Eating dark chocolate can protect men against heart disease and stroke, scientists have claimed.

The benefits include anti-clotting effects which are activated within two hours in both sexes, and with greater impact in men, the Daily Mail reported.

Having a piece of chocolate a day – not just at Christmas – could be the secret to staying heart healthy, according to scientists at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health.

Lead researcher Dr Baukje de Roos, from the Rowett Institute, said, “It’s an acute effect in the body that men and women both benefit from, but it’s more diluted in women.”

“These findings are not a carte blanche to eat chocolates as they are extremely rich in fat and sugar.

“But probably eating a little bit of dark chocolate containing at least 70 per cent cocoa every day is going to do more good than harm,” she added.

(more…)

Being fiery and expressing negative emotions can lead to long-lasting good health, according to researchers.

In contrast, the British characteristic of self-restraint can have serious repercussions for physical and mental well-being, they said.

Researchers at the University of Jena in Germany assessed more than 6,000 patients and found that those who internalised their anxiety suffered from a raised pulse, the Daily Mail reported.

In the long run this results in high blood pressure and an increased chance of developing a wide range of illnesses, from coronary heart disease to cancer and kidney damage.

The research by Marcus Mund and Kristin Mitte identified a group of so-called ‘repressors’ who were particularly at risk.

According to Mund, these people are distinguished by the way that they attempt to conceal outward signs of fear, and also by their defensive behaviour.

(more…)

An experienced clinical dietician, nutrition specialist and a Reebok Certified Fitness Consultant, Sheela Tanna has counselled at various health camps.

She deals with lifestyle disease management like diabetes, blood pressure, cardio vascular diseases, obesity, PCOD etc. Her special interests include child nutrition, menopause management, arthitis, hair and skin care.

Sheela answered Sify readers’ queries related to diet and nutrition in an exlusive chat. Read the transcript below

Why is Protien a vital element is our diet and from where do we get it ?
proten is building block of our body.. We need it on regular basis for wear and tear of tissues.. Natural diet like dals, pulses,lean meat has enough protein..No need to buy supplements.

(more…)

The effect of loneliness on health is equal to that of obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day, say experts.

They said being alone could hasten dementia and increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, the Sun reported.

Research revealed that half of all people aged 75 or over live alone and at least one in ten of the ten million over-65s in Britain is badly affected by solitude.

Five million elderly, half of that number, said television is their main companion and more than half a million, 600,000, admitted that they leave their house less than once a week.

Recent research by WRVS, a charity helping older people, identified nearly 400,000 elderly people who say they have children who are too busy to see them.

And the further away from their elderly parents the children live, the worse the situation becomes.

(more…)

Always include fruit in your breakfast: Top cereal with bananas, peaches, or strawberries; drink 100% orange or grapefruit juice. Or, try a fruit mixed with fat-free or low-fat yoghurt.

Doctors saved a man, who developed ventricular tachychardia, or an unusual heart rhythm, by giving a shot of neat alcohol, or pure ethanol.

According to BBC News, the alcohol shot was given to Ronald Aldom, 77, from Portishead in England, via a catheter through the blood vessel in the groin that connects to the heart, Fox News reported.

The ethanol triggered a “controlled heart attack,” and actually killed the part of Aldom’s heart muscle that was problematic, as reported by BBC News.

Doctors decided to try this approach after several unsuccessful conventional treatments. “Ethanol ablation” as it is called, has only been done a handful of times in the United Kingdom.

The procedure saved Aldom’s life, making his heart beat regularly again.

(more…)

Chocolate milk tops the list when it comes to fuelling yourself after a hard session at the gym.

This is because every cup of chocolate milk contains between eight and 11 grams of protein.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that, when taken immediately after exercise, milk-based proteins promote greater muscle protein synthesis than soy-based proteins, Fox News reported.

Finally, another reason why post-workout chocolate milk is beneficial is because cow”s milk contains about 80 percent casein protein content and 20 percent whey protein content.

This is ideal because the whey protein is fast-acting, allowing amino acids to get right into the muscle tissue, while the casein protein is digested slower, providing a steady stream of amino acids over a lengthier period of time.

(more…)

Participating in online social networks can have a detrimental effect on consumer well-being by lowering self-control among certain users, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

“Using online social networks can have a positive effect on self-esteem and well-being. However, these increased feelings of self-worth can have a detrimental effect on behaviour. Because consumers care about the image they present to close friends, social network use enhances self-esteem in users who are focused on close friends while browsing their social network,” authors Keith Wilcox (Columbia University) and Andrew T. Stephen (University of Pittsburgh) wrote.

“This momentary increase in self-esteem leads them to display less self-control after browsing a social network,” they added.

(more…)

Schizophrenia is more common in urban neighbourhoods with increased deprivation, population density and inequality, according to a new study.

Dr James Kirkbride, lead author of the study from the University of Cambridge, said, “Although we already know that schizophrenia tends to be elevated in more urban communities, it was unclear why. Our research suggests that more densely populated, more deprived and less equal communities experience higher rates of schizophrenia and other similar disorders. This is important because other research has shown that many health and social outcomes also tend to be optimal when societies are more equal.”

The scientists used data from a large population-based incidence study (the East London first-episode psychosis study directed by Professor Jeremy Coid at the East London NHS Foundation Trust and Queen Mary, University of London) conducted in three neighbouring inner city, ethnically diverse boroughs in East London: City & Hackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.

(more…)

Myth: All genital eruptions are sexually transmitted diseases.

Fact: People are aware that Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) occur as wounds, growths or as a rash discharging pus from the male or female genitalia. Any such change present on the shaft of the penis, the foreskin or on the female vulva and vagina is usually thought to be an STD. Yet is every such complaint necessarily an STD?

Not always. It should be understood that the skin over the private parts is as vulnerable to any skin disease like that in other parts of the body.

Ordinary skin diseases, which are not necessarily transmitted through sexual intercourse, can occur on the genitalia alone or can be disseminated everywhere on the body including the private parts. Bacterial or fungal infections can appear as red rashes with discharge of pus or pus-like thick flakes. In summer heat boils make their appearance close to the groin folds.

(more…)