Time to quit eating at night? According to the findings of a new study, unhealthy eating behaviours at night can make people less helpful and more withdrawn the next day at work.

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. “For the first time, we have shown that healthy eating immediately affects our workplace behaviours and performance,” said Seonghee “Sophia” Cho, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University.

Cho added, “It is relatively well established that other health-related behaviours, such as sleep and exercise, affect our work. But nobody had looked at the short-term effects of unhealthy eating.”

Fundamentally, the researchers had two questions: Does unhealthy eating behaviour affect you at work the next day? And, if so, why?

For the study, researchers had 97 full-time employees in the United States answer a series of questions three times a day for 10 consecutive workdays. Before work on each day, study participants answered questions related to their physical and emotional well-being.

At the end of each workday, participants answered questions about what they did at work. In the evening, before bed, participants answered questions about their eating and drinking behaviours after work.

In the context of the study, researchers defined “unhealthy eating” as instances when study participants felt they’d eaten too much junk food; when participants felt they’d had too much to eat or drink; or when participants reporting having too many late-night snacks. The researchers found that, when people engaged in unhealthy eating behaviours, they were more likely to report having physical problems the next morning. Problems included headaches, stomachaches and diarrhea.

In addition, when people reported unhealthy eating behaviours, they were also more likely to report emotional strains the next morning – such as feeling guilty or ashamed about their diet choices. Those physical and emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating were, in turn, related to changes in how people behaved at work throughout the day.

Essentially, when people reported physical or emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating, they were also more likely to report declines in “helping behaviour” and increases in “withdrawal behaviour.”

Helping behaviour at work refers to helping colleagues and going the extra mile when you don’t have to, such as assisting a co-worker with a task that is not your responsibility. Withdrawal behaviour refers to avoiding work-related situations, even though you’re at your workplace.

The researchers also found that people who were emotionally stable suffered fewer adverse effects from unhealthy eating. Not only were emotionally stable people less likely to have physical or emotional strains after unhealthy eating, their workplace behaviours were also less likely to change even when they reported physical or emotional strains.

With ANI inputs

Some people feel they are hungry all the time. A new research has come up with an explanation. It says that people who experience big dips in blood sugar levels, several hours after eating, end up feeling hungrier and consuming hundreds of more calories during the day than others.

The research team from King’s College London and health science company ZOE (including scientists from Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Nottingham, Leeds University, and Lund University in Sweden) found why some people struggle to lose weight, even on calorie-controlled diets, and highlight the importance of understanding personal metabolism when it comes to diet and health.

The research team collected detailed data about blood sugar responses and other markers of health from 1,070 people after eating standardised breakfasts and freely chosen meals over a two-week period, adding up to more than 8,000 breakfasts and 70,000 meals in total. The standard breakfasts were based on muffins containing the same amount of calories but varying in composition in terms of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fibre. Participants also carried out a fasting blood sugar response test (oral glucose tolerance test), to measure how well their body processes sugar.

Participants wore stick-on continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to measure their blood sugar levels over the entire duration of the study, as well as a wearable device to monitor activity and sleep. They also recorded levels of hunger and alertness using a phone app, along with exactly when and what they ate over the day.

After analysing the data, the team noticed that some people experienced significant ‘sugar dips’ 2-4 hours after this initial peak, where their blood sugar levels fell rapidly below baseline before coming back up.

Big dippers had a 9 per cent increase in hunger, and waited around half an hour less, on average, before their next meal than little dippers, even though they ate exactly the same meals.

Big dippers also ate 75 more calories in the 3-4 hours after breakfast and around 312 calories more over the whole day than little dippers. This kind of pattern could potentially turn into 20 pounds of weight gain over a year.

Dr Sarah Berry from King’s College London said, “It has long been suspected that blood sugar levels play an important role in controlling hunger, but the results from previous studies have been inconclusive. We have now shown that sugar dips are a better predictor of hunger and subsequent calorie intake than the initial blood sugar peak response after eating, changing how we think about the relationship between blood sugar levels and the food we eat.”

Professor Ana Valdes from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, who led the study team, said: “Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and just a few hundred extra calories every day can add up to several pounds of weight gain over a year. Our discovery that the size of sugar dips after eating has such a big impact on hunger and appetite has great potential for helping people understand and control their weight and long-term health.”

Comparing what happens when participants eat the same test meals revealed large variations in blood sugar responses between people. The researchers also found no correlation between age, bodyweight or BMI and being a big or little dipper, although males had slightly larger dips than females on average.

There was also some variability in the size of the dips experienced by each person in response to eating the same meals on different days, suggesting that whether you are a dipper or not depends on individual differences in metabolism, as well as the day-to-day effects of meal choices and activity levels.

Choosing foods that work together with your unique biology could help people feel fuller for longer and eat less overall. With ANI inputs

The total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses given in the country has surpassed 11 crore-mark on the fourth day of the ‘Tika Utsav’ or vaccination festival, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Wednesday.

The four-day-long vaccination programme ‘Tika Utsav’ started on Sunday with an aim to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus. According to the health ministry, cumulatively 11,11,79,578 vaccine doses have been administered through 16,53,488 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am on Wednesday. Over 40 lakh vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

“Eight states account for 60.16 per cent of the total doses given so far in the country,” it said. As of day 88 of the vaccination drive (April 13, 2021), 26,46,528 vaccine doses were given. Out of which, 22,58,910 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 44,643 sessions for first dose and 3,87,618 beneficiaries received the second dose of the vaccine.

“These includes 90,48,686 HCWs who have taken the 1st dose and 55,81,072 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 1,01,36,430 FLWs (1stdose), 50,10,773 FLWs (2nddose), 4,24,66,354 1st dose beneficiaries and 24,67,484 2nd dose beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 3,56,50,444 (1st dose) and 8,18,335 (2nd dose) beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years,” the ministry said.

As many as 26,06,18,866 Covid-19 tests have been conducted across the country so far. The tests conducted in the last 24 hours stand at 14,11,758 and the testing capacity has been ramped up to 15 lakh tests per day. India’s daily new cases continue to rise as 1,84,372 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan have shown a rise in the Covid daily new cases and 82.04 per cent of the new cases are reported from these 10 states. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 60,212 followed by Uttar Pradesh with 17,963 while Chhattisgarh reported 15,121 new cases.

Moreover, India’s total active caseload has reached 13,65,704 and now it comprises 9.84 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. A net incline of 1,01,006 cases recorded from the total active caseload in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala cumulatively account for 68.16 per cent of India’s total active cases. Maharashtra alone accounts for 43.54 per cent of the total active caseload of the country. With 82,339 recoveries in the last 24 hours, thw country’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,23,36,036 today. The national recovery rate is 88.92 per cent.

As per the health ministry data, 1,027 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. “Ten States account for 86.08 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (281). Chhattisgarh follows with 156 daily deaths,” it added.

Ladakh (UT), Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh have not recorded have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The resurgence of Covid-19 cases among vaccinated individuals has become one of the biggest concerns in recent times. Dr N.K. Ganguly, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), talks about such issues. Excerpts:

Q: How will the Sputnik V vaccine be helpful?

A: Its global efficacy data is higher than the data of those vaccines which India is already using. The trial has been done in India also, they have gathered the data very nicely; it has got two major components, adenovirus vector, one from Johnson and Johnson and another one from Oxford. Using two vectors shows that it has better efficacy. But yes, those who have co-morbidities should take it under medical supervision only.

Q: Why are people getting re-infected even after getting inoculation? Do you still think vaccination is important?

A: Vaccination is important because the vaccine protects. Though the person may still get infected, the vaccine protects in a way that the person doesn’t get severe infection and the person is protected from hospitalisation and dying. This was a part of what was seen in the critical trial also, the two vaccines in India were protecting up to 70%. Those who got infected had a milder infection. Vaccination is important, but what is more important is that vaccination doesn’t give you the license to go without a mask; it doesn’t give you a license for large gatherings or not to maintain social distance. Sometimes it is not in our control, but that is what is happening in the Kumbh Mela, and it may happen in election rallies, it may happen in parties during the wedding season.

We need to get used to a new normal in our lives where we will have to do our economic activities, but we will have to take adequate care. The vaccine protects, but it does not give you a license for irresponsible behaviour.

Q: How many months of immunity can one get from a vaccine?

A: Up to now, we have Pfizer data which shows that it protects up to seven months. Since these vaccines have recently been introduced, we’ll know whether they protect after a year or not.

Q: How about the body developing antibodies?

A: Many of the places with which I am associated are measuring antibodies before and after the first injection and after the second injection to see that how much antibody is being made. Some people are not developing a good amount of antibodies. This is because every person is a different individual, so immune response depends on age, and on conditions like whether you have a kidney disease or whether you are old. Pregnant women respond differently.

Q: Are we doing this kind of research?

A: Yes, we need a lot of research. Research is being done constantly and we now know a lot of things from research. We now know that if you wear double masks, you are protected better; you are protected 85%. We also know that 6 feet distance was recommended, but 3 feet also works. We now know a lot of new things. We also know from research that antibiotics pass from mother to the child; so, when the mother is vaccinated, the child will be protected for up to 6 months minimum.

Q: Most of this research has been done by other countries; we also need to do research in India?

A: In India also, research has been carried out; some of the information has come from India. India has its mutation data; we have some idea of the mutants circulating in India.

Q: Do you think as of now we need to change our guidelines also?

A: The guidelines are constantly been changed and depends on vaccine availability. There are some countries which have been able to achieve vaccination for 60-80% of their population and these countries are very happy. We have a very large population, so vaccine availability is a very big thing.

Q: Do we have other choices for vaccines in future like you were talking about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine? How is this particular vaccine going to be useful?

A: The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has got an advantage in that it is a one-shot vaccine. It is a good vaccine that protects up to 80% and sometimes even more. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine can be stored in an ambient temperature and it has worked against the South African strain. Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be manufactured by Bio-E and this vaccine will be available in India.

Time to quit eating at night? According to the findings of a new study, unhealthy eating behaviours at night can make people less helpful and more withdrawn the next day at work.

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. “For the first time, we have shown that healthy eating immediately affects our workplace behaviours and performance,” said Seonghee “Sophia” Cho, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University.

Cho added, “It is relatively well established that other health-related behaviours, such as sleep and exercise, affect our work. But nobody had looked at the short-term effects of unhealthy eating.”

Fundamentally, the researchers had two questions: Does unhealthy eating behaviour affect you at work the next day? And, if so, why?

For the study, researchers had 97 full-time employees in the United States answer a series of questions three times a day for 10 consecutive workdays. Before work on each day, study participants answered questions related to their physical and emotional well-being.

At the end of each workday, participants answered questions about what they did at work. In the evening, before bed, participants answered questions about their eating and drinking behaviours after work.

In the context of the study, researchers defined “unhealthy eating” as instances when study participants felt they’d eaten too much junk food; when participants felt they’d had too much to eat or drink; or when participants reporting having too many late-night snacks. The researchers found that, when people engaged in unhealthy eating behaviours, they were more likely to report having physical problems the next morning. Problems included headaches, stomachaches and diarrhea.

In addition, when people reported unhealthy eating behaviours, they were also more likely to report emotional strains the next morning – such as feeling guilty or ashamed about their diet choices. Those physical and emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating were, in turn, related to changes in how people behaved at work throughout the day.

Essentially, when people reported physical or emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating, they were also more likely to report declines in “helping behaviour” and increases in “withdrawal behaviour.”

Helping behaviour at work refers to helping colleagues and going the extra mile when you don’t have to, such as assisting a co-worker with a task that is not your responsibility. Withdrawal behaviour refers to avoiding work-related situations, even though you’re at your workplace.

The researchers also found that people who were emotionally stable suffered fewer adverse effects from unhealthy eating. Not only were emotionally stable people less likely to have physical or emotional strains after unhealthy eating, their workplace behaviours were also less likely to change even when they reported physical or emotional strains.

With ANI inputs

The total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses given in the country has surpassed 11 crore-mark on the fourth day of the ‘Tika Utsav’ or vaccination festival, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Wednesday.

The four-day-long vaccination programme ‘Tika Utsav’ started on Sunday with an aim to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus. According to the health ministry, cumulatively 11,11,79,578 vaccine doses have been administered through 16,53,488 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am on Wednesday. Over 40 lakh vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

“Eight states account for 60.16 per cent of the total doses given so far in the country,” it said. As of day 88 of the vaccination drive (April 13, 2021), 26,46,528 vaccine doses were given. Out of which, 22,58,910 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 44,643 sessions for first dose and 3,87,618 beneficiaries received the second dose of the vaccine.

“These includes 90,48,686 HCWs who have taken the 1st dose and 55,81,072 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 1,01,36,430 FLWs (1stdose), 50,10,773 FLWs (2nddose), 4,24,66,354 1st dose beneficiaries and 24,67,484 2nd dose beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 3,56,50,444 (1st dose) and 8,18,335 (2nd dose) beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years,” the ministry said.

As many as 26,06,18,866 Covid-19 tests have been conducted across the country so far. The tests conducted in the last 24 hours stand at 14,11,758 and the testing capacity has been ramped up to 15 lakh tests per day. India’s daily new cases continue to rise as 1,84,372 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan have shown a rise in the Covid daily new cases and 82.04 per cent of the new cases are reported from these 10 states. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 60,212 followed by Uttar Pradesh with 17,963 while Chhattisgarh reported 15,121 new cases.

Moreover, India’s total active caseload has reached 13,65,704 and now it comprises 9.84 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. A net incline of 1,01,006 cases recorded from the total active caseload in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala cumulatively account for 68.16 per cent of India’s total active cases. Maharashtra alone accounts for 43.54 per cent of the total active caseload of the country. With 82,339 recoveries in the last 24 hours, thw country’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,23,36,036 today. The national recovery rate is 88.92 per cent.

As per the health ministry data, 1,027 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. “Ten States account for 86.08 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (281). Chhattisgarh follows with 156 daily deaths,” it added.

Ladakh (UT), Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh have not recorded have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours.