Single junk meal can harm heart

London: Just one junk food meal can damage your arteries, raising the risk of heart attack, heart disease or stroke in later life, a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher has claimed. 

    A single portion of greasy hamburger and chips or fat-laden crisps and chocolate can be enough to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke later in life, found experts from the Montreal Heart Institute. Researchers found that the key to staving off heart disease and other illnesses caused by clogged arteries is to switch to a Mediterranean-style diet, based on healthy foods like oily fish, fresh vegetables and olive oil, the Daily Express reported. 
    Dr Anil Nigam and colleagues compared the effects of junk food and a typical Mediterranean meal on the ability of arteries to dilate after a temporary five-minute blockage. The study looked at 28 nonsmoking men, who ate a Mediterranean-type meal first and then a junk food-type meal one week later. The Mediterranean meal was made up of salmon, almonds, and vegetables cooked in olive oil containing mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids. 
    The junk food meal was a sandwich made of a sausage, an egg, and a slice of cheese, and three hash browns, composed mainly of dangerous saturated fat. After the Mediterrean-style meal the men's arteries were found to dilate normally and maintain good blood flow. 
    However, after eating the junk food the arteries of the study participants dilated 24% less than they did when in a fasting state. 
    "This research adds to the growing body of evidence that we would all be better off if we dumped the junk. A 'Mediterranean diet', which is low in saturated fats and rich in good fats, is much better for your heart than a trip to the takeaway," Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said. PTI

MIND WHAT YOU EAT

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Sewerage-contaminated water supply drives Marine Drive residents to hospital

    Several residents living near Marine Drive have been hospitalised for diarrhoea in the last two weeks, as their water supply lines have been contaminated due to leaks in underground sewerage lines in the area. 

    For over two weeks, Oval Cooperage residents in Churchgate have been battling water contamination. The BMC suspects that a leakage might have occurred from one of the supply lines. 
    Persis Kothawala (75) said many residents in her building Queen's Court complained of severe loose motion and vomiting and had to be admitted to hospital. One of them, Perin Mani (77), is in Parsi General hospital for four days with complaints of diarrhoea. A security guard in the locality has been complaining of vomiting and abdominal pains. "It's Mani's fourth day in hospital and doctors said the cause is polluted water in the area," said Kothawala. 
    Ashad Mehta, president, Oval Cooperage Residents' Association said the problem has reached serious proportions as the civic body is unable to detect the source of contamination. "It started around two weeks ago where there was severe sewerage contamination in our supply line and the odour and colour of water changed. When contacted, civic officials promptly arrived, detected contamination near Eros and said the problem was solved. Thereafter, for four days the water was clear," said Mehta. 
    But four days later, the problem resurfaced in the affected buildings including Windsor House, Empress Cour t, Swastik Cour t, Queen's Court facing Oval maidan on Maharshi Karve Road. "Once again the civic officials came and said another leak was found and had been plugged," said Mehta. 
    Yet, for the third time, residents received contaminated water on Monday night. "The BMC's underground pipes are old and corroded. With the problem recurring a third time, residents are up in arms," said Mehta. "We can't even clean utensils lest the bacteria stays behind. Much as I appreciate that the BMC is prompt, a kind of fear has crept into residents' minds," he added. 
    A civic official from the BMC's hydraulic department said, "We have detected three points and closed them. Old service pipes generally near drainage lines of the building are corroded. Ten days back the sewerage lines department dug up a trench on Veer Nariman Road and was repairing damaged lines. We are taking precautionary measures like flushing out dirty water with pumps." 
NOT A DROP TO DRINK OCT 11 Water supply lines to some Marine Drive buildings like Windsor House, Empress Court, Swastik Court, Queen's Court, got contaminated by sewerage lines due to a trench that had been dug up by the civic body to repair sewerage lines. BMC officials said the source of the problem was near Eros and plugged the leak OCT 20 | As the problem resurfaced, the BMC dug trenches at several spots on Veer Nariman Road and near Eros on Maharshi Karve Road among others, to find the source of the contamination and claimed to have plugged it OCT 29 | On Mondaynight, after residents received contaminated water for the third time, the BMC said it will detect and plug the leak by Wednesday

WATER WOES: Swastik Court (top) and Windsor House are among the affected buildings where residents have to rely on bottled water (below); The BMC is trying to trace the leak (above, right)

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Q&A ‘Generic drugs are good for patients – and for society’

Winner of France's Legion d'honneur, former US National Institutes ofHealth director and previously medical consultant to the White House, Elias Zerhouni now heads research and development at French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis. Speaking with Pushpa Narayan, Zerhouni discussed how the future of the pharmaceutical industry could include creating region-specific drugs, how generic medication is an essential social good – and why a vaccine against dengue hasn't fully clicked yet:      Most drugs available today are based on the needs of people living in the West. Many medical practitioners find some of these don't suit Asians. Is it time the pharmaceutical industry began developing region-specific drugs?      The future of the pharmaceutical industry does lie in providing personalised medicine and region-specific solutions. Disease profiles are different for different regions. It is no more a one-size-fits-all approach. For instance, we don't know why there is very high hypertension and cholesterol associated with diabetes in Indians. We're studying 16,000 patients in India now just in order to learn how differently the disease and its complications manifest themselves in this region. Even within regions, there could be notable differences and we should certainly study these in great detail.      Will such extensive researchgoingtowardsdrugdevelopment make treatments more expensive?      Having served as the director of America's National Institutes of Health for years, i am fully aware of the need to make treatment accessible and affordable. We can't ignore the factor of purchasing power. Research should provide solutions that people can afford over time. As an example, we know there is considerable scope for antidiabetes drugs to be sold in India. Therefore, non-disposable pens are being developed which are likely to bring down the costs of insulin.      Today, in the pharmaceutical world, if you aren't sensitive to price, competition will do it for you.      Amidst such specialisation, do generic drugs lower profits for pharmaceutical companies – and impact research?      No. Generic drugs are good, not just for patients but for society. There are patent laws that do give you enough time to recover money. Generic drugs did not come out of the blue. They came from real innovative research. Generic drugs make treatment affordable to everyone. Having generic drugs is the right thing to do.      Many are very concerned about dengue fever in India – could you please tell us about the dengue vaccine being developed and mixed reports of its efficacy during research?      Well, we certainly recognised dengue as one of the most dangerous emerging diseases currently. We started research on dengue fever 10 years ago. We wanted to develop a vaccine that would work against all four serotypes of dengue. We thought it would be absolutely accurate and manage all four serotypes. But the results of our trials conducted in Thailand showed it did not work against one of the serotypes. We haven't studied why in full detail as yet. But we know this is an important discovery. We are currently continuing our dengue vaccine study amongst 40,000 people. We have a lot more to learn – but this vaccine's research also holds a lot of hope.

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Rising car ownership discouraging walking

New Delhi: More and more Indians are using cars to travel distances which are short enough to walk. 

    A survey across 13 countries has found that 13% Indian men and 15% women use vehicles for trips that could be covered on foot. In countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia this figure, however, rises to around one in five. 
    Globally, the number of people walking is in decline. 
    The study says that rising car ownership in India is discouraging walking, while in China the reduction in walking has seen an increase in obesity levels among drivers. 
    The proportion of children walking or cycling to school fell from 48% to 13% between 1969 and 2009 in the United States, and from 62% to 50% between 1989 and 2004 among primary-school children in the UK. 
    Doctors say walking just an extra 15 minutes a day can extends human life by up to three years. A recent study of 400,000 people found that every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise, such as brisk walking, reduced premature death rates by a further 4%. 
    Even slow walking burns around 114 calories per mile for someone weighing 91kg. Researchers in US have found that each extra km walked per day was associated with a 4.8% reduction in an individual's probability of becoming obese, whereas each hour spent driving was linked to a 6% increase in an individual's probability of becoming obese. 
    The study by Max Bupa says, "Cars are often used for very short journeys that could be walked. In the US, cars are used for 55% of trips of one-third of a mile (half a km) in length and 85% of trips that are two-thirds of a mile (1 km) in length. A car journey of one mile (1.6 km) emits around 574g of carbon dioxide — twice as much as the average emission of 287g of carbon dioxide per mile on longer journeys." 
    Reducing motor vehicle use decreases air pollution levels, which can have significant benefits for health. 
    The study says that pollution can be particularly harmful to the health of children and older adults, and a strong relationship has been shown between levels of airborne particles, sulphur dioxide and other fossil fuel emissions, and risk of early death from heart disease and respiratory illnesses such as allergies, asthma and lung cancer. 
    For the full report, log on to www.timesofindia.com 

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FITNESS GET YOUR FATS RIGHT

From zeroing in on the right combination of oils and their correct usage, to knowing the good fats from the bad ones, here's some kitchen wisdom we could all use Ishi Khosla   FIRST let's start with the fact — fat is not necessarily bad. In fact, fat is integral to our health. Unfortunately, due to a lot of misinformation, fat has become a bad word in a skinny-aspiring world. There are good fats or essential fats, and bad fats. The key is to know the sources of both and strike the right balance. The body definitely requires some essential fatty acids. 20-30 per cent of total calories in a diet must come from fats. Sources of good fat include nuts, seeds, fatty fish and cold pressed oils. Foods containing monounsaturated fats (MUFA) reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which makes them desirable for the body. MUFA are found in mustard, rice bran, sesame, rapeseed, groundnut and olive oil. Along with the quantity of fat, the quality of fat is also important. A diet high in MUFA, with no transfats can be helpful. Fried food contains the undesirable and fattening trans-fatty acids. Sources of trans-fats include food from halwais, cheap eateries, Indian snacks like fried namkeens, pakoras, samosa, kachori, paapri chaat, golgappas, tikki, Indian sweets like patisa, gulab jamun, jalebi, imarti and majority of Indian preparations at dhabas or restaurants like dal makhni, butter chicken and shahi paneer. Choose a variety of vegetable oils instead of a single source. This is because most of the vegetable oils don't have an ideal mix of fats. Go for blended oils such as mustard, canola, sesame, rice bran and olive oil.  Kick refined oils out of the window. They have dominated the Indian households for two decades now, giving us imbalanced fats and are responsible for various heart problems, cancer, gall bladder stones and for disturbing the overall immune system.  High heat refining takes the oil to a very high temperature where its goodness (vitamins and antioxidants) gets destroyed. Therefore, choose less-refined or cold pressed oils instead. They retain all their flavour, aroma, and nutritional value. Olive, peanut and sunflower are among the oils that are obtained through cold pressing.  Do not heat the oil without food for more than a minute.  Oils with high smoking point should be chosen for frying. Smoking point of an oil is the temperature at which it starts emitting a blue haze, indicating formation of decomposition products.  Most vegetable oils have adequately high smoking points while butter and coconut oil are not suitable for frying due to low smoking point.  What's even better than using the best oils is to substitute it with their original sources. For instance, have sunflower seeds, peanuts and almonds instead of their oil variations.  The writer is a clinical nutritionist and founder of theweightmonitor.com

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How to lower your blood pressure without pills

According to a recent study, right diet — combined with a healthy lifestyle — can drastically reduce our chances of developing high blood pressure

 More than four among 10 middle-aged Brits have high blood pressure. The condition puts stress on the heart and blood vessels and is the UK's biggest silent killer, responsible for 60% of strokes and 40% of heart attacks. But a recent Finnish study found that the right diet and lifestyle could cut our chances of developing high blood pressure by up to twothirds. Worryingly, an estimated third of people with high blood pressure have no idea they have it. There may be no symptoms until disaster strikes. 
    Most doctors agree that you have high blood pressure if your level is consistently at or above 140mmHg/90mmHg (which you will hear referred to as just 140 over 90). 
    "A blood pressure of 135 over 85 may be 'normal', but someone with this reading is twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke, as opposed to someone with a reading of 115 over 75," says Gareth Beevers of Blood Pressure UK. If your level is very high, you may need medication. But it's also great to know you can do plenty of things to help keep it down without pills. Read on... 
GET MOVING 
Exercise strengthens the heart — we pump more blood with less effort, thereby decreasing the force on our arteries. It also helps with shedding the pounds — which in itself helps slash blood pressure.You should aim for 30 minutes of activity daily. It should leave you warm and slightly out of breath — brisk walking, for example. If you can manage something more strenuous, that's great. But even easily achievable activities —walking to work instead of driving, for example — can reduce blood pressure, researchers at Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare found. 
    You should take care while lifting heavy weights in the gym if your blood pressure is dangerously high, because this can cause it to temporarily increase to an even greater level. 
BE SALT SAVVY 
"The evidence that links salt to blood pressure is as strong as that linking cigarette smoking to cancer and heart disease," says Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Central London. 
    Simply put, salt draws in fluid, raising the volume and pressure of blood in your arteries. 
    Most of the salt we consume is not what we add to food, but what is already there in foods such as bread, sauces, breakfast cereals and ready-meals. 
    A useful guide when you're checking labels is that more than 1.5g salt per 100g is a lot, but less than 0.3mg per 100g is a little. 
GO FOR FRUITS AND VEGGIES 
All fruits and vegetables are high in blood pressurelowering substances, such as potassium, magnesium and fibre. You will benefit from eating more of them, whatever your starting point. 
    Five-a-day is great (aim for handful-sized portions), but in the US, the dietary guidelines for stopping hypertension recommend even more — eight portions split equally between fruit and vegetables. 
CURB THE BOOZE 
    "Drinking too much will raise blood pressure over time," says Gareth Beever. 
    Heavy drinking may affect the function of the muscles within the blood vessels, causing them to constrict. Keeping to the recommended limits of no more that 2-3 units a day (for example, a 175ml glass of wine), with preferably an alcohol-free day or two each week, is what's needed to help keep your rate at a healthy level. 
GO FOR WHOLEGRAIN 
Swapping a refined grain cereal for a wholegrain oat one helped people reduce their blood pressure readings and allowed some to reduce or quit their medication, says a study in the 
Journal of Family Practice. 
Go for wholemeal bread and porridge, wholegrain breakfast cereals, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. 
    Daily Mirror 
GO FOR PURPLE 
"Purple-red fruits and vegetables — blackcurrants, raspberries, aubergines, blood oranges, blueberries and beetroot — seem to have blood pressure benefits," says dietician Dr Sarah Schenker. It may be because the anthocyanins they contain increase the output of nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow. Beetroot contains dietary nitrates, which have an even more potent effect on blood vessels. 
MODERATE CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION IS FINE 
    Low-fat dairy and soya protein have blood pressure-lowering effects when they replace carbohydrates in the diet, according to recent research by Tulane University in New Orleans. 
    If you want to have your dairy in the form of a large skinny latte, that's fine. Dr Schenker says: "For regular coffee drinkers, moderate caffeine consumption is unlikely to raise blood pressure." 
    In fact, four cups of coffee a day is fine, according to the NHS Choices website. But do take care if you only consume caffeine occasionally, because it can cause a temporary hike in blood pressure when you're not used to it.

A third of people with high blood pressure don't know they have it

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STUB IT OUT Quit smoking before 40 and gain 10 years of life, study says

New Delhi: Indian women can live 10 years longer if they quit smoking before their 40th birthday. The largest-ever study on hazards of smoking and benefits of quitting for women has shown that female smokers lose at least 10 years of lifespan, but stopping before they turn 40 avoids more than 90% of the increased risk of dying caused by continuing to smoke. And, quitting before they turn 30 avoids over 97% of the risk. 

    The author of the study, Sir Richard Peto from the University of Oxford, said, "If women smoke like men, they die like men — but, whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will on average gain about an extra 10 years of life." 
    Sir Peto collaborated closely with Indian medical researchers in 2008, and co-authored a landmark study showing that during the 2010s there would be a million deaths a year from smoking in India. He added, "Our new study shows that if Indian men or women stop smoking before age 40, and preferably well before 40, then they will gain about an extra 10 years of life expectancy — and, stopping earlier is even better." 
    Smoking is eight times more prevalent among Indian men than women. But interestingly, an average Indian female smoker puffs away more cigarettes per day (7) than a male (6.1). Also, an average woman in India is taking up smoking as early as 17.5 years of age as against 18.8 years among men. 
    Dr K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, said while tobacco use among men has dipped from 51% to 48%, it has actually doubled among women — from 10% to 20%. "Women and girls are the new target of tobacco companies," Dr Reddy added.

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Freeze eggs at 30 if you want babies later

 Women, who have hit 30, should freeze their eggs as an 'insurance policy' for having babies later on, says a recent study. 

    According to researchers from the US Government, anyone who hasn't met her Mr Right or is intent on pursuing their career should consider paying up to 5,000 pounds to 'bank' their eggs as not only will their chances of having babies be higher but they will also save money as they won't have to pay for IVF later in life. 
    The researchers claim if these women were to freeze their eggs aged 30 and then have them re-inserted 10 years later, their chances of having a baby would be 5 times greater. 
    The experts have worked out that a 40-year-old woman who uses eggs frozen when she was 30 has a 75 % chance of falling pregnant as compared to a 40-year-old on IVF who has less than a 15 % chance. 
    "You take a 30-year-old lawyer — she knows that she wants children someday but she's getting concerned because she knows that 10 years goes by before she's in that position," said Dr Kate Devine, from the agency of the US's Department of Health. "So her options at that point are to freeze eggs or not to freeze eggs. If you're sure you're not going to get pregnant until you're 40, the younger the better. So long as you freeze your eggs before 35 you have a 75 per cent chance of having a live birth," she said. 
    ANI

Planning ahead is always a good idea

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Men who eat cheese may risk chance of becoming dad

London: Young men who eat more than three slices of cheese a day may be risking their chances of becoming fathers, a new Harvard study has claimed. Researchers discovered that even small amounts of full-fat dairy food can dramatically impair fertility in men.      They found that men who eat even three portions of cheese a day had poorer quality sperm compared to others, the 'Daily Mail' reported. A portion includes 28 gm of cheese, a teaspoon of cream, a scoop of ice cream or glass of full-fat milk.      Researchers believe that female hormones that occur naturally in milk may be interfering with men's ability to reproduce.      Scientist from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US compared the diets of 189 men aged 19 to 25, all very fit and did at least one and a half hour's exercise a week.      They filled in a questionnaire, answering how often they ate dairy products, fruit, meat and other types of food during a typical week.      Researchers also looked at their sperm quality, including how fast it travelled and its shape. They found that the sperm of men who ate more than three portions of full-fat dairy food a day was of 25% poorer quality than those who had less. PTI

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Kids’ height, weight woes drop over 6 yrs

Fillip For State In Fight Against Malnutrition

Mumbai: A new study holds good news for Maharashtra, which has held the dubious distinction of having one of the highest incidences of acute malnourishment among children in the country. A study by the Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) shows a significant drop in the physical indicators of malnourishment in children across the state. 

    The yet-to-be-released IIPS report, which was commissioned by UNICEF, shows that indicators of malnutrition – like low height and weight – have fallen anywhere from 7 to 16% over the past six years. Ecstatic state government officials have claimed that the "first big step" has been taken in the fight against malnutrition in children. 
    The IIPS findings come close on the heels of the latest Sample Registration Survey 2011 report, in which Maharashtra's Infant Mortality Rate dropped 14.7% more between 2011 and 2010 than it did between 2010 and 2009. "This is a significant shift from the previous mark and looks like the largest percentage decline in the whole of the Southeast Asian region," claimed state chief secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia. 
    The IIPS researchers surveyed stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height) and underweight (low weight for age) from March to May 2012 across 3,000 households in Maharashtra having at least one child aged below two. Children aged up to six were studied in these households. These were the same parameters studied by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3 in 2005-06 in about 5,000 households in Maharashtra with children aged below 6, said IIPS and state officials. 
    IIPS discovered that stunting, an indicator of chronic malnutrition in children, stood at 22.8%. In 2005-06, the NFHS 3 put the figure at 39%. Underweight, another crucial indicator, dropped from 29% in 2005-06 to 21.8% in 2012. Wasting fell from 20% in 2005-06 to 15.5% this year. State officials said the scientific methodology of the IIPS and NFHS-3 reports are almost similar and, therefore, comparisons are fair. The report is also learnt to make these comparisons. 
    The IIPS-UNICEF Comprehensive Nutrition Survey studies more than just malnutrition indicators and was independently carried out to help review the implementation of various programmes across Maharashtra. Over the years, the state has introduced measures under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and urban nutrition mission. "The findings are important as they allow the state to draw up a comprehensive nutrition policy," said a senior state official. 
    Malnutrition has been for long one of the biggest challenges faced by the state's health machinery, with government data pegging the death count among children aged up to six at about 1.17 lakh over four years from 2008-09 to 2011-12. 
    Officials in the state's women and child development department attribute the dip to schemes introduced in the tribal belts, including the empowerment of women, tribal crèches and village adoption schemes. "Innovative measures like digital anganwadis, Village Children Development Centres, android phones to communicate information about pregnant mothers and the introduction of mid-upper-arm-circumference techniques have helped," said a senior official in the department. 
    However, some public health experts are accepting the news with cautious optimism. "If the facts stand as they are, then Maharashtra could very well pat itself on the back. However, this kind of improvement in height without a similar corresponding improvement in weight is intriguing. We need to also study deeper the correlation between the IIPS and NFHS data," said Dr Abhay Bang of Search, an organization working in Gadchiroli. 
    Dr Armida Fernandez, of NGO Sneha, said the latest findings are a result of a sustained campaign by the state through the nutrition mission and ICDS. "The drop in stunting is significant as it is an intra-generational phenomenon and needs a sustained effort over a period of time. The government's efforts have finally paid dividends," said Fernandez.

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The traditional ghee of life

  here are fats that kill and     then there are those that     heal. The traditional ghee,  which your grandmother so  lovingly churned and boiled at home, is clearly the latter. So, in the thick of this festive season, don't stress yourself when your family and friends insist you to dig into those delicious, gheesoaked ladoos. But it's important to first understand what we are referring to is traditional ghee, and not the commercially available one. 
    That most of the ghee available in the market today is hydrogenated vegetable oil, and heated milk fat, has been reported extensively. Thanks to the commercial usurping of the name, the traditional 'ghee' which had stood the test of time until recently has earned a bad name today, says ayurvedic physician Dr Bhagyashree Zope of Santulan Ayurveda. "These kinds of saturated or polysaturated fats are extremely bad for the system, as they do not digest properly, causing obesity and increasing cholesterol levels," she says. 
    According to Dr Zope, fats are an integral aspect of our diet and traditional ghee is the best form of fat that your body can ask for. The only condition to making traditional ghee, she says, is that it must be made from fresh or pasteurised milk without resorting to shortcuts for this process (see box). 
    Apart from nourishing the eyes, hair and skin, the traditional ghee lubricates and cleanses the insides, including the intestines, tissues, joints and arteries. "This is because it doesn't allow anything it comes in contact with to 'stick', thereby helping the organs in functioning smoothly," explains Dr Zope. Ghee also helps regulate digestion and promotes optimum metabolism. "In cases of blocked arteries, it helps remove the plaque deposited in arteries and facilitates its dissolution. It improves the ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol) and helps control triglycerides," says Dr Zope. 
    The traditional ghee, which is a more suitable cooking medium compared to oil due to the fact that ghee does not burn (smoke) easily, even helps reduce obesity. "If you take a tablespoon of ghee every night, followed by a few sips of hot water, it helps regulate bowel movements and improves digestion. Over time, this helps cut down body fat," she recommends. 
    That apart, Dr Zope advises her patients to take a minimum of four to five teaspoons of ghee a day. "In fact, heart patients should have about eight to 10 teaspoons of ghee every day if they want to increase their HDL and to bring down the LDL and triglycerides," she says. 
    Her patient Dr Manu Multani, 75-year-old former professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and a pioneer in nanomaterial science and technology, concurs. "I suffered from a massive heart attack in 1996 and my condition was deteriorating. Two years later, when cardiologists were giving up, I turned to ayurveda," he says. Along with the ayurvedic medicines, the doctors advised him ghee. The physicist says, "We completely stopped using cooking oil at home and switched to traditional ghee from the ayurveda centre." 
    Since 1998, Dr Multani has been pouring eight to 10 teaspoons of ghee over dal, rice, chapattis and cooked veggies daily. In the past 14 years, he claims he has consumed 
    around 230 kgs of ghee. Even 
    when the Versova resident 
    travels abroad for his conferences, he carries his box of 
    ghee along. And in all these 
    years, the doctors haven't 
    seen his cholesterol levels 
    shoot up, he says. 
    "In fact, I feel better than before. I can effortlessly climb two floors and walk for an hour without trouble. Besides, the devotion of my wife Ruby, it's this ghee that has helped me remain hale and hearty," he smiles. Referring to the significance of ghee in Indian culture, Dr Multani says, "There's a Sanskrit saying that says you must eat ghee even if you have to borrow money to buy it. There's another adage in my mother-tongue Sindhi: Jeko kare na ma pi; so kare ghee (What your parents cannot manage for you, ghee does). In fact, before my heart problem, I would never touch ghee. Today, I consider it as nectar."

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HEAL WITH HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy is clinically effective in treating hair loss

Thirty-five-year-old Melissa (name changed), a school teacher, was diagnosed with diabetes about three years ago. She was suffering from hair loss and erratic blood sugar levels. She reported that she felt "extremely tired and exhausted throughout the day", even when she did "absolutely nothing". On case analysis, we found that emotional stress, due to certain domestic or familial problems, was the key trigger for her hair loss and diabetes. We prescribed her the homeopathic remedy, AcidPhosphoricum. After 10 to 12 months of homeopathic treatment, her hair health and blood sugar levels stabilised. 

    Hair loss is not just a cosmetic dilemma; it is essentially a medical problem. Hair is a 'barometer' of your health. While healthy hair elevates your face value and good, youthful looks, hair loss leads to reduced confidence levels. Most importantly, hair loss signifies a likely underlying illness, such as diabetes, heart disease, ovarian cysts, thyroid disorders and autoimmune diseases (e.g. lupus), much before a clinical diagnosis is established. 
    Male pattern and female pattern baldness are two most common forms of hair loss — with hair loss in the latter triggered by low iron in blood. In addition, poor nutrition, fad or crash diets and emotional stress can lead to hair loss. Scalp disorders like dandruff, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (eczema) and certain medications — oral contraceptive (OC) pills, steroids or bodybuilding supplements — can 'prompt' hair loss, too. If hair loss is not appropriately treated, it can lead to complete loss of hair on the scalp (alopecia totalis). 
    Homeopathy treats not only the cause of hair loss, but also the mind-body connect. In other words, it treats the individual with hair loss as a 'whole'. A study conducted in Scotland reports that 90% of individuals with hair loss opted for homeopathy as the first line of treatment because it can slow down the progression of bald patches and 'fill them up' with new hair, leading to a complete recovery in most cases. Besides, we have, at our clinics, successfully treated over 250,000 hair loss patients, based on the best scientific treatment protocols. Our results confirm that professional homeopathic treatment is clinically beneficial and effective in treating hair loss without side-effects. 
    Call: 022 - 6678 9899 Toll-Free: 1800-3001 
    Sms: DB to 09757070707 Log on: www.drbatras.com 
    Suggested remedies are indicative. To be taken under 
    competent medical supervision only.

Dr Mukesh Batra

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Study: IVF can increase the risk of birth defects

Washington: In vitro fertilisation (IVF) may significantly increase the risk of birth defects, particularly those of the eye, heart, reproductive organs and urinary systems, a new study has found.      Researchers found that despite increasing use of IVF in the US, associations between birth defects and IVF are poorly understood. Management of birth defects comprises a large part of pediatric surgical care and demands significant health care resources.      Researchers examined infants born in California from 2006-2007 after IVF and other treatments such as fertilityenhancing drugs or artificial insemination. They examined maternal age, race, the number of times the mother had given birth, infant gender, year of birth and presence of major birth defects.      "Our findings included a significant association between the use of assisted reproductive technology, such as certain types of in vitro fertilisation, and an increased risk of birth defects," said study author Lorraine Kelley-Quon, a general surgery resident at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.      Overall, 3,463 infants with major birth defects were identified among 4,795 infants born after IVF and 46,025 naturally conceived infants with similar maternal demographics. Birth defects were significantly increased for infants born after IVF, 9% versus 6.6% for naturally conceived infants. PTI

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Why pregnant moms should refrain from high street coffee

 Pregnant mothers should avoid consuming coffee from high street cafes as they contain more caffeine than recommended levels, researchers say. The soon-to-be mothers inadvertently put the health of their unborn babies at risk by drinking coffee from such cafes. The researchers analysed espressos from 20 coffee shops and found that there were huge variations in the amount of caffeine they contain — with the strongest having more than six times as much as the weakest. 

    The most worrying part was that the strongest example contained over 50 per cent more caffeine in a single cup than a pregnant woman is advised to take over the course of an entire day. Fears about birth defects, miscarriage and premature delivery imply that pregnant women are advised to limit themselves to 200 mg of caffeine a day. This is generally equivalent to four cups of strong coffee, expected to contain 50 mg of caffeine each. But only one of the 20 coffees studied contained around this amount. All of the others were stronger. 
    According to the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Food and Function, four had more than 200 mg in a single cup, with the strongest having more than 300 mg. Researcher Alan Crozier said that caffeine, which crosses the placenta to the unborn baby, usually takes five hours to break down in the body to half its previous level. "There is clearly a problem. People at risk could unwittingly ingest far more caffeine than they would ever dream of," he said. But the process can take up to 30 hours in certain groups, including children, liver disease sufferers and pregnant women. An unborn baby's liver will struggle to break down caffeine, with potential long-term consequences. 
    ANI

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10,000 steps mantra to good health, but urban India manages only a third

Mumbai: At a time when leisure time physical activity — or LTPA, as it is increasingly being called — is emerging as the global mantra for health, urban India seems clued out. A new survey suggests that one of the reasons that Corporate India is sluggish could be the poor levels of physical activity among its white-collar workforce.      About 60% of the 17,000 corporate employees who participated in the pan-India survey admitted to exercising three times a week and that, too, for less than 30 minutes at a stretch. The benefit of a brisk walk or the power of 10,000 steps daily in shaping one's health is clearly not popular as yet here.      In corporate India, the daily step count rarely crosses 3,000. "The average number of steps that urban Indians take would be between 2,500 and 3,000, especially if they don't take the public transport that entails walking across bridges and platforms," said Dr Aashish Contractor, a preventive cardiologist at Asian Heart Institute in Bandra Kurla Complex.      LTPA is different from a planned exercise regimen. Instead of pumping iron, the World Health Organisation has said people can be healthy by being active — like walking briskly, skipping, swimming — for up to 30 minutes every day. A study in Lancet recently estimated that inactivity caused 6 to 10%  of all deaths from major noncommunicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers.  WORKOUT JOURNAL  Over 60% exercise 3 days a week Over 58% exercise for less than 30 minutes a day  Over 77% take less than 10,000 steps a day*  Over 43% are sitting for 8 hours or more a day Over 44% rate their sleep as less than restful 94% eat less than 3 pieces of fruit a day 84% eat less than 3 servings of vegetables a day *10,000 steps = 6.4 km (approx)  *17,000 respondents polled across 8 Indian cities HEALTH MATTERS Not even 5k steps a day? Sedentary life      It showed that inactivity caused 5.3% of the 57 million deaths that occurred worldwide in 2008. The idea of underlining the problem was to show that the solution was simple: increase in leisure time physical activity. "Research has shown that leisure time physical activity is beneficial for all," said Dr Contractor. In fact, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine has categorized people on the basis of the number  of steps they take: people who take less than 5,000 steps a day are sedentary, those who take between 5,000 and 7,500 are low on activity, those taking between 7,500 and 10,000 are somewhat active and the active ones take between 10,000 and 12,000 steps a day. In the 60s, Japanese walking clubs adopted a local pedometer's nickname for their product —manpo-kei (translated as ten thousand step meter) — as the standard. The Japanese mantra of 10,000 steps a day translates into walking 6.4 km a day.      The survey shows as much: 77% of the respondents admitted that they fail to take more than 10,000 steps a day. The reason is not hard to find: around 43% confessed to sitting for eight hours or more a day. Moreover, while doctors say five servings of vegetables and fruits daily can keep heart diseases at bay, the corporate sector is not a follower. Around 94% said they ate less than "3 pieces of fruit" a day and 84% said they ate less than 3 servings of vegetables.      Stepathlon, a wellness firm that conducted the survey as a run-up for a race to clock 10,000 steps a day for three months, said the results show that India's white-collar workforce is not getting enough exercise. "It's a reflection of the fact that we have eliminated a lot of the incidental movement from our daily activities. Instead of climbing stairs, we take the elevator. Instead of walking on the weekends, we go for long drives," said company CEO Ravi Krishnan.      The Lancet's special issue on physical activity just ahead of the London Olympics said physical activity is a neglected dimension of prevention and intervention worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income nations. "One problem is that physical activity is often perceived only in the context of controlling obesity…"

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Best foot forward Cracked heels are the least of your problems. Here’s how to tackle the really daunting ones

 If your neglected piggies wouldn't win prizes for prettiness, you're not alone. It's tempting to hide ugly tootsies in woolly socks and comfy slippers, but ignoring foot problems can lead to more health issues, including long-term back pain and infections. 

CHILBLAINS What are they? 
They are inflamed skin capillaries that appear as red swellings accompanied by stinging and blistering. 
Top toe tips 
Keep your feet warm. If your feet get cold, it's crucial to gradually warm up the skin to avoid making the capillaries flare up. Try gently massaging in a moisturising cream to encourage blood circulation into the colder areas. 
ATHLETE'S FOOT What is it? 
A contagious fungal infection causing an itchy rash to develop in the spaces between the toes. Anyone can get athlete's foot – don't be misled by the name. It's commonly caught by people who wear tight shoes for long periods of time 
Top toe tips 
Try not to scratch as it can cause the skin to swell and sting. Use an antifungal treatment to clear the infection. To prevent re-infection, wash your feet and thoroughly dry the skin between the toes. 
VERRUCAS What are they? 
Warts caused by the human papilloma virus family that develop on the soles of the feet. They're commonly caught from public areas such as swimming pools and gyms. 
Top toe tips 
Get them treated as soon as they arise. Try gels that form a protective barrier over the affected area. Wear flip-flops in swimming pool changing rooms. If the verruca persists, see a podiatrist. 
FUNGAL NAIL INFECTION What is it? 
Thickened, yellowing toenails could be a sign of a fungal nail infection, often caused by an infection. Left untreated, it can destroy the nail. 
Top toe tips 
It's worth trying an over-the-counter fungal nail treatment cream or drops first. File down the infected part so it's smooth, and apply nail paint treatment daily. 
BLISTERS What are they? 
Friction between your foot and shoe or between toes can cause upper layers of skin to rupture, forming a pocket that fills with liquid. 
Top toe tips 
Don't burst them. Use blister plasters, which repel water, dirt and bacteria. Clean an open blister with soap, and cover it with an antiseptic ointment before using a 
    protective soft gel dressing. 
INGROWN TOENAIL What causes it? 
Ingrown toenails occur when the sides of the toenail grow into the skin. Badly cut toenails and tightfitting shoes are two possible causes. Untreated, an ingrown toenail can become infected and may even require surgery. 
Top toe tips 
If it is in the early stages and mildly inflamed, trim the nail straight across, and not into the corners, to help prevent pieces of nail continuing to dig into the surrounding skin. Try to push the skin away from the nail using a cotton bud. 
CORNS What are they? 
Corns develop from an accumulation of dead skin cells, which form thick, hardened areas on the toes. Common causes are ill-fitting shoes. Corns contain a coneshaped core with a point that can press on a nerve below, causing pain. 
Top toe tips 
Wear properly fitted footwear with extra room in the toe area. To prevent corns from inflammation, wear protective corn caps or shields. 
    — Daily Mirror

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Multivitamins curb cancer in men?

PILL PROTECTION

Tests On Older Males Show Daily Use Can Lower Risk By 8%, Says Study

America's favourite dietary supplements, multivitamins, modestly lowered the risk for cancer in healthy male doctors who took them for more than a decade, the first large study to test these pills has found. 
    The result is a surprise because many studies of individual vitamins have found they don't help prevent chronic diseases and some even seemed to raise cancer risk. 
    In the new study, multivitamins cut the chance of developing cancer by 8%. That is less effective than a good diet, exercise and not smoking, each of which can lower cancer risk by 20% to 30%, cancer experts say. 
    Multivitamins also may have different results in women, younger men or people less healthy than those who participated in this study. 
    "It's a very mild effect and personally I'm not sure it's significant enough to recommend to anyone" although it is promising, said Dr Ernest Hawk, vice president of cancer prevention at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. 
    "At least this doesn't suggest a harm" as some previous studies on single vitamins have, he said. 
    Hawk reviewed the study for the American Association for Cancer Research, which is meeting in Anaheim, California, where the study was to be presented on Wednesday. It also was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 
    About one-third of US adults and as many as half of those over 50 take multivitamins. They are marketed as a kind of insurance policy against bad eating. Yet no government agency recommends their routine use "regardless of the quality of a person's diet", says a fact sheet from the federal Office of Dietary Supplements. Some fads, such as the antioxidant craze over vitamins A and E and beta-carotene, backfired when studies found more health risk with those supplements, not less. Many of those were single vitamins in larger doses than the "100% of daily value" amounts that multivitamins typically contain. 
    Science on vitamins has been skimpy. Most studies have been observational — they look at groups of people who do and do not use vitamins, a method that can't give firm conclusions. AP

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story time FOR THE LOVE OF LAJJO!

This story is based on a true medical case history      David D'silva was an elderly gentleman who lived with his wife and pet dog Lajjo. Since the past several months his health was failing him. Doctors said it is due to sadness. You see, D'silva's children had grown up and left home to make their own life like most children do. But when the youngest son migrated to a foreign land, D'silva could not accept it well. So heartbroken was he that he fell very ill. Doctors almost gave up hope of his recovery. Poor Mrs D'silva she just prayed and prayed. And the pet dog Lajjo, she just would not eat. She sat by her master's bed giving him a lick on his toe or hand when no one was around. And then a medical miracle happened! D'silva began to show signs of recovery, all of a sudden. Doctors were pleasantly surprised. And few days later he was quite well. "You know what brought me to life from near death?" He asked his doctor. Then without waiting for an answer he replied, "Apart from my wife's love it was Lajjo's love and need for me that made me want to live! Your medicine alone would not have healed me." The doctor agreed wholeheartedly. And the D'silvas are still living happily together with their dog Lajjo.  Moral: Pets with their unconditional love can help in our speedy recovery from illness.

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After 100 years, hope of a new vaccine against TB

New Delhi: A new vaccine against tuberculosis could be available in eight years. Currently, the only available vaccine for the prevention of TB is Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which was discovered almost 100 years ago.      Saying the world was finally waking up to the need for an effective new-age TB vaccine, the World Health Organization on Thursday announced that 11 vaccine candidates were undergoing phase-1 or phase-2 trials for TB prevention while one immunotherapeutic vaccine was being put through phase-3 trial. The WHO said, "It is hoped that one or two of the candidates currently undergoing phase- 2 trial will enter a phase-3 trial over the next three years, with the possibility of licensing at least one new vaccine by 2020."      A new vaccine that prevents tuberculosis could significantly reduce the huge financial burden of treating drug-resistant TB, which can cost Rs 1 lakh a patient in India, which is home to about 73,000 drug-resistant TB patients. It can also prevent the toll the disease takes on patients who are subjected to 18-24 months of strong medications with side effects that can be as severe as hearing loss or psychosis.  Only 1.6% of MDR TB patients enrolled      In a shocking disclosure, the World Health Organization on Thursday said while India has 73,000 patients with multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB)—the highest in the world—just about 1.6% of the affected people had enrolled for treatment. P 17 2 approaches being used to develop TB vaccines: WHO  New Delhi: A new vaccine to prevent tuberculosis (TB) is expected in about eight years and it may come as a boon for India, which is home to a big number of people suffering from the deadly airborne disease.      In 2011, there were an estimated 8.7 million new cases of TB and 1.4 million people died from the disease, including one million deaths among HIV-negative individuals and 4.3 lakh among people who were HIV-positive. TB is one of the top killers of women, with 3 lakh deaths among HIV-negative women and 2 lakh mortalities among those HIV-positive last year.      BCG vaccine protects against severe forms of TB in children, but its efficacy in preventing pulmonary TB in adults is highly variable. BCG is also not recommended for use in infants known to be infected with HIV due to the risk of disseminated BCG disease.      WHO says that two different approaches are being used to develop TB vaccines. The first approach is to develop vaccines that will do better than BCG and replace it — such as an improved version of BCG or a new attenuated live M tuberculosis vaccine.      The second approach is to develop a "prime-boost" strategy in which BCG continues to be given to neonates (as now) since it prevents TB in infants and children, and giving the new vaccine as a "booster" dose at a later stage.

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ASK THE EXPERT Dr Shreepad Khedekar MD Homeopathy

Q: I am a 45-year-old teacher, who has always depended on homeopathy. I want to know why a patient's mind is given so much importance by homeopaths, even when the problem is physical. 

    — A Daruwala 
A: A distinguishing fact about homeopathy is that a lot of importance is given to the mind of the individual seeking treatment. Many people fail to understand the significance of mental symptoms. Some get amused, some annoyed and consider it as inquisitiveness. A few even hide information or fabricate stories. They fail to appreciate that a physician seeks information, only to help you help yourself. Your mind and body work hand-in-hand. If there is a disturbance in your mind, it will reflect as a disturbance in your body. For example, a businessman develops hypertension and diabetes when he suffers financial losses. A student's immunity goes down during his exams.
    One needs to understand the scientific sequence and definite process of how our mental and physical make-up is moulded. A thought originates in one's mind and is manifested by being spoken. Once thoughts are expressed as words, they are further put into action as deeds. An action done repeatedly becomes one's habit. One's habits define his/her character. Finally, one's character defines one's destiny. Thus, your thoughts are the architects of your destiny! A similar sequence is also mirrored by the cells of our body. Each cell has a nucleus, which contains genetic material in the form of DNA molecules. The main role of DNA molecules is storing information. This info is equivalent to the information stored as thoughts in our minds. DNA segments called genes are like a set of blueprints or a code, since they contain the instructions needed to construct components of cells like proteins, etc. DNA information gets expressed as proteins and various other components. These products, like enzymes and hormones, perform explicit actions like growth and development of the body and other bodily functions. When a sound state of body is maintained for a period of time, a homeostasis (habit) is created. We see this as body's normal behaviour. 
    This is the process when in health. However, in disease, there is a change in the level of thought process. This change can be induced by factors that one is exposed to and sensitive to — change in climate, lifestyle, family situations, stress, etc. Consequently, body's homeostasis gets disrupted and levels of hormones and proteins go haywire. One then gets allergies, asthma, arthritis, autism, diabetes, cancer, etc. 
Everything happens for a reason. People do not develop diseases out of the blue. There is a definite sequence of events at the level of the mind and body. In order to correct a diseased individual, we have to stimulate the mind and body at the levels of thought and DNA information. This is where homeopathy can help. 
For queries, contact Dr Shreepad Khedekar, MD (HOM) on email:dr.khedekar@imperialclinics.com Dadar: 2438 5888, Thane: 2543 5888 
www.imperialclinics.com 

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Starvation hormone may hold key to a long life

Washington: The starvation hormone can significantly extend the life span of mice, a new study has found. "Restricting food intake has been shown to extend life span in several different kinds of animals. In our study, we found transgenic mice that produced more of the hormone fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) got the benefits of dieting without having to limit their food intake," said senior author Dr Steven Kliewer, professor of molecular biology and pharmacology. 

    "Male mice that overproduced the hormone had about a 30% increase in average life span and female mice had about a 40% increase in average life span," Kliewer said. The study defined average life span as the point at which half the members of a given test group remained alive. While none of the untreated mice lived longer than about 3 years, some of the female mice that overproduced FGF21 were still alive at nearly 4 years, the researchers report. 
    FGF21 seems to provide its health benefits by increasing insulin sensitivity and blocking the growth insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway. When too abundant, growth hormone can contribute to insulin resistance, cancer, and other diseases, the researchers said. 
    Lead author Dr Yuan Zhang, an instructor of pharmacology, said the study was considered risky because all involved understood it would be at least two years — an average mouse life span — before there would be any evidence of whether elevated production of FGF21 would affect longevity. PTI

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST

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Every hour of TV you watch shortens your life by 22mins

Melbourne: Couch potatoes, watch out! Every hour that you spend in front of the 'idiot box' could be taking 22 minutes off your life, a new study has warned. Australian researchers have found that watching television could be shortening your life by 4.8 years. 

    Researchers have found that for every hour of television viewed by a person over the age of 25, their life expectancy is reduced by 22 minutes. The study was based on an average six hours viewing per day, compared to a person who watches no TV, News.com.au reported. 
    Using data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, the researchers generated life-expectancy tables based on the viewing habits of average Australians. 
    "TV viewing time may be associated with a loss of life that is comparable to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking and obesity," the study found. "These findings suggest that substantial loss of life may be associated with prolonged TV viewing time among adults," it said. The research claims that a sedentary lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers posed by inactivity. PTI

TIME TO TURN OFF THE IDIOT BOX

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