iron men
APRIL, 2018 | The HEALTH
Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen
in a medicine cabinet.
Say goodbye
to father’s day
with ibuprofen
23
Give your
spine
a break
Does sitting for extended
periods increase the risk of
heart disease?
YOU might miss Father’s day if you are
unaware of the dangers that comes
with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Men who lead an active lifestyle
tend to suffer from muscle aches
especially sports enthusiasts and
gym freaks.
In order to overcome these pain,
we tend to rely on the super effective
anti-inflammatory drugs especially
ibuprofen.
However, little that we know a
common sore muscle antidote might
have a far-reaching impact.
According to a study published
in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science, consuming 600
milligrams of ibuprofen twice a day for
six weeks will put a huge toll on cells
crucial in sperm development.
The study suggest that this might
lead to compensated hypogonadism
which is decreased fertility.
To validate the study and to know
if Malaysia had any such cases,
The HEALTH spoke to UKM Medical
Centre Urology clinical specialist Dr
Zainal Adzwin.
“Todate, there are no such cases
that have occurred in Malaysia.”
“A thorough research needs to be
done in order to determine the extent
of damage towards sperm cells
that might occur due to ibuprofen,” he
said.
Zainal pointed out that although
there are study conducted on the
matter, it does not correlate with the
Malaysian public,” he said.
Nevertheless, there is no wrong
in taking a cautious approach as an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.
Doctor pointing to anatomical spine in a medical office.
by AMIRUL
AZREEN ZULKIFLI
aazreen@revonmedia.com
ALAYSIANS love to sit, either
at home or at the office. We
spend many hours just by
sitting as it brings a sense of
comfort compared to standing
that is deemed to be tiring.
However, what we do not
know is that our sit-happy culture has negative
implications.
According to University Malaya Hospital
medical officer Dr Amirul Amzar, spending too
much time sitting will pile a pressure on the eye
muscle especially at the office where we spend
long hours sitting in front of the computer.
“Eye muscle will weaken for focusing too
much on the computer screen hence it will
trigger a headache.
“Secondly, if the sitting position is not good
you are going to experience discomfort espe-
cially at the spine and waist.
“Spending prolonged hours just sitting does
not increase risk of heart disease however it all
depends on your lifestyle.”
M
In reality, you cannot avoid from spending long hours just
by sitting due to the nature of the work hence it is important
to take better care of the spine by using a spine friendly chair.
There are various types of chairs that can help to support
your spine however it is important to find the one that really
is suitable for your back.
There are even concerns whether sitting too long may
increase risk of heart diseases but according to Dr Amirul it
does not have a direct link yet it might still have implications
depending on individual health routine.
“If you are not leading a healthy lifestyle, perhaps the risk
of getting a heart disease will increase.
“From what you eat down to your daily activities this are
all factors that may determine your heart condition but failing
to lead a healthy lifestyle is proven to cause a lot of health
problems.
“Sitting for long hours could trigger those problems hence
increasing the chance of heart diseases.”
Nevertheless, there is a quick solution to these whereby all
you need to do is allowing yourself to stand and extend.
Simply standing and stretching your back muscle can help
bring you back to a normal position.
Standing has proven to bring more positive impact whereby
according to a new study published in the European Journal
of Preventive Cardiology found that a person burns 0.15 more
calories per minute than when sitting.
Assuming you are maintaining your food intake for a year,
a person weighing 65kg would lose 2.5kg in a year if you spend
standing around six hours a day.
How to achieve this?
The solution seems to be less sitting and more moving
overall. Start by doing something simple such as talking on
the phone or having a conversation by standing. The impact
of movement — even leisurely — can be profound.
Sleepy head facing fertility issue
N
EW research suggest that sleeping too little or
too much will have a negative impact towards a
man’s ability to impregnate his partner.
Most of us are aware that we need seven to eight
hours of sleep in order for the body to receive proper
rest.
The research conducted by Boston University School
of Public Health found that both short and long duration
of sleep — less than six hours or nine or more per night
— will reduce the probability of pregnancy.
Nevertheless, according to University Malaya Hos-
pital medical officer Dr Amirul Amzar, spending too
little or too much of sleep does not have a direct impact
towards a man ability to produce healthy sperm.
“Sleeping do not affect a man’s ability to produce
sperm or ejaculate however the lack of sleep might
cause stress and exhaustion which inevitably causes
The lack of
sleep in men
might cause
problems in
conceiving.
123RF
hormonal imbalance which
might lead to problems in
conceiving,” he explained.
The majority of daily
testosterone release in
men occurs during sleep
hence it is important for
anyone carrying the XY
chromosomes to take
sleeping very seriously or
you might want to forget
adding a new member to
the family.
– Amirul