Good Health Choices takes the guess work out of leading a healthy lifestyle. With nutrition advice, meal planners and pull out shopping lists, Good Health Choices is an essential tool for anyone wanting to lead a healthier, happier life.
Remember when ‘food’ simply meant the plate of tucker you sat down to in the evening? These days, it’s a far more complex topic – there are politics around the choices we make and constantly evolving science about the effects it has on us. On an individual level, we know that what we eat doesn’t just give us life, it can affect the quality of that life – and the length of it. It can ward off illness, give us energy and lift our spirits (see page 58 for more) - or cause a multitude of problems. So in this issue we investigate our dinner decisions from many angles. If you have a hunch that some foods are your friends and some are not, turn to our Health Handbook about…
CHECK YOUR BATTERY I loved your recent article ‘The Art of Saying No’. We so easily fall into the trap of saying yes to absolutely everything, thanks to that guilty feeling we get if we say no. We’re often doing everything for everyone but ourselves. We’re left feeling stressed, exhausted and still soldiering on with no time for us. As of today, I’m going to start to put into practice the tips suggested in the story and look at how much energy my battery has left before answering the question with an automatic yes. – Anna BRAIN POWER I was fascinated by the feature in the June issue on how a woman’s brain changes over time. Neuroplasticity is such an intriguing area of health, and it’s amazing how in this…
BILINGUAL SIDE-EFFECTS » Learning a language boosts brain power. A foreign language is a whole new ball game of origins and meaning. Learning a new one puts the brain to task by recognising this new language structure. As the brain works out the meaning and makes full use of this new way to express ideas, it sharpens reading, negotiating, and problem-solving skills. » A person’s ability to multi-task is developed. Multi-tasking doesn’t come naturally to everyone – it may be stressful to those who aren’t skilled at it. People who are multilingual can slip from one language to another. This is very distracting and demanding work, not only for the tongue, but especially for the brain. People who have developed this are therefore proficient multi-taskers and likely to cope well…
COLD COMFORT UK scientists think they may have cracked a cure for the common cold. Instead of attacking the viruses that cause colds – of which there are hundreds of versions – the treatment targets the host. The vaccine blocks a key protein in the cells that cold viruses hijack in order to spread through the body and need to make new copies of themselves. The trial was carried out in vitro using human lung cells to model a cold, but the medication worked within minutes. Researchers say that even if a cold has taken hold, the vaccine may still help to lessen the symptoms. It’s hoped that safety trials in people could start within two years. Forbidden fat The World Health Organisation estimates that trans fatty acids contribute to…
The vaccine blocks a key protein that viruses hijack Finding it hard to turn down the dessert menu? It could be due to how loud the background music is. A Swedish study played the same playlist in a café at 55 decibels – the same volume as typical restaurant conversation – and at 70 decibels – the level of a vaccuum cleaner – on different days. When the music was louder, 52 per cent of orders were considered unhealthy (like red meat or cake) and 25 per cent healthy, compared to 42 per cent of orders being unhealthy and 31 per cent being healthy when the music was quieter.…
Yet more research about how our gut affects our health! A new study has found that our gut microbiome could play a role in the development of colon cancer. The study, published in the journal mSystems, found that certain gut bacteria can influence the activity of molecules that help to regulate gene expression, which can eventually lead to dysregulations at the cell level that are characteristic of colon cancer. Researchers say it’s still a correlation, and not necessarily causation, but it could lead to new treatments that prevent tumour growth.…
