Health Capsules

Fasting every two days may help fight obesity 

One day of fasting after every two days may help to fight obesity and other metabolic disorders, suggests a recent study. According to researchers, an intermittent fasting regime, up to 16 weeks, without otherwise having to count calories may help fight obesity and other metabolic disorders. Such fasting already shows benefits after only six weeks. The findings indicated that intermittent fasting in mice helped to kick-start the animals' metabolism and to burn fat by generating body heat. The research, in general, has shown that unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are leading to development of lifestyle-related metabolic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The reserchers exposed the groups of mice to 16 weeks of intermittent fasting. The recurring regimen saw the animals being fed for two days, followed by one day without anything to eat.Their calorie intake was not adjusted otherwise. Four months later, the mice in the fasting group weighed less than those in the control group who continued to eat the same volume of food. Besides the lower body weight, the fasting regime helped lower fat build-up in the white fat by increasing the brown-like fat, which involved in burning energy and producing body heat of mice on the high fat diet. Their glucose and insulin systems also remained more stable. Reserchers found that such intermittent fasting tempers an immune reaction in fat cells. The research appears in journal Cell Research. 

High blood pressure ups heart valve disorder risk

Do exercise and eat proper daily; as high blood pressure from early life may increase the risk of developing the most common heart valve disorder, particularly among older people, warns a recent study. Researchers at the University of Oxford followed 5.5 million adults in the UK over 10 years. They found that higher blood pressure in early life was associated with a significantly greater future risk of mitral regurgitation, a condition which makes the heart less efficient at pumping blood around the body and in severe cases can lead to heart failure. A researcher said that the research suggests this common and disabling valve disorder is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, as previously assumed, but may be preventable. Mitral regurgitation leads to a backflow of blood into the heart, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath, tiredness, dizziness and chest pain. It is more common in older people, and may be associated with a greater risk of mortality. Despite significant advances in the understanding of valve disease, mitral regurgitation has until now been largely considered a degenerative disorder, resulting from a weakening of the valve over time due to 'wear and tear'. This has led medical practitioners to focus on treatment — namely surgery to repair or replace the valve — rather than prevention. The new study suggests further research is needed to test whether lowering blood pressure — through exercise, diet or blood pressure-lowering drugs — could reduce the risk of the disorder occurring. The research is published in the journal PLOS Medicine. — Agencies