If you are a woman with a quick temper, you will age faster
Even 5% weight loss helps in obesity and lack of amino acid in diet can affect physical growth in childrenstudies and research tips for a healthier you
Impatient women age faster
Impatient women are more likely to age faster, a National University of Singapore study claims. The researchers enlisted 1,158 healthy college students and assigned them to a game called delay discounting. Participants were asked to choose between getting $100 the next day or larger rewards after many days. Researchers measured the length of the participants’ leukocyte telomeres—the caps at the end of each DNA strand which protect the chromosome. Telomeres contracts when a cell divides and ages. It is also considered as an initial indicator of disease and early death. Older people generally have shorter telomeres. Women who chose the immediate reward had shorter telomere length. The study found no such correlation in the case of male participants. The study appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more here.
Small amount of weight loss can also help overweight people
When it comes to losing weight, losing as little as 5% of the body weight can minimise the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in overweight people, a study suggests. A group of US researchers assigned 40 obese men and women to a weight maintenance therapy and to a diet-induced weight loss program. Those who lost even 5% weight were found to have lower overall fat mass. Their liver and muscle responded better to the effects of insulin. The researchers noted that the participants were not diabetics so the effect may not be the same in case of people with diabetes. The study was published in Cell Metabolism. Read more here.
Drinking during pregnancy can affect generations
Drinking during pregnancy, even in small quantity, can increase the risk of alcoholism in the next three generations, a US study suggests. Researchers from Binghamton University, New York, administered one glass of wine to pregnant rats for four days. When the male and female offspring of the pregnant rats were tested for water or alcohol consumption it was found that their offspring and grand-offspring, up to the third generation, showed an increased preference and less sensitivity to alcohol. “We now need to identify how this effect is passed through multiple generations by investigating the effects alcohol has on the gene molecules that control gene translation," said lead researcher Nicole Cameron. The study was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Read more here.
More conscious people are likely to have better sugar levels
A US study claims people who are more mindful in their daily life are likely to have healthy glucose levels. Researchers from Brown University gave a series of psychological and physiological tests to 399 men and women to assess daily mindfulness on a scale of 1 to 7. Their glucose levels were regularly measured. Those who got scores of 6 or 7 in the tests had 35% better glucose levels under 100 milligrams per deciliter compared to people who scored below 4. The study highlights that the more conscious people are able to motivate themselves to exercise, to resist high-fat, high-sugar food and exercise regularly in a better manner and that is the reason for better sugar levels. The study was published in the American Journal of Health Behaviour. Read more here.
Lack of amino acids can stunt growth
Absence of amino acids and choline (a nutrient that helps in synthesis of lipids) in daily diet can affect a child’s growth, a study warns. Doctors from Washington University School of Medicine examined the blood samples of 313 sub-Saharan African children in the age group of 12 to 59 months. Their height and weight were regularly taken. It was found that more than 80% of the stunted children had low levels of all nine essential amino acids compared to children with normal weight and height. Amino acids are found in abundance in fish, meat, fresh fruits and leafy vegetables. The study was published in the journal EBioMedicine. Read more here.
Compiled by Abhijit Ahaskar
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FIRST PUBLISHED24.02.2016 | 12:32 PM IST
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