housing affordability at 'crisis level' in canada's most expensive...

Housing affordability at 'crisis level' in Canada'smost expensive market, say economists

SONAKSHI SINHA DISHA PATANIKARISHMA KAPOORJANHVI KAPOOR

2019 GMC SIERRA DIVERGES FROMSILVERADO WITH UNIQUE BOX, TAILGATE

MALAIKA ARORA

RANBIR KAPOOR AND DEEPIKA PADUKONE AT THE WALK OF MIJWAN SHOW IN MUMBAI.

OTTAWA: Housing affordability in Canada's most expensive market —Vancouver — is at "crisis levels," according to a new study, which saysthe re-acceleration of home prices, along with higher interest rates, are"slamming" ownership costs again.The cost of buying a home in Vancouver reached its highest levels onrecord in the first quar ter of this year, according to the RBC HousingAffordability Measures study released on Tuesday.Vancouver residents would need nearly 88 per cent of their householdincome to buy a home, while Toronto residents would need more than 74per cent of their income to cover the cost, the study said.That compares with the Canadian average of about 48 per cent of house-hold income and less than 44 per cent in other major cities like Montrealand Calgary."Affordability is a major issue in two of Canada's largest markets. It's atcrisis levels in Vancouver and poses a tremendous challenge for manyToronto-area buyers despite improving in the past two quar ters," saidRober t Hogue, senior economist at RBC Economic Research, in the re-por t. "Because they apply from coast to coast, higher interest rates pres-sured affordability in all markets across Canada. In Vancouver, though, are-acceleration of home prices in the past three quarters amplified the

effect," he added. "These factors returned affordability to a sharply dete-riorating track af ter a short period of reprieve in late-2016 and early-2017." Despite a series of measures introduced by regulators and thegovernment over the past two years in an attempt to rein in propertyprices in Vancouver, the benchmark price for a home in Greater Vancouverrose to a record $1,094,000 in May, even as sales fell 35 per cent from ayear ago, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND — General Motors is delivering on itspromise to better distinguish the GMC Sierra from its sibling, theChevrolet Silverado, offering technology and amenities that go wellbeyond the usual cosmetic differences. In the past, GM set the twofull-size pickups apar t mostly through styling and pricing. But that'schanging for the redesigned 2019 versions, which are arriving in U.S.dealerships nationwide and scheduled to arrive in Canada in the fall.

26 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018l i f e s t y l e

5 eco-friendly ways to be a sustainable traveller

Best diet to reduce belly fat, boostheart health revealed

With travelling comes the respon-sibility of making sure that youdon’t pollute the place and leaveit better than you found it. Smallsteps can go a long way in doingso, whether it is not littering, trav-elling on foot or by public trans-por t, or opting for voluntourism.Here are 5 things all travellersshould be doing:* Cut down on use of plastic:When travelling, avoid using plas-tic bottles and instead carry re-usable ones. Similar ly, car r ycloth bags and paper bags or atote to avoid using plastic bagswhich are not biodegradable.* Walk around: A good way to seethe sights and sounds of a city isby walking. It can also save youfrom hiring a car and reduce yourcarbon emission as well. And youmight just discover some hiddennooks and corners of the city.

* Buy local: There’s no point intravelling to the other corner ofthe world to end up buying Madein China ar tefacts that are notsustainable. Instead, opt for localhandicrafts and ar tefacts thatmight help sustain local ar tisans

and local crafts.* Opt for homestays: Staying atsomeone’s home may help youlearn about the customs of a par-ticular community and can alsohelp you share resources, be itwater, electricity and not go over-

board as you may at a hotel.* Become a voluntourist: Com-bine your love for tourism with volun-teering and bring a change in the placesyou visit. You can teach children a newskill or lend a hand with farmingor daily chores.

Tr ying hard to reduce that burgeoning waistline? Follow-ing a hear t-healthy diet that is rich in fibre and low insaturated fats could be the key to weight loss and reduc-ing belly fat, suggests a study. While dieting may helpfight abdominal obesity, the ones that are popular on theinternet , including intermittent fasting, high-protein di-ets, the “Paleo” diet, and green tea, all lack high-qual-ity evidence. None of them have shown to be effectiveover other types of energy-restricted (reduced-calo-rie) diets, the researchers said. “There is still no miraclediet, food, nutrient, or bioactive component that will targetabdominal fat,” said Kari D. Pilolla, from the CaliforniaPolytechnic State University.But a hear t-healthy diet that is high in fibre and low insaturated fats is a great way to prevent and reduceabdominal obesity, Pilolla said, in the paper publishedin Health and Fitness Journal. Diets that par ticularlyhave lower intake of trans and saturated fats and higherintake of fibre appear helpful in reducing or preventingabdominal obesity.“These recommendations are consistent with hear t-healthy diets like the (US) NIH-developed Dietary Ap-proaches to Stop Hyper tension (DASH) diet and the Medi-terranean-style diet,” Pilolla said.She said that independent of body weight, a larger waistcircumference increases risk for cardiovascular disease,diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. These risks are mainlyrelated to visceral adipose tissue — fat stored below theabdominal muscles, surrounding the major internal or-gans. Visceral adipose tissue appears to be more “meta-bolically active” than subcutaneous fat, stored under theskin but above the abdominal muscles.Pilolla also recommends health and fitness professionalsto assess and monitor abdominal obesity in their clients,and to evaluate their cardiometabolic health risks.

SANA KHAN UNVEILS BRIDAL AND WEDDING COLLECTION BY REYNU IN MUMBAI.

LAKME FASHION WEEK 2018: SUSHMITA SENSIZZLES IN A SAREE, PLUS 5 BOLD STYLE LESSONSLakme Fashion Week 2018 Winter/Festive edition began on an edgynote with creative collections from various designers.The 5-day-longfashion extravaganza will showcase works by designers such asKunal Rawal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Amit Aggarwal, Ritu Kumar and afinale by Monisha Jaisingh on Sunday.If you’re looking for some fashion advice, here’s some help. Theseare some bold style lessons for you from day 1 and day 2.SAREES CAN BE POWER STATEMENTSarees have been enjoying a spot in the limelight for the past fewyears with various initiatives such as #100sareepact, more focus onhandloom weaves and sustainable indie brands working towardsmaking it a more functional outfit. Take a cue from Sushmita Sen, whoturned a Kanjeevaram saree into a complete power statement as shewalked the ramp for designer Sunita Shankar in collaboration withRmKV Silks.DRAMATIC MAKEUP IS HERE TO STAYExaggerated, thick eyebrows, over-the-top smoky eyes and bold lipsare just some of the makeup trends we saw on the ramp at LakmeFashion Week.LAYERING IS THE NEXT BIG THINGEvery season, the fashion brigade sets some trends that are thenfollowed by the masses. Similarly, 2018 belongs to layering. Fromthe biggest designers to smaller labels, everyone is offering outfitsthat can layered. Print on print, asymmetrical silhouettes, casual toformal, there’s something for everyone.FASHION WITH A HEARTSustainable fashion has been a popular theme across the past fewseasons of Lakme Fashion Week. But this year, it has gone from atoken trend to a more practical and doable theme. Labels such as Ekawith its ‘lived in’ collection demonstrated that fashion can be an agentof change. Rajesh Pratap Singh’s collection was made using interna-tional sustainable fibre brand Tencel.

Navya Naveli Nanda just wore themost casual of outfits and webarely recognised her

Shweta Bacchchan’s daughter Navya Naveli Nanda wasspotted looking so casual that we mistook her for our nextdoor neighbour. Navya hit the Mumbai streets on Sunday,showing how to add style to basic T-shir t and jeans.Thanks to actor Deepika Padukone, we know the power ofa simple vest. Pairing this staple with some frayed hemdenim is arguably the easiest way to pull off the relaxed-but-still-polished look. We love that Navya chose a pair oflight wash jeans, adding some dimension and depth to herhead-t-toe blue outfit.Navya finished the look with red and white sneakers. Shecarried an oh-so-covetable mini Louis Vuitton bagpack(Rs 1,35,431) and accessorised her understated look witha mix of delicate chain and earrings. Her low-key acces-sories created a unique casual look and gave the outfitmore of a thoughtful, personal touch.Navya’s youthful OOTD proves celebrity life isn’t alwaysabout the glitz and glamour: Stars still hit the streets injeans, run errands in sneakers, and throw their hair into amessy bun. So the next time you’re feeling stumped onwhat to wear with your favourite pair of jeans, pull inspira-tion from Navya’s outfit and you’ll be good to go.In order to emulate Navya’s versatile casual out-and-aboutensemble, invest in some basic vests — neutrals go witheverything. They’re flattering on their own, but even betterfor layering under jackets. Navya seems to live in den-ims, specifically those that are straight leg and croppedjust above the ankle with a frayed hem. So, find a similar pair ofjeans that are comfortable and flattering. Finally, choose shoes thatyou can wear all day, notice how Navya’s colour ful sneak-ers add a little something extra to the overall look? Throwin an interesting bag for an updated jeans and a tee look.

NEW WAY TO ATTACK HERPES VIRUS DISCOVERED BY SCIENTISTSA team of scientists have uncovered the mechanism that allows theherpes virus to replicate. Their study could open new therapeuticavenues to treat not only cytomegalovirus but other viruses as well.Human cytomegalovirus is a leading cause of birth defects and trans-plant failures. As it’s evolved over time, this virus from the herpesfamily has found a way to bypass the body’s defense mechanismsthat usually guard against viral infections. Until now, scientists couldn’tunderstand how it manages to do so.Normally, when a virus enters your cell, that cell blocks the virus’sDNA and prevents it from per forming any actions. The virus mustovercome this barrier to effectively multiply.To get around this obstacle, cytomegalovirus doesn’t simply inject itsown DNA into a human cell. Instead, it carries its viral DNA into thecell along with proteins called PP71. After entering the cell, it re-leases these PP71 proteins, which enables the viral DNA to replicateand the infection to spread.The researchers found that, while PP71 is still present in the cell, it

activates another protein known as IE1. This happens within the firstfew hours of the virus entering the cell, allowing the IE1 protein to takeover after PP71 dies and continue creating a new virus.To confirm their findings, the team created a synthetic version of thevirus that allowed them to adjust the levels of the IE1 proteins usingsmall molecules. With this technique, they could let the virus infect thecell while controlling how quickly the IE1 protein would break down inthe cell.The first author of the new study Noam Vardi said, “We noticed thatwhen the IE1 protein degrades slowly, as it normally does, the viruscan replicate very efficiently. But if the protein breaks down faster, thevirus can’t multiply as well. So, we confirmed that the virus needs theIE1 protein to successfully replicate.”This study could have broad implications for the scientific community,which has been struggling to determine how cells maintain their iden-tity over time. During development, for instance, stem cells choose apath based on the proteins that surround them.

MidWeek 27MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 l i f e s t y l e

TALK ABOUT AIRPORT TRAFFIC BESTIES KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN, KARISHMA KAPOOR AND AMRITA ARORA TURNED SEVERAL HEADS ATTHE AIRPORT AS THEY JETTED OFF TO DUBAI IN CO-ORDINATED OUTFITS.

SMOKING POT WHILE BREASTFEEDING,HERE’S WHAT IT DOES TO YOUR BREAST MILK

Heart disease can be predictedfrom your forehead wrinkles

People who have a lot more deep forehead wrinkles than istypical for their age may be at a higher risk of dying of cardio-vascular disease, a study has found. “We explored foreheadwrinkles as a marker because it’s so simple and visual. Justlooking at a person’s face could sound an alarm, then we couldgive advice to lower risk,” said Yolande Esquirol, associateprofessor at Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in France.The advice could include straightforward lifestyle changes likegetting more exercise or eating healthier food. “Of course, if youhave a person with a potential cardiovascular risk, you have tocheck classical risk factors like blood pressure as well as lipidand blood glucose levels, but you could already share somerecommendations on lifestyle factors,” said Esquirol.Risk of hear t disease increases as people age, but lifestyleand medical interventions can mitigate the danger. The chal-lenge is in identifying high-risk patients early enough to makea difference. The study investigated horizontal foreheadwrinkles to see if they had any value in assessing cardiovas-cular risk in a group of 3,200 working adults.Par ticipants, who were all healthy and were aged 32, 42, 52 and62 at the beginning of the study, were examined by physicianswho assigned scores depending on the number and depth ofwrinkles on their foreheads. A score of zero meant no wrinkleswhile a score of three meant “numerous deep wrinkles”.The study par ticipants were followed for 20 years, during whichtime 233 died of various causes. Of these, 15.2% had scoretwo and three wrinkles. About 6.6% had score one wrinklesand 2.1% had no wrinkles. The researchers found that peoplewith wrinkle score of one had a slightly higher risk of dying ofcardiovascular disease than people with no wrinkles.Those who had wrinkle scores of two and three had almost 10times the risk of dying compared with people who had wrinklescores of zero, af ter adjustments for age, gender, education,smoking status, blood pressure, hear t rate, diabetes and lipidlevels. “The higher your wrinkle score, the more your cardio-vascular mor tality risk increases,” said Esquirol.Furrows in your brow are not a better method of evaluating cardiovas-cular risk than existing methods, such as blood pressure and lipidprofiles, but they could raise a red flag earlier, at a simple glance.

STAY CALM, SWEET DREAMSAND GOOD SLEEP ARE ALLABOUT PEACE OF MIND

Turns out, a peaceful mind can foster happier dreams. It haslong been assumed that the content of dreams can tell us some-thing about a person’s well-being. However, so far, dream re-searchers have mostly studied the dreams of people sufferingfrom various disorders and we know very little about the posi-tive side. Well-being researchers, on the other hand, have spe-cifically studied happiness, but have neglected an importantaspect of well-being — peace of mind.Lead author Pilleriin Sikka says, “We wanted to address theseimpor tant gaps in both dream and well-being research and tostudy how dream emotions are related to not only differentaspects of waking ill-being but also to different aspects ofwaking well-being, including peace of mind. In fact, this is thefirst study to look at how peace of mind relates to dream con-tent.” Peace of mind is a state of inner peace and harmony, amore complex and durable state of well-being traditionally as-sociated with happiness in the Eastern cultures. “Even thoughit has rarely been directly measured in studies of well-being,in several philosophical traditions and spiritual approaches,peace of mind has always been regarded as central to humanflourishing,” added co-author Antti Revonsuo.The findings of the study showed that if we want to understand howdream content is related to well-being. It is not enough to measure onlythe symptoms of mental ill-being; we should measure well-being in itsown right. “Surprisingly, those aspects that are typically consideredand measured as ‘well-being’ were not related to dream content. Sothere seems to be something unique about peace of mind and anxiety,”added Sikka. The researchers propose that individuals with higherlevels of peace of mind may be better able to regulate their emotions,not only in the waking state but also during dreaming, whereas theopposite may be true for those with higher levels of anxiety. The fullfindings are present in the journal- Scientific Reports.

Marijuana’s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers’

breast milk in a small study thatcomes amid evidence that more USwomen are using pot during preg-nancy and afterward. Exper ts saythe ingredient, THC, has chemicalproper ties that could allow it to disruptbrain development and potentially causeharm, although solid evidence of thatis lacking.The new study involved 50 nursingmothers who were using pot andprovided breast milk samples toresearchers at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego. Lab testingfound small amounts of THC, thepsychoactive chemical that causesmarijuana’s “high,” in 34 of 54samples up to six days after theywere provided. Another form of THCand cannabidiol, a pot chemical

touted by some as a health aid,were detected in five samples.The study authors said “it is rea-sonable to speculate” that expos-ing infants to THC or cannabidiol“could influence normal brain de-velopment,” depending on dose andtiming.The results echo findings in caserepor ts from years ago, when potwas less potent than what’s avail-able today, said study co-authorChristina Chambers, a pediatricsprofessor. It’s not known if theamounts detected pose any risk,but she said her research team isstudying children whose moms’were involved to try to answer thatquestion.Two small studies from the 1980shad conflicting results on whetherpot use affects breastfed infants.One found no evidence of growth

delays; the other found slight de-velopmental delays in breastfedinfants, but their mothers had usedpot during pregnancy too.Most pediatricians encouragebreastfeeding and its health ben-efits for infants, but “they’re stuckwith a dilemma” with infants whosemothers use pot, Chambers said.A new American Academy of Pedi-atrics repor t recommendingagainst pot use while pregnant ornursing acknowledges that chal-lenge.“We stil l suppor t womenbreastfeeding even if using mari-juana but would encourage them tocut down and quit,” said Dr. SethAmmerman, a repor t co-author andStanford University pediatrics pro-fessor. “In counseling patientsabout this, it’s impor tant to benonjudgmental but to educate pa-

tients about the potential risks andbenefits,” Ammerman said, to en-sure “a healthy outcome for them-selves and their baby.”The study and repor t were pub-lished Monday in the journal Pedi-atrics . The American College ofObstetricians and Gynecologistshas similar advice. The academyrepor t says its advice is based ontheoretical risks to developingbrains, but it acknowledges con-flicting evidence and a dear th ofresearch. Some studies havelinked pot use during pregnancywith lower bir th weights or pretermbir th, along with developmentaldelays and learning difficulties inolder children. But additional fac-tors including women’s use of otherdrugs during pregnancy compli-cated the results, the repor t says.Marijuana is legal for recreationaluse in nine states and Washington,D.C., and for medical use in 31states, according to the NationalConference of State Legislatures.As more states legalize marijuana,its use is increasing along with the“false impression” that it is safe,the academy’s repor t says.Ammerman said caution makessense, given the uncer tainties.According to U.S. government data,about 1 in 20 women repor t usingmarijuana during pregnancy. Esti-mates for use among breastfeedingmothers vary, but a study in Colo-rado, where recreational marijuanais legal, put the number at almost20 percent among women in a gov-ernment supplemental food pro-gram.The report, study and a journal edi-torial all said more research isneeded.Last year, a federal advisory panelsaid lack of scientific informationabout marijuana poses a publichealth risk.Research has been hampered byfederal government restrictionsbased on its view that marijuana isan illegal drug.That has contributed to a stigmaand shaded doctors’ views, saidKeira Sumimoto, an Irvine, Califor-nia, mother who used marijuanabriefly for medical reasons whilepregnant and breastfeeding. Shesaid smoking a joint daily helpedher gain weight when she was sickbefore learning she was pregnant,and eased childbir th-related pain,but that she quit because of back-lash from marijuana opponents.She said her daughter, now 8months old, is healthy and ad-vanced for her age.Sumimoto runs@cannabisandmotherhood , anInstagram account that she saysaims to present truthful informationabout marijuana so women canmake their own choices. She saidshe agrees with advice to be cau-tious, but that the academy’sstance is “is just a little too much.”“The fear is taking over and the needand want to understand this plantis being ignored by the stigma,”Sumimoto said.



SAIF ALI KHAN AND AMRITA SINGH'S DAUGHTER SARA WILL SOON BE MAKING HER BOLLYWOOD DEBUT WITH ABHISHEKKAPOOR'S KEDARNATH OPPOSITE SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT. KEDARNATH IS AN ETERNAL LOVE STORY SET IN THE BACKDROPOF THE FLASH FLOODS THAT WRECKED THE TEMPLE TOWN IN THE JUNE OF 2013.

7215 Goreway Drive Suite 2D03Westwood Square (Upper level near food cour t), Mississauga ON L4T 0B4

TEL: 905-956-2174TICO No. 50023652

INADEQUATE SLEEP MAY LEAD TOCARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN MEN

Men who sleep five hours or less per night have twice the riskof developing a major cardiovascular event during the following two decades than those who sleep seven to eight

hours, according to a new study.“For people with busy lives, sleeping may feel like a waste of timebut our study suggests that shor t sleep could be linked with futurecardiovascular disease,” said Moa Bengtsson, author of the studywhich was recently presented at a meeting in Germany.Previous studies have generated conflicting evidence on whethershor t sleep is associated with a greater chance of having a futurecardiovascular event. However, this study investigated the relation-ship in 50-year-old men.Par ticipants were followed-up for 21 years for the occurrence of ma-jor cardiovascular events, which included hear t attack, stroke,hospitalisation due to hear t failure, coronary revascularisation, ordeath from cardiovascular disease.

High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, low physical activ-ity, and poor sleep quality were more common in men who slept fiveor fewer hours per night compared to those who got seven to eighthours.Compared to those with normal sleep duration, men who slept five orfewer hours per night had a two-fold higher risk of having a majorcardiovascular event by age 71. The risk doubled after adjusting forcardiovascular risk factors at the star t of the study including obesity,diabetes, and smoking.Bengtsson added, “This was an observational study so based on ourfindings we cannot conclude that shor t sleep causes cardiovasculardisease, or say definitively that sleeping more will reduce risk. How-ever, the findings do suggest that sleep is impor tant - and that shouldbe a wake-up call for all of us.”The full findings were presented in a meeting at the European Societyof Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2018.

COCONUT OIL ISN’TPOISON, BUT IT IS MOREDAMAGING THAN BUTTER

Coconut oil is “pure poison”, warned Harvard professorKarin Michels in her talk on nutritional errors at the Uni-versity of F reiburg in Germany, sparking off a heated de-bate on whether it should be consumed at all.Coconut oil is packed with ar tery-clogging saturated fat,which raises the risk of hear t attack and stroke by raisingtotal cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and low-ering hear t-protecting HDL (good) cholesterol that stimu-lates the removal of cholesterol from cells to the liver,from where it is secreted in bile and excreted by the body.There is 82 gm saturated fat in 100 gm of coconut oil,compared to 62 gm in 100 gm of butter and 39 gm in lard(animal fat). In comparison, healthier oils such as mus-tard have 12 gm of saturated fat, Canola has 7 gm, sun-flower 12 gm, and safflower (kardi) as 8 gm.Even the nutritionally shunned red meats have less fat saturated fat.There is 9 gm of saturated fat in 100 gm of mutton and 14 gm ofsaturated fat in 100 gm pan-fried bacon. Of course, you’re more likelyto eat 100 gm of mutton than drink 100 gm of coconut oil, but it’s goodto be aware of the vegetable oil’s heart-damaging potential given theerroneous belief that food from plant sources is healthier than dairyand meats. Adding coconut oil to weight-loss diets became a trendyfollowing a 2010 study in the Journal of the American College ofNutrition that said medium chain triglyceride oils such as palm andcoconut oils were good for weight management and having 18–24 g/day (1.5 to 2 tablespoons) did not raise risk of hear t disease. Fad dietssuch as Ketogenic diet (very low-carb) and Paleo or caveman diet(lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds like hunter-gath-erer ancestors) mainstreamed the findings by recommending cold-pressed coconut oil for its alleged anti-inflammatory weight-lossbenefits. These findings were rejected last year by the AmericanHear t Association, which warned against using coconut oil as itraised LDL (bad) cholesterol levels as much as red meats andanimal fat. “A recent systematic review found seven con-trol led t r ia ls that compared coconut oi l wi thmonounsaturated or polyunsaturated oils. Coconut oilraised LDL (bad) cholesterol in all seven of these trials,significantly in six of them.

Cardio and strength training affectyour hormones differently, here’s whyA recent research was conducted to analyse the diverse effects ofdifferent forms of training on the body. A University of Copenhagenstudy showed that cardio training on an exercise bike causes threetimes as large an increase in the production of the hormone FGF21than strength training with weights. FGF21 has a lot of positive effects onmetabolism. “Of course it is very exciting for us researchers to see how differentforms of physical activity actually affect the body differently. We have known aboutthe effects of various forms of training on more well-known hormones like adrenalinand insulin for a long time, but the fact that strength training and cardio exerciseaffect FGF hormones differently is new to us”, said Christoffer Clemmensen,one of the researchers behind the study. “Endurance training on abicycle has such a marked effect on the metabolic hormone that weknow ought to take a closer look at whether this regulation of FGF21is directly related to the health-improving effects of cardio exercise.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


ACTRESS NEHA DHUPIA, WHO IS EXPECTING HER FIRST CHILD WITH ACTOR-HUSBAND ANGAD BEDI, SHOWED OFF HER BABY BUMPWHILE WALKING FOR DESIGNER PAYAL SINGHAL AT THE LAKME FASHION WEEK (LFW) WINTER/FESTIVE 2018 IN MUMBAI.

5 HEALTHY SNACKS YOU SHOULD BE EATINGINSTEAD OF HAVING FRENCH FRIES

After a hard day at work, when you get back home and are hungry, thefirst thing most of us end up eating are chips or French fries or pack-aged noodles. Basically something that can be made easily is readilyavailable and is tasty at the same time. Though they may make usfeel good at the time, in the long run they add inches to your belly andare generally bad for you.APPLE CHIPSApple chips can be called the naturally sweet version of French fries.Slice a few apples minus the cores, sprinkle some cinnamon and adda bit of brown sugar. Then bake on high heat till they turn brown andcrinkly.PITA CHIPSIf you don’t want to spend time making something on your own, thenjust keep a few packets of multigrain pita chips at home. They arenormally baked, low in preservatives and made up of multiple grains.ZUCCHINI FRIESZucchini has a neutral flavour and hence adding a dip to it is a goodidea. (Shutterstock)Zucchini has a neutral flavour and hence adding a dip to it is a goodidea. You need to peel and chop the zucchini into narrow strips. Dip itinto a mixture of one beaten egg and roll it in breadcrumbs. Keepbaking these until they turn golden brown on both sides.KALE CHIPSKale chips are a healthy alternative to both French fries and potatochips. Get yourself a packet of kale chips and try them out.BAKED POTATO FRIESIf you still feel the need to have potato chips, you always have theoption of making them healthier by baking them.Peel and cut the potato into narrow strips. Place them in a baking trayand sprinkle some olive oil, paprika and a pinch of salt. Bake till theyturn and brown and crispy.

HEART-HEALTHY DIET BEST OPTION FOR CUTTING DOWN ON BELLY FATIf you wish to get rid of that belly fat then listen up. Following a hear t-healthy diet - high in fiber and low in saturated fats - to cut abdominalobesity is the way out, suggests a study.“There is still no miracle diet, food, nutrient or bioactive componentthat will target abdominal fat,” wrote Kari D. Pilolla. But a hear t-healthy diet is a great way to prevent and reduce abdominal obesity.Amid the ongoing obesity epidemic, there is increasing attention tothe health risks associated with abdominal obesity - excess fat storedaround the abdomen.“Independent of body weight, a larger waist circumference in-creases risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolicsyndrome,” Dr. Pilolla wrote. These risks are mainly related tovisceral adipose tissue - fat stored below the abdominal muscles,

surrounding the major internal organs. Visceral adipose tissue appears to be more “metabolically active” than subcutaneous fat,stored under the skin but above the abdominal muscles.While definitions vary, abdominal obesity has been defined as a waist circumference of about 34 inches in women and 40 inches in men.Measuring waist circumference is the most common and convenient method of assessing abdominal obesity, and it corresponds well to othertechniques (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and CT/MRI scans). Risk of abdominal obesity increases with age, especially in women, andwith changes in hormone levels.Can diet help to fight abdominal obesity? These days, the Internet is full of extravagant claims of “new discoveries” to “cure belly fat.” Dietstouted as reducing abdominal obesity include intermittent fasting, high-protein diets, the “Paleo” diet, andgreen tea, among many others. But there’s a lack of high-quality evidence on these trending diets, none ofwhich has been shown more effective than other types of energy-restricted (reduced-calorie) diets.

Early-life alcohol intakecould increase risk of highgrade prostate cancer

Consuming at least seven drinks of alcohol per week inyour adolescence may increase the risk of high grade pros-tate cancer later, a new study has found.The study found that heavy alcohol intake at ages 15-19was not associated with overall prostate cancer. However,consumption of at least seven drinks per week during thisage increased 3.2 times the odds of high-grade prostatecancer. “The prostate is an organ that grows rapidly duringpuber ty, so it’s potentially more susceptible to carcino-genic exposure during the adolescent years,” said co-au-thor Emma Allott, assistant professor at the University ofNor th Carolinap.“For this reason, we wanted to investigate if heavy alcoholconsumption in early life was associated with the aggres-siveness of prostate cancer later,” Allott added.For the study published in the Cancer Prevention Research,the research team evaluated data from 650 men undergo-ing a prostate biopsy between January 2007 and January2018. These veterans had no prior history of prostate can-cer, and their ages ranged from 49 to 89 years old. Thepopulation was racially diverse - 54% of patients were non-white. Men completed questionnaires which assessed theaverage number of alcoholic drinks consumed weekly dur-ing each decade of life to determine age-specific and cu-mulative lifetime alcohol intake.Those who consumed at least seven alcoholic drinks perweek at ages 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49, resulted in 3.14,3.09, and 3.64 times the odds of high-grade prostate can-cer, respectively, when compared with non-drinkers.However, the cur rent alcohol consumption was not signifi-cantly associated with high-grade prostate cancer, the re-searchers said. The team also evaluated the associationbetween cumulative lifetime alcohol consumption and pros-tate cancer diagnosis. Compared with men in the lowestter tile of lifetime alcohol intake, those in the upper ter tilehad 3.2 times the odds of being diagnosed with high-gradeprostate cancer at biopsy, the team said.

Eating fish or taking itssupplements could cutdown premature birth riskEating fish or taking a fish oil supplement may reduce therisk of preterm bir th among pregnant women with low levelof omega-3 fatty acids, a new study has found.The findings indicated that pregnant women who had lowplasma levels of long chain n-3 fatty acids - found in fish oil- in their first and second trimesters were at a significantlyhigher risk of preterm bir th as compared with women whohad higher levels of these fatty acids.The researchers suggest that low concentrations of certainlong chain fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic acid anddocosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA) - may be a strong riskfactor for preterm bir th.“At a time when many pregnant women are hearing mes-sages, encouraging them to avoid intake of fish altogetherdue to mercury content, our results suppor t the impor tanceof ensuring adequate intake of long chain omega-3 fattyacids in pregnancy,” said lead author Sjurdur F. Olsen fromthe Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.Preterm birth, is a leading cause of neonatal death and isassociated with cognitive deficiencies and cardiometabolicproblems later in life among survivors.For the study, published in the journal EbioMedicine, theresearch team examined 96,000 children in Denmarkthrough questionnaires and registry linkages.

FERTILITY PROBLEMS, UTERINE DEFECTS CANAFFECT CHANCES OF PREGNANCYTurns out, uterine defects or the problems related to uterus affects the chances of a woman toconceive or carry the fetus to term. Mullerian Anomalies referred to as the defects associated withabnormal development of the uterus or the fallopian tube accounts to infer tility in around 10% of thefemale trying to conceive.IVF exper t, Dr Arvind Vaid explained that uterine anomalies, a condition where the structure andcontour of the uterus differ from normal, is the main cause of infer tility. He said, “Studies show thatone in every 20 women seeking IVF treatment to conceive is affected by uterine anomalies. Thoughsuch uterine abnormalities are not directly linked to infer tility many a times the condition is misun-derstood until recurrent miscar riages occur. Timely intervention can help prevent miscarriagesand help treat the condition to have a healthy course of pregnancy.”Sometimes infertility is attributed to congenital anomalies where defects in the uterus start occur-ring during the fetal development (birth defects) of the uterus. The abnormalities can vary, rangingfrom the absence or even duplication of the uterus, cervix, and vagina.Agenesis, a condition where there is the absence of the vagina or uterus or both, is usually diag-nosed during a missing menarche. The condition can be treated with surgery. Sur rogacy may be theonly way for women with agenesis to have a baby.Talking about menarche, Gynae surgeon and IVF exper t, Dr Sowjanya Aggarwal said, “In most ofthe cases, there may not be any symptoms as such until menarche. If a uterine anomaly is asso-ciated with a rudimentary uterine horn with no outlet, menstrual outflow will be obstructed, result-ing in very painful menses. If left untreated the blood gets accumulated inside the uterus and maybecome infectious leading to infertility, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy and abnormal bleeding.”



MAKE WAY FOR ELECTRONIC SKIN TATTOOSWHICH CAN MONITOR BLOOD PRESSURE

Chinese scientists have developed skin-like electronictattoos, that could be used to

monitor health parameters such asblood pressure and body temperaturein real time.The graphene-based electronic tattoodeveloped by scientists from TsinghuaUniversity in China can be easilytransfer red onto various surfaces suchas the human skin, leaves and silk.Graphene, a super thin material withexcellent flexibility and conductivity, isan ideal material for electronic skin,researchers said. It could also beattached to masks and throats tomeasure body signals such asbreathing, hear tbeat and voice,according to the research published inthe journal ACS Nano.The electronic skin exhibits highsensitivity and long-term stability. Itcan withstand higher temperatures andis comfor table to wear, ‘Xinhua’repor ted. With laser scribing technol-ogy, the pattern of the graphene-basedelectronic skin can be personalised, afeature that will help futurecommercialisation. The electronic skin hashuge potential in health care and intelli-gent systems, scientists said.

VIRUSES WITH SLOWER IMPACTCAN CHANGE OUR BODY’SRESPONSE TO VACCINESTurns out, viruses with slower impact tend to alter the hu-man body’s response to vaccines and pathogens alike. Aresearch conducted at the University of California has shownthat low levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) have a signifi-cant impact on microbe and immune cell populations andhow the immune system responds to the influenza vaccine.“Subclinical CMV infection alters the immune system andthe gut microbiota in the host and that impacts how werespond to vaccines, environmental stimuli, and pathogens.This study highlights the role of these silent, latent viralinfections that are totally asymptomatic,” said SatyaDandekar, a lead researcher.CMV is a common virus that infects as many as 90% ofadults in Africa and 70%? in the U.S. and Europe. However,researchers have labelled CMV to be not dangerous, exceptfor those with compromised immune systems.While the vast majority of CMV infections are subclinical,that does not mean the virus is iner t. Researchers foundthat animals infected with CMV had higher levels ofFirmicutes and other butyrate-producing bacteria. Butyratesare shor t-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation butmay also boost genes that help CMV persist in the body.Infected animals also showed increased lymphocytes and cytokine-producing (inflammatory) T cells. These differences leveled off whenthe animals were moved indoors. CMV infections generally increaseimmune activity but also diminish antibodies responding to influenzavaccination. “There’s a high degree of variation at the populationlevel of how people respond to vaccines, and all the factorsthat contribute to these variations are not fully understood.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


ARJUN AND ANSHULA ARE BONEY KAPOOR'S CHILDREN WITH HIS FIRST WIFE MONA SHOURIE KAPOOR WHILE JANHVI AND KHUSHI AREBONEY AND LATE ACTRESS SRIDEVI'S DAUGHTERS. THE KAPOOR FAMILY IS VERY CLOSE AND ARE OFTEN SPOTTED TOGETHER AT EVENTS.PICTURED HERE ARE JANHVI KAPOOR, KHUSHI KAPOOR, SANJAY KAPOOR AND WIFE MAHEEP KAPOOR.

Toxic on-off relationships are bad for mentalhealth, can cause depression and anxiety

Do you have an on and off relationship with your romantic par tner?Beware, it can affect your mental health, say researchers. The find-ings showed that an increase in breaking up and reuniting was asso-ciated with more psychological distress symptoms such as depres-sion and anxiety. It is because such relationships are associated withhigher rates of abuse, poorer communication and lower levels ofcommitment. “Breaking up and getting back together is not always abad omen for a couple. In fact, for some couples, breaking up can helppar tners realise the impor tance of their relationship, contributing to ahealthier, more committed union,” said Kale Monk, Assistant Profes-sor at the University of Missouri in the US. “On the other hand, par t-ners who are routinely breaking up and getting back together could benegatively impacted by the pattern,” she added.For the study, appearing in the journal Family Relations, the teamexamined data from more than 500 individuals currently in relation-ships. They found that partners of ten break up and reunite on neces-sity or practicality. For example, a person might stay in a relationshipfor financial reasons or par tners might stay together because theyfeel they have invested too much time into the relationship to leave.Former par tners should get back together based on dedication, notobligation, Monk suggested. The researchers suggested that peoplein these kind of relationships should make informed decisions aboutstabilising or safely terminating their relationships. “The findings

suggest that people who find themselves regularly breaking up andgetting back together with their par tners need to ‘look under the hood’of their relationships to determine what’s going on,” Monk said.“If par tners are honest about the pattern, they can take the necessarysteps to maintain their relationships or safely end them. This is vitalfor preserving their well-being,” Monk noted.

PARENTS CAN REDUCE CHILDOBESITY RISK, HERE’S THETRICK TO DOING SOParents who positively engage with their kids during playtime and gently guide them to clean up afterward, may helpchildren with low-self regulation have lower body massindexes later on as preschoolers, a new study has revealed.The study found that toddlers, who had poor self-regulationskills and the ability to control their behaviours, went on tohave lower BMIs as preschoolers if their mothers engagedwith them during playtime and then helped direct themduring clean up.“If parents can help their kids learn to self-regulate, thatchild can then use those skills in many other situations,including eating. Good self-regulation may help a child stopthemselves from throwing a tantrum, but it may also keepthem from eating too much. Building those skills is a pro-cess that isn’t going to develop on its own, so that’s whereparents can step in,” said Cynthia Stif ter, professor of hu-man development and psychology, Penn State.Stifter also suggested, when parents help their childrendevelop regulatory skills, it may help the latter maintain ahealthy weight. According to researchers, 17.5% of chil-dren in the US are obese. The researchers said it’s impor-tant to identify risk factors for childhood obesity, which islinked to conditions as high blood pressure, diabetes, andbreathing problems like asthma. It also increases thechance of being obese as an adult. “These studies havemostly focused on the parents. We wanted to know whetherassociations between general parenting behaviours andchildren’s weight outcomes could depend on the children’sself-regulation,” said Kameron Moding, a postdoctoral fel-low at the University of Colorado Denver.The study’s participants included 108 mothers and their18-month-old toddlers. During their first lab visit, the chil-dren were weighed and par ticipated in tasks designed tomeasure their temperament and regulatory skills. Themother and child were then allowed to free play for fiveminutes before a researcher signalled it was time to cleanup. The researchers noted how responsive the motherswere during free play, defined as when the mothers fol-lowed the child’s lead during play. They also measuredhow often the mother guided the child during clean up in apositive or neutral tone, referred to as gentle control.When the children were 4.5 years old, the mother and childpairs returned to the lab. The children were weighed again,and the researchers calculated their BMIs. After analyz-ing the data, the researchers found that when motherswere more responsive during free play and showed moregentle control during clean-up, their child was morelikely to have a lower BMI at 4.5 years of age if that childalso had poor regulation skills.



SALMAN KHAN'S SISTER ALVIRA AND BROTHER-IN-LAW ATUL AGNIHOTRI POSED FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHERS AT ARPITA KHAN'S HOME.

Mental health issues don’t ruinteenagers’ friendshipsTeenagers with similar levels of mental health issues, suchas anxiety and depression, are more likely to remain friends,but dissimilarites can create incidence instability, a newstudy has found. “An impor tant takeaway from our study isthat children’s personal struggles need not adversely im-pact their social relationships,” said Brett Laursen, Profes-sor at the Florida Atlantic University (FAU).“Mental health issues do not necessarily ruin chances ofmaking and maintaining wor thwhile friendships,” he added.Youth who resembled one another were more likely to re-main friends from one year to the next. “Behavioural simi-larity is tremendously impor tant to a friendship. Shared feel-ings and shared experiences are the glue that holds a friend-ship together,” Laursen said.For the study, published in the Journal of Research on Ado-lescence, the team included 397 adolescents (194 boys,203 girls) in 499 same-sex friendships, who were followedfrom grade seven (median age 13), through to the end ofhigh school in grade 12.They examined the degree to which internalising symptoms— anxiety, depression, social withdrawal and submissive-ness — predicted the dissolution of teenage friendships.In most respects, boys and girls did not differ in the fac-tors that predicted friendship instability. However, onenotable exception was — differences on submissivenessincreased friendship instability for boys , but decreasedfriendship instability for girls.

Your intelligence is harming your dating life. Beingtoo intelligent can lower chances of finding love

Being too intelligent and easy going can lower your chances of finding a romantic par tner, astudy claims. Researchers from University of Western Australia (UWA) surveyed 383 youngadults about a series of characteristics that people typically seek in a par tner.The four primary characteristics were intelligence, easygoingness, kindness, and physical at-tractiveness. The subjects were asked to specify how attracted they would be to a potentialpar tner who was more intelligent than one per cent, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and then 99% ofthe population. They were then asked the same question across the other personality traits. Thestudy, published in the British Journal of Psychology, found that there was a statistically signifi-cant reduction in rated attractiveness for a hypothetical person at the 99th percentile for bothintelligence and easygoingness, compared to the 90th percentile.Although kindness and intelligence were commonly ranked as two of the most impor tant char-acteristics for a romantic par tner, there could be too much of a good thing when it came to thesesought-after par tner characteristics. “Previously published research suggests that elevatedlevels of intelligence may incite feelings of insecurity in some people, which may reduce desir-ability,” said Gilles Gignac, from UWA.“Cor respondingly, exceptional easygoingness may be viewed as an indication of a lack of con-fidence or ambition,” said Gignac. Kindness and physical attractiveness plateaued at the 90thpercentile. “So, on average, there doesn’t appear to be any gain to being exceptionally kind orexceptionally physically attractive in the context of attracting a romantic par tner,” Gignac said.The study also examined why some people were much more attracted to intelligence in aromantic par tner than others and found that neither how intelligent a person is, nor how intelli-gent they think they are, could predict the degree to which they found intelligence attractive in aprospective par tner. “This result is surprising, considering there is assor tative mating for intel-ligence that indicates a correlation between people in a romantic relationship having similarintelligence levels,” Gignac said.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


HERE’S WHY YOU NEED HUMOURCOMPATIBILITY IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN WITH MONISHA JAISING AT LFW.

WHOSE INFLUENCE ISSTRONGER ON A CHILD’SLANGUAGE, MOM OR DAD?While linguists have been confused whether mother has astronger influence on a child’s language or father, a recentstudy has reconciled the two hypotheses - mother tongueand father tongue. Mother tongue hypothesis refers to thelanguage usage which follows matrilineal inheritance. Fa-ther tongue hypothesis refers to that paternal lines domi-nate the local language in an already-populated region,which was proposed based on other genetic and anthropo-logical researches. The team of researchers, led by popu-lation geneticist Li Jin, found that in Indo-European popula-tions, the paternal lineages (Y-chromosome) were cor re-lated to the vocabulary (lexicon) of their languages, mean-while, the maternal lineages were associated with their pro-nunciations (phoneme). For the study, the authors exploredthe genetic-linguistic relationship of 34 populations speaking dif-ferent Indo-European (IE) languages. They assembled compositions ofthe Y-chromosomal and mtDNA haplogroups or paragroupsfrom these IE populations, which reflect paternal and ma-ternal lines, respectively. These haplogroups or paragroupswere defined using stable mutations so that they are allformed already in the Paleolithic Age (over 10,000 year).For comparing the IE languages, the basic word list andphonemic inventory they used to reflect the vocabulary sys-tem and sound system in a language, respectively.

Toxic marriage, constant fights cancause leaky gut and depressionMarried people who have nasty fights are more likely tosuffer from leaky guts — a problem that unleashes bacteriainto the blood and can drive up disease-causing inflamma-tion, a study has found. It’s the first study to illuminate thispar ticular pathway between bad marriages and poor health,said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, from The Ohio State Universityin the US. “We think that this everyday marital distress —at least for some people — is causing changes in the gutthat lead to inflammation and, potentially, illness,” saidKiecolt-Glaser, lead author of the study published in thejournal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Researchers at OhioState recruited 43 healthy married couples, surveyed themabout their relationships and then encouraged them to dis-cuss and try to resolve a conflict likely to provoke strongdisagreement. Touchy topics included money and in-laws.The researchers left the couples alone for these discus-sions, videotaped the 20-minute interactions and laterwatched how the couples fought.They categorised their verbal and non-verbal fightingbehaviours, with special interest in hostility — things suchas dramatic eye rolls or criticism of one’s partner.

What’s life without a few laughs? Relationships would be a snoozefest if itweren’t for at least one par tner’s good sense of humour. While it’s alright tooccasionally not find your par tner’s jokes and one-liners amusing, not beingable to stand their sense of humour at all can make it hard to sustain therelationship. It can become a tricky landmine of never-ending fights. Here area few situations:1) He likes to be sarcastic while her puns are intended. If both the par tnershave a different sense of humour then they might have difficulty relating,bonding together as both the partners have trouble understanding each other ;they feel that the other doesn’t get them, especially if they can’t make eachother laugh. This can cause the relationship to become wry.2) If your partner gets your joke but doesn’t appreciate it because it offendsthem, there’s a problem. Especially, if your jokes make your partner feelhumiliated, excluded, insecure, judged or patronised!3) If your par tner uses humour to disguise criticism or pass remarks, whichthey may not feel comfor table expressing directly then it can lead to resent-ment. Negging (emotional manipulation) is an example. You might think youare being nice by jokingly passing unpleasant remarks, but you might comeacross as mean to your partner.So, if you’re in any of these situations, talk it out with your partner; try to meethalfway.Is your and your par tner ’s sense of humour compatible? Take this humourcompatibility test to find out*:1)You have lots of fun when you are together? 1) Yes 2) No2) One person is always the target of jokes which might border on insults? 1)Yes 2) No3)Are you laughing with your par tner or at your partner? 1) With 2) At4)Do you and your par tner use humour to criticize each other? 1) No 2)Yes

5)You both watch the same comedy movies and TV shows? 1)Yes 2) No6) You both laugh at the same jokes? 1) Yes 2) No7) Are your partner ’s jokes leaving you feeling humiliated? 1) Yes 2) No8) Does your partner make fun of you in front of other people? 1) Yes 2) No9) Does your partner use humour to bail you or themselves out of a trickysituation? 1) Yes 2) NoIf you and your par tner have mostly ticked 1) then you guys have a greatshared sense of humour. If it is mostly 2), then you need to sit down with yourpar tner and discuss what makes you feel uncomfortable about his or herjokes. If both of your answers differ then sit together and work on not hurtingthe feelings of the other.



Ultrafine dust leading to 4.2 million premature deathsevery year, 60% of them from heart attacks and strokesOutdoor air pollution leads to 4.2 million premature deaths world

wide each year, with close to 60% of the deaths from hear tattacks and strokes, according to the World Health Organisation.

Finally, scientists appear to have figured out just how fine dust at-tacks the cardiovascular system.An analysis of the effect of the different components of polluted air,including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur diox-ide, showed that small par ticulate matter is the most damaging to thebody’s vascular system, repor ted a team of researchers from Ger-many, England and the US.Ultrafine dust (par ticulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter, orPM2.5) is the size of a virus and can penetrate the lung barrier to enterthe blood system, leading to local inflammation in the blood vessels,the researchers found. This leads to atherosclerosis (plaque or fattydeposits in the side wall of the ar teries), which stops blood flow tocause hear t at tacks, hear t fa i lure and ir regular hear tbeat(arrhythmias), they said.It was PM2.5 and not nitrogen dioxide (NO2) -- both of which are foundin diesel exhaust emissions -- which affected vascular function andposed a bigger risk to cardiovascular health, found the study pub-lished in the European Heart Journal on Thursday.Heart disease is the leading cause of death in India, which has 14 ofthe world’s most polluted cities by small par ticulate matter concen-tration (see box). According to the Global Burden of Disease repor t,an estimated 1.1 million deaths in India were linked to PM2.5 airpollution in 2015.Globally, 58% of outdoor air pollution-related premature deaths aredue to hear t disease and strokes, 18% due to chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, 18% from lung infections, and 6% because oflung cancer, said the World Health Organisation’s 2016 estimates.“PM2.5 inhalation causes hyper tension, insulin resistance, and en-dothelial dysfunction with impaired vasodilation (stiffening of the ar-teries), inflammation and clot formation, which can trigger hear t at-tack and stroke,” said Dr Ravi R Kasliwal, chairman of clinical andpreventive cardiology at Medanta, Gurugram. “Studies show that stay-ing just 2km away from a polluted ar terial road can affect develop-ment of hear t disease and outcomes,” he said.“The fine dust par ticles are chemically formed mainly in the atmo-sphere from emissions from traffic, industry, and agriculture. In orderto achieve low, harmless concentrations, emissions from all thesesources need to be reduced,” said lead author Thomas Münzel, direc-tor of cardiology at the Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg Univer-sity Mainz, Germany.“While governments need to introduce strong regulatory policies toregulate emissions and invest in clean transpor t, green power gen-eration and efficient waste management, at a personal level, peoplecan counter the effects high pollution by using personal breathingprotection and exercising indoors or in green areas. That said, lower-ing salt, sugar, fat and stress, and staying active can fur ther helplower cardiovascular risk,” said Dr Kasliwal.

THIS IS HOW INDOOR TEMPERATURECAN AFFECT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

According to a recent study, one can manage hyper tension by turning up the thermostat.Comparing blood pressure readings of people in their own homes with temperature readings,the researchers at University College London found that lower indoor temperatures were linkedto higher blood pressure.“Our research has helped to explain the higher rates of hyper tension, as well as potentialincreases in deaths from stroke and hear t disease, in the winter months, suggesting indoortemperatures should be taken more seriously in diagnosis and treatment decisions, and inpublic health messages,” said senior author Dr Stephen Jivraj.“Among other diet and lifestyle changes people can make to reduce high blood pressure, ourfindings suggest that keeping homes a bit warmer could also be beneficial,” he added.The researchers found that every one degree Celsius decrease in indoor temperature wasassociated with a rise of 0.48 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 0.45 mmHg in diastolicblood pressure.Ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg. Bloodpressure readings consist of two figures given together: systolic pressure, the force of thehear t’s contraction, and diastolic pressure, the resistance in the blood vessels.The research team found that average systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 126.64mmHg and 74.52 mmHg, respectively, for people in the coolest homes in the study, comparedwith 121.12 mmHg and 70.51 mmHg, respectively, in the warmest homes.The research team found the effect of indoor temperature on blood pressure was strongeramong people who do not exercise regularly, suggesting that physical activity could mitigatethe risk of living in a cool environment and that people who do not exercise need to keepwarmer to manage their blood pressure.The study has been published in the Journal of Hyper tension.

THE RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT EVERY ONE DEGREE CELSIUS DECREASE IN

INDOOR TEMPERATURE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A RISE OF 0.48 MMHG IN

SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND 0.45 MMHG IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE.“HIGH BAD CHOLESTEROL INCREASES RISK OFDEATH EVEN FOR HEALTHY PEOPLEPeople who are young and healthy may still be vulnerable to the risk of premature death fromcardiovascular disease if they have higher levels of bad cholesterol, according to a newresearch. Bad cholesterol, or LDL, contributes to clogged ar teries which increases the risk ofhear t attack and stroke. The findings showed that compared with participants who had LDLreadings of under 100 mg/dL, those with LDL levels in the range of 100-159 mg/dL had a 30 -40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease death. Those with LDL levels of 160 mg/dL or higherhad a 70 - 90 % increased risk of cardiovascular death, compared with participants who hadLDL readings of under 100 mg/dL. “Our study demonstrates that having a low 10-year esti-mated cardiovascular disease risk does not eliminate the risk posed by elevated LDL over thecourse of a lifetime,” said lead author Shuaib Abdullah, from the University of Texas in the US.“High cholesterol at younger ages means there will be a greater burden of cardiovasculardisease as these individuals age,” added Rober t Eckel, from the University of Colorado in theUS. The study, published in the journal Circulation, included 36,375 young, relatively healthypar ticipants who were free of diabetes or cardiovascular disease and were followed for 27years. Among the group (72% men with an average age 42 years), there were 1,086 deathsfrom cardiovascular disease such as stroke, and 598 coronary hear t disease deaths.“Those with low risk should pursue lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, toachieve LDL levels as low as possible, preferably under 100 mg/dL.“Limiting saturated fat intake, maintaining a healthy weight, discontinuing tobacco use, andincreasing aerobic exercises should apply to everyone,” Abdullah said.

TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO HAVE NEWPICTORIAL WARNINGS FROM SEPTEMBER 1Tobacco products will feature a fresh set of 85% pictorial health warnings from September 1.The Union health ministry on Monday notified a new set of health warnings for all tobaccoproducts with validity extending up to the next two years. All tobacco products manufactured,imported or packaged on or af ter the said date will have to display these images.The government had made an amendment to the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Pack-aging and Labeling) Rules-2008 in April. There are two sets of specified health warnings— thefirst set with validity of one year, and a second set thatwould be implemented after the expiry of the former’svalidity on September 1, 2019. The second set ofhealth warnings will be valid till September 1,2020. “Any person engaged directly or indi-rectly in the production, supply, impor t ordistribution of cigarettes or any tobaccoproducts shall ensure that all tobacco prod-uct packages have the specified healthwarnings exactly as prescribed,” thehealth ministry directive read. Tobacco isa major risk factor for cardiovascular dis-eases (CVDs), which are responsible for 26%of deaths in India. About 275 million of India’sadult population use tobacco in some form oranother. Tobacco-attributable diseases and death arepreventable, and 20% of premature mor tality related toCVDs occurs due to tobacco use. “Violation of the provisions is a punishableoffence with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in Section 20 of the Cigarettes and OtherTobacco Products (Prohibition of Adver tisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Pro-duction, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003,” it fur ther read.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


MADONNA, WHO HAS RECENTLY TURNED 60, WAS ONE OF THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS AT THE AWARD SHOW, AND TURNED UPIN HER TRADEMARK QUIRKY ATTIRE. (AFP)

CLOSE TIES WITH FATHER CAN HELPDAUGHTERS OVERCOME LONELINESSYoung girls who have a close re-lationship with their father areless likely to feel lonely, scien-tists say. “We found that close-ness between fathers and daugh-ters tends to protect daughters andhelp them transition out of loneli-ness faster,” said Xin Feng, as-sociate professor at The OhioState University in the US.For the study published in theJournal of Family Psychology, re-searchers analysed data from695 families. Mothers and fathersrated their relationships (bothcloseness and conflict) with theirchild when the child was in grades1, 3, 4 and 5. In grades 1, 3 and 5the children rated their levels ofloneliness.Results showed that levels ofcloseness tended to decline overthis time period, while conflictincreased. “This is a time whenchildren are becoming more in-dependent, developing relation-ships with friends and spendingmore time outside the home,” said JuliaYan, a doctoral student at Ohio State.“So they become less close with theirparents and have more conflict as theirneed for autonomy increases,” said Yan.Loneliness also tended to de-crease as the kids developed re-lationships with their peers andfelt more comfor table with theirsocial skills. However, the studyshowed that kids did not shedtheir loneliness at the same rate.

Daughters did better when theyhad closer relationships with theirfathers. Relationship closenessdid not have an effect on loneli-ness in boys. The study can’tshow why, but Yan said it may bebecause parents do not socialiseboys to have par ticularly closerelationships and put less empha-sis on them maintaining closeties. Mothers’ relationships didn’thave an effect in this study, butthat doesn’t mean they aren’t im-por tant, Yan said. One reason forthe lack of impact among moth-

ers in this research was thatmothers nearly always had closerelationships with their kids, sothere was less difference to mea-sure. Fathers’ relationships withtheir children, par ticularly theirdaughters, are different from re-lationships mothers have, re-searchers said. “In our society,mothers tend to be responsiblefor everyday care and stability fortheir children,” Feng said.“Fathers have more freedom tointeract with their children in dif-ferent ways, to challenge them

and have a wider range of emo-tional contact. That may be onereason why fathers had moreimpact on their daughters,” hesaid. The results affirm that fa-thers should nur ture their rela-tionships with their children, par-ticularly their daughters, the re-searchers said.“Pay attention to their feelings,especially when they are sad orunhappy, and help them cope. Ourresults suggest it can really helpdaughters feel less lonely overtime,” said Feng.

How to take care of teeth, avoid these 5 things to keep your smile intactAre you suffering from cavities, gum disease, teeth sensitivity or chipped teeth? Then, you need to pay special attention to what youeat. Your diet may contain acidic foods or you may be biting on hard or super sugary substances that damage your enamel. Apar tfrom brushing your teeth, using mouthwash, and flossing regularly, here are some foods that you need to avoid:CANDIESHard candies are loaded with sugar which can lead to plaque formation, and since they are hard, they can also cause broken orchipped teeth if you bite into them (the same can happen if you bite into ice as well). Sour candies are even worse than regular onesbecause they contain acids that are tougher on the teeth.CITRUS FRUITSOranges and lemons are good sources of vitamin C but can erode your enamel and make your teeth susceptible to decay.COFFEECoffee with sugar can cause cavities, especially since coffee also dries up your mouth. Another side effect of this beverage is teethstaining.BREADChewing on bread breaks down starch into sugar which creates a paste-like substance that sticks to your teeth and gets in betweenthe crevices which can lead to cavities. Wholewheat is a better option for you as it contains less added sugars.

Writing ‘thank you’ notes isthe secret tool to feel happier,boost overall well-being

Writing letters of gratitude may improve well-being for notonly the writer but the recipient as well, according to sci-entists, including one of Indian origin. Researchers, in-cluding Amit Kumar from the University of Texas at Austinin the US, asked par ticipants to write a letter of gratitudeto someone who has done something nice for them andthen anticipate the recipient’s reaction.They found that letter writers overestimated how awk-ward recipients would feel about the gesture and under-estimated how surprised and positive recipients wouldfeel. The study, published in the journal PsychologicalScience, found that the gesture improved well-being fornot only letter writers but recipients as well.“What we saw is that it only takes a couple of minutes tocompose letters like these, thoughtful ones and sincereones,” said Kumar. “It comes at little cost, but the benefitsare larger than people expect,” he said.Researchers said anxiety about what to say or fear oftheir gesture being misinterpreted causes many people toshy away from expressing genuine gratitude. “It is morefundamental to how the human mind works and a well-established symmetry about how we evaluate ourselvesand other people,” said Kumar.“When we are thinking about ourselves, we tend to thinkabout how competent we are, and whether we are going tobe ar ticulate in how we are expressing gratitude,” he said.Kumar said what is significant about the research and itsresults is that thank-you notes and letters of gratitudeshould be written and sent more often.

Older adults who experience psychological distress suchas depression and anxiety may have an increased risk ofdeveloping cardiovascular disease (CVD), a new studysuggests. The findings, published in the journal Circula-tion: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, showed thathigh/ very high psychological distress was associatedwith a 44% increased risk of stroke among women.The research team also found that in men aged between45 to 79, high/ very high versus low psychological dis-tress was associated with a 30% increased risk of hear tattack, with weaker estimates in those 80 years old orolder. “While these factors might explain some of the ob-served increased risk, they do not appear to account forall of it, indicating that other mechanisms are likely to beimpor tant,” said senior author Caroline Jackson from theUniversity of Edinburgh.For the study, the team involved 2,21,677 par ticipants fromAustralia who had not experienced a hear t attack or strokeat the star t of the study. The researchers categorised psy-chological distress as low, medium and high/ very highusing a standard psychological distress scale which askspeople to self-assess the level.The 10-question survey asked questions such as: “Howoften do you feel tired out for no good reason? How oftendo you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up? Howof ten do you feel restless or fidgety?” Of the par ticipants— 1,02,039 men (average age 62) and 1,19,638 women(average age 60) — 16.2% repor ted having moderate psy-chological distress and 7.3% had high/ very high psycho-logical distress. During follow-up of more than four years,4,573 hear t attacks and 2,421 strokes occur red, the re-search team found.The absolute risk — overall risk of developing a diseasein a cer tain time period — of hear t attack and strokerose with each level of psychological distress, theysaid. The association between psychological distressand increased cardiovascular disease risk was presenteven after accounting for lifestyle behaviours (smok-ing, alcohol intake, dietary habits) and disease history,the researchers said.

Depression and anxiety inmiddle age can increase risk ofheart disease and stroke

New way to attack herpes virus discovered by scientistsA team of scientists have uncovered the mechanism that allowsthe herpes virus to replicate. Their study could open new thera-peutic avenues to treat not only cytomegalovirus but other vi-ruses as well.Human cytomegalovirus is a leading cause of birth defects andtransplant failures. As it’s evolved over time, this virus from theherpes family has found a way to bypass the body’s defensemechanisms that usually guard against viral infections. Until now,scientists couldn’t understand how it manages to do so.Normally, when a virus enters your cell, that cell blocks the virus’sDNA and prevents it from performing any actions. The virus mustovercome this barrier to effectively multiply.To get around this obstacle, cytomegalovirus doesn’t simply in-ject its own DNA into a human cell. Instead, it carries its viralDNA into the cell along with proteins called PP71. After enteringthe cell, it releases these PP71 proteins, which enables the viralDNA to replicate and the infection to spread.The researchers found that, while PP71 is still present in the cell,it activates another protein known as IE1. This happens within thefirst few hours of the virus entering the cell, allowing the IE1protein to take over after PP71 dies and continue creating a newvirus.To confirm their findings, the team created a synthetic version of

the virus that allowed them to adjust the levels of the IE1 proteinsusing small molecules. With this technique, they could let the virusinfect the cell while controlling how quickly the IE1 protein wouldbreak down in the cell.The first author of the new study Noam Vardi said, “We noticed thatwhen the IE1 protein degrades slowly, as it normally does, thevirus can replicate very efficiently. But if the protein breaks downfaster, the virus can’t multiply as well. So, we confirmed that thevirus needs the IE1 protein to successfully replicate.”This study could have broad implications for the scientific commu-nity, which has been struggling to determine how cells maintaintheir identity over time. During development, for instance, stemcells choose a path based on the proteins that surround them. Buteven after these initial proteins disappear, the specialized cellsdon’t change.So, stem cells that turn into neurons during development con-tinue to be neurons long after those proteins are gone. The newstudy could lead to a new therapeutic target to attack cytome-galovirus and other herpesviruses, such as Epstein-Barr virusthat causes mononucleosis and herpes simplex virus 1 and 2that produce most cold sores and genital herpes. The full find-ings are present in the journal- Proceedings of the National Acad-emy of Sciences.

housing affordability at 'crisis level' in canada's most expensive...

Documents