Wellbeing News August 2006The fatter fat
Eating some fats could make you fatter than others, even if their calorie count is the same. 'Trans-fats' are a dietary villain because they boost levels of 'bad' cholesterol and promote heart disease. They are made by pumping hydrogen into food oils. Due to their long shelf-life and useful consistency, they have become popular in the food industry and are common in commercial baked, deep-fried and snack foods. Researchers fed one group of monkeys 8 per cent of their calories from partly hydrogenated soy-bean oil, a common source of trans-fats. The dose was equivalent to about one human meal of a cheeseburger and fries a day. A second group of monkeys ate an identical diet, except their trans-fats were replaced with a slightly different form of fat. At the end of six years the trans-fat eating monkeys had gained around 7 per cent in weight, while their counterparts had put on just per cent. They also had about a third more flab around their abdomen. The trans-fat monkeys had higher blood glucose and were much more insulin resistant, suggesting that they were headed toward becoming diabetic. It all adds up to another reason to avoid trans-fats if you can.
Wake Forest University North Carolina June 2006 “Climate Change” grows another problem
Call it “Global Warming” or sanitise it to “Climate Change”, the reality is the planet is getting hotter. This is causing lots of problems and you can add another one to the list: more poison ivy. Poison ivy has been introduced to Australia and is now a weed that could become a big problem. Researchers studied a forested area surrounded by PVC pipes that pump out carbon dioxide to simulate the effects of global warming. Under the high carbon dioxide conditions the poison ivy plants grew 150 per cent faster than the control plants. The CO2 exposed plants also contained 153 per cent more urishiol, the substance responsible for causing allergic reactions. Even if we stopped producing all greenhouse gases today, the levels of CO2 are expected to rise for a few decades. So get comfortable with poison ivy, it is here to stay.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Biological clock ticks for men
With more and more couples delaying having children until into their 30s, women are hearing the ticking of their biological clock booming in their ears. French research has shown however, that men also have a clock on them. This study of 2000 couples undergoing fertility treatment found that pregnancy attempts were 70 per cent more likely to fail when the man was age 40 or older than if the man was under 30. These results held true regardless of the wife’s age. Amount of sexual activity was also not a factor so it boils down to the fact that men are biologically aging, just like women. So guys, ask not for whom the clock ticks, it ticks for thee.
Source: Fertility and Sterility
Memories are made of this
Ever struggled to recall something that you knew you ought to remember? It might be that your brain just wasn’t ready to store the information in the first place. Successful memory formation depends on your frame not only during and after the event but also before it. If your brain is primed to receive information you will have less trouble recalling it later. Brain scans during memory tests showed this priming in action. The discovery hammers home some old advice for students; concentrating on meaning is a far better primer for memory than learning by rote. So how do you prime the brain? Simple advice is the most effective. When reading try to concentrate rather than letting your mind wander. I said, concentrate rather than…oh, never mind.
Source: Nature Neuroscience
Meditate your heart happy
Meditation has many benefits, for the spirit, mind and also the body. A new study has found that meditation directly benefits the heart. In the study adults with coronary heart disease who were stable and receiving optimum care were instructed in meditation. A similar group of adults received no such training. After sixteen weeks both were assessed and those who had practiced meditation had lower blood pressure and improved heart rate variability. Additionally, the meditators showed improvements in blood glucose and insulin levels meaning that they were at reduced risk of diabetes. The benefits of meditation may arise because of an improved physical response to stress that in turn reduces heart risk factors. Whatever the mechanism, it is one more reason to take the time and meditate.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine Electric bifocals on the horizon
After age 45 approximately 90% of the population suffers from some degree of presbyopia, a loss of elasticity in the lens of the eye. Many people end up wearing bifocals, with a lens at the bottom of the glasses for close vision and the upper part for distance vision. This may be about to change as new research has developed a lens that can change focus with the flick of a switch. The new lenses are made of liquid crystals sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Molecules in liquid crystals line up in a certain direction and passing an electric current through the crystal can change that direction. At rest the lens allows distance vision and when a switch is flipped a tiny battery passes current through the crystal changing the molecular alignment and allowing for close up vision.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
