Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal

Morning Health Talk:

New Delhi, September 21, 2018:

How do we read the food labels and what do they mean in terms of sodium content?

Let us have a look at them.

• Sodium-free or salt-free: Less than 5 mg sodium per serving
• Very low sodium: Less than 35 mg sodium per serving
• Low sodium: Less than 140 mg sodium per serving
• Light in sodium: At least 50% less sodium than original product
• Reduced sodium: At least 25% less sodium than original product
• Too much salt: The average adult eats about 3,400 mg of sodium per day, which is far more than the recommended daily goal of 2,300 mg.

The Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) recommends an even lower goal: no more than 1,500 mg per day, especially for those with high blood pressure or heart disease.

Many of us are on a low carb diet. For short term, this is okay, but not in the long run. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that carbohydrates make up 45-65% of total daily calories. I recommend fasting with a fruit diet once a week.

If you are an alcohol lover read this. In August of 2018, two larger studies examined the impact of alcohol. The first one, published in The Lancet, included only people who drank at least some alcohol. It concluded that common recommendations regarding “moderate” drinking (one drink a day or less for women, and two drinks per day or less for men) might be too much. The second study, also published in The Lancet, was even bigger. It examined data from hundreds of studies and other sources (including sales of alcohol, home-brewed alcoholic beverage consumption, and even estimates of tourist consumption) in 195 locations. It concluded that the best option for overall health was no drinking at all. Of note, the definition of “a drink” in this study was 10 grams of alcohol — that’s 30% less than a standard drink in the US, but 25% more than a standard drink in the UK.

Loneliness an epidemic of the modern age. Nearly half of Americans say that they feel lonely most or even all of the time, and it isn’t just a detriment to their social lives and happiness; loneliness is bad for their health. Large number of studies have found strong links between loneliness and disease from cardiovascular disease to stroke and even death on the whole.

Scientists have observed an uptick in activity and chaos in the amygdala, which regulates emotions and emotional responses.  Similarly, the dorsal posterior insula, which regulates how painful something feels actually becomes more active when we are lonely, so injuries – which, incidentally, happen more often to people who are socially isolated – actually hurt more.

Cortisol is the fight or flee hormone. But our bodies are not designed to be under constant stress, and cortisol is known to disrupt nearly every biological process when our levels of it are too high. The antidote to high cortisol quotients is oxytocin. And oxytocin production ramps up to reward our social interactions specifically. Oxytocin is the social and the love hormone and is responsible for the pleasant ‘warm’ feelings we get from spending time around friends and loved ones. Maintaining a balance between the stress and social hormones is the key.

Another endocrine chemical, ‘brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) helps the brain to remain plastic, or flexible, so that we can continue to hold on to past memories and create new ones.

Socially isolated people, however, have a shortage of this substance, too. If you don’t have one, make one friend today.

Good news. European Parliament adopts resolution to curb antimicrobial resistance. The growing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can only be tackled through a holistic ‘One Health’ approach, members of European Parliament (MEPs) have said. Many countries including India have done in the past.

Health Ministry has launched sputum sample transportation through Dept of Post for diagnosis of TB. The pilot project starts in Karawal Nagar in Delhi. Now more people can get tested followed by appropriate management and reduced disease transmission.

Scientists have identified at least four new distinct personality types — average, reserved, self-centred and role model — after sifting through data from over 1.5 million people across the globe. Which one are you? (Nature Human Behaviour).

Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect CMAAO
President HCFI