Cheeky kiss
‘is healthier than a handshake
LONDON,
Jan 13: The next time you greet a person,
make sure you avoid shaking hands. Instead give a
peck on his or her cheek-it’s healthier for
you.
A team of
international researchers has carried out a study
and found that people who greet each other with
handshakes are much more likely to pass on germs,
such as flu and stomach bugs, than those who
settle for a kiss.
According to lead
researcher Prof Sally Bloomfield of the London
School of Hygiene, "The hands are critical
in the chain of infection as they transmit
infections from surfaces to people and between
people.
"Shaking
hands is the main form of physical contact with
each other but you don’t know what the other
person has been touching before you greet them.
People avoid kissing each other when they have a
cold, but in fact they are more likely to pass on
an infection by shaking someone’s
hand."
In fact, the
researchers, whose study has been funded by the
International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene,
came to the conclusion after analysing the
effects of handshakes and kisses on a group of
people, according to media reports.
According to
co-researcher Carol O’Boyle of the School of
Nursing, University of Minnesota, "Hand
hygiene is just as important when we are outside
the home-on public transport, in the office, in
the supermarket, or in a restaurant.
"Quite often
it is not possible to wash our hands in these
situations, but carrying an alcohol-based hand
sanitiser means we can make our hands hygienic
whenever and wherever the need arises."
However, the study
has pointed out that good hygiene is about more
than just washing our hands.
Although the hands
are the main superhighway for the spread of
germs-as they are the "last line of
defence", surfaces from which the hands
become contaminated, such as food contact
surfaces, door handles, tap handles, toilet seats
and cleaning cloths also need regular hygienic
cleaning.
Clothing and
linens, baths, basin and toilet surfaces can also
play a part in spreading germs between family
members in the home.
"Because so
much attention has been paid to getting people to
wash their hands, there is a danger that people
can come to believe this is all they need to do
to avoid getting sick," another
co-researcher Prof Elaine Larson of the Mailman
School of Public Health in New York said.
Prof Bloomfield,
also the International Scientific Forum on Home
Hygiene, has concurred.
"We hear a
lot of discussion about whether being too clean
is harming our immune systems, but we believe
that this targeted approach to home hygiene,
which focuses on the key routes for the spread of
harmful organisms, is the best way to protect the
family from becoming ill whilst leaving the other
microbes which make up our environment
unharmed." (PTI)
Beware! Fruit
juices may be fattening too ...
SYDNEY,
Jan 13: Contrary to popular perception that
fruit juices are healthy alternatives to soft
drinks, Australian experts say they could
actually make people fat.
Juice junkies who
drink super-size servings might be shocked to
know their daily refreshment has more sugar and
calories than a can of Coke.
As post-Christmas
diets and the summer heat send Australians
flocking to juice bars, nutritionists have warned
that their health-kick efforts could make them
put on weight.
"Juice is a
good, nutritious way to gain weight,"
dietitian Melanie McGrice was quoted by the
Sydney Morning Herald as saying.
"A piece of
fruit and water is always going to be a far
better choice," she said.
An examination of
popular fruit juice brands conducted by Fairfax
Media reveals some contain more sugar and
kilojoules of energy than soft drinks, and up to
half the average daily energy requirement. And
compared with fresh fruit and vegetables, they
contain less fibre and fewer nutrients.
Ms McGrice said
many consumers who believed juices were a healthy
alternative to soft drinks were unaware of the
number of calories they contained, particularly
in large-size concoctions offered by juice bars.
"Juice will
only make you put on weight, so any health
benefit will be counteracted by extra
kilos," Dietitians Association of Australia
spokesman Alan Barclay said.
A Deakin
University survey last year found that juice and
other fruit drinks were a bigger problem than
soft drinks in childhood obesity.
(UNI)
Evidence points
to Qaeda hand in Bhutto killing: British
Media....
LONDON,
Jan 13: Evidence amassed by Scotland Yard
sleuths probing the killing of Benazir Bhutto
points towards Al-Qaeda militants being
responsible for the assassination of former
Pakistan Premier, according to a media report
here.
The Scotland Yard
experts in video evidence, forensic science and
explosives are in Pakistan after President Pervez
Musharraf took up an offer from British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown for help in the
investigation into the December 27 killing of
Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
British officials
have revealed that evidence collected by the
Scotland Yard experts in Pakistan points towards
al-Qaeda’s hand in the killing of Bhutto,
‘The Sunday Times’ reported.
Musharraf was
quick to blame the killing on Baitullah Mehsud, a
Taliban commander in southern Waziristan tribal
area with links to al-Qaeda. But, Mehsud has
denied his involvement in Bhutto’s
assassination.
"Linking
Mehsud to Bhutto’s assassination was done
for strategic reasons and had nothing to do with
the ground realities," Sajjan Gohel, an
expert on Al-Qaeda, was quoted as saying by
‘The Sunday Times’.
"Although
Mehsud has ideological sympathies with the
Taliban, his influence does not extend beyond the
tribal areas and he certainly does not have the
resources to plan an attack in the centre of the
country like the assassination of Bhutto."
But some British
and American officials share Musharraf’s
view that Mehsud is behind most of the suicide
bombings in Pakistan.
Asked why
Pakistani forces do not capture Mehsud, one
official said: "It’s not so easy to go
into tribal areas. Look what happened to the last
lot of Pakistani soldiers that tried."
The report quoting
diplomats said Mehsud had dispatched teams of
suicide bombers round the country to follow
Bhutto to rallies and seize an opportunity to
kill her.
The gun fired at
Bhutto has been checked for finger prints by the
Scotland Yard detectives. A government minister
told the newspaper that these have been traced
through identity cards to a man in Swat, an area
where Mehsud’s men have been fighting.
"There was no
cover up," he insisted. "It was just
unfortunate that in all the shock and confusion
at the beginning, people shot their mouths off
talking about sun-roofs rather than simply saying
it would be investigated."
Soon after Bhutto
was killed, Pakistan Government had claimed that
she died of skull fracture caused after her head
hit the sun-roof of her bullet-proof car.
According to the
report, every day another conspiracy theory
emerges and it is now widely believed that the
gun had a laser sight, suggesting military
complicity, or that a sniper may have been in a
nearby building.
Bhutto’s
husband, Asif Ali Zardari, has rejected the
Scotland Yard inquiry and demanded a wide-ranging
United Nations-led investigation that would also
look into the bombing of Bhutto’s homecoming
procession in Karachi in October. (PTI)
Yoga brings
inner calm, but packed classes spark rage
LONDON,
Jan 13: From Baba Ramdev to leggy beauty
Shilpa Shetty, yoga has been promoted by all in
the United Kingdom to bring inner calm. But, the
yoga classes are so packed here that a little
disturbance is enough to spark a rage.
Besides, with
their 'modern manners', beginners in the yoga
classes are said to be intruding in the learning
of this spiritual practice.
Looking at the
situation, Jane Craggs, a teacher at the Yoga
Shala centre in Manchester, said, ''Classes are
absolutely packed at the beginning of the year,
so yoga rage is definitely more exaggerated.''
''The beginners
don't realise that yoga is all about
self-awareness, so they come into class late,
take off their shoes noisily, drop their loose
change and step on hands as they try to find a
space for their mat which often prompts hard
stares and angry muttering,'' the Daily Telegraph
quoted the teacher, as saying.
To avert yoga
rage, Union Yoga in Edinburgh asks all students
to observe complete silence in the studio.
Reiterating it, Victoria Bosso, a teacher at the
centre, said, ''It is the only way to prevent
classes being disrupted and annoying those who
may be deep in meditation.''
In recent years,
celebrities like Madonna and Julia Roberts have
also been interested in yoga and at present,
nearly three million people in the UK are
estimated to practise it regularly, which is a
three fold increase since 1998. (UNI)
Young adults are
more successful
in quitting
smoking: Study
WASHINGTON,
Jan 13: Bidding farewell to smoking is easy
for people aged between 18 to 24 as they are more
likely to make a serious effort to quit,
researchers say.
The study
published in American Journal of Public Health
found the older the smoker is, the less likely he
or she is to quit or even try to quit.
It also showed
that smokers who lived in a smoke-free home were
four times more successful at quitting than those
not in a home with a smoker, the Science Daily
reported.
''It has been
hypothesised that young people who take up
smoking with restrictions at work and home are
likely to develop lower levels of dependence than
smokers who took up the habit without such
restrictions,'' said Dr Pierce, one of the
researchers from the University of California,
San Diego.
The study utilised
the largest available national data sample, the
2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the US Current
Population Survey, to evaluate the relationship
between smoking cessation rates and
tobacco-related behaviors between age groups.
Eighty-four per
cent of those 18 to 24 years old reported
seriously trying to quit in the prior year
compared to just 64 per cent of those 50 to 64
years old, the study revealed. (UNI)
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