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Blood donors 'healthier'

Donating blood may affect mechanisms in the body such as blood production and iron storage. Photo / Greg Bowker

Frequent blood donation is not harmful to your health, a new study confirms.

"Blood donation may actually be good for you," said Dr Gustaf Edgren of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, the study's lead author.

People who donate blood show lower cancer and mortality rates than their non-donating peers, Dr Edgren and his colleagues note in their report, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Association, but the fact that blood donors tend to be healthier overall could mask any ill effects of frequent donation.

There are also several mechanisms by which frequent blood donation could theoretically affect health, Dr Edgren noted.

For one, drawing blood causes the body to ramp up production of blood cells in the bone marrow. This accelerated cell division, or "mitotic stress," could increase the likelihood of malignancy in blood-forming tissues.

On the positive side, excess iron stores have been tied to heart disease and certain types of cancer, so people who have their blood drawn regularly may be depleting these stores and thus improving their health.

To better understand how repeated blood donations affect health, Dr Edgren and his team looked at data from Swedish and Danish blood banks and transfusion clinics containing records of individuals who donated blood at least once between 1968 and 2002, a total of 1,110,212 people.

The investigators found no relationship between how frequently a person gave blood and their risk of cancer. However, among male donors, the risk of liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat cancer declined as the frequency of donations increased, which suggests that iron depletion may reduce cancer risk.

The researchers also found an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among frequent plasma donors, but this was only seen among people who donated plasma before 1986. This finding "must be interpreted cautiously", Edgren and colleagues write.

Even a small excess risk of cancer associated with blood donation would be "a very serious matter", Dr Edgren noted, because so many people donate blood.

However, he added, "we've more or less made very clear that there is no excess risk of cancer associated with frequent blood donation".

Recipe column- Thakkali masiyal

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Recipe column- Parangikkai Kootu

Parangikkai pulipu poriyal:Cook 1 cup of parangikkai cut into small cubes with 1/4 cup of toor dal in 2 teaspoon of tarmirind paste and water.When half done heat a kadai and allow the mustard seeds to splutter and add 1/2 teaspoon of urad dal, 4 red chilies,5 nos of fenugreek/methiseeds, 5 curry leaves and a pinch of hing.Add this to the cooking vegetable and add salt, 2 teaspoon of grated coconut. Mix well. When done remove from flame and serve with steamed rice.This recipe could also be tried with brinjal and ladies finger.

Press chest to save cardiac victim

NEW DELHI: If you see a person near you having a cardiac arrest, you can skip performing mouth-to-mouth breathing, better known as the ''kiss of life'', on the person. Just press the centre of the patient's chest, hard and fast. This is the new recommendation made by the American Heart Association on Tuesday.

According to the association, chest compressions, or hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives — work just as well for sudden cardiac arrest in adults.

The statement, from the association's emergency cardiovascular care committee, in this week's Circulation journal comes after three separate studies last year described outcomes after bystanders performed CPR on people suffering cardiac arrests.

Experts now hope that bystanders will be more willing to come forward and help if they see someone suddenly collapse by pushing the middle of the victim's chest without stopping, until emergency medical services responders arrive.

Studies show that on average, less than one-third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR, which can double or treble a person's chance of surviving cardiac arrest.

Not only is hand-only CPR simpler and easier to execute, it also encourages people uncomfortable about mouth-to-mouth breathing to come forward and help those suffering cardiac arrests.

Dr Deepak Natarajan, senior cardiologist at Apollo hospital, estimates that 5 lakh to 7.5 lakh people die of sudden cardiac arrests every year in India. More than 80% of these emergencies occur outside a hospital setting.

Recipe column- Thayir pachidi

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Brain has sixth sense for calories

NEW YORK: The brain has a way of sensing calories in food, independent of the taste mechanism, according to a new study.

The discovery that the brain's reward system is switched on by this "sixth sense" machinery could have implications for understanding the causes of obesity.

For example, the findings suggest why high-fructose corn syrup, widely used as a sweetener in foods, might contribute to obesity.

Findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the journal Neuron.

Ivan de Araujo and his research colleagues genetically altered mice to make them "sweet-blind", or lacking a key component of taste receptor cells that enabled them to detect the sweet taste.

The researchers next performed behavioural tests in which they compared normal and sweet-blind mice in their preference for sugar solutions and those containing the non-caloric sweetener sucralose.

In those tests, the sweet-blind mice showed a preference for calorie containing sugar water that did not depend on their ability to taste, but on the calorie content.

In analysing the brains of the sweet-blind mice, researchers showed that the animals' reward circuitry was switched on by caloric intake, independent of the animals' ability to taste.

Those analyses showed that levels of the brain chemical dopamine, known to be central to activating the reward circuitry, increased with caloric intake.

Also, electrophysiological studies showed that neurons in the food-reward region, called the nucleus accumbens, were activated by caloric intake, independent of taste.

ICICI Lombard to tie up with UnitedHealth Group

Indian insurer's policyholders traveling to US will have access to US-based healthcare firm's programmes and services

Through this initiative, ICICI Lombard's 1.6 million policyholders traveling to the US, who are covered by the insurer's Overseas Travel Insurance or Student Overseas Medical Insurance, will have access to the US-based healthcare firm's programmes and services.

Sudhir Menon, head, travel insurance, ICICI Lombard, said, "This partnership is an innovative benefit for Indians, who are increasingly traveling abroad for both occupational and educational purposes."

"We look forward to leveraging the assets of UnitedHealth Group to deliver the best in service and resources to our customers throughout their travels to the United States," he said.

UnitedHealth International CEO Ori Karev said, "Our new partnership with ICICI Lombard is an important step in making access to cross-border health care more seamless for consumers, a model we are exploring in multiple markets."

ICICI Lombard is a 74:26 joint venture between ICICI Bank Ltd, India's second largest bank with $79 billion in assets, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, a Canada-based financial services provider.

Helpful Tips on Eye Care

With so many of us spending lots of time in front of the computer every day it comes to no surprise that research is showing a rise in visual problems. What can one do? First, it's important to find out how you can protect your eyes through eye health exams and by making a few minor changes in your computer viewing habits. 

Here are some helpful Eye Care Tips - 

Positioning is everything

Correct positioning of your computer, keyboard and typing copy is essential. Your screen should be positioned about an arm's length from your eyes and 20 degrees below eye level. Consider foot and wrist rests for added comfort.

 

Lighting can make all the difference

Room lighting should be diffuse, not direct, to reduce glare and reflections from your screen. Look into an internal or external glare screen and be sure to set your colour, contrast and brightness levels to suit you.

A little extra help for your glasses

Anti-reflective coatings on the lenses of your glasses can be applied by your optometrist to reduce discomfort and to ease reduced vision from bright and/or flickering light sources such as VDTs and fluorescent lights. And don't forget, your doctor of optometry can talk to you about eyeglasses designed specifically for people who use computers a lot.

 

Take time out, our 20-20-20 rule

Step I :-
After every 20 minutes of looking into the computer screen, turn your
head and try to look at any object placed at least 20 feet away. This
changes the focal length of your eyes, a must-do for the tired eyes.

Step II :-
Try and blink your eyes for 20 times in succession, to moisten them.

Step III :-
Time permitting of course, one should walk 20 paces after every 20 minutes
of sitting in one particular posture. Helps blood circulation for the entire body.

It's all in the blinking

Did you know that on average we blink 12 times per minute? But wait, did you know that when we're on the computer we only blink 5 times per minute? That can add up to dry eyes. Relieve the discomfort by using artificial tear drops or gels and remember to blink!

 

Palming

Sit straight at your workstation and rub your palms against each other till you feel them warm. The warmth of your palms helps soothe and relax tired eyes. Then, lightly cup your eyes with your palms and relax for 60 seconds. Count the seconds in your mind. Repeat this exercise two to three times whenever your eyes feel tired, or as often as you want. While palming, you can either rest your elbows on your desk or keep away from the desk and cup your eyes. Both ways are fine.

Splash water on your face

During breaks, splash water on your face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps you feel refreshed.

Use tea bags

Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before you leave for work. Once you are home, place the tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes as you relax. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.

 

Eat healthy

Incorporate Vitamins A, C, and E on a daily basis; eat citrus fruits, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, spinach, poultry and dairy products. Pack a box of chopped carrots, cucumber and fresh fruits and munch in-between meals at the office.

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