Sleep Duration Linked to T2DM Risk

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(HealthDay News) — Increased sleep duration is associated with increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online June 11 in Diabetes Care.
Jane E. Ferrie, PhD, from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined whether a change in sleep duration is associated with incident diabetes using data waves spanning more than 20 years. Sleep duration was reported at the beginning and end of four five-year cycles from 1985–1988 to 2007–2009
The researchers found that after adjustment for age, sex, employment grade, and ethnic group, an increase of at least two hours of sleep per night correlated with an increased risk of incident diabetes compared with a reference group of persistent seven-hour sleepers (odds ratio [OR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–2.37). After adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and change in weight, the correlation was partially attenuated (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.04–2.16). Persistent short sleepers (average ≤5.5 hours/night) had an increased risk of incident diabetes (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.04–1.76), but the correlation was no longer significant after adjustment for BMI and change in weight (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.96–1.63).
"This study suggests that individuals whose sleep duration increases are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes," the authors write. "Greater weight and weight gain in this group partly explain the association."

Government Steps up Efforts to Lower Maternal Death Rate

 

BHUBANESWAR:The State Government has decided to undertake case by case monitoring of maternal deaths across all districts as it steps up efforts to bring down maternal mortality rate (MMR) and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2020.
In a departure from the existing system of recording maternal deaths, the Health department will from now onwards put each and every death to intense scrutiny to not only verify the medical causes but also socio-cultural factors concerning mothers.
Along with child-birth related complications, infections and other medical factors, post-delivery care, household practices and other aspects that could possibly affect the woman during post-natal period would be examined. The objective is to pin-point both the medical and other factors leading to death and correlate them with other cases in the region that would help in devising a more effective strategy to curb MMR in the State.
Chief district medical officers (CDMOs) will conduct reviews of each individual case of maternal mortality in their respective districts. The review meeting would be video-recorded and a detailed report along with the videos would be sent to the State-level Task Force on MMR every month, Health Secretary Arti Ahuja has directed.
The Task force will strengthen monitoring of MMR in every district and maintain critical records of each and every case. In the first phase, the module would be adopted in Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Puri. The system would come into force from August 1.
The State Task Force has also decided to conduct special training programmes for nurses and trained midwives for more effective management of women in labour and delivery cases. Training manuals in simple step by step procedures and illustrations will also be provided to them.
MMR in Odisha is on the decline in recent years but continues to be among the highest in the country. From 258 in one lakh births in 2009, it has come down to 222 in 2013.

New Breastfeeding Benefit?

 





Breastfeeding may help lower the risk of the most common childhood cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers reviewed 18 previous studies that looked at the link between nursing and childhood leukemia. They found that breastfeeding for six months or longer was associated with a 19 percent lower risk compared with no breastfeeding or breastfeeding for a shorter period. A separate analysis of 15 studies found that being breastfed for any length of time was associated with an 11 percent lower risk of the disease compared with no breastfeeding. The authors say, "Because the primary goal of public health is prevention of morbidity, health care professionals should be taught the potential health benefits of breastfeeding and given tools to assist mothers with breastfeeding." They say more research is needed to clarify the biological mechanisms underlying this association between breastfeeding and lower childhood leukemia morbidity.
                                                                                   Health Day News Video - June 3, 2015

LEARNING WITH THE TIMES ­ Why noodles laced with MSG & lead is harmful

Why is lead dangerous?
Lead is a naturally occurring poisonous metal. If ingested, it damages important organs, including
brain and heart. In large quantities, it's fatal. It's especially dangerous for children. According to the
US Centers for Disease Control: “No safe blood lead level in children has been identified“. The
European Food Safety Agency says: “There's no evidence for a threshold for critical lead­induced
effects“ that is, there's no safe level. There are no immediate symptoms of lead poisoning if taken in
small amounts. It accumulates in blood, muscles and bones. There's no way to tell ​ until it's too late.
Where does lead come from?
It occurs in ores found with zinc, silver and copper. It's used in leadacid batteries, bullets, radiation
shields and several other ways.
Earlier it was used in paints, pottery glazes, wa ter pipes and as a petrol additive. All this has been pro
hibited. In areas where regulation is weak, people continue to use or live with leadbased paint or water
pipes. Some plants like tobacco were earlier sprayed with a lead­based pesticide. Traditional medicine
systems, including Ayurveda, use lead in trace quantities. In India, sindoor may be made from red
lead. As a result, lead grains escape and fall on waterbodies, dust, especially roadside dust, and plants.
From there it may get into food.
What is MSG and is it dangerous?
MSG is a taste enhancer with the chemical name monosodium glutamate. It is the sodium salt of an
amino acid called glutamic acid, found in life forms. Although MSG is considered safe, it came under
a cloud after unconfirmed reports of the `Chinese restaurant syndrome', which people claimed arose
after eating Chinese food.This hasn't been scientifically established. MSG causes glutamate levels to
spike in blood, this may cause brain problems. In Europe, addition of MSG must be specified.A
concern with MSG is the sodium in it, which causes hypertension beyond certain levels. This is
similar to common salt. Adding MSG without controlling common salt may cause excessive buildup
of sodium and a heightened hypertension risk.
How is food quality regulated in India?
In 2006, the Food Safety & Standards Act was passed replacing and amalgamating earlier food safety
and adulteration laws. Under the new law, the top regulatory body is the Food Safety & Standards
Authority of India which works under the health ministry . It grants licences to industrial units for
production of food items and monitors functions to ensure that the Act is being followed. Processed
food units are supposed to be built and operated under specified conditions, with regular reporting on
the status. It's believed the machinery lacks manpower to monitor food safety countrywide.It has been
alleged the monitoring machinery is sometimes compromised, unscrupulous operators getting away with violations.