In the pink

Is sunshine really enough for your Vitamin D fix, or should you pop a pill?

Sunshine, long considered a powerful source of Vitamin D, is under scrutiny as researchers compare its benefits with medication.

Instead of hitting the beach and getting a tan, experts have spent the entire summer debating whether morning sunshine or medication is the best source of Vitamin D. Studies over the years have highlighted the powerful health benefits of sunshine as a source of the vitamin, which boosts the immune system, lowers cancer risks, prevents joint and muscle pains, and combats osteoporosis among many other benefits.

Recent studies have suggested that higher levels of Vitamin D can benefit athletes by improving muscle strength and power, reducing inflammation and and boosting the immune system while training. While doctors have always stressed on the importance of getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D via sunshine, some dermatalogists believe that any amount of unfiltered exposure to the sun is safe as it can lead to skin cancer.

The latter offer multivitamins or single nutrient Vitamin D pills as preferable substitutes, in addition to six-ounce fillets of wild salmon twice a week, as well as milk. Everyone agrees that Vitamin D deficiency harms your bones so frequent blood tests to gauge your vitamin levels are important.

Smoke it over
In the media and BPO industry, the growing number of Indian women smokers is alarming, according to two recent independent studies. The studies found that eight per cent of women in BPO centres smoke while in the media, between 5 and 35 per cent of women are smokers. These figures are large when you consider the fact that the national average is a mere 1.5 per cent for women smokers.

The survey led by the Tata Memorial Hospital studied the smoking habits of 646 BPO employees from four work centres over a period of 18 months while NGO Doctors for You studied 1,500 media professionals (from print, electronic and advertising organisations). Both studies concluded that women smokers take to the habit to quell hunger pangs, and are ignorant of the fact that smoking can lead to serious ailments like infertility, heart disease, tuberculosis and cancer.

Potato salad offsets red meat's cancer risk
An Australian research study has revealed that potato salad can help decrease the cancer risk posed by eating red meat. Findings of Flinders University researchers reveal that the "resistant starch" in cold, cooked potatoes can significantly reduce the cancer risk associated with the consumption of red meat.

The starch, also found in beans, green bananas, rice and pasta, resists digestion until it reaches the colon where it is eaten by bacteria. The starch content goes up if food is heated and cooled down again. The best way to put this information to use is to make yourself a potato salad on the side each time you're having a barbeque.

Increased alcohol consumption spurs aphrodisiac sales
A survey of a dozen chemists and druggists in India has revealed that herbal aphrodisiacs are in great demand after alcohol consumption. Maybe because while a drink or two can make one feel amorous, additional consumption of alcohol lowers sexual performance. The herbal aphrodisiacs are being bought in the form of pills, massage oils and sprays, and more and more men are seeking refuge in these remedies. In Amritsar alone, the aphrodisiac market is estimated to be worth Rs 1 crore a month.

The survey says the Indian male would rather try and improve his sex life by buying these aphrodisiacs than visit a doctor. A phenomenon popular in the metros, it is on the rise in smaller cities too now, although there is no scientific evidence to back the assumption that these herbal products do indeed boost one's sex life.

An apple juice a day keeps anxiety at bay
Mood swings in people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (AD) can apparently be improved in one deft swoop: with a swig of apple juice. A study conducted by University of Massachusetts-Lowell (U-Mass) found that AD patients who were administered two four-ounce glasses of apple juice daily for a month showed 27 per cent improvement in their ability to overcome anxiety, agitation and delusion. However, their dementia scale remained unchanged.