lifestyle

Behavioral change impact of Pacific Island Food Revolution

Before COVID- 19, the Pacific was already in crisis. Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are ravaging the region, all due to what people eat. The numbers are shocking: three Fijians a day undergo diabetes-related amputation, 90 per cent of Tongans are obese, and 40 per cent of the Pacific’s population has been diagnosed with a non-communicable disease (NCD). In fact, NCDs account for 75 per cent of all deaths in the Pacific.

Heart surgery survival chances 'better in the afternoon'

The body clock - or circadian rhythm - is the reason we want to sleep at night, but it also drives huge changes in the way our bodies work.

The research, published in the Lancet, suggests the heart is stronger and better able to withstand surgery in the afternoon than the morning.

And it says the difference is not down to surgeons being tired in the morning.

Doctors need to stop the heart to perform operations including heart valve replacements. This puts the organ under stress as the flow of oxygen to the heart tissue is reduced.

Hillary Clinton uses alternate-nostril breathing. Should you?

"Have you tried that? I would highly recommend it," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday on "Anderson Cooper 360."

Never heard of it? Cooper also wanted to know what it was. So Clinton demonstrated.

Boy's heart stopped after bite of hot dog

But choking wasn't the cause, according to a case studypublished Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics.

The terrifying incident had a much more unlikely cause, according to Dr. Isa Ozyilmaz of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul.

Why more vegetarians don't become vegans

The Labour leader has been a vegetarian for almost 50 years after working on a pig farm when he was in his early 20s.

Speaking to staff at an outlet of cosmetics retailer Lush, the 68-year-old said: "I eat more and more vegan food and have more and more vegan friends.

"There are quite a lot of vegan MPs - not a lot but there are some.

"One of my close relatives has just become a vegan and I went to her house for dinner and it was absolutely brilliant.

Chain-smoking children: Indonesia's ongoing tobacco epidemic

But this boy has a tumultuous past and a reputation that precedes him, having undergone a recovery most children will never face.

Six years ago, Aldi Suganda, also known as Aldi Rizal, was a 2-year-old chain smoker addicted to cigarettes, smoking packs each day. "It was hard for me to stop," he said. "If I am not smoking, my mouth taste is sour and my head feel dizzy.

"I am happy now. I feel more enthusiastic, and my body is feeling fresh," he said.

How I became fit in my 60s

It came after decades of eating and drinking too much in a high-stress, sedentary job: "It was an explosion waiting to happen," he said.

For Graham, whose wife had become increasingly disabled through multiple sclerosis, the diagnosis was a wake-up call.

"I need to be able to help her - and I need to be around for longer," he said.

Graham is not alone in his diagnosis.

Public Health England estimates that 42% of 45- to 64-year-olds have a long-term health condition such as diabetes or heart disease.

Bodybuilder dies after eating high-protein diet

Days later, Hefford was pronounced dead. Only after her death did her family learn that Hefford, the mother of a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, had a rare genetic disorder that prevented her body from properly metabolizing her high-protein diet.

Is 'overfat' the new obesity?

BMI, which stands for body mass index, is determined based on a person's height and weight. You're considered overweight if your BMI is between 25 to 29.9 and you're obese if your BMI is 30 or above.

Chances are, even if you are not "fat," by definition of these traditional measurements, you may still be "overfat." And that's going to have some seriously negative consequences for your overall health.

Changing your mindset could change your life, Science says so

At the start of this year, did you do what many of us did? (Myself included)

We make great plans and set out an impressive agenda for the year, with key goals, important achievements and projects to undertake.

There's a sense of optimism and renewal that comes at the start of each year.

"This year I'm going to [fill in the blanks]."

But are you like me — that so often the busyness of life interferes with your plans and hopes for a happier, healthier life? We get into a rut and run on auto-pilot.

I spoke about this recently to a lovely group of people.