Fruits, veggies help in weight loss: Study

 

 

The findings of the study showed that high levels of flavonoids could help people maintain healthy weight.

NEW DELHI: Eating fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries, radishes and red peppers — high in a compound called flavonoids — can help prevent weight gain, a first of its kind research study by Harvard University and the University of East Anglia, published in British Medical Journal (BMJ), has found.

Flavonoids are naturally occurring bioactive compounds that represent a constituent of fruits and vegetables, beyond calorie and macronutrient content, that could potentially influence body weight. Flavonoids are also present in various other foods and drinks, like tea, chocolate, and wine.

The findings of the study showed that high levels of flavonoids could help people maintain healthy weight. The research, which covered 1,24,086 women and men in the US who were monitored for up to 24 years, is the first to look at links between intake of various flavonoid subclasses and weight gain. Past studies have suggested that flavonoids may play a role in weight loss but most have focused on a single compound found in green tea and have had small sample sizes.

In the new study, researchers looked at seven flavonoid subclasses: flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, flavonoid polymers, flavonols, and flavones.

In India 1. Vegetables are grown using lot of pesticides and 2. fruits are treated with calcium carbide to incraese she... Read MoreAppa Durai

The research findings assume significance in the Indian context primarily for two reasons — one, because of the increasing number of overweight and obese people, and second, because of the changing eating habits of Indians.

Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, consumption of junk food and alcohol are rising in the country, making one in every five Indians either obese or overweight. According to latest estimates, India is just behind US and China with the third highest number of obese people in the world.

"Intake of fruits and vegetables is much less among Indians compared to those from other countries. Though vegetarians eat more of it as compared to non-vegetarians, it is limited to cooked vegetables where some of the nutrients along with fibres go missing. The intake of salads is very less in Indians," says Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis CDOC hospital for diabetes and allied specialities.

Wait for five months before saying 'I love you'

 

New relationships are marked by a series of milestones from the moment you lay eyes on new partner to first kiss, but a new study may have the answer to that all important question -- when to utter those three words?

The study by dating site Match.com suggests that many Brits would kiss a new partner almost straight away, jump into bed with them after two weeks, and saying 'I love you' normally happens after five months of dating (precisely 144 days), dailymail.co.uk reported.

According to the researchers, who surveyed more than 2,000 men and women for the study, it also takes longer to hold hands with than to kiss a new partner, with 31 percent claiming they would snog their date immediately, and 34 percent revealing they would wait between one and two weeks to holds hands.

More than a quarter (27 percent) of Brits wait between one and two weeks to sleep with their partner, while 23 percent wait one month. However, three-fifths (60 percent) would introduce their partner to their best friend within the first month, the study revealed.

The findings also suggest that British daters also see five months as the perfect time to embark on a very modern dating milestone: updating their social media relationship status (157 days).

The study also sheds some light on that all-important six-month mark, suggesting that this is when three major relationship milestones take place: the revealing of one's imperfections (173 days), the first argument (170 days) and when most parental introductions take place.

Over a quarter (28 percent) of people surveyed also said they would wait at least six months before leaving their toothbrush at their partner's house, whilst 40 percent said the same for being given a drawer at their partner's house.

"While each relationship moves at its own pace, daters are often reassured by comparing their experiences with others," dailymail quoted Kate Taylor, dating expert for Match.com, as saying.

"If your relationship isn't falling within these time frames, use them to adjust your expectations," Taylor said.

Increased intake of green leafy vegetables can reduce risk of common eye condition glaucoma up to 30 percent, says study

Eating more green leafy vegetables can protect your eyes from a common eye condition called glaucoma, according to latest study.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School have found that increasing intake of green leafy vegetables can reduce the risk of glaucoma by up to 30%.
Glaucoma, also called primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), is an eye condition that causes an abnormal high pressure in the eye and damages the optic nerve. The condition can gradually lead to losing eye sight.
“We found those consuming the most green leafy vegetables had a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of glaucoma.” Jae Kang, an assistant professor at Boston's Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study said.
Green leafy vegetables such lettuce, kale, spinach and broccoli are rich in dietary nitrate which can improve the blood flow in the eye.
For the study, researchers have followed up more than 100,000 men and women for over 25 years, nearly 60,000 women from Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2012) and around 41,000 men from Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2012).All participants were 40 years or older. None of them had glaucoma at the start of the study but 1,483 people developed the eye condition in subsequent years.
Researchers have found that those who ate more green leafy vegetables, a cup and half a day, were 20 to 30% less likely to develop glaucoma than those who consumed the least.
“In glaucoma, we think there is an impairment of blood flow to the optic nerve,” said Kang. “And an important factor that regulates blood flow to the eye is the substance called nitric oxide. When you consume the higher amount of green leafy vegetables, you have greater levels of nitric oxide in your body.”
Glaucoma is not curable yet and once a person loses its vision, it cannot be regained. In United States, more than 3 million people have glaucoma which results in blindness in more than 120,000 people, according to Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, accounting almost 12% of all causes of blindness.

How and Where to Apply Perfume to Make It Last Longer

 

 
Coco Chanel once said that a woman should apply perfume in those areas where she would like to be kissed. While this is most likely true (and utterly French), consider the follow guidelines as well.

The Pulse Points

The "pulse points" are locations on the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin. These spots emanate heat, which can help fragrance to emanate from your skin into the air. (It's the same principle used by essential oil diffusers).

Apply your perfume to these points - namely, the inner wrists, the base of the throat, behind ear lobes, in the cleavage, behind knees, and the inner elbows. As you wear your perfume throughout the day, it will react with your body heat and continue to emit scent.

A Word of Caution

Despite the great Chanel's maxim, perfume does not taste good.

Keep that in mind when applying yours, and avoid any areas that may be enthusiastically nibbled.

How to Apply Perfume

Applying perfume is the simplest of matters - simply spray, dab, or in the case of a solid perfume compact, swipe. (Do avoid rubbing the wrists together after application, to prevent "crushing" the scent).
Some women enjoy spritzing their perfume into the air and then walking through it. While this does work, it also lets quite a bit of the fragrance go to waste, so it's not the best method if you're on a budget.
Always apply perfume before putting on your clothes and jewelry. Some fragrances will leave permanent stains on fabrics, metals, and pearls. (If you want to risk perfuming your clothing - say, spraying some scent on a scarf - be sure to test it on a hidden area of the fabric first, and spray lightly).

Perfuming the Hair

Misting the hair with fragrance is a great way to leave a gentle scent in your wake, as you move through your day. Those who you choose to get closer to be will also be rewarded with a fuller scent. Be careful only to apply perfume to freshly-washed hair, or the natural oils (and any lingering hair products) will affect the odor.

Since perfume contains alcohol and can be drying to your strands, apply sparingly and from a distance. A spray or two from 8 inches away will do.

Making Fragrance Last Longer

There are a few tricks to help your fragrance last longer. For instance, a scent will fade faster when skin is dry. Applying fragrance-free moisturizer to your body is an excellent preparation for applying fragrance, and will help you get more bang for your perfume buck.
You can also help your perfume to go the distance by applying some petroleum jelly to your skin, and then applying your scent on top of that. The perfume droplets will cling to the petroleum jelly - rather than sinking into your pores - which can reduce or eliminate the need to reapply fragrance later in the day.
Layering products from the same line is another effective way to make a fragrance last. You might use the scented body gel, treat skin with the body lotion, and then spray the eau du parfum spray on top. The combination of products will help the scent to maintain fullness and extend throughout the day

You Won't Believe How Many People Are Having Sex at the Gym

 
 

Are you the one who joined the neighbourhood gym in the hope of a ‘hook up’ and some real action between the sheets? You are not alone. According to a new survey, most of the people who hit the gym have sex on their minds.

The findings revealed that while half of the participants used the gym as a hook-up venue, a quarter of them admitted to having sex at the health facility, fusion.net reported, quoting the online poll from high street sex shop Ann Summers involving 2,000 adults.


The findings showed that about 25% of participants admitted to having had sex at their gyms at some point during their membership. According to an Independent report, nearly 70% of women admitted to fantasising about their personal trainer during sex.
Even those who were not that lucky to find someone for “hook up” were at least hoping that something might happen.

Even those who were not that lucky to find someone for “hook up” were at least hoping that something might happen.

“66% of people cited the very possibility of sex at the gym and one in 10 people brought condoms in their gym bags just in case,” the report added.
The atmosphere at the gym also inspired some people to use online dating, with 82% saying they had used such apps at the gym. There is some science to it, too. According to previous studies, exercise spikes levels of serotonin and dopamine chemicals.


Serotonin and dopamine are chemicals produced in the brain -- neurotransmitters -- that improve mood and boost the libido. Serotonin, which is produced by long-term cardio exercise, improves agreeable social behaviour while dopamine improves your mood and long-term memory.

Cardio exercise produces increased serotonin levels when done to the point of physical and possibly mental fatigue, explained researcher JM Davis in an article that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Eating fish in pregnancy aids baby's brain growth

 









Eating fish during pregnancy ensures a balanced intake of fatty acids essential for the normal brain formation of the unborn child, a new study has found.

The findings provide an explanation for the correlation between eating fish during pregnancy and the health of the baby's brain, researchers said.

Dietary lipid contains fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-3, which are essential nutrients for many animals and humans.

Researchers led by Noriko Osumi from Tohoku University in Japan found that a balanced intake of lipids by pregnant women is necessary for the normal brain formation of the unborn child.

In an animal study, the researchers found that when female mice were fed an omega-6-rich/omega-3-poor diet, their offsprings were born with a smaller brain and showed abnormal emotional behaviour in adulthood.

This is significant because people in many countries these days have similarly poor dietary patterns and tend to consume more seed oils that are rich in omega-6 fatty acids and less fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

The brain abnormality found in the offsprings of mice used in the study, was caused by a premature ageing of foetal neural stem cells that produce brain cells, Osumi said. The premature ageing was promoted by an imbalance of oxides of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The offsprings also showed higher anxiety levels, even though they were raised on nutritionally optimised diets from an early lactation period.

A diet that contains a good balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is known to improve the development of brain functions; this is based on earlier researches that evaluated the effects of maternal intake of an omega-3-poor diet on brain function in children.

The study took this premise further and focused on the effects of dietary lipids on the brain formation.

The results show why omega-6 and omega-3 balance is important for future brain function, and reinforces earlier suggestions that more fish intake by women during pregnancy can advantageously affect the child's health.