Expresso Health News Updates of the week

In our latest news: Many have declared drugs like Ozempic could end obesity by reducing the appetite and waistlines of millions of people around the world. The Conversation’s experts explore their rise, impact and potential consequences. Experts suggested, "When weight-loss drugs do work, they are only effective while they’re being taken. This means that to keep the weight off people need to keep taking them long term. A study found an average weight loss of more than 17% after a year on Ozempic became an average net weight loss of 5.6% more than two years after stopping treatment." Many people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight.

Owing to our erratic and unhealthy eating schedules, digestive disorders like constipation have become commonplace. Nutritionist, Pooja Makhija suggested — the HMF rule — which she said can attack constipation if “done persistently and consistently every day. It’s a cycle to set straight”. 1) H for Hydration: Makhija said, "Caffeine is anti-water, so replace each tea/coffee with two added cups of water.” 2) M for Movement: This doesn’t have to be active aggressive cardio like Zumba and aerobics. She added, “Even simple walks can do magic." 3) F for Fibre: A glass of vegetable juice is a great way to increase the roughage bulk to increase stool peristalsis.

Next up: Apple cider vinegar has been used as a home remedy for healing wounds, quelling coughs and soothing stomachaches for thousands of years. Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University said, "Several small, short-term studies in adults who were classified as overweight or obese have found associations between apple cider vinegar and weight loss... In a 2009 study of 155 adults in Japan, for instance, researchers found that those who drank two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water every day for three months lost about 4 pounds." Consuming apple cider vinegar, even when diluted, can interact with certain medications, including some drugs for diabetes and the heart.

A recent report, released by Apollo Hospitals for World Health Day 2024, has given India the grim title of “cancer capital of the world.” Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise, with cancer cases exploding nationwide. Dr Nikhil S Ghadyalpatil, director of medical oncology, senior consultant medical oncologist & hemato-oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad, said addressing the challenges requires a multi-faceted approach involving various stakeholders including government agencies, healthcare providers, non-governmental-organisations (NGOs), researchers, and the community. The high incidence of cancer in India stems from a confluence of lifestyle, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges. The shift towards processed foods and declining physical activity levels contribute to rising obesity rates, which in turn are linked to breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancers.

The latest guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends formula-fed babies can switch to cow’s milk from six months. This recommendation was made after a systematic review of research by WHO comparing the growth, health and development of babies fed infant formula from six months of age with those fed pasteurised or boiled animal milk. The review did find an increase in iron deficiency anaemia in babies fed fresh animal milk. For families who continue to use infant formula, it may be reassuring to know that if infant formula becomes hard to get due to a natural disaster or some other supply chain disruption fresh cow's milk is okay to be used.

Moving on: Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath‘s wife, Seema Patil, recently opened up about her ordeal with breast cancer in 2021 and the subsequent chemotherapies for 10 months before she was declared cancer-free. Seema, on endurance athlete Dilip Kumar’s podcast– The Other Side said, “Chemotherapies are really bad. The first time I got the chemotherapy done, it hit me, and I did not know what was happening, better to die than go through this. But the second time around, I decided that instead of just lying on the sofa, let me walk a little; that might change something — and it did." Chemotherapy, one of the most common treatments for cancer, can be a challenging journey for patients.

Dr Nishith Chandra, Principal Director, Interventional Cardiology at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said, "Nicotine in the vaping solution increases your heart rate and blood pressure, stressing your heart with long use. It constricts your blood vessels, makes them less flexible and stiffens them up as in fibrosis." A recent study scanned 1.7 lakh people and followed them up for 45 months. Of them, 3,242 developed heart failure. The results showed that those who used e-cigarettes at any point were 19 per cent more likely to develop heart failure compared to non-users. Researchers accounted for a history of smoking and other risk factors for heart disease.

Lastly: Recently, a person and cattle in the US tested positive for the highly pathogenic type of avian influenza, H5N1. Dr E Sreekumar, director of the Institute of Advanced Virology, Thiruvananthapuram said, “There are two types of H5N1 — low pathogenic and highly pathogenic. While the low pathogenic type is usually seen in birds in the region — and has caused at least two outbreaks in birds in Kerala — the highly pathogenic type is not commonly seen in birds, let alone animals.” India reported its first case and death due to H5N1 in 2021. The 11-year-old boy died of respiratory failure at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.