Health scan

 


Source :Hindustan Times:Aug 27:2011

A snapshot of the current thinking in medicine, fitness and lifestyle trends that impact your life Driving her crazy
Greater responsibility of looking after children and home makes daily commuting to and from work more stressful for women than men, reports a British study .Men are generally

unaffected, despite commuting taking up more of their time.

The study, published in Journal of Health Economics, said that women with pre-school children were affected the most, with the psychological impact of commuting being four times greater for them than it was for men with pre-school children.

"Women, especially those with children, are more likely to add errands to their commute, such as groceries and dropping off and picking up children from childcare. These time constraints and reduced flexibility make commuting stressful in a way that it wouldn't be otherwise," said co-author and economist Jennifer Roberts, from the University of Sheffield.

Caffeine protects skin from sun damageInstead of just drinking that morning cup of Java, you may soon lather it on your skin to prevent sun damage or skin cancer. Caffeine guards against certain skin cancers at the molecular level by inhibiting a protein enzyme in the skin, known as ATR, reports a US study.

When applied directly to the skin, caffeine can prevent causing skin cancer by killing off a large number of skin cells damaged by UV rays, thus reducing the risk of their becoming cancerous.

Cake and cookies raise womb cancer risk
Women who snack on biscuits and cakes regularly are at an increased risk of developing womb cancer, a new study claims.

A 10-year study that looked at the eating habits of more than 60,000 women in Sweden found that those who treated themselves two to three times a week were 33% more likely to suffer the disease.

Those exceeding a total sugar intake of more than 35 gm of sugar a day - equivalent to about seven teaspoons - faced a 36 % increase in tumour risk.

Coriander oil proves to be a natural antibioticAdding coriander to foods - as is done in Indian and Mediterranean cuisines - or having it as medicine can prevent food-borne illnesses and treat antibiotic-resistant infections, reports a study in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

It found coriander oil kills 12 deadly bacterial strains, including E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which cause of food poisoning and drug-resistant hospital infections.

Exercise helps to work off your blues
A regular exercise routine, combined with antidepressant drugs, can make the symptoms of major depressive disorders go away. Moderate to intense levels of daily exercise works as well as prescribing a second antidepressant drug, which is often used when initial medications don't move patients to remission, reports a US study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The type of exercise needed, however, depends on the overall health, age and gender.