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That’s batty!
BATS rarely get a good press but scientists believe they hold a secret that could slow down human ageing.
As they live for approximately 20 years and are impervious to diseases like Ebola and ironically Covid, which can be fatal for humans, DukeNUS Medical School (Singapore) have studied these flying mammals to discover the key to their resistance to disease.
The researchers found that they possess an altered version of the ‘bat ASC2’ protein which halts their inflammatory response and provides them with their resilience to viral infections.
Mice which had been genetically engineered to carry the protein have produced ‘promising results’ in experiments, the Singapore scientists said.
Their findings, they hope, could one day save millions of lives, helping to combat heart conditions, arthritis and Covid, amongst other conditions.
Blame the weather
SUMMER arrived early on the Costas but has now surrendered to typically unpredictable May weather.
Inevitably, the changes in weather patterns have had an effect on our health, prompting many people to link their allergyrelated symptoms to the increased presence of pollen in the spring.
But in certain cases, anomalies in atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity can lead to the onset of allergies and symptoms not caused by pollen.
Better diet, better fitness
EATING five pieces of fruit and vegetables each day could be as good for the heart as a daily 4,000 steps, investigators found.
Harvard researchers found that participants who kept to a Mediterraneanstyle diet had the same fitness level as people who took around 4,000 steps per day in previous studies.
“This study provides some of the strongest and most rigorous data thus far to support the connection between better diets and higher fitness,” Dr Michael Mi from Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, said.
Smokey
FUMES from meat cooking on barbecues, woodburning stoves, traffic and cigarettes could all trigger rheumatoid arthritis, new research suggests. A study found people with the highest levels of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also produced by gas cookers, had the greatest risk of contracting the inflammatory disease. The investigators noted that PAHs apparently accounted for most of smoking’s impact on rheumatoid arthritis risk.
