Too Much Porn Can Shrink Brain: Study

Watching sexually explicit videos regularly may cause the brain to shrink and work less effectively , a new study has claimed. The study suggests that the brains of heavy porn users show signs of degradation and shrinkage. 

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin found that men who watch a lot of porn tend to have a smaller striatum, an area of the brain "linked to rewards and motivation." They also found that the connection between the striatum and the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain associated with behaviour and decision making — degraded with increased porn watching, 'The Telegraph' reported. 

They also found that the connection between the striatum and the prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain associated with behaviour and decision making degraded with increased porn watching, 'The Telegraph' reported.

Although the study suggests that porn causes the brain to shrink, researchers cautioned it could be that people with smaller brains are more attracted to porn.

Pornography consumption was associated with neural structure, task-related activation, and functional resting-state connectivity.

Gray matter volume of the brain as measured by voxel-based morphometry and resting state functional connectivity was measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans.

"We found a significant negative association between reported pornography hours per week and gray matter volume in the right caudate as well as with functional activity during a sexual cue–reactivity paradigm in the left putamen," researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

"Functional connectivity of the right caudate to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively associated with hours of pornography consumption," they said.

For the study, sixty-four healthy male adults with a broad range of pornography consumption reported hours of pornography consumption per week. "We found a significant negative association between reported pornography hours per week and gray matter volume in the right caudate," researchers said.

Heavy porn consumption may shrink your brain

Watching porn may not only lead to divorce but can also reduce your brain size.

German researchers have found less gray matter in brains of men who consumed sexually explicit material heavily.

"Our findings suggest that gray matter volume of the right caudate of the striatum (a subcortical part of the forebrain) is smaller with higher pornography use," said the study.

To analyse the impact of porn on brain, researchers questioned 64 men aged 21-45 about their porn-watching habits and scanned their brains with MRI technology.

"The results show that the brain region activated when people view sexual stimuli is less active in men who watch a lot of pornography," explained lead author Simone Kohn from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

It is the first link between porn consumption and reductions in brain size and brain activity in response to sexual stimuli.

"It is not clear from the findings whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn," Kohn noted.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Watching pornography could be shrink parts of the brain linked to reward and motivation.This is according to a German study that found men who watched a lot of porn tended to be lazier. The results provide the first direct link between pornography and a lack of motivation following sexual stimulation

PTI

आरोग्य समाचार

आरोग्य समाचार 

(१)जल से भरपूर सिंगाड़ा (Water chestnut )लार के निर्माण को प्रेरित करता है प्यास बुझाता है। अतिसार पे काबू पाने में सहायक अलावा इसके इसमें भरपूर माइक्रोन्यूट्रिएंट्स (सूक्ष्म लेकिन आवश्यक  पोषक तत्व )मौजूद रहते हैं। गर्मियों का तोहफा है सिंगारा। 

200 × 214 - dnaindia.com

640 × 524 - onlyfoods.net

(२)PLEASANT SMELL INCREASE ATTRACTIVENESS 

New research reveals that women's faces are rated as more attractive  in the presence of pleasant odours .In contrast ,odour pleasantness had less effect on the evaluation of age .The findings suggest that perfumes alter how people perceive one another .

(7)Eating seven+ portions of fruits and veggies daily cuts your risk of death nearly in half

Your momma always told you to eat your veggies. Little did you know that she was so very right. Science has now backed up our mothers’ claims that eating fruits and veggies is good for us. In fact, according to this unique study, eating seven or more servings of fruits and veggies can reduce your risk of death in general by 42%.

Now I said the study was unique. What makes it so?

This is the first study to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths in a nationally-representative population, the first to quantify health benefits per-portion, and the first to identify the types of fruit and vegetable with the most benefit.

Ok, so this seems legit, right? What are the actual findings? What if you only eat a few servings, not seven? The study is thorough:

Compared to eating less than one portion of fruit and vegetables, the risk of death by any cause is reduced by 14% by eating one to three portions, 29% for three to five portions, 36% for five to seven portions and 42% for seven or more.

But don’t rush off to the store yet. There’s more. If you want benefits, you’ve got to eat the good stuff. Canned and frozen fruit actually increases your risk of death by 17%. The study is a bit sloppy here, so it’s hard to tell what actually causes in the increase––is it just canned fruit, perhaps because of the sugar? Or is it the fault of overall poor health of populations who eat those fruits? While we may not know, the overall point is clear: Go eat fruit and veggies!

Full story at Science Daily.

More potentially life-saving science.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Posted by Josh Urich

Top scientists warn WHO not to stub out e-cigarettes

(L-R) Electronic cigarette vaporizers Cera and Luna by Thermo-Essence Technologies are pictured in San Carlos, California May 2, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM

(Reuters) - A group of 53 leading scientists has warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes as tobaccoproducts, arguing that doing so would jeopardize a major opportunity to slash disease and deaths caused by smoking.

The UN agency, which is currently assessing its position on the matter, has previously indicated it would favor applying similar restrictions to all nicotine-containing products.

In an open letter to WHO Director General Margaret Chan, the scientists from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia argued that low-risk products like e-cigarettes were "part of the solution" in the fight against smoking, not part of the problem.

"These products could be among the most significant health innovations of the 21st century – perhaps saving hundreds of millions of lives. The urge to control and suppress them astobacco products should be resisted," the experts wrote.

Leaked documents from a meeting last November suggest the WHO views e-cigarettes as a "threat" and wants them classified the same way as regular tobacco products under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). (link.reuters.com/muq69v)

That has set alarm bells ringing among a number of medical experts - and in the booming e-cigarette industry. A total of 178 countries are parties to the international convention and are obliged to implement its measures, with the United States the one notable non-signatory.

A move to classify e-cigarettes alongside regular cigarettes would push countries into taking similar tough measures to restrict demand, including raising taxes, banning advertising, introducing health warnings and curbing use in public places.

Uptake of electronic cigarettes, which use battery-powered cartridges to produce a nicotine-laced inhalable vapor, has rocketed in the last two years and analysts estimate the industry had worldwide sales of some $3 billion in 2013.

But the devices are controversial. Because they are so new there is a lack of long-term scientific evidence to support their safety and some fear they could be "gateway" products to nicotine addiction and tobacco smoking - though the scientists said they were "unaware of any credible evidence that supports this conjecture".

In response to the scientists' letter, Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "The overall impact of e-cigarette use on public health is currently unclear. While they could prove to be an important tool to help people stop smoking, the unregulated status of e-cigarettes is problematic."

BIG TOBACCO BACKS SCIENTISTS

For tobacco companies seeking to offset the decline in traditional smoking, investment in e-cigarettes was an obvious choice and all the major players now have a presence, prompting Big Tobacco to line up behind scientists on this occasion.

Kingsley Wheaton, director of corporate and regulatory affairs at British American Tobacco, said classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products would mean smokers find it harder to access a less risky alternative.

In a declaration of interests, none of the scientists said they had received funding from tobacco companies. However, some have carried out research on e-cigarettes or acted as consultants for drug companies making other smoking cessation products, includingGlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.

The Geneva-based WHO said its position on e-cigarettes was still in flux ahead of a key meeting on the FCTC scheduled for October 13-18 in Moscow, where proposed regulations will be discussed.

"At this point the only thing I can say is that we are elaborating these regulations and they will soon be available to you," Armando Peruga, program manager for the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative told reporters this week.

Gerry Stimson, emeritus professor at Imperial College London and one of the organizers of the letter to Chan, told Reuters that the WHO's position was "bizarre" and its stance on e-cigarettes was harsher than that of regulators in Europe and the United States.

"We want to make sufficient noise now before things get too set in stone," he said.

(Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by David Evans and Pravin Char)

विश्वतम्बाकू दिवस ३१ मई के लिए ख़ास 

पोस्ट 

सिगरेट से होने वाली नुकसानी को कम करने का एक उपाय और विकल्प ई -सिगरेटों के रूप में गत शती का एक महत्वपूर्ण नवप्रवर्तन (नव उपाय )था। सिगरेट आदमी निकोटिन के चस्के से बंधा पीता है मरता सिगरेट के धुएं से है जिसमें तम्बाकू के जलने से तम्बाकू जैसा ही एक पदार्थ पैदा होता है टार। यही वह पदार्थ है जो फेफड़ा कैंसर की वजह बनता है अलावा इसके तम्बाकू के उच्चतरतापमान पर जलने से (ऐसा सिगरेट में प्रयुक्त कागज़ और तम्बाकू के एक साथ जलने से दहन से कंबश्चन से होता है )अनेक कैंसर समूह के रोग पैदा करने वाले कार्सिनोेजन पैदा होते हैं। जो सेकिण्ड कैंसर की वजह भी बनते हैं। (सेकिण्ड कैंसर प्राथमिक कैंसर उपचार के छ :माह के भीतर भी हो सकता है ,यह कैंसर के स्थान बदल मेटास्टेसिस से अलग होता है ). 

माहिरों का मानना ई -सिगरेट जैसे विकल्प आज़माये जाने चाहिए जो इस सदी में होने वाली तकरीबन एक अरब मौतों को मुल्तवी रखने का साधन बन सकते हैं। ऐसा ही एक और उपाय है। snus .बताते चलें फिलवक्त दुनिया भर में १. ३ अरब लोग धूम्रपान करते हैं भारत की स्वप्न नगरी मुंबई में स्मोकर्स अब पहले से ज्यादा सिगरेट प्रतिदिन पी रहे हैं। यह एक खतर्नाक स्थिति है कैंसर होने पर इलाज़ के पैसे नहीं निक्लेंगे घर से। पढ़िए इसी विषय पर एक व्यापक रिपोर्ट तम्बाकू निषेध दिवस पर :एक गोपनीय दस्तावेज़ के प्रकटीकरण से विश्वस्वास्थ्य संगठन की ई -सिगरेटों पर रोक लगाने की मंशा सामने आई है। यदि ऐसा होता है तो यह दुर-भाग्यपूर्ण  कदम होगा जिसका आधार ई -सिगरेटों के मुताल्लिक गलत जानकारी बनेगी जिसके तहत कहा गया था की ये भी उतनी ही नुकसानी का सबब बनती हैंजितना रेगुलर सिगरेटें । माहिर इसकी तस्दीक नहीं करते हैं :

Images for snus tobaccoReport images

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विश्वतम्बाकू दिवस ३१ मई के लिए ख़ास पोस्ट

विश्वतम्बाकू दिवस ३१ मई के लिए ख़ास 

पोस्ट 

सिगरेट से होने वाली नुकसानी को कम करने का एक उपाय और विकल्प ई -सिगरेटों के रूप में गत शती का एक महत्वपूर्ण नवप्रवर्तन (नव उपाय )था। सिगरेट आदमी निकोटिन के चस्के से बंधा पीता है मरता सिगरेट के धुएं से है जिसमें तम्बाकू के जलने से तम्बाकू जैसा ही एक पदार्थ पैदा होता है टार। यही वह पदार्थ है जो फेफड़ा कैंसर की वजह बनता है अलावा इसके तम्बाकू के उच्चतरतापमान पर जलने से (ऐसा सिगरेट में प्रयुक्त कागज़ और तम्बाकू के एक साथ जलने से दहन से कंबश्चन से होता है )अनेक कैंसर समूह के रोग पैदा करने वाले कार्सिनोेजन पैदा होते हैं। जो सेकिण्ड कैंसर की वजह भी बनते हैं। (सेकिण्ड कैंसर प्राथमिक कैंसर उपचार के छ :माह के भीतर भी हो सकता है ,यह कैंसर के स्थान बदल मेटास्टेसिस से अलग होता है ). 

माहिरों का मानना ई -सिगरेट जैसे विकल्प आज़माये जाने चाहिए जो इस सदी में होने वाली तकरीबन एक अरब मौतों को मुल्तवी रखने का साधन बन सकते हैं। ऐसा ही एक और उपाय है। snus .बताते चलें फिलवक्त दुनिया भर में १. ३ अरब लोग धूम्रपान करते हैं भारत की स्वप्न नगरी मुंबई में स्मोकर्स अब पहले से ज्यादा सिगरेट प्रतिदिन पी रहे हैं। यह एक खतर्नाक स्थिति है कैंसर होने पर इलाज़ के पैसे नहीं निक्लेंगे घर से। पढ़िए इसी विषय पर एक व्यापक रिपोर्ट तम्बाकू निषेध दिवस पर :एक गोपनीय दस्तावेज़ के प्रकटीकरण से विश्वस्वास्थ्य संगठन की ई -सिगरेटों पर रोक लगाने की मंशा सामने आई है। यदि ऐसा होता है तो यह दुर-भाग्यपूर्ण  कदम होगा जिसका आधार ई -सिगरेटों के मुताल्लिक गलत जानकारी बनेगी जिसके तहत कहा गया था की ये भी उतनी ही नुकसानी का सबब बनती हैंजितना रेगुलर सिगरेटें । माहिर इसकी तस्दीक नहीं करते हैं :

Images for snus tobacco

Top scientists warn WHO not to stub out e-cigarettes

(L-R) Electronic cigarette vaporizers Cera and Luna by Thermo-Essence Technologies are pictured in San Carlos, California May 2, 2014.

(L-R) Electronic cigarette vaporizers Cera and Luna by Thermo-Essence Technologies are pictured in San Carlos, California May 2, 2014.

(Reuters) - A group of 53 leading scientists has warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes as tobaccoproducts, arguing that doing so would jeopardize a

41% smoke more now than 3 years ago in Mumbai: Survey

41% smoke more now

 than 3 years ago in 


Mumbai: Survey

MUMBAI: The knowledge that smoking kills has not deterred some Mumbaikars from increasing their daily dose of cigarettes. 

A survey done by a private insurance company on the eve of Quit Smoking Day on May 31 has found that 41% of the respondents in Mumbai smoked more cigarettes now than they did three years ago.

The reason cited for smoking is the same old one: It "relieves stress", both in both personal and professional lives. 

In a telling commentary on the efficacy of the anti-smoking laws implemented in 2008, the survey showed that 95% of those surveyed never tried to quit the habit. "Indians are still in denial about the ill-effects of smoking. They believe that smoking will not harm them but only their neighbours," said Sanjay Datta of ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. 

It is estimated that India has around 275 million tobacco users, with the habit likely to kill 1.5 million Indians every year by 2020. "We are now seeing the gutka effect. Gutka has been banned in several states, but people who consumed it in the 1990s and early 2000 are now getting oral cancer,'' said Dr Vikram Kekatpure from Narayana Health City in Bangalore. While India has banned smoking in public places, "people are not frightened enough. They take to smoking due to peer pressure. We need peer pressure to make them drop the habit," said Datta.

On the eve of Quit Smoking Day May 31

Smokers beware, your


 habit can up risk of 


second cancer

MUMBAI: There is one more reason to not light up a cigarette or chew tobacco. Not only do these habits make you more susceptible to oral or lung cancer, they also increase your chances of getting a second cancer, say doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel.

This second cancer is not the same thing as a recurrence, which is better known as metastasis of an old primary or first cancer. The second primary cancer is literally a new episode of cancer. It is important to make this distinction as treatments differ. "We have seen cases of second primary cancer in patients barely six months after they finished their treatment,'' said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, head and neck cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital.

Consider one of his patients, Ram Singh. The 38-year-old government servant and a resident of Navi Mumbai was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2009. After undergoing rigorous treatment, the Tata team recently found another cancer, barely a few centimetres from the original site. "After several tests, we realized that it wasn't just the old cancer recurring, but an entirely new chapter of cancer," said Dr Chaturvedi.

One of the reasons that Singh acquired a second cancer is his habit of smoking and chewing tobacco. For 15 years, he had chewed tobacco five to six times every day and smoked up to one packet of cigarettes a day for 10 years. He quit when the first or primary cancer was discovered, but the damage was done.

A study published in the BioMedical Centre's Cancer Journal in February 2014 said, "French cancer survivors face a dramatically increased risk of SPC (second primary cancer) which is probably related to the high rate of tobacco and alcohol consumption in France.''

Doctors estimate that 5% to 10% of cancer patients face the risk of a second primary cancer.

"Smoke mixed with saliva can cause molecular damage right from the lip to the bottom of the lungs,'' said the doctor. Oral cancers, which account for 30% of all cancers in India, kill around 50,000 every year.

The overall incidence of oral cancer has been reducing with better treatment and diagnostic facilities. Experts such as Dr Vikram Kekatpure, head and neck surgeon from Narayana Health City in Bangalore, though, notice another worrisome trend: Cancer is catching patients younger. "Previously, oral cancers were seen in men who were over 50 years of age. We now see it among 30-year-olds.'' He believes the rise in second primary cancer is due to better survival rates among patients.

Reference material :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Smokers-beware-your-habit-can-up-risk-of-second-cancer/articleshow/35739364.cms