Diabetes and virus link confirmed

Childhood diabetes has been linked to enteroviruses, which can lead to cold, flu and even meningitis.

However the review of 26 existing studies by a group in Australia, published in the BMJ, does not prove that the virus causes diabetes.

Diabetes UK said more research was needed to pinpoint the cause of Type 1.

The illness typically appears in childhood, when the pancreas stops producing the hormone insulin and the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood.
More common

The number of cases has been increasing, without explanation, across the globe.

There is a genetic factor to Type 1 diabetes but this does not explain the rise, so scientists are searching for environmental factors.

One of these is thought to be the enterovirus, yet previous studies on the virus have been inconsistent.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales and the Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes in Sydney combined the research of several groups to provide a more definitive answer.

They reviewed 26 sets of research involving 4,448 patients and concluded: "The association between enterovirus infection, detected with molecular methods, and diabetes was strong, with almost 10 times the odds of enterovirus infection in children at diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.

Dr Jonathan Levy, consultant diebetologist at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, said: "It looks to be a very well conducted study that seems to nail the association very dramatically, especially in the newly diagnosed."
The root of the problem

One of the issues with this type of research is that it is hard to prove what causes what.

Enterovirus could cause diabetes, or diabetes could make you more susceptible to enterovirus - or something else, such as genetic makeup, could make you more likely to get both.

The authors acknowledge more studies need to take place.

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Many factors have been reported as being associated with Type 1 diabetes but that is not the same as causing Type 1 diabetes and this report based on looking at a number of previous studies does not bring us much closer to pinpointing the causes of Type 1 diabetes."

"We do, however, welcome any new analysis that brings about a better understanding of the involvement of certain viruses on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

"It may well give us another piece of the jigsaw in working towards a better understanding of the causes of Type 1 diabetes which should in turn lead to new prevention strategies."

Dr Alan Foulis, who has been researching the link between diabetes and viruses at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said: "There's evidence of enterovirus involvement, but there are too many different enteroviruses, hundreds of them."

"What researchers are trying to do is pool resources across Europe to find out which enteroviruses could be be associated with Type 1, which a vaccine manufacturer would need to know to pinpoint the exact one to target."

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Think Yourself Thin

The brain works in mysterious ways and can both contribute to and deter obesity. In fact, you might just be able to think yourself thin, or at least control your appetite and how much food you eat.

According to recent research at Carnegie Mellon University published in the recent issue of Science, visualization can help to curb your appetite and decrease food cravings. The study, which utilized five different experiments, was based on the principle of habituation, in which repeated exposure to a stimulus reduces the response to it.

In one of the five experiments, participants were divided into three groups and told to imagine performing 33 tasks, involving repetition of feeding quarters into a washing machine and eating M&Ms. One group visualized feeding 30 quarters and eating M&Ms; one feeding 3 quarters and 30 M&Ms; and one feeding 33 quarter (and, alas, no M&Ms). They were then offered a bowl of M&Ms to enjoy. The group that was told to think about M&M’s the most was the one that ate the least.

The same result occurred in a later experiment with M&Ms, where participants had to either imagine eating M&Ms or moving them from one bowl to another (in a combination of 33 times). Those who just had to move the M&Ms, ate more than those who were allowed to imagine eating them.

While thinking about a food can cause you to crave it, repeated thoughts of actually eating a food, can reduce that craving. And with the reality of temptation around us every day, and especially so over the holidays, by taking a bit of time to savor the flavors in our mind ahead of time, just may keep the unwanted pounds off and allow us to enjoy our food just a little bit more.

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What Is Yoga?

Yoga can seem like a complicated concept - or, at the least, a dizzying array of physical manipulations that turn seemingly happy-looking human beings into happy looking human pretzels.

Even more disconcerting, a stereotype does exist in places where the term yoga is synonymous with cult, or some kind of archaic spiritual belief that compels one to quit their job, sell their house, and go live in the middle of nowhere.

In actual fact, Yoga is a very basic "thing". If you've had the opportunity to visit a country where it has been established for generations – India, Japan, China, and others – it's really rather, well, "ordinary".

The practice of yoga came to the west back in 1893 when one of India's celebrated gurus, Swami Vivekananda, was welcomed at the World Fair in Chicago. He is now known for having sparked the West's interest in yoga.

Literally, the word yoga comes from the Sanskrit term Yug, which means: "to yoke, bind, join, or direct one's attention". At the same time, yoga can also imply concepts such as fusion, union, and discipline.

The sacred scriptures of Hinduism (an ancient belief system from India that has a global presence) also defines yoga as "unitive discipline"; the kind of discipline that, according to experts Georg Feuerstein and Stephan Bodian in their book Living Yoga, leads to inner and outer union, harmony and joy.

In essence, yoga is most commonly understood as conscious living; of tapping into one's inner potential for happiness (what Sankrit refers to as ananda).

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Why Medicine Ball Is So Popular With Athletes?

The other names for this ball are exercise ball, gym ball, stability ball, fitness ball, fit ball, therapy ball, balance ball or medicine ball. The exercises with this ball are known by different names as exercise ball exercises, fitnessball exercises, fitnessball workoutgs, medicine ball exercise, etc. The size and weight make the medicine ball the ideal piece of exercise equipment for people of all ages and fitness levels. Medicine balls are available in various weights and sizes, perfect for all ages and fitness levels.

The medicine ball is used to develop different forms of strength, such as, eccentric strength and concentric strength. Concentric strength is used when throwing a medicine ball, pushing a medicine ball or pressing a medicine ball. Eccentric strength is used to catch a medicine ball and slow it down.

These general medicine ball drills develop strength and power throughout the torso, laying the foundation for the future use of specific medicine ball drills. Likewise, bench-press strength advanced by 23 % for the weight-trained athletes but inched upward by just 9 per cent for medicine-ball tossers.

Weight training proved to be far superior to medicine ball workouts, both in terms of bench-press power and throwing speed. Weight-trained athletes upgraded their baseball throwing velocity by 4.1 per cent, while medicine-ball men enhanced throwing by a statistically insignificant 1.6 percent. Control individuals also failed to improve their throwing.

Many weight-training group work out twice a week, utilizing barbell bench press and barbell pullover exercises. For the first four weeks, weight trainers completed three sets of eight- to 10-repetition max exercise per workout for both the bench presses and barbell pullovers (in other words, they used weights which could be lifted only eight to 10 times per set). For the final four weeks, employ three sets of six- to eight-RM for each exercise. All weights were lifted in a slow, controlled manner - not explosively. Medicine-ball, weight-trained, and control athletes all participated in their regular baseball workouts during the eight-week period. After eight weeks, all athletes were tested for maximal baseball throwing velocity and bench-press strength.

When you activate your II-B fibers with this explosive medicine-ball workout, you'll see big gains in strength, size and speed. The medicine ball will help you achieve fitness that emphasizes not just strength, but also explosive power, core stability and split-second responses.

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