Cupcakes at Work Are Not Good For the Waistline
While vending machines packed with cupcakes are a part of the problem, what adds to the growing girth are all the fee cupcakes from kindly colleagues. A study done in America found that the amount of junk food eaten in offices is quite high – this amounts to 1300 calories a week. The study found that a lot of food consumed in the office is gotten free by employees – free food accounted for 71 percent of all calories acquired at work. The usual suspects were pizza, soft drinks, cookies/brownies, cakes and pies, and candy.
Blindness and Third-Degree Burns from Plant
An invasive plant in Virginia, USA, has been blamed for third-degree burns and even permanent blindness. Officials have warned residents to be on the lookout for giant hogweed plants that are said to contain a very toxic sap, which, along with exposure to sun, can cause severe health hazards. The sap of the plant can cause painful blisters and scar the skin; if the sap gets into the eye, it can even lead to blindness. Heat and moisture is said to worsen the skin reaction – phototoxic reaction can begin 15 minutes after contact, with sensitivity peak between 30 minutes and two hours after contact.
Early Obesity Increases Risk of Knee And Hip Osteoarthritis
A new study has found a link between childhood and adult obesity and the risk of developing hip and knee osteoarthritis. However, no risk was seen between obesity and hand osteoarthritis. Previous studies have also shown that obesity and osteoarthritis are two interconnected health care problems affecting a large proportion of the adult population worldwide. Results of the new study indicated that adult body mass index (BMI) significantly increased the prevalence of self-reported osteoarthritis, knee osteoarthritis or hip osteoarthritis by 2.7 percent, 1.3 percent, and 0.4 percent per unit (1 kg/m2) increase in BMI respectively. Childhood BMI significantly increased it by 1.7 percent, 0.6 percent, and 0.6 percent per BMI unit respectively.
Unfit In Middle Age?
All those in the middle age, who have been putting off that planned health dose for another day, need to buckle up. While one study found that elevated blood pressure in middle age increases the risk of dementia, another found that being frail in middle age can raise the chance of an early death. According to the study those who were aged 50 with a systolic blood pressure of 130mmHg or above were nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to develop dementia than those with ideal blood pressure. Curiously, the study also found that being frail earlier in life also appeared to be a predictor of ill health and early death.
