PANAJI: According to a study conducted by the Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living, having units in Margao and Mumbai, about 35 to 45 percent of Goans in the age group of 35 to 55 could have suffered from silent heart attacks and could be oblivious to the same, presuming they have a strained shoulder or chest muscle or any other ailment except for a actual heart attack.

According to Dr Pranav Kabra who authored and settled the final report of the study for the Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living, “during the lockdown in 2020 and 2021, many Goans were leading a sedentary and lazy lifestyle, with reduced physical movements or sleeping for much longer periods every day. However, in spite of their lack of exercise their consumption of cholesterol-rich foods like meats, sugars, alcohol, tobacco products including smoking had not reduced, leading to hundreds of cases of silent heart attacks among Goans.”

Cardiac disease is the major killer in Goa, while cancer is the next in line. During the Covid pandemic of course, many people died due to Covid-related ailments. A majority of deaths among the male Goan population above the age of 35, are either due to cardio vascular ailments, diabetes or alcohol-related liver diseases – all eventually connected to alcohol consumption, smoking and heavy intake of non-vegetarian, cholesterol-rich food, Dr Kabra opines.

Obesity is a significant and growing disease in the Goan populace, making it a silent killer along with diabetes and cardiac disease.

What is a silent heart attack?
A silent heart attack is a heart attack that has very few, or no symptoms or has symptoms not recognized as those of a heart attack. A silent heart attack may not cause chest pain or shortness of breath or sweating, which are typically associated with a heart attack by most people.

Those who suffer a silent heart attack may presume they have a heartburn, a flu or a strained chest or shoulder muscle. However, a silent heart attack, like any heart attack, involves blockage of blood flow to the heart and possible damage to the heart muscle and is almost as dangerous as a normal heart attack.

MUMBAI:  Medical experts from various parts of the world concur that “Active EECP” treatment can ensure and majorly aid in weight loss and body toning, besides being good for the heart and the cardiovascular system, suggests Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital in suburban Mumbai.

While several benefits of Active EECP on the body include the cardiovascular system, including lipid metabolism, weight loss, glucose intolerance, anti-thrombotic (Preventing life-threatening clots), anti-inflammatory, sexual or erectile problems,  sleep deprivation, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and overall general wellness, its role in direct weight loss cannot be disputed.

According to Dr Pranav Kabra, Active EECP increases Lymphatic circulation, increases metabolism and increases physical energy output for higher calorie burn.

It facilitates the human body to indulge in greater active exercise or even basic walking and movement (depending on age) by improving the flow of blood in the body.

Active EECP helps in weight loss not just in the young (and obese) but also in the infirm and elderly who cannot indulge in strenuous exercise due to a lack of energy in the system and greatly reduced metabolism.

Weight loss not only lowers risk of heart disease but can also reduce your risk of other chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. Weight gain or obesity is directly connected to several health problems like cardiac issues, high blood pressure, lack of energy, diabetes and many more and substantial weight loss can reverse several lifestyle diseases like those mentioned above, opines Dr Kabra.

To reduce your weight and treat various lifestyle diseases, or for a free consultation on Active EECP therapy contact: +918291305749

MUMBAI: We are self-confessed “Sting” addicts and need at least 500 ml or two small bottles (250 ml each) of Sting for our daily fix.

Of late, we have been trying out the newly introduced “Charged” by Thums Up, but “Sting” wins hands down, both in terms of taste as well as the instant burst of energy, that “Charged” somehow fails to deliver, in spite of a higher sugar and carbohydrate content.

However, of late, some of us have begun experiencing continuous deadly headaches, which seem to increase with the increased consumption of these caffeinated drinks like “Sting” and “Charged”, so we decided to get it checked out.

According to one of the medical experts we visited, Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Multispecialty Hospital at Malad in suburban Mumbai, excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks like “Sting” and “Charged” can definitely cause a spurt in blood pressure, eventually leading to hypertension and even minor cardiac problems like disrupted heart rhythm.

“Caffeine is a known trigger for high blood pressure and hence there is a warning on all energy drinks containing caffeine. Excessive and prolonged consumption of caffeinated drinks like “Sting” and “Charged”  and all other similar energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, Predator, etc., can definitely lead to high blood pressure and Stage II hypertension, which requires medical diagnosis and treatment. The risk factors increase with age and a person above 50 should definitely avoid excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks,” opined cardiac and diabetes expert Dr Pranav Kabra.

According to medical information available online, energy drinks could cause high blood pressure and potentially lethal heart problems in some individuals. Doctors have warned people with high blood pressure to ‘use caution and judgment’ before consuming caffeinated drinks, after recognizing that such drinks increase blood pressure and disturb the heart’s natural rhythm, possibly causing cardiac problems.

Caffeine can cause a short, but dramatic (and often problematic) increase in blood pressure, even if you do not normally have high any blood pressure issues. It is unclear what causes this spike and blood pressure response to caffeine differs from person to person. The spike in blood pressure increases with age and persons above 55 years of age could experience huge spikes in their BP after consumption of highly caffeinated drinks.

Some of the other symptoms of excessive caffeine consumption include increased heart rate, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, Insomnia, dehydration and restlessness. Other symptoms could be experienced by different individuals depending on various other physiological factors.

Doctors have recommended a restriction on the consumption of caffeinated drinks with the limit set at only one serving per day or a maximum of 500 ml. This depends on the amount of caffeine present in each serving. When it comes to “Sting” and “Charged” you must definitely not consume more than 500 ml (250×2 or one large 500 ml bottle). This is also mentioned on the bottle packaging and both “Sting” and “Charged” carry this warning.

“Those with prevalent cardiac and hypertension problems or those individuals with Stage II hypertension and more, should avoid these drinks all-together,” opines Dr Kabra.

LINKOPING, (ANI): A team of researchers from Linkoping University suggested that male and female fruit flies’ brains become desexualized as they age.

Both sexes endure age-related changes, however, the male brain gets more feminised than the female brain becomes masculine. The findings of the study were published in the journal – Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B.

Weaker individuals cannot afford to “invest” in sexual behaviours to the same degree as their healthier conspecifics, which is a well-known fact.

It is unclear, though, whether ageing, which weakens people, also causes a decrease in interest in sexual activities.
Going “all in” on reproduction might seem like the best option for people who are nearing the end of their lives in order to pass on their genes before it’s too late.

The brain controls sexual behaviour, so researchers looked at how the expression of specific genes changes with age in young males and females to learn what happens to sex differences in this tissue in fruit flies.

According to Dr. Antonino Malacrin, one of the study’s primary authors who is currently employed at the University of Reggio Calabria in Italy, “our results demonstrate that gene expression in male and female brains becomes more similar with age, and that both sexes contribute to this pattern.”

The study demonstrates that a gene’s expression is reduced in older females and increased in old males if the gene’s expression is higher in the brains of young females than in young males, and vice versa for genes with higher expression in young males.

According to Antonino Malacrin, “The results also demonstrate that the changes are more pronounced in males than in females.”

Since there is presumably a weaker correlation between investment in sexual traits and reproductive success in females than in males, females age more slowly than males do.

A female fruit fly only needs to choose how much energy she has available for reproduction, whereas a male fruit fly must outcompete other males in quickly finding females and persuading them to mate through a challenging dance performance.
Age implies that there are fewer resources available for both sexes to invest in reproduction and other activities, but males face greater costs of increased investment due to male-to-male competition.

Senior associate professor at the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM) at Linkoping University and the study’s principal investigator, Urban Friberg, claims that if you continue to expend as much energy on reproduction as you did when you were younger, you won’t have any leftover for survival.

Studies on other animals, including humans, that have mainly focused on age-related changes in one sex’s gene expression have produced results that point in the same direction.

This suggests that many other animals may experience the same outcomes as fruit flies. Even though the two populations of fruit flies that have been studied differ significantly in terms of the genes involved, Urban Friberg notes that the general results are the same in both of them.

The study’s findings are similar to those the team discovered in a prior investigation. In that study, male and female flies with high and low genetic quality were compared for sex differences in gene expression.

The earlier study demonstrated that decreased genetic quality causes gene expression in male and female flies to be more similar, much like how ageing reduces sex differences. Once again, males changed their gene expression more than females. The study does not address what molecular signal connected to ageing is responsible for the diminished sex differences in the brain. If the signaling molecule turns out to be shared by other species, further research on this subject may prove fruitful. (ANI)

MUMBAI: We asked several working men and women to try out “Charged” by Thums Up – the latest offering from the Coca Cola stable, all set to try to take on Pepsico’s “Sting”, which is a consumer favorite for its “different’ taste and high energy punch. ALSO READ: Raju Srivastava undergoes angioplasty after suffering cardiac arrest while working out

While the taste of “Charged” by Thums Up was a bit different and refreshing, it didn’t seem to pack the same punch as “Sting” did – the current market leader in the segment. ALSO READ: Can excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks like “Sting” and “Charged” cause high BP and hypertension

“Charged” doesn’t really charge you up, said one of our samplers after trying out both the products over two different days.

ALSO READ: “Charged” from Coca Cola Co Versus “Sting” from Pepsico? Which is a better energy drink?

Our test sample of 5 men and 5 women between the age of 30 to 40 in Mumbai reported that they felt more ‘energetic’ after consuming “Sting” and “Charged” by Thums Up failed to charge their batteries.

“It’s a refreshing drink no doubt, but when it comes to sheer energy and a energetic feeling,” Sting from Pepsico seems to win hands down, said journalist and publicist Flynn Remedios who was part of the test group.

We are continuing our “tests” with more volunteers to see which of the two drinks provide a better “energetic feel”… watch this space for more.

CANADA, (Reuters): A person can be charged with sexual assault for not wearing a condom without a partner’s consent during sex, Canada’s top court ruled on Friday. The case was decided 5-4.

The court was unanimous in saying Ross McKenzie Kirkpatrick must go on trial for sexual assault for not wearing a condom during sex with a woman who consented only to protected sex.

It did not say whether he was guilty of those charges. Kirkpatrick was initially acquitted of the charges in British Columbia before an appeals court ordered a retrial.

“Since only yes means yes and no means no, it cannot be that ‘no, not without a condom’ means ‘yes, without a condom’,” Justice Sheilah Martin wrote in the majority opinion.”

Recognizing that condom use may form part of the sexual activity in question is also the only way to respect the need for a complainant’s affirmative and subjective consent to each and every sexual act, every time,” the judgment read.

Kirkpatrick met a woman online and then in person for a possible sexual relationship. They had sex twice in one night in 2017, once with a condom and then again without one, though without the woman’s knowledge, according to the complaint. The complainant said she did not know that he did not use a condom the second time, and if she did, she would not have agreed to it.

Under Canadian law, sexual assault requires proof of a lack of consent to a particular sexual activity in question. (Reuters)

Here are some of the popular fish found in and around the waters of the western coast of India, particularly Mumbai, Konkan region (Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri) and Goa. This list is not complete and we are constantly updating our data.

Please feel free to contribute to this database by commenting in the space below, with your inputs and feedback if you have any information to share. ALSO READ: Names of fish in English, Marathi, Konkani and Hindi mostly found in Mumbai, Konkan and Goa

This is a humble attempt to put together otherwise traditional names used by villagers in the coastal zones. Please help us to update it and add to this list.

People in different villages or different districts refer to the same fish by different names. For example, the names used by the Kolis of Mumbai for the same fish may be different in Goa or Karnataka. In Mumbai the silver pomfret is also called Sarga, besides the regular name paplet.

MUMBAI: For those “Sting” addicts, who need their daily fix, there is something new (just launched) from the Coca Cola guys, who recently (two days ago) launched “Charged”  in Mumbai – an energy drink that claims to be better than “Sting”. ALSO READ: Raju Srivastava undergoes angioplasty after suffering cardiac arrest while working out

We are not sure if “Charged” is available all over the country as yet, but we are restricting this story to our Mumbai experience.

Since we are self-confessed “Sting” addicts – consuming at least two 500 ml PET bottles per person each day (Remember the permitted quantity is only one 500 ml PET bottle per day), we decided to try out the new, just launched “Charged”.

Here are our first impressions. The taste of “Charged” is somewhat different. It has berry-like fruit flavor, which the company claims is ‘different’, but after having a few (2-3) drinks, one tends to get tired of the same taste and seems to want a different flavour.

ALSO READ: “Charged by Thums Up” fails the ‘charge test’, Sting from Pepsico ‘charges’ your battery faster

For now “Sting” is available in just one flavour – to the best of our knowledge in Mumbai, but the best thing the company (Pepsico) could do is to introduce the 500 ml PET bottle. It is definitely value for money with a saving or discount of Rs 5/- per 500 ml.

Coming to the tech specs, “Sting” has more Caffeine per serving (250 ml) which is about 72 mg/250 ml., while “Charged” has 24.6 mg/100 ml or 61.5 mg/250 ml. More than 10 mg of extra caffeine per 250 ml!

The big difference seems to be in the Energy per serving – while “Sting” claims to have 70 kcal per 250 ml, “Charged” label mentions 155 kcal, which seems to be double that of “Sting”. We need to get this clarified with the Pepsi and Coke guys, but none of them were ready to answer our calls on this subject.

ALSO READ: Can excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks like “Sting” and “Charged” cause high BP and hypertension

When it comes to the real feel factor – “Charged” seems to be more refreshing than “Sting” at least initially, but in terms of energy and alertness, “Sting” seems to win hands down.

Both “Charged” and “Sting” have a warning advising only 2 servings (total of 500 ml) in a 24-hour period for adults and children below the age of 16 are not advised to consume caffeinated products like “Sting” and “Charged”.

We are still evaluating these two popular products – “Sting” definitely is the present market leader in its segment  and price range – with many fakes (outright copycat spurious products) and duplicates hitting the  market, including in shops in upmarket Lokhandwala (Andheri West, Mumbai), but lets see how “Charged” picks up in the days to come.

We will update this post with more feedback and news as we get more details. You can leave your comments and feedback in the space below…