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A review of research on artificial and natural sweeteners commonly used as alternatives to sugar failed to find strong evidence they provide significant health benefits, but also found no harm from using them. 

The analysis, published in The BMJ, was commissioned by the World Health Organisation with the aim of developing guidelines on the use of non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame and stevia. 

“Unfortunately, we don’t have sufficient data to assess fully the potential benefits and harms of non-sugar sweeteners,” said senior researcher Joerg Meerpohl, director of the Institute for Evidence in Medicine at the University of Freiburg in Germany. “While a substantial number of studies have been published, there was not much consistency in relation to the specific intervention/exposure evaluated and which outcomes were measured when and how.” 

Moreover, Meerpohl said in an e-mail, most of the studies were small or brief. “Unfortunately, we need more and better research on the topic,” he added. 

Meerpohl and colleagues gathered research that explored the impact of artificial sweeteners on important health outcomes like weight and blood sugar levels. They eventually settled on 56 studies, 35 of which were not clinical trials. 

Some of the small studies suggested non-sugar sweeteners might slightly improve body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight relative to height) and blood sugar. 

Data on 318 participants in four randomised controlled trials showed that daily energy intake was 254 calories lower in those who consumed artificial sweeteners compared to those who consumed sugar. And a study of overweight and obese individuals who were not trying to lose weight found that the artificial sweeteners were associated with a loss of nearly 4.5 lbs. 

But artificial sweeteners did not seem to help overweight and obese adults and children who actually were trying to lose weight. 

Two studies with a total of 174 participants found a very small improvement in blood sugar with use of non-sugar sweeteners. 

One limitation is that the researchers left out studies that did not name the sweetener being tested. Another issue, pointed out in an editorial accompanying the new report, was that Meerpohl and his colleagues lumped together studies comparing artificial sweeteners to non-caloric placebos with those comparing artificial sweeteners to sugar. 

“In experimental trials, the intended effects of [non-sugar sweeteners] are expected to differ depending on the energy content of the comparator,” writes Vasanti Malik, a nutrition researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Meerpohl and his colleagues “did not differentiate trials according to the nature of the comparator. Among included studies, benefits on blood pressure and body weight were observed when [non-sugar sweeteners] were compared with sugars rather than non-calorie placebos”. 

The new report shows that artificial sweeteners, in and of themselves, do not lead to improved health outcomes, said Michele Pfarr, a clinical nutrition manager at the Magee-Womens Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre in Pennsylvania. What’s important when you are trying to lose weight, Pfarr said, “is a focus on overall calorie intake and eating nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, along with low-fat dairy, whole grains and lean meat”. 

Sodas containing artificial sweeteners may aid in weight loss, “only if you’re using them to replace full-calorie drinks”, Pfarr said. “But if you see this as an opportunity to eat other foods, you’re not going to realise that impact.” 

“For the vast majority of people, there probably aren’t any health benefits to non-sugar sweeteners,” said Aziz Alkatib, a cardiologist at Detroit Medical Centre’s Harper Hospital in Michigan. “For individuals who consume excessive amounts of sugar, particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, perhaps a non-calorie sweetener is a less health-damaging alternative.” 

A better strategy for weight loss is to switch to water, Alkatib said in an email. “One study showed that switching from diet beverages to water helped women lose weight,” he explained. “By consuming these sweeteners, you avoid confronting a major roadblock to healthy eating: sugar addiction.” 

LAS VEGAS — South Korean car maker Hyundai on Monday gave a look at work it is doing on a vehicle with robotic legs to let it walk or crawl over treacherous terrain.

Hyundai showed off its Elevate project on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show gadget extravaganza, billing it an unprecedented “Ultimate Mobility Vehicle” that combines technology from electric cars with robotics.

“What if a car designed with robotics could save lives in disasters,” said Hyundai executive John Suh, who heads a Cradle arm of the company devoted to innovation.

“The need for search and rescue, and humanitarian aid, is growing around the world.”

Elevate is designed with four mechanical legs with wheels for feet, according to a small-scale model shown at the press event.

Elevate vehicles can roll along on extended legs or retract them to be driven like a car.

Extended legs could also be used to climb or crawl while keeping the passenger compartment level, according to David Byron of Sundberg-Ferar, an industrial design consultancy, which is working with Hyundai on the project.

“This design is uniquely capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits, allowing it to move in any direction,” Hyundai said in a release.

Elevate can climb over walls as high as 1.5 metres while keeping the vehicle body level with the ground, Byron said.

Hyundai has been working on the walking car for three years, according to the company.

Examples of how this might be used included being able to carefully extract injured people from disaster zones or rugged terrain.

“It can go where no vehicle has gone before,” Suh said.

A scaled-down model of Elevate along with video of how it would perform were displayed at the CES press event.

“This technology goes well beyond emergency situations — people living with disabilities could hail an autonomous Hyundai Elevate that could walk up to their front door, level itself, and allow their wheelchair to roll right in,” Suh said.

“The possibilities are limitless.”

For example, an Elevate stuck in snow on a roadside could get up and walk back to lanes of traffic, or the vehicle could be put to work exploring other planets.

AutoPacific market research vice president Daniel Hall considered the Hyundai project “interesting”, noting that while robotic vehicles are already used by the military to deal with bombs “climbing obstacles in certain situations can be helpful”.

For Hyundai, the project is also a chance to demonstrate that, like rival car makers, the company is pursuing innovation, Hall added.

An entry-level addition to the British car maker’s two-seat premium sports car line, the 2-litre four-cylinder version of the Jaguar F-Type Coupe is a more accessible, affordable and frugal alternative to the existing 3-litre V6 and 5-litre V8 incarnations.

Hot on the heels of the most powerful SVR skunkworks F-Type iteration, the four-pot 2.0 gives away a substantial 271BHP, but is also a significant 180kg lighter, more nimble and often is more fun to drive, especially in daily driving situations.

Arriving as part of a subtle F-Type mid-life facelift and model revision, the more economical turbocharged 2.0 model is visually a little different, but delivers a somewhat different driving characteristic of the previous 335BHP entry-level V6 model. 

Positioned close to the lesser of an expanded three supercharged V6 engine F-Type selection, the 2.0’s performance is a little behind the entry-level V6, but is conversely more fuel efficient. 

In terms of character the 2.0 places more emphasis on low-end and mid-range muscle and versatility than the supercharged V6’s sweeping and higher-revving delivery.

A flair for the dramatic

Little changed in design, the revised F-Type models circa 2018 retains the same svelte and feline lines, curves and profile, long bonnet and pert rear as when it first launched back in 2013. 

Similarly unchanged are the F-Type’s wide, hungry and recessed mesh grille and moody, slim rear lights. 

However, the updated model does ditch the original’s gill-like side intakes for a single opening mesh design, and also features more variation in its front bumper and lower lip design to differentiate between models and specifications, as well as full LED headlights.

Driven in the more aesthetically aggressive R-Design trim, with a large fixed rear wing for dramatic posture and improved aerodynamic down-force, and large 20-inch alloys with staggered 255/35ZR20 front and 295/30ZR20 rear tyres for added traction, the entry-level 2.0 looks about as menacingly assertive as the full fat SVR version. 

More planted into the tarmac at speed and through fast corners with the larger tyres and fixed rear wing, the F-Type Coupe 2.0’s smaller and lighter turbocharged 2-litre 4-cylinder engine does however make it more nimble, agile and eager into corners as well as tidier when making sudden direction changes.

Mid-range punch

The rear wheels progress through a slick, smooth and quick shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox with a broad range of ratios for performance, efficiency and versatility with escalating responsive auto and manual paddle-shift modes.

The F-Type 2.0, however, is not offered with all-wheel-drive or manual gearbox options as some other F-Type models.

 Producing 296BHP at 5500rpm and 295lb/ft torque throughout a broad and accessible 1500-4500rpm plateau, the F-Type’s new Ingenium family four-cylinder engine allows for brisk performance, including 0-100km/h acceleration in just 5.7-seconds, a 250km/h top speed and modest 7.2l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

The car is responsive from standstill with its quick spooling exhaust gas-driven turbocharger, if not as immediate off the line and consistent from tickover to redline as its larger displacement and mechanically-driven supercharged sister models.

The F-Type 2.0, however, is formidably punchy, eager and a genuinely swift car. 

The car is effortlessly flexible as it accumulates speed when driving on its big brawny and generously broad mid-range torque sweet spot, whether overtaking or cruising at speed, however, the four-cylinder is a distinctly lower revving machine than other F-Types. 

Agile ability

Despite its lower revving character, the F-Type is one of the most rewarding and fun F-Type models around, which allows one to enjoy pushing it hard without going too fast, and all the while enjoying its growling and churning acoustics. 

In general, it is nippy, maneuvreable and eager turning into corners with quick, direct and well-weighted steering delivering a meaty yet more delicately nuanced feel for the road than much of the competition.

The F-Type 2.0 controls body lean well through the corners and remains buttoned down over road imperfections.

A front-engine rear-drive sports coupe with near perfect weighting and a relatively short wheelbase, the F-Type 2.0 delivers agile and adjustable handling with a more purist appeal than all-wheel-drive F-Types.

The F-Type’s rear however, can be gradually coaxed out slightly to tighten a cornering line. However, its stability controls keep things well in check, and while a limited-slip differential would have made a nice addition for such situations, the F-Type does however feature selective brake-based torque vectoring for added agility and stability.

Classy, cosy and comfortable

Settled, reassuringly stable and refined at speed and in town, the F-Type’s ride is smooth and somewhat firm over bumps, but otherwise its fixed rate double wishbone suspension fluently flows with road textures. 

Cosy and comfortable, the 2-seat F-Type’s cabin is classy, sporty and driver focused with a thick steering wheel, lots of lush leathers and metals, soft textures and an intuitive layout. 

Visibility is good in front, but with thick rear pillars, big haunches, a low roof and a small rear hatch, one tends to use the reversing camera for improved rear visibility. Meanwhile boot space accommodates luggage for two for a weekend excursion.

Driving position is meanwhile supportive, alert and more comfortable, with slimmer, more ergonomically contoured standard R-Dynamic seats proving more comfortable for larger and taller drivers than the SVR model’s sportier seats. 

Well-kitted with safety, comfort, infotainment and driver assistance systems, one found the F-Type’s blind spot warning system particularly useful and its infotainment touchscreen user-friendly. 

However, though convenient, the standard electric opening rear tailgate is perhaps an unnecessary luxury and small weight gain for so sporty a car with lightweight aluminum construction.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2.0 R-Dynamic

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83 x 92.3mm

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable timing, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 4.714; 2nd 3.143; 3rd 2.106; 4th 1.667; 5th 1.285; 6th 1.0; 7th 0.839; 8th 0.667

Reverse / final drive ratios: 3.295 / 3.55

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 296 (300) [221] @5500rpm

Specific power: 148.2BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 194.1BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 295 (400) @1500-4500rpm

Specific torque: 200.3Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 262.3Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 5.7-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h

Fuel economy, combined: 7.2-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 163g/km

Fuel capacity: 63-litres

Length: 4482mm

Width: 1923mm

Height: 1310mm

Wheelbase: 2622mm

Track, F/R: 1597/1649mm

Boot capacity, min/max: 310/408-litres

Unladen weight: 1525kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 10.7-meters

Brakes, F/R: 355/325mm ventilated discs

Brake calipers, F/R: 2-/1-piston

Tyres, F/R: 255/35ZR20 / 295/30ZR20

Kids with pneumonia may be more likely to receive recommended antibiotics when they are treated at a children’s hospital than when they are seen elsewhere, a US study suggests. 

While milder cases of pneumonia may clear up without treatment, antibiotics are recommended for more serious cases that can lead to potentially fatal lung infections. Since 2011, US guidelines have recommended so-called narrow spectrum antibiotics — penicillin, amoxicillin and ampicillin — for kids hospitalised for pneumonia. 

For the study, researchers examined data on antibiotic use for 120,238 kids treated for pneumonia at 51 children’s hospitals and 471 non-children’s hospitals from January 2009 through September 2015. 

During the study period, the proportion of children’s hospitals giving narrow-spectrum antibiotics to kids with so-called community acquired pneumonia — or cases caught outside the hospital — increased from 25 per cent to 61 per cent, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics. At other hospitals, the proportion of these kids who received recommended antibiotics climbed from 6 per cent to 27 per cent. 

“Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are recommended over broad-spectrum antibiotics because narrow-spectrum antibiotics provide similar [and sometime better] clinical cure rates, are less likely to cause antibiotic-resistance, typically have fewer side effects [like diarrhea], and are less expensive,” said senior study author Jeffrey Gerber of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

These findings come at a time when hospitals nationwide are increasingly grappling with antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” that do not respond to available medicines. 

Sometimes overuse results from incorrectly giving patients antibiotics for viral infections like the flu that will not respond to these drugs. Other times, however, overuse involves giving patients an antibiotic that’s less effective for their condition before switching to a different antibiotic that’s better suited to their illness. 

The study was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how treatment at a children’s hospital might directly influence the chances of kids receiving the recommended antibiotics for pneumonia. 

“For example, at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we have a clinical quality improvement team that generates, updates, and disseminates guidelines for managing common pediatric illnesses as well as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme that ensures that children receive the correct choice, dose and duration of antibiotics,” Gerber added. 

But about 70 per cent of hospitalised children don’t receive care at children’s hospitals, the study authors note. 

It is unlikely that children’s hospitals are treating different patient populations than other hospitals that could explain the difference in antibiotic use in the study because researchers only looked at healthy children with uncomplicated community acquired pneumonia, the authors write. 

The results suggest that there is a need for more programmes focused on antibiotic stewardship at hospitals that do not specialise in treating children, the authors conclude. 

This is one example of a scenario where, in general, children who are cared for in children’s hospitals appear to be receiving more guideline-recommended care than those who are not. 

Pachinko 

Min Jin Lee

New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2017, 479 pp

Pachinko, a cross between slot machine and pinball, gives its name to this novel, but the word does not even appear until half way through the book.

 At first, one does not understand why Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee chose this form of gambling as the title. Instead, family, survival and being part of a despised immigrant minority seem to be the salient themes of this story, which stretches from 1910, when Japan annexed Korea, until 1989. Other themes include tradition and transition, how Christianity impacted on Korean lives, and last but not least, love — whether love of family or romantic love.

In this family saga of four generations, only one character who appears in the first chapter survives until the last. This is Sunja, who starts off as a shy, hardworking girl in a Korean fishing village, only to become the matriarch of the family. 

At 16, Sunja does something seemingly out of character: She has an affair with Hansu, an older man, and gets pregnant, setting the stage for all the subsequent happenings in the novel. Hansu cannot marry Sunja, as he is already married, but he promises to take care of her and the child. However, she is too proud to accept his offer. 

By a stroke of good luck, Isak, a Christian minister, comes to stay at her mother’s boarding house and agrees to marry her and give his name to the child. He is on his way to Japan, to join his brother and work in a church there. 

This will rescue Sunja from shame, so she joins him and sees cars and modern buildings for the first time. They settled in with Isak’s brother and his wife in the Korean ghetto in Osaka, but things will not be easy as dire poverty, World War II and the stigma of being Korean in Japan all take their toll. 

Different members of the family adopt different survival strategies, balancing between a desperate need for money and the moral high ground, from selling food in the open market, to getting an education, to working in a factory, to learning Japanese well and mimicking Japanese habits. 

One stands in awe of how hard they work, what they must endure, their stoicism, but whatever they do, it is not enough to be accepted. 

Wealth only accrues to the family from Sunja’s son who buys into pachinko parlors, but this does not gain them respect, as the game is associated with gangsterism. Years later, when those of the family who survived are well-off, they still have to get a foreigners’ ID. 

As Sunja’s grandson, Soloman, is told by his boss in 1989: “It’s not like Koreans had a lot of choicesin regular professions… Maybe your dad could have worked for Fuji or Sony, but it wasn’t like they were going to hire a Korean, right?… Japan still doesn’t hire Koreans to be teachers, cops and nurses in a lot of places… It’s crazy what the Japanese have done to the Koreans and the Chinese who were born here.” (p. 444)

For many years, the author wanted to write about Koreans in Japan, but she did not feel she knew enough. All that changed when her husband got a job in Tokyo and they moved there for some years. 

As much as one learns about the Korean Japanese, the most outstanding aspect of Min Jin Lee’s writing is her ability to quickly switch point-of-view from one character to another. This means that none of the characters are mere symbols. Rather they are all fullblown and one knows their opinions and feelings on all the vital things in life, from those who advocate Christian love to those who believe one must fend for themselves.

Though Sunja seems quite pragmatic and stoic, her inner thoughts are often in turmoil; there is much she cannot completely share with anyone, particularly her feelings for Hansu, who continues to pop up in her life, usually to help her or their son, Noa, in times of crisis. 

When she sees him at her mother’s funeral, Sunja remembers how “her mother had said that this man had ruined her life, but had he? He had given her Noa; unless she had been pregnant, she wouldn’t have married Isak, and without Isak, she wouldn’t have had Mozasu and now her grandson Solomon. 

She didn’t want to hate him any more.” (p. 421) She often wonders if people should have only one person in the life. 

One cannot help but notice in the story that it is mostly the women who, though lacking in resources except for their own hard work, are flexible and determined enough to survive.

People who drink lots of sugar-sweetened soda and fruit juices may be more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than those who don’t, a US study suggests. 

Researchers examined survey data on beverage consumption among 3,003 African-American men and women who were 54 years old on average and did not have kidney disease. After following participants for about eight to 10 years, researchers found that 185 people, or 6 per cent, developed chronic kidney disease. 

After researchers accounted for factors that can contribute to kidney damage such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and inactivity, they found that drinking mainly sodas and sweetened fruit drinks was associated with a 61 per cent higher risk of kidney disease. 

When researchers looked at beverages individually, however, they found soda was the main culprit. 

“These findings add to the body of literature on the adverse health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and support recommendations to avoid their consumption,” said lead study author Casey Rebholz of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. 

“It is widely recognised that sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sweetened fruit drinks, should be avoided in order to reduce one’s risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Rebholz said by e-mail. 

However, the current findings offer fresh insight into which beverage choices might prevent or delay the development of kidney disease, Rebholz said. 

Taken on its own, soda was associated with a 9 per cent greater risk of kidney disease, and higher intakes of tea and beer were also associated with greater odds of kidney disease, the researchers report in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. No other individual types of beverages were associated with kidney disease. 

The researchers examined data from food frequency questionnaires participants had completed at the start of the study between 2000 and 2004. Then they monitored people until 2013 to see who developed kidney disease. 

From the dietary questionnaires, researchers identified four patterns of beverage consumption, labelling each one with the drink categories the person consumed the most, followed by the next most-consumed and the third most-consumed. For example, one pattern was characterised by high consumption of citrus juice, other fruit juice and vegetable juice, in that order. 

The pattern associated with higher kidney disease risk included soda, sweetened fruit juices and water, in that order. 

The connection between water and kidney damage in combination with soda and sugary fruit drinks was a surprise, the study team writes. 

It’s possible, however, that participants counted flavoured and sweetened water or sports drinks as part of their water intake on questionnaires, the authors note. This might mean the effect of water more closely resembled other sugary drinks than it would if people consumed only plain water. 

Also, the researchers didn’t know what brands of beverages people consumed, making it impossible to determine the exact sugar or calorie content. 

“Multiple studies have shown that high consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is associated with increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and gout,” said Dr Holly Kramer of Loyola University Chicago. 

“The association with kidney disease has not been consistently demonstrated,” Kramer, coauthor of an accompanying editorial, said by e-mail. 

But people should still avoid eating or drinking excessive amounts of sugar. 

“High sugar of any kind can lead to weight gain and insulin resistance and elevated blood pressure,” Kramer said. “These factors then put stress on the kidney and can accelerate loss of kidney function over time.” 

Adults who skip recommended cancer screenings may be more likely than those who do not skip them to die prematurely from causes unrelated to malignancies, a US study suggests. 

Researchers think skipping screenings may be a marker for more generally neglecting one’s own health. 

“It was not a direct effect of missing the cancer screening that led to the increased mortality in the non-compliers,” said study co-author Paul Pinsky of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. 

“Rather, we believe that non-compliance with the screening was a marker of a wider health behavioural profile of general non-compliance with or non-adherence to medical tests and treatments,” Pinsky said by e-mail. “Non-compliance with medical procedures has also been linked, in this and other studies, to other unhealthy lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking, and to lower education.” 

The researchers examined data on 64,567 adults (age 62, on average) who were told to get screened for lung and colorectal cancers. Men were also advised to get tested for prostate tumours and women were asked to get checked for ovarian cancer. 

Overall, 55,065 participants, or about 85 per cent, did what they were told and 6,954, or about 11 per cent, did not. 

Within 10 years, people who did not get any of their recommended cancer screenings were 73 per cent more likely to die of causes other than the tumours targeted by the tests than participants who got all of their screenings, the study found. 

Some screening was better than none at all, the researchers also found. 

About 2,500 participants, or 4 per cent, were partially compliant with screening recommendations, getting some but not all of what was recommended based on their sex and age. These individuals were 36 per cent more likely to die of causes other than cancer during the study than their counterparts who received all recommended screenings. 

Even after researchers accounted for other factors that can hasten death like smoking, obesity and multiple chronic medical issues, compliance with cancer screenings still mattered: people who did not get any screenings were 46 per cent more likely to die of other causes during the study and people who skipped some screenings were 26 per cent more likely to die. 

One limitation of the study is that researchers were missing more data for people who skipped screenings than for people who got recommended cancer tests, the authors note in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Because all of the people in the study knew they would be asked to get multiple screenings, it is also possible that their results do not reflect what might happen in the broader population. 

Even so, the results suggest that the same factors that motivate screening decisions might also impact other aspects of health, said Deborah Grady of the University of California, San Francisco, who co-wrote an accompanying editorial. 

“There is no way that getting screened for cancer can reduce the risk of dying of causes totally unrelated to screening,” Grady said by e-mail. 

“What probably accounts for this association is the fact that people who follow advice to undergo screening have a lot of other health-related behaviours,” Grady added. “It’s likely that it’s these sorts of behaviours that reduce the risk of dying.” 

Older adults are less likely to need to change residences if their homes have certain features, including no stairs, a new study found. 

“Most older adults do not want to move to a nursing home, and supporting older adults to age in the community has potential to improve quality of life and costs for care,” said lead study author Marianne Granbom of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Lund University in Sweden. 

“But to truly understand how aging in place can be supported, we need to shift focus from merely looking at individual health problems to also include the environments they live in,” she told Reuters Health by e-mail. 

Granbom and colleagues analysed data collected between 2011 and 2105 on 7,197 US adults ages 65 and older. During that period, about 8 per cent moved within the community and 4 per cent moved to residential care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living. Overall, those who lived alone, had a lower annual income, and visited the hospital during the past year were more likely to move. 

After taking health factors into account, poor indoor accessibility was strongly associated with moving to a new home in the community, but not with moving to a nursing home, the researchers reported in Journals of Gerontology. 

Having a one-floor house or having the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom on one floor were the features most strongly associated with aging in place. Dwellings with elevator access, lifts or stair-glides were also helpful. No other home environment factors, such as entrance accessibility or housing conditions, were associated with relocation. 

For older adults, moving to more age-friendly home environments could help postpone the need for a nursing home, Granbom said. 

The study found that the longer the adults had lived in their current homes, the less likely they were to move at all. Future studies could incorporate the emotional attachment to home to better understand the complexities of relocation decisions, the authors wrote. 

France Legare of Laval University in Quebec, Canada, who was not involved with this study but who has researched housing decisions among older adults, suggests some home-planning ideas to consider. 

“During construction, leaving a space for a lift that could be installed later could be helpful, especially in dense cities where dwellings are often two or three stories,” Legare said in a phone interview. “Even if it isn’t built yet, having a potential area for a lift could help people age in place and make housing decisions as they grow older.” 

Other features such as improved lighting, a no-step entrance, walk-in showers with grab bars, and railings on both sides of indoor stairs could help, said Jon Pynoos of the University of Southern California is Los Angeles, California, who has researched the future of housing for older adults. 

“In a home with two or more stories, stacking closets that could later be replaced with a small elevator might be a good investment,” Pynoos, who was not involved with this study, told Reuters Health by e-mail. “Basically, plan ahead.” 

The brand New Year usually takes off to a very slow start in Mauritius because after an intense partying season, everyone is exhausted. Therefore, the first and second of January, are both declared public holidays here. 

If one researches it, initially, New Year’s Day was observed on the Ides of March in the old Roman calendar, but two Roman consuls scheduled it for January 1, in 153 BC. The month is called Janus after the Roman God of doors and gates, who has two faces, one facing forward and the other looking back. 

During the Middle Ages, a number of different Christian feast dates were used to mark the New Year and it was not until 1582 that the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted January 1, as the New Year. It is a national holiday in all the countries that follow the Gregorian calendar, with the exception of Israel. 

Like I said earlier, Mauritians get two days off, which is fair I guess, because they need that additional break to recover from the hectic revelry. All the rich food, which is consumed in large quantities, requires time to be properly digested, and following nonstop dancing, our pairs of aching feet need to be put to rest, so to speak. 

After the requisite break, when we reluctantly go back to work, we start making our New Year’s Resolutions all over again. Like we have done so many times in the past, we begin with good intentions and a renewed enthusiasm, however, a few months down the line, it all fizzles out as we fail to honour the promises we make to ourselves. So, what can be done? 

“Setting minor, attainable goals throughout the year, instead of a singular, overwhelming target on January 1, can help you reach whatever it is you strive for,” says psychologist Lynn Bufka. “Remember, it is not the extent of the change that matters, but rather the act of recognising that lifestyle change is important and working toward it, one step at a time.”

In other words, one must start small by making resolutions that we think we can keep. If, for example, your aim is to exercise more frequently, schedule three or four days a week at the gym rather than seven. 

If you would like to eat healthier, try replacing dessert with something else you enjoy, like fruit or yoghurt, instead of seeing your diet as a form of punishment.

While it may seem like a slow beginning, these minor changes make it easier to stick to your new habits and increase the likelihood of long-term success. Also, Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University suggests that you should pick doable resolutions and focus all your energies on achieving them. 

The Dalai Lama once observed that every man is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present. “He lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived”, he said. 

Right! So personally, my New Year’s Resolution is to stretch each day to its fullest and accomplish today what I would have put off for tomorrow. 

“You are having sorbet with sparkling wine?” my husband asked me on the January 1. 

“And baklava as well”, I informed him.

“But it is the midnight hour!” he exclaimed. 

“I’m fulfilling the resolutions of the Dalai Lama,” I said, adding“by enjoying the present”.