A study has found that smokers and overweight people have a higher risk of losing their hearing.

SMOKING or being overweight can lead to a loss of hearing. Researchers at University of Antwerp in Belgium believe that smoking and higher BMIs decrease the flow of oxygen to the ear, which can cause damage.

They said smoking cuts down the blood circulation and also causes a build-up of toxic waste which is harmful to the ear. A higher BMI also slows circulation of the blood. Blood flow is absolutely crucial for good functioning of the inner ear.

The researchers said that hearing loss is proportional to how much a person smoke and his BMI. The relationship became much stronger with more smoking, which says that the effect of smoking on hearing loss is linear.

They believe hearing loss will get worse once you have smoked regularly for more than a year. And this applies to ex-smokers, too.

Effects of excessive phone use

TEENAGERS who use their phones often have more "careless" lifestyles, consume more stimulating drinks, suffer from disrupted sleep or insomnia and are more susceptible to stress and fatigue, a study revealed.

Swedish researchers said addiction to phones is becoming common. Youngsters feel pressured to be interconnected and reachable round the clock. They looked at 21 youngsters between 14 and 20 who were split into two groups according to their phone use. One group made fewer than five calls or sent fewer than five text messages a day. The other made more than 15 calls and sent more than 15 messages.

Based on their findings, the researchers said it is necessary to increase teenagers' awareness of the negative effects of excessive phone use on their sleep-wake patterns, with serious health risks as well as attention and cognitive problems.

Benefits of red yeast rice

RED yeast rice is found to cut the risk of dying from a second heart attack by almost a third, and the risk of a non-fatal heart attack by almost two thirds.

Red yeast rice is the source of the first statin drug, lovastatin. It is made by fermenting rice with a yeast called Monascus purpureus. The result is a purple form of rice, which is also used to colour food.

Researchers from Jefferson University in Philadelphia gave extract of the red yeast known as XZK rice to 5,000 people in China of both sexes who already had a heart attack.

They said the health benefits from red yeast rice even exceeded those of statins, the acclaimed cholesterol-lowering drugs.

But they cautioned that they do not know exactly how Chinese red yeast rice works. The exact ingredients from the XZK capsules have not been isolated and further study is needed.

Red yeast rice has been used in China for thousands of years as a food preservative, colourant, seasoning and herbal medicine. It is the ingredient that gives Peking duck its red colour.

Gum disease and diabetes complications

TYPE 2 diabetic patients can control the disease by taking better care of their teeth and gums. Studies have shown that having periodontal disease makes them more likely to develop worsened glycemic control, and puts them at much greater risk of end-stage kidney disease and death.

Studies have also shown periodontal treatment can provide an increment in diabetes control and subsequently a reduction in the risk for diabetes complications.

It's proven that the severity of periodontal disease is associated with higher levels of insulin resistance, often a precursor of type 2 diabetes, as well as with higher levels of A1C,

Consultation with the dentist is necessary to discuss whether periodontal treatment has been successful or whether a more intensive approach with oral or sub-antimicrobial antibiotics is in order. Controlling diabetes while the patient has an infected leg ulcer is as difficult as when there's infection and inflammation of the gums.

Periodontal or gum disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. As it is painless, most people don't know they have it, yet it is a major cause of tooth loss in adults.

Vitamin D can lower risk of PAD

PEOPLE with low vitamin D levels may face an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The disease occurs when arteries in the legs gets narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs.

People obtain vitamin D by making it themselves (through skin exposure to sunlight), by eating foods like fish and fortified dairy products that contain vitamin D or by taking dietary supplements. Adequate vitamin D levels are necessary for bone health but researchers are only beginning to explore vitamin D's connection to cardiovascular disease.

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York measured vitamin D levels in 4,839 Americans adults. They also documented ankle-brachial index - a PAD screening tool that measures blood flow to the legs. They found that for each 10 nanogramme per millilitre decrease blood vitamin D level, there was a 35 per cent increase in the prevalence of PAD. - Agencies