Vitamin B12 deficiency could push you into depression

CHENNAI: Feeling low and unable to figure out the reason? Maybe you should take a look at your plate. Doctors say deficiency of micronutrients like vitamin B12 and vitamin D is linked to low spirits and fatigue. A recent Metropolis Healthcare study on vitamins showed alarming results in people in the 20-40 age group.

The laboratory analyzed samples over the past three years and found that 1 in 5 people in Chennai in the productive, 20-40 age group had vitamin B12 deficiency and of the 16,000 samples tested for vitamin D deficiency, 14,000 were found positive. Metropolis Healthcare vice-president (operations) Dr Anita Suryanarayan said, "Despite awareness that Indians are severely deficient in vitamins, we have not seen any improvement in the trend in the past three years". Vitamins play an important role in the body and maintaining sufficient levels of vitamins is essential. "Vitamins B9, B12 and other B vitamins play an important role in producing DNA and red blood cells as well as brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions," she said.

Consultant dietician Dr K Swaminathan said low levels of vitamin B12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B6 and folic acid may be linked to depression. Symptoms of deficiency include fatigue, memory loss, giddiness, palpitations, mouth ulcers and loss of energy. "Vitamin B12 deficiency can be prevented by enough intake of meat, poultry, seafood, milk and dairy products," he said.

The deficiency of vitamin B12 is so pronounced that it is the culprit behind the sub-optimal blood levels of nearly half of the country's population, said consultant nutritionist Dr Deepa Agarwal of Asian Bariatrics. "Insufficient B12 levels in the blood make an individual vulnerable to a variety of problems such as depression, sleep issues, dementia, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, anaemia, cancer, and irreversible brain damage," she said. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver for a year or more, which reduces a person's risk of anaemia, she added.

Likewise, the body must have a sufficient amount of vitamin D to absorb calcium and promote bone growth. Too little vitamin D results in soft bones in children and fragile bones in adults. Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression, weight gain, and other maladies. "Vitamin D is so important that your body makes it by itself but only after the skin's exposure to sufficient sunlight. Otherwise, you should get vitamin D from foods such milk and milk products and green leafy vegetables or from supplements," said Dr Agarwal.

Talking about the increasing trend of vitamin deficiency among youth, Dr Anita Suryanarayan said it was important for the youth to be well aware about the health risks of vitamin deficiency. "Getting tested and taking medical advice from a doctor is the need of the hour," she said.

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Using smartphone could be damaging your back: Experts

The author has posted comments on this articleThe Independent | Nov 30, 2014, 11.32AM IST

Weight on head of walking while texting is like having four bowling balls stacked on your head. (Getty Images)

Page 1 of 4

Looking down at our phones isn't just making us bump into one another, it's also exerting a damaging amount of weight onto the back of heads and necks, says scientists.

How much weight exactly? Twenty seven kilograms is the most recent estimate according to a study published in the journal Surgical Technology International.

That's about the same weight as four full-size bowling balls or - to use a more relevant comparison - 200 iPhones. All piled up on the back of your head.

Dr Kenneth Hansraj, the spinal and orthopaedic surgeon behind the study, says it's become increasingly common for patients suffering from back and neck pain to report hours spent hunched over smartphones and tablets.

"You can call it an epidemic. Wherever you go, just look around: People are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," Hansraj told NBC news.

The extra pressures is created by weight of the human head and the angle of the neck and spine. The average head weighs around 5kg and this weight increases massively as people hunch over: a sixty degree bend adds an extra 22kg of strain.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," writes Hansraj.

What texting does to your neck. (Image credit: Surgical Technology International)

Hansraj's advice is simple: be aware of your movements. You don't necessarily have to bring your gadgets up to eye-level to use them, but don't crane over them all the time.

Similarly, try exercises such as touching your ears to your shoulders or pushing your head against your hands, to bring some flexibility and strength back to your neck.

As computing becomes a mobile activity for more and more of us (and that includes slouching on the sofa with a tablet) neck difficulties seem set to join 'texting thumb' in the technology 'hall of pain'. Bring on those brain implants instead.

Article continues

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Male smokers face greater cancer risk: Study

LONDON: In a discovery that could possibly persuade smokers to quit, researchers at the Uppsala University in Sweden have found a strong association between smoking and the loss of the male Y chromosome in blood cells.

The same team had previously shown that the loss of the Y chromosome is linked to cancer.

Since only men have the Y chromosome, these results might explain why smoking is a greater risk factor for cancer among men and also why men in general have a shorter life expectancy, the researchers said.

The team tested if there were any lifestyle or clinical factors that could be linked to the loss of the Y chromosome.

"Out of a large number of factors that were studied such as age, blood pressure, diabetes, alcohol intake and smoking, we found that loss of the Y chromosome in a fraction of the blood cells was more common in smokers than in non-smokers", said Lars Forsberg, lead researcher at Uppsala University.

The loss of the Y chromosome was more common in heavy smokers compared to moderate smokers.

In addition, the association was only valid for men who were current smokers.

Men who had been smoking previously but quit showed the same frequency of cells with loss of the Y chromosome as men who had never smoked, the authors noticed.

How loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells, induced by smoking, is connected with the development of cancer throughout the body is still not clear.

One possibility is that immune cells in blood that have lost their Y chromosome have a reduced capacity to fight cancer cells.

"The finding may explain why men in general have a shorter life span than women and why smoking is more dangerous for men," added co-author Jan Dumanski.

The study was published in the journal Science.

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Willy Wonka-style lift is a reality

The author has posted comments on this articleLamiat Sabin, The Independent | Nov 29, 2014, 07.11AM IST

The "Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically.

Page 1 of 4

A lift -which moves sideways as well as vertically much like the one in `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' -has been designed by a German company .
The " Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically .

The characters in Roald Dahl's widely-loved story are "flung off their feet on to the floor" as Willy Wonka's glass elevator moves sideways, whizzes around corners before flying off into the sky.

However, the real-life model can only go up, down and sideways but the company says it will allow multiple lifts to occupy a single shaft to help boost passenger capacity by up to 50%. When a lift reaches the top of a shaft, it will move horizontally before descending via another channel in a "near-constant" loop formation to allow more than one carriage of people to be shuttled around a building.

They also hope the new system which the company claims is the most ground-breaking since the invention of the lift 160 years ago — will help cut waiting time down to around 15 to 30 seconds.

Patrick Bass, head of research and development at ThyssenKrupp, said: "With this technology, the limits (on high-rise structures) will be removed and we will have futuristic buildings that previously could only be dreamed of," according to The Financial Times.

Article continues

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Using your smartphone could be damaging backs: Experts

The author has posted comments on this articleThe Independent | Nov 30, 2014, 11.32AM IST

Weight on head of walking while texting is like having four bowling balls stacked on your head. (Getty Images)

Page 1 of 4

Looking down at our phones isn't just making us bump into one another, it's also exerting a damaging amount of weight onto the back of heads and necks, says scientists.

How much weight exactly? Twenty seven kilograms is the most recent estimate according to a study published in the journal Surgical Technology International.

That's about the same weight as four full-size bowling balls or - to use a more relevant comparison - 200 iPhones. All piled up on the back of your head.

Dr Kenneth Hansraj, the spinal and orthopaedic surgeon behind the study, says it's become increasingly common for patients suffering from back and neck pain to report hours spent hunched over smartphones and tablets.

"You can call it an epidemic. Wherever you go, just look around: People are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," Hansraj told NBC news.

The extra pressures is created by weight of the human head and the angle of the neck and spine. The average head weighs around 5kg and this weight increases massively as people hunch over: a sixty degree bend adds an extra 22kg of strain.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," writes Hansraj.

What texting does to your neck. (Image credit: Surgical Technology International)

Hansraj's advice is simple: be aware of your movements. You don't necessarily have to bring your gadgets up to eye-level to use them, but don't crane over them all the time.

Similarly, try exercises such as touching your ears to your shoulders or pushing your head against your hands, to bring some flexibility and strength back to your neck.

As computing becomes a mobile activity for more and more of us (and that includes slouching on the sofa with a tablet) neck difficulties seem set to join 'texting thumb' in the technology 'hall of pain'. Bring on those brain implants instead.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Using smartphone could be damaging your back: Experts

The author has posted comments on this articleThe Independent | Nov 30, 2014, 11.32AM IST

Weight on head of walking while texting is like having four bowling balls stacked on your head. (Getty Images)

Page 1 of 4

Looking down at our phones isn't just making us bump into one another, it's also exerting a damaging amount of weight onto the back of heads and necks, says scientists.

How much weight exactly? Twenty seven kilograms is the most recent estimate according to a study published in the journal Surgical Technology International.

That's about the same weight as four full-size bowling balls or - to use a more relevant comparison - 200 iPhones. All piled up on the back of your head.

Dr Kenneth Hansraj, the spinal and orthopaedic surgeon behind the study, says it's become increasingly common for patients suffering from back and neck pain to report hours spent hunched over smartphones and tablets.

"You can call it an epidemic. Wherever you go, just look around: People are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," Hansraj told NBC news.

The extra pressures is created by weight of the human head and the angle of the neck and spine. The average head weighs around 5kg and this weight increases massively as people hunch over: a sixty degree bend adds an extra 22kg of strain.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," writes Hansraj.

What texting does to your neck. (Image credit: Surgical Technology International)

Hansraj's advice is simple: be aware of your movements. You don't necessarily have to bring your gadgets up to eye-level to use them, but don't crane over them all the time.

Similarly, try exercises such as touching your ears to your shoulders or pushing your head against your hands, to bring some flexibility and strength back to your neck.

As computing becomes a mobile activity for more and more of us (and that includes slouching on the sofa with a tablet) neck difficulties seem set to join 'texting thumb' in the technology 'hall of pain'. Bring on those brain implants instead.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Willy Wonka-style lift is a reality

The author has posted comments on this articleLamiat Sabin, The Independent | Nov 29, 2014, 07.11AM IST

The "Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically.

Page 1 of 4

A lift -which moves sideways as well as vertically much like the one in `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' -has been designed by a German company .
The " Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically .

The characters in Roald Dahl's widely-loved story are "flung off their feet on to the floor" as Willy Wonka's glass elevator moves sideways, whizzes around corners before flying off into the sky.

However, the real-life model can only go up, down and sideways but the company says it will allow multiple lifts to occupy a single shaft to help boost passenger capacity by up to 50%. When a lift reaches the top of a shaft, it will move horizontally before descending via another channel in a "near-constant" loop formation to allow more than one carriage of people to be shuttled around a building.

They also hope the new system which the company claims is the most ground-breaking since the invention of the lift 160 years ago — will help cut waiting time down to around 15 to 30 seconds.

Patrick Bass, head of research and development at ThyssenKrupp, said: "With this technology, the limits (on high-rise structures) will be removed and we will have futuristic buildings that previously could only be dreamed of," according to The Financial Times.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Using your smartphone could be damaging backs: Experts

The author has posted comments on this articleThe Independent | Nov 30, 2014, 11.32AM IST

Weight on head of walking while texting is like having four bowling balls stacked on your head. (Getty Images)

Page 1 of 4

Looking down at our phones isn't just making us bump into one another, it's also exerting a damaging amount of weight onto the back of heads and necks, says scientists.

How much weight exactly? Twenty seven kilograms is the most recent estimate according to a study published in the journal Surgical Technology International.

That's about the same weight as four full-size bowling balls or - to use a more relevant comparison - 200 iPhones. All piled up on the back of your head.

Dr Kenneth Hansraj, the spinal and orthopaedic surgeon behind the study, says it's become increasingly common for patients suffering from back and neck pain to report hours spent hunched over smartphones and tablets.

"You can call it an epidemic. Wherever you go, just look around: People are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," Hansraj told NBC news.

The extra pressures is created by weight of the human head and the angle of the neck and spine. The average head weighs around 5kg and this weight increases massively as people hunch over: a sixty degree bend adds an extra 22kg of strain.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," writes Hansraj.

What texting does to your neck. (Image credit: Surgical Technology International)

Hansraj's advice is simple: be aware of your movements. You don't necessarily have to bring your gadgets up to eye-level to use them, but don't crane over them all the time.

Similarly, try exercises such as touching your ears to your shoulders or pushing your head against your hands, to bring some flexibility and strength back to your neck.

As computing becomes a mobile activity for more and more of us (and that includes slouching on the sofa with a tablet) neck difficulties seem set to join 'texting thumb' in the technology 'hall of pain'. Bring on those brain implants instead.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Using smartphone could be damaging your back: Experts

The author has posted comments on this articleThe Independent | Nov 30, 2014, 11.32AM IST

Weight on head of walking while texting is like having four bowling balls stacked on your head. (Getty Images)

Page 1 of 4

Looking down at our phones isn't just making us bump into one another, it's also exerting a damaging amount of weight onto the back of heads and necks, says scientists.

How much weight exactly? Twenty seven kilograms is the most recent estimate according to a study published in the journal Surgical Technology International.

That's about the same weight as four full-size bowling balls or - to use a more relevant comparison - 200 iPhones. All piled up on the back of your head.

Dr Kenneth Hansraj, the spinal and orthopaedic surgeon behind the study, says it's become increasingly common for patients suffering from back and neck pain to report hours spent hunched over smartphones and tablets.

"You can call it an epidemic. Wherever you go, just look around: People are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," Hansraj told NBC news.

The extra pressures is created by weight of the human head and the angle of the neck and spine. The average head weighs around 5kg and this weight increases massively as people hunch over: a sixty degree bend adds an extra 22kg of strain.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," writes Hansraj.

What texting does to your neck. (Image credit: Surgical Technology International)

Hansraj's advice is simple: be aware of your movements. You don't necessarily have to bring your gadgets up to eye-level to use them, but don't crane over them all the time.

Similarly, try exercises such as touching your ears to your shoulders or pushing your head against your hands, to bring some flexibility and strength back to your neck.

As computing becomes a mobile activity for more and more of us (and that includes slouching on the sofa with a tablet) neck difficulties seem set to join 'texting thumb' in the technology 'hall of pain'. Bring on those brain implants instead.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Willy Wonka-style lift is a reality

The author has posted comments on this articleLamiat Sabin, The Independent | Nov 29, 2014, 07.11AM IST

The "Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically.

Page 1 of 4

A lift -which moves sideways as well as vertically much like the one in `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' -has been designed by a German company .
The " Multi" is engineered to use magnetic force instead of clunky weights and cables, which elevator firm ThyssenKrupp -who announced the development on Thursday-say will save power to help it run more economically .

The characters in Roald Dahl's widely-loved story are "flung off their feet on to the floor" as Willy Wonka's glass elevator moves sideways, whizzes around corners before flying off into the sky.

However, the real-life model can only go up, down and sideways but the company says it will allow multiple lifts to occupy a single shaft to help boost passenger capacity by up to 50%. When a lift reaches the top of a shaft, it will move horizontally before descending via another channel in a "near-constant" loop formation to allow more than one carriage of people to be shuttled around a building.

They also hope the new system which the company claims is the most ground-breaking since the invention of the lift 160 years ago — will help cut waiting time down to around 15 to 30 seconds.

Patrick Bass, head of research and development at ThyssenKrupp, said: "With this technology, the limits (on high-rise structures) will be removed and we will have futuristic buildings that previously could only be dreamed of," according to The Financial Times.

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More