs after a fracture as bacteria from the nose, ears and throat enter the brain or spinal cord in case of skull injury. Read more about meningitis from the website www.firsteatright.com. Blood vessel injury: A basilar skull fracture can cause injuries to the blood vessels that supply the brain (cerebrovascular injuries). These cerebrovascular injuries can cause permanent brain damage or even death. Symptoms While the crescent-shaped bruise is an obvious sign of the condition there are plenty other signs including:
The bruise doesn’t appear immediately after the bone breaks and it might take up to 24 hours or more for the bruise to appear after damage to the skull. Hence, in case of a head injury it is recommended to meet a physician and seek advice. Causes What could be as strong as to break the bones of the skull? It might be some form of physical violence, contact sports, car and motorcycle accidents, two-wheeler accidents that happen due to negligence of wearing a helmet and falls where the person hits the floor head-on. Treatment A Battle’s sign bruise immediately calls for a physician’s attention and treatment. The doctor evaluates the individual’s neurological health using a CT scan, physical exam, EEG, blood tests, MRI and X-ray. Such tests help to detect any injury to the brain or movement of the broken bones. The doctor suggests surgery if the injury is severe. A person’s health statistics too determine the course of treatment. If the tests prove no presence of brain injuries, bleeding or other complications the injured individual can be under a doctor’s observation and provided care at home. Once the patient has been discharged after treatment or sent home after observation he/she should strictly adhere to follow-up appointments, take extra precaution to prevent themselves from getting injured while the wound is still healing, avoid playing sports or doing physical activity up to several months, observe for symptoms such as meningitis, fever, stiff neck or headache and report to a doctor if they find new symptoms such as dizziness, headache, confusion or loss of consciousness. If your immediate thoughts are about agriculture and farming when I mention the word ‘pesticide exposure’ you are absolutely right and farming is a sector that needs everyone’s attention but it also brings into limelight our limited knowledge with regards to pesticides. How about the regular pest control person who visits our apartments every once a while to ensure the safety of the premises or the one whom we see at parks tending to the needs of pest control? Don’t we ask the furniture guy whether the piece of furniture that we would be buying is guarded from pests and bugs? Pesticide exposure exists as an occupational hazard for not only those workers involved in the agricultural industry but also for millions of those involved in more than 100 other jobs such as pest control, park maintenance, wood preservation, etc. But don’t these workers wear masks and protective covering all over their body to safeguard themselves from exposure to these pesticides? Maybe they don’t because the latest study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that job exposure to pesticides raised the risk of heart disease and stroke in healthy individuals.
The study findings are from the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program that enrolled over 8,000 Japanese American men aged between 45 and 68 years during the time of study between 1965 and 1968. The study team examined the participants multiple times since 1968 with the team trying to analyze the reasons for cause of death and disease outcomes. The team measured pesticide exposure and found that in comparison to those men who did not face the risk of pesticide exposure during the first 10 years of follow-up, those with high pesticide exposure had a 45% higher risk of heart disease and stroke. No significant relationship between low to moderate exposure to pesticide and heart disease risk was observed. It is seen that pesticides have a long half-life (time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value and the term is often used to measure any type of exponential or non-exponential decay) and health hazards might show up only after years of exposure. As the research team followed up with the participants during various intervals of time, it was able to find that the maximum effect of exposure on heart disease and stroke risk happened during the first 10 years after 1968. But after more than 3 decades of following them, the researchers also were able to note that the link between exposure to pesticides at work and heart disease and stroke risk was no longer significant. This was due to the effects of ageing that had a much greater impact on health erasing the link that pesticides could have with heart disease risk. If you want to know what other effects ageing brings upon a person’s mental and physical health please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Another study on Latino workers also measured occupational pesticide exposure and heart disease risk. Of the 7404 participants it was seen that one in 20 were exposed to chemicals and metals in workplace. Totally, over 6% of them suffered from some form of cardiovascular disease with coronary heart disease (4.3%) being the most commonly present health problem and atrial fibrillation least commonly (0.7%) present among participants. The study found that exposure to pesticides in the workplace increased the likelihood of coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation (by four-folds) but not heart failure or cerebrovascular disease. It also doubled the risk of coronary heart disease. Until now we have different studies coming up with different results-men and women respond differently to pesticides, one class of pesticides gives heart attacks to women but not men, another group of pesticides might trouble men and not women and hormones too might have a serious role to play in the risk of cardiovascular disease due to pesticide exposure. While avoiding pesticide exposure is not possible for everyone these studies are clear indications to users motivating them to use personal protective equipment while handling pesticides. A weight loss idea that started from a popsicle is rather unique indeed! How about terminating fat cells from the body by freezing them? No machines, no diet, no exercise and no other invasive procedures. It just sounds as the perfect plan to shed off the extra kilograms and layers of flabs around the body. Welcome to the world of cryolipolysis.
Freezing Sculptures Liposuction has been practiced as a way of removing excess fat from the body when diet and exercise seem to have failed our efforts but here the complications are many and their consequences are also grave which might include infections and sometimes even death. A surgery is a surgery and it carries with it all the possible risks involved apart from being an invasive procedure. An accidental observation in children eating popsicles (fat necrosis was seen in the cheek of the kid sucking the popsicle) brought about the idea of fat reduction using freezing techniques. Technically termed as cryolipolysis this method involves applying an applicator set at a required temperature on a target area for a specific time period. The adipocyte tissues are the target here while other cells remain undisturbed. Owing to its non-invasive nature cryolipolysis is become one of the most sought-after procedures for spot reduction. Coolsculpting (another name for cryolipolysis) doesn’t calls for the use of anesthesia, cutting or tissue damage which makes it free of any recovery time needed and also enables the individual to carry on normal activities thereon. Effects Side effects are minor and mostly disappear in a matter of days or weeks. Common immediate side effects include redness, numbness, stiffness, bruising, firmness, mild pain, muscle cramps or a stinging sensation. Some experience diarrhea as dead fat cells are expelled out, itchiness for the ensuing couple of days after the procedure and a feeling of fullness in the throat (when fat cells from the neck or chin are removed). Coolsculpting has been approved to be a safe procedure in only certain regions of the body such as the thighs, abdomen, under the neck/chin, under the armpits, back and buttocks. Despite lack of hazardous side effects coolsculpting can never become a substitute for obesity treatment. It is generally used to dissolve those fat cells that don’t melt away with diet and exercise. The following groups of people are generally advised against coolsculpting:
While coolsculpting is applauded for its minimal side effects rare side effects that are serious include vasovagal reaction and paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a condition where the fat cells start enlarging rather than shrinking and dying away. PAH is commonly observed in the male population but its cause is currently unknown. Go for It? While coolsculpting remains one of the best non-invasive methods for killing of adipocytes not many proofs and clinical studies exist supporting it. Individuals who have undergone this method of treatment are not numerous in number but serious consequences have not been reported until now. Cryolipolysis is not a one-time procedure but includes multiple sittings with a post-massage that’s included to enhance the results. One must also bear cost factors in mind before jumping over conclusions. Logically too, it is always better to lose weight using lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. For achieving weight loss through scientific methods of pure changes to diet and exercise please get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com. While cryolipolysis exists as an efficient option to remove fat in those areas where it's difficult to remove with diet and exercise it is necessary to talk to a physician before taking any decisions. “Early to bed and Early to Rise Makes Jack Healthy, Wealthy & Wise”-We are living in a world in which many individuals haven’t even heard of such a proverb let alone have been following it! Blessed with a beautiful life our body functions tirelessly for our well-being and our circadian clock was tuned to follow a schedule exactly like the one mentioned in the proverb. Alas, we have turned it all upside down, ignored our body cues for decades together, taken advantage of the blessing showered on us and finally, ruined a healthy abode into one that suffers and toils to regain its health and wellness. Sleep schedules have gone miserable with the advent of shift jobs and web series taking priority over regular sleeping hours such that normal bed timings have been pushed to 11 PM, 12 AM or even 1 AM in the night; Eating schedules have taken a U-turn where most skip breakfast due to late sleeping hours or eat a heavy dinner in the name of partying. Junk foods and multi-cuisine restaurants attract individuals with their array of menu options; Sedentary behavior has taken front seat pushing behind an active lifestyle thereby leading to rise in obesity/overweight. We now live in a world that’s dominated by weight-related problems and seek shortcut solutions such as skipping meals altogether, starving or eliminating foods groups such as fats and carbohydrates to lose weight rather than pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
Our forefathers ate their dinner soon after sunset but we have ruined it all! A large number of people have started practicing intermittent fasting (individuals fast for 12 hours or more before eating food), going for detox diets and living on fruits and vegetables as a means to cleanse their body. Fasting was practiced by our earlier generations too as a token of respect to the higher power on spiritual and religious grounds. Fad diets that believe in eliminating food groups or consuming minimal calories don’t stay long but intermittent fasting has been appreciated and pursued by many people as a strong way to lose body weight. This brings in the question of whether meal timings do affect our weight ranges. If you see clearly, early time-restricted feeding is a type of intermittent fasting during which people eat all their meals during early morning and afternoon hours right before going for a fast for the rest of the day. A new study in the Obesity journal has come up with the fact that the time of the meal has a great impact on the metabolism helping to curb hunger and promote fat burning. Until now, we did know that intermittent fasting and eating meals earlier can help with weight loss but we did not know why they did seem to help. But the study discussed here looks into the different ways by which weight loss could be achieved-burning more calories, lowering appetite or both. The study involved 11 individuals who were healthy but overweight with a BMI of 25-35. Both men and women between the ages of 25 and 45 were involved in the study. The research team split the individuals into two groups where both the groups ate the same three meals per day for 4 days but at different timings-early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) schedule (6 participants) and control schedule (5 participants). Individuals in the eTRF group ate their first meal at 8.00 A.M. and their last meal at 2.00 P.M. Individuals in the control group had their first meal at 8.00 A.M but their last meal at 8.00 P.M. So, while eTRF group participants fasted for 18 hours before eating their next meal those in the control group fasted for 12 hours. After four days participants were tested for hunger hormone levels. While both groups did not show significant difference in the number of calories they burned it was seen that individuals in the eTRF group had lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and reduced appetite comparatively. eTRF group also had increased fat burning capability for which the research team justified that eating meals earlier prompted the body to switch from burning carbohydrates for energy to burning fat for the same energy. While this might be good news for some, this kind of eating schedule cannot and should not be followed by all. For instance, people with diabetes must eat small meals frequently, pregnant women cannot go for a long time without eating something and patients with certain other medical conditions cannot survive on an intermittent fasting schedule. Socially too, intermittent fasting prevents individuals from eating together with their families/friends and there are some who try to eat as much as possible during the eating window which might lead to weight gain in some. In such cases, the best way is to eat small meals frequently. Fasting for longer hours might not be possible in the case of majority of people. Practically, it is possible to move your mealtimes during early hours such as eating your breakfast around 7.30 AM, lunch around 12.30-1 PM and dinner around 7-7.30 PM for maximized benefits. But changing your eating schedules alone is not sufficient and one must rely upon exercise and an active lifestyle to lose weight. For practical and scientific guidance on what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat it is better to get in touch with reputed dieticians and nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can guide you through your weight loss journey. The joys of a new born in the house is never-ending but along with the new bundle of joy arrives the countless sleepless nights faced by parents and family members. It’s surprising to believe that a tiny human can keep so many people on toes striving for the infant’s comfort. Breastfeeding might be a problem for some mothers due to various reasons which keeps the child hungry or insufficiently fed but the foremost problem faced by many kids is lack of sleep. After being secure inside the mom’s womb for more than nine months these tiny tots have a lot on their plate to digest-adjust to outside environment, accommodate different temperatures and stay away from mom’s enclosure for most of the times. Despite these, some kids sleep through the night right from start while some others have trouble sleeping any time of the day. We even hear people often commenting that kids born during daytime sleep through the night while those born during the night sleep through the day. Indeed, we do have exceptions here also-maybe there are some like mine which doesn’t like to sleep day or night keeping the parents sleep-deprived most days of the week. Where does the problem lie in case of such kids and how essential is sleep for these newborn children? One of the commonest questions faced by paediatricians is on the baby’s sleeplessness and one of the commonest changes faced by the new mom is her lack of sleep with the arrival of the baby. The baby develops a sense of time from the rhythms in the womb, including the heart beat and are said to have two sets of timing genes (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/26/why-dont-babies-sleep-at-night). The first set helps them to sleep like any other living being (including animals) and the second set instils the 24-hour sense of time through the day which includes waking up and sleeping. The genes that gets engraved in your baby is thoroughly your luck indeed. There are few babies that sleep like logs helping their parents too rest well. You might be a deep sleeper but your baby might be the lightest one waking up with the slightest hustle bustle in the house. Mostly, the baby’s genes are a mixture of yours and your partner’s but babies are different and there are minimal chances indeed that their sleep patterns stand up to that of an adult’s. Letting your Baby Know Night & Day Mom is the first person through whom the baby comes to experience day and night and sleep and wake. After birth, the need to feed surpasses all other needs in an infant and this happens frequently as their tummies are extremely small. At birth, these tiny creatures don’t know to differentiate between night and day and it takes almost 2-6 months for them to function on a 24-hour timing sense. Maybe this helps us understand primarily that babies don’t sleep through the night because they can’t. From then onwards, their sleep regulations and recommendations are similar to that of adults-darkening the bedroom when it is time to sleep, keeping electronic gadgets and television out of reach when it nears sleep time and setting the baby’s internal clock by exposing it to sunlight during the day. Above all, it is necessary that parents habituate the baby for a regular sleeping pattern to help them get into the routine. A study by Australian researchers shows that infants whose mothers had poor mental and physical well-being during pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing severe sleep problems. There are some babies which are predisposed to extreme sleep resistance before birth and these are the ones whose mothers faced higher rates of depression, poor physical health and well-being during pregnancy compared to those moms who did not have trouble sleeping. Likewise, such infants who experience frequent sleeplessness at nights are likelier to have difficulty concentrating and exhibit behavioural problems around 3-4 years of age. This makes it extremely important to diagnose and treat sleep problems in infants and young children. Lack of sleep affects kids in other ways too-it’s often associated with an increased risk of being overweight, having emotional and behavioural difficulties in adolescence and adulthood, are likelier to suffer from increased risk of depression, anxiety and aggression during adulthood and it also affects their performance during the day having a strong impact on school grades resulting in lower self-esteem and emotional disturbance. While making the child sleep well through the night is not 100% in our hands we can try to do as much as possible to regulate their sleep schedules and match it to our sleeping routines. This helps us sleep better and keeps the baby healthy. References Poor Mental and Physical Health in Pregnancy Linked to Infant Sleep Problems: https://www.smh.com.au/national/poor-mental-and-physical-health-in-pregnancy-linked-to-infant-sleep-problems-20191001-p52wlm.html Babies Sleep Patterns Can be Challenging-Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Despair: https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/mar/01/babies-sleep-patterns-challenging-shouldnt-despair-baby-sleep-day Poor Infant Sleep May Indicate Attention problems Later: https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/health/story/poor-infant-sleep-may-indicate-attention-problems-later-267731-2015-10-12 How Not to Get Baby to Sleep: http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1728755,00.html Our priorities in life define our attitude towards different things. Each of us have our own priorities that includes good job, better scores in exams, becoming a better person in life, more money, etc. We design our day-to-day life surrounding our priorities-adjusting food timings to enable more study time or skipping the movie to get something done for the next day’s project meeting at office. People are either happy or sad with only some of them having a neutral feeling towards life taking it as it comes, living one day at a time. Their state of mind too might be a result of their priority accomplishments. As we live and days pass some lose focus on them but there are others whose priorities become an addiction. Their desire to achieve their goals quadruple and they are ready to go to any extreme to fulfill it. For most of us addiction includes smoking or drinking but the present world is surprising us with a number of newer addictions being added to the list quite often. Gaming addiction was added sometime back and now we are into exercise addiction. Ok. I understand that you are bewildered as we live in a world intoxicated by sedentary behavior and higher obesity rates. But even if you go and re-read the sentence a hundred times the fact is going to remain unchanged. Though a source of surprise for all the lazy bums out there, exercise addiction exists as a major problem with exercise regulars. When Habit becomes an Addiction There have been innumerable articles reinstating the importance of physical activity and exercise. Health experts and fitness professionals keep requesting individuals to make exercising as a part of their daily routine, a habit of sorts such as brushing teeth or taking bath. There have been some who take this seriously and reap benefits. But how can a habit turn into an addiction? If we analyze, brushing teeth or having a bath are basic requirements essential for survival and failing to do can lead to foul smell or likewise. On the other hand, overperforming them is not going to make things better or improve our health. But exercise is different. Once we start realizing the benefits of exercising seeing a positive change in our health and body, we become very much in love with it. Exercise is something that showers you with added benefits when you keep performing more and more. Higher the intensity and longer the duration greater are its benefits. But as we know, too much of anything is good for nothing and exercise too is not an exclusion from this. Overstraining and pushing your limits to the core with exercising can land you in greater trouble in the form of weakened immune system, fat gain, decreased performance, fatigue, amenorrhea in women (absence of menstruation for three or more months), decreased appetite and insomnia. Hindrance to Quality of Life Its all good when we introduce exercise as a part of our lifestyle and reap benefits. Sometimes some people are overjoyed with its benefits that they start overperforming the activities and prolonging the schedules. It becomes their number one priority in life-they skip parties and functions, socializing becomes almost nil, they take a power walk during every office break, get up very early for some morning laps but once again perform vigorous exercise in the evening and don’t stop exercising even if they have hit the fatigue button long back. I’ve even seen people cribbing about losing out on their day’s exercise routine even though it was due to inevitable reasons. The entire day seems to bank out on a dull note and the mood never changes until they get a chance to exercise. There are some others who try to exercise every time after they eat some processed food or even their regular meal. They are obsessed with the feeling that eating food without exercising loads them with undesirable body fat. There are people who are compelled to feel their heart race and the muscles stretch. They feel guilty staying sedentary, become anxious or even victims of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. Exercise can also become a way to cope with stress, beat worries, homesickness, heartaches and escape from the lingering problems at home. Exercise, an activity that’s useful for fighting against depression and anxiety can become the platform for the same when overdone; the activity that helps in weight loss can lead to fat gain when overdone; it has the power to result in anemia; can lead to overuse injuries, dehydration, anemia, a compromised immune system or even death. Even sleep patterns are affected due to exercise obsession. Many of them are irritable and experience mood swings when they are unable to exercise. Exercising beyond a stipulated limit affects the heart which stops benefiting and starts getting stressed (https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/18/excessive-exercise-may-harm-the-heart-study-suggests/#154fb1df7fa5). Being promoted as a means to prolong longevity in individuals by as much as 30% exercising moderately is always recommended. But if you are working out too much you are digging your own grave of shortening your life span. Working out too much is equally bad as not working out at all (https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/working-out-too-much-as-bad-as-no-exercise-at-all-study-says-20150204-135nmo.html). Getting Trapped with Fitness Apps Fitness apps have been treated as a boon to keep individuals fit. But the same apps can become reasons for getting into an exercise addiction as well. Once you start performing well these apps encourage you with points, rewards and applauds which motivate you to keep doing more and better. Measurements are a way to boost your self-esteem but the same numbers can fail you when you don’t perform well-it keeps telling you that you have fallen short of the goal or the statistics are not as good as yesterday and you need to push yourself a little more. Looking at the app every day each morning brings about a fresh wave of energy to start the day with the best performance. But when this is not possible the day is ruined as per your thoughts and you feel grumpy throughout. The intellect to realize your addiction to exercise and to take a step in the right direction is not so easy. Understanding that it has become an addiction takes time and once you realize don’t delay any further and seek help as early as possible. Exercise moderately and enjoy what you do. Never be in a haste to complete all sets, redo them and jump on to something else. Have a ‘let go’ attitude without becoming obsessed. You can’t control everything around-all that you can do is only control your emotions and responses to the situations around you. References I Was Addicted to Exercise: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/working-out-too-much-as-bad-as-no-exercise-at-all-study-says-20150204-135nmo.html I Was Addicted to Exercise: Here’s How to Spot the Signs: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/working-out-too-much-as-bad-as-no-exercise-at-all-study-says-20150204-135nmo.html When Exercise Shifts from a Healthy Habit to an Unhealthy Addiction: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/health/exercise-addiction-explainer/index.html Beware, There’s Exercise Addiction Too: https://time.com/4686043/exercise-workout-obesity/ How Can I Break my Addiction to Exercise? https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/dec/02/features.magazine87 The youth and charm that you possess in your 20s and 30s diminish gradually as you approach 40s and 50s with evidences of greying hair, ageing skin and crow’s feet (wrinkles around the eyes). Say goodbye to beauty products, anti-ageing creams and Botox treatments for staying youthful. Its great news for those who rely on natural beauty and avoid spending hefty prices for beauty products and creams. A first-of-its-kind scientific study has shown that practicing facial exercise daily for at least 30 minutes helps an individual stay youthful and look younger. The exercises proposed enlarge and strengthen facial muscles, face becomes stronger and much toned. Face Health Our face reflects our thoughts and emotions. Any stranger first looks into your face and it gives an insight about your inner self. Our face shape, color and features are gifts of nature and we have no power in altering any of it. The face pad between facial muscles and the skin gives the face its shape and as we age the face pad becomes thinner. The pads fit together like a child’s jigsaw puzzle, but ageing promotes thinning face pads to degenerate and droop giving our face a saggy look as we age. Increasing muscle area in the face helps the skin seem stuffier and the firm muscles help the face look fuller. Muscle growth and density helps to increase facial volume and nullify the effects of ageing. Anti-ageing Study Study participants included women aged between 40 and 65 years who underwent two 90-minute training sessions from a certified facial exercise instructor. The participants continued doing these exercised at home for 20 weeks. They did the exercises daily for 30 minutes for the first eight weeks whereas from the ninth week they started doing it for 30 minutes every alternate day. Each of them was taught around 32 different facial expressions common of which included puckering and squeezing the cheek and each of them were done for a minute. Common exercises taught included the cheek lifter where the participants open the mouth and form an ‘O’, upper lip is positioned over teeth, the participants smile to lift cheek muscles, put the finger over the top of the cheek, release cheek muscle to lower them and lift them back up. This is repeated by lowering and lifting the cheeks. Yet another famous exercise is the happy cheeks sculpting where the participants are required to smile without showing their teeth. Here, the women purse lips together, smile forcing cheek muscles up, place fingers on the corners of the mouth and slide them up to the top of the cheeks and hold in this position for 20 seconds. Two dermatologists assessed photos (before and after exercise) using a standard facial aging scale looking at 19 different features and rating all at three different time points-beginning of the study, at eighth week of study and at week 20. Results showed that upper cheek and lower cheek fullness was enhanced after exercising and average age of the patient decreased after the course of the study. While it started at 50.8 in course of the study (at eighth week) it fell to 49.6 years and finally to 48.1 at 20 weeks. Participants seemed almost three years younger in a span of just 20 weeks. Going Natural Facial exercises are non-invasive, have no side effects, come free of cost and can be done as per your schedule. Even exercising such as raising both eyebrows in surprise strengthening forehead muscles, frowning your eyebrows deals with the crow’s feet, blinking and closing your eyes, imitating chewing a bubble gum gives a rounded shape to the cheek, imitating the blowing of a balloon and then holding the lips together as though whistling helps to firm lip muscles, contracting and relaxing your neck pulling it up and sideways to avoid double chin and toning the neck and staring at a distant object with a shocked expression helps to improve blood circulation are extremely popular facial exercises. Along with these exercises when you eat healthy food especially those that improve skin care you are sure to sparkle and twinkle. For a list of those foods please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Putting a full stop to sugary drinks and beverages seems next to impossible despite the overwhelming controversies surrounding it. Weekend cheat meals, late-night parties or celebrations are never complete without our favorite colas. We take comfort in choosing diet colas and beverages but the basic truth remains that at the end of day anything that contains sugar is never going to be healthy. Sugar indeed is white poison. Sugary drinks aren’t restricted to sodas but extend to fruit juices and fizzy pops that are overladen with sugar. These beverages saw the limelight initially because of their tendency to cause weight gain leading to increase in obesity and overweight rates. Debates on imposing taxes for these sugary beverages aren’t short and the beverages have definitely caused a spike in weight gain rates worldwide.
If pizza or burger isn’t enough to spoil our health these foods go hand-in-hand with fizzy pops that act as the icing on the cake ruining oral health, causing dental caries and leading to tooth removal too in kids as young as 5-6-year-olds. Besides causing a surge in oral problems and weight issues there are theories now that consuming these sugary beverages might increase the risk of cancer too. The link between obesity and its increased risk on cancer is evident but proofs for sugary drinks and the risk of cancer is still limited. This provoked a group of French researchers to analyze the relationship between consumption of sugar drinks (sugar sweetened beverages, 100% fruit juice), artificially sweetened beverages and the risk of cancer that includes breast, bowel and prostate cancer as well. The study included more than 1,00,000 healthy French adults who participated in the study whose average age was 42 years. Each of the participants completed at least two 24-hour online validated questionnaires that helped in assessing the intake of 3,300 different foods and beverages and were followed up for up to 9 years. The research team took into account several risk factors of cancer such as age, sex, education level and family history and the relationship between daily beverage consumption and the cases of cancer reported by participants were cross checked. It was seen that consumption rates across the male gender was generally higher compared to the female gender (90.3 mL vs 74.6 mL). Follow-up on the participants revealed that 2,193 of them were affected by cancer (693 breast cancer, 291 prostate cancer and 166 colorectal cancer) and the average age of the participants was 59 years. For every 100mL increase in consumption the risk of overall cancer increased by 18% and that of breast cancer increased by 22%. Though artificially sweetened beverages were not linked with a higher risk of cancer compared to fruit juices and other sugary drinks it might also be because of the fact that the number of participants consuming artificially sweetened beverages was comparatively low. The researchers theorize that the increase in cancer risk due to beverage consumption could be due to the presence of additives in soda or due to the effect of sugar in sugary drinks on visceral fat (stored across organs such as liver and pancreas), blood sugar levels and inflammatory markers and all of these are linked to increased cancer risk. All said and done, we cannot come to definite conclusions as this is only an observational study and it might also be possible that those who drink more of sugary beverages might also be habituated to other unhealthy behaviors such as eating more processed foods and leading a sedentary lifestyle that increase the risk of cancer. Its wise to minimize the consumption of any sugary beverage and perform regular exercise to lead a healthy life. Get in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to help in planning a healthy diet plan that’s good for the body. It’s a privilege to pluck a handful of freshly grown mint or basil from our kitchen garden and use them to garnish our yummy meal preparations. Indeed, it gives us a sense of accomplishment and mental satisfaction knowing that the herbs we use are completely fresh without pesticides. Nowadays, terrace farming, backyard gardening or potted plants are becoming an indispensable part of each of our houses where we grow plants and flowers of our choice. Among roses, hibiscus and aloe vera we have our tiny little fenugreek, coriander, curry leaves, rosemary, Thai basil or even parsley cluttered in fancy pots aligned in our precious balconies or garden terraces. Welcome to the flavored world of herbs! Herbs are used for garnishing and flavoring food, in medicines and as fragrances for their aromatic and savory properties. They are different from spices in that herbs refer to only the leafy green or flowering part of the plant whereas spices are dry fetched from other parts of the plant such as seeds, fruits and barks. But this is only in the culinary herbs and when used for medicinal purposes herbs might refer to any part of the plant such as flowers, roots, seeds and leaves. Some of the herbs that many of us are familiar nowadays include thyme, sage, lavender, parsley, basil, rosemary, coriander, mint and even turmeric. Growing herbs at home is not only fun but also favors health apart from flavoring foods. Different herbs including cilantro have been used as anticonvulsants but their mechanical pathway was unknown until now. For long, cilantro has been used for reducing seizure activity in the brain (by binding to a specific part of the potassium channel and activating it) apart from being reported as a great anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and analgesic agent that’s been used by mankind for more than 8000 years. Going Back to Our Ancestral Methods Herbs were used as weapons to ward of ill-health by our ancient humans but somehow lost its charm with the overpower of science and technology in the 19th century. Almost 5000 years ago Sumerians discovered the lifesaving property of myrtle and thyme, Chinese herbal pharmacology sustained priority and magic right from first century AD and in Renaissance England, chamomile, hyssop and tansy were strewn on the floor to stay safe from plague (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/t-magazine/herbs-cooking-food-flowers.html). In due course, these wonder plants were restricted to kitchen use either as flavoring agents or garnishing materials for salads and food. Herbs were ripped off their uniqueness and special properties and restricted to their usefulness in culinary purposes. Life is a giant wheel where ups and downs are part of every individual. Also, those that have been discarded as petty and outdated soon seen the light of day in due course and this is true in the case of most things right from fashion and appearance to foods, dishes and practice methods. If you are eager to start using herbs in your cooking but in a great dilemma whether it should be coriander or thyme, I would recommend the basil and tarragon to start with! Both of them are rich in flavor and aroma blending well with mild-tasting vegetables, fruits, proteins, sauces, dressings and condiments. Thai basil can be used with anything that adds a sweet tinge to your dish while tarragon, a staple of French cuisine, is widely used in preparing pesto sauces that enhance the taste of your pasta or protein serving. You can add some basil to your soup preparations, lavender to your salads and even prepare chamomile tea to ease your cold! Healthy Twist to Herbs Many people nowadays try using herbal supplements to ease pain and improve health. A third of cancer patients in a study reported relying on herbal medicines, alternative medicines or chiropractors as a remedy for pain but rarely reported this to their attending physician. Almost 29% of them in the study did not report this to their doctor and another study found that individuals using complementary or alternative medicines (CAMs) were two times likelier to die from disease as they mostly did not take up recommended treatment procedure. People strive hard to save themselves from cancer and use dietary supplements alongside their cancer treatment procedures as well without telling their doctor. What they fail to notice is the fact that these supplements might interact with the treatment procedures either causing harm to the patient or reducing the overall effectiveness of the treatment procedure which finally affects the patient only. That’s mainly because many did not feel the need to inform their doctor or simply because the physician did not question them on it. China is one of the main countries practicing herbal medicine therapy and their belief in traditional medicines is so strong that pharmacies deliver meds based on unauthorized herbs alongside formal pharmaceuticals. But now we have been doomed with the news that a specific ingredient found in some of these supplements might influence cancer just like smoking. Birthwort is a leafy vine abundantly present in China containing a compound called aristolochic acid that’s used to ease childbirth and treat arthritis mainly. Later, this compound became part of weight loss pills, ointments and other treatment plans to cure rheumatoid arthritis and menstrual symptoms. Warnings and mishaps about these pills came into limelight when several women consuming them for weight loss started complaining about kidney failure in the 1990s. Several herbs have been used in preparing herbal extracts that have the property to protect brain cells, serve in treating asthma, bronchitis and brain disorders. Latest buzz is the use of adaptogenic herbs to neutralize cortisol levels thereby reducing stress levels in an individual. There are more than 50 herbal plants that are proud of owing this property of which two most-famous of them are tulsi and Ashwagandha root (both of them own a standard place n Ayurveda which is deep-rooted in India). It is believed that Adaptogens play a critical role in adrenal glands same like what exercise does to muscles but we need further research in needed in this field. Apart from medical and culinary use herbs also find a place in bouquets, floral arrangements and beauty products! They are treated as equals to flowers alongside roses and orchids, given as bouquets wrapped in string to treat asthma patients and find a place in posh buildings as architectural diagrams and paintings too! Storing them Right Buying herbs is no big deal. It all depends on how you save its freshness and fragrance. Soon after buying your favorite herbs rinse them in free flowing water and leave them to dry for a couple of hours. Then, place them in damp paper towel wrapping them up, placing them in a plastic bag and storing them in a refrigerator. For softer herbs like parsley and cilantro it is better to trim the stems of the herb and keep it in a jar covered with 1-2 inch of water. Cover the herb once again with a plastic bag securing it with a thread or rubber band to press the air out and keep it refrigerated until use. Freezing also helps in preserving the herbs minus their texture. You can either chop the herbs and keep them in a freezer tray or zip them into freezer bags. While basil, thyme and cilantro are regular ones why don’t you get your hands full on a few different ones like the lettuce-leaved basil, summer savory, chop suey greens or sweet bergamot to spice up your culinary taste and skills? These might be completely new but they are worth the time and effort taken to locate their seeds and grow them in pots. References Third of Cancer Patients Use Herbal Remedies, Chiropractors and Alternative Medicines: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/cancer-alternative-medicine-herbal-remedy-homeopathy-acupuncture-a8865336.html 10 Herbs You Probably Haven’t Heard of But Must be Growing: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/05/10-herbs-probably-havent-heard-of-should-grow-alys-fowler Common Herbal Supplement Linked to Cancer: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/common-herbal-supplement-linked-cancer What are Adaptogens and Why are People Taking Them? https://time.com/5025278/adaptogens-herbs-stress-anxiety/ Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, is still undervalued and given lesser prominence than deserved. Man lives by his own set of preferences and priorities in which eating a healthy morning breakfast exists down in the list for most people. We become our own nutritionists and dietitians dictating food intake practises and diet routines to achieve several goals including weight loss, fat loss and more. In this process, breakfast becomes the most affected meal of the day as we skip it based on multiple factors such as absence of time to prepare food and eat, weight loss strategies or calorie restrictions. We skip breakfast 1, 2, or even 3 times a week and for some others eating breakfast is a luxury indulgence when they have time. Such repeated instances of breakfast skipping have been associated with a number of health problems including cardiometabolic risks, obesity, insulin insensitivity and type 2 diabetes. Besides affecting the health of the individual skipping breakfast makes a person sluggish, lose concentration, lack focus and optimal memory skills and perform not up to the expected standard. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevails as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality rates worldwide owing to our unhealthy lifestyle and dietary practises. Unbalanced blood sugar levels bring about microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy) and macrovascular (coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease) complications that contributes to increased medical expenses and health degradation too. Aichi Workers’ Cohort Study Japan has a 10.2% diabetes rate in male workers aged between 40 and 69 years and a 4.7% rate in female workers in large-scale companies in 2008-2010 and 15.0% in men and 8.0% in women in the National Health and Nutrition Study in 2011. Almost 14.4% men and 11.1% women skip breakfast which is a modifiable risk factor for T2DM and finding out the reason behind this can help us correct the risk and lead a healthier life. This motivated a group of researchers to extract data from the Aichi workers’ cohort study that included 6648 Japanese civil servants in Aichi prefecture aged 35-66 years in 2002. All of them answered a questionnaire regarding their lifestyle and medical history and were followed up until 2011. T2DM prevalence in the participants were examined through two methods: One, by noting down the year when fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels reached ≥126 mg/dL and the date of onset was set as July 1st. Second, the answers from the questionnaires helped the researchers know the existence of diabetes in patients and the year of onset. All the participants were probed for their breakfast habits using yet another self-administered questionnaire and eating frequency was assessed using five categories-every day, almost every day with occasional skips, 3-5 days/week, 1-2 days/week and none. Using the frequency response all the participants were split into two groups-breakfast eaters (included those who reported eating breakfast every day and almost every day with occasional skips) and breakfast skippers (all the other categories). The brief-type dietary history questionnaire (BDHQ) included data on intake of fish, fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, cereals, coffee, sugar-sweetened beverages and snacks and also speed of eating classified as very fast, relatively fast, medium, relatively slow and slow. Height, weight, BMI, blood glucose levels and insulin concentration were noted down. The participants were analysed for their smoking habits classified as current, former and never; the number of days they were engaged in physical activity classified into two categories ≥3 days/week or <3 days/week. Work timings were noted and scheduled into 4 categories-shift work including night shifts, shiftwork but without night shifts, without shiftwork but with night work and without shiftwork or night work. Sleep duration was classified as <7h or ≥7h and stress was classified into 4 categories including very much, much, ordinary and little. Results Of the 4631 who participated 90.4% ate breakfast. On a comparative basis, those who skipped breakfast were following a worse lifestyle that included current smoking, alcohol consumption, increased intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables. Results showed that:
Chronotype as a Middle Man between Skipping Breakfast & Type 2 Diabetes Incidence Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies show increased cardiometabolic risk in kids and adults who skip breakfast. A long-term study spanning more than 20 years showed that those who skipped breakfast at childhood and adulthood showed greater waist circumference and higher fasting insulin, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than those who eat breakfast. A big-scale long-term study spanning more than 16 years on 29,206 participants showed that skipping breakfast was associated with a 21% increased risk of type 2 diabetes. But, a study on low-income Latino diabetic patients showed that breakfast skipping was linked to increased plasma glucose levels but not haemoglobin (HbA1C) levels that’s generally taken as the standard for diabetes measurement. The circadian cycle ensures regulation of a number of daily physiological rhythms including sleep/wake and feeding behaviour, peripheral tissue metabolism, energy expenditure and hormonal profiles. Each of us are at our peak energy levels at different times during the day-some during the early morning hours called as ‘morning lark’ and some during late nights called as ‘night owls’. The chronotype of the individual can be deduced from self-reported sleep times. We all love to stay late nights and get up even later but a study shows that those who do so are at a 2.5 times higher risk of type 2 diabetes which in turn indicates that a later chronotype keeps the individual at a higher risk of T2DM. Likewise, those with a later chronotype often eat less or skip eating altogether after waking up late in the morning. These individuals prefer to eat more of alcohol, fat and cholesterol, especially during dinner compared to those with an early chronotype. Maybe that’s why late risers probably suffer from poor glycemic control. A study focused on knowing more about the role of chronotype in patients with T2DM and skipping breakfast. The study team invited patients from the Rush University Medical Centre and once chosen all of them self-reported age and race, recorded height, weight, BMI and entered the recent Hb1Ac values. Bedtime, wakeup time, sleep onset latency and sleep duration both during weekdays and weekends during the previous month was recorded. Mid-sleep time as the midpoint between sleep onset and wake time was calculated and mid-sleep time on free days (MSF) was arrived at from mid-sleep time on weekend nights with adjustments for sleep duration on weekend nights was calculated. SDF is calculated sleep duration on weekend nights and SDw is calculated sleep duration on weekday nights. All the participants mentioned their perceived actual sleep duration and preferred sleep duration on weekdays. They answered a 24-h dietary recall to know about the content and timing of the meal over the previous day. Total calorie intake over the day was also calculated using this data. Results Comparison between breakfast eaters (n=172) and breakfast skippers (n=22) showed that those who skipped breakfast were significantly younger and had higher HbA1c levels and BMI but had no difference between groups in median diabetes duration, insulin use or number of diabetes complications. Those who skipped breakfast generally had a later chronotype as their bedtime routine was later than those who ate breakfast. More number of breakfast skippers complained of lack of appetite during morning hours and reported consuming fewer total calories during the previous day. These guys consumed a major portion of their calories during lunch and dinner compared to those who ate breakfast. It was seen that breakfast skipping was associated with significantly high HbA1c levels. To see the effect of chronotype on diabetes and breakfast skipping a series of regression models were performed. In the first model, skipping breakfast was linked to higher HbA1c levels and in the second model it was linked to later MSF. In the third model MSF was linked to HbA1c and the fourth model suggested that MSF and breakfast skipping was linked to higher HbA1c. Chronotype did not entirely have an impact on breakfast skipping and HbA1c levels but it was seen that both chronotype and breakfast skipping remained independently linked to poor glycemic control. Behavioral interventions in the form of eating breakfast or modifying sleep time could be considered strategies for improving glycemic control in the participants. Other Studies The meta-analysis results from 2015 showed a direct link between breakfast skipping and type 2 diabetes risk but we don’t have any dose-dependent studies until now that can confirm whether skipping once a week would be less destructive than skipping twice per week. It is also not right to categorize all those who skip breakfast into one single category without paying heed to the frequency of times as this does have an important impact on the results. A meta-analysis of studies on skipping breakfast and type 2 diabetes using two random-effects models was done-standard random-effects model meta-analyses and dose-dependent meta-analysis. Though six studies met the inclusion criteria only 4 had BMI data. The standard random effects meta-analysis showed a 32% increased type 2 diabetes risk before adjusting BMI and a 22% increased risk after adjusting for BMI. Pooled RR value was 1.06 suggesting an increased risk of 5% after adjusting for BMI. There was an increased risk of 55% seen for 4-5 days of skipping breakfast/week before adjusting BMI and an increased risk of 40% after adjusting for BMI. It was observed that prolonged periods of fasting including skipping breakfast led to an increased postprandial insulin resistance during the next meal and increased ghrelin (hunger hormone linked with weight gain) levels as well. But we also have data showing that intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting and daily calorie restriction helped reduce diabetes risk factors such as body weight, viscera fat, fasting insulin and insulin resistance and we need long-term trials to confirm anything. Glucose concentration and markers of insulin resistance (such as high cholesterol and inflammation) are higher after lunch on days when individuals skipped breakfast. This inflammation affects insulin sensitivity thereby increasing one’s risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is always recommended to start the day on a healthy note with fruits, whole grains, milk, eggs and nuts while avoiding high-sugar and processed foods. References Breakfast Skipping is Positively Associated with Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Evidence from Aichi Workers’ Cohort Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411234/ The Relationship between Breakfast Skipping, Chronotype & Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411234/ Breakfast Skipping & Type 2 Diabetes: Where Do We Stand? https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/149/1/1/5280617 You can’t wait to tell your bestie about the new employee who has joined your team; The latest secret about your dream hero is sulking you though its been discussed repeatedly; the guys don’t get to talk enough on their favorite cricketing Gods after yesterday’s victorious match! The handsome boyfriend of your worst enemy is making headlines everywhere in the college and people haven’t stopped praising about him to you. All of the above are some or the other form of what we all know it to be-GOSSIP! There is enough of it happening around and each of us are almost ready anytime to hear a juicy piece of information. This might be a word that’s often linked to the female gender and mocked upon by all but not so much as the 16th and 17th century British. During those periods, those gossiping too much were made to wear an iron cage over their heads consisting of iron spikes that went into the mount and prevented the individual from speaking (this was mostly subjected to women who were the ones talking too much during those days). We don’t have the opportunity to do something like that now despite the bitter truth that people who love gossiping still are very much prevalent in the society with the only difference that men too are actively involved in in very much more than what was their contribution centuries back! Sign language enabled conversation among people back then with actual language forms appearing way later enabling people to exchange their ideas and promoted effective interaction between humans. Evolutionary scientists strongly support the fact that gossip among our ancestors helped in shaping the community in a better way shedding light on many things that could have remained in the dark otherwise. The most famous theory on gossip came from Robert Dunbar who proposed that gossip existed as a grooming tool for social groups that were growing in size. Our hunter gatherers needed to cooperate with one another to successfully catch their meal for the day and for this, they needed to share information such as who goes to catch the prey, who goes to fetch edible fruits and who looks after the caught prey. In short, they needed to gossip about each other to communicate their thoughts clearly and get the work done. The Process of Making Humans More Human! Gossip helps us to make people human, exchange important information with each other and promote love, bond and affection with families and friends. Being in close relationship with our fellow humans is essential for our survival and this behavior could be seen even in apes who do this mainly by grooming-touching, stroking the fur, giving out grunts or cleaning another’s fur. Human’s ability to speak makes our collaboration with other humans special and versatile. While it is unimaginable for two people to survive on a relationship that’s devoid of any speech, it’s amazing to see apes and gorillas build cohesion without uttering a single word. When people talk shitty stuff about celebrities, fellow neighbors and others, gossip seems to be the worst discovery that tries to humiliate people, make them cry until their eyes go dry, spread rumors or simply exchange information. At the same time it might turn out that gossiping which includes sharing information about your friend’s marriage, talking about your son’s spell bee competition next week or telling your mom about your cousin’s new entrepreneur venture does have positive influence on the people of the society too! A new study finds that people gossip for an average of 52 minutes a day talking to someone about someone else who is not present. The study further elates us with the news that most of the gossip is on neutral grounds directed away from filthy talks and dirty chats purely existing as nonjudgemental chitchat (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/13/722141820/we-gossip-about-52-minutes-a-day-that-may-not-be-as-toxic-as-it-sounds). This was the same study that also shed light that men gossip about the same amount as women and extroverts gossip more than introverts. Gossip generally helps people update each other on what’s going about in the society, in each other’s life, builds upon cooperation and is a means of survival. We all rely upon our loved ones for love and affection, interaction and a meaning in life. Gossip is a way of knowing the hurdles that’s happening in another person’s life, it tells you if there are any problems with your job and the company is going for a mass layoff (which means you can start looking for options elsewhere) and gossip is what also helps us equip ourselves with facts and thoughts about the person gossiping and the person being gossiped about too! Sometimes, gossiping can have negative consequences on a person too and some of these consequences can be turned into positives when the person involved corrects his/her criticisms and starts leading a better life. Gossip can be psychologically relieving-two studies came up with the fact that people cooperated in a better way when they knew that their behavior might be gossiped about and they start acting in the best interest of all the individuals present around them rather than tending to their own selfish needs alone. Positive gossip helped people understand how they could do better for themselves while negative gossip could make them feel better but also raise the fears that they could be the next subject for gossip in the group. This fear of being gossiped exists in each of us still we don’t refrain from gossiping as its etched in our cells more because it’s useful for us rather than simply being an element of fun and social interaction. One study shows that the tendency to gossip starts as early as the age of 5 in children. Gossip is like stuffing yourself with high-energy, empty-calorie foods. It invokes the pleasure centers of the brain, especially when the gossip is more negative than positive as it contributes towards building the person’s self-esteem. It helps people stay away from isolation existing as a means of connection among individuals. Gossip has got to do more than simply speaking about who’s living with whom in the social world, what’s the bank balance of your relative or how to cheat on your best friend. It is etched in our genes and maybe even language evolved in humans with the primary function of enabling gossiping among fellow individuals that encouraged them to connect socially, commit to people, reduce stress and anxiety and even encourage happiness. So, next time you go all hush-hush over someone or something don’t feel embarrassed but also ensure to never cross your boundaries which could otherwise ruin the other person’s life and career as well. References Have You Heard? Gossip is Actually Good and Useful: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/have-you-heard-gossip-is-actually-good-and-useful/382430/ Gossiping is What Makes us human: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11657765/Gossiping-is-what-makes-us-human-says-Oxford-professor.html As a kid I remember my dad telling me one solution for every health complaint I used to bring to his notice and that was none other than to eat more fruits and vegetables along with my daily diet intake. I had mixed emotions-sometimes I was frustrated, sometimes very angry and at other times I used to just ignore his suggestion but I never had the inclination to never pay heed to his suggestion and work upon it. Growing up, I realized the worthiness of his valuable comments after I started reading health magazines, newspaper articles and started seeing that my friends too who had taken up a produce-rich diet that’s good for wellness and health. Beyond all, the craziness of my adolescent wish to lose weight, become extremely slim and look chic prompted me for such a sudden transition in my eating habits that comprised of a vegetable-enriched diet. Just because fruits and vegetables are always included as a part of our daily cooking routine there isn’t much attention that we give to it! In fact, most of us show a face when served with most vegetables other than few like potato or cauliflower. The nutrient-rich beans, carrots, pears, apples and tomatoes that sit tight in our refrigerators and kitchen cabins are yet to find a place in most of our hearts but not with much success! Maybe, once you realize the goodness and benefits of these produce I am sure that none of us would ever again ignore to start eating them.
Don’t Have a Grudge Against Veggies Vegetables intake has been insisted upon as it’s a rich source of micronutrients and phytochemicals that help to protect the body against chronic disease and also reduce the risk of death from conditions such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. A meta-analysis of studies showed that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables (more than 5 portions daily) was linked to a 17% reduced risk of CHD when compared to the consumption of less than 3 portions daily. For every increase in portion of produce intake the risk of CHD decreased by 4% in yet another meta-analysis. But when we look behind the reason for such a variation in risk its seen that the type of fruit and vegetable consumed and also the processing method have a strong role to play in this apart from the cooking method, the type of produce consumed as some veggies and fruits are more beneficial than others, saturated fat intake, lifestyle factors and smoking habits. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2015-2020 provides specific recommendations for daily vegetable intake depending on energy needs and also provides specific recommendations for different subgroups including dark green, red, legumes, starchy veggies and other kinds of veggies too. The reason why the DGA recommends different proportions for consumption of different vegetables is because of the simple fact that the health-promoting bioactive compounds are not evenly distributed across all vegetables. Moreover, introducing a variety of vegetables over a meal also has the potential to increase the liking of these vegetables and therefore, the quantity of the vegetables consumed. We have ample studies in our kitty that encourage us to consume more vegetables on a daily basis. Cross-sectional studies show that a higher variety of fruits and vegetables intake was linked to a lower risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension but these studies did not distinguish variety from quantity and we don’t know whether the association for variety was independent of the quantity consumed. Still, there are hardly a few studies that find a strong association between the variety of vegetables consumed and their benefits on heart health. So, it would make sense to take up those studies that deal with a variety of vegetables and their effect on CHD and also examine the association of quantity and variety in produce intake and its relationship with CHD. Greater the Variety of Produce, Smaller the Risk of CHD The study elaborated here focuses on the variety of vegetables consumed and their effect on CHD. The Healthy Food Diversity index (this index can be applied to different population groups by making only two small changes-define the food groups to be included and consumption targets for these food groups) was used to measure vegetable variety that’s independent of the total quantity of vegetables consumed. The index is comprised of two parts namely the Berry Index and the Health Value and its value is fetched by multiplying the two parts. The index score is bounded by 0 and 0.64 and higher scores are achieved when there is more consumption of vegetable subgroups and there is greater consumption of vegetable subgroups that have a greater weight. To assess the relationship between vegetable variety and cardiometabolic disease the participants in the study were categorized by quintile of vegetable variety scores with those in quintile 1 having lowest score and those in quintile 5 having greatest scores. To find the relationship between vegetable amount and each cardiometabolic disease subtype participants were categorized by quintile of vegetable amount (those in quintile 1 had lowest intake amount and those in quintile 5 had greatest intake amount). Also, to understand the link between each vegetable subtype and prevalent disease individuals were categorized as either consumers or non-consumers. The study included 38, 981 participants in which most of them were between 31 and 50 years of age and 52% were females. Of the total number of participants, 53% did not report smoking status, 53% had a BMI between 25 and 30, mean household size was 3 persons, 63% were living with a domestic partner and 81% reported being fully food secure. Participants consumed a mean of 3.4 meals per week away from home and 7000 respondents were told by a physician that they suffered from cardiometabolic disease. Results showed that:
The study clearly shows that vegetable variety and amount are inversely associated with prevalent coronary heart disease. Each of the vegetables are rich in different nutrients-dark green veggies are rich sources of nitrates, folate and carotenoids (helps to avoid inflammation and oxidative stress). Spinach, beets and broccoli are rich in phenolic compounds and display antioxidant activity. Also, most of the vegetables are rich sources of potassium that’s essential for blood pressure homeostasis. Another study happened in a group of Chinese men and women. 67, 211 women aged 40-70 and 55,474 men aged 40-74 involved in the study were assessed of their food intake with a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Frequencies and amount of food intake was converted into daily intake of each food. Total fruits and vegetables intake were derived by summing intake of all the fruits and vegetables consumed during the entire day. The FFQ included fruits such as pear, apple, citrus fruits, watermelon, banana, peach and grapes among other fruits while there were 33 vegetables including cruciferous vegetables, alliums, legumes and other vegetables such as celery, eggplant, cucumber, tomato, sweet potato and bean sprouts. Results showed that total fruits and vegetables intake was 502 g/d among women and 440 g/d among men. Women generally consumed more fruits and less vegetables compared to men. It was also observed that those who consumed more produce had higher income, education and were likelier to use more supplements. Women in the highest quartile of total fruit and vegetable intake had a hazard rate (HR) of 0.62 for CHD compared to those in the lowest quartile. For every increase in portion intake of produce there was a 6% reduction in CHD incidence among women and also the HR for CHD decreased with every portion increment in fruit and vegetable intake. In case of men, the lowest HR for CHD occurred at 6 portions per day. It was only banana that stood apart from the rest of the produce-a higher banana intake was associated with a lower risk of CHD in women. Assessing Produce Effect on Nurse’s Health Study (NHS) & Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) Another study tried to establish an association of quantity and variety in fruit and vegetable intake in relation to incident CHD in the NHS and HPFS study. An FFQ was sent to participants every 4 years to update information on their diet and also the participant’s intake of fruits and vegetables. Average daily intake of individual fruits and vegetables were summed to compute total fruit and vegetable intake. Potatoes, soy and legumes were not included in the definition of vegetables in the FFQ and variety in fruit and vegetable intake was defined as the total number of unique fruits and vegetables consumed at least once per week. Participants with a higher quantity-adjusted variety score were less likely to smoke, were more physically active and had higher intake of fruits and vegetables and women with higher variety were likelier to use more multivitamins and aspirins. Higher intake of fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower risk of CHD and higher intake of various subgroups including all fruits, all vegetables, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and vitamin C-rich foods were associated with a lower CHD risk. Total fruits and vegetables intake showed that risk of CHD was 18% lower in the third quintile compared to 1st quintile but further intake did not decrease the risk. All these studies clearly show that the amount of vegetables you consume, the variety of the vegetables and the frequency of consumption definitely impact the risk of CHD. The recommendations include 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day and most adults don’t meet this requirement. It is necessary that each of us take every step possible to fulfill this requirement and stay in good health. References Greater Vegetable Variety & Amount are Associated with Lower Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease: https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0376-4 Fruit & Vegetable Intake And Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3947047/ Quantity and Variety in Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3831537/ |
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Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz of First Eat Right clinic, is the Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Bangalore. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Pune. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Hyderabad. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Chennai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Mumbai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Delhi. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Kolkata.