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The Secret to a Long and Healthy Life?

Eating CEREAL: Diet high in grains 'reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes'

• Eating an average of 34g (1.2 ounces) of whole grains a day was associated with a 17 per cent reduced risk of premature death, study found
•  And a high consumption of cereal fibres had a 15 per cent and 34 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer and diabetes

Starting the day with a bowl of cereal or porridge could add years to your life, scientists claim.

A diet high in whole grains and cereal fibres reduces the risk of premature death from chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.

Whole grains are the entire seed of a plant used for food and contain the germ, bran and endospore, such as wheat, oat and quinoa.

They are rich sources of dietary fibre and other nutrients such as minerals and antioxidants.

The Harvard Public School of Health research found eating an average of 34g (1.2 ounces) of whole grains a day was associated with a 17 per cent reduced risk of premature death.

This was compared with  compared to those consuming an average of 3.98g (0.13 ounces).

Even when taking into account factors such as health, physical activity and obesity the reduction remained the same. 

The researchers also assessed the risk of getting various conditions.

A diet high in whole grains was associated with an 11 per cent reduced risk of death from respiratory disease, and a 48 per cent reduction in the risk of diabetes.

Meanwhile, a high consumption of cereal fibres had a 15 per cent and 34 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer and diabetes.

The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, suggest that the cereal fibre component of whole grains accounts for the actions of the whole grains, and that cereal fibre-rich whole grain foods may have health benefits.

But because it was an observational study, researchers could not confirm that whole grains and fibre are causing this reduced risk.

However they believe the cereal fibre found in both food types - cereal fibre and whole grains - may have protective effects thanks to multiple protective properties such as anti-inflammation.

Associate Professor of Nutrition, Dr Lu Qi, said: 'Our study indicates that intake of whole grains and cereal fibre may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and death from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease.'

The study involved involved an analysis of the the results of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

This involved 500,000 members of AARP - a membership organisation of people aged over 50 from California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and the metropolitan areas of Georgia and Detroit.

In 1993, volunteers were sent a questionnaire to gather information on their health and diet - based on frequency of intake for various food types including portion size.

Those who indicated in their initial questionnaires that they had cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes or end-stage renal disease were excluded from the study.

This meant a total of 367,442 participants were included in this particular research and were followed for an average of 14 years. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3007989/The-secret-long-healthy-life-Eating-CEREAL-Diet-high-grains-reduces-risk-cancer-heart-disease-diabetes.html

Why do relaxation exercises?

Muscular relaxation exercises and deep breathing are two common techniques to help people to relax and combat symptoms of anxiety. They may also help to ease symptoms of depression.

Why do relaxation exercises?

Some people relax with sport, exercise, listening to music, watching TV, reading a book, etc. However, some people find it helpful to follow specific relaxation exercises. This leaflet gives a summary of two commonly used routines - muscular relaxing exercises, and deep breathing exercises. These two techniques are particularly useful to combat the two common physical symptoms of anxiety - muscular tension and over-breathing. There is some evidence that they may also help to ease symptoms of depression.

Like anything else, you need to practise these at first. However, hopefully, you can then use them in everyday life whenever you feel tense or anxious.

Planned times for regular positive relaxation

Find a quiet warm place where you won't be disturbed. Choose a time of day when you do not feel pressured to do anything else. Lie down on your back, or sit in a well-supported chair if you are not able to lie down. Try to get comfortable and close your eyes. Perhaps lie on a firm bed of some cushions. The routine then is to work on each of your muscle groups. With each group of muscles, firstly tense the muscles as much as you can, then relax them fully. Breathe in when you tense the muscles, and breathe out when you relax.

To start with, concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes. Breathe slowly and calmly. Each time you breathe out say words to yourself such as 'peace' or 'relax'. Then start the muscle exercises, working around the different muscle groups in your body.

• Hands - clench one hand tightly for a few seconds as you breathe in. You should feel your forearm muscles tense; then relax as you breathe out. Repeat with the other hand.
• Arms - bend an elbow and tense all the muscles in the arm for a few seconds as you breathe in; then relax as you breathe out. Repeat the same with the other arm.
• Neck - press your head back as hard as is comfortable and roll it slowly from from side to side; then relax.
• Face - try to frown and lower your eyebrows as hard as you can for a few seconds; then relax. Then raise your eyebrows (as if you were startled) as hard as you can; then relax. Then clench your jaw for a few seconds; then relax.
• Chest - take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds; then relax and go back to normal breathing.
• Stomach - tense the stomach muscles as tightly as possible; then relax.
• Buttocks - squeeze the buttocks together as much as possible; then relax.
• Legs - with your legs flat on the floor, bend your feet and toes towards your face as hard as you can; then relax. Then bend them away from your face for a few seconds; then relax.

Then repeat the whole routine 3-4 times. Each time you relax a group of muscles, note the difference of how they feel when relaxed compared to when they are tense. Some people find it eases their general level of 'tension' if they get into a daily routine of doing these exercises.

Everyday life

Obviously, you cannot do all the above when 'out and about'. However, the principle of full tension followed by relaxation of a group of muscles can help to ease anxiety in everyday situations. Therefore, in situations when you feel tension or anxiety rising, try either of the following:

• Twisting your neck around each way as far as it is comfortable; then relax.
• Fully tensing your shoulder and back muscles for several seconds; then relax.

Kissing your dog could improve your health, scientists say

They dip their noses into all sorts of unsavoury places – but smooching your pet dog could actually be good for your health.

Researchers at the University Arizona (UA) believe that the microbes contained in a dog's gut could have a probiotic effect on the human body - encouraging the growth of positive microorganisms.

And now these scientists are recruiting participants in the hope of proving their hypothesis.

"We've co-evolved with dogs over the millennia, but nobody really understands what it is about this dog-human relationship that makes us feel good about being around dogs," said Kim Kelly, an anthropology doctoral student and one of the primary investigators on the study.

"Is it just that they're fuzzy and we like to pet them, or is there something else going on under the skin? The question really is: Has the relationship between dogs and humans gotten under the skin? And we believe it has."

The study is being conducted under the university's new Human-Animal Interaction Research Initiative, which aims to bring researchers from different disciplines together, to explore the mutual benefits of human-animal relationships.

Kelly will work alongside collaborators from the UA Department of Psychiatry, the UA Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, the UA School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and the University of California, San Diego, in order to explore whether living with a furry companion boosts physical and mental health in older adults.

"We essentially want to find out, is a dog acting like yogurt in having a probiotic effect?" Kelly said.

Previous research has shown that dog-owners tend to be happier and healthier – but there has been little understanding of the reasons behind this. Meanwhile, other studies have shown that dogs and their owners share much of the same gut bacteria over time.

"We think dogs might work as probiotics to enhance the health of the bacteria that live in our guts. These bacteria, or 'microbiota,' are increasingly recognized as playing an essential role in our mental and physical health, especially as we age," said Dr. Charles Raison, principal investigator for the study and a UA professor of psychiatry in the College of Medicine.

"We know that not all bacteria are good. We can get very sick from the 'bad' bacteria, and modern medicine has done a wonderful job of protecting us from various diseases that are created by these bacteria," said Raison.

"But unfortunately, by eliminating the bad bacteria we've started eliminating the 'good' bacteria, too."

Participants in the study will be paired with a dog from the humane society and live with the animal in their home for three months. At the start of the study the researchers will non-invasively evaluate the participants' gut bacteria, diet, physical activity levels and immune function. The dogs' gut bacteria and physical activity levels also will be measured via non-invasive means.

These tests will be repeated after one, two and three months to find out if there have been any positive impacts on gut microflora in either the humans or the dogs.

The researchers will also look for evidence of any changes in both the participants' and the dogs' health and emotional well-being.

The participants will all be aged over 50 and will not have lived with a dog for at least six months.

Source:independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/kissing-your-dog-could-improve-your-health-scientists-say-10122388.html