Vitamin D may reduce cancer risk, breast cancer mortality

Apart from building healthy bones, vitamin D also may reduce cancer risk as well as BreastCancer mortality, especially in women with a lower body mass index.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women worldwide and is the leading cause of death from cancer in women. Reproductive risk factors such as early onset of puberty, late menopause, later age at first pregnancy, never having been pregnant, obesity, and a family history have all been shown to be associated with breast cancer development.

The role of vitamin D concentration in the development of breast cancer, however, continues to be debated.

Researchers involved in the study concluded that postmenopausal women had an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency at the time of their breast cancer diagnoses, associated with higher rates of obesity than women of the same age group without cancer.

Similar studies also have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer mortality. Women in the highest quartile of vitamin D concentrations, in fact, had a 50% lower death rate from breast cancer than those in the lower quartile, suggesting that vitamin D levels should be restored to a normal range in all women with breast cancer.

Apart from building healthy bones, vitamin D also may reduce cancer risk as well as breast cancer mortality, especially in women with a lower body mass index.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women worldwide and is the leading cause of death from cancer in women. Reproductive risk factors such as early onset of puberty, late menopause, later age at first pregnancy, never having been pregnant, obesity, and a family history have all been shown to be associated with breast cancer development.

The role of vitamin D concentration in the development of breast cancer, however, continues to be debated.

Researchers involved in the study concluded that postmenopausal women had an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency at the time of their breast cancer diagnoses, associated with higher rates of obesity than women of the same age group without cancer.

Similar studies also have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer mortality. Women in the highest quartile of vitamin D concentrations, in fact, had a 50% lower death rate from breast cancer than those in the lower quartile, suggesting that vitamin D levels should be restored to a normal range in all women with breast cancer.

Simple leg exercises can reduce negative effects on heart and blood vessels

Did you know how beneficial are simple Leg exercises while lying down? A sedentary lifestyle can cause an impairment of transportation of blood in the body which in turn may increase the risk of diseases in the heart and blood vessels.

Performing simple leg exercises can make a huge change and prevent such problems, a new study reveals.

Earlier work has demonstrated that prolonged sitting for up to 6 hours results in a decline in both blood flow to the limbs and in our larger arteries' ability to widen to accommodate increased blood flow. This is the first study to show that sitting for just 10 minutes is sufficient to reduce blood flow to the legs and impairs the function of small blood vessels supplying muscles in the leg.

This paper also highlights a reduction in the function of small blood vessels when lying down. However, this study suggests that we might be able to reverse this impairment to some extent by performing some simple leg exercises when lying down in bed or on the sofa.

Also Read : Here's why diabetics should get proper sleep

The effects of sitting on blood circulation have been attributed to blood passing more slowly through arteries while sitting. The researchers aimed to find out whether these reductions were caused by sustained sitting, or whether 10 minutes would be sufficient to have a negative effect.

The researchers used a Doppler ultrasound technique alongside the knee to measure blood flow and examined the extent to which blood vessels widened in 18 healthy, young males. These measurements were made prior to and following a 10 -minute period of sitting or during a period of rest while lying down, with or without leg exercises, which were performed by extending the foot back and forth every two seconds for a third of the time spent lying down.

Results showed that a 10 minute period of sitting reduced participants' ability to rapidly increase blood flow to the lower legs via small blood vessels, but it did not affect the widening of larger arteries in response to increased blood flow. The results also suggest leg exercises can help maintain rapid increases in the blood supply to the limbs.

The study demonstrates changes in blood vessel function measured at the level of the knee. However, the researchers only tested healthy young males and their findings cannot be extended to females. It remains unknown as to how these responses may vary with age, or with people who have heart problems.(more)

Most Effective Herbal and Natural Remedies

The biggest advantage of natural healing techniques is that of no side effects. Other benefits of natural home remedies include that they are cheaper, safer and in many a cases they work better.

An increasing number of people are trying to avoid chemicals and thus are turning towards natural and herbal alternatives. In case of common ailments there are many benefits that natural, herbal remedies and home remedies provide when compared to popping pills. The biggest advantage of natural healing techniques is that of no side effects. Chemical medications bring along issues such as dependency, risk of complications and side effects. Other benefits of natural home remedies include that they are cheaper, safer and in many a cases they work better. Many a times allopathic medicines actually help provide relief and treat only symptoms, whereas natural remedies cure and heal ailments from their roots. Nature has blessed us with many natural herbs and food items with medicinal and healing properties. So, what are the most effective natural cures and home remedies for some common ailments?

Turmeric for Wounds and Inflammations: Due to its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties turmeric has been used in case of wounds and cuts since time immemorial. It not only helps ease the pain but also helps the wound to heal faster and without any infections.

Ginger for Nausea: Ginger is one of the best home remedy for nausea. Along with providing relief from nausea it also helps improves absorption and sooth the stomach. Ginger tea is recommended to pregnant ladies to ease nausea. Children are made to chew on ginger for the same purpose.

Aloe Vera for Skin Problems: Aloe Vera contains Auxin and Gibberellins. These ingredients help fight skin inflammation and other chronic skin problems. Aloe Vera acts as a natural moisturizer and also helps fight aging of the skin. It is also useful in cases of sunburns and stretch marks.

Eucalyptus for Nasal Congestion: Eucalyptus oil when steam inhaled reduces nasal blockages hence is useful to ease nasal and sinus congestion. Eucalyptus oil contains an ingredient called cineole which is useful in providing relief from acute sinusitis. (more)

Loneliness may be a greater public health hazard than obesity: Study

Loneliness and isolation may actually lead to early death, researches say

Loneliness may be a greater public health hazard than obesity, according to a study which found that social isolation may put people at an increased risk of early death.

"Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need - crucial to both well-being and survival," said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor at Brigham Young University in the US.

"Extreme examples show infants in custodial care who lack human contact fail to thrive and often die, and indeed, social isolation or solitary confinement has been used as a form of punishment," said Holt-Lunstad.

"Yet an increasing portion of the USPopulation now experiences isolation regularly," she said.

To illustrate the influence of social isolation and loneliness on the risk for premature mortality, Holt-Lunstad presented data from two research reviews.

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The first involved 148 studies, representing more than 300,000 participants, and found that greater social connection is associated with a 50 per cent reduced risk of early death.

The second study, involving 70 studies representing more than 3.4 million individuals from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, examined the role that social isolation, loneliness or living alone might have on mortality.

Researchers found that all three had a significant and equal effect on the risk of premature death, one that was equal to or exceeded the effect of other well-accepted risk factors such as obesity.

"There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators," said Holt-Lunstad.

Mediterranean diet for healthy brain

Latest News : A Mediterranean diet, comprising fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish, may help older adults to retain more brain volume, researchers have found.

The Mediterranean diet also includes beans and cereal grains such as wheat and rice, moderate amounts of fish, dairy and wine and limited red meat and poultry.

"As we age, the brain shrinks and we lose brain cells which can affect learning and memory. This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on brain health," said Michelle Luciano from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

For the study, researchers gathered information on the eating habits of 967 Scottish people aged around 70 who did not have dementia.

The findings showed that people who did not follow as closely to the Mediterranean diet were more likely to have a higher loss of total brain volume over three years than those who followed the diet more closely.

The difference in diet explained 0.5 per cent of the variation in total brain volume, an effect that was half the size of that due to normal ageing.

The results were the same when adjusted for other factors that could affect brain volume such as age, education and having diabetes or high blood pressure, the researchers said.

In addition, consuming fish and meat were not related to brain changes, they said. This is contrary to earlier studies.(more)

Railways funds set to turn negative in FY17

Indian Railways is staring at an overall negative fund balance of Rs 6,095 crore next financial year despite the rail ministry’s claim that it would manage to successfully handle the impact of the Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations on its financial health.Read More.

All you need to know about the Zika virus

The Zika virus disease has “explosive” pandemic potential, with outbreaks in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas, says an article published byThe Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday.

According to a BBC report, the World Health Organization says the virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas.

The current outbreak of the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), came to light when the Pan American Health Organisation issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil.