Go healthy for good – June 2017

Studies have shown skipping breakfast and lunch was associated with a 20 per cent increase in fatty liver disease. Eating between 10 pm and 4 am increased the risk of liver fibrosis by 60 per cent, while eating regularly over the day, especially in the mornings, was best for liver function.

Danish researchers performed a routine ultrasound scan on 6000 people and found 595 with gallstones. They did not tell participants whether they had gallstones, but followed them for 17 years to see if the gallstones would cause problems. Less than 20 per cent of those affected experienced a clinical event, and those who did, were more likely to be overweight, physically inactive and vocationally trained. Gallstones were more likely to cause trouble if there were multiple stones, stones larger than 1 cm in diameter, and if they had been present for more than five years.

The New South Wales Cancer, Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk Study (CLEAR) has gathered data to find possible risk factors for prostate cancer. These include a family history of the disease, a personal history of prostatitis or benign prostatic enlargement, being overweight or obese, more than seven sexual partners in a lifetime, sexual activity and undergoing puberty either later or earlier than peers.

Air pollution appears to be associated with accelerated brain ageing in older women, the US Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study has found. Those living where fine particulate matter, commonly found in traffic emissions, exceeded environmental standards had almost twice the risk of cognitive decline and dementia than those who lived in zones conforming to standards. And those who were also carriers of the APO-E gene, linked to Alzheimer’s disease, were even more severely affected.

Wearing special silk textiles appears to help calm inflammation associated with acne, as demonstrated by patients with red acne on their back who wore therapeutic undergarments. This is because therapeutic silk clothing retains moisture, balances pH, reduces inflammation and contains a permanent antimicrobial agent that kills active bacteria and fungi.

Nerida McKibben is the host of Hope Channel’s health and wellness show, Go Healthy For Good. To find out more, go to www.hop.ec/gohealthyforgood.