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People who feel wronged can really take it to heart

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:02:03 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

A new study found that people who thought they were treated unfairly were more likely to suffer a heart attack or chest pain. Those who thought they had experienced the worst injustice were 55% more likely to experience a coronary event than people who thought life was fair

The subjects were tracked for an average of 10.9 years. In that time, 387 either died of a heart attack, were treated for a nonfatal attack or diagnosed with angina

the subjects were questioned before they showed any signs of cardiovascular disease. That way, the results weren't skewed by people who thought life was unfair because they were already sick.

People who think they are victims of discrimination often respond by drinking, smoking or overeating.

They do things that take the edge off," Krieger said. "If you do those things, those will have health consequences

Frequent experiences of unfair treatment can produce psychological distress that, in the long term, may influence health," said lead author Roberto De Vogli

Tags: heart problems, people, disease, heart attack, research.

EU Says Europeans Are Getting Fatter

Thu, 31 May 2007 14:44:55 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

A majority of adults are obese or overweight in most European Union nations and kids increasingly contributing to make Europe a fat continent, the EU's top public health official said Wednesday.

The numbers are frightening," said EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.

Bad diets based on fatty and sweet ingredients combined with physical laziness by now account for six of the seven top factors leading to bad health, Kyprianou said.

The EU Commission has warned governments for years to do something about the culture of flab, but the situation is getting worse. "Everybody has to be blamed - including the authorities, including the industry, including the consumers."

In the 27-nation bloc, the EU says that over 21 million children are overweight. "Even more worrying is that the rate of increase of that number is more than 400,000 children a year

Tags: health, medicine, obesity, fat, sweet, diet, overweight

Can Centaurs and Talking Pigs Be Far Behind?

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:13:09 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: In 2003, Panayiotis Zavos created "human cow" embryos that lived for several days and, theoretically, could have been implanted into a woman's womb. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have produced pigs with hybrid pig-human blood cells

Clip Source: www.technologyreview.com

The United Kingdom Department of Health reverses its proposed ban on chimeras, saying that Parliament should allow the fusing of humans and other species

Nobel laureate and famed geneticist Sydney Brenner once delivered a somewhat tongue-in-cheek lecture to students at Cambridge University about how to nonsurgically create a centaur. He concluded that one day soon it might be possible to create such a six-limbed vertebrate. Mermaids and other mythical hybrids might be on the way, too, as well as human-dog drudges trained to cook omelets and happily perform useful tasks around the house, like changing the light bulbs

This day has not yet arrived, but it may be inching closer with a recent amendment to a bill in the British Parliament that would legalize human hybrids for research. This legislation, offered by the British Department of Health, is a U-turn from government ministers who said last December that they supported a ban on creating chimeras

Tags: science, technology, chimera, hybrids, biology, life, human, health

Scientists Breed Cows That Produce Skimmed Milk

Mon, 28 May 2007 11:12:32 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Scientists have bred cows that produce skimmed milk and hope to establish herds of the cattle to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers.

The milk is also high in omega3 oils, claimed to improve brain power, and contains polyunsaturated fat. The saturated fats found in normal milk are linked to increased risk of heart disease. The cows, which have a particular genetic mutation, were bred from a single female discovered by researchers when they screened milk from millions of cattle in New Zealand.

Butter from these cows has the extra advantage of being spreadable straight from the fridge, like margarine

“Marge looks like an ordinary Friesian cow but has three key differences. She produces a normal level of protein in her milk but substantially less fat, and the fat she does produce has much more unsaturated fat. She also produces milk with very high levels of omega3 oils.”

Tags: science, technology, health, cows, skimmed milk, fat, omega3

tea = good

Mon, 21 May 2007 02:48:11 GMT

clipped by: sumobelly
clipper's remarks: Sumobelly is getting out the green tea.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.

Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found.

They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.

Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.

Tags: tea, health

"Light Pollution” Serious Cancer Risk

Sun, 20 May 2007 19:23:32 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken

Clip Source: www.politicalaffairs.net

The glow of city lights blotting out stars in the night sky has frustrated many a stargazer, but recent studies have shown that “light pollution”--defined as excess or obtrusive light at night--can actually have serious health effects. Researchers have found that exposure to bright nocturnal light can decrease the human body’s production of melatonin, a hormone secreted at night that regulates our sleep-wake cycles. And decreased melatonin production has in turn been linked to higher rates of breast cancer in women.

“Light at night is now clearly a risk factor for breast cancer,”

breast cancer rates were significantly higher in industrialized countries,

female night shift workers have a 50 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer

Even bright light from a trip to the bathroom can have an affect, so dim nightlights are recommended for night lighting.

Light pollution causes other problems besides increased cancer risks.

Tags: melatonin, hormones, health, cancer, environment, co2, electricity

kissing..it's good for you

Wed, 16 May 2007 18:26:36 GMT

clipped by: diplomacysam

Clip Source: soundmedicine.iu.edu

Health Benefits of Kissing

Kiss more, and kiss longer. That's what some researchers are advising as the health benefits of kissing are revealed.

the extra saliva produced during kissing washes bacteria off your teeth, which can help break down oral plaque.

Bryant Stamford, PhD, director of the health promotion center at the University of Louisville notes kissing can help you lose calories. "During a really, really passionate kiss," he says, "you might lose two calories a minute - double your metabolic rate." Others claim that kissing exercises the facial muscles.

Stress relief is another health benefit of kissing.

Psychologist Joy Davidson, PhD, likens kissing to meditation. "It stops the buzz in your mind, it quells anxiety, and it heightens the experience of being present in the moment. It actually produces a lot of the physiological changes that meditation produces

The fact that kissing leads to touching is also a good thing.

Tags: stress, health, cool