Dispensary Corner 30 Mar 12
March 30, 2012
FORGOTTEN something? Put
down the fork.
Overeating does not only
increase the waist line, but
researchers are now saying it may
double the risk of memory loss.
According to a new US study
people aged 70 and over who ate
over 2,143 calories a day had
double the risk of being diagnosed
with impaired-memory disorder,
compared to those who ate between
600 and 1,526 calories a day.
“We observed a dose-response
pattern which simply means the
higher the number of calories
consumed each day, the higher
the risk of mild cognitive
impairment," said the Mayo
Clinic’s Yonas Geda.
MUMMIES have the answer.
In the hunt for a miracle cure for
obesity, that does not involve
eating right or exercising,
scientists are looking to the
corpses of ancient mummies.
Published in New Scientist the
research has suggested that
antibiotics may be causing obesity,
with scientists saying that the
drugs cause permanent changes
to gut bacteria leaving users at
greater risk of getting fat.
As such, researchers took
samples from inside the guts of
mummified human remains found
in North and South America and
analysed them.
Results from analysis of bacteria
found in the mummies indicated
that it is indeed very different
from modern day gut flora.
"My first hypothesis would be
that chlorinated water and
antibiotics fundamentally changed
human microbiomes,” said
researcher Cecil Lewis of the
University of Oklahoma.
"The association between
antibiotics and obesity is
important to explore.
"It's too early to tell if it's a good
idea to repopulate our guts with
bacteria, but it's certainly an
important idea that requires
investigation," he added.
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