Capsule - page 10

Editor in chief: Dr Pralhad S Patki•Managing Editor: Dr Jayashree B Keshav•Editorial Team: Shruthi VB, Shruthi VK, Janaki RG, Anil S, Sushma M, Dhriti A•Layout Artists: Dayananda Rao S, Santosh G
Edited and published by Dr PS Patki, MD. Printed at M/s Sri Sudhindra Offset Process, #97, DT Street, 8th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore 560003
10 • Apr–Jun 2014 • Vol LIII • No 4 www.himalayahealthcare.com
Fact File
Diarrhea
• Globally, there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of diarrheal disease
every year.1
• Each year, diarrhea kills around 760,000 children under 5
years.1
• Diarrhea is a leading cause of malnutrition in children under 5
years.1
• Rotavirus is the principal source of severe diarrhea in infants
and young children, worldwide.2
• Improved water sources can reduce diarrhea morbidity by
21%; improved sanitation by 37.5%; and the simple act of
washing hands at critical times (before cooking and eating and
after defecating) can reduce the number of diarrhea cases by as
much as 35%.3
References
1. WHO.http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs330/en/index.html . Accessed
January 16, 2014.
2. CDC.http://www.cdc.gov/rotavirus/index.html?s_cid=cs_281.Accessed January 16,
2014.
3. CDC.http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html#one . Accessed
January 16, 2014.
Health Tips
Event Calendar
9th International Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Symposium
Date: November 9 to 13, 2014
Venue: Stellenbosch, South Africa
For more details, visit: http://www.rsv2014.co.za/
International Society of University Colon and
Rectal Surgeons – 26th Biennial Conference
2014
Date: September 4 to 7, 2014
Venue: Cape Town, South Africa
For more details, visit: http://www.isucrs2014.co.za/
Low Salt Diet
A key to healthy eating is choosing foods lower in salt.
Most people consume more salt than required. The current
recommendation is to consume less than 2.3 g of salt a day. For
someone with high blood pressure, the doctor may advise eating
less salt, as recent research has shown that people consuming
low-levels of salt in their diet had even better blood pressure
lowering benefits.
Tips for Reducing Salt in Diet
• Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned vegetables, poultry, fish, and
lean meat with no salt added.
• Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and
at the table.
• Prepare rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on
instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually
have added salt.
• Choose ready-to-eat foods that are low in salt; avoid frozen
meal, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, which
often have a lot of salt.
• When available, buy low or no-salt-added versions of foods.1
High salt intake can have effects beyond increased blood pressure,
and can be fatal.
• It can cause atherosclerosis or even trigger heart failure.
• It contributes to bone loss and increased risk of fractures over
time.
• It increases the risk of kidney stones and gastric cancer.2
References
1. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.Accessed February
19, 2014.
2. UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. 2013;29(14):2.