Background: Cortisol has a positive correlation with obesity, which indicates a relation between obesity and cortisol. Furthermore, there are increased chances of demolished muscle strength up to two times with elevated levels of cortisol. Thus, the aim of the study was to assess the impact of increased cortisol levels on the grip strength and to determine that the grip strength is a possible indicator for accelerated biological ageing. Methodology: This cross-sectional, purposive sampling study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan. Overall 412 were recruited to participate in the study, the data for age, gender, BMI, grip strength, and cortisol was collected from the participants. The age-wise correlates of hand grip strength were assessed using Multiple linear regression analysis and the mean decline in the grip strength with advancing age is displayed. Results: The mean grip strength of the overall population was 30.75±14.35. It was observed that there was a negative significant correlation between the age and the grip strength (F = 3.57; r=-0.27; p=0.007) i.e. with increasing age a gradual decrease in the grip strength was observed. BMI (Obesity) was also significantly associated with grip strength (p=0.000). Moreover, females were more likely to have weak muscle strength as compared to males (p=0.000). However, no significant association was observed among the grip strength, socioeconomic status & longevity in any of the studied age groups (p>0.05). While a significant correlation was found between grip strength and obesity as well as between obesity and cortisol. Conclusion: Thus it can be concluded that obese individuals had increased chances of accelerated biological ageing due to an increase in cortisol, and a weakened grip strength is an indicator of it.

Background:  Obesity is an associated risk of devastating diseases and increased mortality. Thereby, the study objective was to evaluate the predisposing obese individuals towards accelerated ageing and determine the smell test as the possible indicator for early biological ageing. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in Karachi, Pakistan, from 8th June 2016- 4th December 2019. A total of 412 individuals were included in the study. The data for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), sniffing score, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were collected from the target population. The screening 12 test was intended to be used for the examination of smell disorders in humans. The test results were used to differentiate between Normosmia, Hyposmia, and Anosmia.  Results: Four hundred and twelve participants were recruited in the study with a mean age of 32.65±12.6 years and divided into three age groups; 20 to 36, 37 to 53, and 54 to 70 years. There were 194 (47.1 %) females and 218 (52.9 %) males. Out of the total, 19.9 % of individuals were underweight, 58.5 % were normal, 21.6 % were overweight. It was also observed that of the total, 24 % of participants were pre-diabetic.  Cross analysis of the variables showed that the olfaction decreased as the BMI was increasing (p=0.000 for obese). Conclusion: As the sense of olfaction decreased with an increase in BMI and HbA1c levels, it was concluded that obese individuals have an increased predisposition towards accelerated ageing and the increased risk of predisposition to diabetes to obesity significantly accelerate the process of biological ageing.

The Arabic word for health ‫صحي‬ is synonymous in English language to "weight" ‫وزن‬ (Khoury, 2001), and a cultural link for perceiving weight as health can very well be understood, the impact of Arabic culture and values on a random Pakistani cannot be denied under any circumstances. Obesity is a major concern, in adults and more so in children. Pakistan is going through a transitional phase for some decades whereby changes are coming across in lifestyles, family structures, incomes, a new set of stresses, rural to urban shift, migrants' influx making the transition all the more complex when compared to other countries (Nanan, 2002).

Regular exercise is largely done to have maintained body shape and fitness. It exerts influence on almost all physiological and psychological parameters. One of these is dilutional anemia or sports anemia that is the initial adaptation of body to exercise. The aim of present study was to evaluate the extent of dilutional anemia in healthy males who have been exercising for past three years at least. Randomly selected 40 male subjects from gymnasiums of Karachi were recruited in the study. Peripheral blood was collected pre and post exercise, and tested for hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell count. Increased hemoglobin concentration was observed which is directly related to increased red blood cell count which is inversely proportional to blood plasma level. So, decreased plasma level is the possible cause that pseudo dilution anemia was not observed in males who have been regularly exercising for past three years.

Background: Chewing before performing a cognitive task increases oxygen levels in the Central Nervous System (CNS) areas important for processes of learning and memory. This study was done to evaluate and compare the effects of chewing gum on reaction time, visual short term memory, selective attention, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and problem-solving ability in healthy male and female subjects. Methodology: The comparative, gender-based, interventional study was conducted involving 300 individuals placed in the control (n=150) and interventional group (n=150). Participants in the interventional group were required to chew gum till they completed the task. A questionnaire was designed to record the reaction time, memory, attention, executive and intellectual functioning and time took to solve each parameter. Each subject in both control and interventional group completed the questionnaire with and without chewing gum, respectively. Results for the two groups were compared using SPSS version 20.0. Results: It was found that the gum chewing group performs significantly better than the control group, thus chewing gum significantly improves cognitive performance. These cognitive effects of chewing were comparable among the two genders but relatively more pronounced among male participants as compared to females. Conclusion: Chewing gum is positively associated with higher level of cognitive performance than controls.