2019-03-01ReadersDigest_AUNZ

March• 2019 | 25

NEWS FROM THE

World of Medicine

HEALTH

16:8diet.Intheeighthoursbetween

10am and 6pm, participants could

eatasmuchastheywantedofany

food. However, for the remaining

16hoursoftheday,theywere

allowedonlytohavewaterorother

kilojoule-free drinks.

Compared with a control group, the

16:8 dieters consumed an average of

12,500 fewer kilojoules per day, lost

three per cent of their weight, and

saw a significant drop in their systolic

blood pressure. One reason may

simply be that the 16:8 diet is easier

for most people to maintain than

other types of intermittent fasting.

PrescriptionforaBreak

Holidayscanhelpustolivelonger,

accordingtoa40-yearstudyby

Helsinki University researchers.

Theyfollowed1200businessmen

considered at risk of heart disease due

to weight, high blood pressure or

high cholesterol. Those who

took less than three weeks

offworkayearwere37per

cent more likely to die

young than those who

gavegreaterpriorityto

their holiday time.

Treat Glaucoma
WhileYou Sle e p

Scientists have long known that
cannabigerolic acid, a compound
from the cannabis (marijuana) plant,
can relieve glaucoma symptoms, but
the key elements don’t easily dissolve
and therefore can’t be turned into
effective eye drops. Researchers at
the University of British Columbia
may have solved that problem with
a compound called a hydrogel. The
hydrogel is administered as drops
that then form a sort of lens upon
contact with the eye, allowing the
cannabigerolic acid to dissolve
during the night and penetrate the
cornea. In pig corneas, which are
similar to human corneas, the gel
was absorbed quickly. The next step
is to test the gel in human eyes.

The 16:8 Diet Works

Inasmallstudy,
researchersatthe
University of Illinois
recruited23obese
participants to spend
12 weeks following a
type of intermittent
fasting called the