SEE THIS: 8 Methods To Train Your Brain to Learn More and Remember Faster.

                                 

You go to the gym to train your muscles. You run outside or go for hikes to train your endurance. Or, maybe you do neither of those, but still wish you exercised more. Well, here is how to train one of the most important parts of your body: your brain.
When you train your brain, you will:

SEE THIS: Medicated Soaps Destroy Protective Bacteria on skin.

                                                       

What is heat rash?

Heat rash is a skin eruption that occurs in certain people when the environment is excessively hot and humid. It is caused by consistent or sudden change in weather to cause an increase in heat/humidity. Children, from birth, are more vulnerable to heat rash because their sweat glands are poorly developed.

EXPERT - Palm oil intake may cause Cancer

                              

A European safety agency has said that substances produced when palm oil is processed at high temperatures may cause cancer, based on animal studies.

READ: Health Benefits of African Cherry

It is that time of the year when African cherry – the fruit popularly known as agbalumo among the Yoruba and udara to the Igbo – floods the market. Botanically called Chrysophyllum albidum, African cherry or white star apple, belongs to the Sapotaceae family.

READ:Bad Breath: Causes, Treatment

Halitosis commonly known as bad breath is an embarrassing health condition that affects approximately 30% of people around the world. Other medical terms for this condition include stomatodysodia, fetor oris, and ozostomia.

SEE THIS: Aerobic Exercise Preserves Prain Volume, Improves Cognitive Function.

Using a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique, researchers found that adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who exercised four times a week over a six-month period experienced an increase in brain volume in specific, or local, areas of the brain, but adults who participated in aerobic exercise experienced greater gains than those who just stretched. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

HEALTHWISE: Chili Pepper Compound Can Stop Breast Cancer, Study Finds.

Research has identified different subtypes of breast cancer that respond to varying treatment types, according to medicalnewstoday.com report. Of these, the so-called triple-negative breast cancer is particularly aggressive and difficult to treat. However, new research may have uncovered a molecule that slows down this kind of cancer.

READ: NIDS Alarmed Over Increase in Infectious Diseases in Nigeria.

Members of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society (NIDS) have raised alarm over the increase of infectious diseases in Nigeria and its effect on morbidity and mortality in the country.
It said as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria , infectious diseases require urgent but sustainable preventative interventions by government at all levels.

SEE THIS: Stopping Incessant Outbreaks of Lassa Fever.

Lassa fever is preventable

With the re-emergence of Lassa fever in Ogun State, and the palpable fear that it might spread to other parts of the country, Martins Ifijeh writes on the need for stakeholders and the government to find a lasting solution to the recurring outbreaks

NEWS: NAFDAC Seeks Stakeholders Collaboration to Tackle Drug Abuse.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has appealed to the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) and other stakeholders to help it tackle the menace of substance abuse in Taraba State.

SEE THIS: ‘Paracetamol Making Women Deaf’.

                           

Women who take paracetamol or ibuprofen just twice a week could be damaging their hearing permanently.

Taking two painkillers a week for more than six years has been linked with significant hearing loss, with the drugs thought to cut blood supply to the inner ear and expose it to noise damage.

As many as one in 20 women suffering partial deafness could blame their painkiller use, a study has found.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology, and first reported by DailyMailUK stated: “If this is a causal relation, it suggests that a substantial proportion of hearing loss attributable to use of analgesics (painkillers) is potentially preventable.”

The findings back up similar research in men, suggesting middle-aged women, who commonly take paracetamol and ibuprofen for headaches and back pain, should consider cutting down.

Senior author Dr. Gary Curhan, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States (U.S.), said: “Hearing loss is extremely common and can have a profound impact on quality of life.

“Finding modifiable risk factors could help us identify ways to lower risk before hearing loss begins and slow progression in those with hearing loss.”

Almost one in 12 women take paracetamol on two days of every week, the US study found, usually to ward off routine aches and pains. This could be only two pills over the two days, or a greater dose.

But paracetamol, ibuprofen and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs taken this often for more than six years raise the risk of developing hearing loss by nine per cent.

This was found by examining 55,850 women between the age of 44 and 69 – almost half of whom reported a hearing problem.

Around one in six people in the United Kingdom (U.K.) have hearing problems, which can leave people feeling cut off and lonely and has been found to speed up memory loss and dementia.

The study suggests this could be down to paracetamols, which most people think little of swallowing routinely but evidence shows can reduce the blood supply to the cochlea, or inner ear.

Paracetamol is also believed to deplete antioxidants within the ear, making the cochlea more vulnerable to noise-induced damage. Painkillers damage the tiny hairs within the ear which help us hear and have been linked in younger and older women with a higher risk of hearing loss.

SEE THIS: Diet Drinks don’t help you Loose Weight.

                                 

Diet drinks do not help people lose weight, a study has found, because they eat more to compensate.

Calorie-free drinks like Diet Coke and Sprite Zero increase someone’s hunger and desire to eat, according to scientists.

Volunteers given artificial sweeteners found in these drinks should have lost weight by avoiding the sugar packed into normal fizzy drinks.

But they simply made up the difference in calories at lunch, ensuring they stayed the same size.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity and first reported by DailyMailUK, were described as ‘surprising’ by the lead author, who gave people three different kinds of sweeteners, or sugar, before recording their food intake for the rest of the day.

Dr. Siew Ling Tey, of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore, said: “The energy “saved” from replacing sugar with non-nutritive sweetener was fully compensated for at subsequent meals in the current study, hence no difference in total daily energy intake was found between the four treatments.”

The research follows a recent study showing just two glasses of diet drinks a day could double someone’s risk of developing diabetes, with a team at Karolinska Institute in Sweden suggesting they may stimulate appetite, causing people to put on weight.

The latest experiment looked at aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar, and stevia, found in celebrity-backed health drinks like glacéau vitaminwater. It compared them with monk fruit extract and with conventional sugar, found in full-calorie fizzy drinks.

In only the second study to investigate the effect of artificial sweeteners and sugar on food intake, 30 men picked at random were given 500ml drinks containing each ingredient, then allowed to eat as much fried rice for lunch as they wanted. Those given the diet drinks ate up to 80 calories more at lunchtime, the study found, with those given aspartame consuming the most during the day.

DO YOU KNOW?: 40% Of Men Living With Prostate Cancer In Nigeria.

Forty per cent of men aged about 40 years are living with prostate cancer and many are unaware of their status, an expert has said.

Dr Ovunda Omudu, Head, Department of Surgery at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, disclosed this on Thursday while delivering a lecture on cancer to officers and ratings of the Nigeria Navy Ship Pathfinder in Port Harcourt.

Omudu, a trained Urologist, said the disease had killed many due to several factors including poor awareness, knowledge, ignorance and manpower.

According to him, treatment for the disease is equally very expensive as it cost between N90,000 to N110,000 per one injection administered to a patient every three months.

“Prostate cancer is one of the leading killer diseases in men in Nigeria and the second cause of cancer deaths in men worldwide.

“Here in Nigeria, we do not have a national budget designated for prostate cancer as obtainable in some western nations which meant that treatment lies solely on the sufferer.

“Due to exchange rate, a 10.8 milligram of prostate cancer injection goes for N90,000 to N110,000 which a patient takes once every three months.

“Similarly, 3.6 milligram of the same injection which is taken every month is sold for N45,000 combined with drug which cost N27,000 per dosage.

“So, you can imagine that every month a retiree or pensioner with prostate cancer will spend roughly N120,000 to treat the disease.

“So, it is very important that we do our best to prevent the disease and stop paying salary to prostate cancer via drugs and medication,” he said.

Omudu said that surgery to remove prostate cancer abroad cost about 10,000 U.S. dollars (N4.85 million) while cost of travelling, hospital and hotel accommodation increased the figure to N7 million.

Omudu, however, said that a foundation based in the country had intervened by reducing cost for laser surgery to N600,000.

He said the disease could be prevented by eating consumables like red tomato; Green tea, sea foods, such as periwinkles and snails, and regular exercise.

“Green tea contained anti-oxidant and anti-free radicals while the sea foods have magnesium, manganese, selenium and vitamin E and D which are nutrients for prevention of the disease,” he said.

Omudu said that efforts were currently being made to reduce the number by creating more awareness and training of additional Urologist doctors to provide needed expertise.

The medical doctor advised officers and ratings to take measures to prevent the diseases, especially going by the nature of their jobs which demanded physical fitness.

Speaking, Commodore Obi Egbuchulam, the Commander of Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS), said the base organised the lecture to expose troops to dangers posed by the disease.

He said that some serving and retired naval officers and ratings were currently suffering from prostate cancer which could affect their ability to provide optimal service to the country.

“I think it is our responsibility to educate and enlighten our personnel on dangers of prostate cancer, so that they can live a happy and healthy life serving and after retirement.

“Some people developed this disease due to ignorance and so, this lecture is taking place together with a free Prostate Specific Antigen screening to enable our personnel know their cancer status,” he said.

Egbuchulam assured that the exercise would be a regular and urged personnel from other units and formations to always get tested.

SEE THIS: Why Females Are More Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS - NACA

                        

Recent publications by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) have provided evidence-based reasons why women and girls are more vulnerable to Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

According to one of the reports titled “WOMEN, GIRLS, GENDER EQUALITY AND HIV IN NIGERIA: FACT SHEET 2016,” gender is an inextricable part of the HIV/AIDS equation; and young women are disproportionately vulnerable to infection; elderly women and young girls are also disproportionately affected by the burden of care giving in the epidemic’s wake.

The NACA-produced report noted: “Globally, females make up to 50 per cent of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) while in sub-Saharan Africa, 60 per cent of PLHIV are females. In low and middle- income countries worldwide, HIV is the leading cause of death and diseases in women of reproductive age. Men and boys are affected by gender expectations that may encourage risk-taking behavior, discourage accessing health care services and narrowly define their roles as partners and family members. Rates of HIV testing and treatment tend to be lower among men compared to women. Gender inequality and poor respect for the human rights of women of women and girls are key factors in the HIV/AIDS epidemic: both from the point of view of effectiveness and from the call of social justice.”

The NACA report also observed that violence against women and girls is a key driver of HIV.

Studies have demonstrated strong links between gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV infection with violence as a risk factor for HIV as well as a consequence of being HIV positive. About 35.6 per cent of women across the world have experienced either non-partner sexual violence or physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or both.

Gender-based violence and gender inequality are increasingly cited as important determinants of women’s HIV risk. In Nigeria, women and girls abducted by the insurgency groups are forced to marry, convert and endure physical and psychological abuse, forced labor, and rape in captivity. More than 500 Nigerian women and girls have been abducted since 2009.

Forced sex increases the risk of HIV transmission among women due to lacerations. Women dreading or experiencing violence, are less likely to negotiate for safe sex, go for HIV testing, share their HIV status and access treatment.

According to the report, Women (45 per cent) who ever experience physical or sexual violence did not seek help from any source or tell anyone about the violence. Current gender roles also compromise men’s health by encouraging them to equate risky sexual behaviors and violence with being manly.

Various studies in Nigeria identified the following as factors that make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV. Most women and girls lack power to control key aspects of their lives including marriage and sexual negotiation in and out of marriage. Most women and girls also lack social and economic power to control the impact of the epidemic in their lives.

About 70 per cent of Nigerian women live below the $1 a day threshold emphasizing the feminization of poverty in Nigeria. Women and girls lack access to education at all levels, economic empowerment largely tied to property rights (10 per cent of women in Nigeria own land). In Nigeria, 60 – 79 per cent of the rural workforce is women but men are five times more likely to own land. Weak political commitment to domesticate and implement international and regional treaties and national laws that aim to address gender inequalities remain a challenge for empowering women across board in Nigeria.

Studies have shown that in Nigeria, masculinity norms impress on men to have more than one sexual partner and it is common for older men to have unprotected sexual relationship with much younger women.

To address these issues, another new publication by NACA recommended gender responsive budgeting to ensure milestone in HIV/AIDS programming.

According to the publication title “GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING:
Milestone in HIV/AIDS Programming,” mainstreaming of gender into all policy-related and programmeming activities and structures ensures that all interventions and programmes are gender-sensitive and gender-responsive, appropriately meeting the unique needs of females and males.

It noted: “This guiding principle is a clear indication of due recognition of the place of gender equality in the national HIV response. There is however, a clear gap between rhetoric and reality. Available data continues to point to the fact that women, girls, men and boys are disproportionately affected. Women and girls vulnerability to HIV is deeply rooted in their biological make up and this is exacerbated by a complex mix of societal norms and value systems which not only affect women and girls but also men and boys.

“ Similarly, gender inequality has been identified as a key driver influencing the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection. This is evident in the current HIV prevalence among the general population in Nigeria of which women constitute 58 per cent. The rate among young women between the ages of 15 and 24 years is estimated to be three times higher than among men of the same age.”

Meanwhile, the National Policy on HIV and the National Strategic Framework and Plan over the years elucidate the strong commitment of the national response to promoting gender equality and upholding human rights of all Nigerians.

Within the ambits of the policies and legal frameworks, participation and involvement of women, girls, men, boys and the marginalized groups including key populations is encouraged. The federal nature of the country also allows each State to enact its own laws and develop its own policies.

Gaps however exist both in implementation and provision of some of the laws that mitigate its efficiency. Punitive laws may reverse the gains in the HIV prevention achieved over the years especially among key vulnerable populations. Efforts are however being scaled up to make gender equality and human rights response a reality.

READ:Tips For Getting A Flatter Stomach.

               

A toned, flat tummy is a goal that many people strive to achieve, but endless crunches and ditching all your favourite foods isn’t the right—or fun—way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. Here are simple ways to flatten your belly.

Talk and walk

Instead of catching up with friends over food and drinks, suggest a reunion on the move. You’re likely to work out 104 per cent harder if you have an exercise buddy. Suggest a weekly walk-and-talk session, form a friendly fitness club or try a new class at the gym together.

Try the roll-up

Hold a resistance band taut between your hands and lie on the floor face up, with legs extended and arms overhead. Pull abs in, tuck your chin, lift arms toward the ceiling, and roll head, shoulders, and torso up and over your legs as far as you can. Keep heels firmly on the floor and reach hands towards your feet. Pause, then slowly roll back down. Do five to eight reps with 30 minutes of cardio five to six times a week.

Make time for cardio

If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67 per cent more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

Eat more fibre

For every 10 grammes of fibre you eat daily, your belly will carry almost four per cent less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fibre than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples,  half cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grammes of belly-flattening fibre.

Be pushy at restaurants

Saying, “I’ll go last” when the waiter comes around could be adding bulk to your belly. A recent study showed that a normal-weight woman was more likely to mimic a thin woman’s eating habits than an obese woman’s. So when you’re out for girl’s night, order first. You’ll keep yourself, and maybe even a friend or two, on track to a flatter tummy.

READ THIS:Exercise Helps Cope With Stress At Work.

                         

Unfortunately, for many of us, crazy demands by our bosses or colleagues often result in reaching for a takeaway or perhaps drowning our sorrows in the pub.

But if the demands of your job are getting you down, it might be wise to go for a jog, swim or visit the gym, researchers now suggest.
This is because being fit helps you cope when work gets stressful, a new study has found.

The study by the University of Basel together with Swedish researchers studied 200 employees – 51 per cent men, 49 per cent women with an average age of 39. They tested their fitness on an exercise bike and measured various risk factors for heart and blood vessel disease including blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, triglycerides – a form of fat – and glycated haemoglobin. Having high triglycerides can be a sign of diabetes, as can high levels of glycated haemoglobin.

The authors found stressed individuals had higher levels of most of the risk factors for heart and circulatory system disease.The researchers found the perception of stress and risk of heart disease is affected by fitness.

Stressed employees with a high fitness level had much lower levels of the factors for heart disease than the medium fit or the low.
Being fit may do wonders for one’s waistline, and energy levels, but scientists found it is when the going gets tough at work that being fit really comes into its own. Levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ and other indicators that can signal a greater risk of a heart attack or stroke were found to spike in people with low fitness – but stay at lower, safer levels in those who stay trim.

Researchers at Basel University and Gothernburg Hospital in Sweden studied how stressed a group of employees felt at work. They tested fitness levels of 200 workers on an exercise bike.

While the fit and unfit people may have been equally stressed, the unfit people produced higher levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in their blood during the difficult times. When stress levels were low, there were far smaller differences observed between people with high and low fitness levels.

The study by the University of Basel together with Swedish researchers studied 200 employees – 51 per cent men, 49 per cent women with an average age of 39.

They tested their fitness on an exercise bike and measured various risk factors for heart and blood vessel disease including blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, triglycerides – a form of fat – and glycated haemoglobin.

Having high triglycerides can be a sign of diabetes, as can high levels of glycated haemoglobin. Stressed individuals had higher levels of most of the risk factors for heart and circulatory system disease, the authors found.

The research showed that the perception of stress and risk of heart disease is affected by fitness.Stressed employees with a high fitness level had much lower levels of the factors for heart disease than the medium fit or the low.

SEE THIS : Studies Show Tomatoes Can Beat Skin Cancer, Male Infertility, Others.

                                    

Fruit replete with lycopene, protects against harmful ultra violet radiation 

Can eating lots tomatoes provide the elusive cure for wrinkles, skin and prostate cancer, hypertension and male infertility?

More researchers are confirming that eating plenty of tomatoes could stave off wrinkles – and even skin cancer.

Scientists say the fruit is rich in an antioxidant called lycopene that helps shield the body from harmful Ultra Violet (UV) radiation that is associated with skin cancer.

A new study published in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests that tomatoes are not substitutes for sunscreen but offers another important line of defence.

The German researchers said it could lead to people taking supplements containing the chemical for health – or cosmetic – purposes.

They also found another pigment known as lutein – abundant in spinach and kale – achieved similar results.

Conventional sunscreens are designed to block out ultraviolet light – UVA and UVB – the rays that damage and burn the skin. However, these products do not block out infrared rays.

These rays, which were discovered in 1800, transmit heat, raise skin temperature and are responsible for the warmth you feel when sitting in the sun.

Infrared rays make up to half of the sun’s energy (UVA and UVB combined make up between five per cent and seven per cent) and one type in particular, infrared A, can penetrate the deepest layers of the skin – deeper than ultraviolet.

Earlier research in animals has suggested infrared A may play a role in skin cancer when combined with exposure to UVB. Infrared A may also contribute to ageing of the skin – scientists suggest it alters some of the biological processes involved in maintaining healthy skin cells, affecting the production of collagen, the protein that acts as scaffolding for the skin.

This could ultimately result in wrinkles, sagging and ageing. The possible link between infrared A and cancer was first noted in the Eighties. However, more recent research at the University of Kiel in Germany found that mice exposed to UVB and infrared A rays together developed faster-growing skin cancer tumours than those exposed to UVB light alone, though those exposed to infrared A alone did not.

An earlier study published in April this year found that a nutrient in a ‘tomato pill’ could supercharge sperm by up to 70 per cent and offer new hope to childless couples. The compound lycopene which gives tomatoes their red colour, is now the focus of a study at Sheffield University, United Kingdom (UK) to measure the boost to male fertility offered by an over-the-counter modified lycopene supplement known to double blood lycopene levels.

The Sheffield team led by Professor Allan Pacey, one of Britain’s leading experts on male infertility, is recruiting 60 healthy male students and university staff aged 18 to 30 to take part in the three-month study.

The study comes as Britain faces an epidemic of childlessness with one in six couples unable to conceive.Half of the problem is believed to be caused by men having poor quality sperm.

The first half of the group will receive twice-daily capsules of the over-the-counter supplement called XY Pro, and the other half will receive identical dummy capsules.

A recently published study by fertility specialists at America’s prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, showed lycopene can boost sperm quality by 70 per cent.

Another study titled “Phytochemical Analysis of Medicinal Plants Used for the Management of Hypertension by Esan people of Edo State, Nigeria” and published in Ethnobotanical Leaflets by researchers from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, identified tomato as one of the 14 endemic plant species distributed in 12 taxonomic families commonly used to manage hypertension.

According to the study, tomato extract contains carotenoids, such as lycopene, betacarotene, and vitamin E, which are known as effective antioxidants, to inactivate free radicals and to slow the progress of atherosclerosis. A study showed that extract of tomato (Lyc-O-Mato) modestly reduces Blood Pressure (BP) in patients with mild, untreated hypertension.

A significant correlation has been observed between systolic BP and lycopene levels. Tomato extract when added to patients treated with low doses of ACE inhibition, calcium channel blockers, or their combination with low-dose diuretics had a clinically significant effect-reduction of BP by more than 10 mmHg systolic and more than 5 mmHg diastolic pressure. No side effects to treatment were recorded and the compliance with treatment was high.

Meanwhile, the German researchers compared the skin of 65 people who were divided into two groups – one given a supplement called TNC (tomato nutrient complex) or a placebo and the other lutein or the dummy treatment.

At the beginning and end of each 12-week treatment phase their skin was exposed to two types of ultraviolet (UV) light, UVA1 and UVA/B in a process known as irradiation – with biopsies taken 24 hours later.

These showed those who received no lycopene or lutein had increased expression of certain ‘indicator genes’ linked to wrinkly skin and inflammation – two common side effects of sun damage.

In contrast, both treatments significantly reduced the expression of these genes.

The findings follow a study in 2012, which concluded women who ate a diet rich in tomatoes had increased skin protection, reduced redness and less Deoxy ribonucleic Acid (DNA) damage from ultraviolet rays.

Also, another study published in 2014 found that just ten helpings of tomatoes a week could help men reduce the risk of prostate cancer by almost a fifth.

Researchers think that protection against the illness comes from a key chemical inside the fruit known as lycopene. Tomato-based pasta sauce, tomato juice and even baked beans and the tomato puree topping on pizza were all found to have a beneficial effect.

Scientists say men who doubled their intake of fruit and vegetables to the recommended five portions a day reduced their risk by nearly a quarter.