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Sat, Oct 31 06:08 AM

BELOW ZERO

One embryo as good as multiples for pregnancy

Women who receive just one embryo during in-vitro fertilization are as likely to produce a child as those implanted with two, suggests a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found 53 per cent of the women implanted with one embryo on the initial try gave birth, compared to 57 per cent who received two. But there was a big difference in the odds of having twins or premature babies. The multiple birth rate was nearly 28 per cent and the risk of a premature baby over double among women who received two embryos, compared to a multiple birth rate of 2.3 per cent for women who started off in the single-embryo group.

Zero to 20

Antipsychotics cause rapid weight gain in youth

Up to a third of children and adolescents who took common antipsychotic drugs for the first time, became overweight or obese in as little as 11 weeks, raising risk for diabetes and heart disease, suggests a study published by the American Medical Association. Researchers from Seattle Children's Hospital had testedfour of the most common antipsychotic drugs used for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and disruptive or aggressive behavior spectrum disorders — risperdal or risperidone, Zyprexa or olanzapine, Abilify or aripiprazole and AstraZeneca's Seroquel or quetiapine.

20 to 40

Diabetes can be delayed with diet, exercise

People on the brink of developing diabetes who get a lot of support and encouragement to diet and exercise can turn things around and avoid the disease, suggest researchers from US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. The study found that overweight people with high blood sugar who lost a modest amount of weight lowered their risk of developing diabetes by at least a third. People can lose weight, and this weight loss is accompanied by a lowering of their rate of diabetes. The results of the study was published in Lancet.

40 and above

Low vitamin D tied to heart, stroke deaths

Low vitamin D levels in the body may be deadly, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, hinting that adults with lower blood levels of vitamin D may be more likely to die from heart disease or stroke. Vitamin D is mostly obtained from direct sunlight exposure. They are also found in foods and multivitamins. Researchers from National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, found that participants with low vitamin D had 25 per cent higher risk of dying from heart disease or stroke.

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