HIV treatment prevents cognitive decline

HIV-positive patients have the same risk of dementia as any other person if they take viral-suppressing medication and live a healthy lifestyle. One of the most debilitating effects of HIV is the neurocognitive decline, which can range from memory and language issues to dementia. Until now, research suggested that even those who take anti-retroviral therapy, the viral suppressing drug, had a higher risk of brain disorders than the general population.

Those who successfully suppress their viral load and live healthily have the same lifetime risk of dementia and other brain disorders as any other person. Older patients' brains may already have been ravaged by the disease, and medication couldn't reverse the damage, which would typically trigger symptoms within three or four years.

Researchers examined adults with HIV treated with cART with good viral suppression as well as those who did not have HIV for comparison. Both groups were about half women, with an average age of around 48 for the HIV-positive adults and 51 for the HIV-negative adults. Over the course of two years, the researchers assessed their brain changes using MRI scans.

They focused on the cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. They also assessed their cognitive performance using neuropsychological assessments. Those with HIV had poorer cognition and reduced brain thickness and volume than adults without HIV. However, by the end of the study, there were barely any differences between the two groups.
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Moderate drinking of red wine reserves ovaries

Moderate drinking of red wine can increase the chance of conceiving, there is a link between drinking of red wine and healthy ovaries that produce more eggs. Researchers studied different women of reproductive age and measured their antral follicle count- ovarian reserve.

Antral follicle count AFC is the standard way of assessing a woman’s fertility. This is the ovaries’ capacity to make healthy egg cells, which is measured by counting the antral follicles that produce them.

Women who drank moderate amounts of red wine were found to have the highest ovarian reserve. Red wine intake is associated with ovarian reserve as measured by AFC. Anti-inflammatory compound- resveratrol in red wine may be responsible for this.

Drinking small amount of red wine might reserve ovaries. Apart from red wine, healthy lifestyle and eating of balanced diet especially plant based protein can increase the chance of conceiving.
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Stress can shrink the brain

Stress management is a critical and often misunderstood aspect of a brain-healthy lifestyle. Regardless of your degree of risk of developing dementia, stress reduction is crucial to overall health and happiness. Some forms of stress are good for brain -these are purposeful actions that bolster brain reserves, making the brain stronger and more resilient. Unrelenting and uncontrolled stress can destroy the brain and it can start at any age.

Neglect and emotional abuse sustained at a young age have been associated with memory deficits in adulthood. A process called ‘myelination’ by which the neuron’s connections are coated with a protective fatty membrane called myelin to ensure effective communication starts before the age of five and continues into early twenties.

Stress has been shown to significantly affect growth in developing brains, and lower cognitive resilience in childhood-myelination was inefficient or incomplete, which could increase the risk of developing dementia. Stress puts the body in overdrive and subsequently increases the level of stress hormones- cortisol.

These affect blood sugar levels and cause damaging long-term problems such as anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep and depressed immune function, which then makes us more vulnerable to infections and increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Stress affects each of us differently, but our brains are vulnerable. Studies show chronic stress decreases levels of the crucial protein responsible for the production of new brain cells. It puts the brain in a state of high inflammation, causing structural damage and impairing its ability to clear harmful waste products.

Uncontrolled stress initiates a hormonal cascade that taxes the brain on many levels. It even changes the structure of the brain, destroying cells and effectively shrinking it. Creating a personalised plan of eat a brain-boosting diet, being active, good night rest, avoiding stress, and challenge your brain can be of good help. Stress damages the entire body, but the brain is more susceptible to the damage even more than the heart.
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Healthy lifestyle reduces pain in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis MS is a disabling disease of the brain and central nervous system. In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between the brain and the remaining parts of the body.

The disease can cause nerves deterioration and leads to permanent damage of the nerves. A healthy lifestyle of regular exercise and healthy diet is associated with lower pain in people with multiple sclerosis MS.

MS causes chronic pain and immobility. The pain is normally treated with painkillers, unhealthy lifestyle of smoking of cigarette, drinking of alcohol and eating of junk foods can increase the pain.

MS can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and diabetes, maintaining healthy lifestyle can reduce the pain associated with the disease and reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
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Healthy heart leads to healthy brain

Healthy lifestyle at 20 protects the brain at 40 and prevents brain shrinkage.
Neuroscientists monitored some participants for more than two decades and discovered that those that follow healthy lifestyle had less brain shrinkage.

Healthy lifestyle of a low-cholesterol diet, regular exercise, no smoking and eating less sugar at 20 prevents brain shrinkage at 40.

The American Heart Association created seven simple steps to improve heart health, these are- maintaining a healthy blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, being active, eating healthy foods, losing weight and no smoking.

There is a link between smoking and smaller brain volume. Smoking can leads to thinning of the brain cortex, the outer part of the brain that is crucial for cognition.

Smoking increases the blood pressure and put the brain at the risk of stroke. A stroke occurs when high blood pressure causes the tiny vessels of the brain to break, causing bleeding.
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Regular ejaculation reduces risk of prostate cancer

Regular ejaculation reduces risk of prostate cancer because it prevents inflammation, removes cancer-causing substances and infections.

Researchers examined sexual activities of different men for more than ten years and the results revealed that ejaculating regularly reduces the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Active sex life, healthy diet, regular exercise, 7 hours of sleep, healthy lifestyle and regular medical examination can reduce risk of developing prostate cancer.
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How biological clock affects male fertility

Waiting until forties before trying to become fathers could reduce male fertility because sperm DNA becomes damaged with age.

Frequent cell division to make new generation of sperm daily increases errors in cell formation as men get older and the risk increases everyday. Genetic errors may get into sperm as men aged.

The cumulative effect of these errors as cell division goes on and on and on affects children produced by older men. Autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia are associated with older sperm.

Older men may not be able to impregnate a woman naturally, it may take a long period of time to archive conception and risk of miscarriage is very high.

Healthy lifestyle can prevent DNA damage and changes to genes. Men must eat healthily diet, avoid smoking, engage in regular physical activities and avoid hot baths, as sperm likes cool temperatures to be in good reproductive shape.
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Secrets of longevity

Healthy lifestyle is the secret of long life. Seven hours of sleep per night, regular exercise, eating healthy foods and avoiding stressful activities can increase your longevity.

Food is medicine, healthy diet is better than drugs, processed foods contributes to diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and many other terminal diseases.

 You can adopt longevity lifestyle by eating more of plant based healthy diet everyday; start with fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, nuts, legumes and drink enough water. Water is better than any other liquid you know.

Moderate consumption of protein, sugar and refined carbohydrates. Cook with extra virgin olive oil and remember to fast after you feast. Fasting makes insulin sensitive and improves metabolic functions. Eat small portion of food; the less you eat the longer you will live.

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Mother's weight increases the risk of birth defects

Risk of birth defects increases with the mother's weight. Researchers tracked 1.2 million births, and discovered that baby's risk of having birth defect increases as mother's weight goes up.

Researchers analysed data on births between 2001 and 2014, they discovered that being overweight increased the risk of birth defects including heart problems, defects of the limbs, genital problems, urinary issues, digestive problems and malformed nervous systems.

According to pediatricians, risks of any major congenital malformation and several subgroups of organ specific malformations progressively increased with maternal overweight. Women
of reproductive age should adopt a healthy lifestyle and obtain a normal body weight before conception.

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