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17 December, 2007

Health News-6: "3.3 Lakh Children die every year for want of Vitamin A"

India has the highest number of Vitamin A deficient children in the world, with 330,000 of them dying annually because of this malady.

Despite years of various supplementation approaches, deficiencies of these micronutrients are still largely prevalent, according to Sesikeran, Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.

In a paper presented at a conference on “Role of Micronutrients in Child Development: Give Kids a Good Start,” organized by the International Life Sciences Institute at New Delhi on Friday, Dr.Sesikeran said studies carried out by various agencies showed that the prevalence of anaemia, Vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders continue to be high, though there is a small decline in the prevalence of iodine deficiently disorders.

Inaugurating the conference, D.H.Pai Panandiker, Chairman of the Institute, said 75% of the children in the country were anaemic, 57% were deficient in Vitamin A and 26% did not have enough intake of zinc - Special Correspondent, The Hindu
Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, December 15, 2007

13 December, 2007

Health News-5: "Errors kill 98,000 patients annually!"

According to a study by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, USA, errors in American hospitals kill from 44,000 to 98,000 patients annually, while injuring perhaps a million.

Courtesy: The Reader's Digest, January 2003

11 December, 2007

Health Tips-20: "An Apple A Day"

Eating an apple a day during pregnancy will not only keep the doctor away, but it can also help lower the risk of their kids developing asthma and wheezing. The finding is based on a study published in the September 2007 issue of the journal, Thorax, in which researchers found that when women ate apples during pregnancy, their offspring tended to have a significantly lower risk of asthma and wheezing when they reached age five.

As a part of their study, the researchers followed 1253 mother-child pairs and studied their dietary intake. The study also backs up the findings of an early study published in the European Respiratory Journal in June that found a link between apple juice consumption and a reduction in wheezing among children. Among children who experienced what was characterized as “current wheeze” (where the child had wheezing or whistling in the chest in the last 12 months), there was a significant dose response association between consumption of apple juice and a reduced incidence of the wheezing.

Researchers found that drinking apple juice made from concentrate and consumption of bananas one or more times a day (compared to drinking apple juice or eating bananas less than once a month) was directly associated with improvement of wheezing occurrences. Authors of the Thorax appear suggest that apples help kids because they have a powerful phytochemical content, which includes flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic acids – ANI.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, Dec. 9, 2007.
Grateful thanks to The Hindu.