Surprising facts about Health

With new studies and reports being released daily it can be hard to keep track of what’s new in health and wellness. To help you stay on top of your health knowledge we’ve put together 10 health-related facts that just might surprise you.

1. Drinking coffee can prevent depression.                                                                                                                   We often hear a lot of negative effects of caffeine in our health, however, it has good points too. Research done by Harvard School of Public Health found that women who drank a minimum of four cups of coffee per day could lower their risk of depression by 20 per cent. Earlier research over 80,000 women also revealed that females who drank two or more cups per day were less likely to commit suicide.
2. Bananas can improve your mood.                                                                                                                            A banana has approximately 30% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps brain to produce serotonin, which is considered as a mood stabilizer. Serotonin impacts your motor skills and emotions which is also the chemical that helps you sleep and digest food. Eating a banana can help relieve depression and anxiety by stimulating the serotonin levels in your body.
3. Optimism may help you live longer.                                                                                                                    Studies have found that there is a correlation between increasing levels of optimism with decreasing levels of death from cancer, disease, infection and stroke. This is particularly true for cases of cardiovascular disease. Those who had the highest levels of optimism had an almost 40% lower risk of heart disease.
4. If you are tired, exercise will help.                                                                                                                            After a long day at work, going to the gym is probably the last thing on your list of priorities but research has found that exercising actually gives you more energy. A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that levels of fatigue and depression improved after a 30-minute session of moderate intensity exercise. This is because exercise improves your cardiovascular health which means that more blood and oxygen flow through the body will give you more energy and improve your mood
5. More than half of your bones are located in your hands and feet.                                                                          We are born with approximately 300 bones and cartilage which eventually fuse together by the time we reach adulthood. The adult human body consists of 206 bones. Of these bones, 106 of them are located in our hands and feet. Bones in the arms are among the most commonly broken bones and account for almost half of all adults’ bone injuries.
6. Drink something hot to cool down.                                                                                                                          It might sound counterproductive, but if you want to cool down, then drink something hot. According to a study from the University of Ottawa’s school of Human Kinetics, as the drink is hotter than your body temperature, it triggers a sweat response in the body that more than compensates for the increase. Although it might initially make you feel hotter, a hot drink will cause you to sweat more. The increased perspiration is key; when the sweat evaporates from your skin, it is able to cool down your boady temperature.
7. Your sweat is mostly made up of water.                                                                                                                    Talking about sweat, our sweat is composed mostly of water (about 99 percent). How much we sweat is unique to each individual; factors like gender and/or age can contribute to a person sweating more or less.
8. Chewing gum makes you more alert.                                                                                                                      If you are suffering from a mid-afternoon slump or can’t seem to concentrate in the morning, then try chewing some gum which makes you feel awake. Coventry University researchers found that chewing mint flavored gum dramatically reduced feeling of tiredness. Another study on the subject found that chewing gum can improve overall test scores and memory by 35 per cent, relieve stress and reduce anxiety levels.
9. Smell an apple to prevent Claustrophobia.                                                                                                              An apple a day can do more than just keep the doctor away, it can also help with claustrophobia. According to research from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, smelling a green apple will relieve the stress associated with confined spaces . Sniffing a green apple can also prevent headaches and migraines and some homeowners even use the scent to make their houses seem bigger to potential buyers.
10. Sit-ups won’t give you a flat stomach.                                                                                                                      Many people think that they can achieve a flat stomach by doing crunches. But the truth is, endless amounts of crunches won’t give you the stomach of your dreams – as the exercise only works for your abs, not your core muscles. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found carrying out six weeks of abdominal exercises alone was not enough to reduce abdominal fat.