Fork Size Key To Losing Weight

Dieters wanting to control the amount of food they consume while eating out now have a new way to do just that – use bigger forks.

A recent study shows that diners using large forks eat less than people using smaller forks.

University of Utah researchers studied how bite sizes impacted the overall amount of food consumed.

To do this, researchers conducted a two-day field study at a US-based Italian restaurant.

Two sets of forks were placed at different tables to toy with bite size: a bigger fork that held 20% more food than the one normally used & a smaller fork that held 20% less food than the regular fork.

Diners using larger forks ate less food than people using the smaller forks.

Researchers discovered fork size enabled diners observe how far they were toward completing their meal.

With smaller forks, customers felt they were not making too much progress and therefore put more effort toward satiating their hunger goal – by consuming more.

Researchers concluded that given people’s hectic lives & the increasing trend of dining out, using a larger fork actually helped control over-consumption.

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Botox For Asthma Treatment

A study by the Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne has shown that Botox, which a lot of people use to smooth wrinkles, could also be used to treat asthma.

Researchers intend to inject botulinum toxin or Botox into the vocal cords of serious asthmatics so as to ease their attacks of breathlessness.

The researchers trust the Botox will successfully “reboot” their voice boxes, enabling the muscles to slacken and eliminate any sensations of breathlessness.

Researchers are of the opinion that although this wouldn’t cure asthmatics, it would help them lead a better life with asthma.

They would be free of asthma symptoms which prevents them from walking far or climbing stairs or believing they would die when their chest tightens up.

Scans had shown how the voice boxes of serious asthmatics frequently went into spasm.

Asthma symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath & dry coughing often lead to the narrowing of the airways.

The researchers reckon Botox will stop the spasms and let the voice box to start functioning normally after about 3 months.

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37 Strawberries A Day Keep Health Complications Away

According to U.S. researchers, eating 37 strawberries a day can help keep diabetes, as well as a host of other complications at bay.

Salk Institute‘s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory researchers believe fisetin, a naturally-occurring flavonoid that’s found in abundance in strawberries & in lesser amounts in other vegetables and fruits, reduces complications of diabetes and helps protects neurons in the brain.

The fact that fisetin strongly targets multiple organs means that a single drug can be used to alleviate several medical complications

U.S. researchers fed a high-fisetin diet to Akita mice, which were afflicted with abnormally high blood sugar & the medical effects of diabetes were reduced. The study also found that fisetin’s neuron protective property could help check Alzheimer’s disease.

To consume fisetin levels equivalent to those given to Akita mice, researchers estimate that humans need to eat 37 strawberries daily.

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Is It Better To Get A Morning Colonoscopy Done?

Earlier studies have shown that colonoscopies scheduled for the afternoon tend to be less effective in catching abnormal growths than the ones done in the morning. The recent research reveals that the gap ceases to exist when doctors work half-day rather than a full day.

The findings support the view that doctor fatigue results in less accurate polyp detection in afternoon colonoscopies than in the morning.

Polyps are abnormal growths in the colon that usually are harmless but could sometimes become cancerous.

The study conducted by the Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale examined records of almost 4,700 colonoscopies done in 2009 at their center.

Two-thirds were performed by doctors working half-day, the rest were handled by doctors who worked full-day.

Researchers found that when doctors worked the whole day, polyps were spotted in 26% of morning-scheduled procedures, but merely in 21 % of afternoon colonoscopies.

That difference didn’t exist among doctors working half-day. Polyps were discovered in about 27% of procedures performed in the morning or in the afternoon.

When performing a colonoscopy, a doctor passes a slender camera-equipped scope into the rectum & along the colon, trying to find polyps & usually removes any that are detected. It takes around 30 minutes for each exam.

Researchers believe that when the exam is repeatedly performed by doctors all day long, fatigue sets in – and that may explain the inaccurate polyp detection rates later in the day.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you ought to worry in case you have an afternoon-scheduled colonoscopy. Other factors – such as colonoscopy preparation – are far more important.

Before going in for a colonoscopy, the patient must have a thorough bowel cleansing, usually by taking a strong liquid laxative. Carefully following ‘bowel prep’ instructions is a key factor in determining whether all polyps have been detected.

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Just Type To Power Laptops

Is your laptop battery dying out on you? Just type more to charge it.

That’s what Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology researchers have envisioned – they have come up with a way to power electronics by harnessing the energy from typing.

The Australian researchers believe that laptops could soon become self-powered by making use of piezoelectrics - which converts pressure into an electric current - & a thin film technology that’s found in microchips.

Further research needs to be done before it is practical for economical laptop integration.

If proven successful, piezoelectric technology may soon be transferred to other new devices & be integrated into running shoes to power mobiles, enable the charging of laptops via typing, or even used in converting blood pressure into a power source for pacemakers.

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