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Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts

Friday, 12 December 2014

Poor sperm quality could indicate high blood pressure


Defects in sperm within semen may be linked to a variety of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and skin and glandular disorders, a new study suggests.
The defects probably don't cause these problems. It's more likely that semen quality reflects overall health, the researchers said.
"It may be that infertility is a marker for sickness overall," said lead researcher Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology and director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif.
Semen is the fluid that's released when a man ejaculates. Within that fluid are sperm. Sperm defects can affect the quality of semen. Sperm defects include too few sperm, sperm that don't move well (motility) or low-quality sperm, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
"There are a lot of factors that involve a man's overall health that turn out to impair sperm production," Eisenberg said.

Genetics play a part in sperm production

Treating conditions such as high blood pressure might improve sperm quality, he noted. However, Eisenberg said he isn't sure whether the condition itself is linked to sperm defects or if drugs used to treat health problems are to blame.
"Many things we didn't know about or think about may impact a man's fertility," he said. "It might be treatment for high blood pressure that is causing sperm problems."
Genetics may also play a part, Eisenberg suggested. "About 10 percent of the genes in a man's body are involved in sperm production, so it is possible that some of these genes may have overlapping effects on other functions," he said.
In the study published online Dec. 10 in the journal Fertility and Sterility, Eisenberg's group compared the health of men who had semen defects with men who didn't.
The researchers found that 44 percent of men with semen defects also had other health problems. These included high blood pressure, and heart and blood vessel disease.
In addition, as the number of other health conditions - such as skin disease or glandular problems - increased, so too did the likelihood of semen issues, according to the study.
For the study, the researchers analysed medical records of more than 9,000 men who were seen between 1994 and 2011 for infertility, according to the report. The men were mostly between 30 and 50 years old.
The men's semen was assessed for amount, sperm count and activity. In about half of the men, a fertility problem was due to abnormal semen, the researchers said.
Importance of a healthy lifestyle

"This is another piece of evidence of how important not only fertility is, but overall health. There is a lot of overlap. Regardless of what your goals are, whether it's to live forever or have a baby, it's important to take care of yourself," Eisenberg said.
Dr. Tomer Singer, a reproductive endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, "This study confirms what reproductive endocrinologists have been detecting - that there is a correlation between medical conditions and semen production."
This study can help fertility specialists understand the complex relationship between semen production and medical problems, Singer added.
"The result of this study will allow us to help our patients lead healthier lifestyles, consume less medication, which can also affect sperm quality, and increase the chance of normal sperm production," he said.
Lifestyle modification, including regular exercise and avoiding smoking and alcohol, can help prevent many medical conditions, Singer suggested, which may help improve sperm quality and the chances of conception.

- Health24
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Smoking cigarettes may worsen menstrual cramps


Women who smoke cigarettes may be at higher risk for menstrual pain, according to a new Australian study.
Compared to non-smokers, smokers in the study were more likely to suffer from severe menstrual pain and to experience a worsening of pain as the number of cigarettes they smoked per day increased.
Exactly how smoking cigarettes might increase menstrual pain is not entirely clear, but it may happen via a decrease in the amount of oxygen available to the uterus, Dr. Jennifer Leighdon Wu, an obstetrician/gynaecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Reuters Health in a phone interview.
"We know that smoking causes vasoconstriction, or constriction of the blood vessels," said Wu, who wasn't involved in the new study. "When this happens with the uterus, it can cause pain."

Dysmenorrhoea among smokers
The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, tracked 9 067 women for an average of 13 years. At the start of the research, the women were between the ages of 18 and 23. About 25 percent reported experiencing dysmenorrhoea, or painful periods, and approximately 25 percent were current smokers.
During the course of the study, about 14 percent of the women had painful periods 70 to 80 percent of the time, which the researchers considered to be "chronic" dysmenorrhoea.
Compared with women who had never smoked, the risk of having chronically painful periods during the course of the study was 33 percent higher for former smokers and 41 percent higher for current smokers – even after accounting for social, lifestyle, and reproductive factors that might contribute to dysmenorrhoea.

The researchers also found that the earlier women started to smoke, the higher their risk of chronically painful periods. Specifically, the risk was 59 percent higher for women who started to smoke before age 13, and 50 percent higher for those who took up cigarettes at age 14 or 15.
The results may provide an incentive for young women to abstain from smoking, study leader Dr. Hong Ju of the University of Queensland told Reuters Health by email.

Abstain from smoking
"This study conveys some important messages that smoking may predispose women to repeated, distressing period pain immediately after menstruation and throughout their reproductive life, thus providing greater incentive for young women to abstain from smoking," Ju and colleagues wrote in their report.
While the study involved young Australian women, the results "can be generalised to young women from other countries with similar characteristics," Ju said.
Menstrual pain affects up to 91 percent of women of reproductive age, the researchers say. Some 2 to 29 percent of the women report severe pain, and may miss work or school as a result.
"There is a very real economic loss due to dysmenorrhoea. Women can lose a day or two of work a month, which translates into a lot of lost work force," Wu said.

As for why women who start smoking while very young tend to have worse menstrual pain, the cause could be hormonal, she said.
"There are a lot of hormones that come into play at the time of puberty, and taking up smoking before the age of 13 may affect that hormonal axis," Wu said. "This could be why these young girls have a lot of pain when they get their period."
Observational studies such as this one can't prove that smoking causes menstrual pain, however. And as for whether quitting smoking would ease menstrual pain, the jury is still out.
"We performed a preliminary analysis on the data and it shows that women who gave up smoking were more likely to recover from menstrual pain," Ju said. "However, more research is needed to confirm the hypothesis."
- Reuters
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7 top butt exercises for guys


If you ask women which part of a man’s anatomy they like to oggle at most, the vast majority are guaranteed to answer “His bum!” What they’re looking for is a cute, firm, round and eminently slappable little bee-hind. Big, floppy bottoms or that flat, no-bum-in-pants look are definite no-nos.
Most guys tend to concentrate a little too much on their abs and biceps in their exercise regimes. Of course a good six-pack and smoking upper arm guns are sexy just don’t forget about you butt while you’re working out.
To remedy the situation and to raucous applause from women across the globe, we have compiled a list of the most effective exercises to get your glutes – the three main muscles in each of you butt cheeks are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus - into shape.

Remember that these workouts will only have the desired effect if you combine them with a healthy diet and a goodly amount of fat-burning aerobic and cardiovascular exercise. Bum muscles of steel hidden below a thick layer of flabby fat still make for a big butt.
1. Squats
Squats of all varieties make for a great all-body workout that engages various muscle groups, but they are especially effective for shaping your bum muscles.
  • Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, arms crossed in front of you.
  • While keeping your head up and your back straight and without letting your knees extend over your toes, squad down as if you were about to sit on a chair until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor.
  • Slowly stand up again concentrating on using your bum, thighs and hips instead of your legs.
  • Repeat.
  • For variety you can hold dumbbells in both hands - arms along the side of your body - palms facing inward, while doing your squads, or you can do jumping squads, jumping up from the squatting position each time.
2. Gluteus kickbacks
  • Get into the doggy position: on your hands and knees with your head slightly raised.
  • Slowly and in turn lift each of your legs backwards, raising the foot above head level while keeping the leg bent 90o at the knee until the thigh is parallel with your torso and hold it there for a few seconds.
  • Repeat.
  • The trick is to really squeeze your buttocks hard while lifting your leg.
3. Step ups
Repeatedly stepping onto a raised platform, alternating legs and concentrating on using both your legs and your bum to push yourself upward, makes for a great butt-firming activity. To increase the intensity, hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended on the side of your body, palms facing inward.
Of course you can always do this exercise by accident by choosing to take stairs instead of lifts and elevators. Walking up an incline, whether it’s a hill or a treadmill angled at 10 to 15o, is equally good.
4. Buttock squeezes
These are easy and can be done just about anywhere:
  • Stand up straight and really squeeze those cheeks and hold for as long as you can without cramping up.
  • Release and repeat.
5. Leg abductions
  • Stand up straight, legs hip-width apart and toes facing forward.
  • Slowly raise one straight leg outward to the side as high as you can while balancing carefully. Hold steady for a few seconds while squeezing your bum cheeks.
  • Lower and repeat with the other leg.
6. Single-leg pelvic lifts
  • Lie on the ground with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and your arms at your sides, hands flat on the floor.
  • Cross your left leg over the right so that the ankle rests just above the knee.
  • Slowly lift your pelvis up towards the ceiling until your back is straight, but not arched upward, clenching your butt while doing so.
  • Hold for a few seconds, slowly lower your torso back to the ground, swap legs and repeat.
7. Lunges
  • From a standing position step forward with one leg while bending the knees and lowering the back knee towards the floor. Keep your torso straight, your abs in, your front heel on the ground and the knee directly over the foot.
  • Push up through the front heel to a standing position, but don’t lock your knees at the top of the movement. Hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the intensity.
  • Repeat.
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Tuesday, 9 December 2014

See the pill that will make your fart smell like chocolate...:-)


A 65yr old French inventor Christian Poincheval (pictured above) has created a sweet smelling pill that makes farts smell like chocolate.

The chocolate pill is a new addition to his other products which include pills that make farts smell like roses or violets and fart-reducing powder for pets.

According to him, necessity was the mother of this invention. He said he was was eating dinner with friends in 2006 when he realised the group had caused a gas attack at the restaurant.


"Our farts were so smelly after the copious meal, we nearly suffocated. The people at the table next to us were not happy. Something had to be done. When we were vegetarian we noticed that our gas smelt like vegetables, like the odour from a cow pat, but when we started eating meat, the smell of the flatulence became much disagreeable. We needed to invent something that made them smell nicer"
Poincheval claims his pills not only create chocolate-scented farts, they reduce intestinal gas and bloating because of ingredients like vegetable coal, fennel, seaweed, plant resin, bilberry and cacao zest. Lol.
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Thursday, 4 December 2014

How well you sleep may depend on your genes


How much sleep you get each night may depend to some extent on your genes, a new study suggests.
"Sleep patterns are influenced by genetic differences," said study co-author Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, a sleep researcher and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "This study is one of the first to begin identifying these genetic differences, and will hopefully help us better understand the causes of sleep disorders and their relation to other important diseases."
The findings suggest that certain genetic variations make a difference of a few minutes' sleep a night. But the research may ultimately point to a wider picture of how certain genes affect conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and diabetes, said Gottlieb.
Scientists believe several aspects of sleep - including when and how long people sleep - are inherited to some extent, Gottlieb said. Sleep duration, meanwhile, is connected to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and depression, he said.
It's possible that a gene variation causes sleep problems, which then cause, say, high blood pressure, Gottlieb said. But it's also possible that the gene itself directly affects both, since "most genes serve multiple functions," he added.
Two genetic variations identified
In the new study, researchers examined the genes and sleep habits of 47,180 people of European descent and those of 4,771 African-Americans. They identified two genetic variations tied to sleep duration, one of which was linked to about three minutes of extra sleep per night.
Then they reviewed previous studies for information about those genetic variations.
Simply put, "we identified an area of DNA that appears to influence how long an individual sleeps," Gottlieb said. Those with one of the gene variations not only slept slightly longer but also had lower levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower blood sugar levels, the study found.
The other DNA area identified -- this one linked to shorter sleep -- previously has been associated with psychiatric problems, including risk for depression and schizophrenia, the researchers said.
Jim Horne, of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University in England, cautioned against making too much out of the study's findings. "The effect of these genes on sleep is tiny, accounting for no more than a few minutes of a total night's sleep," he said.

Also Read: If you sleep more you'll be off sick less

"There are numerous mechanisms, maybe hundreds, in the brain affecting our sleep one way or another, all of which will be coded by one or more genes. Those looked at here are just a very few," Horne said.
Also, the study only looked at a rough measure of time spent sleeping, not whether it was high-quality sleep, Horne added. In addition, he said, there are far more powerful non-genetic influences on our sleep.
Still, Horne said the study findings are interesting and come from reputable scientists.
For now, the research won't have any immediate impact on the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of sleep disorders, Gottlieb said. But "a long-term goal of this research is improved understanding of sleep disorders, including early identification of those at risk for sleep disorders in order to prevent their occurrence," he said.
The study appeared Dec. 2 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry
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Better diet and exercise can prevent diabetes in both sexes


Lifestyle changes and medicines are equally effective in preventing men and women with prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes, a new analysis finds.

The effect of gender
Previous research has shown that lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet and regular exercise, and use of medicines to lower blood sugar levels can delay or prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes in people with prediabetes.
However, it wasn't known what effect, if any, gender might have on the effectiveness of these interventions, the researchers from Austria said.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review that assessed potential sex-specific differences in effects of preventive interventions in prediabetic people," wrote Dr. Anna Glechner, of Danube University Krems, and Dr. Jurgen Harreiter, of the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues.

People with type 2 diabetes don't make or use the hormone insulin properly. Insulin is needed to convert glucose from food into energy. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, is linked to being overweight and sedentary.

Lifestyle changes and diabetes progression
The researchers reviewed data from more than 7 400 women and 5 500 men in 12 studies. Men and women with prediabetes who made lifestyle changes were 40 percent less likely to progress to diabetes after one year, and 37 percent less likely to progress after three years, compared to those who did not make lifestyle changes, the study found.
Men and women with prediabetes who made lifestyle changes also lost more weight and had greater reductions in blood sugar levels, the researchers said.
Taking blood sugar-lowering medications also reduced the risk of diabetes among men and women with prediabetes, according to the findings published November 27 in the journal Diabetologia.

Read:Do or don't: diabetic dietary supplement"Clinically, these findings highlight an important issue. Despite differences in age of onset, detection and burden of type 2 diabetes between men and women, the effectiveness of preventative interventions in people with prediabetes is not influenced by gender," the researchers explained in a journal news release.
Clinicians can focus on factors known to magnify beneficial effects, such as adherence, they added. "Clinicians also need to focus on other aspects of sex-disparities such as the higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men and gaps in the quality of care between diabetic men and women," the researchers concluded.
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