As another week comes to a close, here at talkhealth we’ve rounded up all of the top news stories from the week in the world of health. From Professor Green talking about depression and the impact of loneliness through to the food poisoning dangers of tea towels, there’s a wide range of topics on offer this week. So, lets just into the top health headlines from the week.
Medication and depression
Famous British rapper and presenter Professor Green has opened up about his battles with depression and his apprehension of taking antidepressants. In a revealing interview, Professor Green has spoken about his time dealing with anxiety and depression and has claimed he feels “like an idiot” for not trying antidepressants sooner. Well-known for his active role with the charity Calm, Professor Green has long been an advocate for raising awareness of male suicide, and this latest insight into his battles with depression should help raise this cause into the spotlight again.
Alongside this, new research from US based researchers has found that many commonly prescribed drugs may increase the chances of developing depression. The research found that, among the study participants, rates of depression were 7% higher for those taking medication where depression may be a side effect.
Lead author Dima Qato, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois, said: “Many may be surprised to learn that their medications, despite having nothing to do with mood or anxiety or any other condition normally associated with depression, can increase their risk of experiencing depressive symptoms and may lead to a depression diagnosis.”
If you are at all concerned that your medication may be having an adverse effect on you, either mentally or physically, you should contact your GP immediately.
To find out more about mental health, please head to our men’s health and women’s health sections of the website.
The importance of exercise in middle age
Exercise is important regardless of age. However, new research has found that middle aged people who are not exercising are putting themselves at heightened risk of increased blood pressure, frailty, dementia and an early death.
The independent reports found that a lack of exercise in middle age could contribute to several issues, with dementia and an early death being the most severe. One report found that those who were aged 50 with a systolic blood pressure of 130mmHg or above were nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to develop dementia than those with ideal blood pressure.
In addition, a separate report noted that men categorised as frail between the ages of 37 and 45 were over two-and-a-half times more likely to die than non-frail people of the same age, with similar findings in women of the same age range.
If you are struggling to keep fit, look at our men’s health and women’s health sections of the website for advice on keeping fit.
Loneliness and its effects
Loneliness can have a huge impact on an individual, both mentally and physically. A new study has highlighted this and has found loneliness may double a person’s risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
The study also revealed that people who felt lonely were three times as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression – this was true for both men and women. These people also reported a much lower quality of life in general.
If you are struggling with loneliness or mental health issues, reach out to friends and family, your GP, or take a look at our forums and connect with like-minded people.
Tea towels and food poisoning
Finally, Scientists from the University of Mauritius have found that multi-use tea towels could be putting your household at risk of food poisoning.
The research examined 100 multi-use towels that had been used for a month and concluded that bacteria such as e-coli was more likely to be found on towels that have been used for multiple functions. Multiple use increases the chance of cross-contamination of potential pathogens that can spread bacteria and lead to food poisoning.
The government recommends washing or changing dish cloths, tea towels, sponges and oven gloves regularly and letting them dry before re-use.
That rounds up this week’s top stories from the world of health. If you want to continue the conversation, head over to the talkhealth forums!
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This is the talkhealth blog spot, where we post on a wide range of health conditions, topics, issues and concerns. We post when we see something that we believe is of interest to our visitors. Our posts do not reflect any particular view or standpoint of talkhealth, but are merely to raise attention and awareness.
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