Globe Health Tours News

May 30: Following vegan diet that includes fruits and vegetables that are rich in fibre and healthier fats will help to protect against type-two diabetes according to a study. As part of the study nearly 14,000 Spanish volunteers were questioned about their eating habit and studied for a period of four years to find the development of the symptoms. The findings of the research hinted that 83% of the people who followed vegan diet have low risk of type-2 diabetes. The results of the study were published in British Medical Journal.

People living in Crete, Greece and southern Italy follow Mediterranean diet that includes fresh fruits, vegetables normally cooked in olive oil and washed with glass of red wine. Regular exercise is part of their routine lifestyle. Modern studies consider Mediterranean diet as the ideal diet to keep the heart healthy. The link between obesity and the chances of developing diabetes has already been proven. Olive oil is found to control blood sugar level and minimise blood pressure.

While UK experts consider this study as not comprehensive. Dr Iain Frame from Diabetes UK opined that the questionnaire format did not try to bring out accurate results. He also added that even though the research findings point to the benefits of Mediterranean diet in reducing diabetes risk, there is need for detailed study in order to get a clear picture.

Diabetes UK suggests people to follow healthy food habit that is less in fat, sugar and salt; and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Indulging in any kind of physical activities will also help to keep the diabetes risk at bay.

Meanwhile a spokesman of the British Nutrition Foundation commented that different elements of the diet will combine together to make a difference. But the study doesn’t allow us to find exactly what kind of diet is having beneficial effect. The Mediterranean diet is high in fibre rich fruits and vegetables and saturated fat, which will help to reduce the risk of diabetes. Olive oil is the main ingredient of the diet, when highly consumed it is found to gain control over blood glucose and reduce inflammation, it will help to prevent the development of diabetes right from the early stage.

More specific studies will add more clarity to the health benefits of following Mediterranean lifestyle.

May 29: Researches on several topics are conducted all over the world for the betterment of human existence. Animals are mainly used for experiments to confirm the outcome of the research. Pros and cons are often raised over the period of years on the experiments on animals. On this backdrop a world expert on primates, Dr Jane Goodall has asked Europe to find an alternative to keep animals away from these experiments.

Dr Goodall was addressing a meeting in Brussels and she called for more initiatives to find an alternative to using animals for experiments. Her comments came at the apt moment as the EU directive on the protection of animals used for research that dates back to 1986 is to be revised soon. In the EU alone nearly 11 million animals are used for experiments each year in a regulated manner.

According to the version of scientists using animals for research cannot be avoided as it is effective in finding solution to health related problems that arise in humans. Dr Goodall was addressing an event organised by animal rights campaigners and a group of Euro MPs. She also presented a 150,000-signature petition that supports her call.

While the Dr Hadwen Trust, a non-animal medical research body in the UK has asked the EU to form a centre of excellence in non-animal research. Wendy Higgins, the spokeswoman of the trust said: “Industrial and academic researches have expressed their discontent over using animals for research purposes.”

Meanwhile the EU’s Directive 86/609/EEC put forth certain level of control on using animals for experimental purposes. It suggests that the experiments “shall be performed solely by competent authorised persons or under the direct responsibility of such a person”.

It further adds that the experiment “shall not be performed if another scientifically satisfactory method of obtaining the result sought, not entailing the use of an animal, is reasonably and practicably available”.

Finding an alternative way to substitute animals in research is the ideal way to bring permanent solution to this issue.

May 26: A genetic study will help to know more about the reason behind alcohol related cancer. The reason for some habitual drinkers getting affected by cancer while most others do not has remained as a riddle for a long time. The European study tries to find a solution for that, they have found two gene variants that protects against mouth and throat cancers.

The findings of the research were published in Nature Genetics. According to the study people who have those genes will acquire the ability to break down alcohol into less harmful chemicals. While Cancer Research UK suggested that reducing the consumption of alcohol is the effective way to prevent cancer.

The research team was led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France; they considered 9000 cases of people of similar age group and lifestyle who are with or without mouth or throat cancer symptoms.

The researchers found that more than seven out of ten people, who are treated for mouth cancer, drank more than the recommended limit of alcohol along with smoking that is known risk factor for oesophageal cancer. Earlier research had found that a particular gene named ADH will help to get rid of risks posed by cancer.

While commenting on this Hazel Nunn of Cancer Research UK said: “It is an interesting study, but further research is needed to get a clear picture about the role played by these gene variants in developing cancer. The best practical advice to minimise the risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus is to quit smoking and consume less alcohol.”

Drinking habit is also considered as one of the main reasons for breast, bowel and liver cancer.

May 24: Researchers are inching closer to develop a targeted vaccine that can effectively kill the cancer creating cells. UK researchers have identified a protein on immune cells that are attached to the immune system and are capable of restricting the tumour. The vaccine will convey the message to the immune system to fight against the invading cancer cells.

The findings of the research are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. This research will boost the cancer research for developing targeted cancer vaccines in the future. For over three decades scientists are searching for proteins on dendritic cells. According to the research team at London Research institute the vaccines carrying a foreign molecule from a cancer cell could be targeted to the dendritic cells that would encourage the immune system to attack the cancer causing cells. Using the same method HIV or malaria could be treated.

The lead of the study Dr Caetano Reis e Sousa opined that his team had spotted out a particular protein named DNGR-1 that could be used to transfer such vaccine to the dentritic cell. The vaccines will trigger the immune cells known as T cells that are capable of attacking dangerous foreign molecules like those found on pathogens. Dendritic cells are like messengers that hint T cells who to attack.

He further added that, “Vaccines will have a sample of the offending molecule and will transfer to DNGR-1 on the dendritic cells that will offer the molecules to the armies of T cells and instruct them to attack.”

The findings of the research will simplify the cancer treatment as it will help to understand and develop targeted cancer vaccines in the future.

May 23: A research conducted by the Harward university researchers has found that changing meal times will help a great deal to help travellers to recover from jet lag. The detailed study conducted on mice has found that the brain has a second “feeding clock” that monitors meal-times.

When one eat less the feeding clock gains control over the master clock that keeps the animal wakeful until the need for food is fulfilled. The finding of the research was published in the journal Science and it suggests that shift workers and long distance travellers can make use of this to avoid tiredness.

There is a powerful master clock in our brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus that controls the daily sleep cycles, behaviour and metabolism. The symptoms of jet lag can be effectively controlled and makes it lot more manageable.

While commenting on this Dr Neil Stanley of Norwich University Hospital opined that the disruption of the “circadian” rhythms is found to be connected with neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, heart disease, depression and insomnia. The Harward team has tried to find the relationship between “circadian” clock and “feeding” clock and its relationship with our eating patterns.”

The lead researcher of the study Clifford Saper said: “Frequent travellers and shift workers can make use of the feeding clock to adapt to changes in time zones and night-time schedules that make them feel groggy and jet-lagged.”

The research findings will benefit those people who used to travel frequently and work in unsociable hours of the day. The symptoms will not disappear completely but that can be managed to a certain extent.

May 22: In future students in schools and colleges will be tested for using brain improving drugs prior to their exams. The Academy of Medical Sciences opined that even healthy people use the drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s to enhance their alertness and memory. Like athletes urine drug tests will be conducted in children if the issue get worse.

As an attempt to study the use of psychoactive drugs and its impact on brain function the academy set up a working group in the year 2006 that is led by Sir Gabriel Horn, the neuroscience expert at the Cambridge University. Experts also suggest that regulations are needed to check the unfair advantage in exams with the help of memory enhancing drugs.

Researchers have found that many of the addictive drugs and some behavioural addictions including gambling will gain control over neural circuits in a particular region of the brain. The genes that make the brain vulnerable to mental illness have also been identified. Experts who contacted the focus group among the public during their research said the research has made limited progress in drug treatment.

They also added that the most of the medicines used for curing drug addiction fails to cure it completely, but they only try to replace the substance with less addictive and hazardous ones. The group report also suggest that the vaccines could be developed to neutralise addiction, more investment and better co-ordination between industry and government is needed to make that feasible. The researchers also focus on developing better brain enhancing drugs or cognitive enhancers to fulfil this purpose.

UK alone spends £15bn in social and economic costs in connection with drug addiction. An average of one among 10 persons is expected to suffer mental illness. On this backdrop this research deserves far reaching significance.

May 16: As an innovative attempt to check smoking habit a Japanese company has developed a vending machine that could identify age of a person by counting skin sags and wrinkles. This gadget will make use of face recognition technology to restrict anyone under the age of 20 buying cigarettes.

From July onwards strict legal action will be taken against the vending machine companies if they sell cigarettes for people under legal age limit. If the purchasers fail a digital camera “age test” then they have to produce their ID card as a proof of their age. The facial characteristics that include sags, bone structure and crow’s feet were checked against the record of more than 100,000 people and were compared by the Fujitaka company system.

While commenting on this a spokesman of the company Hajime Yamamoto said: “With the inclusion of face recognition the age of a person is determined easily and the person above legal age limit can buy cigarettes as they used to be earlier. Minors attempt to buy cigarette using the borrowed identification cards will be checked once this system is implemented.”

The company claims the system works well and it identifies nine out of ten cases. The remaining 10% will be sent to a “grey zone for baby –faced adults” where they have to insert their ID card or driving licence to prove their age.

In total there are 570,000 tobacco vending machines in Japan. Identifying the scope of the system the finance minister has already given sanction for age detection smart card and a system to identify age from driving licences. But the face-detection method is yet to be approved as its accuracy is still under doubt.

Underage smoking habit is on a decline in Japan but a survey conducted in 2004 revealed that 14% of boys and 4% of girls who are aged 17 and 18 are found to be regular smokers.

May 14: A study conducted by Malmo University Hospital in Sweden revealed that women who breastfeed for more than a year have lesser chance of getting affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Those women who breastfed for one to 12 months the risk rate decreased by 25%.

The study included 136 women with the condition to 544 without, for the Annals of Rheumatic Disease study. The study hinted that giving birth to children without breastfeeding will not protect women against getting affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Nearly 400,000 people in the UK are affected by this. The study also pointed out that women have two fold chance of getting affected by rheumatoid arthritis than men.

Breastfeeding will influence the secretion of hormone named oxytocin that is capable of reducing stress hormone level, lower blood pressure and ensure good health. On the other hand breastfeeding also increase the level of a prolactin hormone that can stimulate the immune system and might actually raise the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

While commenting on this Rachael Haynes of Arthritis Care, a voluntary organisation said: “The surprising results of this research underscore the need to know more about rheumatoid arthritis and its reason.”

According to the results of the Infant Feeding Survey released in May last year most of the women are not following the guidelines put forth by the government. Less than one in 100 women used to breastfeed for the first six months.

This study also considered the role of contraceptive pill that is earlier considered to reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis as it has hormones that are secreted during pregnancy. But even the oral contraceptives fail to protect women from getting affected by the disease.

May 6: Many of the newborn babies need the help of an incubator to keep them healthy, as it keeps the surrounding of the baby warm. In the contrary a new research conducted by the University of Siena had found that the motors used in incubators might create an electromagnetic field in the surrounding area where the babies are kept.

According to the new research the electromagnetic fields emitted by the incubators are found to affect the pulse rate of the new born babies. The Italian research titled the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that the heart rate of the baby get reduced when the incubators are turned on.

The researchers are not sure about the actual health risk arises due to the exposure of electromagnetic fields at a young age, but they suggested modification in the design pattern of incubator.

According to Dr Carlo Bellieni the lead researcher of the study, “We know that the variation in the heart rate is linked to strokes and arrhythmias in adults, how far it affects the young babies is yet to be found. More researchers focussing this topic are needed to get a clear idea about the impact of electromagnetic fields in tiny babies.”

The research had found no hard evidence to prove the actual health risk posed by incubators. While the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority has received no reports of problems with the incubators. Further studies on this topic will help to get a clear picture.

May 1: Researchers found that the increase in the number of trees will improve the quality of air and encourage children to play outside. The findings of the study were published in the Journal named Epidemiology and Community Health Journal.

In the US the childhood asthma increased 50% between 1980 and 2000 with high rates in poor and urban communities. In New York City asthma is the leading cause of admission to hospital among children under the age of 15. On this backdrop this research deserves special significance.

While considering the rate of pollution, its adverse effect in our health and the population density the link between number of trees and asthma rates are expected to bring positive result.