Exercise: Want more efficient muscles? Eat your spinach, says a new study. According to research published in Cell Metabolism, nitrate, a compound found in vegetables and especially in green leaves, helps healthy people consume less oxygen while exercising. This happens because the nitrate in vegetables mixes with friendly bacteria in the mouth and forms nitric oxide, which in turn helps the cardiovascular system by opening up our blood vessels to lower blood pressure. The study says that, in addition to this benefit, the nitrates make mitochondria – the powerhouses of the cell - more efficient. Interestingly, the researchers say that since the benefits of nitrates depend on friendly bacteria in the mouth, mouthwashes are not good if you want this system to work because they kill good and bad bacteria. Read More…
Exercise: According to a new study, yoga has a greater positive effect on a person’s mood and anxiety level than walking and other forms of exercise. Yoga increases the level of GABA, a chemical in the brain that helps to regulate nerve activity and that is reduced in people with mood and anxiety disorders. The study demonstrates increased GABA levels measured after a session of yoga postures are associated with improved mood and decreased anxiety. The findings establish a new link between yoga, higher levels of GABA in the thalamus, and improvements in mood and anxiety based on psychological assessments. The study was published in the the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Read More…
Love: Looks like love is definitely a two way street – from the heart to the brain and back. According to a new meta-analysis study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the brain plays a huge role in our love lives. The study “The Neuroimaging of Love” reveals that falling in love can elicit not only the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but it also affects intellectual areas of the brain. The research indicated that when we fall in love, 12 areas of the brain work in tandem to release euphoria-inducing chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline and vasopression. The love feeling also affects sophisticated brain functions such as mental representation, metaphors, and body image. So, does the heart fall in love, or is it the brain? Professor Stephanie Ortigue, lead author of the study, says, “That is a tricky question always. I would say the brain, but the heart is also related because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa. For instance, activation in some parts of the brain can generate stimulations to the heart, butterflies in the stomach. Some symptoms we sometimes feel as a manifestation of the heart may sometimes be coming from the brain.” Read More…
Green: Want to help the planet? Waste less food. Scientists have identified a way that the United States could immediately save the energy equivalent of about 350 million barrels of oil a year – without spending a penny or putting a ding in the quality of life: just stop wasting food. The study, reported in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that it takes the equivalent of about 1.4 billion barrels of oil to produce package, prepare, preserve and distribute a year’s worth of food in the United States, while consumers waste about 27% it in general. The top most wasted food items were fats, oils, dairy, grains, eggs, sugar and other sweeteners. The waste represents a largely unrecognized opportunity to conserve energy and help control global warming, so do your part. Read More…
Yes, Aretha Franklin said it best: R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me. Since it sometimes feels like we have forgotten all about this very important concept in today’s society, I’m gonna tell you a little bit about it and how it relates to our well-being.
Respect is the basis for healthy relationships. Because of this, it is the fundamental value upon which a peaceful and productive society depends.
It is often said that, to be respectful, we should treat others the way we’d like to be treated. But what people often forget to do is to first find out how they would really like to be treated – it starts with the self, with how we treat ourselves. Many times, we treat others with the same consideration we have for ourselves – which is ZERO. So, the first question here is: If you really think about it, how well do you treat yourself? Do your actions and your lifestyle (the series of actions that define your approach to life) show that you are treating yourself with the utmost respect? What does that mean? What is respect?
Respect involves the thoughts, words and actions that demonstrate: Read More…
John Reganold has been comparing organic and conventional agricultural systems since he noticed the drastic difference between them in a soil sample 25 years ago. He is an agro-ecologist who has always been interested in how land is used, and is the lead author of a study on the sustainability and nutritional benefits of organic farming, which was published in the journal PLoS ONE yesterday.
The demand for organic food continues to increase, and as we are huge fans of the benefits of organic produce here at HLife, we were thrilled to see such definitive information on a much-debated subject. While everyone knows that conventionally grown produce has more pesticide residue that the liver then has to discard, there wasn’t conclusive data regarding nutrition – until now. This study of strawberries grown on commercial farms is among the most comprehensive of its kind: A team of interdisciplinary researchers checked indicators like soil DNA, microbe diversity, fruit taste, antioxidant activity, and even appearance. Twenty-six strawberry fields were analyzed, and side-by-side comparisons found that the organic farms produced more flavorful and nutritious berries while leaving the soil healthier.
HLife chatted with Professor Reganold about the groundbreaking implications of this study, among which are the relationship between organic farming and better nutrition, a longer product shelf life, and quality soil. Read More…
