ISLAMABAD: The research claims that piling up salt in one’s diet can cause bloating and digestive disruption. Although sodium is a major component that drives various vital body functions, the experts unanimously claim that excess salt intake traps the water in the body and hence, the unpleasant feeling of a bloated stomach happens.
The latest investigation has been made regarding the salt consumption effects and it has been concluded that people whose salt consumption was high have often been reported as feeling bloated. The participants of the research were classified into two categories: one group consisting of 50% persons taking a Western-style diet, while the other was getting more fiber-rich foods. Bloating issues were common in both groups due to excessive salt consumption.
On the basis of the observations, the researchers draw a conclusion that irrespective of the type of diet, salt consumption would cause more bloating. The American Heart Association advises that every person should restrict his/her salt intake to a limit of 2,300 milligrams a day, which is roughly equal to one teaspoon of salt.
Along with the feeling of fullness in the belly area, salt in large quantities can also prove to be bad for one’s heart by increasing blood pressure, hence damaging heart health. Besides, hypertension predisposes an individual to cardiovascular diseases, including but not limited to heart attack and stroke. In addition, it is a culprit of renal problems, osteoporosis, and increased susceptibility to gastric cancer as well.
Simple exercises help reduce depression symptoms, study confirms
Regular physical activity has been declared by a new study as a powerful remedy that can go hand in hand with medication or therapy in some cases for the treatment of depression.
The research that was performed at the University of Lancashire in the UK estimates that the data from 73 clinical trials done on 5,000 depressed individuals is the source of the conclusion that exercise can at least partially replace medical treatment in the case of patients already being on medication.
The research team thinks that one of the ways in which this happens is that physical activity pushes the brain to work more rapidly via the neurotransmitters chemicals in the brain that play a role in the regulation of moods, getting better at the way they act. Therefore, depression’s severity can be lowered to some extent. Or in other words, exercise initiates the production of the pleasure-inducing chemicals.
The conducted study also says that even light to moderate physical activities like brisk walking or climbing up to the second floor can help one’s mental health. One important point mentioned by the researchers is that aerobic activities such as fast walking and weight lifting give the best results when done together.
To the researchers’ surprise, the type of exercise people pick was downplayed by the study as being of no importance compared to the fact of being active at all. Whichever it is yoga, jogging, or dancing, practicing regular physical activities is always going to have positive impacts on both the mind and body.
Researchers announced that physical activity is a low-cost treatment for depression, which has almost no side effects and thus, a natural and efficient alternative to medication and psychotherapy.
The research, though admitting the intricacy of depression as a mental health disorder that can affect people of all ages, nevertheless emphasizes the need for treating both the body and the mind together if one aims to reach the highest level of well-being.
To put it more simply, this study demonstrates how very easy lifestyle changes could help combat the otherwise mounting problem of mental health.
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