Chickenpox springs nasty winter surprise

Infection a threat to kids Chickenpox may fast be losing its `Basanta rog’ (spring disease) moniker. The viral infection that’s associated with spring has been striking early for a last few years, baffling doctors. “Cases of chickenpox are trickling in. Though the number is not alarming, this is not the season for the infection, hence the concern,” said Dr Sibabrata Banerjee, internal medicine expert at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur. Caused by varicella zozter virus (VZV), chickenpox infections are common during the springtime months of February , March and April. As a…

The Best Foods to Eat During Finals Week

And the time has come. Just like that, finals have made their way into our lives. For many of us, the stress is at an all time high. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And happiness will return when you take your last final. Since it’s time to buckle down, focus, and concentrate on the material at hand, I have listed below five foods that will help strengthen the brain, because knowing all the vocabulary for organic chemistry is not okay. Ever. 1. Salmon Getty…

Paleo-Type Diets May Cut Diabetes and Heart Disease Risk

The consumption of a paleolithic-type diet by obese women can help them lose weight and lower their future risk of diabetes and heart disease, says a new research. A typical Paleolithic diet includes lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, with rapeseed, olive oil and avocado as additional fat sources. It excludes dairy products, cereals, added salt and refined fats and sugar. “Eating a Paleolithic-type diet without calorie restriction significantly improved the fatty acid profile associated with insulin sensitivity, and it reduced abdominal adiposity and body weight in…

Eating Dark Chocolate Can Curb Diabetes, Heart Disease Risk

Fancy eating chocolates every day? You may soon have the recommendation of doctors to indulge a little as researchers have found that a dark chocolate bar daily could reduces the risk of developing diabetes and heart diseases.   For the study, the researchers analysed data of 1,153 people aged 18-69 years old who were part of the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk in Luxembourg study. It was found that those who ate 100 g of chocolate a day — equivalent to a bar — had reduced insulin resistance and improved liver…

New Initiative Promises Diabetics Better Control on the Disease

Researchers from various prominent health institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Emory University of the US, have said that a new Multi-Component Diabetes Quality Improvement (QI) initiative can help patients with diabetes double their likelihood of controlling the disease in comparison with the usual doctor care. Led by researchers at the Public Health Foundation of India, AIIMS, and Emory University (Atlanta, USA), the initiative, comprising non-physician care coordinators and decision-support electronic health records, is a result of years of trial at ten clinical centres in…

​Taste this: Your salt intake is double and dangerous

Many know they have to worry about salt, particularly if they have hypertension and abnormal amounts of lipids and fats in the blood. Scientists, however, have found that even patients with these diseases take more than two times the quantity recommended for a normal person. The National Institute of Nutrition’s dietary guidelines for Indians say salt intake higher than 8 gm/day is considered a risk factor for hypertension. Yet, a multi-centric study done on 500 patients in five metros showed that the mean total daily salt consumption was 10.9gm, with…