Pets help decrease heart risk

Pets help decrease heart risk

There are several studies that are published daily, but there are some that have caught our attention for either their wackiness or the genuine options they offer. 

Either way, they are worth a read and some come with a warning about your heart health and depression!

Study: Get a pet, protect your heart

If there was any doubt about the benefits of sharing your home with a pet, here is something to mull over - scientists claim that the presence of a pet greatly reduces the risk of heart disease.

"Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease," said Glenn N. Levine, MD, professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

That does not imply you ditch the healthy diet and lifestyle. No amount of pets you have will negate your risk of heart disease. But you can make it a team work, where you and your pet workout and have a healthy diet. Then it's a win-win situation!

Study: Fatty foods can hinder alertness

Scientists have shown that consuming fatty foods can affect alertness and result in fatigue, says a study.

Results show that higher fat consumption is associated with increased objective daytime sleepiness, while higher carbohydrate intake is associated with increased alertness. There is no relationship between protein consumption and sleepiness or alertness.

It is a common problem we face after lunch and rarely question it. If you consume high caloric and heart-stopping foods, avoid computer screens and use of heavy machinery. You may either doze off or your heart may doze off. Have light meals with less fat or calories.

Study: 'Kids hardly get to spend one hour with parents'

Busy schedules of parents are increasingly depriving their children of their company and hence, they are growing up cocooned in their own world. A study by Assocham Ladies League (ALL) shows that over 65 per cent of youngsters between the age of eight and 24 get to spend less than one hour with their parents.

This leads to a situation where youngsters become aloof, introverted, impatient and intolerant, says the study.

This is a dilemma alright! Work pressure and responsibilities have increased work hours. Plus, Indians are one of the hardest working individuals who spend 486 minutes a day at work.

Study: Key protein can offer fresh cure for depression

Research at King's College London has revealed how stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells - a process considered to be linked to depression.

Depression and successful anti-depressant treatment is associated with changes in a process called neurogenesis - the ability of the adult brain to continue to produce new brain cells.

Christoph Anacker of the King's College Institute of Psychiatry and co-author of the paper said: "Because a reduction of neurogenesis is considered part of the process leading to depression, targeting the molecular pathways that regulate this process may be a promising therapeutic strategy."

In India, a study in 2011 found that around nine per cent of people reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime and nearly 36 per cent had suffered from a major depressive episode (MDE).

Slipping into depression is common and it is affecting overall health. Hopefully this developing research will aid this mental health problem.

Study: Treatment for grey hair possible

Researchers have developed a remedy for grey hair and a skin condition called vitiligo, a study says.

In a research report published online in The FASEB Journal, people whose hair is turning grey develop massive oxidative stress via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in hair follicles, which causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out.

The report shows that this massive accumulation of hydrogen peroxide can be remedied with a proprietary treatment developed by the researchers described as a topical UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase).

You may be able to treat grey hair, but you can also stay young by staying fit. Right diet rich in Omega 3 and hair oil massage can maintain your hair and colour for a longer time
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