daily news bulletin - nihfw.org health news 20190816.pdf · सवागासन , वशेष...
TRANSCRIPT
-
योग
आप कौन-सा योग करते ह� (Hindustan: 20190816)
http://epaper.livehindustan.com/textview_195558_72516368_4_1_11_16-08-2019_1_1.html
ताउ� �व�थ रहने का सबसे �भावी, स�ता और �व�वसनीय तर�का है योग। हर उ�, सेहत और
सु�वधा के अनुसार इसे कया जा सकता है। समय के साथ कई तरह के योग चलन म& ह'। कुछ च)च*त
योग थेरेपी और उसके लाभ, क- जानकार� दे रह� ह' �वा/त गौड़ आप कौन-सा योग करते ह'
ज र3तार िजंदगी म& तरह-तरह के मान6सक और शार�8रक रोग हम& घेरे हुए ह'। दवाओ ंपर /नभ*रता
बढ़ती जा रह� है। ऐसे म& योग ऐसी थेरेपी के >प म& उभर रहा है, जो कई रोग, को ठ@क करने म& मदद
करता है, साथ ह� रोग, के होने क- आशकंा को भी कम करता है। Aड�ेशन, तनाव, हाइपरट&शन,
इंसोमे/नया, डायDबट�ज, मोटापा और सांस संबंधी रोग, म& तो योग काफ- �भावी तर�के से काम करता
है। आकंड़े बताते ह' क भारत म& वष* 2019 म& योग टॉप फटनेस H&ड के >प म& शा6मल है। .
/नयम के साथ कर& योग
तरह तरह के योग .
पावर योगा : नIबे के दशक म& पि�चमी देश, से होते हुए भारत पहंुचा पावर योगा आज से6लDJट�ज का
पसंद�दा योग बन गया है। दरअसल यह अKटांग योग का ह� �कार है, िजसे करने के 6लए काफ- ऊजा*
क- ज>रत पड़ती है। Mयादातर डांस �टाइल म& इसे कया जाता है। अलग-अलग योग गुNओ ंने इसे
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN LEADING HEALTH, POPULATION AND FAMILY WELFARE STORIES OF THE DAY
Friday 20190816
-
अपने-अपने ढंग से तैयार कया है। लाभ- यह मेटाबॉ6लMम बढ़ाता है। अ/त8रPत वसा और कैलर�
घटती है। शर�र म& लचीलापन बढ़ता है। पेट क- मांसपे6शयां सुडौल बनती ह'।.
/यन योगा : पॉल� िजंक Qवारा श>ु क- गई इस योग पR/त क- �Sयेक कTा म& 6 से 10 तक आसन
कराए जाते ह', ले कन �ाणायाम नह�ं कराया जाता। .
लाभ- यह योग �व6भVन अंग, व मांसपे6शय, को मजबूत बनाता है। यह XखलाAड़य, और डांस करने
वाल, के 6लए खास तौर पर लाभकार� है।.
अKटांग योग : इसे सभी योग, का राजा माना जाता है। मह�ष* पतंज6ल ने इसे अKटांग योग का नाम
Zदया। इसे छोटे-बड़े हर उ� के लोग कर सकते ह'। .
लाभ- वजन घटाने म& यह मददगार है। जोड़ मजबूत होते ह' और उनका लचीलापन बढ़ता है। Zदमाग
शांत रहता है। रPत-संचार बढ़ता है। सोच म& ि�थरता आती है तथा तनाव दरू भागता है। 6सर दद* और
पीठ के /नचले Zह�से के दद* म& भी असरकार� है। .
आयंगर योग : पुणे /नवासी बी. के. एस. आयंगर Qवारा �था�पत योग क- यह पR/त परंपरागत योग से
अलग है। इसम& �व6भVन आसन, के दौरान बे[ट, कुस\ और �व6भVन आकार के Iलॉक, का �योग
कया जाता है। आयंगर योग का अनुसरण करने वाले बताते ह' क इस योग म& �Sयेक आसन एक
/नि�चत समयाव)ध तक कया जाता है। बे[ट तथा कुस\ जैसे सामान योग क- मु]ाओ ंको सह� ढंग से
करने म& मदद करते ह'। साथ ह� इस योग म& मौसम, ^यिPत क- उ� एवं शार�8रक दशा का भी पूरा
_यान रखा जाता है। .
लाभ- सांस क- बीमा8रय, म& इसे लाभकार� माना जाता है। यह योग रPतचाप और तनाव को कम
करता है। �टे6मना, संतुलन व एका`ता बढ़ाता है। गद*न व पीठ दद* म& भी आराम देता है। .
6शवानंद योग : ऋ�षकेश के �वामी 6शवानंद सर�वती Qवारा श>ु क- गई यह योग पR/त �ाणायाम से
श>ु होती है। इसका उbे�य सांस, पर /नयंcण पाना है। इसम& सूय* नम�कार और संतु6लत आहार का
भी खास �थान है। सरल होने के कारण �वदेश, म& पसदं कया जाता है। इस योग के दौरान पांच मुdय
Dबदंओु ंसंतु6लत �वसन � eया, �ाणायाम, आसन, आराम क- अव�था, संतु6लत आहार और अfछ@
सोच पर _यान क& Z]त कया जाता है। .
लाभ- सांस, को संतु6लत बनाने म& मदद 6मलती है। अ�थमा और सांस के रोग, म& इसके फायदे होते ह'।
.
-
कंुड6लनी योग : मनुKय के शर�र म& सात चe होते ह'। जब _यान के मा_यम से कंुड6लनी को जागतृ
करते ह', तो शिPत सुhत अव�था म& आकर मि�तKक क- ओर जाने लगती है। इस पूर� � eया म& वे
सभी सात चe भी eयािVवत हो जाते ह'। इस पूरे eम को कंुड6लनी योग कहा जाता है। .
लाभ- इस योग के अiयास से मन क- अि�थरता खSम होती है और एका`ता बढ़ती है। इसम&
�ाणायाम के साथ मंcोfचारण करते हुए आसन लगाए जाते ह'। .
�वशेषj : Zद^य सुनील योगाचाय*, सं�थापक, �णव ऊजा* .
ऋतु म[होcा, योगऋतु क- सं�थापक .
'योग के 6लए सबसे अfछा समय सूयkदय से पहले माना जाता है। इस समय वातावरण शRु और
ताजगी से भरपूर होता है। यह संभव नह�ं है तो भी साफ-सुथर�, शांत व धूल-धुएं से रZहत जगह पर
योग कर&। .
'सूया*�त के बाद योग करना है तो उससे 3-4 घंटे पहले कुछ भी न खाएं। खाल� पेट योग करने से शर�र
म& लचीलापन अ)धक रहता है। पेट म& भार�पन नह�ं रहता। .
'योग से पहले ह[के-फु[के ^यायाम ज>र कर&, ता क शर�र खुल जाएं। .
'ढ�ले व आरामदायक कपड़े पहनकर ह� योग कर&। .
'/नSय कमl से /नवSृत होकर ह� योग कर&। योग के तुरंत बाद �नान नह�ं कर&। .
'�नान करने के बाद योग करने से Mयादा लाभ 6मलता है। रPतसंचार सह� होता है। शर�र म& चु�ती
रहती है। .
'/नय6मत योग करने वाल, को Zदनभर म& पया*hत पानी पीना चाZहए। इससे योगाiयास करने से पहले
और योग के दौरान पानी क- कमी महसूस नह�ं होती। अगर योग करते हुए hयास लग रह� है, तो बहुत
कम माcा म& ह� पानी �पएं, ता क गला न सूखे व पानी से पेट भी न भरे। .
'तेज हवा वाल� जगह पर �वास संबंधी योग eयाएं करना संभव नह�ं होता। इस6लए ऐसी जगह योग
कर& , जहां धीमी हवा चल रह� हो। .
' समतल जमीन पर दर� या योगा-चटाई Dबछाकर ह� योग कर&। .
' योग के दौरान ठंडा पानी न �पएं। .
-
' �Sयेक आसन म& सांस लेने और छोड़ने का अपना /नयम होता है, उसका पालन अव�य कर&। .
'योग के दौरान शाकाहार� भोजन कर&। .
'योग क- केवल वह� eयाएं कर& , िजVह& आपका शर�र आसानी से करने म& सTम हो। .
'योगासन के अंत म& शवासन करने से तन और मन पूर� तरह शांत हो जाता है। .
सूय* नम�कार, अध*मS�य&]ासन, गोमुख आसन और मक* टासन जैसे आसन शर�र के दाएं और बाएं,
दोन, Zह�स, से कर&। इस संबंध म& �6शTक के बताए /नयम, का पालन कर&।.
.1. ’अध*मS�य&]ासन, शगुर के मर�ज, के 6लए �वशेष >प से लाभकार� है, Pय, क इससे प' eयाज म&
इंसु6लन बनने लगता है। मक* टासन, कमर से चब\ दरू करने के साथ-साथ /नचले Zह�से म& होने वाले
दद* से भी राहत Zदलाता है। ’गोमुखासन से �पॉिVडलाइZटस और सवा*इकल के दद* म& बहुत आराम
6मलता है। ’पवनमुPतासन पेट संबंधी रोग, से /नजात Zदलाता है। ’सूय* नम�कार एक ऐसा आसन है,
जो समय कम होने पर भी �भावशाल� ढंग से कया जा सकता है। ’बfच, के 6लए हलासन और
सवाmगासन, �वशेष >प से लाभकार� होते ह'। इससे एका`ता बढ़ती है। रPत-संचार तेज होता है।
’युवाओ ं को वeासन, भुजंगासन, मक* टासन, पवनमुPतासन और शशांकासन जैसे आसन करने
चाZहए, जो उVह& फट रखने के साथ-साथ मजबूती भी �दान कर&गे। ’गभ*वती मZहलाएं सुखासन,
ताड़ासन और पूण* यौ)गक आसन कर सकती ह', पर योग �6शTक और डॉPटर क- सलाह से ह� कर&।
2. हठ योग यह योग क- बहुत �ाचीन भारतीय पR/त है। आज भी इसका चलन समाhत नह�ं हुआ है।
यह ^यायाम तन और मन दोन, को �व�थ और संय6मत रखता है। लाभ: इसे करने से शर�र से �वषैले
तSव बाहर /नकलते ह' तथा रोग �/तरोधक Tमता बढ़ती है। तनाव दरू होता है, र�ढ़ क- हnडी मजबूत
बनती है तथा `ं)थय, क- काय*�णाल� सुचाN >प से काय* करती है।
3. योग करने पर कई बार सम�या कम होने क- बजाय बढ़ जाती ह'। इसका एक बड़ा कारण है सह�
तर�के से योग न करना। योग श>ु करने से पहले कुछ/नयम, को जान लेना ज>र� है...
-
�दय रोग
कैसे रख� मुंह क� सफाई (Hindustan: 20190816)
http://epaper.livehindustan.com/textview_195558_72516678_4_1_11_16-08-2019_1_1.html
सड़े हुए दांत, फूले हुए मसूड़े और मुंह से आती दगुmध, Zदल को बीमार बना सकती है। मं◌ुह क- खराब
सेहत pदय और धम/नय, के बढ़ते खतरे का भी संकेत है। मुंह क- गंदगी हाई बीपी का खतरा बढ़ा देती
है, िजससे pदय रोग, और �Hोक का खतरा और बढ़ जाता है।.
1. मं◌ुह साफ नह�ं रखने से जमा होने वाले hलाक के कारण मसूड़, के रोग, का खतरा बढ़ जाता है।
िजVह& मसूड़, से संबं)धत गंभीर सम�याएं जैसे िजंिजवाइZटस या गंभीर पी8रयोड,टल Aडजीज ह', उVह&
pदय रोग, का खतरा सबसे अ)धक होता है, �वशेष >प से तब जब समय रहते इनका पता न चले और
उपचार न कराया जाए। इसके अलावा िजVह& दांत, और मसूड़, से संबं)धत /नqन6लXखत सम�याएं ह',
उनम& भी खतरा बढ़ जाता है: ’मसूड़े लाल व सूजे हुए होना और उVह& छूने म& दद* होना। ’खाने, Jश करने
या 3लॉस करने पर मसूड़, से खून आना। ’मसूड़, और दांत, के आसपास पस पड़ जाना या दसूरे �कार
के संeमण होना। ’मुंह से बदबू आना या मुंह का �वाद खराब होना। ’दांत ढ�ले हो जाना।
2. दो बार Jश कर&: सुबह और रात को दो बार Jश कर&। इसके अलावा कुछ भी खाने-पीने के बाद साफ
पानी से कु[ला कर&। टूथ�पक का �योग न कर&: अगर दांत, म& खाना फंस जाए तो उसे टूथ�पक से न
/नकाल&। इससे मसूड़, को नुकसान होता है। इस सम�या को नजरअंदाज भी न कर&। डॉPटर को
Zदखाएं। तीन मह�ने म& बदल& Jश: Mयादा पुराना Jश मसूड़, और दांत, को नुकसान पहंुचा सकता है।
इस6लए हर तीन मह�ने म& Jश बदल ल&।
3. साल म& एक बार दांत, का चेकअप कराएं: दांत, म& तकल�फ न हो तब भी साल म& एक बार दांत, का
चेकअप ज>र कराएं। कभी-कभी बाहर से देखने पर दांत सामाVय लगते ह', पर कई बार अंदर ह� अंदर
उनम& कोई बीमार� पल रह� होती है। श>ु म& इसका पता नह�ं चलता, ले कन समय के साथ यह सम�या
गंभीर होती जाती है। दांत, क- जांच इस तरह क- सम�याओ ंसे बचाती है।
4. िजन लोग, को दांत, और मसूड़, से संबं)धत सम�याएं होती ह', उनके pदय रोग, क- चपेट म& आने
का खतरा उन लोग, क- तुलना म& कई गुना बढ़ जाता है िजVह& इनसे संबं)धत कोई सम�या नह�ं होती।
अ_ययन बताते ह' क मुंह क- गंदगी से pदय रोग, का खतरा तीन गुना हो जाता है। जो लोग /नय6मत
-
>प से अपने मुंह क- सफाई नह�ं करते उन लोग, को pदय रोग, का खतरा उनसे भी अ)धक होता है,
िजनके खून म& कोले�Hॉल का �तर Mयादा होता है। िजVह& पहले से ह� pदय से जुड़ी सम�याएं, जैसे
बैPट�8रयल एंडोकाAड *Zटस (pदय क- अंद>नी परत का संeमण) का खतरा अ)धक है, उVह& मुंह क-
सफाई का �वशेष _यान रखना चाZहए। उपचार के दौरान भी सावधा/नयां रखनी चाZहए। हाट* अटैक के
बाद ड&टल सज*र� या गहन ओरल H�टम&ट के 6लए कम से कम छह मह�ने इंतजार करना चाZहए। अगर
आप एंट�कोएगुल'ट (रPत को पतला करने वाल� दवाएं) ले रहे ह' तो डॉPटर को बताएं, Pय, क इन
दवाओ ंके कारण सज*र� आZद के हालात म& खास एह/तयात रखने क- ज>रत होती है। मुंह क- गंदगी
कैसे करती है pदय को बीमार बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणु ख◌ू्◌ान के ज8रए मुंह से शर�र के दसूरे
भाग, म& फैलने लगते ह'। चबाने और Jश करते समय बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणु रPत-�वाह म& �वेश
कर, प8रसंचरण तंc के दसूरे भाग, म& पहंुच सकते ह' और pदय को �भा�वत कर सकते ह'। जब ये
सूsमजीव pदय तक पहंुचते ह', तब ये अपने आपको कसी T/त`�त भाग से जोड़ लेते ह' और सूजन
का कारण बन जाते ह'। इसके कारण एंडोकाAड *Zटस यानी pदय क- सबसे अंद>नी परत के संeमण
समेत कई बीमा8रयां हो सकती ह'। अमे8रकन हाट* एसो6सएशन के अनुसार, दसूर� काAड *योवॉ�Pयुलर
सम�याएं जैसे आथtरो�Pलेरो6सस (धम/नय, का अवNR हो जाना) और �Hोक भी उस सूजन से
संबं)धत ह', जो मुंह म& पाए जाने वाले बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणुओं के कारण होती हं◌ै। बैPट�8रया
और अVय रोगाणु रPत के �वाह म& पहंुचकर सी-8रएिPटव �ोट�न (रPत न6लकाओ ं म& सूजन के
संकेतक) का �तर बढ़ा देते ह'। इस वजह से pदय रोग, और �Hोक का खतरा बढ़ जाता है। -शमीम खान
हमारे �वशेषj: डॉ. 6सqमी मनोचा, pदय रोग �वशेषj, ए6शयन हॉि�पटल, फर�दाबाद
-
Diet/ Nutrition (Hindustan:20190816)
http://epaper.livehindustan.com/imageview_195563_72501100_4_1_16-08-
2019_i_16.pagezoomsinwindows.php
-
Obesity (Hindustan:20190816)
http://epaper.livehindustan.com/imageview_195563_72500480_4_1_16-08-
2019_i_16.pagezoomsinwindows.php
-
Healthcare (Hindustan: 20190816)
http://epaper.navbharattimes.com/details/52951-58790-1.html
-
नींद क� सम�या
जा�नए, भागमभाग जीवन शलै% लोग& क� नींद पर 'कस तरह डाल रह% असर (Dainik Jagran:
20190816)
https://www.jagran.com/world/america-know-how-busy-working-lifestyle-is-affecting-
peoples-sleep-19490774.html
आज क- भागमभाग िजंदगी म& लोग, क- Zदनचया* पूर� तरह से बदल चुक- है नींद न पूर� होने पर उनको
तमाम तरह क- सम�याएं झेलनी पड़ती है।
वा6शगंटन [Vयूयाक* टाइqस]। आज क- भागमभाग िजंदगी म& Zदनचया* पूर� तरह से बदल चुक- है, इस
बदलती जीवनशलै� का रोजमरा* के जीवन पर भी असर पड़ता है। ऐसा नह�ं है क जीवन शलै� म&
अचानक से बदलाव आ गया है, बीते कुछ वषk से आम लोग, क- जीवन शलै� म& तेजी से बदलाव आया
है, िजसका असर उनके नींद के तर�के पर भी हुआ ह'। देर तक काम करने या पाटv के शौक-न लोग, को
जहां सुबह ज[द� उठने म& परेशानी होती ह'।
2400 मर�ज, पर कया गया अ_ययन
वह�ं, कुछ लोग ऐसे भी ह' जो रात को चाहे िजतनी देर से सोए, उनक- नींद सुबह ज[द� ह� खुलती है।
कई बार उनक- नींद ठ@क से पूर� नह�ं हो पाती है। उVह& लगता है क खानपान या Zदनचया* के कारण
यह हो रहा है। हालां क, इसम& जीन क- भी अहम भू6मका हो सकती है। �ल�प एप/नया (सोते समय
सांस बा)धत होना) व अ/न]ा के 6शकार कर�ब 2,400 मर�ज, का अ_ययन करने के बाद यह दावा कया
गया।
शोधकता*ओं के अनुसार, आमतौर पर नींद का चe (�ल�प साइ कल) तीन तरह का होता है। पहला,
िजसम& ^यिPत ज[द� सोता और सुबह ज[द� उठता है। दसूरा, िजसम& ^यिPत सुबह देर तक सोता
रहता है। तीसरा, िजसम& ^यिPत रात को चाहे कतनी भी देर से सोया हो, सुबह ज[द� जग जाता है।
सैन wां6स�को ि�थत यू/नव6स*ट� ऑफ कै6लफो/न*या म& Vयूरोलॉजी के �ोफेसर लुई जे. टासेक के
मुताDबक द/ुनया म& लंबी और छोट�, दोन, तरह क- नींद लेने वाले लोग, क- भरमार है।
नींद लेने का तर�का
-
नींद लेने का ये तर�का आनुवां6शक भी हो सकता है। कई बार इसका असर इतना अ)धक होता है क
^यिPत चाह कर भी उसम& बहुत Mयादा बदलाव नह�ं कर सकता है। यZद उसे सुबह ज[द� जगने क-
आदत है तो वह दो घंटे क- नींद लेकर भी सुबह ज[द� उठ जाएगा। कई मामल, म& तो रात म& ठ@क से ना
सोने के बावजूद ^यिPत को Zदन म& भी उबासी नह�ं आती है। वह इससे खुश भी रहते ह'। हालां क, इसे
नजरअंदाज नह�ं कया जाना चाZहए। शोधकता*ओं का कहना है क नींद ठ@क से पूर� ना हो तो उससे
भ�वKय म& अ[जाइमर (याददा�त का कमजोर होना) के साथ कई सार� बीमा8रय, का खतरा बढ़ सकता
है।
सुबह ज[द� जगने को सम�या नह�ं मानते लोग
बचपन से ह� हम& समय पर सोने और समय पर जगने क- आदत 6सखाई जाती है। देर से सोने के बाद
भी सुबह ज[द� जग जाने पर कसी को सजा नह�ं बि[क आमतौर पर शाबाशी ह� 6मलती है। इसी के
चलते देर से सोने के बाद भी सुबह ज[द� जग जाना कसी को सम�या नह�ं लगता है। हालां क, कई
साल तक यह� चe जार� रहे तो आपके नींद क- अव)ध कम हो सकती है। कई बार ^यिPत आधी रात
को ह� उठ जाता ह' और उसे दोबारा सोने म& परेशानी आती है।
मोबाइल फोन के इ�तेमाल से भी देर से आती है नींद
अ/न]ा के 6शकार और सुबह ज[द� जगने वाले लोग, को ऐसे तर�के अपनाने चाZहए िजससे उVह& ज[द�
नींद आ जाए। मोबाइल फोन और ई-बुक आZद से /नकलने वाल� नील� रोशनी के चलते भी ^यिPत को
देर से नींद आती है। इसी कारण सोने से पहले फोन आZद के इ�तेमाल से बचना चाZहए।
^यायाम और �व�थ भोजन अfछ@ नींद म& सहायक
रोजाना ^यायाम करने और सोने से पहले भार� खाने से बचना भी अfछ@ नींद म& सहायक हो सकता है।
यZद नींद आधी रात को या सुबह बहुत ज[द� खुले तो उस वPत कोई ऐसा काम करना चाZहए िजससे
बो8रयत हो। दरअसल, बो8रयत होने से ^यिPत को तुरंत ह� नींद आ जाती है।
-
माइ+ेन
कह%ं कॉफ� न बन जाए आपके माइ+ेन का कारण! (Dainik Jagran: 20190816)
https://www.jagran.com/lifestyle/health-even-drinking-coffee-can-give-you-migraine-
19488377.html
Zदन म& तीन कप या इससे yयादा कॉफ- पीने से माइ`ेन का खतरा बढ़ जाता है। इस अ_ययन के तहत
माइ`ेन और कैफ-न युPत पदाथl के बीच के संबंध का आकलन कया गया।
नई Zद[ल�, जेएनएन। yयादातर लोग 6सर दद* क- 6शकायत होने पर गम* चाय या कॉफ- पीना चाहते
ह'। ऐसा इस6लए Pय, क अभी तक माना गया है क चाय या कॉफ- पीने से आपको राहत 6मल सकती
है। ले कन एक नई �टडी म& पाया गया है क कॉफ- पीना भी आपके माइ`ेन के पीछे का बड़ा कारण हो
सकता है।
एक अ_ययन म& दावा कया गया क Zदन म& तीन कप या इससे yयादा कॉफ- पीने से माइ`ेन का
खतरा बढ़ जाता है। इस अ_ययन के तहत माइ`ेन और कैफ-न युPत पदाथl के बीच के संबंध का
आकलन कया गया। �व�वभर म& एक अरब से अ)धक लोग माइ`ेन क- इस बीमार� से पीAड़त ह' और
यह द/ुनया म& तीसरे नंबर क- ऐसी बीमार� है िजससे सवा*)धक लोग पीAड़त ह'।
र�सच*ज़* ने पाया क िजन लोग, को कभी-कभी भयानक 6सर दद* या माइ`ेन क- 6शकायत होती है,
उVह& एक या दो बार कैफ-न युPत पेय पदाथ* लेने से उस Zदन 6सर दद* नह�ं हुआ ले कन तीन कप या
इससे अ)धक कॉफ- लेने से उस Zदन या उससे अगले Zदन उVह& 6सर दद* हुआ।
हालां क नींद पूर� नह�ं होने समेत कई अVय कारण, से भी माइ`ेन का खतरा बढ़ सकता है, ले कन
कैफ-न क- भू6मका �वशेष >प से जZटल है Pय, क एक तरफ तो यह इसका खतरा बढ़ाती है, दसूर�
तरफ यह इसके /नयंcण म& भी मददगार है। यह र�सच* ऐसे 98 वय�क, पर कया गया िजVह& कभी-
कभी माइ`ेन क- 6शकायत होती है।
-
Fertility Rate
PM Modi flags population boom: Fertility rate falling, 7 key states over India average
(The Indian Express: 20190816)
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-fertility-rate-population-india-5909022/
Seven states — UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand
— that account for about 45 per cent of the total population in the 2011 Census, recorded a
higher TFR than the national average.
Wealth creators are India’s wealth, don’t see them with suspicion: PM Modi
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted “population explosion” and underscored the
need for “social awareness” to deal with this concern in his Independence Day address to the
nation Thursday, trends indicate that the country has consistently made gradual
improvements in curbing its fertility rates.
Currently, however, the national Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which measures the number of
children born to a woman at the end of childbearing age, is estimated to be still marginally
higher than the replacement rate, which is the average number of children a woman needs to
have to keep the population at a constant size.
The latest estimates (for 2017) by the Sample Registration System (SRS) under the Registrar
General of India (RGI) has pegged the country’s TFR at 2.2. This is only marginally more
than the replacement rate which stands at 2.1.
This latest data also show that seven states — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), Madhya
Pradesh (2.7), Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — that
account for about 45 per cent of the total population in the 2011 Census recorded a higher
TFR than the national average.
Gujarat and Haryana, too, recorded a TFR of 2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is
equal to the national average.
While relatively well-off states in the south — Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka
(1.7), Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra Pradesh (1.6) and Telangana (1.7) — demonstrate fertility
rates below the rate required for population replacement, the states of West Bengal (1.6),
Jammu and Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha (1.9), too, were estimated to have lower TFRs in 2017.
“I would like to highlight the issue of population explosion in our country from the aegis of
the Red Fort today. This rapidly increasing population poses various new challenges for us
and our future generations,” Modi said in his Independence Day address, highlighting the
issue as he went on to suggest that keeping a small family is akin to patriotism.
-
“This small section of responsible citizens is self-motivated to keep their family small. Not
only do they contribute to the welfare of their family but also to the good of the nation. They
express patriotism.”
Modi, in this context, lauded parents who have maintained small families and suggested that
they should serve as an inspiration for families who have not paid attention to the issue of
“population explosion”.
“The people who have played this huge role need to be honoured, and by setting them as
examples, we need to inspire the segment of society who are still not thinking on these lines.
We need to worry about population explosion,” said Modi.
The Sample Registration System (SRS) measured regularly reveals that the TFR has not only
been improving for the country as a whole but even in states that register a TFR higher than
the replacement rate.
The latest report of 2017 underlined that the TFR has declined from 5.2 to 4.5 between 1971
and 1981 and from 3.6 to 2.2 between 1991 and 2017. In fact, the data reveal that trends vary
along the rural-urban divide as well as the literacy levels of women.
Explained: What’s behind recession fears
The SRS reveals that while an “illiterate” woman is likely to give birth to 2.9 children on
average, a “literate” woman will produce fewer (2.1) children. Women with education levels
of Class 10 and above have been recorded to have a TFR below the replacement rate (2.1).
Data show that a Class 10-pass woman produces two children on average while a woman
who has cleared Class XII will produce 1.8 children. The TFR for a woman with education
levels of a graduate or above is 1.4 children. Likewise, urban areas have been usually found
to have a lower TFR than rural areas. While the TFR declined from 5.4 to 2.4 from 1971 to
2017 in rural areas, the decline in urban areas slipped below the replacement rate from 4.1 to
1.7 during the same period.
This decline in fertility rates is also reflected in the total population growth recorded in the
Census. The decadal population growth in the intervening period between the 2001 Census
and the 2011 Census has seen a decline after the 1971 Census.
Incidentally, the 2011 Census recorded the sharpest decline in the percentage decadal
population growth during 2001-11 since Independence. The decadal growth during 2001-11
stood at 17.64, a sharp dip of 3.9 percentage points against 21.54 growth recorded in the
previous decade (1991-2001).
-
Explained: What fertility rate data show (The Indian Express: 20190816)
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/fertility-rate-what-the-data-show-5908777/
PM has flagged ‘challenges’ posed by India’s ‘population explosion’. While India is expected
to soon overtake China as the world’s most populous country, the total fertility rate has been
falling almost everywhere in India
During his Independence Day speech Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined
challenges posed by population growth in the country.
The graph (below) shows trends for the total fertility rate (TFR) in various states. TFR,
defined as the number of children born to a woman until the end of her child-bearing age, is a
key indicator for population trends.
During his Independence Day speech Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined
challenges posed by population growth in the country. “I would like to highlight the issue of
population explosion in our country from the aegis of the Red Fort today. This rapidly
increasing population poses various new challenges for us and our future generations,” the
Prime Minister said.
The graph is based on TFR data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) undertaken by
the Office of the Registrar General of India. The SRS also looks at other indicators such as
crude birth rate, general fertility rate, age specific/marital fertility rate, gross reproduction
rate along with sex ratio at birth. While Census figures provide the total population every
decade, the regular SRS estimates provide dynamic trends underlying the population growth.
-
After four successive years (2013-2016) when the TFR stagnated at 2.3 births per woman of
child-bearing age, the latest SRS estimates (2017) show the TFR dropping to 2.2. This figure
is only marginally higher than the fertility rate (2.1) required for replacement of the existing
population.
SRS estimates over the last decade and more, meanwhile, show a declining trend across the
country. Even the states that have a higher TFR — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), MP (2.7),
Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — have been witnessing
a declining trend in fertility rates. These seven states account for about 45 per cent of the total
population in the 2011 Census. Two more states, Gujarat and Haryana, recorded a TFR of
2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is equal to the national average. Taken together,
these nine major states account for 52 per cent of the 2011 population.
This means that in the states barring these nine, and accounting for almost half the
population, the replacement level is either 2.1 or has gone below it. These states with a lower
TFR include Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka (1.7), Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra
Pradesh (1.6), Telangana (1.7), West Bengal (1.6), Jammu and Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha
(1.9).
-
Understanding the PM’s concerns on population (Hindustan Times: 20190816)
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
There is a mismatch between resources and population, causing instability. India must
address the issue
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern about the unabated growth of India’s population
will definitely trigger a healthy and constructive debate. With 1.3 billion people, India is the
world’s second most populous country. The country’s population has increased from 361
million in 1951 to 1.2 billion in 2011. Moreover, according to the latest United Nation’s
population projection, India is expected to surpass China by 2024 and will have more than
1.6 billion people by 2050. Modi has aptly described the population growth as ‘explosive’.
The country witnessed a dramatic increase in population between 1960s to 1990s when the
average population growth rate was 2% per year. Besides unplanned growth, this can be
attributed to two reasons - gradually declining mortality level as infant mortality declined
from 225 per 1,000 live births in early 1950s to 80 per 1,000 live births by the 90s. This was
accompanied with a relatively slow change in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) from six children per
woman in 1966 to 3.8 children per woman in 1992. Subsequently, while the rate of
population growth has been declining, absolute population has been increasing.
Modi’s concern, first, indicates that there is an uneven relationship between our resources and
demography. This causes social misery, undermines growth, and throws a multitude of
challenges in the field of education, health, nutrition, among others.
Second, it shows that concerns around population constitute a major priority of the
government and indicates the possibility of a concrete policy change, arrived through
democratic discourse, in coming days. In the past too, there have been efforts to check
population growth but this remained confined to reports and seminars. For instance, in 1992,
the National Development Council formed a committee headed by K Karunakaran, the then
chief minister of Kerala. It recommended a legislation in Parliament denying people political
positions if they have more than two children. This was, however, in vain.
Population policy should be intended to stabilise the current population. This requires both a
macro and micro approach. While a two-child norm is required to achieve replacement level,
ie 2:1, this policy can be successful only when regions and sub-regions are taken into
consideration.
Census data reveals that while southern and western states are experiencing demographic
transitions close to replacement level, states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, and other northern and eastern states have failed to implement family welfare
programmes. This has led to disproportionate migration from these states. This also reflects
-
in their health, education and other social indicators. The recent annual health survey (2010-
2013) shows that more than 26 districts have TFR of 3.0, and they are clustered across the
nine states of northern and eastern India. These nine states together account for nearly 48% of
the total population, 59% of births, and 70% of infant deaths. While 174 districts out of 621
achieved replacement level fertility, there are 72 districts which have TFR of more than four
children per woman. Unless the state comes with unambiguous policy measures, our
population, and subsequently, development goals will remain elusive.
Any discourse on population stabilisation faces two major challenges.
One, the past experience of coercion during the Emergency (1975-77) still haunts public
memory. Draconian modes were applied leading to victimisation. Thus, democratic
discourse, which PM Modi indicated, is required to liberate the pseudo fear being spread by a
section of liberals who believe that things will sort themselves out. They are just
counterMalthusians.
Another challenge, which undermines healthy debate, is communalisation. Census data
shows that the growth of Hindus is slower than Muslims in all the censuses since the first
census in 1872. In post-Independent India too, the difference in growth rates have remained
undiminished. In 1991-2001, the average growth rate was 22.6 %, while the growth rate of
Muslims was 36.02%. In 2011, against the average growth rate of 17.22%, Hindus and
Muslims grew at the rates of 16.57 and 24.64% respectively. Some social scientists have
contemptuously describe such analysis as saffron demography. But the Hindu population has
declined from 84% in 1951 to 79.87% in 2011, and Muslim population, grown from 9 % to
14% in the same period.
Air Pollution
Cleanest air in 8 yrs for Delhi (Hindustan Times: 20190816)
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Average air pollution levels in the first seven months of the year in Delhi are the lowest since
2012, but remain way above the safe limit
-
Steps taken to clean Delhi’s air
■ Graded Response Action Plan for different levels of air pollution
■ Comprehensive Action Plan
(CAP) notified
■ Introduction of cleaner fuels
– CNG, PNG and BS-VI
■ Shutting down of thermal power plants
■ Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi launched
Long way to go
A study by scientists at IIT-Delhi revealed that in the last 20 years, average level of PM2.5
stayed over 2 to 3 times over permissible limits “Even though pollution levels have
dropped… the average air quality is still not good because pollution is still two to three times
above the prescribed limits… We need to concentrate on the average air quality throughout
the year.” VIVEK CHATTOPADHYAY Senior programme manager, Centre for Science &
Environment
-
Delhi cleanest air still has pollutants twice over limit (Hindustan Times: 20190816)
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
AQI staying between 55 and 70 over past few days because of rain, winds
From page 1 NEW DELHI: Delhiites have been breathing easy this year, with the city at
present witnessing its cleanest air in eight years.
-
In a city, which has been tagged as the most polluted in the world, the average air pollution
level in the first seven months of the year have been the lowest, compared to the
corresponding period of previous years since 2012, data provided by the Delhi Pollution
Control Committee (DPCC) showed.
Even as experts attributed the drop in pollution levels to a series of anti-pollution measures
initiated both by the Centre and the Delhi government, they cautioned that the levels of
particulate matter (PM) in the city’s air was still around twice than the prescribed limits and
pollution checking measures should be enforced.
“The levels of PM10 and PM2.5 – the two critical pollutants of Delhi – have been lowest for
the period of January to July when compared to previous years. This has been possible
because of several measures that have been undertaken over the past two years at least,” said
MP George, a scientist with the DPCC.
While the average concentration of PM2.5, during the first seven months (January to July),
has steadily dropped from 133ug/ m3 in 2012 to 101ug/m3 in 2019, the level of PM10 has
also come down from 326ug/m3 in 2012 to 237ug/ m3 in 2019.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the PM2.5 levels in Delhi dropped by
7.3% in 2018 when compared to 2017 and by 14.8% over 2016. Similarly reduction in PM10
levels in 2018 is 8.6% over 2017 and 16.5% over 2016.
“In August, we have been experiencing ‘satisfactory’ air quality in the last ten days. The AQI
has been staying between 55 and 70 over the past few days mainly because of meteorological
conditions – rain and winds. The best air quality of this year so far was experienced on
August 12, when the AQI dropped to 57,” said a CPCB official.
On a scale of 0 – 500, an AQI value less than 50 is considered as ‘good’ quality air.
“Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR depend on ground-level human activities and meteorology. If
we can check and control our ground level activities, much of the pollution can be brought
down. Some measures have already been initiated and the results have started showing,” said
D Saha, former head of the CPCB’s air quality laboratory.
According to environment department officials in Delhi, the drop in pollution levels is the
cumulative effect of a series of measures that have been undertaken over the past two years at
least – introducing upgraded fuels such as BS-VI, CNG and PNG (for industries), shutting
down of Badarpur power plant, implementing measures under GRAP, launching of eastern
and western peripheral expressways, addressing pollution related complaints lodged by
citizens on social media and banning fuels like coal and kerosene.
“Even though pollution levels have dropped compared to previous years, the average air
quality throughout the year is still not good because pollution is still two to three times above
the prescribed limits. We need to concentrate on the average air quality throughout the year
by check sources,” Vivek Chattopadhyay, senior program manager (Clean Air Program) at
the Centre for Science and Environment.
-
According to CPCB data the number of ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ days had increased to 159 in
2018, as compared to 152 in 2017, and the number of ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ days had reduced to
206, compared to 213 in 2017.
Tuberculosis
Approval for drug that makes TB cure simpler (Hindustan Times: 20190816)
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
NEWDELHI: The US drug regulator has approved a new medicine for treating deadly, drug-
resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) that makes the treatment regimen shorter and simpler.
Pretamonid, a novel compound developed by the nonprofit organization TB Alliance, was
approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on August 14.
TB is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, killing at least 1.6 million people
annually. There are more than half a million cases of multi drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)
annually, with about 6% of those cases being extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) cases.
India accounts for nearly a quarter of the global TB cases. The new drug was approved under
the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs (LPAD pathway) as
part of a three-drug, six-month, all-oral regimen for the treatment of people with XDR-TB or
MDR-TB, who are treatment-intolerant or non-responsive.The LPAD pathway was
established by the US drug regulator as a tool to encourage further development of
antibacterial and antifungal drugs to treat serious, life-threatening infections that affect a
limited population of patients with unmet needs.
“FDA approval of this treatment represents a victory for the people suffering from these
highly drug-resistant forms of the world’s deadliest infectious disease,” said Mel Spigelman,
managing director, president and chief executive officer of TB Alliance. “The associated
novel regimen will hopefully provide a shorter, more easily manageable and highly
efficacious treatment for those in need,” he added.
The three-drug regimen consisting of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid – collectively
referred to as the BPaL regimen – was studied in the pivotal Nix-TB trial across three sites in
South Africa. The trial enrolled 109 people with XDR-TB and also MDR-TB. Nix-TB data
demonstrated a successful outcome in 95 of the first 107 patients after six months of
-
treatment with BPaL and six months of post-treatment follow-up. For two patients, treatment
was extended to nine months.
TB, in all forms, is treated with a combination of drugs; the most drug-sensitive forms of TB
require six months of treatment using four anti-TB drugs.
New cure for deadly strain of tuberculosis (The Hindu: 20190816)
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/new-cure-for-deadly-strain-of-
tuberculosis/article29103544.ece
Easy to swallow: A pharmacist holds two sets of pills, showing the difference between the
amount of tablets a patient takes on the new course, left, versus the old treatment.
The regimen has shown to drastically cut down treatment time in a clinical trial in South
Africa
Four years ago, South African fashion designer Innocent Molefe, 38, was diagnosed with
tuberculosis. A year ago, it developed into multi-drug resistant strain requiring painful
injections and heaps of pills.
Three months after the first round of treatment, he relapsed and started a second round. At the
end of it he still wasn’t cured.
Thanks to a new treatment — approved on Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, he is now cleared of the disease, has bounced back to work and has even
resumed night-clubbing, something he has stopped four years ago.
“I was willing to beat TB and I’m living proof. I can move around... I can still go clubbing till
the early hours,” said the designer.
The announcement was especially welcomed in South Africa, one of the countries with the
highest number of TB cases. Of the more than 1.6 million TB deaths recorded every year,
more than 75,000 are in South Africa alone. In 2017, South Africa recorded more than
3,22,000 active TB cases.
The new treatment which cures highly drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis will drastically
shorten the treatment period.
Three-drug combination
-
The three-drug regimen consists of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid — collectively
known as the BPaL regimen.
Pretomanid is the novel compound developed by the New York-based non-profit organisation
TB Alliance and which received the FDA greenlight on Wednesday.
The treatment regimen was studied at three sites in South Africa involving 109 patients and
achieved a 90% success rate after six months of treatment and six months of post-treatment
follow-ups.
With the treatment involving five pills of the three drugs daily taken over just six months, it is
easier to administer.
This compares to between 30 and 40 drugs that multiple-drug resistant TB patients take each
day for up to two years.
“Usually and in many places in the world the treatment for (multiple) ... drug resistant TB
would take anything between 18 to 24 months,” said Pauline Howell, principal investigator of
the clinical trial at Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital in Johannesburg.
‘Huge difference’
“This still includes daily injections for six months, which are extremely painful,” Ms. Howell
said, adding that taking only five pills would make a huge difference.
The FDA approval represents a victory for those suffering from highly drug-resistant forms
of the world’s deadliest infectious disease, said Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB
Alliance.
Last year, there were more than half a million drug resistant TB cases in the world.
Ebola
Taming Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (The Hindu: 20190816)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/finally-a-cure-for-ebola/article29103156.ece
A health worker filling a syringe with Ebola vaccine before injecting it to a patient, in Goma,
Democratic Republic of Congo, earlier this month.
A randomised trial has shown two candidate drugs to be highly effective in curing the disease
-
There is good news a year after Ebola struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
making 2,619 people ill and killing 1,823. Assuming that the final test results are valid, the
disease — which has had an overall fatality rate of about 67% in the current outbreak in DRC
— can be treated with drugs, especially if treatment is started early.
Earlier, Merck’s preventive Ebola vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV-GP), which has had a 97.5%
efficacy, helped slow the virus’s spread, but was not able to stop the disease in its tracks.
Now, four candidate drugs — Zmapp, remdesivir, REGN-EB3 and mAb114 — have been
tested in a randomised trial, which began in November last year and, as on August 9, had
enrolled 681 of the target 725 patients. Preliminary results, of 499 of the participants, show
that two of the candidates, REGN-EB3 and mAb114, were highly effective in treating people
infected with the virus. While REGN-EB3 “crossed the efficacy threshold” set for the trial,
the efficacy of mAb114 was also comparable, say the results.
Reduced mortality
The overall mortality among patients randomly chosen to receive REGN-EB3 and mAb114
was 29% and 34% respectively. In the case of Zmapp and remdesivir, the overall mortality
was way higher at 49% and 53% respectively.
The striking difference in efficacy was in patients who were recently infected (and so had a
low viral load). Further, REGN-EB3 cured the disease in 94% of such patients, while, in the
case of mAb114, it was 89%.
Taking into consideration the superiority of the two candidates, data and safety monitoring
board recommended that all future patients be given either of the two, though they have not
yet been licensed.
REGN-EB3 is a cocktail of three antibodies generated by injecting Ebola virus into a mice
model that has a human-like immune system, while mAb114’s development goes back to the
Ebola outbreak in 1995 in Congo.
The first step towards finding a cure was taken in 2005 by veteran Congolese microbiologist
Jean Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover Ebola virus in 1976 and is now tasked
with bringing the current outbreak under control. Mr. Tamfum transfused blood of Ebola
survivors into eight people with disease and though antibodies were not isolated, seven of the
eight survived. In 2006, antibodies isolated from two survivors led to the development of
mAb114.
Final analysis awaited
While we will have to wait till end September or early October before final analysis of all the
trial data is performed, there is a high possibility that the final results will be along the same
lines as the preliminary results, which were based on the data of 499 patients — nearly 69%
of the total number of participants.
-
Vaccination strategies have so far faced huge challenges, including those relating to tracing
primary contacts and contacts of contacts, and the mistrust among the infected people
towards authorities and health-care workers. However, in all likelihood, the attitude of people
will change, and they will become more willing to seek medical care without delay, once they
know that Ebola is a curable disease.
Trial of a new Ebola preventive vaccine from Johnson & Johnson has already begun in
Uganda.
While the interim analysis shows Merck’s vaccine to be highly effective, the durability of
protection is not known. Further, a high coverage will be required to prevent outbreaks. And
when outbreaks do occur, the availability of an approved treatment will be important for
optimal responses.
If the final results of Merck’s preventive vaccine trial and the two drugs to treat the disease
do not spring any adverse surprise, Ebola, which has had a free run so far, is all set to be
tamed.
Medicinal Plant (The Asian Age: 20190816)
http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=13583755
-
Dementia
Social activity in your 60s may lower dementia risk by 12% (Medical News Today:
20190816)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326064.php
New research over a 28-year follow-up period finds significant evidence that frequent social
contact at the age of 60 can lower the risk of developing dementia later on.
Spending time with friends could stave off dementia for those 60 and older.
The link between having a rich social life and brain health has received much attention in the
scientific community.
Some studies have suggested that levels of social interaction can predict cognitive decline
and even dementia, while others have shown that group socializing can prevent the harmful
effects of aging on memory.
New research examines the link between social contact and dementia in more depth. Andrew
Sommerlad, Ph.D., from the Division of Psychiatry at University College London (UCL), in
the United Kingdom, is the first and corresponding author of the new study.
Sommerlad and colleagues started from a critical observation of existing studies. They say
that numerous findings have suggested that frequent social contact can protect the brain,
either by helping to build a "cognitive reserve," or by reducing stress and promoting more
healthful behaviors.
Many longitudinal studies have found an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in
people with a smaller social network or less frequent social contact. However, the authors
note, most of these studies had a follow-up period of fewer than 4 years.
Furthermore, a lot of these observational findings could be biased by reverse causation,
which means that social isolation may be an effect rather than a cause of dementia.
In light of the above, Sommerlad and colleagues decided to investigate the link between
dementia and social contact over a much longer period — 28 years.
The results appear in the journal PLOS Medicine.
Studying social activity and dementia
Sommerlad and the team carried out a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort study
called Whitehall II.
-
Whitehall II included 10,308 participants who were 35–55 years old at the beginning of the
study, in 1985–1988.
The participants were clinically followed until 2017. During this period, 10,228 of the
participants reported on their social contact six times, through a questionnaire that asked
about relationships with relatives and friends living outside of their household.
New evidence that social media increases loneliness
In the debate about whether social media worsens loneliness, new evidence has emerged.
The cognitive status of the participants was assessed five times, using standard "tests of
verbal memory, verbal fluency, and reasoning."
To determine the occurrence of dementia, the researchers looked at three clinical and
mortality databases.
They applied Cox regression models with inverse probability and adjusted the analyses for
"age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, health behaviors, employment status,
and marital status."
Friends may lower dementia risk by 12%
The study found that more frequent social contact at age 60 with friends, but not relatives,
correlated with lower dementia risk.
Specifically, a person who saw friends almost every day at the age of 60 had a 12% lower
risk of developing dementia later on, compared with someone who only saw one or two
friends once every few months.
"[W]e've found that social contact in middle age and late life appears to lower the risk of
dementia. This finding could feed into strategies to reduce everyone's risk of developing
dementia, adding yet another reason to promote connected communities and find ways to
reduce isolation and loneliness."
Andrew Sommerlad, Ph.D.
Senior study author Gill Livingston, a professor at UCL's department of psychiatry, also
weighs in on the findings. Although the analysis was observational, she ventures some
potential explanations for the mechanisms underlying the findings.
"People who are socially engaged are exercising cognitive skills, such as memory and
language, which may help them to develop cognitive reserve — while it may not stop their
brains from changing, cognitive reserve could help people cope better with the effects of age
and delay any symptoms of dementia," says Prof. Livingston.
In broad strokes, the concept of cognitive reserve refers to the brain's flexibility and capacity
to use resources in novel ways to solve new problems and challenges. Things like education
and finding out new information can help build cognitive reserve.
-
Furthermore, Prof. Livingston adds, "Spending more time with friends could also be good for
mental wellbeing and may correlate with being physically active, both of which can also
reduce the risk of developing dementia."
Insulin Resistance
How diet can alter the gut, leading to insulin resistance (Medical News Today:
20190816)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326050.php
New research — using mouse models and fecal samples collected from humans — looks into
the mechanisms that promote insulin resistance via the gut environment. The type of diet a
person eats may be key, the researchers suggest.
New research looks in more detail at the mechanisms linking diet to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance occurs when the body stops responding normally to insulin, a hormone that
helps the body process sugar.
Developing insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes, which is a metabolic condition that
affects millions of people worldwide.
Obesity is a significant risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. But how and why does
obesity drive this metabolic change?
Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada believe the answer may lie in the
mechanisms that consuming a high fat diet sets in motion.
"During high fat diet feeding and obesity, a significant shift occurs in the microbial
populations within the gut, known as dysbiosis, which interacts with the intestinal immune
system," the researchers explain in their new study paper, published in Nature
Communications.
The team decided to try and find out exactly how a high fat diet might alter gut immunity
and, thus, bacterial balance, leading to insulin resistance.
"A link between the gut microbiota and the intestinal immune system is the immune derived
molecule immunoglobulin A (IgA)," the researchers note in their paper. They add that this
molecule is an antibody produced by B cells, a type of immune cells.
-
The investigators thought that IgA might be the missing link that explained how a poor diet
leads to insulin resistance by altering gut immunity.
A sensitive mechanism impacted by diet
In the first part of their study, the investigators used mouse models with obesity, some of
which lacked IgA. The researchers found that when the IgA-deficient mice ate a high fat diet,
their insulin resistance worsened.
When the researchers collected gut bacteria from the IgA-deficient mice and transplanted
them into rodents without gut bacteria, these mice also developed insulin resistance.
This experiment, the researchers suggest, indicates that at normal levels, IgA would help keep
gut bacteria in check. Not just that, but it would also help prevent harmful bacteria from
"leaking" through the intestines.
Mice without IgA had increased gut permeability, meaning that harmful bacteria could "leak"
from the gut into the rest of the body.
Following these experiments in preclinical models, the researchers then moved on to see if
the same mechanisms applied to humans. They were able to obtain stool samples from
individuals who had undergone bariatric surgery — a form of surgery for weight loss.
The researchers analysed the content of IgA in stool samples collected both before and after
the individuals had undergone bariatric surgery.
List of tests for diabetes
Learn how doctors can find out if a person has a form of diabetes.
The researchers found that these individuals had higher levels of IgA in their feces after
surgery, suggesting that this antibody was indeed linked to metabolic function and influenced
by diet.
"We discovered that during obesity, there are lower levels of a type of B cell in the gut that
make an antibody called IgA," notes the study's lead author Helen Luck.
"IgA is naturally produced by our bodies and is crucial to regulating the bacteria that live in
our gut," she explains. She adds that "[i]t acts as a defence mechanism that helps neutralize
potentially dangerous bacteria that take advantage of changes to the environment, such as
when we consume an imbalanced or fatty diet."
The results of the current research suggest a direct link between eating a high fat diet and
having obesity, on the one hand, and having lower levels of gut IgA, symptoms of gut
inflammation, and developing insulin resistance, on the other.
In the future, the researchers would like to find out how best to boost levels of IgA-producing
B cells, believing that this intervention could protect against insulin resistance.
-
"If we can boost these IgA B cells or their products, then we may be able to control the type
of bacteria in the gut. Especially the ones that are more likely to be linked to inflammation
and ultimately, insulin resistance. "
Co-author Dr. Daniel Winer
"Going forward, this work could form the basis for new gut immune biomarkers or therapies
for obesity and its complications, like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes," says study co-
author Dr. Daniel Winer.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis drugs may lower mortality risk by 34% (Medical News Today: 20190816)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326046.php
New research has found a correlation between taking osteoporosis drugs and a lower risk of
premature mortality. However, many people ignore their doctor's advice when it comes to
taking medication for bone health, the investigators note.
Researchers have found an association between taking drugs for osteoporosis and a
significantly lower death risk.
Osteoporosis is an age related condition that renders bone frailer and more prone to fractures.
While this condition is more common in women, it also affects many men too.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), osteoporosis of the
femur neck or lumbar spine — the most widespread forms of osteoporosis — affect 24.5% of
women and 5.1% of men who are 65 years of age or over in the United States.
Following an initial fracture related to osteoporosis, doctors will usually recommend drugs to
support bone health. Some of the osteoporosis drugs that doctors most commonly prescribe
are nitrogen bisphosphonates and etidronate, a nonnitrogen bisphosphonate.
New investigations from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, Australia,
have now revealed that the use of some of these drugs — which leads to lower bone loss rates
— correlates with a significantly lower mortality risk.
However, according to the study authors, many people whose doctors have prescribed
osteoporosis drugs after an initial fragility fracture do not follow that prescription.
-
"It's a common misconception that osteoporosis affects only women, and many people choose
to not take recommended treatments," notes study co-author Prof. Jacqueline Center.
"But osteoporotic fractures are not benign," she warns. "Osteoporosis medication not only
decreases the risk of further fractures — but it appears that this same medication also
decreases mortality rates over the subsequent 15 years."
Prof. Center and colleagues report these findings in two study papers, one that they published
in Osteoporosis International in April this year, and one featuring in the Journal of Bone and
Mineral Research this month.
Lower death risk tied to lower bone loss
In the first study, the researchers analyzed the data of 6,120 participants aged 50 years and
over who had enrolled in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.
This investigation revealed that study participants in the nitrogen bisphosphonates group —
alendronate and risedronate — had a 34% lower risk of premature death. However, when the
researchers looked at each nitrogen bisphosphonate separately, they saw that it was only
alendronate that produced this effect, and not risedronate.
In the second study, the team conducted a further analysis, using data from a cohort that had
also enrolled in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study. More specifically, they
assessed the data of 1,735 female participants aged 50 and over. In this case, they excluded
the male participants because very few of them met the study criteria.
Osteoporosis: Does poor social life impact bone health?
Older individuals with poor social lives may be more likely to develop osteoporosis, new
research suggests.
This time, the research revealed that participants who took nitrogen bisphosphonates had a
lower rate of bone loss as well as a lower mortality risk. The authors estimate that a lower
rate of femoral neck bone loss, in particular, contributed to around 39% of the reduction in
mortality seen in this group.
The researchers hope that their recent findings may encourage individuals with osteoporosis
to take their drug prescriptions seriously and follow their doctors' advice.
"For many individuals with osteoporosis, bone health isn't front-of-mind. We hope our study
results will encourage people with osteoporosis or at risk of a fracture to seek treatment —
and commit to taking it."
योगहृदय रोगDiet/ NutritionObesityHealthcareनींद की समस्यामाइग्रेनFertility RateAir PollutionTuberculosisEbolaMedicinal PlantDementiaInsulin ResistanceOsteoporosis