The immune system of our body is like the safe keeper of our health. When it comes to diseases and illnesses, our body’s immune system works to ensure we stay safe. However, sometimes, our very own security system could be at fault for our health declining causing conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). At times like these, we often see symptoms like fever, or pain in body parts arise. However, a new study has revealed that this may be the case for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The study showed that the disease doesn't start when your joints begin to hurt or swell up. Instead, it begins quietly, years before you have any symptoms at all.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz and other institutes spent seven years on this work. They found out exactly how the body's defense system (the immune system) changes in people who are at risk, long before they feel any pain.

Why Do Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis Show Up Late?

Dr. Kevin Deane, who helped lead the study, said to think of RA like a volcano building pressure underground. You can’t see what’s happening, but the power is building up until it finally "erupts" as joint pain.

The scientists studied people who had a special marker in their blood called anti-CCP (cyclic citrullinated peptide) antibodies, which means they are highly likely to get RA. They found that the body starts fighting an invisible battle long before any joint swelling appears.

How Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect The Body?

The study found several important things happening in the body before symptoms start:

Whole-Body Red Flag

Even without swollen joints, people at risk had inflammation all over their body, just like someone who already has full-blown RA.

Defense

Cells

The body’s main defense cells, like B (mature in the bone marrow) cells and T cells (mature in the thymus), started to turn bad. Instead of protecting the body, they started causing inflammation and attacking healthy tissue.

Cells Get Prepped to Attack

Even brand-new, or "naive," T cells already had their genes changed. This made them ready to cause the autoimmune disease.

How Does The Immune System’s Mistake Affect Our Body

Cells in the blood were already acting like cells found inside painful, swollen joints, showing the body was preparing to attack the joints.

These discoveries give doctors new early warning signs to predict who will actually get RA. This means doctors might be able to step in and try to prevent the disease before any joint damage occurs.

How Can We Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis?

In a different study, the same researchers tested a drug called hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which is often used to treat RA. They wanted to see if it could stop RA from starting in people who were at high risk.

The trial found that the drug did not prevent the disease. People who took the HCQ got RA at the same rate as those who took a fake pill (placebo). This is important because it tells researchers and doctors to look for other, more effective ways to stop the disease before it begins.

Can We Cure Rheumatoid Arthritis

These two studies are part of a bigger effort to understand and ultimately stop RA before it starts.

By finding out exactly how RA begins, researchers now have new targets to focus on for prevention drugs. The goal is to eventually make preventing RA and maybe other diseases where the immune system attacks the body a normal part of healthcare.

Ramen is one of the top trending foods in the world currently. While many people attribute this rise to K-dramas, others argue that the addictive nature of the noodles has slowly helped the ramen brands solidify themselves all over the world.

However, as tasty as these meals are, a new study has found that too much ramen could actually affect your health in a profound way.

A new study from Japan has found a potential link between eating ramen frequently and a higher risk of early death. The research, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Ageing, surveyed more than 6,500 people over 40 years old, tracking them for about 4.5 years.

The study found that participants who ate ramen three or more times a week were more likely to be younger men who smoked, drank alcohol, and were overweight. During the study period, 145 people died, and most of these deaths were due to cancer and heart disease. The researchers concluded that frequent ramen intake may be linked to a greater death risk, particularly in men under 70.

Who Eats The Most Ramen?

The study found that the people who ate ramen three or more times a week generally had other habits and health factors that put them at higher risk. These frequent ramen eaters were more likely to be:

• Men
• Younger (under 70)
• Smokers and alcohol drinkers
• More likely to have diabetes or high blood pressure (hypertension)
• More likely to drink half or more of the salty noodle soup

Why Is Ramen So Unhealthy ?

Ramen noodles are one of the most popular foods in Japan, but the main concern is the very high salt content in the noodles and especially the soup. The average salt intake in Japan is already higher than recommended targets.

We already know that eating too much salt is bad for you. It's a major cause of serious health problems like stroke (a brain attack) and stomach cancer. The study on ramen suggests that when you eat it often, you're likely taking in a large amount of salt (sodium). This high sodium intake is what increases your risk for these dangerous, salt-related diseases, which can sadly lead to an earlier death.

It's important to understand what the study did not prove. This was an observational study, meaning researchers only watched a group of people and tracked their habits and health outcomes.

It found a connection between frequent ramen eating and a higher risk of death, but it did not prove that ramen is the direct cause. Think of it like this: the study didn't prove the ramen itself is a poison; it just showed that people who ate a lot of ramen were more likely to get sick.

The researchers also noticed that the people who ate ramen frequently often had other risky behaviors, like smoking and heavy drinking. It's very possible that these other unhealthy habits are a big part of the increased risk.

Can Ramen Increase The Risk Of Mortality?

The study suggests that the answer is "Yes, for certain people." If you're a younger man who eats ramen very often and you tend to drink the salty soup and also consume alcohol, you may face a significantly higher risk.

The main takeaway is a common-sense reminder: be more mindful of how much high-sodium, high-fat food you eat. To lower your risk, the best thing you can do is to limit how often you eat ramen and, most importantly, avoid drinking the salty soup to drastically cut your sodium intake.

Ultimately, the researchers advise everyone to look at their own health—their individual health profile—and adjust how much ramen they eat accordingly.

When it comes to testing for diseases, many people do not get them done regularly, whether it is due to the cost or due to lack of time. However, when it comes to diseases like heart diseases, high blood sugar levels etc., many times you do not recognize the signs until it is too late. So, if you wish to know whether your heart is healthy or not, how can you do it?

If you are worried about the rising costs and do not know which tests to get, you can do some at-home tests that reveal the state of your heart.

At Home Tests That Reveal Your Heart Health

In a recent post, Dr Sudhir Kumar, a Hyderabad-based Neurologist, revealed a few tests you can conduct at home.

Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

Your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is how fast your heart beats when you are completely at rest, and it's a straightforward measure of how efficiently your cardiovascular system is working. To check it, simply sit quietly for 5 minutes, then find your pulse and count the beats for a full 60 seconds.

A normal, healthy range is between 50 and 70 beats per minute (bpm). If your RHR is consistently above 80 bpm, it acts as a warning sign, suggesting your heart is working harder than it needs to and may indicate a higher future risk for heart problems. A lower, steady resting rate generally points to better heart health and physical fitness.

Three-Minute Step Test

The Three-Minute Step Test assesses your heart's ability to recover after a short burst of exercise, which is a great reflection of your overall cardiovascular fitness. To perform this, you need to step up and down a 12-inch step at a steady, consistent pace for a full 3 minutes. As soon as you finish, sit down and measure your pulse 1 minute later.

We look for a significant drop in your heart rate: a drop of more than 30–40 bpm from your maximum rate is a sign that your heart recovers quickly and that you have good fitness. If your heart rate drops by less than 20 bpm, it suggests your recovery is slower, which is a sign of lower fitness and a potentially higher risk.

Grip Strength

Grip strength is a simple but surprisingly powerful indicator of your overall body strength, and research shows it's also directly linked to your cardiovascular health, even independently of how fit you look. Ideally, you would use a hand dynamometer to measure the force in your hand, recording the best result out of three tries.

Generally, if your grip is stronger than that of your peers, you are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Conversely, weak grip strength is considered a standalone warning sign for higher cardiovascular risk, making it an easy way to screen for potential issues.

Chair Stand Test (Sit-to-Stand)

The Chair Stand Test measures the strength in your lower body, which is vital for everyday mobility, preventing frailty, and is a strong predictor of overall health and longevity. The test is easy: sit on a chair with your arms crossed over your chest, and see how many times you can stand up and sit down completely in 30 seconds.

The goal scores vary slightly by age and gender; for example, men under 60 should aim for 20 or more times, and women under 60 should aim for 17 or more. A low count relative to these goals suggests reduced lower body strength, indicating a higher risk of frailty and potential negative heart-related events down the line.

Push-Up Test (for Trained Adults <60)

The Push-Up Test is a measure of upper body muscular endurance and strength, and for trained adults under 60, it can be used to help predict long-term cardiovascular health. The goal is to do as many standard push-ups as you can in one set without stopping.

The results are quite telling: men who can complete more than 40 push-ups are associated with a very low risk of heart disease. On the other hand, if you can complete fewer than 10 push-ups, it acts as a serious warning sign, suggesting a higher cardiovascular risk that you should address through increased activity.

One-Leg Balance Test

The One-Leg Balance Test is a simple yet powerful measure of both your physical stability and your brain and vascular health. To perform it, simply stand on one leg with your arms at your sides and your eyes open, timing how long you can maintain your balance.

Being able to hold the pose for 10 seconds or more indicates good coordination and is associated with healthy brain and blood vessel function. If you can balance for less than 10 seconds, it's a significant finding that has been linked to a higher risk of future stroke and overall mortality.

How to Interpret and Use Your Scores

Higher scores and "check" results are good news they suggest a lower risk of future heart attack and stroke.

Lower scores and "warning" results are a sign that you have an opportunity to make positive changes. These results are not destiny, but a clear chance to improve your fitness and lifestyle.

• Combine this information with standard professional health checks:
• Regular blood pressure check
• Screening for blood sugar and cholesterol
• Commitment to healthy habits (balanced diet, regular exercise, no smoking, and stress management)

As kids, living for a hundred years was a thing we all took for granted, however as we grow old, it has become very clear how it is a goal not many of us can achieve. However, there are still many centenarians, who not only grew old, but also crossed the 100 years old milestone.

One such centenarian was Maria Branyas Morera, who passed away last year at the remarkable age of 117 years and 168 days, she was the world's oldest known person. Before her death, she requested that doctors study her to understand her extraordinary longevity.

Dr. Manel Esteller, chairman of Genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine, led a three-year effort to analyze Branyas' health. A study published in Cell Reports Medicine by Esteller and his colleagues identified a combination of factors that contributed to her long life.

What Were The Reason Behind Branyas’s Long Life?

The main lesson from studying Maria is that reaching an extremely old age—what scientists call extreme longevity—is a combination of two things: what you inherit from your parents (your genes) and how you live your life (your habits). The researchers think these two factors might be about half and half in importance.

Dr. Esteller explained that Maria had "very good genes." These are like powerful natural shields that protected her from many common sicknesses. She had unique variations in her DNA that most people don't have.

In addition to her strong genes, she had "very good habits." She didn't smoke or drink alcohol, both of which are known to harm health. Her diet was also very healthy, rich in things like fish, olive oil, and, most notably, yogurt.

How Yogurt Plays A Part In Longevity

One of the most interesting parts of her diet was the yogurt. Maria ate three yogurts every day! The important thing is that her yogurt was plain and had no added sugar. This kind of yogurt is packed with good bacteria that help your stomach and intestines, which is called your gut.

Dr. Esteller pointed out that these good bacteria help fight chronic inflammation. Think of chronic inflammation as a low-level, continuous "fire" in the body that gradually damages cells and is a major cause of aging and disease. By fighting this inflammation, the yogurt likely helped keep her body healthy for longer.

The study suggested that her diet probably helped create a very healthy mix of bacteria in her gut, especially one type called Bifidobacterium. While they can't be 100% sure the yogurt was the only cause, they believe it likely contributed a lot to her well-being and advanced age.

Does Old Age Come With Cognitive Decline And Medicines?

Maria Branyas Morera's life was historically long. She was born in the United States in 1907 but lived in Spain for most of her life. She lived through huge world events, including two world wars and two global pandemics! She was a mother of three and a great-grandmother to 13.

Crucially, she didn't just live for a long time; she lived a very healthy life. According to the doctors, she never developed common, serious conditions like cancer, heart disease, or dementia (a condition that affects memory). The study proves that getting extremely old doesn't automatically mean you'll be sick or frail. The researchers showed that it's possible to be extremely old and healthy at the same time.

To learn all this, the scientists took samples from four parts of her body: her blood, saliva, urine, and stool (poop). However, the doctors stressed that Maria was just one person. Because aging is slightly different for every person, they cautioned that we can't draw conclusions that apply perfectly to everyone based on just her case.