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Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

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Drink orange juice to cut obesity risk and better heart health
2289 days ago
Lifestyle

Drink orange juice to cut obesity risk and better heart health

Toronto, March 4 (IANS) Want to live a healthy and long life? Please take note. Researchers have found that drinking two-and-a-half glasses of orange juice a day could reverse obesity and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.## According to the findings, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, the researchers are studying a molecule found in sweet oranges and tangerines called nobiletin, which they have shown to drastically reduce obesity and reverse its negative side-effects.## "We went on to show that we can also intervene with nobiletin. We've shown that in mice that already have all the negative symptoms of obesity, we can use nobelitin to reverse those symptoms, and even start to regress plaque build-up in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis," said study researcher Murray Huff from Western University in Canada.## The research team demonstrated that mice fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet that was also given nobiletin were noticeably leaner and had reduced levels of insulin resistance and blood fats compared to mice that were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet alone.## However, they still haven't been able to pinpoint exactly how nobiletin works.## According to the study, the researchers hypothesized that the molecule was likely acting on the pathway that regulates how fat is handled in the body.## Called AMP Kinase, this regulator turns on the machinery in the body that burns fats to create energy, and it also blocks the manufacture of fats.## However, when the researchers studied nobiletin's effects on mice that had been genetically modified to remove AMP Kinase, the effects were the same.## "This result told us that nobiletin is not acting on AMP Kinase, and is bypassing this major regulator of how fat is used in the body. What it still leaves us with is the question - how is nobiletin doing this?" Huff said.## According to the researchers, this result is still clinically important because it shows that nobiletin won't interfere with other drugs that act on the AMP Kinase system.## The current therapeutics for diabetes like metformin, for example, work through this pathway, the researchers said.## The next step is to move these studies into humans to determine if nobiletin has the same positive metabolic effects in human trials.## "Obesity and its resulting metabolic syndromes are a huge burden to our health care system, and we have very few interventions that have been shown to work effectively, we need to continue this emphasis on the discovery of new therapeutics," Huff concluded.##

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Full-fat dairy products not linked to weight gain, high BP in kids
2290 days ago
Lifestyle

Full-fat dairy products not linked to weight gain, high BP in kids

Sydney, March 3 (IANS) There is no evidence that consuming full-fat dairy products increases children's risk of obesity or heart disease, says a new study that raises questions about the current dietary advice for children. ## "Dietary guidelines in Australia and other countries recommend children primarily consume reduced-fat dairy products to maintain a healthy weight and good cardiovascular health," said the study's lead author Therese O'Sullivan, Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup, Australia. ## "We found studies were consistent in reporting that whole-fat dairy products were not associated with increased levels of weight gain or obesity," she said. ## Published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, the research reviewed 29 studies from around the world that examined consumption of full-fat dairy products in children. ## The researchers found there was no clear link between the consumption of whole-fat dairy products and weight gain, high cholesterol or high blood pressure in children. ## "Reduced-fat dairy is generally recommended for both adults and children over the age of two years due to its lower energy and saturated fat content," O'Sullivan said. ## "However, studies suggest children who consumed low-fat over full-fat dairy products were actually replacing those calories from fat with other foods. ## "This suggests that low-fat dairy is not as filling as whole-fat dairy, which may lead kids to consume more of other foods. Health effects may depend on what these replacement foods are," she added. ## The research suggests that whole-fat dairy products may play an important role in a balanced diet for growing children. ## "Dairy is a good dietary source of nutrients for healthy development, including protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and several vitamins," she said. ## "Even though the fats found in whole-fat dairy are mostly saturated fats, they don't appear to be associated with the same detrimental health effects observed with foods like fatty meats," she added. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Even little drinking can weaken bones of people with HIV
2290 days ago
Lifestyle

Even little drinking can weaken bones of people with HIV

New York, March 3 (IANS) Any level of alcohol consumption for people living with HIV can weaken bones, raising the risk of osteoporosis, a new study has said. ## The researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and School of Medicine (BUSM) did not find an amount of alcohol consumption that appeared 'safe' for bone metabolism in people living with HIV. ## "As you get older, your ability to maintain adequate bone formation declines. These findings suggest that for people with HIV, alcohol may make this more difficult," said Dr Theresa W. Kim, assistant professor at BUSM in a paper published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. ## Low bone density is common among people living with HIV, even those who have successfully suppressed their viral loads with antiretroviral therapy. ## The finding highlights an under-recognized circumstance in which people with HIV infection often find themselves. ## "Their viral load can be well controlled by efficacious medications while other health conditions and risks that commonly co-occur -- like substance use and other medical conditions -- are less well-addressed," said Dr Richard Saitz, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. ## The researchers used data from 198 participants in the Boston ARCH cohort that included people living with HIV and current or past alcohol or drug use disorder. ## For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants' blood samples, looking at biomarkers associated with bone metabolism (a life-long process of absorbing old bone tissue and creating new bone tissue) and a biomarker associated with recent alcohol consumption. ## "If I were counseling a patient who was concerned about their bone health, besides checking vitamin D and recommending exercise, I would caution them about alcohol use," said Kim. ## For more and the news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Daytime sleepiness among the elderly may indicate cancer risk
2291 days ago
Lifestyle

Daytime sleepiness among the elderly may indicate cancer risk

New York, March 2 (IANS) Older people who experience daytime sleepiness even after having adequate sleep at night may be at the risk of developing new medical conditions, including diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure, says a study. ## The condition called hypersomnolence is defined as excessive daytime sleepiness even after having seven or more hours of sleep. ## It can be debilitating for some people, affecting the way that they perform at work and in other daily activities. ## "Paying attention to sleepiness in older adults could help doctors predict and prevent future medical conditions," said study author Maurice Ohayon of Stanford University in California. ## "Older adults and their family members may want to take a closer look at sleeping habits to understand the potential risk for developing a more serious medical condition," said Ohayon. ## The study involved 10,930 people. About 34 percent of the participants were 65 years or older. ## The findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 72nd annual meeting to be held in Toronto from April 25 to May 1. ## For the study, the researchers interviewed participants over the phone two times, three years apart. In the first interview, 23 percent of people over 65 met the criteria for excessive sleepiness. ## In the second interview, 24 percent reported excessive sleepiness. Of those, 41 percent said the sleepiness was a chronic problem. ## The study found that people who reported sleepiness in the first phone interview had a 2.3 times greater risk of developing diabetes or high blood pressure three years later than those who did not experience sleepiness. ## They were also twice as likely to develop cancer. ## Of the 840 people who reported sleepiness at the first interview, 52 people, or 6.2 percent, developed diabetes compared to 74 people, or 2.9 percent of those who were never sleepy during the day. ## Also, of the 840 people who reported sleepiness, 20 people, or 2.4 percent, developed cancer compared to 21 people, or 0.8 percent of those who were never sleepy during the day. ## People who reported daytime sleepiness during both interviews had a 2.5 times greater risk of developing heart disease. Those who reported sleepiness only in the second interview were 50 percent more likely to also have diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, such as arthritis, tendinitis, and lupus, than those who did not have daytime sleepiness. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Know why consumers don't buy environment-friendly products
2292 days ago
Lifestyle

Know why consumers don't buy environment-friendly products

London, March 1 (IANS) In an eye-opener for companies aiming to promote environment-friendly products, new research suggests that they should downplay its green credentials if they want consumers to buy it. ## Green products include features that are less harmful to the planet and population, such as biodegradable and nontoxic ingredients, that enhance energy efficiency and include recycled components. ## However, while it has been suggested that consumers are willing to buy such products, these attitudes rarely result in purchases and they often buy the conventional alternatives, say researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and University of Leeds. ## This is because of the performance ability sometimes associated with green products, whereby consumers perceive them as being less effective. ## "Instead, by downplaying the product's greenness, firms may be more likely to persuade consumers to buy it, if it is promoted on more traditional, rather than performance, aspects," said the study. ## Led by Dr Bryan Ursey of UEA's Norwich Business School, the study shows that the product category can influence the effect of a green product advertising strategy on performance assessments. ## "Given consumers' perceptions of poorly performing green products, persuading them to alter their consumption habits remains a difficult task for marketers," said Ursey. ## While firms have often attempted to enhance their environmental credentials by emphasizing a new product's green attributes, we show that this may in fact have negative consequences, he added in a paper published in the Journal of Advertising. ## "As green products are often associated with poorer performance, firms would do well to tailor their advertising to meet the expected benefits associated with a given product category," the authors noted. ## Previous research has found that consumers tend to choose products with superior functional performance over products with superior sustainability characteristics. ## In the new study, authors conducted two experiments: One with an advertisement for a new laundry detergent and the other using an advert for a washing machine that featured a new eco-mode, which reduces power and water usage. ## They found that implicit, rather than explicit, communication about greenness leads to higher performance evaluations and purchase intent for products that are less commonly green (the detergent) and for products that have an optional green mode (the washing machine). ## The findings have important implications for public policy makers and support the notion that consumers are more likely to engage in pro-social actions when the request for help is accompanied by some form of personal benefit. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestayle, stay tuned to us.

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Virtual avatars can help perform physiotherapy at home
2292 days ago
Lifestyle

Virtual avatars can help perform physiotherapy at home

London, March 1 (IANS) Virtual Reality (VR) combined with 3D Motion technology could allow physiotherapy to be translated onto a virtual avatar whom the patient can follow at home with ease, say researchers. ## Outside of the clinic, patients rarely receive any guidance other than a leaflet of sketches or static photographs to instruct them how to complete their exercises. ## This leads to poor adherence, with patients becoming anxious about not getting the exercise right, or simply getting bored by the repetitiveness of the movements. ## "There is huge potential for consumer VR technologies to be used for both providing guidance to physiotherapy exercises, but also to make the exercises more interesting," said Dr Mark Elliott, Principal investigator on the project from the University of Warwick. ## To reach this conclusion, the researchers asked participants to step in time with an avatar viewed through a VR headset. ## Unknown to the participants, the researchers subtly slowed down or speeded up one of the avatar's steps, such that the participants would have to correct their own stepping movement to stay in time. ## The effect this correction had on their step timing and synchronisation with the avatar was measured. ## "We found that participants struggled to keep in time if only visual information was present," said lead author Omar Khan from WMG, University of Warwick. ## However, "when we added realistic footstep sounds in addition to the visual information, the more realistic multisensory information allowed participants to accurately follow the avatar," Khan added in a paper published in the Journal PLOS ONE. ## The digitally-enabled technological solution can underpin transformative health innovations to impact the field of physiotherapy, and have a direct benefit to patients' rehabilitation. ## "We now plan to investigate other types of movements working closely in partnership with physiotherapists, to establish the areas of physiotherapy that will benefit most from this technology," said Professor Theo Arvanitis, co-author and Director of the Institute of Digital Healthcare. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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