HEALTH BULLETIN .CO

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

You can’t catch a cold from kissing - but don’t hold hands! Revealed: Fact and fiction about protecting yourself from bugs and viruses

Diseases spread through touching another person or an object with germs

Children are likely to carry bugs because of developing immune system

Getting plenty of sleep is a precaution you can take against cold infections

Feeling more positive was linked to a greater ability to fight off a cold

Are you wary of giving your partner a kiss for fear of catching their cold?

If so, don’t be. Swapping saliva won’t pass on the cold virus, it was reported last week.

However, holding hands will — because your loved one is more likely to be harbouring the virus on their fingers from holding dirty hankies or coughing or sneezing into their hands, says Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University.

So, how do viruses and illnesses transfer from person to person, and how can you protect yourself? We asked the experts.

Don't worry about giving your partner a kiss for fear of catching their cold. Swapping saliva won’t pass on the cold virus, it was reported last week

WHY MEASLES SPREAD SO QUICKLY

Diseases can spread through touching another person or an object contaminated with germs from someone else, or through the air, for example, when someone sneezes and the droplets enter your nose or mouth or get on to your hands.

A disease’s contagiousness is measured by its basic reproduction number.

‘This is the number of people without immunity who would likely be infected by one person with the virus,’ says Paul Griffiths, professor of virology at University College London.

‘One of the worst viruses for that is measles, with a basic reproduction number of 17. It’s airborne and really contagious.

‘We’ve seen recent outbreaks of it, for example, in Disneyland — standing in a queue next to someone with measles would be enough to catch it.

‘That’s why it’s so important for parents to keep up with their children’s jabs.’

Rhinovirus, the virus causing the common cold, has a basic reproduction number of six; norovirus is two and the flu virus is two to three.

With colds, the symptoms can last longer than the virus, says Professor Griffiths.

‘You’re infectious only when the virus is present, which is at the start of the illness,’ he says.

FLUSH THE LOO WITH THE LID DOWN

A simple way to protect yourself and your family against vomiting bugs such as norovirus is to get everyone in the habit of putting the lid down before flushing.

This stops germs in the bowl being projected in a plume as high as 6 ft, and landing on objects — and people — in the bathroom.

‘I have seen experiments in which fluorescent dyes have been put down toilets — when the chain was flushed, you can see how far materials from the bowl can travel through the air,’ says Mark Fielder, professor of medical microbiology at Kingston University.

‘This material may potentially contain bacteria and viruses such as norovirus that could be spread to other parts of the room.’

You should also ensure toothbrushes are kept far away from the loo so they’re not in the line of fire of cascading germs when the loo is flushed.

This way you won’t take in germs through the mouth when you brush your teeth.

VIRUSES MAKE YOU FAT

A growing body of research suggests that some everyday viruses may trigger more serious and long-term health issues than just a cold or flu.

For instance, scientists believe that a common microbe, called adenovirus-36 or AD36, which causes a range of respiratory infections and cold symptoms, can also trigger significant weight gain in genetically pre-disposed people.

In a range of studies published in the International Journal of Obesity, Dr Richard Atkinson, a nutritional scientist at the University of Wisconsin, has found that 30 per cent of obese people have antibodies against AD36 — which shows that they have been previously infected with the virus — compared with just 10 per cent of people of normal weight.

One theory is the virus may change the way the cells store fat.

Dr Atkinson, who is developing a vaccine against AD36, says: ‘Infection with this virus does not make people feel very ill, so if you are exposed to it you aren’t likely to know you’ve had it unless you get tested.

'But a test will alert you that you are going to have to be more careful than the average person to prevent weight gain.’

KISS CHILDREN ON TOP OF THE HEAD

During pregnancy, a woman’s immune system is lowered and so it’s important that she practises good hygiene and washes her hands regularly.

One little known, but common, problem is cytomegalovirus or CMV, which is present in two-thirds of women.

During pregnancy, a woman’s immune system is lowered and so it’s important that she practises good hygiene and washes her hands regularly

‘It doesn’t cause symptoms in the mother, but it can damage the hearing of the baby,’ says Professor Griffiths.

‘It’s the most common cause of hearing loss in children in the country — and it can damage intellectual potential, too.’

Around 60 per cent of women have had the CMV infection, but of the 40 per cent who haven’t, 2 per cent will acquire it during pregnancy.

It’s this group — who catch it for the first time when expecting or who are reinfected with a new strain — that are most likely to pass it on to their unborn child with potential consequences on their health.

The virus can be passed via body fluids such as mucus, urine and saliva — pregnant women can catch it from kissing and cuddling children.

Children are likely to carry bugs because their immune systems are developing, so they are a common source of illness for adults.

‘The best defence is washing your hands regularly, especially after changing nappies,’ says Professor Griffiths. ‘You can’t put on a space suit — but you can kiss your child in a way that reduces the chance of exchanging saliva, such as on the top of the head.’

WEAR SOCKS TO STOP A COLD

Another reason to love your comfy slippers: if your toes are toasty, you may be better protected against coughs and colds.

When the feet get cold, the blood vessels constrict as a protective reflex to slow down the loss of heat from the body, says Professor Ron Eccles.

This happens in the nose, too, and as this is the main way for the cold virus to enter the body, this lowers the body’s defences.

‘It means there are fewer white blood cells in the nose to fight the virus,’ says Professor Eccles.

In experiments at the Common Cold Centre, volunteers who placed their feet in buckets of iced water for 20 minutes were more vulnerable to the cold virus afterwards.

A third of them got colds over the following five days, compared with 9 per cent in a group who kept their feet at normal temperature. Even if your feet are protected, it pays to wear a scarf to keep your nose warm when you go out on a chilly day.

‘Respiratory viruses prefer cold environments, so by putting a scarf over your nose you may be helping to reduce replication of viruses in the nose,’ says Dr Lisa Ackerley, visiting professor of environmental health at the University of Salford.

PUT PYJAMAS IN A HOT WASH

These days, we are encouraged to do laundry at lower temperatures on the grounds that it saves electricity.

But what may be good for the environment may not necessarily be good for your health, says Professor Sally Bloomfield, chair of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene.

‘Clothing, such as pyjamas come into close contact with our bodies and can gradually pick up organisms shed from the skin surface or from our bowels,’ says Professor Bloomfield

‘Clothing, such as pyjamas, underclothes, vests, pants and socks, come into close contact with our bodies and can gradually pick up organisms shed from the skin surface or from our bowels,’ says Professor Bloomfield, who is based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

‘The longer we wear them, the more the microbes build up on our clothes. The same goes for towels and face cloths.

'If we wash these items at low temperatures with other people’s clothing, microbes can transfer from one item to another.’

Most of these organisms are harmless, but some can cause infections.

‘About one in three people carry staphylococcus aureus on their skin, which can cause infection if they get into cuts and grazes,’ she says.

‘We need better data, but based on what we know, we recommend pyjamas, underwear and towels should be laundered at 60c or above, or at 40c with a tablet or powder that contains active oxygen bleach.’

AVOID STAYING UP TOO LATE

Apart from washing your hands with soap and warm water regularly, getting plenty of sleep is another precaution you can take against cold and flu infections.

In a 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers infected 153 healthy men and women with cold viruses.

Apart from washing your hands with soap and warm water regularly, getting plenty of sleep is another precaution you can take against cold and flu infections

They found that the volunteers who slept less than seven to eight hours a night were three times more likely to get a cold than those who had a longer night’s sleep.

‘Regular sleep habits may play an important role in your immune system’s ability to fight off infectious disease,’ says Dr Sheldon Cohen, a psychologist at the Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S., who carried out the research.

Another study published in the journal Sleep in 2012 found that when 15 healthy men were kept awake for 29 hours, the rhythm of their white blood cells was disrupted, suggesting a weakening of the immune system.

COPPER TAPS STOP BUGS SPREADING

Copper taps, door handles and kitchen worktops may be the latest trend in interior design, but they can have a health benefit, too. The metal deactivates bacteria and viruses by killing their genetic material and suffocating them.

‘Copper surfaces can disrupt the cycle of germs replicating and lower the risk of outbreaks,’ says Professor Bill Keevil, director of the environmental healthcare unit at Southampton University.

‘We have found that the metal destroys the genetic material of the norovirus.’

WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS A BIG HUG!

You don’t always need to rush off to the chemist for a remedy, happiness and hugs can also fight off the cold virus, says Dr Cohen.

In one trial, researchers squirted the cold virus up the nose of 334 healthy volunteers over two weeks and asked how happy they felt.

Feeling more positive was linked to a greater ability to fight off a cold.

In a further study published this month in the journal Psychological Science, Dr Cohen found that people who reported having regular hugs over the past two weeks were less likely to catch a cold.

He said hugs, and feeling supported by others, reduces stress, which in turn protects immunity

Talking to a baby bump really DOES improve a child's language skills later in life: Babies serenaded in the womb are born with larger brains

Babies played recordings of their mother's voice while they were in the womb had larger brains than those who heard only background noise

Their auditory cortex - the brain's language centre - was more developed

Experts theorized speaking or singing to a foetus enhances language skills

Doctors are already advising women to sing or speak to developing babies

Talking to unborn babies while they are still in the womb may improve their language skills later in life, scientist have discovered.

The sound of a mother’s voice is one of the first sensory experiences a tiny baby has as they develop in the womb.

Scientists have long known that a foetus can feel the thump of a mother’s heartbeat and hear her words, but until now they have been unaware of the role this has in a child’s development.

New research on premature infants suggests that the sound of the maternal voice plays a direct role in their hearing and language development.

Babies played recordings of their mother's voice while they were in the womb were born with larger brains. They had a more developed auditory cortex - the brain's language-processing centre

The study, led by researchers at Harvard Medical School, may help explain previous evidence that babies are able to recognise certain elements of language from the moment of their birth.

The team, whose research was published n the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, think that a mother’s voice may be directly linked to development of the auditory cortex - the part of the brain which processes language.

Study leader Dr Amir Lahav and colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston carried out tests on babies born extremely prematurely.

The 40 infants, born between 25 and 32 weeks into the pregnancy, were divided into two groups.

One group was played three hours of audio recordings of their mother’s voice and heartbeat every day for a month - at which time they would still have been in the womb during a normal birth.

The infants in the second group only heard routine background hospital noise.

After 30 days, the brain of each baby was scanned using ultrasounds.

The scientists found that those infants who had listened to their mother’s voice had a significantly larger auditory cortex.

Dr Lahav and his team wrote: ‘We demonstrate that the auditory cortex is more adaptive to womb-like maternal sounds than to environmental noise.

'Results are supported by the biological fact that maternal sounds would otherwise be present in utero [the womb] had the baby not been born prematurely.

‘We theorise that exposure maternal sounds may provide newborns with the auditory fitness necessary to shape the brain for hearing and language development.’

Some experts already recommend that mothers speak or sing to their unborn babies.

Exposure to a mother's voice while in the womb shapes the brain for hearing and language development - improving their language skills later in life, experts said

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust in London launched ‘womb song’ workshops four years ago, in which mothers-to-be were encouraged to sing during pregnancy.

But the new research may also be used as a tool to help premature infants develop, especially when they are kept on intensive care wards in the first weeks of their lives.

The authors wrote: ‘The use of recorded maternal sounds in the first month of life may be especially helpful in the population of newborns whose exposure to live maternal stimulation is often limited because of infrequent parental visits.’

But they said much more research is needed before the recorded sounds can be recommended as a clinical tool, and added: ‘Clearly, pre-term newborns have more working against them than can be fully compensated for by added exposure to maternal sounds.

‘However, the present study begins to show the effect that maternal sounds could have on very early brain development.’

Monday, February 23, 2015

The latest wonder food: More and more crave banana flour as a way of curbing the carbs because it helps you feel fuller for longer

Green banana flour could be a healthier way to satisfy your carb cravings

The flour, from unripened Brazilian fruit, does not actually taste of bananas

Contains resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate which behaves like fibre

This helps to control our blood sugar levels and keep us fuller for longer

It might sound, well, a bit bananas, but making your bread and cakes with green banana flour could be a healthier way to satisfy your carb cravings.

The flour – which does not actually taste of bananas – contains resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate which behaves like fibre by helping to control blood sugar levels and keeping us fuller for longer.

And because resistant starch cannot be completely absorbed by the body, we take fewer calories from it.

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Green banana flour sold by Nutryttiva comes from unripened bananas grown in Brazil (file picture)

Like bananas, the flour has high levels of potassium, which helps control the electrical activity of the heart, and magnesium, which aids nerve and muscle activity.

James Taylor-Grime, whose company Nutryttiva sources the ingredient from unripened bananas grown in Brazil, said: ‘We only started selling it last month, but so far sales are doubling each week.

‘At £10 for a 400g packet it’s more expensive than your average self-raising, but you don’t need as much of it.

‘You use about 25 per cent less than normal wheat flour when baking.

‘Taste-wise it has a slightly nutty, clean flavour, but it is almost flavourless. It can also be added into smoothies and salad dressings.’

Ursula Philpot, consultant dietitian and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, said banana flour could also help those who needed a high-fibre diet.

Gluten-free, and with a subtle nutty flavour, the banana flour can be substituted for ordinary wheat flour in nearly every recipe, converts claim.

Ordinary starch, found in regular bread, potatoes and pasta, is rapidly digested in the small intestine and absorbed as glucose into the blood.

But not all resistant starch is absorbed by the small intestine, so sugar is released into the blood more slowly, and insulin levels don’t rise as quickly.

This prevents a subsequent drop in blood sugar levels - which makes us feel hungry.

Ursula Philpot, consultant dietitian and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, said: ‘The resistant starch in green bananas slows the release of food through the gut which helps slow the insulin response.

‘This will have a knock-on effect on weight management by controlling blood sugar levels throughout the day.

‘It can help some types of IBS sufferers as well – those who need a high fibre diet.’

How regular SAUNAS could save your life: Getting sweaty even once a week halves the risk of dying from heart disease

Regular sessions appear to protect against early deaths from any cause

Those who visit saunas most often - as much as daily - get greatest benefit

Study: 'Time spent in the sauna is time well spent, but it's not clear why'

A sauna does more than build up a sweat - it can be a life saver, say researchers.

Middle-aged men who take frequent saunas are around half as likely to die from heart conditions as those who do not, according to a new study.

Regular sessions also appear to protect against early deaths from any cause, lowering the risk by 40 per cent for those having a once-daily sauna.

Overall, those who visited saunas most often – as much as once every day - experienced the greatest benefit.

Even compared with men who took one sauna a week, their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 50 per cent lower.

Benefit: Regular saunas appear to protect against early deaths from any cause. Overall, those who visited saunas most often – as much as once every day - experienced the greatest benefit

Longer time spent sweating it out in each sauna session also enhanced the health benefits, with more than 20 minutes offering the most protection.

The study was conducted among 2,315 men aged 42 to 60 from eastern Finland, where there is a strong sauna tradition.

Researchers followed their progress for around 21 years comparing death rates between those who went to the sauna once a week and others who made more frequent visits.

During the follow-up period they recorded 190 sudden cardiac deaths, 281 fatal cases of coronary heart disease, 407 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 929 deaths from ‘all causes’.

The risk of sudden cardiac death was found to be 22 per cent lower for men who had two to three sauna sessions per week and 66 per cent lower for those visiting a sauna four to seven times a week.

A similar pattern was seen for coronary heart disease, with two to three sessions reducing the risk of death by 23 per cent and four to seven sessions by 48 per cent.

Cardiovascular disease death rates were cut by 27 per cent when men made two to three visits and halved when they made four to seven visits.

For deaths from all causes, a sauna two to three times a week was associated with a 24 per cent lower risk of death and four to seven visits with a reduction of 40 per cent.

Men benefited more the longer they spent in the sauna.

Compared with men staying hot for less than 11 minutes, those whose sessions lasted 11 to 19 minutes were 7 per cent less likely to suffer a sudden cardiac death.

Sauna sessions longer than 20 minutes offering the most protection against heart conditions, the study found

Spending more than 19 minutes in the sauna was associated with a 52 per cent reduced risk.

A similar pattern was seen for fatal coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease, but not for all-cause mortality.

The research, led by Dr Jari Laukkanen, from the University of Eastern Finland at Kuopio, is reported online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Why saunas should have this effect remains unknown.

The scientists wrote: ‘Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism that links sauna bathing and cardiovascular health.’

Most experts advise against saunas if you are very old or young, pregnant, and have a history of heat intolerance.

Dr Rita Redberg, from the University of California at San Francisco, who is the journal's editor-in-chief, said: Although we do not know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time, or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.