【推荐1】Now, a new trial finds antiviral medications, when given soon after a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (糖尿病), might help preserve those vital beta (β) cells.

Antiviral drugs could be “used alone, or as part of combination treatment, to rescue insulin (胰岛素) — producing beta cells at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes,” said a team that presented their findings at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, in Hamburg. So-called beta cells in the pancreas (胰腺) can generate insulin. But in some cases, an uncontrolled auto-immune response causes the body to attack its own beta cells, ruining a child’s capacity to produce insulin and cause type 1 diabetes. So people with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections to maintain healthy blood sugar levels the rest of their lives.

The researchers have been investigating the root causes of the autoimmune “malfunction” behind beta cell destruction for years, and they discovered that low-grade infections with common germs often occur in the pancreatic cells of people newly diagnosed with type l diabetes. So what if these people were given antivirals — in this case, pleconaril and ribavirin — to rid the pancreas of these infections?

The new trial, led by Dr. Mynarek, sought to answer that question. The team followed96 children aged 6 to 15 who were all diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the study. The children were randomly selected to receive either the two antiviral medicines or a placebo (无效对照剂) for six months. Mynarek’s group tracked C-peptides levels in the blood, which “mirror the insulin production in the pancreas,” implying that the higher a child’s C-peptide levels on tests, the better their pancreas was producing insulin. According to their findings, while C-peptide levels dropped a full 24% in children who received the placebo, it fell by just 11% in those who got the antivirals. That suggests the treatment helped protect the child’s pancreatic beta cells from destruction.

The researchers concluded that “further studies should be done to evaluate whether antiviral treatment could delay the progression of beta-cell damage leading to clinical type l diabetes.”

【推荐3】I have just eaten a delicious conference pear weighing about 180g. I do not normally weigh snacks, but the recently reported health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables have inspired me to dig out the scales.

A study published last month showed that, as expected, people who eat fruit and vegetables regularly cut their risk of dying from several diseases such as stroke, cancer and heart disease.     1    

The data suggested that, compared with eating no fruits and vegetables, overall health outcomes improve with every 200g increment, up to 800g ( up to 600g for those with cancer ). Unsurprisingly, few people manage to eat more than 800g, meaning that scientists are unable to reliably investigate the benefits of higher intakes.

    2     Eating 200g of fresh produce ( about two and-a-half portions ) appeared to cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by 13 percent, the risk of dying from cancer by 4 percent, and the risk of premature death by 15 percent.     3     There is a 28 percent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease; a 13 percent reduction in total cancer risk; and a 31 percent cut in the risk of premature death.

Some fruits and vegetables seemed especially protective for certain conditions.     4     Those wanting to avoid early death, particularly from stroke or heart disease, could add the following to their plates: apples, pears, oranges and leafy vegetables.

Dr Aune said that, even though further research was needed to pin down the details, “ a high intake of fruit and vegetables holds tremendous health benefits, and we should try to increase their intake in our diet ” . Whole plant foods beat processed versions such as smoothies, which can be high in sugar.     5     Dr Aune said there was no evidence they cut the risk of disease.

Anyway, back to the scales. With each pear clocking in at nearly 200g, I did wonder whether I could gain my 800g with three more ripe beauties from the fruit bowl, currently siting by two wrinkly apples and an unappealing banana. My ugly fruit friends: your time has come.

【推荐2】If you’re tired and find yourself with that rare spare chunk of time, should you he using it to swing kettlebells or get more sleep? It’s a question most people have faced. Who isn’t a little sleep-deprived (被剥夺的) Who doesn’t need more exercise? Who has time for both?

The answer is a bit complicated. Obviously, both sleep and exercise are vital, and ideally, adults should make time for both. Getting the recommended seven hours a night is important for metabolic (新陈代谢的) function, weight regulation and brain health. Inadequate amount or quality of sleep is associated with both short-and long-term poor health measures, increasing the risk for heart disease, memory problems, etc. Consistent physical exercise yields similar benefits and, just like not getting enough sleep, failing to exercise can have serious health consequences. Exercise can improve deep sleep, and sleeping better enhanced the ability to exercise the next day.

Because both are so critical for health, medical experts hesitate to say one is more important than the other. However, there is a key differentiator (区分点) between the two: “We have a biological need to sleep — it’s a behavior we must do every day,” says Christopher. “Physical activity, on the other hand, is definitely beneficial for health, but being less active for a few days here and there doesn’t have the same negative health impact as having stall sleep for days.” In other words, skipping workouts, while not ideal, won’t stop you from operating, whereas being sleep deprived definitely will. Too little sleep or poor-quality sleep can impact mood, au d increase anxiety and depression symptoms.

In order to stay somewhat active without sacrificing sleep, the trick may be to look for non-traditional ways to get physical activity. Washing dishes, making beds, keeping the kid in their baby carriage and going for a quick jog—it all counts, and none of it requires skipping sleep.

【推荐3】The benefits of exercise have been fully noted and your resolutions have been made. Yes, you want to be fit and live a long and healthy life.     1    .

According to standard advice issued by the World Health Organization, adults should be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical workout or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week to extend their lives, get fit, have stronger muscles and be a healthy weight. If that didn’t already sound a lot, the WHO says to double that if you want to get further benefits.

The good news for those who dislike sports is that it’s possible to stick to these guidelines without entering a gym or breaking into a jog.     2    .

This idea is in line with evidence from a study last year of more than 130,000 people in 17 countries, which found that walking to work and housework such as vacuuming or mopping the floor are activities enough to reduce the risk of early death by 28 per cent, as long as you do 150 minutes a week. If you aren’t one for housework, you will be pleased to hear that your weekly amount of exercise can be put into the weekend with no ill effects, says Gray Donovan of Loughbirough University, UK.     3     But his team analyzed data from more than 63,000 adults in the UK covering 18 years and found that people who favored a “weekend fighter” plan had pretty much the same reduced risk of early death from all causes as those who spread out exercise. “One weekly exercise is usually sufficient to reduce mortality and morbidity (死亡率和发病率),” Donovan says. Even weekend fighters who did less than the recommended amount for the week fared better than inactive people.

    4     “No level of exercise is too much,” says Donovan. “There’s no increase in mortality or morbidity if you keep increasing the amount.” Just don’t go too hard each time.

【推荐2】Kong Ziyue, a brave 11-year-old boy, put out a forest fire when he was spending Spring Festival holiday at home in a village in Henan Province.

Kong was hanging out with his friends when they saw black smoke rising from the forest outside the village. They discovered flames when they arrived. As there were many dry leaves and weeds on the ground, the fire began to spread.

“You look after your sister, let me put out the fire, or all of the poplar trees will be damaged,” Kong told Xia Ming, his friend. Grabbing a rag on the ground and starting to put out the fire, Kong spent about 30 minutes putting out the fire on his own. “Kong fell over accidentally and even burnt the palm on his right hand,” said Xia. “If I wasn’t looking after my sister, I would have definitely helped him put out the fire.”

Kong’s father was proud of his son’s bravery but he also reminded his son to call 119 — the number for the fire service in China — first if he discovered any fire. When interviewed days later, Kong explained the reason why he decided to put out the fire on his own: “I thought if I called the firefighters or other adults for help, I was afraid that most of the trees would be burnt down before they arrived.”

Kong’s brave action won praise from the local government and school.

However, an expert in fire control believes that Kong’s actions shouldn’t be encouraged. “It was pretty moving that the young kid had the courage to put out a fire. Kong’s brave actions should be praised by the local government but should not be encouraged, because it was too dangerous for young kids to put out fires and they might get hurt when doing it.”