WORLD OF MEDICINE

TRAFFIC NOISE MAY IMPACT HEART HEALTH

According to a recent review of noise and cardiovascular health co-authored by cardiologist Thomas Münzel, night-time noise from planes, trains and cars affects sleep quality, stress-hormone levels and oxidative stress, which leads to cell damage. In turn, these factors promote vascular dysfunction, inflammation and hypertension.

Therefore, it’s important to reduce noise pollution, perhaps with heavy curtains or by sleeping in a room that doesn’t face the street.

PREVENT DIABETES WITH FRUIT – BUT NOT JUICE

A new Australian study has found people who consume two servings of fruit per day have 36 per cent lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume less than half a serving. The five-year study, published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, reported that fruit juice didn’t have the same effect, possibly because it contains more sugar and less fibre.

LOW BONE DENSITY RAISES THE RISK OF HEARING LOSS

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition among adults. A Harvard teaching hospital study has discovered one common cause: the likelihood of developing moderate to severe hearing loss was up to 40 per cent higher among participants with osteoporosis or low bone density.

What’s the link between brittle bones and hearing loss? The research suggests that abnormalities in the body’s ability to create new bone and remove old tissue may weaken the integrity of the bone that protects the nerves and structures involved in hearing.

Another theory is that those issues may alter the conduction of sound through the cochlea, the main structure involved in hearing.