Does extra-virgin olive oil have any advantages over other oils?

Yes. It is 100% natural. No chemicals or preservatives are added.

It withstands heat better than other vegetable oils. When you heat up oils, chemicals (known as aldehyde) capable of causing cancer may be released. Both vegetable oils and olive oils release such chemicals at very high temperature. However, extra-virgin olive oil appears to be less carcinogenic when used to fry foods. Unlike, vegetable oils, it has been found that people that regularly consume foods fried with olive oil do not have a higher risk of heart disease.

Are there any disadvantages?

Certainly. There is no such thing as the perfect oil. Some other oils may be better in terms of taste and variety of uses in cooking. Olive is also rich in calories (about 120 calories per tablespoon), so may not be suitable for those that intend to lose weight.

The main disadvantage of olive oil is that it is very expensive. A litre of extra-virgin olive oil is about 6,300 naira compared with a litre of vegetable oil which sells for 1000 naira.
Read more: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/28/extra-virgin-olive-oil-healthiest/

Source: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/07/01/football-red-cards-video-assistant-referees/

The decisions football referees make are often the subject of heated debates at bars, viewing centres, living rooms and kitchen table. This is not likely to stop with the introduction of the video assistant referees. Why? A new study has revealed that ‘slow motion’ playback by video assistant referee may make the referees more likely to issue red cards for fouls that would ordinarily have led to yellow card.

The researchers asked 88 European referees to take a disciplinary sanction for 60 game situations. Next, they were asked to decide if the situations required red, yellow or no card at all. Their decisions were then compared with decisions taken by a panel of EUFA experts.

According to the statement made by the authors

we found that referees judged more harshly when they are exposed to fouls in slow motion. The reason is that fouls viewed in slow motion appear to be more serious.

However, watching slow motions improved accuracy of the referees’ decisions when corner kicks are involved.

According to Prof Spitz,

corner kicks always involve many players, so slow motion may help spot the right fouls in the commotion.

Have you ever kept a secret? If so, did you feel pressured at some point to reveal these secrets? Could keeping just one secret affect your health? This was the focus of a recent study on how keeping a secret affects your health. According to the study, it is not just the number or of secrets that affect your well-being but how much time you spend thinking about them too.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/29/must-know-keeping-secrets-see-list-kept-secrets/

Do you sometimes feel low or sad while going through your friend’s pictures and posts on Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms? Well, a new study has finally been able to establish that this is due to what is termed “Happiness paradox”.
What this really means is that most persons with seemingly happier friends on social media are more likely to feel ‘less happy’ or sad.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/26/social-media-unhappy/

Mosquitoes have been observed to repeatedly adapt to newer forms of insecticides. Recent reports suggests that current measures seem to been losing its grip on controlling mosquitoes which appear to be getting ‘’smarter’’ over time.

According to a new study published June 18, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, one of the most common insecticides used in the battle against the Aedes aegypti mosquito now has no impact in some communities in Mexico. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for the spread of Zika, Dengue and Yellow fever-all deadly diseases.


http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/21/resistance-insecticide-treated-nets-mosquitoes-getting-smarter/

Mary, a 35 year old mother of two presented in the emergency unit of a teaching hospital with difficulty in breathing, noisy breathing and chest pain. After initial treatment for probable acute asthma, she got up as soon as she felt better, refusing further tests and treatment. She insisted on going home against medical advice because no one will look after the kids.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/23/patients-leave-hospital-medical-advice/

In an unusual move to recruit volunteers to contribute to the quest to develop better vaccines for Whooping cough, a research team in United Kingdom is willing to compensate participants with 3,526 British pounds (about 1.5 million naira)!

What will the project involve? Volunteer will allow themselves to be exposed to the germs (bacteria) that cause whooping cough and been observed for up to 17 days without treatment. What this means is that some of them may come down with the disease. How the participants respond to the Whooping Cough bacteria will assist the researchers to come up with better vaccines.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/20/whooping-cough-research-project/

A 22 year old Chinese man was finally relieved of faeces that had accumulated over 20 years. The man had been constipated throughout his life according to the report. His constipation was never fully relieved by the use of laxatives or other medications till surgeons intervened by opening up the abdomen to remove the poop and extremely large colon. The 3-hour operation was successful. According to the doctors, the man was ‘’nine months pregnant’’ and looked like he ‘’could explode at any time.’’ Thankfully, he is expected to recover from this painful, distressing and embarrassing condition.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/19/hirschsprungs-disease/

A new study suggests that low level of awareness may not be the main reason for delay in seeking treatment for breast cancer. The outcome of Breast Cancer depends largely on the time of presentation. Despite this many women with breast cancer in Nigeria present late and with advanced disease which is a source of concern. According to the study, efforts should be made to look beyond ‘level of awareness’ in improving early presentation.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/14/breast-cancer-nigerians/

All parents wish that their babies are delivered free of any congenital anomalies. Nevertheless, birth defects often occur when we least expect. Sadly, this is what happened to Amari, a 15 year old boy in the US who was born with a defect in the heart. On account of the serious defects, he underwent three corrective heart surgeries before age of two years. “He missed a lot of his childhood milestones,” his mom said on CNN.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/15/successful-heart-transplant/

Girls are more likely to have sex, get pregnant and even have sexually transmitted infections if they begin menstruation early, a new study has reported.

The study involved a review of several studies done in low and middle income countries. It was conducted by researchers at Columbia university and published on June, 7 in PLOS one.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/10/girls-likely-sex-get-pregnant-begin-menstruation-early/

Cheick Tiote

Check Tiote

Cheick Tiote, a former Newcastle and Ivory Coast midfielder died at the age of 30years. His sudden death on Monday, June 5 came as rude shock to everyone. He was reported to have collapsed at the training ground and died within an hour at the local hospital in China. This player described as a ‘’wonderful presence in the dressing room’’ with excellent performance on the field was a huge loss to the football community. He is one of 80 young, apparently healthy, physically active football players that have died suddenly in the past.

Nigerians will never forget Samuel Okwaraji, who collapsed and died at the age of 25 while playing against Angola in a World Cup Qualifier. There are also other Nigerian footballers such as Benjamin Owusu, Emmanuel Ogoli, Victor Omogbehin, Chinoso Henry who all fell into the grim, cold hands of death during football matches.

The huge loss of these young, healthy players in their prime raises the question:
Why are footballers prone to sudden death?

Many of the footballers experienced what can be described as Sudden death syndrome which refers to different causes of heart attacks in young people. It occurs within hours of sudden deterioration of the person’s health. In Tiote’s case, he died within one hour of developing the symptoms.


Read more: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/09/sudden-death-syndrome-losing-young-healthy-african-footballers/

Do you know that millions of persons in Nigeria may be consuming street foods containing toxic levels of heavy metals such as Lead and Cadmium? Many persons worry about hygiene and risk of infection whenever they have to eat food or fruits purchased from the roadside. However, this study suggests there is another thing to worry about-contamination of food by toxic metals.

In many countries, hawkers or vendors along the road, at bus stops or motor parks, make ‘’read to eat’’ or street foods available contributing significantly to food supply in urban areas where people have little time to cook meals at home.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/06/street-foods-prepared-hygenic-conditions-nigeria-may-still-unsafe-find/

Dr Chris Uzoh, a Nigerian-born medical doctor was recently suspended by General medical Council (GMC), UK for soliciting a romantic relationship with a female patient. According to Mail Online, Dr Chris attended to the patient in the clinic and followed up thirty minutes via text messages such as:

‘Sorry for this text message but I saw you and liked you and thought we could go on a date in the future. ‘I am single and looking for a serious relationship and not intending to mess about.’ ‘I’ve been feeling like a schoolboy meeting a girl he fancied for the first time. I haven’t felt this way in a while.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/05/nigerian-doctor-suspended-wooing-patient-texts-okay-doctors-date-patients/

A 21 month old Pakistani baby born with an extra large head has successfully undergone the first of a series of surgeries to correct the abnormal head size. The baby had what is called hydrocephalus which saw his head increase to about 73cm (larger than a man’s head which is about 56cm).

As a result of the condition, the baby could not close his eyes during sleep, move his head and had to be confined to bed on account too.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/31/baby-large-head-surgery/

Nigerians reacted with shock and anger to the heartbreaking account and video of a physiotherapist that repeatedly assaulted a child with cerebral palsy under her care. And guess what? She took selfies in between these terrible acts of child abuse and torture.

According to the story published on BellaNaija, the physiotherapist hit the child several times with objects, slapped her and pushed her to the ground.


http://www.healthx24.com/2017/06/02/child-cerebral-palsy/

There may be no more need to open up bodies of deceased persons to determine the cause of death, thanks to a major research breakthrough made by pathologists and radiologists at Leicester University, UK. The findings were published in Lancet in a research led by Prof Guy Rutty.


Professor Rutty explained: “Over the years there have been several attempts to develop alternative approaches to the invasive autopsy to limit the extent to which the cadaver is dissected. Although these techniques have been published, the invasive examination remains the standard adopted approach.”


http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/30/finding-cause-death-autopsy-without-opening-bodies-now-possible-study-reports/

India has reported cases of the Zika virus, the World Health Organization said, adding that efforts should be made to strengthen surveillance.

The WHO said that on May 15 India’s health ministry reported three confirmed cases from the western state of Gujarat. Cases were detected during testing in February and November last year, while one was detected in January this year, according to the statement, which was released on Friday but did not gain public attention until Saturday.


http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/29/fresh-zika-virus-cases-india/

A stunning actress has been forced to live locked away from the world after a deadly gas leak left her allergic to life and even her husband.Pilar Olave, 30, from Los Angeles, has been bedridden and unable to live with her husband for two years because of her extreme allergies


Four years ago Pilar started inexplicably forgetting her lines,becoming disorientated, confused and suffered from a tight chest, severe stomach pain and heart palpitations. Her body had developed an allergy to all food, people, water, clothing, technology with an electromagnetic field including her mobile phone and more.

http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/28/woman-unable-husband-severe-allergies/

Getting less than six hours of sleep a night may double the odds of dying from heart disease or stroke for people who already have risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, new research suggests.

Known as metabolic syndrome, this cluster of risk factors can include high blood pressure, high levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity, high levels of blood fats known as triglycerides and low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.


for more ;http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/25/insufficient-sleep-might-increase-risk-heart-disease-stroke/

Congratulations!

Source: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/27/nigerian-couple-babies-infertility/

Adeboye and Ajibola Taiwo had tried for 17 years to start a family. Now, they’re the parents of sextuplets — three boys and three girls, all in good condition and absolutely adorable.

The babies were delivered by cesarean section at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond on May 11.

For nearly two decades, Ajibola Taiwo, a native of Western Nigeria, and her husband Adeboye had tried but failed to conceive.

In November, they were elated to hear four heartbeats at their first ultrasound.

At a follow-up appointment in early 2016, the couple found out they were actually expecting sextuplets.

“I was excited,” Adeboye Taiwo said. “For the very first time we were expecting.”

He is the first African to head the organization. The closest Nigeria had was when Dr Adeoye Lambo became the deputy director general.

Health ministers of 186 countries on Tuesday, 23rd, May, elected Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new director general of the World Health Organization (W.H.O). Dr Tedros from Ethiopia contested the election with Dr Nabarro from UK and Dr Dania Nishtar, a cardiologist from Pakistan. The race started 2 years ago and remained trouble free until accusations of complicity in human right abuses and cover up of cholera epidemic were made by the aide of Dr Nabarro against the leading contender , Dr Tedros. Nevertheless, Dr Tedros won by 121 votes after two rounds of voting.

He takes over from Dr Magareth Chan, who had been in charge since 2007. Her tenure had been arked by criticism on account of frustratingly slow response to the Ebola epidemic which claimed several lives.

Dr Tedros, aged 52 years will be the first African to head the UN health agency, the highest and most powerful health post on the planet. Dr Tedros is a public health physician. He obtained a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He subsequently received a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham in 2000.

Source: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/23/w-h-os-new-director-general-is-dr-tedros-ghebreyesus/

Wonder what the situation is in Naija.

When high school students started smoking marijuana regularly they were less likely to get good grades and want to pursue university, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo.The study, published in the Journal of School Health, found that when students started using marijuana at least once a month they were about four times more likely to skip class, two-to-four times less likely to complete their homework and value getting good grades, and about half as likely to achieve high grades, than when they had never used the drug.

http://www.healthx24.com/news/

HealthX24 answers some questions about Ebola Virus Disease with facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization.

1. Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal infection.

2. Ebola virus can be transmitted to others through direct contact with blood or secretions and fluids of an infected person.
see more;http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/14/facts-ebola-virus/
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See what was published in a medical journal just a week ago
Professor Christopher Semsarian at University of Sydney, Australia:

The population most at risk is teenagers and young adults, representing the population these drinks are most heavily marketed towards. Since energy drinks are widely available to all ages and over the counter, it is important that cardiovascular effects of these drinks are investigated
So, experts are just beginning to admit its huge impact on public health

Source: http://www.healthx24.com/2017/05/11/energy-drinks-increases-sudden-death/