Month: February 2008

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News on Health & Science

Study Finds Happiness Lowest At Midlife

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People around the world reported the greatest bliss at the beginning and end of life. Researchers are puzzled by the results — and other studies have shown the opposite.

The road to happiness is U-shaped.

New research this week has found that happiness over the course of a lifetime follows a universal curve in which the greatest bliss occurs at the beginning and end of life, while misery dominates middle age.

The pattern was consistent around the globe, according to the report, which examined social survey data on 2 million people in 80 countries, including the United States.

The study, conducted by economists Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, set out to look at the relationship between age and happiness.

Researchers controlled for other factors that affect happiness, such as divorce, job loss and income.

The researchers, whose study will be published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, found that in the United States happiness reached its lowest point around age 40 in women and age 50 in men. In Britain, unhappiness was greatest in men and women at age 44.

Oswald was perplexed by the results. He said it was possible that in midlife people learn to accept their strengths and weaknesses and abandon unrealistic aspirations.

Another possibility, he said, is that cheerful people live longer, driving the curve higher. Another explanation is that older people learn to count their blessings as their peers die, Oswald said.

“It’s a mystery,” he said. “There seems to be something inside human beings that is unexplained by life events.”

Richard A. Easterlin, a USC economist who also studies happiness, said that midlife misery is not inevitable. In fact, his research shows that when such factors as income and marital status are included in the calculations, midlife is the happiest stage of life. Finances and family life tend to improve as midlife approaches, he said, and after that things gradually get worse.

The latest study, which looks only at age, doesn’t answer the question that concerns people most, Easterlin said. “People want to know their prospects, what is likely based on their life circumstances,” he said.

Sources:Los Angeles Times

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Positive thinking

Create Time For Self-Compassion

Being Gentle With Ourselves ...click & see
During those times when our lives are filled with what seems to be constant change and growth, it is important to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Since it can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the momentum of our lives, we may not be aware of the fact that we are much more likely to run ourselves down. When things seem to be moving quickly, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.

It might be difficult to notice what is happening to us for we may be so caught up in the whirlwind of our lives that we lose sight of the direction in which things are heading. Being gentle with ourselves doesn’t mean that we don’t accomplish things. Instead it means that we honor ourselves on an ongoing basis and take care of the needs of our bodies.

This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a healer; taking a remedy, herbs, or vitamins; or getting extra sleep. Putting our energy into ourselves in this way helps create space for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of our lives. By setting the intention to do so, we will be more cognizant of our energy levels on a daily basis and more able to replenish them as needed.

The more we are able to treat our bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we will call forth into our lives. Learning to understand and pay attention to what our self needs will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited loving and healing energy and to truly take care of the things that mean the most to us.

Sources:Daily Om

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News on Health & Science

Fruit And Veg May Slash Gullet Cancer Risk

An increased intake of fruit and vegetables may cut the risk of Barrett’s oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer, suggests a new study form California.
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Healthy dietary habits, rich in fruit and vegetables, was associated with a 65 per cent reduction in the occurrence of Barrett’s oesophagus, according to the new study involving 913 people and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study, by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the University of California, also heaps more pressure on the Western diet pattern, high in fast food and meat, with the data indicating an adverse effect on the risk of Barrett’s oesophagus

Barrett’s oesophagus is cause by acid reflux, and although it can occur early in life, most sufferers are in their 40s and 50s. Although it has been reported to be a precursor to oesophageal cancer, 90 per cent of patients are said to never develop into cancer, and although some speculation as to dietary and drug history, the reason why this is so is not really known.

The new study, which recruited 296 people with Barrett’s oesophagus, 308 people with gastroesophageal reflux disease but no Barrett’s oesophagus, and 309 healthy controls, used a 110-item food frequency questionnaire to evaluate dietary patterns.

Lead author Ai Kubo and co-workers report that two major dietary patterns were observed amongst the participants, with subjects classified as eating either the Western or “health-conscious” diet. The latter was characterised by being high in fruits, vegetables, and non-fried fish.

The researchers report that strong adherence to the health-conscious diet was associated with a 65 per cent reduction in the risk of developing Barrett’s oesophagus.

Moreover, while an increased risk was suggested by stronger adherence to the Western diet pattern, no dose-effect relation was reported by Kubo and co-workers.

“Results suggest strong associations between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and the risk of Barrett’s oesophagus,” concluded Kubo.

The study does have limitations, most notable is the use of the FFQ to establish dietary patterns. Such questionnaires are susceptible to recall errors by the participants, and may no reflect dietary changes. Significant further research is needed. A mechanistic study to elucidate the bioactive constituents of the fruit and vegetables which may be responsible for the benefits is also necessary.

The “five-a-day” message is well known, but applying this does not seem to be filtering down into everyday life. Recent studies have shown that consumers in both Europe and the US are failing to meet recommendations from the WHO to eat 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day.

A report from the European Union showed that global fruit and vegetable production was over 1,230 million tonnes in 2001-2002, worth over $50 bn (€41 bn). Asia produced 61 per cent, while Europe and North/Central America both producing nine per cent.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1093/aje/kwm381
“Dietary Patterns and the Risk of Barrett’s Esophagus”
Authors: A. Kubo, T. R. Levin, G. Block, G.J. Rumore, C.P. Quesenberry Jr, P. Buffler, D.A. Corley

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WHY CORNER

Why Scratching Brings Relief ?

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Oh, it brings such blessed relief and now scientists can tell you why   scratching an itch temporarily shuts off areas in the brain linked with unpleasant feelings and memories.

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“Our study shows for the first time how scratching may relieve itch,” Dr Gil Yosipovitch, a dermatologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a statement.

Prior studies have shown that pain, including vigorous scratching, inhibit the need to itch. Yosipovitch and colleagues looked at what goes on in the brain when a person is scratched.

He and colleagues used a technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging to see which areas of the brain are active during scratching. They scratched 13 healthy people with a soft brush on the lower leg on and off in 30-second intervals for a total of five minutes.

Scratching reduced activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex — areas linked with pain aversion and memory. And the more intensely a person was scratched, the less activity they found in these areas of the brain.

“It’s possible that scratching may suppress the emotional components of itch and bring about relief,” Yosipovitch said. But they also found why one scratch often begets another.

Scratching increased activity in the secondary somatosensory cortex, a pain center, and in the prefrontal cortex, which is linked with compulsive behaviour.

“This could explain the compulsion to continue scratching,” Yosipovitch said. The researchers noted that the study is limited because people were not scratching in response to an actual itch.

But they said understanding what goes on in the brain may lend clues about how to treat people tormented by chronic itch, including people with eczema and many kidney dialysis patients. The study, which appears online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, was paid for by the National Institutes of Health.

Sources: The Times Of India

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News on Health & Science

Exercise Makes You Younger By 9 Yrs

‘Exercise may hold the key to youth, according to a study published on Monday, which showed people who keep fit are up to nine years biologically younger than those who do not.

The study of 2,401 twins found that a sedentary lifestyle raises the risk of a range of problems from heart disease to cancer and appears to play a key role in the ageing process.

It all boils down to the length of structures called telomeres   which protect the DNA on the chromosomes, the researchers from King’s College London wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Many studies have shown telomeres get shorter over time, suggesting the cells are ageing or dying. The study, which extracted a DNA sample from their volunteers, found people who exercised more each week had longer telomeres.

Exercise lowers the risk of a range of problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, the researchers said.
“It is not just walking around the block. It is really working up a sweat,” said Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist who led the study, in a telephone interview.

The study found people who exercised vigorously 3 hours each week had longer telomeres and were biologically 9 years younger than people who did under 15 minutes. Spector’s team, who also adjusted for body weight, smoking, economic status and physical activity at work, also said moderate exercise for 1-1/2 hours each week provided a four-year advantage.’

Sources: The Times Of India

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