BackThe connection between a woman’s fertility and air pollution
Reading fast can impair understanding and the link between green veggies and Glucoma studies and research tips for a healthier you
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Using scented candles at home can increase cancer risk
Using scented candles inside home can be dangerous as the chemical used in these mutates into a toxic gas formaldehyde when burned, warns a British study. Researchers from University of York found that in homes which lack proper ventilation high concentration of formaldehyde can linger longer and can cause long-term health problems. Scented candles contain a chemical called limonene, which produces the aroma. In its unaltered state, limonene is safe and even used in air fresheners and for adding effervescence to food. However, when it reacts with ozone gas, it causes mutation in one in every two limonene molecules. The study appeared in the journal Oncology. Read more here.:
Air pollution increases infertility risk
Women living close to highways are more likely to have fertility issues compared to women who live away from them, suggests a study. The study points out that air around highways is more polluted due to higher movement of cars. Researchers from Boston School of Medicine followed 36,000 women from 1993 to 2003 and examined air pollution and traffic exhaust near their homes to find out if it had any effect on their ability to conceive. About 2,500 women were diagnosed with infertility. It was found that the risk of infertility was 11% higher in women who lived within a distance of 200 meters from a major highway than those who lived farther. The study appeared in the journal Human Reproduction. Read more here.
Daily intake of green vegetables cuts glucoma risk
Including green vegetables in daily diet can reduce the risk of glucoma, claims an American study. To examine the link between nitrate, derived mainly from green leafy vegetables, and glucoma, researchers from Harvard Medical School examined a 35-year longitudinal study involving 63,893 women and 41,094 men. The study reported 1,483 cases of glucoma. The current study found that the risk of glucoma was 20-30% lower in people who consumed green vegetables regularly. Glucoma is a condition that damages the optic nerve in eyes and involves sudden pain, blurred vision and nausea. The study was published in JAMA Opthamology. Read more here.
Reading fast can affect comprehension
Quick reading, which is widely considered as a short-cut to reading emails, reports and new stories in a short period of time, is not very effective when it comes to fully understanding the read text, claims a study. The study found reading quickly doesn’t always mean one has fully understood what they have read. Reading involves various visual and mental processes. Skilled readers can read 200 to 400 words in a minute, some speed reading technologies claim to offer an additional boost by eliminating eye movements by presenting words rapidly in the centre of a computer screen. The problem is that the total time spent on reading, eye movement accounts for only 10% of it. Speed reading eliminates the ability to go back and reread previous words and sentences making overall comprehension worse. The study was published in the Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Read more here.
YouTube music videos can lead to drinking and smoking in teens
Teens who watch a lot of YouTube music videos that feature tobacco and alcohol are more likely to pick up smoking and drinking. The study examined two online surveys involving 2,068 teenagers in the age group of 11 to 18 years and 2,232 adults over 19 years. These surveys provided online viewing data for UK’s top 32 music videos from November 2013 to January 2014. To get the estimated total impressions of smoking and drinking in the YouTube videos, the team watched each video at an interval of 10 seconds. Every sighting of tobacco or alcohol was counted as one impression. Teens in the 13-15-year-old group got 11.48 tobacco impressions, those in the 16-18-year-old group got 10.5 and adults got 2.85 tobacco impressions. Exposure in girls in the 13-15-year group was the highest with 70.68 impressions. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Read more here.
Compiled by Abhijit Ahaskar
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