Having bacon and sausages daily dramatically ups type 2 diabetes risk

Eating red meat, particularly processed meat such as hot dogs, sausages or bacon significantly increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new research has found.

The study also shows that replacing red meat with healthier proteins, such as low-fat dairy, nuts, or whole grains, can significantly lower the risk.

Study leader An Pan, research fellow in the HSPH Department of Nutrition, senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, and colleagues analysed questionnaire responses from 37,083 men followed for 20 years in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; 79,570 women followed for 28 years in the Nurses' Health Study I; and 87,504 women followed for 14 years in the Nurses' Health Study II.

They also conducted an updated meta-analysis, combining data from their new study with data from existing studies that included a total of 442,101 participants, 28,228 of whom developed type 2 diabetes during the study.

After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and other lifestyle and dietary risk factors, the researchers found that a daily 100-gram serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 19 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

They also found that one daily serving of half that quantity of processed meat-50 grams (for example, one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon)-was associated with a 51 percent increased risk.

"Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide," said Hu.

The study will be published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)

Top 10 Myths Related to Heart Problems

Let's deflate some heart-related myths right now:

Myth No. 1: Heart-Attack cannot get you if you're Physically Fit

Being fit may lessen the risk factors but it doesn't guarantee a life exempted from diseases. People often live under the impression that heart diseases mostly affect those who are obese. Even thin orweight conscious people can suffer from clogged arteries resulting from cholesterol deposits or damaged arteries. Factors like diabetes, smoking, tobacco abuse, genetic predisposition, genetics, high cholesterol or hypertension expose you to risk irrespective of your fitness levels.

Myth No. 2: It's Easy to Recognize the Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Forget ordinary people, a heart attack can even play hide-and-seek with cardiologists. Its symptoms can be varying and may not always be severe. Do not take the following symptoms lightly: Chest pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, weakness, unusual fatigue, heaviness, weakness, or pain in one or both arms, back pain, indigestion, racing or fluttering heart. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience these.

Myth No. 3: No Chest Pain Means No Heart Attack

A heart attack can have unusual indicators. Infact at times diabetics may not experience any pain. And it's not necessary that a person only experiences pain in the chest area. Chest pain or discomfort can be anywhere, starting from jaw to the umbilicus (navel aka belly button). The pain is not clearly localised. In fact, it's not even well-defined. It might be some sort of “heaviness” or “tightness” or a feeling of pressure. The chest pain associated with heart attacks is not usually sharp but more often described as dull. It can be lasting or intermittent. Squeezing or unusual discomfort at the back doesn't always mean an attack but the possibility cannot be fully ruled out until the tests are done.

Also, if you feel that you are experiencing an irregular heartbeat or hyperventilating, then don't overlook it as stress related disorder.

Myth No. 4: Wait and Watch the Chest Pain to Subside

The ancient “wait and watch” approach can prove to be lethal in the cases of heart and brain. Immediate medical attention should be sought after if you experience unrecognized, inexplicable chest pain. Every second counts and may cause irreparable damage to the heart. Dismissing chest pain for indigestion or gas is not a wise idea.

A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, causing catastrophic thrombus formation, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream.

Myth No. 5: Heart Problems do not Affect Young People

This may have been true in ancient times but doesn't really hold any weight in the present times. Cases of people aged between 20 and 40 years getting hit by a heart attack have been widely reported. And the main reason for this? The kind of lifestyle we have developed in the recent years.Junk food, smoking, less exercise, increased intake of alcohol and high levels of stress has become daily lifestyles of most of the urban working population. Add to this, the factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Myth No. 6: Taking an Aspirin in a Day Helps to Subside Heart Attacks

While taking of aspirin tablets is recommended during an active heart attack when someone is having chest pain, it is not recommended for everyday use to prevent heart disease unless specified by your doctor. Aspirin can have some seriously harsh side-effects. Everyday use of aspirin should not be done unless approved by a doctor.

Myth No. 7: After a Heart Attack Life Comes to a Halt

Life can be back on track if a person gets conscious about his lifestyle. Don't take an attack as the end of good life. If you become aware of your eating habits, exercise regime, banish smoke and alcohol from you territory and most importantly adopt a positive attitude towards your work then you can be as healthy as you were. Of course, you have to remain under strict medical supervision and follow all the advice dispensed by the doctor.

Myth No. 8: Heart Diseases Affect Men and Women in the Same Way

Men and women, both, suffer from heart disease but men have a higher risk of getting a fatal heart disease than women who are still getting their menstrual period. The conception that women do not suffer from heart attacks in erroneous. It's just that they are less prone to the disease than men and that too in their reproductive age group. By the age of 60-65, a woman is under the same degree of risk as a man. Women also lose much of their protection if they smoke, take oral contraception, are diabetic or hypertensive. While heart attack-related symptoms are almost same in both the sexes, women may also experience vomiting, breathlessness, nausea additionally.

Myth No. 9: Diabetes is Not a Threat as Long as the Blood Sugar Level is under Control

Diabetes itself causes inflammation that can damage blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease and other health problems. One also needs to take into account his weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels apart from the blood sugar level.

Myth 10: I've Already Had an Angioplasty (heart surgery) and so I can put all Heart-related worries to Rest

This is definitely untrue. If you go back to same old lifestyle ripe with carelessness that originally allowed you to develop a heart problem then you are quite likely to damage your heart again.

We must understand that heart is a complex organ and needs our attention accordingly. With diet, exercise and greater awareness of risks, most heart diseases are preventable. But sadly enough, people treat their cars better than their bodies. (MensXP.com)

Depression ups risk of stroke in women

A new study has linked depression with increased risk of stroke in women.

In six years of follow-up of women in the Nurses' Health Study, researchers found that a history of depression was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of total stroke - even after considering other stroke risk factors.

Women who used anti-depressant medication - particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors- had a 39 percent increased risk of stroke.

Anti-depressant medication use may be an indicator of depression severity, said Kathryn Rexrode, M.D., the study's senior author and Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass.

"I don't think the medications themselves are the primary cause of the risk. This study does not suggest that people should stop their medications to reduce the risk of stroke," she stated.

Compared to women without a history of depression, depressed women were more likely to be single, smokers and less physically active.

They were also slightly younger, had a higher body mass index and more coexisting conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

"Depression can prevent individuals from controlling other medical problems such as diabetes and hypertension, from taking medications regularly or pursuing other healthy lifestyle measures such as exercise," said Rexrode, who is also Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

"All these factors could contribute to increased risk," she added.

The finding was reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (ANI)

Low vitamin D linked to early menstruation, health problems later in life

Low vitamin D in young girls may lead to early menstruation, which is a risk factor for a host of health issues for teen girls as well as ladies later in life, according to a brand new study.

Researchers from the University of Illinois School of Public Health measured the blood vitamin D levels in 242 girls ages 5-12 from Bogota, Colombia, and followed them for 30 months.

Girls low on vitamin D were two times as likely to start menstruation in the work of the study than those with sufficient vitamin D, said epidemiologist Eduardo Villamor, associate professor in the U-M SPH.

Early menstruation is a risk factor for behavioural and psychosocial issues in teenagers.

Also, girls who have an earlier menarche appear to have increased risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases and cancer-particularly breast cancer, as adults.

In the research by Villamor and colleagues, 57 percent of the girls in the vitamin D-deficient group reached menarche in the work of the study, compared to 23 percent in the vitamin D-sufficient group.

In terms of age, girls who were low in vitamin D were about 11.8 years elderly when they started menstruating, compared to the other group at about age 12.6 years elderly.

This 10-month difference is substantial, Villamor said, because although ten months may not appear like a long time, at that age a lot is happening quickly to a young girl's body.

Want to reduce your belly fat? Eat apples, green peas and beans

Are you tired of having belly fat? Now, eat two small apples, one cup of green peas and one-half cup of pinto beans and exercise vigorously for 30 minutes, two to four times a week.

cording to the researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, vegetables, fruit and beans contain more soluble fiber and will help reduce visceral fat, or belly fat, around the midsection.

They found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation over the same time period.

"We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease," said Kristen Hairston, assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist and lead researcher on the study.

"Our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big health impact," he added.

The researchers examined whether lifestyle factors, such as diet and frequency of exercise, were associated with a five-year change in abdominal fat of African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

At the beginning of the study, which involved 1,114 people, the participants were given a physical exam, an extensive questionnaire on lifestyle issues, and a CT scan. Five years later, the exact same process was repeated.

The researchers found that increased soluble fiber intake was associated with a decreased rate of accumulated visceral fat, but not subcutaneous fat.

"There is mounting evidence that eating more soluble fiber and increasing exercise reduces visceral or belly fat, although we still don't know how it works," said Hairston.

The results are published in the June 16 online issue of the journal Obesity. (ANI)