Dec. – 16: IN A CAPSULE
Traffic noise increases heart attack risk
Living near the highway could cost your heart dear as researchers have found that risk of heart attack goes up with the amount of traffic noise to which you are exposed. The increase in risk is greatest with road and rail traffic noise, less with aircraft noise.
Researchers from Germany’s Dresden University of Technology evaluated information from health insurers on over a million Germans over the age of 40. A statistically significant association was found between noise exposure and the risk of heart attack. The findings appeared in the journal Deutsches Arzteblatt International.
Don’t take pills with juice, stick to water
Washing down pills with juice makes the medicine less effective, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has warned. In a recent advisory, the medical body says juices have been shown to affect the absorption of drugs and that pills should be had only with water.
Fruit juices, particularly citrus ones, can affect absorption by changing the blood PH —acidity or alkalinity of blood—and by breaking the coating of the pills.
TV noise can stop your child from learning to talk
Toddlers struggle to learn new words when there is noise from a blaring television in the background, a study has found. Writing in the journal Child Development, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said: “Modern homes are filled with noisy distractions such as TV, radio and people talking that could affect how children learn words at early ages.â€
Children living in noisier homes have been found to have worse school reports, higher levels of stress hormone cortisol in their blood, and higher heart rates than children from more peaceful homes.Â
HEALTH NEWS
Good
- Eating healthy fats promotes longevity
- Running barefoot may help boost your memory
- Wholegrain wheat lowers inflammation
Bad
- Cough drugs can lead to cerebral haemorrhage
- Watching fitness DVDs at home may harm you
- Wearing stilettos everyday could lead to cancer
