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Sunday, June 9, 2013

Ditch the hand dryer: Paper towels are MORE hygienic because they remove more germs

  • Study found paper towels are more efficient because they dry hands quicker and prevent transfer of germs
  • Paper towels also physically remove bacteria
  • Previous studies have found that dryers harbour microbes and can blast germs into atmosphere
By Daily Mail Reporter
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Scientists have worked out the best way to dry your hands – and paper towels win, erm, hands down!

It appears that paper towels not only dry hands quicker than electric driers, they are also more hygienic.

While the importance of washing hands is obvious, the benefits may be undone if they are not dried properly, experts said.

Looks can be deceiving: Despite having a reputation for being messy, hand towels are more hygienic than dryers because they dry hands more quickly and physically remove germs
Looks can be deceiving: Despite their reputation for being messy, hand towels are more hygienic than dryers because they physically remove germs

This is because wet hands are better at passing on germs than dry ones, biomedical scientist Cunrui Huang said.
 
His review of 12 studies found that, overall, paper towels were ‘superior’. One study found they leave hands 96 per cent dry after just ten seconds. After 15 seconds, the hands are 99 per cent dry.

By contrast, a drier takes at least 45 seconds. The amount of time is important because most people spend only a few seconds on drying their hands.

One study found men spend 17 seconds using hot-air driers and women 13.3 seconds – a fraction of the time needed.

Paper towels also scored higher because the rubbing motion may physically remove germs.
Previous studies have found that hand dryers harbour bacteria and can blast germs into the atmosphere promoting infection
Previous studies have found that hand dryers harbour bacteria and can blast germs into the atmosphere and promote infection
 
By contrast, air driers may blow them on to the body – a concern in public toilets, where regular flushing of cisterns disperses germs in the air.

'This can increase the number of germs by an astonishing 255 per cent,' said Keith Redway, senior academic in Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Westminster University.

Bacteria are then blown on to the hands of users and into the atmosphere.
This leads to the potential for the spread of organisms such as salmonella and E. coli, as people often dry their hands before cleaning them properly.

In the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal, Dr Huang, of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said: ‘There is a risk of persons standing at air driers acquiring the bacteria dispersed in the air current towards them.’

Scientists say that whatever drying method you use, it is important to wash hands thoroughly. They added that there is no need to use an antibacterial soap unless in special situations such as in hospital
Scientists say that it is important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap before drying them
 
Cloth towel rolls were marked down because of the sheer numbers of people using them.

Although antibacterial washes are essential in high-risk environments such as hospitals and beneficial on cruise ships and on planes, they are not necessary in daily life.

Previous studies have shown that hand dryers are often contaminated by bacteria in the outlet nozzle and the heat from the dryer is the perfect temperature to encourage their growth.

Keith Redway's research has shown that disposable paper towels remove 58 per cent of bugs and cotton roller-towels 45 per cent.

'The message has to be to wash and then dry your hands thoroughly, using paper towels, not the hot-air dryers, explained Redway.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2335811/Ditch-hand-dryer-Paper-towels-MORE-hygienic-remove-germs.html#ixzz2VljutmUu
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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Memory to stay sharp in old age....

Want your memory to stay sharp in old age? Eat less red meat and more oily fish

  • A Mediterranean diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities
  • People who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 19 per cent reduced risk of mental impairment
  • Oily fish, flax seed, walnuts and pulses are known to benefit the brain and nervous system
By Anna Hodgekiss
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A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities
A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities
 
 
A Mediterranean diet low in red meat and dairy food and high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities, say researchers.

Scientists in the U.S. studied the diets of 17,478 people with an average age of 64.

Participants were given tests that measured mental ability over an average of four years.

During the course of the study, seven per cent developed memory and thinking deficits.

The study found people who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 19 per cent reduced risk of mental impairment.

A key element of the Mediterranean diet is omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, flax seed, walnuts and pulses, which are known to benefit the brain and nervous system.

The diet typically also contains high levels of fresh fruit and vegetables and low levels of saturated fat.

The findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology.

Lead researcher Dr Georgios Tsivgoulis, from the universities of Alabama in the US and Athens in Greece, said:
'Since there are no definitive treatments for most dementing illnesses, modifiable activities, such as diet, that may delay the onset of symptoms of dementia are very important.

'Diet is an important modifiable activity that could help in preserving cognitive functioning in late life. However, it is only one of several important lifestyle activities that might play a role in late-life mental functioning.

Exercise, avoiding obesity, not smoking cigarettes and taking medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension are also important.'

Other recent research found that eating a Mediterranean-style diet can cut heart attacks, strokes and death rates in people at high risk of heart disease by as much as a third.
Other recent research found that a Mediterranean diet could be as good as statins at cutting the risk of heart disease
Other recent research found that a Mediterranean diet could be as good as statins at cutting the risk of heart disease
 
Changing the balance of foods in a diet can lessen the risk even before heart-related illness strikes, according to a major clinical trial.

Previous studies have compared the effects of the diet on people after they have suffered a heart attack or stroke – with many showing improved heart health.

But this research, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, was the first to rigorously test the effects on a high-risk group.

In fact, the study of around 7,500 people was halted early, after almost five years, because the results were so clear it would have been unethical not to recommend the diet to all those taking part.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2316733/Want-memory-stay-sharp-old-age-Eat-red-meat-oily-fish.html#ixzz2SF3NJWsb
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Most office KITCHENS are more dirty.....

Most office KITCHENS are dirtier than the toilets, with kettles and microwaves the germiest places

  • Half of kitchen surfaces are contaminated with dangerous levels of coliforms - bacteria in faeces
  • These bacteria can cause gastrointestinal diseases
  • 25 per cent of draining boards, 30 per cent of microwaves, 40 per cent of kettles also contaminated
By Emma Innes
|
Workplace kitchens are dangerously dirty, to the point that they could cause illness, new research suggests.

A study has revealed that half of surfaces in workplace kitchens are contaminated by dangerously high levels of coliforms – the bacteria present in faeces which can lead to outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease.

It also showed that more than a quarter of draining boards were found to have four times the safe level of coliforms.

Half of surfaces in workplace kitchens are contaminated by dangerously high levels of coliforms - the bacteria present in faeces which can lead to outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease
Half of surfaces in workplace kitchens are contaminated by dangerously high levels of coliforms - the bacteria present in faeces which can lead to outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease
 
 
The research also revealed that the handles of shared fridge-freezers were bacteria-rife, with a third carrying high levels of coliforms, whilst 30 per cent of shared microwaves were also shown to be contaminated around the handles and buttons.

Tea drinkers are not any more hygienic – more than 40 per cent of kettle handles were revealed to be contaminated with higher levels of bacteria than are found on toilet doors.

Overall, the swab results, carried out by Initial Washroom Hygiene, showed that 75 per cent of kitchen work surfaces are home to more bacteria than an average feminine sanitary bin.

Dr Peter Barratt, Technical Manager at Initial Hygiene, said: ‘Shared office kitchens can be very busy areas with a heavy footfall, making this space a potential hazard for cross-contamination when good hygiene practices and hand washing aren’t encouraged.

‘As workers prepare their lunches on the kitchen surfaces, it’s vital to ensure these surfaces are sanitised on a regular basis and that, as a minimum, towel dispensers, soap, and hand or surface sanitizers are available to mitigate the risks.


The survey revealed that the handles of shared fridge-freezers were bacteria-rife, with a third carrying high levels of coliforms, whilst 30 per cent of shared microwaves were also shown to be contaminated
The survey revealed that the handles of shared fridge-freezers were bacteria-rife, with a third carrying high levels of coliforms, whilst 30 per cent of shared microwaves were also shown to be contaminated
 
 
‘Regular hand washing with soap and water has been proven to reduce the risk of the spreading of pathogens, and will help to ensure the workforce remains fit and healthy.’

To conduct the research Initial took 280 samples from 70 kitchen appliances in eight offices.

The news comes just after it was revealed that one sick person can infect half of an office’s commonly touched surfaces by lunchtime.

Scientists at the University of Arizona discovered that telephones, desktops, table tops, doorknobs, photocopier and lift buttons, and the office fridges are all rapidly contaminated by an ailing worker.

However the study also revealed that simple interventions, such as hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer or wipes, can drastically reduce employees' risk of infection.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2313619/Most-office-KITCHENS-dirtier-toilets-kettles-microwaves-germiest-places.html#ixzz2ROURphW8
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

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