Health

ISLAMABAD: Coffee may prevent type II diabetes and Parkinson's disease, evidence shows.

It may also have anti-cancer and antidepressant effects. Some people can't tolerate coffee because of side effects.

Doctors say that If you don't drink coffee and want to start, ease into it. If you can't get through your day without a coffee break or two, here's good news for you.

What scientists know so far suggests coffee may help you stay healthy.

So,doctors aren't quite convinced enough to prescribe coffee but they probably don't need to, because so many people indulge in it anyway.

Coffee could cut risk of skin cancer

"For most people, for people who don't experience the side effects, the benefits far outweigh the risks," said Dr. Donald Hensrud of the Mayo Clinic.

More is known about the overall association between coffee and positive health effects than about the mechanism behind it, said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Antioxidants are one potential reason that good outcomes are seen from coffee. Our bodies produce oxygen radicals, which are damaging to DNA. Antioxidants prevent them from doing damage, Ascherio said.

Although antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables, research has shown that coffee is the top source of antioxidants for Americans.

Caffeine itself may also contribute to coffee's positive effects on brain health. That may be because caffeine is an antagonist to adenosine receptors. These receptors normally slow down neural activity when the chemical adenosine binds to them, producing a sleepy feeling. But if caffeine binds to the receptors, the activity of neurons speeds up.

Coffee also appears to lower levels of insulin and estrogen, which is perhaps why a study last year found a lower risk of endometrial cancer in coffee-drinking women. Insulin also plays a role in prostate cancer, another disease coffee may help stave off.

Smokers mothers in Pregnancy increase baby's risk Of asthma

ISLAMABAD: New research has discovered that mothers who smoke during pregnancy may cause wheeze and asthma in their children when they reach preschool, even among kids whose moms did not smoke until late pregnancy or after birth.

Asa Neuman, MD, of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, said:

"Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to maternal smoking during fetal and early life increases the risk off childhood wheezing and asthma, but earlier studies were not able to differentiate the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure. Our study, a large pooled analysis of eight birth cohorts with data on more than 21,000 children, included 735 children who were exposed to maternal smoking only during pregnancy.

These children were at increased risk for wheeze and asthma at preschool age. Furthermore, the likelihood of developing wheeze and asthma increased in a significant dose-response pattern in relation to maternal cigarette consumption during the first trimester."

The analysis showed that maternal smoking during pregnancy only was associated with increased risks for wheeze (odd ratio 1.39, 95 % CI 1.08-1.77) and asthma (odds ratio 1.65, 1.18-2.31) at ages 4 through 6, after adjusting for factors such as parental education, siblings, sex, and birth weight.

Moreover, maternal smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy showed to have an effect on children's development of wheeze and asthma; however, smoking during the third trimester or the first year of birth showed no increased risks.

Maternal smoking can begin to cause harm on the fetal respiratory system early in pregnancy, possibly before the mother even knows that she is pregnant, Dr. Neuman pointed out.

The research has a few limitations, such as the parents answering the questionnaires to obtain exposure and outcome information.

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