Eating Less Is Key To Long Life - New Findings

Scientists now have evidence to show that putting just a bit less portion of meal on the dinner plate each day might be key to a longer life. The findings of a preliminary research suggests that people who reduced their caloric intake by just 15 per cent over two years experienced a significant decrease in their metabolism, according to a small clinical trial.

The study was published in the journal ‘Cell Metabolism’. Lead researcher, Leanne Redman, an associate professor of clinical sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge in Louisiana, United States (US), said the study also saw improvements in biomarkers associated with slower ageing and longer life span. Specifically, they developed a lower core body temperature, lower blood sugar and insulin levels, and significant drops in hormones that moderate metabolism, researchers reported.

“We know these things are lower in people who live longer lives,” Redman said. Overeating is a common tendency. Besides, there are a number of reasons why people may eat more then they need. However, doing it regularly may cause serious health issues, from weight gain to diabetes.

Thus, portion control should be of top priority when people are looking to lead a healthy lifestyle, according to previous studies.

According to Rozalyn Anderson, an expert with the American Federation for Ageing Research, who reviewed the findings, ageing studies in animals have tied lower calorie intake to longer lives, but this is the first clinical trial to bridge the gap between animals and humans, “So much of what they’re reporting is entirely consistent with what we’ve seen in our monkey studies,” said Anderson, an associate professor who studies ageing and calorie restriction at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The research team recruited 34 healthy people with an average age of 40 to follow a calorie-restricted diet for two years. Researchers taught the study participants how to cut 25 per cent of their daily caloric intake using three different models of a healthy diet, Redman said.

The participants then were free to follow their diet by any means they chose. On their own, they achieved a 15 per cent reduction in calorie intake that was sustained for the two years. On average, the group lost about 20 pounds, mostly in the first year, even though half entered the study at normal weight and the rest were only modestly overweight at the end of the trial.

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Residence Flee As Monkeys Invade Lagos Community

In an apparents show of anger at the encroachment of man into their habitat, Monkeys have reacted by invading a community in Lagos.

Invasion by the monkeys from natural habitat is forcing many residents of Soluyi/Sosanya Community in Gbagada, Lagos State, to flee.

Some of the residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that they could no longer withstand the situation.

They called on the state government to save the community from the trouble, saying that the animals forced their ways into their rooms, destroying window and door nets, foodstuffs and other items.

The Chairman of the community’s Landlord Association, Mr Adigun Olaleye, said that it had become difficult for the community to curtail the monkeys and their destructive attitude.

He said that the invasion might have resulted from the nearness of the community to a swamp forest that separated the community from Ifako area.

According to him, the monkeys come into residences at any time including early morning and gain entrance into rooms even if the houses are locked.

Olalaye told NAN that the community had written a letter to the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture as regards the situation but had yet to get a relief.

“They said we would have to pay for them to come and pack the monkeys,” he said.

He said that the invasion had been on for years but recently became unbearable. Olaleye appealed to the state government to urgently intervene.

Narrating her ordeal, a journalist who lives in the community, Mrs Funmilola Gboteku, told NAN that the monkeys had forced her family to flee.

“Many times, these monkeys come to the neighbourhood to destroy our property. Once they see food items inside a house, they direct all their energies at gaining entrance forcefully.

“The monkeys are in the habit of tearing the protective nets on windows to gain entrance and eat whatever they find in the house.

“I have had to replace the protective nets several times; I am tired of doing it. I have been locking my windows but locking of windows has disadvantages; there is no cross ventilation in the house, and as a result, we suffer heat,” she told NAN.

Another resident, Mr Gabriel Omopariwa, said that he was tired of the destructive attitude of the monkeys and had tried to look for ways to stop them, to no avail.

“On several occasions, these monkeys have destroyed our kitchen nets to gain entrance and steal food items.

“Several traps have been set to capture and kill these demonic animals to no avail.

“One of my neighbours, while trying to pour chemical on a monkey, fell in the bowl of the chemical; she had to be rushed to a hospital.

“She still lives with the scars from the unfortunate incident,” he said.

Mr Joshua Folowosele, a landlord, said that the monkeys entered his wife’s shop on many occasions to eat gala, biscuits and other foods.

“We have tried to poison them on many occasions, but those monkeys are too smart; once they perceive the smell of the food, they usually detect it has been poisoned.

“Some of them have been killed with guns, but we cannot keep shooting in a residential area; it is very risky.

“Those of us who are landlords can testify that these monkeys have been disturbing us for years.
“One of the landlords here had to sell his house to move to another place when he got tired of the disturbance,” Folowosele said.

Another landlord, Mr Oluwatosin Aregbesola, told NAN that his tenants were no longer feeling safe in the house because of the monkeys.

“The monkeys enter kitchens to eat our soups and any foodstuff on the shelf.

“The day I tried to catch one of them, the monkey attacked me by using its long nails to punch a hole on my neck and scratch my face,” he said.

Aregbesola appealed to the state government to save the community from the menace.

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Higher Sun Exposure Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Risk

  Scientists said high sun exposure may lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). A new study published online March 7 in ‘Neurology,’ the American Academy of Neurology’s journal, found people who grew up in sunnier climates were 55 per cent less likely to develop MS.

Similarly, the study from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found women who had more sun exposure in their lifetime had a 55 per cent lower risk of MS Multiple studies in the past had linked MS to low levels of vitamin D from sun rays.

A growing body of research however suggested that identifying and correcting vitamin D deficiencies early could aid in early treatment of the disease. MS is a condition which can affect the brain and/or spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.

It’s a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild. The new study builds on previous research tying sun exposure on vitamin D levels to the debilitating disease for which there is no known cause or cure.

MS occurs twice as often in women than in men and people of Northern European descent have the highest risk, regardless of where they live, the ‘mailonline’ reported. MS wreaks havoc on the central nervous system causing weakness, pain and loss of motor control. According to the Multi-ple Sclerosis Foundation, northern states that are further from the equator and thus have less sun have double the rate of MS cases than southern states.

This was the first study to look at how differences in sun exposure duration and intensity throughout one’s lifetime are related to MS. Study author, Helen Tremblett, who has a PhD in pharmacoepidemiology, said: “We found that where a person lives and the ages at which they are exposed to the sun’s UV-B rays may play important roles in reducing the risk of MS.”

The study is based on data from 151 women with MS and 235 women of a similar age without MS. The participants represented a variety of climates and locations across the United States (US) and each filled out a survey about their summer, winter and lifetime sun exposure.

The women were divided into three groups, low, moderate and high UV-B ray exposure based on where they lived. In people with MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin covering surrounding tissue in the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spine and optic nerves. Scar tissue forms around the nerve fibres in place of the damaged myelin and interferes with brain signals through the spinal cord.

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Fish Oil Supplements During Pregnancy Could Cut Allergies In New Born

Taking a daily fish oil capsule during pregnancy and the first few months of breastfeeding may reduce a baby’s risk of food allergy, research suggests. 

Findings of a study published in the journal ‘PLOS Medicine’ confirmed that diet in pregnancy could influence the development of allergies in early life. 

Lead author of the research, Dr. Robert Boyle, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said: “Our research suggests probiotic and fish oil supplements may reduce a child’s risk of developing an allergic condition and these findings need to be considered when guidelines for pregnant women are updated.”

The supplements contain Omega-3 fatty acids,which are also present in oily fish. According to the researchers from Imperial College London, the current advice is that pregnant women should eat no more than two portions of oily fish per week because of the levels of mercury in some fish, which could be poisonous at a higher level and avoid shark, swordfish or marlin altogether.

The research, after a large analysis of past trials, found that taking a daily fish oil capsule during pregnancy led to a 30 per cent reduction in egg allergy risk by the age of one. Fish oil contains a special kind of fat called omega-3 that has a positive, anti-inflammatory effect.

Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation in the body, and have other health benefits, such as treating hypertriglyceridemia, although claims of preventing heart attacks or strokes have not been supported. 

Hypertriglyceridemia denotes high levels of triglycerides, the most abundant fatty molecule in most organisms and this is associated with atherosclerosis, which could raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.

One in 20 children in the United Kingdom (UK) is affected by allergies to food, such as nuts, eggs, milk or wheat – and it’s a growing problem, a report in the ‘bbc’ stated. These allergies are caused by the immune system malfunctioning and over-reacting to these harmless foods, and this triggers symptoms such as rashes, swelling, vomiting and wheezing.

In a local study on ‘Food allergy and its clinical symptoms in Nigeria,’ Simeon C. Achinewu of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, said the frequency of food allergies is not sufficiently appreciated in Nigeria because they are difficult to investigate.

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Untreated Depression Could Damage The Brain

A new scientific evidence has emerged showing that years of untreated depression may lead to brain damage.

Findings of a new study published in ‘The Lancet Psychiatry,’ showed evidence of lasting biological changes in the brain in people suffering depression for more than a decade.

This new finding therefore called for a change in thinking about depression and its effects. The evidence affirmed that depression truly is a biologically-based disorder of the brain, and if left unchecked, may run a degenerative course that damages brain tissue, possibly in ways similar to other neuro-degenerative diseases.

Consequently, the researchers suggested that; “All of these places greater emphasis on the need to develop more effective treatments and, as urgently, work towards removing the stigma from those suffering this condition.”

Depression, a major depressive disorder, is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how an individual feels, the way he thinks and how he acts.

Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. Although, depression is treatable, millions of affected persons especially in developing countries, including Nigeria, don’t get treatment majorly because of ignorance, poverty, stigma, among other factors.

Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 300 million people affected. It can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly at work, at school and in the family. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.

The World Health Orgnaistion (WHO) estimated that close to 800,000 people die yearly worldwide due to suicide every year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds.

According to a report from ‘Forbes,’ “Evidence is increasingly pointing to the possibility that depression is not only a biological disorder with immediate implications, but over time, may alter the brain in ways requiring different forms of treatment than what’s available now.”

If long-term depression results in more inflammation, the researchers expected to find more of the protein in the brain of those who had suffered from untreated depression the longest. That’s exactly what they found, with higher levels in a handful of brain areas, including the prefrontal cortex, the brain area central to reasoning and other ‘executive’ functions compromised by disorders like depression.

Senior study author, Dr. Jeff Meyer, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) at the University of Toronto, Canada, said: “Greater inflammation in the brain is a common response with degenerative brain diseases as they progress, such as with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson´s disease.”

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