Feb.17: HEALTH CAPSULES
Air pollution causes premature ageing
Worried about the wrinkles that are appearing on your face? Blame it on air pollution, much of which comes from traffic. Air pollution has been found to cause premature ageing by accelerating the development of wrinkles and age spots.
A study of 400 women, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, assessed clinical signs of skin ageing such as coarse wrinkles and pigment spots. It found that exposure to tiny particles called particulate matter (PM) increases both. Other studies have shown that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) also increases ageing.
Drinking water before each meal can aid weight lossÂ
If you are keen on losing weight, here’s a simple technique. University of Birmingham researchers have shown that drinking 500 ml of water half an hour before meals may help obese adults lose weight.
While 41 participants of the study were asked to drink water before the three main meals of the day, 43 were asked to imagine that they were full before they ate. Those who drank water reported a weight loss of 4.3 kg over 12 weeks. The study was published in the journal Obesity.
