New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): Fitness apps are easy to download and motivate people to start workout routines, but that may not be enough to sustain those routines in the long run. However, a new research suggests that there may be ways to tweak those apps to inspire a deeper commitment to a fitness routine and help users reach their fitness goals. The study was published in the journal 'Health Communication'. In the study, researchers found that certain app features that boosted inner, or intrinsic, motivation particularly feelings of autonomy, community and competence, boosted a user's chance of sticking with his or her workout routine. Fitness app users often struggle with maintaining a fitness routine, according to the researchers.

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): According to a new research, inhibiting proteins within blood vessels can stimulate their growth, resulting in healthier fat tissue and lower blood sugar levels. A research conducted on improving blood vessel growth showed how to mitigate serious health problems that arise with obesity, such as diabetes. The researchers investigated a process of the vascular system called angiogenesis and whether inhibiting FoxO1 protein would stimulate adipose angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the formation of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. It helps to maintain normal healthy functions in tissue, particularly when that tissue enlarges. However, when the tissue expands as it stores excess fat, angiogenesis is repressed and new capillaries fail to grow. This results in unhealthy adipose tissue, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): According to a recent study, it has emerged that serious infections during childhood may increase risk of mental disorders. Researchers at the Aarhus University found that infections, which require hospitalisations, can lead to an 84 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with any mental disorder and an about 42 percent increased the risk of using psychotropic drugs. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of JAMA Psychiatry. The researchers analysed health data of more than 1 million people and took a close look at their medical histories from birth to late adolescence. They found associations between any treated infection and increased risk of prescribed medication for various childhood and adolescent mental disorders. Risks were majorly increased for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality and behavior disorders, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder conduct disorder, and tic disorders.

New Delhi, Dec 09 (ANI): Inflammatory bowel disease increases the risk of prostate cancer by four-to-five times, according to a study. The 20-year study from Northwestern Medicine is the first report to show men with inflammatory bowel disease have higher than average PSA (prostate-specific antigen) values, and this group also has a significantly higher risk of potentially dangerous prostate cancer. Inflammatory bowel disease is a common chronic condition that includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. “These patients may need to be screened more carefully than a man without inflammatory bowel disease,” said lead study author Dr. Shilajit Kundu. “If a man with inflammatory bowel disease has an elevated PSA, it may be an indicator of prostate cancer.” In his practice, Kundu sees many men with inflammatory bowel disease who have elevated PSA tests. “Many doctors think their PSA is elevated just because they have an inflammatory condition,” Kundu added. “There is no data to guide how we should treat these men.” For the extensive study, researchers looked at 1,033 men with inflammatory bowel disease and a control group of 9,306 men without the disease. They followed the two groups of men for 18 years and found those with inflammatory bowel disease were much more likely to have prostate cancer and higher PSA levels.

New Delhi, Dec 08 (ANI): Turns out, sleeping more than six to eight hours a night is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular diseases. According to a recent study at the McMaster and Peking Union Medical College, people sleeping more than the recommended upper limit of eight hours increased their risk of major cardiovascular events, like stroke or heart failure, as well as death by up to 41 per cent. But a possible reason for this could be that people have underlying conditions causing them to sleep longer, which in turn could raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or death, explained the authors of the study. The findings of the study appeared in the Journal of European Heart.

New Delhi, Dec 07 (ANI): Older adults with Vitamin D deficiency are at greater risk of developing depression, finds a study. The study has been published in Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA). A new study by researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin has shown for the first time in Ireland that a deficiency in vitamin D was associated with a substantial increased risk of depression (+75 percent) over a four-year follow up period. Later life depression can significantly reduce quality of life and is a potent risk factor for functional decline, admission to residential care and early death. Given the complex nature of depression, including the fact that the majority of older adults are undiagnosed, prevention is a priority and the identification of important risk factors is crucial.

New Delhi, Dec 06 (ANI): According to a research, a longer duration of infertility leads to lower sperm count and other parameters of impaired sperm production in infertile men. The researchers at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele stated that despite regular sexual intercourse, approximately 15 per cent of couples to fail to achieve a wanted pregnancy within a 12-month period. The findings appeared in the Journal of Epilepsia.

New Delhi, Dec 05 (ANI): A recent study was conducted to find if there is any relationship between periodontal disease and tooth loss with hypertension. The findings suggest that older women who suffer tooth loss are more likely to develop high blood pressure (BP). The study observed a positive association between tooth loss and hypertension risk among postmenopausal women. Specifically, these women had approximately 20 percent higher risk of developing hypertension during follow-up compared to other women. The association was stronger among younger women and those with lower BMI. There are several possible reasons for the observed association. One possible explanation is that as people lose teeth, they may change their diets to softer and more processed foods. These changes in dietary patterns could be associated with higher risk of hypertension. There was no association found between periodontal disease and hypertension.

New Delhi, Dec 05 (ANI): Turns out, alcohol consumption may attenuate long-term weight loss in adults with Type 2 diabetes. It was earlier noted that losing weight can help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. While the best practice for weight loss often includes decreasing or eliminating calories from alcohol, few studies examined whether people who undergo weight loss treatment report changes in alcohol intake and whether alcohol influences their weight loss. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania suggested that while alcohol consumption is not associated with short-term weight loss during a lifestyle intervention, it is associated with long-term weight loss in people with overweight or obesity and Type 2 diabetes. In the study, close to 5,000 people who were overweight and had diabetes were followed for four years. One group participated in Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) and the other in a control group consisting of diabetes support and education. Data showed that participants in the ILI group who abstained from alcohol consumption over the four-year period lost more weight than those who drank any amount during the intervention. Results from the study also showed that heavy drinkers in the ILI group were less likely to have clinically significant weight loss over the four years. “Patients with Type 2 diabetes who are trying to lose weight should be encouraged to limit alcohol consumption,” concluded lead researcher of the study, Ariana M. Chao.

New Delhi, Dec 04 (ANI): A new research on the types of bacteria living in babies’ noses offered clues as to why some recover quickly from their first cough or cold, while others suffer for longer. The study, conducted by the researchers at the University Children's Hospital of Basel, suggested that babies who have a wide variety of different bacteria living in their noses tend to recover more quickly from their first respiratory virus, compared to those who have less variety and more bacteria from either the Moraxellaceae or Streptococcaceae family. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of ERJ Open Research. The researchers stated that their findings do not offer an immediate solution to help babies recover more quickly from coughs and colds. However, the results helped scientists understand the importance of the bacteria living in the respiratory tract, and how they influence infections and long-term conditions such as asthma. Babies often suffer with coughs, runny noses, sore throats and ear infections, and in some babies, the symptoms seem to drag on for weeks. These are usually caused by a virus such as the common cold.

New Delhi, Dec 03 (ANI): Changing the word 'cheat' with 'treat' can make all the difference! For every one of us, food is one of the greatest pleasures. It's something everyone makes room for, but eating your favourite treats, while on a weight loss plan, often referred to as cheat meals, will be nothing but cheating on your diet. The decision to include treat meals may vary from person to person. Here are some considerations to incorporate treat meals into your eating plan.

New Delhi, Dec 03 (ANI): We are all guilty of lying to our doctors. When the doctor asks us things like, how often we exercise or what have we been eating lately, we tend to lie or stretch the truth. It's mostly because we want to avoid being judged. According to a recent study, 60 to 80 percent of people surveyed have not been forthcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to their health. Besides fibbing about diet and exercise, more than a third of respondents didn't speak up when they disagreed with their doctor's recommendation. Another common scenario was failing to admit they didn't understand their clinician's instructions. When respondents explained why they weren't transparent, most said that they wanted to avoid being judged, and didn't want to be lectured about how bad certain behaviors were. More than half were simply too embarrassed, to tell the truth. Survey-takers were presented with seven common scenarios where a patient might feel inclined to conceal health behaviors from their clinician and asked to select all that they had ever happened to them. Participants were then asked to recall why they made that choice. The survey was developed with input from physicians, psychologists, researchers and patients, and refined through pilot testing with the general public. In both surveys, people who identified themselves as female were younger, and self-reported as being in poor health were more likely to report having failed to disclose medically relevant information to their clinician. The study suggests that understanding the issue more in-depth could point toward ways to fix the problem. Person-to-person interviews could help identify other factors that influence clinician-patient interactions.

New Delhi, Dec 02 (ANI): Climate change and air pollution are causing millions of premature deaths, a recent study suggests. The result of the research shows that rising temperatures as a result of climate change are already exposing us to an unacceptably high health risk and warns, for the first time, that older people in Europe and the East Mediterranean are particularly vulnerable to extremes of heat, markedly higher than in Africa and SE Asia. Since air pollution and greenhouse gases often share common sources, mitigating climate change constitutes a major opportunity for direct human health benefits. Large contributions to ambient air pollution come from the residential sector, mostly from solid fuels like biomass and coal. Industry, electricity generation, transport, and agriculture are also important contributors. While coal should be a key target for early phase-out in households and electricity generation as it is highly polluting, it is not all that should be done. Rising temperatures and unseasonable warmth is responsible for cholera and dengue fever spreading, with vectorial capacity for their transmission increasing across many endemic areas. This means global temperature change to which humans are exposed is more than double the global average change, with temperatures rising 0.8°C versus 0.3°C.The report, which looks at 41 separate indicators across a range of themes, says urgent steps are needed to protect people now from the impacts of climate change. In particular, stronger labor regulations are needed to protect workers from extremes of heat and hospitals and the health systems we rely on the need to be better equipped for extreme heat so they are able to cope. The report also stresses that there are limits to adapting to the temperature increases, and if left unabated, climate change and heat will overwhelm even the strongest of systems, so the need for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical.

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): Weight cycling - the repeated loss and regain of body weight (usually from diet) - has been associated with a higher risk of death, according to a recent study. The research has been published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Weight cycling leads to adverse health outcomes. By some estimates, 80 per cent of people who lose weight will gradually regain it to end up at the same weight or even heavier than they were before they went on a diet. The Endocrine Society's Scientific Statement on the causes of obesity found this was because once an individual loses weight, the body typically reduces the amount of energy expended at rest, during exercise and daily activities while increasing hunger. This combination of lower energy expenditure and hunger creates a "perfect metabolic storm" of conditions for weight gain. "This study shows that weight cycling can heighten a person's risk of death," said lead study author Hak C. Jang. "However, we also concluded that weight loss as a result of weight cycling can ultimately reduce the risk of developing diabetes in people with obesity." In the 16-year prospective cohort study, researchers examined 3,678 men and women from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study and found weight cycling was associated with a higher risk of death. Interestingly, people with obesity who experienced more weight cycling were less likely to develop diabetes than other study participants. The health benefits of weight loss overshadowed the adverse effects of weight cycling for individuals with obesity looking to lower their diabetes risk.

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI): According to a study, not getting enough sleep makes you angrier, especially in frustrating situations. The Iowa State University research has been published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. “Other studies have shown a link between sleep and anger, but questions remained about whether sleep loss was to blame or if anger was responsible for disrupted sleep,” said Zlatan Krizan, professor of psychology at Iowa State. The research answers those questions and provides new insight on our ability to adjust to irritating conditions when tired. Study participants were randomly split into two groups: one maintained their normal sleep routine and the second restricted their sleep by two to four hours each night for two nights. Those who maintained averaged almost seven hours of sleep a night, while the restricted group got about four and a half hours each night. The difference reflects sleep loss we regularly experience in everyday life, Krizan said. To measure anger, Krizan and Garrett Hisler, an ISU doctoral student in psychology, had participants come to the lab – before and after the sleep manipulation – to rate different products while listening to brown noise (similar to the sound of spraying water) or more aversive white noise (similar to a static signal). Krizan says the purpose was to create uncomfortable conditions, which tend to provoke anger. “In general, anger was substantially higher for those who were sleep restricted,” Krizan said. “We manipulated how annoying the noise was during the task and as expected, people reported more anger when the noise was more unpleasant. When sleep was restricted, people reported even more anger, regardless of the noise.” It is well established that sleep loss increases negative emotions, such as anxiety and sadness, and decreases positive emotions, such as happiness and enthusiasm, Krizan said. He and Hisler measured these effects to more generally understand the relationship between sleep, anger and emotions. Krizan says they found sleep loss to uniquely impact anger, and not just result from feeling more negative in that moment. The researchers also tested whether subjective sleepiness explained more intense feelings of anger. Sleepiness accounted for 50 percent of the experimental effect of sleep restriction on anger, suggesting individuals’ sense of sleepiness may point to whether they are likely to become angered, Krizan said.

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): According to a new research, certain nutrients and dietary supplements can benefit sperm quality and male fertility. The study was published in the Journal of Advances in Nutrition. Infertility affects 15 percent of the world population and is recognised by the World Health Organisation as a global health problem. In recent years, studies of sperm quality in different countries have shown a decrease that could have consequences for the survival of the human species. The decrease in sperm quality has been related to unhealthy lifestyles. Stress, consumption of drugs, tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy diets seem to be some of the main factors. After qualitatively analysing the results of 28 nutritional studies involving 2900 participants, researchers have concluded that supplementing the diet with omega 3 and coenzyme Q10 (in either liquid or tablet form) can have a beneficial effect on the number of spermatozoids in semen. Supplementing the diet with selenium, zinc, fatty acids, omega-3 and coenzyme-Q10 is associated with an increase in spermatozoid concentration, supplementing the diet with selenium, zinc, omega-3, coenzyme-Q10 and carnitines have been associated with an improvement in sperm mobility. The study suggests that dietary supplements have a modulating effect on sperm quality and provides an extensive and up-to-date review of the existing scientific evidence. The results state that certain dietary supplements can have a beneficial effect on sperm quality, although it remains to be demonstrated whether this increases the likelihood of conceiving a child naturally or through assisted reproduction techniques.

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): According to a recent study, screening for colorectal cancer can benefit male patients, while similar benefits were not found among women. The study appeared in the British Journal of Surgery. Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer in the world. Every year, approximately 3,000 new cases are diagnosed, and roughly 1,200 patients die of it. Between 2004 and 2016, an extensive screening programme was conducted in Finland, intending to study the potential benefits and downsides of a nation-wide screening for colorectal cancer. The first study based on the screening results indicated no significant decrease in mortality, so the screenings were discontinued after 2016. However, researchers from the Helsinki University Hospital and the Finnish Cancer Registry wanted to examine whether the screening had offered benefits to patients with colorectal cancer. The study examined the data of approximately 1,400 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The results indicated that among patients from the screening group, the surgical removal of an entire tumour was more commonly successful than it was among the control group patients, and they were less likely to require chemotherapy. The patients from the screening group were also less likely to undergo emergency surgery because of their tumour than the control group patients. Closer inspection of the results showed that these benefits were particularly prevalent among male patients. Similar benefits were not seen among women. Additionally, the researchers found that the screening was most efficient at detecting left-sided colorectal cancer and the screening was found to have no benefit for patients with cancer on the right side, possibly because blood seeping from tumours on the right side becomes so diluted as it travels through the colon that the gFOBT can no longer detect it.

New Delhi, Nov 26 (ANI): A study found out that those men who use androgenic anabolic steroids such as testosterone may have the risk of early death and experience more hospital admission than normal. On an average, in a follow up of 7.4 years, there were seven deaths among users of androgenic anabolic steroids and 23 among participants in the control group interpreting to three-times higher risk of death associated with androgenic anabolic steroids. Acne, gynaecomastia and erectile dysfunction affected more than 10 percent of the androgenic anabolic steroids users.

New Delhi, Nov 25 (ANI): According to a research, environmental exposures to farm dust, air pollution, and obstetric factors early in life can modify immune response in adolescents. In the study published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, there is strong evidence that such exposures early in life may alter risk of allergic diseases. Exposure to farm environment in childhood, even prenatally has been shown to decrease the risk of allergic diseases. Also, being born by caesarean is recognised as a risk factor. The study demonstrated associations between diverse early life exposures and immune responses.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (ANI): The positive impact of music on human psyche has been known for a long time. Now, according to a new study, music may even help in improving the mood of people with dementia. The findings have been published in the journal Geriatrics & Gerontology. The study of 51 individuals living with dementia, who attended community-based adult day health centres, behavioural observations of a music intervention, showed a positive change in mood and a decrease in agitation. Participants demonstrated significant increases in joy, eye contact, eye movement, being engaged, and talkativeness, and a decrease in sleeping and moving or dancing. For the study, each participant listened to personalised music using headphones, which prompted social interaction with one another and/or the researchers while listening. After 20 minutes, participants were brought back to the centre's usual activities and were observed for 20 more minutes. The promising results of this affordable and meaningful intervention have propelled our team to develop an online training for direct care workers in long-term care communities," said lead author Dr. Emily Ihara, of George Mason University.

New Delhi, Nov 23 (ANI): According to a recent study, fruits and other foods containing fructose seem to have no harmful effect on blood glucose levels, while sweetened drinks and eatables that add excess energy to diets may have negative effects. The role of sugars in the development of diabetes and heart disease attracts widespread debate and increasing evidence suggests that fructose could be particularly harmful to health. Fructose occurs naturally in a range of foods, including whole fruits and vegetables, natural fruit juices and honey. It is also added to foods, such as soft drinks, breakfast cereals, baked goods, sweets, and desserts as 'free sugars'. Current dietary guidelines recommend reducing free sugars, especially fructose from sweetened beverages, but it is unclear whether this holds for all food sources of these sugars. The results show that most foods containing fructose sugars do not have a harmful effect on blood glucose levels when these foods do not provide excess calories. However, a harmful effect was seen on fasting insulin in some studies.

New Delhi, Nov 22 (ANI): Sleep length can be associated with an increased risk of fractures, a recent study has suggested. According to the findings of the research, compared with women who slept seven to eight hours each night, women who slept for 5 hours or 10 hours had about 25 percent increased odds of experiencing recurrent falls. Short sleep was associated with an increased risk of all fractures, and upper limb, lower limb, and central body fractures, but not with an increased risk of hip fractures. The analysis included 157,306 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, with an average follow-up time of 7.6 years for falls and 12.0 years for fractures. The annualized rate of recurrent fall event was 10.6 percent among women reporting 5 hours of sleep per night, 7.0 percent among women sleeping seven to eight hours per night, and 11.8 percent among women sleeping 10 hours per night.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (ANI): According to a recent study, depressed people have an increased risk of Atrial Fibrillation, or an irregular heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow. Atrial Fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia). It causes 20-30 per cent of all strokes and increases the risk of dying prematurely. It is estimated that by 2030 there will be 14-17 million patients with Atrial Fibrillation in the European Union, with 120,000-215,000 new diagnoses each year. Signs of Atrial Fibrillation include palpitations, shortness of breath, tiredness, chest pain and dizziness. Previous studies have found that associations between depression and both, more severe symptoms and higher mortality in atrial fibrillation patients. Antidepressants have been linked with some serious, but rare, heart rhythm disturbances, prompting the question of whether they might also raise the risk of Atrial Fibrillation.

New Delhi, Nov 20 (ANI): Noise pollution is becoming a rising issue in hospitals, a recent report suggests. Noise in hospitals is known to hinder communication among staff, causing annoyance, irritation, and fatigue, and detrimentally impacting the quality and safety of healthcare. High noise levels and noise-induced stress impact negatively on staff performance and wellbeing, compromising caring behaviour and contributing to burnout. The team of researchers highlighted that it can also impact a patients' ability to rest, heal and recover since it has been linked to the development of ICU psychosis, hospitalisation-induced stress, increased pain sensitivity, high blood pressure, and poor mental health. Patients report that hospital noise can have a cumulative effect on their hospital experience.

New Delhi, Nov 19 (ANI): According to a recent study, while all physical activities are beneficial for heart health, static activities such as strength training was found to be more strongly associated with reducing heart disease risks than dynamic activities like walking and cycling. It is a well-known fact that physical activity is important for heart health. Strength training showed the most amount of benefit. Researchers found engaging in either type of activity was associated with 30 to 70 percent lower rates of cardiovascular disease risk factors, but associations were strongest for static activity and in youth.

New Delhi, Nov 18 (ANI): In a recent study, biologists discovered how head injuries adversely affect individual cells and genes that can lead to serious brain disorders. The researchers studied more than 6,000 cells in 15 hippocampal cell types -- the first study of individual cell types subject to brain trauma. Each cell has the same DNA, but which genes are activated varies among different cell types. Among the 15 cell types are two that were previously unknown, each with a unique set of active genes. The life scientists provide the first cell 'atlas' of the hippocampus -- the part of the brain that helps regulate learning and memory -- when it is affected by traumatic brain injury. The team also proposed gene candidates for treating brain diseases associated with traumatic brain injuries, such as Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. The biologists found that hundreds of genes are adversely affected by mild traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion. These altered genes can later lead to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases. The researchers reproduced a concussion-like brain injury in mice and studied other mice that did not receive a brain injury. The researchers analysed thousands of cells in the hippocampus of both groups of mice. Researchers found evidence that at least 12 of 15 cell types are negatively affected by brain trauma, some more strongly than others.