More effective in weight loss

 Low-carb diet more effective in weight loss                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Eating food low in carbohydrates is safe for up to six months and can also help reduce more weight than following a low-fat diet, claims a new study. Researchers have found depending on the low-carb diets (LCDs), including Atkins, South Beach and Paleo, participants lost between one to almost four more kilograms than those who followed a low fat diet.
“The best conclusion to draw is that adhering to a short-term low-carb diet appears to be safe and may be associated with weight reduction,” said lead researcher Heather Fields, from Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
“However, that weight loss is small and of questionable clinical significance in comparison to low-fat diets,” said Fields. “We encourage patients to eat real food and avoid highly processed foods, especially processed meats such as bacon, sausage, deli meats, hot dogs and ham when following any particular diet,” Fields added.
Diets that heavily restrict carbohydrates often lead to greater consumption of meats. While available studies did not consistently address the source or quality of proteins and fats consumed in LCDs, they did show short-term efficacy in weight loss without negative effects on blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol, compared with other diets.
                                                                                                                                                                     Yoga may boost physical, mental health of kids

                                                                                                                                                                   Practising Kundalini yoga, which involves meditation, breathing exercises, chanting mantras and adapting certain postures, may help improve the health and psychological wellbeing of children in care homes, a new study has claimed. Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK found that children in care homes have a higher degree of physical and mental health needs than their not-in-care counterparts, and in comparison to children who are in other forms of care, such as foster care. Researchers tested a 20-week Kundalini yoga programme in three children’s homes situated in the East Midlands. The programme was evaluated according to recruitment and retention rates, self-reporting questionnaires from the participants and semi-structured interviews.
The study shows that yoga practice in children’s homes, especially when participation is high, has the potential to encourage togetherness and mutuality and improve health and psychological outcomes for children in care, as well as within the workforce.
All the participants reported that the study was personally meaningful and experienced both individual — like feeling more relaxed — and social benefits, for example feeling more open and positive.
                                                                                                                                                                        Non-smoker women, too, face breathing trouble
                                                                                                                                                 

                     In a new study published in the International Journal of Chronic Diseases, researchers suggest that women who have never smoked are susceptible to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and that African American women are particularly vulnerable. COPD is a type of obstructive lung disease characterised by long-term poor airflow. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and cough with sputum production. COPD typically worsens over time. Seven percent of never-smoking older African American women and 5.2 percent of White older women have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), compared to 2.9 percent of never-smoking older white men. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the USA and smoking is the biggest risk factor for the disease. However, approximately one-quarter of Americans with COPD have never smoked.
                                                                                                                                                                    Breast cancer cases on decline in many nations

                                                                                                                                                                    Breast cancer mortality rates continue to decline in many nations, according to a recent research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. However, a review of mortality trends in 47 countries around the world indicates some significant disparities, particularly in South Korea and some Latin American nations, according to a recent research. “Comparing mortality trends between countries helps identify which health care systems have been the most efficient at reducing breast cancer mortality,” said the study’s lead author, Cécile Pizot, MSc.