islamabad - The aerobic exercise is the most effective weapon for defeating stubborn belly fat and reducing serious health risks.
It can reduce both visceral and liver fat and improve risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.
A new study from Duke University Medical Centre researchers found that aerobic exercise provided significant benefits over resistance training.
The researchers studied the impact of both aerobic exercise such as jogging and resistance training such as weight lifting on the reduction of visceral and liver fat found deep within the abdomen that fills spaces between internal organs, and poses a series threat to health. The eight-month study involved 196 sedentary and overweight adults who ranged in age from 18 to 70 years. The subjects were assigned to groups who participated either in aerobic exercise, resistance training, or a combination of both.
Subjects in the aerobic exercise group achieved the equivalent of jogging 12 miles weekly at 75 percent of their maximum heart rate, with the use of a treadmill, an elliptical machine, or a stationary bike. Those in the resistance group completed three sets of eight to 12 repetitions three times weekly, while those in the combination group performed amounts of both types of exercise.
Magnetic brain stimulation may aid recovery for stroke survivors
There is new hope for better recovery for patients who survive a debilitating stroke. Italian researchers have discovered that the use of magnets to stimulate the nerve cells of the brain can help to correct the condition known as hemispatial neglect, which prevents stroke patients from seeing or recognizing anything on one side of their body.
Previous studies have estimated that between 20 and 50 percent of patients suffer hemispatial neglect following a stroke. The condition most often occurs when stroke damaged is suffered in the right half of the brain.
Author Giacomo Koch of the Santa Lucia Foundation in Rome, Italy said that the treatment is based on the theory that hemispatial neglect results when a stroke disrupts the balance between the two hemispheres of the brain. A stroke on one side of the brain causes the other side to become overactive, and the circuits become overloaded. Currently, treatment for hemispatial neglect combines physical therapy with brain retraining,

which involves performance of mental tasks via a computer or pen and paper. However, the treatment is often not effective enough to provide significant improvement.
A new treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), uses a sizable magnetic coil placed against the patient’s scalp to create mild electric currents that stimulate nerve cells, which may have the ability to restore balance between both sides of the brain.
Koch and his colleagues provided daily TMS treatment for 10 of 20 stroke patients who suffered from hemispatial neglect for a period of two weeks. The other 10 participants received a faux treatment, while all of the study subjects took part in brain retraining treatment.
The findings of the analysis showed that overall, those participants who received TMS had improved by 16.3 percent by the end of treatment, and improvement increased to 22.6 percent after another two weeks. In addition, improvement was seen in the overactive brain circuits of patients who received magnetic treatment. No improvements were noted in test scores of those who received the sham treatment.

Adding fish to your diet may ward off Alzheimer

Consuming baked or broiled fish at least once per week could help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, according to the findings of a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms often develop slowly and become more severe over time, to the point of interfering with daily tasks. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s. Sadly, the disease affects as many as 5.1 million Americans.
While previous research has suggested that including fish in diet may have brain-boosting effects, the latest study from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center suggests that consuming non-fried fish can battle against the brain shrinkage and cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s.
In a statement regarding the results of the study, lead study author Cyrus Raji said that , we found higher levels of working memory in people who ate baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis, even when accounting for other factors, such as education, age, gender and physical activity.
The brain volume and memory function of each study participant was measured via MRI at both the start and end of the analysis. The findings revealed that those subjects who consumed more fish possessed better memory function and larger brain areas, including the posterior cingulated and the orbital frontal cortex, as well as the hippocampus, which is known to shrink in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer.