Cholesterol problems have become so common today. And all thanks to the greasy, fried food that we devour every now and then. For those who rely on medications, statins work like magic, lowering cholesterol by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, responsible for cholesterol production. Yet, there is a baffling group of people who, despite popping their statin pill religiously, find their cholesterol stubbornly refusing to budge.

For this, nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee has a theory and it has less to do with your medicine cabinet and more to do with what’s on your plate.

How Statins Are Supposed To Work

Statins are designed to block HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis. The job of this enzyme is to synthesise cholesterol. So, it blocks this enzyme so your body cannot synthesise cholesterol, and therefore the cholesterol comes down.

Ideally, the process is simple, wherein the enzyme is blocked, cholesterol is lowered and heart health is safeguarded. But the human body is anything but straightforward, and your diet can play a big role.

What Role Do Carbs Play?

According to Mukerjee, one major reason statins fail to deliver results is the carb overload and not just the obvious food items like cakes or chocolates. “It could be a lot of refined carbs in the sugars, desserts, pastries, and chocolates. Some people are not even eating too many refined carbs, but they are just eating too many carbohydrates, even if they are complex carbs.”

Here is what happens: when you eat a carb-heavy meal, whether it is white bread or whole grains, your body produces insulin to manage the glucose surge. “Insulin activates HMG-CoA reductase and now this enzyme can again do its job of synthesising more cholesterol.”

In other words, you might be blocking the enzyme with statins in one hand but reactivating it with a plateful of rice, rotis, or pasta in the other.

The Inflammation Factor

Carbs are not the only reason. The second reason could be chronic inflammation. Mukerjee explains that persistent low-grade inflammation prompts your liver to churn out more cholesterol. Inflammation can override medication. Diets high in processed foods, poor sleep, chronic stress, and lack of physical activity all fuel inflammation, making your cholesterol harder to control.

Understanding The Role Of Cholesterol

Mukerjee is quick to point out that cholesterol is not all bad. Your body needs cholesterol for repair and lots of other activities. However, too much cholesterol can be harmful to your body. It is a balancing act, enough for healthy cell function and hormone production, but not so much that it clogs arteries.

What Can You Do?

If you are on statins and your cholesterol is still high, Mukerjee recommends looking beyond the pill.

• Reconsider your carb intake

• Reduce inflammation

• Address the root cause

Relying solely on medication without adjusting lifestyle factors can lead to frustration and missed health goals. Mukerjee’s message is that statins are a tool, not a magic bullet. Understanding how diet, especially carbohydrate consumption, can override their effects puts more control back in your hands. Your cholesterol history does not solely depend on your genes or your prescription; it is heavily influenced by your daily food choices and overall health habits.

Scientists have found new evidence suggesting that drugs like Ozempic might have an unexpected benefit: they could help reverse aging. Ozempic has gained a lot of popularity recently. Many celebrities have opened up about using it like Oprah, Meghan Trainor, Elon Musk etc. As more people are using it throughout the world, researchers are studying different effects of it. As the drug is still relatively new, we have heard of Ozempic feet, face, smell etc., researchers have found many different effects these weight loss drugs can have on the human body, however this is a new effect that could change the way we view the phrase 'anti-aging'.

A recent study found that the drug semaglutide, which is in Ozempic and Wegovy, made a person's body biologically younger by an average of about three years.

This research is still new and hasn't been fully reviewed by other scientists, but it points to a future where these drugs could do more than just treat diabetes and help with weight loss.

What Is Biological Age?

To understand the study, you need to know the difference between your chronological age (how many years you've been alive) and your biological age (how old your body is on the inside). Scientists can measure your biological age by looking at certain chemical changes in your DNA.

For this study, researchers at the TruDiagnostic aging lab in Kentucky measured the biological age of 184 people with a condition linked to rapid aging. They gave a weekly shot of semaglutide to a group of people with a health condition that causes them to age faster. A second group received a placebo shot.

How Many Years Does Ozempic Age Us Back?

After 32 weeks, the results were significant:

• The group that took semaglutide saw their biological age go down by an average of 3.1 years.
• The drug also seemed to slow down the aging process in important organs like the brain, heart, and kidneys. In some people, their brain's biological age even appeared to be five years younger.

The study suggests that the drug's ability to improve a person's metabolism and fat distribution might be the reason for these anti-aging effects. While it's too early to use these drugs specifically for anti-aging, these findings are an important first step.

While the study was done on people with a specific health condition, the lead researcher believes the benefits could apply to a wider population. Although it's too early to start using these drugs just for anti-aging, the findings are exciting and point to a potential future where drugs like Ozempic could do more than just treat diabetes and obesity.

This research provides the first real evidence from a clinical trial that semaglutide can actually change the biological signs of aging. It suggests that drugs like Ozempic could be used in the future not just for weight loss and diabetes, but also to help people live longer, healthier lives.

More research is needed, but these findings are a big step forward in understanding the full potential of these drugs. As this research moves forward to be peer-reviewed, one must know what the side-effects of the medicine are.

Side-Effects of Ozempic

Diabetes UK explains that all medications, Ozempic can cause side effects. The most common ones include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Risk of worsening eye disease
• Risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• Risk of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)

Not everyone who takes Ozempic will experience these side effects. The likelihood of having them can vary, so it's important to discuss the potential risks with your healthcare provider.

Risks of Ozempic to Watch For

There are a few more serious side effects to be aware of, especially if you have other health conditions:

Risk of Worsening Diabetic Eye Disease (Retinopathy)

If you have diabetic eye disease and also use insulin, there is a risk that your condition could get worse when you start taking Ozempic. This is thought to be caused by a rapid drop in blood sugar. It's crucial to tell your doctor if you have this eye condition or if you notice any changes in your vision after starting Ozempic.

Risk of Low Blood Sugar

When taken alone, Ozempic doesn't usually cause low blood sugar. However, the risk increases if you take it along with other diabetes medications, such as insulin or a sulphonylurea. Your doctor may need to adjust the dose of these other medications to help prevent this from happening.

Risk of High Blood Sugar

If you take Ozempic with insulin and your insulin dose is reduced too quickly, it can cause high blood sugar levels. This can lead to a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Your healthcare team should explain the signs and symptoms of DKA to you.

When it comes to tackling sleep problems, most of us think of lavender sprays, blackout curtains, or maybe a warm cup of chamomile tea. But a group of scientists in India has now suggested blowing through a conch shell. In India, blowing it has always been a sacred thing. Ladies and pundits blow the shell on auspicious occasions and at several places and times; it is also blown to kickstart something, like an event or a house-warming ritual. So, many Indians are quite adept at this ancient practice, but it turns out this could also help you sleep better.

According to a new study published in the journal ERJ Open Research, this practice, also known as shankh blowing, could help people with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) breathe easier, sleep deeper, and wake up more refreshed.

OSA is no ordinary snoring. It is a condition where your airway collapses repeatedly during sleep, causing brief breathing interruptions called apnoeas. Aside from leaving you exhausted, it is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and even mood disorders.

Also Read: Ozempic Users Found To Age Back By More Than 3 Years, Finds New Trial; Peer Review Pending

The most common treatment is a CPAP machine, a bedside device that blows air into your airway through a face mask, keeping it open through the night. While effective, many patients find it awkward, noisy, or downright uncomfortable. That is where the humble conch shell sounds more helpful.

What Exactly Is Shankh Blowing?

Besides its use in rituals and ceremonies in Indian practices, the shankh, a spiralling conch shell, is used in yoga breathing exercises. The technique for OSA therapy is surprisingly simple:

• Take a deep breath in.
• Purse your lips tightly against the shell’s mouthpiece.
• Blow forcefully and sustain the sound until your lungs are almost empty.

The act creates strong vibrations and airflow resistance, which the researchers believe strengthens the muscles of the upper airway, particularly the throat and soft palate. These are the exact areas that tend to collapse during sleep in people with OSA.

The conch’s spiral shape may also produce specific acoustic and mechanical effects that stimulate and tone these muscles even more.

Inside the Study

The research team worked with 30 people between the ages of 19 and 65, all diagnosed with OSA. They were split into two groups:

• Group A: Practised shankh blowing.
• Group B: Did standard deep breathing exercises.

Compared to the deep-breathing group, the shankh blowers were 34 per cent less sleepy during the day and typically experienced four to five fewer apnoeas per hour. That is a significant improvement for a technique that requires no wires, no electricity, and no sleep-tech gadgets cluttering the bedside table.

Why It Works

While more research is needed, scientists think it comes down to muscle training. Just as resistance bands tone your arms, blowing through the shankh provides resistance training for your airway. Stronger throat and palate muscles are less likely to sag and block airflow during sleep.

It is also possible that the rhythmic breathing pattern and sound vibrations have a calming effect, helping to set the stage for deeper, more restorative sleep.

But before you swap your CPAP machine for a seashell, the researchers caution that this was a small-scale study. While the results are promising, they are not yet strong enough to replace standard medical treatments. A larger trial involving several hospitals is already in the works to confirm the benefits.

Still, for people who cannot tolerate CPAP or are looking for a complementary approach, shankh blowing could be worth a try, especially since it is inexpensive, low-risk, and does not require a power socket.

How to Give It a Go

1. Get a conch shell

2. Clean it well before use.

3. Sit comfortably with your back straight.

4. Take a slow, deep inhale.

5. Seal your lips around the shell’s opening.

6. Blow with steady force until you’ve exhaled almost completely.

7. Rest for a few seconds, then repeat for 10–15 minutes.

It is best to start slowly and work up to longer sessions; your throat muscles will need time to adapt. And of course, check with a healthcare provider before beginning if you have any respiratory or heart conditions.

We have all unintentionally or out of simple curiosity picked our noses as kids, which was immediately followed by an adult telling us that it is bad habit to do so.

Nose-picking is a very common habit, and most people think it's harmless, even if it's considered impolite. However, a study from Griffith University in Australia suggests that this simple act could be riskier than we think.

The study looks at how picking your nose might actually increase your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. The research, which was published in Nature Scientific Reports, explores how certain bacteria can travel from the nose directly to the brain. Once there, they might trigger the kind of biological changes that lead to Alzheimer’s.

Can Nose Infections Affect Your Brain?

Your nose has a special connection to your brain through the olfactory nerve, which is responsible for your sense of smell. This nerve provides a direct pathway, allowing bacteria to bypass the body's normal defenses that would typically stop them from reaching the brain.

In a study on mice, scientists found that a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can cause respiratory infections like pneumonia, used this exact route to get into the central nervous system.

Once the bacteria entered the brain, the brain's cells responded by creating a substance called amyloid beta protein. This protein is a key part of the plaques that build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

These plaques are thought to cause many of the disease's symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion. This research shows how a simple action like damaging the inside of your nose could create an opening for these harmful bacteria to get into your brain.

Could Your Nose And Brain Disorders Be Connected?

The study adds to a growing amount of evidence that links infections caused by pathogens (like bacteria and viruses) to dementia. In the past, other studies have found C. pneumoniae in the brains of people who had Alzheimer's. However, this new research in mice is the first to show how these bacteria might actually get there and start the disease process.

The researchers believe that it's likely not just this one bacterium that can cause problems. It could be a combination of different germs and a person's genetics. For example, some studies have also connected the herpes simplex virus to Alzheimer's.

The researchers also think that this isn't a quick process. Getting bacteria in your brain today doesn't mean you'll get dementia next week. Instead, it's believed to set off a very slow progression of changes that might take decades before any symptoms appear.

Why You Should Stop Picking Your Nose

While we still need more research to fully prove a direct link between nose-picking and Alzheimer's, the habit can cause other health issues. When you pick your nose, you can easily introduce germs, like viruses and bacteria, into your nasal cavity. You can also spread those germs to other surfaces.

Most importantly, picking your nose and even plucking nose hairs can damage the delicate tissues inside your nose. This damage can create tiny openings, which, as the research shows, could make it easier for bacteria to travel to your brain.