The Health Blog

Drinking caffeinated beverages on a regular basis may provide significant protection against death from heart disease in the elderly who have normal levels of blood pressure, according to data from a large U.S. health and nutrition study.

Drinking caffeinated beverages may induce a “healthy” rise in blood pressure that counteracts the drop in blood pressure that occurs after a meal, a phenomenon that becomes more pronounced as people age, researchers note.

Among 6,594 adults participating in the study, 426 died of heart disease during a 9-year period. For subjects 65 years of age or older, the researchers found that greater daily consumption of caffeinated beverages was associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease. This acted in a dose-response fashion - the higher the caffeine level, the lower the risk, and visa versa.

A new study debunks the widely held belief that diet plus exercise is the most effective way to lose weight. Researchers report that dieting alone is just as effective as dieting plus exercise.

“For weight loss to occur, an individual needs to maintain a difference between the number of calories they consume everyday and the number of calories they burn through metabolism and physical activity,” Dr. Leanne Redman of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explains in a press release.

“What we found was that it did not matter whether a reduction in calories was achieved through diet or burned everyday through exercise.”

LONDON - In an “extraordinary development” in the fight against AIDS, a medical journal article published Friday says that conclusive data shows there is no question circumcision reduces men’s chances of catching HIV by up to 60 percent.

The question now is how to put that fact to work to combat AIDS across Africa.

The findings were first announced in December, when initial results from two major trials — in Kenya and Uganda — showed promising links between circumcision and HIV transmission. However, those trials were deemed so definitive that the tests were halted early.

The full data from the trials, carried out by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, were published Friday in The Lancet.

A German study found out that natural family planning method is as effective as the contraceptive pill provided it was taught properly and carried out correctly. The symptothermal method (STM) assesses fertility levels during the monthly cycle by measuring body temperature, and observing cervical secretions.

Oftentimes, the major reason for not having family planning, especially in developing countries, is financial constraints. The efficacy of natural methods is oftentimes questioned, even by health professionals, so many mothers wouldn’t resort to it.

It has been proven that exercise is the best way to lower your blood cholesterol. However, not many of people have ample time to hit the gym. The Harvard HealthBeat Newsletter provided tips on how to lower your blood cholesterol through dietary techniques.

• Cut down on saturated fat in cooking. You can use of liquid cooking oils rather than butter or margarine. Use nonstick pans. Instead of frying, bake, broil, roast, steam, or stew. Discard drippings.
• Avoid trans fats. Because trans fats increase your LDL and decrease your HDL, the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board says there’s no safe level of trans fat intake, and the National Cholesterol Education Program urges people to eat as little as possible. Avoid or eat only very small quantities of foods that list shortening, partially hydrogenated oil, or hydrogenated oil among their first ingredients.

Saying “I love you” to your kids as often as you can can help develop the confidence and personality of your children. But the meaning should be depicted to this phrase as well. eDiets.com lists 9 ways to say “I love you” to your kids.

1. Use Eye Contact. It is said that souls touch when meaningful eye contact is made during moments of intimacy.

2. Touch. This adds a tactile meaning to the verbal expression of love. A plain “I love you” is incomparable with one with a hug or a pat on the back.

3. Use names. The sweetest sound in any language is the sound of your own name.

4. Use the words son and daughter. This creates an emotion-filled statement that will invite an equally emotional response.

Long-term stress may affect young stars’ psychology — and behavior

It is, of course, impossible for anyone to say conclusively that stress is the only factor — or even the main factor — in the behavior and choices of stars who have experienced long-term stardom.

But one thing is for certain — the life of a star is a stressful one.

“These are people like you and me, but they need to be perfect,” says Dr. Scott Kessler, a New York physician who has treated a number of musical celebrities.

“These people are living life on a level of psychological and emotional stress that are higher than most.”

Viagra is known for its anti-impotence effect on males. But did you know that it also can save lives of premature babies?

English doctors gave the drug to Lewis Goodfellow, who was born at 24 weeks, weighing just one pound, eight ounces (780 grams), as one of his lungs failed and not enough oxygen was getting into his bloodstream. The drug worked as a vasodilator and opened up tiny blood vessels in his lungs, allowing oxygen to be captured and flow around the body.

In an interview by AFP to his parents, they said that they could not put into words how they feel. “The doctors are worth their weight in gold. We admire each and every one of them for what they have done.”

A recent study found out that smoking causes long-lasting changes in the brain similar to changes seen in animals when they are given cocaine, heroin and other addictive drugs. These changes are linked to two enzymes found on brain cells or neurons. These enzymes help the neurons use chemical signals such as those made by the message-carrying compound dopamine, and they are found in greater quantity in smokers and former smokers.

“The data show that there are long-lasting chemical changes in the brains of humans,” said Michael Kuhar of Emory University in Atlanta, who was not involved in the study.

“The chemical changes alone suggest a physiological basis for nicotine addiction.” Yahoo! Health News

Some 600 primary schools across Thailand have vowed to ban sugary drinks from the playground and classroom in an effort to curb soaring child obesity rates in the kingdom, AFP reports.

This campaign is a response to the growing cases of obesity and tooth cavities among children in Thailand. In a recent survey, it was found out that Thai children were consuming an average 20 teaspoons of sugar a day, when they should be limiting their intake to six a day.

Chantana Ungchusak, a dentist in charge of the campaign, said the project aimed to educate children from kindergarten up to primary school about limiting their sugar consumption.

Associated Press - Nearly all American women are in danger of heart disease or stroke and should be more aggressive about lowering their risk - including asking their doctors about daily aspirin use, the American Heart Association said Monday in new guidelines.

It is the first time guidelines have urged all women to consider aspirin for preventing strokes, although specialists warn that it can cause ulcers and dangerous bleeding. They said it is probably not a good idea for young women with no big health problems.

“We do not want women to go to the drugstore and just start taking this themselves. It is critical that every woman talk to her doctor,” said Dr. Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and chair of the expert panel that wrote the guidelines.