Simple Asanas

A simple urine test can reveal if someone has early-stage Alzheimer's disease, potentially paving the way for an inexpensive and convenient disease screening. Researchers found that urinary formic acid is a sensitive marker of subjective cognitive decline that may indicate the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease. To reach this conclusion, the researchers tested a large group of patients with Alzheimer's disease of different levels of severity and healthy controls with normal cognition to identify differences in urinary biomarkers. Formic acid is a metabolic product of an organic compound formaldehyde. They found that urinary formic acid levels were significantly increased in all the Alzheimer's groups compared with the healthy controls, including the early-stage subjective cognitive decline group, and correlated with a cognitive decline. This suggests that formic acid could act as a sensitive biomarker for early-stage Alzheimer's disease, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. "Alzheimer's disease is a continuous and concealed chronic disease, meaning that it can develop and last for many years before obvious cognitive impairment emerges," said the authors. "The early stages of the disease occur before the irreversible dementia stage, and this is the golden window for intervention and treatment. Therefore, large-scale screening for early-stage Alzheimer's disease is necessary for the elderly," they wrote. The current diagnostic techniques include positron emission tomography brain scans, which are expensive and expose the patient to radiation. There are also biomarker tests that can reveal Alzheimer's disease, but these require invasive blood draws or a lumbar puncture to obtain cerebrospinal fluid, which can be off-putting for patients. A total of 574 people participated in the study, and participants were either healthy volunteers with normal cognition, or had differing degrees of disease progression, ranging from subjective cognitive decline to fully-fledged disease. Interestingly, when the researchers analysed urinary formic levels in combination with blood-based Alzheimer's biomarkers, they found that they could more accurately predict what stage of the disease that a patient was experiencing. "Urinary formic acid showed an excellent sensitivity for early Alzheimer's screening," said the authors.

Among the many benefits of maintaining heart health include the ability to live a long life, relieve symptoms of depression, and reduce the chance of dementia. According to a proverb, "With a healthy heart, the beat carries on." The path to a healthy heart is broken down by Luke Coutinho, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle - Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine, Founder of You Care. Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy Emotional Health: Today emotional health is a no.1 priority for better heart health. Negative emotions and thoughts stimulate the flight and fight response which results in the production of cortisol. Elevated levels of cortisol are known to also elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammation, all of which can harm heart health. Invest more time in healing yourself emotionally through yoga, pranayama, meditation, visualization, laughter, positive affirmations, etc. Vitamin Breathing: One deep inhale and exhale is all it takes to calm your mind and heart. Deep breathing is known to shift our body from a state of fight and flight to a state of rest and digestion almost instantly. This makes a regular practice of deep breathing an extremely heart-healthy habit. Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant-Rich Foods: The main reasons behind heart attacks are not cholesterol but inflammation and oxidative damage in the heart, blood vessels, endothelial lining, arteries, etc. Inflammation and oxidative damage are caused by the free radicals from the food that we eat, the air that we breathe, and several lifestyle choices that we make. Foods like turmeric, ginger, garlic, and black pepper - are potent foods to curb inflammation. Additionally, eat an array of differently colored fruits and berries when they are in season. Prioritize Sleep: Poor sleep or lack of sleep can be destructive to our heart health. This is because when we sleep, the heart gets a break and works lesser. The heart is a muscle and it requires recovery. Lack of sleep also increases insulin resistance, blood pressure, and inflammation. Stay Active: Sitting excessively is like smoking. Make sure you are physically active throughout the day. The risks of heart attacks are more in people who live inactive lifestyles. Walking, yoga, Zumba, and trekking are extremely beneficial exercises for the heart. Cut Out Smoking: Both active and passive smoking is toxic to the heart. Smoking contributes to both oxidative damage and inflammation in the body. The chemicals emitted from cigarette cause plaque build-up in the arteries. It also depletes several vitamins and minerals and hardens the arteries. Get more raw food in your diet for its fiber and antioxidant intake. 10 foods that will help your heart stay young and healthy Good Quality Oils: like coconut oil, pure A2 Gir cow ghee, and mustard oil help boost good cholesterol and fight inflammation. Omega 3-Rich Foods: Omega 3 fatty acid is an important and extremely healthy fatty acid for the heart. It helps in curbing inflammation, heals arterial walls, and boosts HDL while lowering LDL. E.g.: fatty fish, flax seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds to name a few. Beetroot: for its ability to act as a vasodilator and high antioxidant content. Garlic: for its inflammatory and bad cholesterol-lowering properties. It also acts as a natural blood thinner. Organic Tea (black, white, oolong, matcha): for its high antioxidant content, especially EGCG. Also, research now finds that it holds potent cholesterol-lowering properties and can prevent plaque build-up in the arteries. Fruits Like Grapes, Pomegranate, and Berries: for their high antioxidant content. Vitamin E-Rich Foods: for their ability to curb inflammation, fight free radicals, cell repair, and heal arteries. It's a must-have for people who are exposed to cigarette and industrial pollution. E.g.: sunflower seeds, unsalted peanuts, avocados, almonds, and sesame. Magnesium-Rich Foods: for their ability to boost cardiac muscle health, and blood pressure. E.g.: all nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, cacao. Potassium-Rich Foods: plays a role in every heartbeat. It manages blood pressure, and cardiac muscle contractions and keeps the heart rhythm steady. E.g.: banana, avocados, pumpkin. Vitamin K-Rich Foods: for high antioxidant properties and preventing calcification of arteries. E.g.: green leafy vegetables, broccoli, prunes, avocado. Foods to Avoid Refined Sugar and Refined Carbohydrate Intake: Both of them can contribute to inflammation, spike blood sugar levels and thus increase the risk of a heart attack. Also, excess of both could lead to elevated triglyceride levels. On the other hand, complex carbs like dosas, idlis, rotis, hand-pounded rice, etc are all healthy carbs and can be included in your diet for good health and preventing the risk of a heart attack. People who give up on such complex carbs end up being deficient in Vitamin K2 - which can result in the calcification of arteries. Refined Salt: Refined salt and MSG can create inflammation in the body, elevate blood pressure and cause water retention thereby burdening the kidneys. One can opt for Himalayan pink or rock salt after they keep their health professional in the loop. Refined Oils: Refined vegetable oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega 6 is harmful to health as it leads to inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Processed and Packaged Foods: Processed and packaged foods too are causative to increased rates of heart attacks and stroke. This is again because this packaged and processed food is prepared with low-grade refined oil which increases oxidative damage and inflammation in the body. Excessive Tea and Coffee, Alcohol: Overconsumption of tea, and coffee can aggravate or cause acidity and inflammation, more so if the beverage contains sugar, cream, and other additives. Alcohol too can raise bad cholesterol, cause inflammation and elevate blood pressure. Read More► Walnuts For A Healthy Heart

Are you tired of not seeing any results in your fat loss journey even after putting in tons of effort? The journey to losing weight is a lengthy process and requires strong determination. However, it's not just a strong mindset and intention that will help you achieve your goal. Following a strict diet, restraining yourself from tempting food, and working out extensively, are all part of it, but even then you may not see the desired results. You may be wondering why? And the answer is that there are some very simple mistakes that can totally ruin your fat loss journey. Unknowingly, we tend to make simple, stupid mistakes that make our weight loss journey a long and tiring one. Nutritionist Nicky Sagar breaks down simple mistakes that can ruin your fat loss journey: Inadequate Sleep One thing that we always ignore is sleeping enough. Sleeping less has severe impacts on our weight loss journey. From sleep, your body gets the required energy and helps you in your workout and productivity. But when you sleep less, your body does not have the energy to work out. Also, not sleeping enough leads to the consumption of unhealthy snacks which in turn store fat in your body. Sleeping for 6-8 hours is helpful if you wish to quicken your fat loss journey. Excessive Exercising Definitely, exercising is an integral part of your weight loss journey. But one common mistake is exercising extensively and not following a healthy lifestyle. Your healthy lifestyle will include mindful eating, cutting down on packaged foods, and sleeping adequately. Only working out for hours and hours will not fetch you any positive outcome. Skipping on Meals People have a misconception that if you don't eat, you will lose more weight. This is a total myth. When you are skipping meals, you are keeping yourself hungry and deprived of the necessary nutrients. This will not just affect your overall health but you will end up munching mindlessly on snacks as you will be always hungry. Eating consistently and in the right portion is the correct way to follow in your fat loss journey. Low Water Intake Drinking enough water actually aids in speeding up your weight loss process. If you keep your body water-deprived, you will be inclined to eat more food automatically. Simple because your body requires a certain amount of water every day to ensure the smooth function of all organs. Besides, water helps in boosting your energy levels, builds muscle strength, and aids in increasing the rate of metabolism. Munching on Packaged Foods Packaged foods is quite harmful if we wish to cut down on fat from our bodies. Most packaged food has a lot of preservatives and contain added sugar, high levels of salt, and other ingredients which you are not even aware of. So, instead of snaking on these packaged foods, carry an apple or a banana, or a box of dry fruits to munch on whenever you feel hungry. So, stop stressing now, correct these mistakes in your fat loss journey and see the healthier version of yourself.  (N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe) Read More► Rehydrating Beverages For This Monsoon Season

New York: You do not need to hit the gym, and lift heavy weights, but small doses of physical activity, such as brisk walking, may substantially help lower the risk of depression, suggests a study. The study, led by a team of international researchers including from Universities of Cambridge and Sydney, showed that about 1.25 hours of brisk walking per week could yield an 18 per cent lower risk of depression compared with not exercising. "Most benefits are realised when moving from no activity to at least some," the study authors wrote, in the paper published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. "Our findings have important new implications for health practitioners making lifestyle recommendations, especially to inactive individuals who may perceive the current recommended target (of exercise) as unrealistic," they added. The team conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving over 190,000 people to determine how much exercise was needed to reduce depression. The findings revealed that moving up to an "activity volume equivalent to 2.5 hours of brisk walking per week was associated with 25 per cent lower risk of depression. The findings are consistent with previous studies that found people who exercised had about 43 per cent fewer days of poor mental health. "Even just walking just three times a week seems to give people better mental health than not exercising at all," study author Adam Chekroud, an assistant adjunct professor of psychiatry at Yale University, was quoted as saying to CNN. Exercising in 45-minute sessions three to five times a week was the most beneficial for improving mental health, the 2018 study found. However, even doing household chores reduced poor mental health days by about 10 per cent, the study said. Another study published in 2020 found that even light exercise helped protect children against developing depression. The 2020 study revealed that 60 minutes of simple movement each day at age 12 was linked to an average 10 per cent reduction in depression at age 18. The types of movement included running, biking and walking, as well as activities like doing chores, painting or playing an instrument, CNN reported. Read More► How Exercise Keeps Dementia at Bay