fasting can be good for health

Intermittent fasting was one of the most talked about diet trends in 2017 — and now new research from the University of Surrey suggests that following such a diet could have real health benefits. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers assigned 27 overweight participants to either the 5:2 diet or a daily calorie restriction diet, and told to them to lose 5% of their weight. The study aimed to look at the impact of the 5:2 on the body’s ability to metabolise fat and glucose following a meal and compared it to the effects of weight loss achieved by a daily calorie restriction diet. The participants on the 5:2 followed the regime of eating normally for five days and restricting their calories to 600 calories on their two so-called “fasting days.” Meanwhile those on the daily diet were required to eat 600 calories less each day than their estimated requirements for weight maintenance — women ate approximately 1,400 calories and men ate approximately 1,900 calories per day.

india’s large number of child smokers

Data from the Global Tobacco Atlas released recently indicates that despite lowering tobacco use in recent years, India is home to an estimated 625,000 child smokers in the age group of 10 to 14 years. More than 932,600 Indian lives are lost to tobacco-related diseases every year. Further, the economic burden of smoking is very high in India and this includes both direct cost of healthcare and the indirect cost of lost productivity. Use of tobacco is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, pulmonary diseases and certain types of cancers. One of the major causes for continued tobacco consumption in India is the fact that it is a part of the country’s social culture.

pregnancy pounds can be predicted

According to an Endocrine Society-led study, race and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) both affect leptin and adiponectin levels. Also, leptin levels in mid-pregnancy may be an important predictor of weight gain during pregnancy. “Gaining too much or too little weight during pregnancy poses potential health risks. Leptin and adiponectin, hormones released primarily from fat cells, are known to play roles in appetite regulation, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, blood pressure and the development of metabolic syndrome. During pregnancy, lower levels of adiponectin are associated with higher risk of gestational diabetes and higher leptin levels are observed in women who develop pre-eclampsia,” said lead study author Adam Jara.

Briefly Speaking