Americans now spend twice as much on health care as they did in the 1980s

The average American household spent almost $5,000 per person on health care last year. That’s a 101% increase from the roughly $2,500 per person that Americans spent about 34 years ago in 1984, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditures Survey by data company Clever. To make accurate comparisons, Clever adjusted all dollar amounts for inflation. It’s perhaps not surprising that health care expenses have risen over the past three decades. But the main driver of the increase is not drug costs or medical services. In…

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Babies in strollers are exposed to twice more pollution than adults

Babies in prams can be exposed to up to 60 per cent more pollution than their parents, causing potential damage to their frontal lobe and impacting on their brain development, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK examined over 160 references to highlight the factors concerning the pollution exposure of babies in prams and associated mitigation strategies. The study, published in the journal Environment International, also investigated different types of prams based on their height, width, and whether they seat one child or two…

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India’s Salt Intake Twice the WHO-Recommended Mark

The average salt intake in India is double that of the WHO-recommended maximum consumption level of 5 gm/day, a study said on Wednesday. Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health reviewed data involving 227,000 people across the country and found salt consumption “far exceeds” the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum target of just five grams per person each day. “The average daily salt intake was 10.98 grams per day for Indians aged above 19 against the WHO recommendation of 5 gm,” a statement from the institute said, highlighting the…

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Zika virus unlikely to infect same person twice

You are unlikely to get Zika fever twice as new research bolsters the belief that people infected with the virus may not be susceptible to it again. “The research shows that infection provides excellent protection against reinfection,” said one of the researchers Stephen Higgs, Director of the Biosecurity Research Institute, at Kansas State University in the US. “This means people infected during this current epidemic will likely not be susceptible again. When a large proportion of the population is protected — known as herd immunity — the risk of future…

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Chinese Eating Twice the Amount of Salt Recommended: Study

Salt intake has been on the decline in China since 2000, but it currently is still nearly twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) , a new study said. The study, published in the US journal JAMA, was based on total diet surveys in 2000 and 2009-2011 in 12 of China’s 31 mainland provinces, covering at least 46 percent of the Chinese population. The researchers found the average dietary salt consumption of Chinese residents declined by 22.2 percent, from 11.8 grams per day in 2000 to 9.2…

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How Brushing Your Teeth Twice a Day Can Revitalise Your Heart

What have brushing and cleaning your teeth to do with your heart? A lot, say health experts, suggesting that taking care of your teeth and gums will not only help keep oral hygiene or make you smile better but also save your heart from various heart diseases. Gum disease can be a reason for heart disease because bacteria from infected gums can dislodge, enter the bloodstream, attach to blood vessels and increase clot formation. “Swelling caused by gum disease may also trigger clot formation. Clots decrease blood flow to the…

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