Soft drinks up risk of gout: Study

perSoft drinks up risk of gout: Study
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Soft_drinks_up_risk_of_gout_Study/rssarticleshow/2748274.cms
LONDON: It has long been considered as a disease of the rich. But, no more. Gout can affect all those who have a sweet tooth, according to a new study.

A team of international researchers has carried out the study and found that high consumption of sugar-loaded soft drinks and fruit juices substantially ups the risk of gout which is a painful joint disease.

According to the team, the risks associated with these fizzy drinks are worse than hard liquor.

"This is the first study and a very large one, linking the commonly consumed products to this common disorder. We've found that if you have high consumption of fructose, your gout risk is doubled. And that's due to easily available sugary beverages," lead researcher Hyon K Choi of the British Columbia University was quoted by the British media as saying.

The researchers came to the conclusion after following more than 46,000 men aged above 40 with no previous history of gout over a period of 12 years - the participants' intake of soft drinks, fruits and fruit juices was monitored.

The team found that the risk of developing gout was 85 per cent higher among men who drank two or more cans of soft drinks daily than those who consumed less than one a month - this is greater than the risk linked to drinking spirits.

Men who consumed large amounts of fruit juice or fructose-rich fruits, such as apples and oranges, also had a higher risk of the condition. However, those who drank diet soft drinks showed no extra risk.

"These findings support the importance of recommending a reduction in fructose intake in patients with hyperuricaemia and gout in order to reduce the risk of gout," according to co-researcher Gary Curhan of the Harvard Medical School.

The results of the study have been published in the British Medical Journal .

Tired techies turn to ayurveda

Tired techies turn to ayurveda

BANGALORE: There are ways and ways of deleting stress. But techies in Bangalore are logging on to the country’s ancient wisdom to de-stress: they are increasingly finding solace in ayurvedic remedies.

And this year-end, they are heading straight to ayurveda therapy centres, hospitals and nature spas in Kerala. Like Nimesh Chary and Pavan Vangaroo. They are all set to board a flight to Kochi where they will go through a five-day ayurvedic rejuvenation and relaxation therapy.

"There is hardly any balance between work and life today. At the end of every year, I feel like a balloon filled with stress. I roped in a friend to join me on this de-stressing tour," says Chary. After having chased series of project delivery deadlines and unrealistic business goals round the year, software engineers feel they need this annual soothing break.

"Over 90% of our clients in the last one year have been IT professionals, and over 70% of them were from Bangalore. Most of them come with stress while some come with chronic cases like heart ailments," says Gopala Krishnan, MD of an ayurvedic centre based in Alappuzha.

According to Babu Vincent, MD of a firm that books leisure and spa holidays for IT professionals, the demand for ayurvedic rejuvenation packages has been on the rise. "The number has been exceptionally high this year and 95% of our bookings for Xmas and New Year are from the IT sector."

Quoting a recent study conducted by Lady Harding’s Medical College in New Delhi among tech workers, A M Anvar of a Kochi hospital says: "The study found that 93% of IT people were morbid and had high chances of falling chronically ill. Ayurveda is viewed as a medicinal system for the old. But now the young tech community is changing that notion."

According to Dr Nilakandan Moose of a Trichur-based ayurveda firm, "Everything that works needs periodic service. Human beings tend to wait for a breakdown. Thankfully, this tendency is slowly changing."