The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
- How to live long and prosper? Hang out with friends, says study
- British team perform new 'warm' liver transplants
- Coffee and green tea found to protect against stroke
| How to live long and prosper? Hang out with friends, says study Posted: 18 Mar 2013 11:58 PM PDT The secret to living long and well into your twilight years? Have a vibrant social life, be a friendly neighbor, and appreciate the people around you, according to a new UK study. A new study from the Office of National Statistics in the UK, which used data from some 40,000 British households, finds that seniors value their friendships more than younger people, and that having friends and being social can keep seniors healthier, longer. In the survey, 60 percent of adults surveyed said that having friends in their neighborhood means a lot to them, with 64 percent of adults aged 50-54 saying this was this case. For those 70 and over, this rose to 80 percent. The survey found that 69 percent of people in the 50-54 age group agreed or strongly agreed that they belonged to a neighbourhood or community. This rose to 84 percent for those aged 70 and over. "We know that feeling you belong in a neighbourhood and having good friends can have a positive effect on an older person's health and wellbeing," says Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at senior-focused organisation Age UK. Age UK works to help keep older people stay active in their communities to help prevent the isolation that can blight later life. "Good transport links, public seating and toilets, safe and well-lit streets together with easy access to amenities such as the post office or banks all make it easier for older people to get out and about and stay visible and engaged within their communities," Mitchell adds. Another separate study also found that having an active social life in mid-life is crucial to feeling happy and connected. Published last August in the "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health," the UK study found a direct correlation between psychological well-being and the size of a person's support network and social life. -- AFPRelaxnews |
| British team perform new 'warm' liver transplants Posted: 18 Mar 2013 11:14 PM PDT British surgeons said Friday they have performed successful liver transplants on two patients using a revolutionary technique which keeps the organ warm and functioning while outside the body. The team, working at King's College Hospital in London, say the procedure could significantly increase the number of organs available for transplant. Donor organs are currently put on ice while awaiting transplantation to slow their metabolism, but this often leads to them being damaged. If the original organ was already damaged in some way, it is often rendered unusable. The new technology, developed over 20 years by engineers at Oxford University, keeps the liver "warm" by circulating red blood cells through its capillaries. Once on the machine, the liver functions as it would inside a human body, regaining its colour and producing bile. "It was astounding to see an initially cold grey liver flushing with colour once hooked up to our machine and performing as it would within the body," said Oxford's Professor Constantin Coussios, one of the machine's inventors. "What was even more amazing was to see the same liver transplanted into a patient who is now walking around." The technology is still in its early stages, but its successful use in two transplants at King's College Hospital last month has raised hopes that it could be a game-changer. Wayel Jassem, consultant liver transplant surgeon at King's who performed the two operations, said it gives doctors more time to test the liver to maximise the chance of a successful outcome. "This technology has the potential to be hugely significant, and could make more livers available for transplant, and in turn save lives," he said. There is huge demand for liver transplants, with 30,000 people in Europe and the United States currently on waiting lists -- a quarter of whom will die before they have the operation, the team says. But more than 2,000 livers are discarded every year because they are either damaged by oxygen deprivation or do not survive being put on ice. -- AFPRelaxnews |
| Coffee and green tea found to protect against stroke Posted: 18 Mar 2013 09:17 PM PDT Whether or not you reach for coffee or green tea, a new study finds that both can help cut the risk of suffering a stroke. The 13-year study, published in the American Heart Association journal "Stroke," included 82,369 men and women in Japan. In addition, the more green tea a person drank, the more it reduced the risk of stroke. People who drank at least one cup of coffee daily had about a 20 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those who rarely drank it. Lead researcher Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo, of the Department of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebra and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan, credits green tea's catechins, which help regulate blood pressure and improve blood flow. Coffee's chlorogenic acid and quinides may reduce body weight and blood glucose tolerance. Prior research has already shown caffeine may stimulate the central nervous system by increasing the activity of the brain chemical dopamine, which is linked with boosting creativity and impulsivity. A study published last year also found that women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to get depressed. While it's not clear why this happens, researchers say it may be linked to caffeine's effect on the brain's chemistry. The findings, published in "Archives of Internal Medicine," come from a study of more than 50,000 US women. -- AFPRelaxnews |
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