Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that World Diabetes Day 2011 being observed on November 14 around the world draws our attention to the lethality of disease and underscores the need of preventive measures at individual and collective levels. The purpose of observing this day is to highlight the importance of diabetes as a global health threat and to undertake concerted efforts to cope with the disease in a proactive manner, the Prime … full story

Computer analysis of brain scans could help predict how serious or long term a psychotic patient's illness may become and help doctors make more accurate decisions about how best to treat them, researchers said on Monday. In a study in the journal Psychological Medicine, scientists from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and University College London's computer science department found that using computer algorithms to analyze MRI (magnetic … full story

Women who drank two large glasses of milk daily after their weight-lifting routine gained more muscle and lost more fat compared to women who drank sugar-based energy drinks, says a new study. “Resistance training is not a typical choice of exercise for women,” says Stu Phillips, professor in kinesiology (study of human movement) at McMaster University. “But the health benefits of resistance training are enormous: It boosts strength, bone, muscular … full story

Women who drank anywhere from a few alcoholic drinks a month to more than three a week in the year leading up to a heart attack ended up living longer than women who never drank alcohol, according to a US study. The findings, which focused on more than 1,000 women and were published in the American Journal of Cardiology, add to mounting evidence that alcohol, regardless of the type of drink, can be good for the heart. "One thing that was interesting … full story

Walnuts, the brain shaped nuts, cut down cholesterol and may also help fight stress and reduce blood pressure. Those with high levels of bad cholesterol had lower blood pressure during stressful moments after following a diet rich in walnuts for three weeks. Study participants were told to deliver a three-minute speech or sink one foot in cold water – both of which trigger stress. Those who ate walnuts had lower blood pressure, said Professor … full story

Men are twice as likely as women to become alcoholics and now scientists believe they know why. They found that consuming beer and wine on a night out gave men a far greater ‘pleasure rush’ than women. Researchers from Columbia and Yale universities in the US studied the underlying biology of how drinking affects the brain. The team compared a group of male and female college-age social drinkers in a lab test of alcohol consumption, reports the … full story

Drinking three cups of tea daily can protect against heart attacks and stroke. A new review study shows regular drinking of either black or green tea can reduce the risk of heart problems by 11 percent. It cuts plaque build-up in arteries – a combination of dangerous fat and cholesterol. In terms of the delivery of antioxidants, two cups of tea is equivalent to five portions of vegetables or two apples, reports the journal Molecular Aspects of … full story

Babies whose mothers have the flu jab during pregnancy are less likely to catch the virus themselves, finds a recent study. A flu jab protects youngsters in the first six months of life and makes them 40 percent less likely to need hospital treatment for respiratory illnesses, according to a US research. Research shows pregnant women are at higher risk of serious complications from swine flu compared with the general public, and have a higher rate … full story

People recently diagnosed with lung cancer are at higher risk of having a stroke than those without lung tumors, suggests a large new study from Taiwan. Researchers looking at data covering more than 150,000 adults found that among those with lung cancer, 26 in every 1000 experienced a stroke each year, compared with 17 in 1000 who did not have cancer. "This is one more telling sign of the long term risk of smoking," said Dr. Andrew Russman, a … full story

Simply suggesting that a treatment will ease chest pain may not only dampen the pain, but directly alter heart arteries, a small study concludes. Among 30 patients having a procedure to evaluate their chest pain, researchers found that those who were told they were being given an infusion of a pain-relieving drug did, on average, report a decrease in pain. But the participants also showed a measurable change in their heart arteries: a slight but … full story