Spicy food may help you live longer
Eating spicy food may lead to a longer life, according to a new US study. Researchers at the larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13 per cent reduction in total mortality — primarily in deaths due to heart disease or stroke — in a large prospective study published in medical journal PloS ONE. Only one other study previously examined chili pepper consumption and its association with mortality. Researchers examined national health and nutritional data from more than 16,000 Americans over a 23-year period and found that the consumption of hot red chili peppers delayed death. Those who regularly consumed hot chili tended to be “younger, male, white, Mexican-American, married, and to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and consume more vegetables and meats”. They also had lower HDl-cholesterol, lower income, and less education compared to participants who did not consume red chili peppers.
Vape pens may up desire to smoke: study
Watching someone use new generation e-cigarettes or vape pens may stimulate the urge to smoke in young adults, even in those who have never smoked before, a new study has found. US researchers found that young adult smokers exposed to the use of traditional cigarettes, first-generation e-cigarettes or second-generation vape pens experienced an immediate, significant and lasting increase in the desire to smoke. This extended even to subjects who had never used the newer devices. “Vape pens look different but share too many salient features of the act of smoking including inhalation, exhalation and hand-to-mouth behaviours,” said Andrea King, professor at the University of Chicago.
UAE launches first robot pharmacy
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has inaugurated its first “robot pharmacy” at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, a report stated. This smart pharmacy is deploying a robot for the first time in the UAE to dispense prescribed medication, which would be done at a click of button based on a bar code, therefore “minimise any human error,” Xinhua cited a report by UAE state news agency WAM. The robot, which will start serving customers from Sunday, can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispense around 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, which would reduce customers’ waiting time significantly. The Dubai Health Authority said it plans to adopt the use of robot in all its hospitals soon. The robot is one of the latest smart technologies adopted by the authority to meet the 2016-2021 strategy, which aims to achieve a “happy and healthy society”.