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Painkiller warning: Apathy, lack of empathy or mood swings are psychological side effects

Paracetamol belongs to the group of drugs referred to as non-narcotic (non-opiates) analgesic and antipyretic drugs. This group of drugs is known to relieve pain and also reduce fever due to their antipyretic property. However, there are a number of health ailments which may ensue if not taking the recommended amount including three psychological symptoms.

Some general signs of painkiller intoxication and abuse may include:

• Drowsiness
• Poor concentration
• Memory problems
• Constipation
• Slower breathing rate
• Slower reactions and movements
• Apathy
• Mood swings.

Painkiller warning: Psychological

Apathy is when a person lacks motivation to do anything or just doesn't care about what's going on around you.

It can also be a symptom of mental health problems, Parkinson's disease, or Alzheimer's disease.

Apathy may last a long time and a person may lack the desire to do anything that involves thinking or taking control of their emotions.

In a study published in the National Library of Health, painkillers causing lack of empathy were further investigated.

The research looked to extend the functional overlap perspective to the neurochemical level and test whether a common physical painkiller, acetaminophen (paracetamol), can reduce empathy for another's pain.

In the two double-blind placebo-controlled experiments, participants rated perceived pain, personal distress and empathic concern in response to reading scenarios about another's physical or social pain.

Painkiller warning: Lack of empathy

"As hypothesized, acetaminophen reduced empathy in response to others' pain," noted the study.

It added: "Acetaminophen also reduced the unpleasantness of noise blasts delivered to the participant, which mediated acetaminophen's effects on empathy.

"Together, these findings suggest that the physical painkiller acetaminophen reduces empathy for pain and provides a new perspective on the neurochemical bases of empathy.

"Because empathy regulates prosocial and antisocial behaviour, these drug-induced reductions in empathy raise concerns about the broader social side effects of acetaminophen."

The NHS says: "Taking one or two extra tablets by accident is unlikely to be harmful, as long as you do not take more than eight tablets in 24 hours, "wait at least 24 hours before taking any more paracetamol."

Drugs.com has listed several symptoms of overdose. These include diarrhoea, increased sweating, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting.

Signs also include stomach cramps or pain, as well as swelling, pain, or tenderness in the upper abdomen or stomach area.

It says: "Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur while taking acetaminophen." 

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Visceral fat: Daily consumption of avocado changes 'abdominal adiposity distribution'

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says that coronary heart disease is the UK's single "biggest killer", noting that being overweight or obese can "increase your risk of coronary heart disease". Fortunately, a healthy diet can help lower your risk and reduce excess visceral fat.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition looked at the effects of avocado consumption on abdominal adiposity.

The research was conducted among adults who were overweight or obese.

A total of 105 adults aged 25 to 45 years old, were randomly assigned to an intervention that received a daily meal with one fresh Hass avocado or a control that received an isocaloric meal with similar ingredients without avocado for 12 weeks.

At the beginning and end of the 12 weeks, the researchers measured participants' abdominal fat and their glucose tolerance, a measure of metabolism and a marker of diabetes.

It found that women who consumed avocado as part of their daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.

Fat distribution in males did not change, and neither males nor females had improvements in glucose tolerance.

The NHS says monounsaturated fats help protect your heart by maintaining levels of "good" HDL cholesterol while reducing levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood.

Avocados are one example, as are some nuts, such as almonds, brazils, and peanuts.

"This means they contain a higher amount of energy (calories) than other fruits and vegetables.

"At around 150kcal per half an avocado, compared with around 20kcal for a similar amount of broccoli or a small orange, their energy contribution must be taken into consideration if you are trying to reduce your weight.

"This doesn't mean you should give them up, but if you want to eat avocado regularly, you will have to think about the rest of your diet a bit more carefully. Compared with other high-fat foods, avocados are a healthy option."

The NHS states: "If you're overweight, changes to your diet and physical activity levels are the first step to helping you lose weight.

"Your GP or practice nurse can help you assess your current diet and levels of physical activity, and set personal goals for change."

The NHS states: "The best way to lose weight if you're obese is through a combination of diet and exercise, and, in some cases, medicines. See a GP for help and advice."

Nuffield Health notes that body mass index (BMI), while still useful, has come under increasing scrutiny for not being a full representation of body composition or health.

Indeed, the NHS notes: "Your BMI can tell you if you're carrying too much weight, but it cannot tell if you're carrying too much fat."

Though too much body fat anywhere is bad for you, visceral fat is particularly bad as it raises your risk of a number of serious medical conditions.

These include heart disease, Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and high cholesterol.

In women, belly fat can also increase the risk of breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery. 

Reference: Daily Express: Harriet Whitehead 

Sir Jackie Stewart was shocked to discover that dementia has no cure

Sir Jackie Stewart was stunned to discover that there was no cure for dementia.

The former Formula 1 world champion's wife Helen was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and the motor racing star was shocked that nothing could be done to halt the condition despite it being commonplace around the world.

Jackie, 82, told The Sun newspaper: "When I was told Helen had dementia and there was no cure, I thought, ‘This is ridiculous, especially when you look at the number of people in the world who have it’.

"For every person born in the world today, one in three will develop dementia."

The sports star - who won the Formula 1 championship three times - admits he had no idea that Helen had dementia and things only began to become clear after she had an unexplained road accident.

Jackie said: "We had no idea Helen had dementia. But certain things started to happen. She had a road accident, for example. No one else was involved and it was on a fairly safe stretch of road and the weather was good. There was no reason to crash.

!Helen was my original pit-lane girl, my professional stopwatch and would time my laps to the millisecond. She was one of the most beautiful women in the world, and still is.

!I have watched her change before my eyes over the past few years. Her razor-sharp mind was one of the things I fell in love with. But it is her mind that is vanishing."

Stewart set up the Race Against Dementia charity in a bid to find a cure to the disease and scientists - backed by a £1 million grant from inventor Sir James Dyson - believe they are a decade away from a drug to halt the condition.

He said: "I created Race Against Dementia to break new ground. I didn’t want to be involved in yesterday’s technology. I wanted to look at things in a different way.

"In Formula One, problem-solving is done faster than anywhere else. A car can get fixed at lightning speed. In my day, if I had a puncture it could take two minutes to fix. It now happens in 1.7 seconds. That is Formula One. This is the culture I want to bring to the medical world."

Reference: Bang Showbiz -

Eat 100g of cranberries every day improves heart health, study claims

Eating 100g of cranberries a day could be the key to having a healthier heart, scientists claimed today.

Research led by King's College London tracked 45 men over a month to see how the superfood affected their blood pressure, heart rate and arteries.

They found eating 100g — around a cup — of the berries every day improved the width of their arteries by 1.1 per cent over the month compared to a control group.

But they did not cause any change in heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol or sugar over the course of the study.

The authors said the findings showed cranberries can significantly improve heart health, 'even in people with low cardiovascular risk'.

Previous studies have shown cranberries can help clear up urinary tract infections and even linked them to helping more serious illnesses such as bowel cancer.

Proven to help clear up urinary tract infections and even linked to helping more serious illnesses such as bowel cancer 

 Provided by Daily MailEating 100g of cranberries a day could be the key to having a healthier heart, scientists claimed today 

Provided by Daily MailResearch led by King's College London found eating 100g — around a cup — of the berries every day improved the width of their arteries by 1.1 per cent over the month compared to a control group. Graph shows: The flow-mediated dilation (FMD) — the amount arteries were able to expand as a result of increased blood flow — in men after eating 100g of cranberries (claret) compared to those having a placebo (pink) over four hours

 

Provided by Daily MailGraph shows: The  change in flow-mediated dilation (FMD) — a measure of artery width — in men after eating cranberries over a month (left) compared to those given a placebo (right)

Cranberries could be key to combating bowel cancer, according to previous study. 

• The disease kills almost 16.200 people in the UK each year.

• The extracts, equivalent to a cup of cranberries a day, were mixed into the meals of mice with colon cancer. 

  After 20 weeks the mice given the whole cranberry extract had about half the number of tumours as mice that received no cranberry in their food. The remaining tumours in the cranberry-fed mice were also smaller. 

  Furthermore, the cranberry extracts appeared to reduce the levels of inflammation markers in the mice.

  The research came from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Researchers generated three powdered cranberry extracts – a whole fruit powder, another containing only chemicals from the cranberry known as polyphenols, and a third with only the non-polyphenol components of the fruit.

Researchers examined 45 healthy British men aged 18 to 45 over a month.

They gave half the group a sachet of freeze-dried cranberry powder — equivalent to 100g of fresh berries — while the other half received a placebo powder.  

Researchers measured 'flow-mediated dilation' (FMD) — the amount arteries were able to expand as a result of increased blood flow — two hours after eating the powder, and a month after daily consumption.

Heart rates and blood pressure were also recorded. 

And they also analysed blood plasma and urine samples to see how the berries affected cholesterol and blood glucose.

Results showed those eating the cranberries saw the FMD increase from around an average of 7.1 per cent to 8.2 per cent just two hours after having a helping of the fruit.

Those receiving the placebo saw there's stay equal.

After a month of daily cranberries, the group who received the food saw their overall FMD levels increase by 1.1 per cent compared to their original artery width.

Meanwhile the placebo group saw no change again. 

Professor Christian Heiss, a cardiovascular expert at Surrey University, said: 'Our findings provide solid evidence that cranberries can significantly affect vascular health even in people with low cardiovascular risk. 

'This study further indicates that specific metabolites present in blood after cranberry consumption are related to the beneficial effects.'

Analysing blood and urine samples showed 13 chemicals contained in cranberries were associated with an increase FMD levels.

They measured metabolites — which are produced when the body breaks down particular chemicals found in foods. 

The authors said they 'cautiously hypothesise' that these chemicals — known as polyphenols — found in cranberries caused the improved artery health. 

But they said further research is needed to prove these links. 

Dr Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, a nutrition expert at KCL, said: 'The increases in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the related improvements in flow-mediated dilation after cranberry consumption emphasise the important role cranberries may play in cardiovascular disease prevention. 

'The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with an amount of cranberries that can be reasonably consumed daily makes cranberry an important fruit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease for the general public.'

Reference:Joe Davies Health Reporter For Mailonline