Less sleep leads to more eating, weight gain

WASHINGTON: Sleeping a mere five hours a night during a work week with unlimited access to snacks isn't good for your waistline.

A study, led by the University of Colorado at Boulder, found that participants gained nearly one kilogram when put in such a situation.

Previous studies have shown that a lack of shut-eye can lead to the packing on of kilos but the reasons for the extra weight were unclear, according to the authors of the latest research.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the newest findings show that, while staying awake longer did indeed require more energy, the extra calories burned were more than offset by the amount of food the study participants consumed.

"Just getting less sleep, by itself, is not going to lead to weight gain," said Kenneth Wright, director of CU-Boulder's Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory that lead the study. "But when people get insufficient sleep, it leads them to eat more than they actually need."

The researchers monitored 16 young, lean and healthy men and women who lived for two weeks at the University of Colorado Hospital, which has a "sleep suite."

They measured how much energy participants used by keeping tabs on the amount of oxygen they breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide they exhaled.

After all participants spent the first three days with the opportunity to sleep nine hours a night and eating controlled meals meant to maintain their weight, they were split into two groups.

The first group then spent five days with only five hours during which to sleep, while the other group spent those days with nine hours during which to rest.

After the first five days, the groups switched. In both groups, participants were offered larger meals and access to snacks that included ice cream and potato chips but also healthier options such as fruit and yoghurt.

On average, those who slept for up to five hours a night burned five per cent more energy than those who snoozed up to nine hours. However, those with less shut-eye also consumed six per cent more calories.

Those getting less rest tended to eat smaller breakfasts but binged on after-dinner snacks, according to the researchers.

In fact, the late-night food intake totaled more in calories than individual meals, they said.

The authors of the study also found that men and women responded differently to having access to unrestricted amounts of food.

While both males and females put on weight when only allowed to sleep five hours, men gained - even with "adequate" rest - when they could eat as much as they desired. Women, however, maintained their weight when they had "adequate" sleep, no matter how much food was at their disposal.

A separate study out last month said sleep deficit - even just a week's worth -- can have damaging effects on our genes.

Lack of adequate shut-eye had already been linked to conditions from heart disease and cognitive impairment to obesity. (AFP)

READMOR:http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-91833-Less-sleep-leads-to-more-eating,-weight-gai

Breast milk delivery launched by Midland blood bikes

A charity motorbike breast milk delivery service has been launched to help premature babies.

Midland Freewheelers Emergency Rider Voluntary Service began transporting donated breast milk for babies at Birmingham Women's Hospital on Monday.

The milk is given to sick or premature babies when breast milk cannot be provided by their mother.

The service has about 25 volunteer bikers who transport blood and medical supplies free of charge to hospitals.

It is the first time the charity has delivered milk.

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Milk banks

• The Birmingham Milk Bank was developed by Dr Mary Crosse at Sorrento Hospital, Moseley
• It celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2010
• Donor mothers give surplus milk, which is screened and pasteurised
• There are 17 human milk banks in the UK

Dr Gemma Holder, of Birmingham Women's Hospital, said illness, insufficient supply or separation from the baby could affect a mother's ability to supply breast milk.

Breast milk from a network of donors is used instead as it helps improve the immune system and fight off infections.

She said the milk was "vital to help save the lives of sick or premature babies".

Dr Holder added: "Now we're in partnership with the blood bike charity it means we are able to rely on a swift and constant delivery of the much-needed milk."

Ray Hart, of Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes, said: "It is vitally important that sick and premature babies get the best possible start in life; our service will enable us to deliver supplies of life-saving breast milk from mother to hospital quickly and efficiently."

He said the charity was appealing for more business sponsors to keep the service free of charge "to help the cash-strapped NHS save money".

READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-21653444

threats from Europe's alien invasion

Invasive alien species pose a greater risk to Europe's biodiversity, economy and human health than previously thought, a report has concluded.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has compiled a list of 28 invaders that highlight the range of threats facing ecosystems in the continent.

Non-native species, such as food crops, can also be beneficial, the study adds.

The reports have been published ahead of a high-level meeting at the European Parliament to discuss the issue.

It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 non-native species in Europe, of which at least 15% are deemed to be "invasive", which are organisms that are known to have negative ecological or economic impacts.

Invasive alien species (IAS) are considered to be one of the main threats to biodiversity, explains EEA executive director Prof Jacqueline McGlade.

"In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and [habitat] fragmentation," she says.

"Alien species invasions are a growing pressure on the natural world, which are extremely difficult to reverse."

Japanese knotweed

The report, The Impact of Invasive Alien Species in Europe, lists the various impacts.

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• Alien invasion hits the UK

"Competition, predation and transmission of diseases between alien and native species are frequent and can pose a major threat to native species," the authors observe.

"Alien species may also affect ecosystem services, which in turn can have an impact on human wellbeing."

One species whose spread and impact has been well documented is Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica).

It can reach 4m in height, growing up to 30cm in a day. Its powerful root system can reach depths of three metres into the soil and spread up to 20m, making it almost impossible to eradicate once it becomes established.

The report says the plant forms dense stands and squeezes out other plant species and outcompetes native plants, resulting in a botanical "monoculture".

The publication adds: "The rhizome system of knotweeds can seriously damage infrastructure, such as buildings, river bank stabilisations and water channels, railway tracks and roads, and construction land.

"By disrupting the integrity of flood defence structures, the risk of flooding is increased."

The Asian tiger mosquito is a more direct threat

An IAS that poses a direct threat to human health is the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), which has been linked to the transmission of more than 20 human pathogens, including yellow fever and dengue.

The species is an "aggressive daytime‑biting insect" and its distribution has spread rapidly in western and southern Europe over the past two decades.

On Thursday, Czech MEP Pavel Poc is hosting an event at the European Parliament in Brussels that will look at ways to tackle the threat posed by IAS.

Organised by conservation groups IUCN and Birdlife, the high-level debate at the European Parliament in Brussels will consider measures that could be taken within the EU policy framework to mitigate the present and future threats from invasive alien species.

The EEA report warns that, given the increase in both goods and people moving around the globe, the "number and impact of harmful IAS in Europe may grow significantly in the future".

It adds that changes to the climate may provide opportunities for IAS to proliferate and spread.

"In this situation, some IAS might initiate complex, unpredictable cascades of effects," it warns.

The EEA suggests that the best way to tackle the threats posed by invasive species was through a "combination of preventative measures, early detection and rapid response to incursions, with permanent management only as the last option".

READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21509016

Lenses found to 'cure colour-blindness'

Scientists say they have invented spectacle lenses that cure red-green colour blindness, which affects some women and one in every 10 men.

The Oxy-Iso lenses were designed by an American research institute to allow medics to spot bruising and veins that are difficult to see.

Tests suggest they can help to enhance reds and greens in the colour-blind.

But they could not be worn by drivers, because they reduce the ability to perceive yellows and blues.

Theoretical neurobiologist Mark Changizi, who developed the glasses with Oxy-Iso lenses, believes human colour vision "evolved above and beyond that found in other mammals... allowing us to sense colour-signals on the skin, including blushes, blanches, as well as sensing health".

"So the Oxy-Iso filter concentrates its enhancement exactly where red-green colour-blind folk are deficient," he said.

Daniel Bor, a colour-blind neuroscientist at the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex, said they made red colours appear very vibrant.

But he had some reservations, because they also made yellow light invisible.

"My daughter's baby monitor has some yellow lights on it and I couldn't see them at all," he said.

READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21367584