Scientists have found that eating cereal each morning is a real brain booster, keeping your mind alert for longer. A whole grain breakfast, such as porridge, muesli or bran enriched cereal, cuts by more than half the brain's decline in performance during the day, say dietitians at King's College, London. In contrast, eating food with a high glycemic index, such as white toast or skipping breakfast all together, is bad for concentration. (Globe)
Sweet news. Blueberries help reduce belly fat. Researchers found that obese lab animals who ate a blueberry rich diet lose abdominal fat and experienced lower cholesterol and improved glucose control. The fat fighting effects of blueberries were evident in animals fed both high fat and low fat diets but were greatest among those on low fat diets, according to University of Michigan researchers. They theorize that blueberries may change how the body stores and processes glucose. More research is needed to confirm these results in humans. (National Enquirer)
A mechanical beauty is almost ready to strut her stuff on the catwalk and showcase the latest fashions with the precision of a machine. The cybernetic supermodel is named HRP-4C. She walks with grace, holds her arms with perfect poise and displays human emotions on her face with the help of 30 motors hidden inside her body. In a recent demonstration, HRP-4C walked onto a stage, blinked and said, "Hello, everyone," in a demure, feminine voice. Designers at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology are still working out a few of the kinks especially the way HRP-4C holds her legs. In order to stay balanced, she still needs to keep her knees bent at all times do don't expect to see her modeling any miniskirts for this summer's collection. (Sun)
Scientists have discovered yet another roadblock on the path to a peaceful settlement in the war between the sexes differences in how men's and women's brains react to beauty indicate they may never see eye-to-eye. A person's sex alters the way he or she perceives beauty especially with objects like paintings or sculptures, says a new study. Researchers used brain scans to analyze the reactions of 20 volunteers to either paintings or pretty scenes or photographs of city scenes. When women saw something beautiful, the scan revealed that their entire brains became active. But when men perceived beauty, the scans showed only the right side of their brains alerted. "Perhaps women make use of both global and local features in making their judgments, whereas men only rely on global features," says study leader Francisco Ayala of the University of California at Irvine. "Perhaps women are more likely to associate images with verbal labels then men." (National Examiner)
Forget that old baby-boomer stereotype of the husband neglecting his wife for his job, younger men are actually more likely than women to say they'd pick love over career, according to a study of 237 college students published in Gender Issues. When asked to rate their life goals, 61% of men surveyed versus 51% of women, said they would sacrifice another goal, such as career, education, or traveling, for a romantic relationship. No surprise that he'd rather be married to you than to his job.
Thirst can masquerade as hunger, which is one reason dieters should stay hydrated. Now German researchers have found another reason: Water fuels your body's fat burners. For 90 minutes after drinking 16 ounces of chilled water, adults saw their metabolism rise by 24 percent over their average rates. According to the study author, Jens Jordan, M.D., the mechanism is partly due to the energy your body generates to warm the water during digestion. (Men's Health)
When it comes to washing away bacteria, you might think that an antibacterial cleanser would outshine ordinary soap. But in three out of four studies recently reviewed by researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, regular hand soap turned out to be just as effective as products containing the germ fighter triclosan. The one study that was the exception found that antibacterial soap worked better only after volunteers scrubbed for at least 30 seconds 18 times a day for five days. What's more, no studies have shown that washing with antibacterials stops the spread of illness in families. The researchers also looked into the question of whether using these germ fighting cleaners encourages the rise of drug resistant bacteria. They didn't find a direct link but noted that in lab studies some germs live quite happily around triclosan, and the exposure may help them develop resistance to common antibiotics. (Good Housekeeping)
Women who slept five or fewer hours a night were 32 percent more prone to major weight gain, 33 or more pounds, and 15 percent likelier to become obese over 16 years than those who got seven hours a night - even though the seven hour sleepers actually ate more, according to the Nurses' Health Study, a long term study tracking 68,183 women. Research shows insufficient sleep can increase levels of the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin and boost blood glucose and prediabetes risk. (Ladies' Home Journal)
Nearly half of all Americans describe themselves as shy. What most of us don't realize is that the root of shyness is excessive self-consciousness, not timidity. "Shy people feel as if they have mirrors all around them," says Bernardo J. Carducci, Ph.D., director of the Shyness Reach Institute at Indiana University Southeast. "They want to be social and have friends so they force themselves to go to social functions, but it's difficult when they're so preoccupied with how they come across."