BackWaking up early only on work days raises risk of diabetes
Heart patients exercise more if encouraged by familystudies and research tips for a healthier you
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Disruption in sleep cycle increases risk of diabetes
People who get up early on work days and sleep more on off days face greater risk of diabetes and heart disease, a study claims. Researchers from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine engaged 447 men and women who worked 25 hours a week outside home. They were given a wristband that recorded their sleep and movement 24 hours a day for a week. Their exercise and eating habits were tracked through questionnaires regularly. Nearly 85% of the participants slept longer on their off days than on work days. After a week, the researchers found that people with greater differences in sleep cycle between work days and free days had worse cholesterol levels, greater insulin resistance, larger waist size and higher body mass index. The study was published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Read more here.
Heart failure patients exercise more with family encouragement
A study suggests heart failure patients are likely to exercise more with the encouragement of family and friends. Exercise can help lessen some of the symptoms of heart failure and help patients lead a normal life. Most heart failure patients tend to evade it due to the physical exertion it involves. The researchers enlisted 2,279 heart failure patients who were diagnosed with heart failure and divided them into a usual care group and an exercise group. Patients were asked to fill a questionnaire to assess what factors interfere with their exercising program. The findings showed that those participants who received more social support exercised more than those who were not encouraged by their family or friends to exercise. The study was published in journal Circulation: Heart Failure. Read more here.
Smoking can make people dull
Smoking accelerates the rate at which the outer layer of the brain thins with age, impairing thinking skills such as planning, decision-making and problem-solving, warns a study. However, giving up the habit can reverse the harmful effects and repair the damage. Researchers examined the MRI brain scan report of 504 men and women with an average age of 73. They found that current smokers had thinner cortex than those who had never smoked. Those participants who had given up smoking some time ago had a thicker cerebral cortex than those who had quit recently. The research was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Read more here.
Bullied children more likely to suffer from eating disorders
Children who are bullied by others and those who bully them are more likely to display symptoms of bulimia, shows research. Bulimia is a disorder where a person overeats and then tries to compensate for it by fasting and over-exercising. It affects the digestive system, organ functions and emotional health of those afflicted by it. Researchers from Duke Medicine and UNC School of Medicine examined interviews conducted under a longitudinal study with more than two decades of health information on 1,420 participants enrolled at the age of nine. The findings showed that bullies were twice as likely to display symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia compared to those who didn’t bully at all. The symptoms of anorexia and binge eating were even higher in case of the victims. The study was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Read more here.
Complied by Abhijit Ahaskar
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