Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala

The largest study of its kind finds that older Americans who eat large amounts of red meat and processed meats face a greater risk of death from heart disease and cancer. Calling the increased risk modest, lead author Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute said the findings support the advice of several health groups to limit red and processed meat intake to decrease cancer risk. People whose diets contained more white meat like chicken and fish had lower risks of death. The researchers surveyed more than 545,000 people, ages 50 to 71 years old, on their eating habits, then followed them for 10 years. There were more than 70,000 deaths during that time.

24th Of March each year is celebrated as World TB Day. Its a irony that in India in the metros we are fighting menace of Obesity, Hypertension, and Diabetes so called lifestyle disease and at the other end we are fighting with deadly Tuberculosis (India carries the highest burden of TB, accounting for one-fifth of the global incidence)too. Why do I call it deadly, when the successful treatment options are available. Well the newer Koch's or Tb infection are much serious and add to it co existing infection of HIV. This combination of infection is a threat world wide. There is a growing belief among experts that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR), and its deadlier cousin, the extensively-drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR), may soon become bigger threats than HIV-AIDS. In Mumbai, till 2008, about 30,606 patients were enrolled for the Direct Observation Treatment (DOTS) Plus project under the RNTCP (Revised National TB Control programme). Of these, approximately three per cent were...

This is one more reason to cut the flab.The number of patients requiring operations for painful kidney stones has risen by one third in five years, driven in part by the growing obesity crisis, experts have warned. Daron Smith, urology consultant at University College London Hospital, said: "One of the major causes of kidney stones can be diet and lifestyle and the growing obesity problem is related [to them]. “Eating too much protein and high levels of salt is not good for the build up of chemicals in the urine which can cause stones. This can be exacerbated by a condition called metabolic syndrome, which is also one of the links between obesity and Type-2 diabetes.” Almost one in four British adults is now classed as obese, and doctors predict that the figure will rise in coming decades.

A Recent US study indicates that test-tube babies are at a 30% greater risk of suffering from conditions such as cleft palates and defects with heart valves and the digestive system than children conceived naturally. The exact reason for these defects are not known, but the possible cause may be the older age of mother and other cause is the fertility drugs induced egg production which might not be a healthy. This study should deter many couples from IVF and will promote natural conception.

About a third of common adult cancers may be preventable in the U.S. -- and that doesn't even count cancers that could be prevented by not smoking. That's according to a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and its sister organization, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). In the new report, the WCRF and AICR estimate that in the U.S., eating a nutritious diet, being physically active, and keeping body fat under control may prevent: * 38% of breast cancers * 45% of colorectal cancers * 36% of lung cancers * 39% of pancreatic cancers * 47% of stomach cancers * 69% of esophageal cancers * 63% of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, or larynx * 70% of endometrial cancers * 24% of kidney cancers * 21% of gallbladder cancers * 15% of liver cancers * 11% of prostate cancers Diet, physical activity, and limited body fat could prevent 34% of those 12 cancers overall in the U.S., and 24% of all cancers, according to the report. Those estimates are all about the b...

Your lifespan could be shrinking in proportion to your growing waistline. In the largest-ever investigation of how obesity affects mortality, British scientists have found that seriously obese people die 10 years before they should. Even worse, even moderate obesity has been found to shorten lives by three years. Oxford University researchers reported their finding in Wednesday’s issue of medical journal The Lancet after analyzing the body mass index (BMI) of a million people who had been weighed and measured in 57 separate studies in Europe and North America. People in the study were followed for up to 20 years, during which time 100,000 died. Those with a BMI of 30-35 lost three years while severely obese people with the BMI of 40-50 had reduced life expectancy by about 10 years. Epidemiologist Dr Gary Whitlock, who led the analysis, said, “Excess weight shortens human lifespan. If you are becoming overweight or obese, avoiding further weight gain could well add years to ...

A person with some or all of the following listed health risk factors may never develop type 2 diabetes. However, the latest medical findings show that the chances of getting type 2 diabetes increase the more health risk factors you have. * A family history of diabetes . If a parent or sibling in your family has diabetes, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases. * Age over 45. The chance of getting type 2 diabetes increases with age. * Race or ethnic background . The risk of type 2 diabetes is greater in Hispanics, blacks, Native Americans, and Asians. * Metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome) * Being overweight . If you are overweight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25, you're at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. * Hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. * Abnormal cholesterol levels. HDL ("good") cholesterol levels under 35 mg/dL (milligrams per decil...