The clothes you wear when you work out may do you more harm than helping you to stay healthy as you hit the gym. This is because research has revealed alarming levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound linked to significant health risks in several sports wear, including sports bra, leggings, and athletic wear. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH), which is a nonprofit consumer advocacy group has brought these concerns to light, and have raised awareness about the potential danger and damage these sports wear can cause because of the common chemicals used.

What is BPA? Is it concerning?

Bisphenol A, or BPA is a chemical that is used to make plastics and resins. It is also used in certain fabrics and is known for its endocrine-disrupting properties, which can also interfere with one's hormonal balance. There have been studies, including a 2019 study titled The adverse health effects of bisphenol A and related toxicity mechanisms that have linked BPA exposure to various health problems, including asthma, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and even cancer.

Many of research which have been conducted focus on the ingestion, which can happen when you store food in BPA-lined containers. Among them, some of the more recent studies show that skin absorption is also a pathway. This means when you are handling receipts which are printed on thermal paper, or wear BPA-containing fabrics, the chemical can seep through your skin and enter your bloodstream.

Though it is also true that BPA is exposed from the body within days, however, continuous exposure from multiple sources can be concerning.

Sports Wear and the harm it may cause you

CEH also tested popular athletic wear in October 2023 and found BPA levels were exceeding California's safety standards by as much as 22 times.

Testing also showed that top brands contained up to 40 times the permissible limit of BPA.

What do the laws say?

As far as laws are concerned, under California's Proposition 65, the maximum allowable dose for BPA exposure via skin is 3 micrograms per day. While this law is among the strictest in the United States, it highlights a broader issue of chemical safety in consumer products nationwide.

Ana Soto, an immunologist with decades of research on BPA, even low doses of dermal and oral exposure can combine to create a significant health risk. She also warned that prolonged exposure through fabric, especially when you are exercising, as your pores are open and sweat is present, can in fact, amplify these effects.

How does BPA affect your health?

BPA can disrupt your body's endocrine system, which is a network of glands and organs that produce hormones that control many bodily functions. These include growth and development, metabolism, and reproduction, to name a few. BPA can mimic natural hormones like estrogen and interfere in those bodily functions.

Studies also link it with obesity and diabetes, respiratory issues, especially asthma risk in school-aged children, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer risks.

How can you be safe?

There are certain steps you can follow to protect yourself:

• Avoid wearing BPA-lined sports-wear
• Change immediately after your workout
• Do not wear sports-wear for an elongated period

Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing psychotic (doubled), bipolar (doubled), depressive and anxiety disorders, a study shows.

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente, the Public Health Institute's Getting it Right from the Start, the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Southern California, who studied 463,396 adolescents ages 13 to 17 through age 26, found that children between these ages were extremely prone to developing mental illnesses.

Lynn Silver, MD, program director of the Getting it Right from the Start, a program of the Public Health Institute, and study co-author noted: "As cannabis becomes more potent and aggressively marketed, this study indicates that adolescent cannabis use is associated with double the risk of incident psychotic and bipolar disorders, two of the most serious mental health conditions.

"The evidence increasingly points to the need for an urgent public health response - one that reduces product potency, prioritizes prevention, limits youth exposure and marketing and treats adolescent cannabis use as a serious health issue, not a benign behavior."

"Even after accounting for prior mental health conditions and other substance use, adolescents who reported cannabis use had a substantially higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders - particularly psychotic and bipolar disorders.

"This study adds to the growing body of evidence that cannabis use during adolescence could have potentially detrimental, long-term health effects. It's imperative that parents and their children have accurate, trusted, and evidence-based information about the risks of adolescent cannabis use," Kelly Young-Wolff, Ph.D., lead author of the study and senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, added.

The observational US-focused study also found that cannabis use was more common among adolescents enrolled in Medicaid and those living in more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods.

How Does Cannabis Usage In Teens Affect Overall Health?

Strong links have also been found between adolescent cannabis use and mental health issues, including increased risk of depression, anxiety, and, in some cases, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders.

Additionally, smoking cannabis can lead to breathing problems similar to tobacco, such as chronic bronchitis. It can also cause an increased heart rate, and some studies suggest a higher risk of heart attacks.

Early initiation, especially before age 16, increases the risk of developing Cannabis Use Disorder (addiction). High-potency products can lead to rapid onset of withdrawal symptoms, mood changes, and even physical complications like Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (severe nausea/vomiting)

Why Should Early Cannabis Usage Be Discouraged?

Compared to teens who don't use cannabis, those who do are more likely to drop out of high school or not finish a college degree. Using cannabis can cause several immediate and long-term problems for teens:

• Difficulty Thinking
• Memory Issues
• Poor Coordination
• Attention Problems
• School and Social Troubles
• Cannabis use can also lead to more serious issues that affect a teen's overall life.
• Increased Mental Health Risks

Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal and unsafe, as it severely slows reaction time. Cannabis reduces coordination and concentration, impacting all the skills necessary for responsible and safe driving.

Around 30 percent of cannabis users are also known to develop an addiction (cannabis use disorder). Failing to quit or choosing the drug over family activities are signs. This risk is higher for frequent teen users.

Scientists have created a three-dimensional "heart-on-a-chip" (HOC) model that beats on its own, uses calcium to initiate muscular activity and responds predictably to common drugs in hopes that it will help fight against cardiovascular diseases and heart failure.

This engineered heart is the first to incorporate a dual-sensing platform that provides real-time tracking of activity throughout the heart tissue down to the cellular level, helping scientists measure cellular function, which is critical for preventing heart failure in patients with CVDs.

First author Ali Mousavi, a biomedical engineer at the University of Montreal: "The ability to observe the tissue's response to different compounds in real time represents a major advantage for preclinical development and translational research."

To create their heart-on-chip (HOC) models, researchers collected heart muscle and connective tissue cells from rats. They placed the cells in a gel rich in proteins and nutrients to help them grow, then put them onto tiny, flexible silicon chips.

To measure how the tissue worked, they used two types of sensors. First, they attached the engineered heart tissue between two small elastic pillars. Each time the tissue beat, the pillars bent slightly, and this bending showed how strong the heartbeat was.

Then they placed tiny, soft gel-based sensors inside the tissue. These very small droplets—about 50 micrometers wide—changed shape as the cells contracted. This allowed the researchers to measure mechanical stress at the level of individual cells.

Talking about this development, senior author Houman Savoji, a mechanical and biomedical engineer at the University of Montreal said: "This breakthrough brings us even closer to true precision health by giving us the ability to identify the most effective medication for each person before treatment is even administered."

The Rising Heart Attack Crisis

During a heart attack, a lack of blood flow causes the cells and tissue in the heart muscle to die, leading to irreversible damage that can result in serious complications like arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or cardiac arrest.

It is one of the leading causes of death in the country. Four Indians experience a heart attack every minute, with one in four dying of the cause. Experts have also noticed a rising trend of nearly 50 percent of heart attack patients being under the age of 40, with half of all heart attacks in Indian men occurring under 50.

Coronary Artery Disease: The Silent KillerCoronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common illnesses that can cause a heart attack in people. It develops over years and has no clear signs and symptoms apart from a heart attack.

The illness begins due to a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances known as plaque in and on the artery walls.

Over time, this can cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries and block the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart which can lead to chest pain (angina), shortness of breath and ultimately, heart attacks.

READ MORE: How This Chinese Medicine Can Improve Blood Flow In Angina Patients

Typically, those above the age of 45, having a biological family member with heart disease, lack of sleep, smoking, consuming saturated fats along with other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can increase the risk of developing CAD.

Nearly one in 10 Indian adults suffer from CAD and about two million people die from the disease annually. Apart from this, about 18 to 20 million American adults aged 20 and older are also affected about the disease.

How Much You Should Exercise To Prevent CAD?

Moreover, regular exercise can also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as several types of cancer. It can also help improve sleep, cognition, including memory, attention and processing speed.

Dr Hayes recommends opting for a cardiac evaluation such as an electrocardiogram, or EKG; a stress test; a cardiac MRI or CT scan to generate images of your heart if you notice changes in your ability to exercise or cannot perform consistent levels of exercise.

Long-term exposure to tiny air pollution particles can significantly increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease-caused dementia.

Researchers from Emory University, US have found that constant exposure to PM2.5 can affect the brain more directly than scientists have assumed.

They noted: "Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and a growing public health challenge, especially in aging populations. Our findings suggest that PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased Alzheimer's disease risk, primarily through direct rather than comorbidity-mediated pathways."

The scientists also discovered that those who had suffered a stroke were at a slightly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that strokes may make the brain more vulnerable to air pollution.

"The observed effect modification by stroke may reflect an underlying biological vulnerability in cerebrovascular pathways. Stroke-related neurovascular damage can compromise the blood–brain barrier, facilitating the translocation of PM2.5 particles or their associated inflammatory mediators into the brain."

The observational study was released in PLOS Magazine.

When Does The Risk Increase?

A new IIT Delhi study suggests the air quality may be worse than what conventional surface monitoring stations capture.

During a post-winter-haze day in March 2021, the researchers measured the vertical distribution of fine particulate matter at 20-metre intervals from the surface up to 100 meters through drones.

At 100 meters, PM2.5 concentrations were around 160 micrograms per cubic meter which is about 60 percent higher than surface readings on the same days. They also found that humidity levels were also higher by 70 percent, which promoted the concentration of ammonium nitrate and chloride.

Additionally, the study found that PM2.5 levels increased sharply near the top of this shallow layer, leading to higher concentrations at around 100 metres.

Based on these observations, the researchers concluded that residents in 28–30-storey buildings may face higher exposure to pollutants and inorganic material than indicated by ground-based monitors.

They also noted that drone-mounted low-cost sensors are a much more effective tool for studying the lower atmospheric boundary layer to improve air quality monitoring, model evaluation and mitigation strategies in cities such as Delhi.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia and mostly affects adults over the age of 65.

About 8.8 million Indians aged 60 and above are estimated to be living with Alzheimer's disease. Over seven million people in the US 65 and older live with the condition and over 100,00 die from it annually.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the development of toxic amyloid and beta proteins in the brain, which can accumulate in the brain and damage cells responsible for memory.

Amyloid protein molecules stick together in brain cells, forming clumps called plaques. At the same time, tau proteins twist together in fiber-like strands called tangles. The plaques and tangles block the brain's neurons from sending electrical and chemical signals back and forth.

Over time, this disruption causes permanent damage in the brain that leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, causing patients to lose their ability to speak, care for themselves or even respond to the world around them.

While there is no clear cause of Alzheimer's disease, experts believe it can develop due to genetic mutations and lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and social isolation.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include forgetting recent events or conversations. Over time, Alzheimer's disease leads to serious memory loss and affects a person's ability to do everyday tasks.

There is no cure for this progressive brain disorder and in advanced stages, loss of brain function can cause dehydration, poor nutrition or infection. These complications can result in death.