Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages like soda every day can lead to an increase in abdominal fat, warns study. Abdominal fat accumulates around the area of liver and pancreas and affects insulin secretion and eventually heart. Researcher form National Institutes of Health studied the body fat distribution of 1,000 adults and how it changed over time. They conducted a computed tomography scan to measure quantity and volume of abdominal fat tissue at the start and after six years of the study. By the end of study, abdominal fat volume had increased by 852 cubic cms for daily drinkers of sugary beverages while in non-drinkers it increased by 658 cubic cms. The findings were published in journal Circulation. Read more here.

Relying on one kidney can trigger heart diseases

Reduction in kidney function can cause damage to heart and blood vessels, study suggests. Researchers examined 68 kidney donors and 56 non- kidney donors. Within a year of donating the organ, the function in the other kidney in the donor group started showing some decline. When the researchers conducted a magnetic resonance imaging, they found that the left ventricle of the heart had grown noticeably in kidney donors while blood tests showed some heart damage too. Researchers feel it can be due to low grade inflammation, oxidative stress and activation of blood pressure regulating compound like renin. The study will appear in journal Hypertension. Read more here.

Anaemic women face higher risk of Hepatitis E infection

Anaemic and underweight women are at a higher risk of contracting Hepatitis E during pregnancy, warns study. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health enlisted 1,100 women living in Bangladesh for the study. They collected blood samples three times during and after pregnancy. Forty women were diagnosed with Hepatitis E during the study. When their blood reports were compared with that of a control group of non-anaemic and normal weight women, the researchers found that the risk of Hepatitis E infection was three times higher in women who had anaemia. Almost half of the infected women had a body mass index of an underweight person. The study appeared in journal American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Read more here.

Old people are poor at detecting sarcasm

Elderly over 65 years of age do not understand sarcasm, and are more likely to take the literal meaning than younger adults, a British study suggests. Researchers from University of Aberdeen enlisted 116 adults over 65 years and showed them a series of videos and written stories with sarcastic content. When the participants were asked to explain the content, 36 failed to detect sarcasm in the video or text. Researchers believe ageing plays an important role here as older adults have a more positive outlook towards life compared to someone younger and this makes it difficult for them to perceive sarcasm. The study was published in journal Developmental Psychology. Read more here.

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