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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Reading self-help books can lead to depression
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Reading self-help books can lead to depression

Children who showed greater self control during early childhood are likely do better at school when they grow up and one in two men aged 45 are likely to show symptoms of pre-diabetesstudies and research tips for a healthier you

Photo: iStockphotoPremium
Photo: iStockphoto

Self-help books can cause depression

A study shows people who read self-help books are more likely to feel depressed. Researchers from a Canadian institute carried out a small study involving 30 adult men and women, where 18 had read four self-help books of some sort in the last one year. They divided them into four groups according to the type of self-help books they read or did not read. Tests were carried out to measure their salivary cortisol levels, personality and depressive symptoms. They found that stress level was higher in those users who read growth-oriented books that give advice on how to change life, attain happiness or find true love. The group that read problem solving books like how to lose weight showed even higher symptoms of depression. The study was published in the journal Neural Plasticity. Read more here.

Greater self control in infancy a marker of higher IQ

Children who can resist raisins for 60 seconds are more likely to perform well at school, claims study. Researches from University of Warwick examined an ongoing Longitudinal Study involving 558 children from 1985 onwards. The study tests the attention span and learning capacity of children by placing raisin in a cup in front of a child. Children were asked to wait for a minute before they could eat it. The study compared the results of those born after 25-38 weeks of pregnancy to those born after 39-41 weeks. The findings showed that children who resisted temptation were likely to have a higher IQ compared to those who couldn’t wait. A follow-up study showed those who couldn’t control their behaviour weren’t doing well in their studies too. The study was published in the Journal of Paediatrics. Read more here.

One in two healthy adults likely to be pre-diabetic

A joint study warns the risk of pre-diabetes is higher at the age of 45 and one in two men are likely to be afflicted by it. Pre-diabetes is a condition of elevated blood sugar level that often precedes diabetes. Researchers from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston analysed a 15-year-long study involving 10,000 adults in Netherlands. They found that 1,148 people were diagnosed with elevated blood sugar levels, 828 developed diabetes and 237 started taking insulin to control their diabetes. When the researchers translated these results into population risk levels at the age of 45, they found that one in two people were susceptible to pre-diabetic blood sugar levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, pre-diabetes has no clear symptoms, but people with higher than normal blood sugar based on a blood test should be tested for diabetes every one or two years. The study was published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. Read more here.

Healthy food for one not always healthy for others

A study claims eating the same meal doesn’t always have the same results on all. An Israeli study shows personalised nutrition is more effective when it comes to identifying which food item suits the body than following generic diet. Researchers from Weizmann Institute of Science enlisted 800 men and women and asked them to wear blood sugar monitors that took measurements every five minutes. After a week’s observation, they found huge differences in the participants’ metabolic responses to the same food items. For example, some people showed signs of higher blood sugar after eating sushi and not after eating ice-cream. Eating tomato led to increase in blood sugar level in some women. The study was published in the journal Cell Press. Read more here.

Compiled by Abhijit Ahaskar

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Published: 20 Nov 2015, 01:34 PM IST
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