You’re fueling yourself with coffee—all day.Media Platforms Design Team Mier Kryger, MD, a physician and professor at the Yale School of Medicine and editor of Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, says one of poor sleep’s biggest signs is when a patient mentions an all-day coffee habit. “Feeling like you have to drink coffee in the morning to wake up and throughout the day to stay awake indicates a problem....
Researchers analyzed 1179 adult diners in 8 developed countries—the United States, Canada, France, Taiwan, Korea, Finland, and the Netherlands—and found the same results. According to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity, people are likely to eat 92.8% of meals compared to 76.1% of snacks that we plate up. And it turns out that mindful eating doesn’t help us eat any less: Even when not distracted, 97.1% of the food was still consumed....
Americans spend more than $6 billion a year on gluten-free foods, thanks in part to the products’ health halo. But are all those potato-flour pastas and pizzas getting to the right stomachs? According to a Mayo Clinic study, 1.6 million Americans who are on gluten-free diets don’t need to be, while the vast majority of the 1.8 million who could benefit aren’t aware they should watch their intake. So who really needs to go gluten free?...
Researchers in India recruited 62 people being treated for Type 2 diabetes, and gave half of them a 250-milligram resveratrol supplement once a day for three months. The results? Those who took the supplement had lower blood glucose levels than those who didn’t. Plus, the resveratrol-takers also had significant decreases in total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. More from Prevention.com: 12 Ways To Never Get Diabetes Why? The reason isn’t clear, but the researchers say resveratrol may help stimulate insulin secretion or activate a protein that helps regulate glucose and insulin sensitivity....
While you’ve surely noticed that a harsh critique can screw with your performance, new research shows that it doesn’t have to. In fact, discouraging feedback can actually enhance your own abilities—as long as it’s followed up with supportive words from a friend. To come to this conclusion, researchers blindfolded 40 participants, had them play a game of darts, and told them they had performed poorly (regardless of how they actually did)....
The results were clear. In just one semester, test scores markedly improved, attendance became more steady, and the percentage of overweight students dropped by 2 points. Students’ attention span and energy have also gotten better after the switch to vegetarian fare, said Principal Bob Groff in an interview with the New York Daily News. What makes this inspiring for the rest of us is that these kids only went meatless for one meal a day, and meat wasn’t completely banned from the school, if their parents wanted to pack it in their lunch....
But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on sex—or your libido. And for your health’s sake, you shouldn’t, because the health benefits of physical closeness are real. So if you’re among the one-third of US couples suffering from low sexual drive or desire—yours or his—read on. Prevention put the country’s top sex experts to the ultimate challenge: Help four cooled-off couples rekindle their sex lives—in one week. Did they succeed?...
The research team evaluated self-weighing practices of more than 3,000 people participating in either a weight loss program or a weight gain prevention program. The study’s key finding: Higher weighing frequency was associated with greater 24-month weight loss or less weight gain. Says lead researcher Jennifer Linde, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota: “If people see that their number has gone up, they may realize it’s time to do something....
Whole Wheat Penne with Eggplant and Ricotta Tempeh Dagwood Sandwich Green Leaf, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad Heat oven or toaster oven to 275 degrees F. Spread walnuts on a baking tray and bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Roughly chop nuts. 2. Place oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jar with a lid. Close tightly and shake vigorously to combine. 3....
In a recent study published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, scientists measured the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 25 healthy adults in Scotland and asked them to fill out questionnaires about what stresses them out at home and at work. They then compared that information to the number of parks, woodlands, and other natural environments in each participant’s zip code. Those who lived in the areas with the most amount of green space had lower levels of cortisol, and their self-reported feeling of stress were lower than those who spent more time in urban settings....
I don’t grow from the joys as much as I do the sorrows, the troubles and the roadblocks. We hear this all the time, but I find it is simply true. I find that when I don’t have troubles, or something to work out in my mind, I tend to stir up a few. It’s conditioning. I’m really working on my capacity for tranquility and it’s growing. I sit with serenity beautifully now....
As if being stressed weren’t bad enough, thinking you’re stressed might also cause serious problems. Turns out, perceived stress, or how much you think you’re stressed, is associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers analyzed six studies to see how perceived stress affects your ticker. Each of the studies asked participants to self-report intense or frequent feelings of stress and then followed each participant for about 14 years to see if they were diagnosed with, hospitalized, or died from coronary heart disease....
It’s no secret that a lot of people are experiencing increased stress these days. There are many reasons—financial worries, health challenges, unsatisfying work, and family or relationship problems, to name just a few. Then there are major stressors, often resulting from loss of life or property, as many recently experienced with Hurricane Sandy. From my years of researching stress, I have seen that when not attended to, stress accumulates and often leads to feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about the future....
Computer-based online weight-loss programs can help people drop pounds, finds a new research review published by the Cochrane Library that looked at 14 different studies involving more than 4,000 people. Study participants who logged on lost more weight than those who opted to go it alone. Even better: Digital dieters were also more likely to prevent that unwelcome weight regain. “Most people can agree that the bigger struggle is to maintain weight loss over time,” says Suzanne Brodney, PhD, a research associate with the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation and a co-author of the review....
Try using it as an alternative to mayo: Tahini tastes great spread on bread in a turkey sandwich or mixed into tuna. It’s also delicious as a topping for crackers or as an ingredient in salad dressing. Buy Arrowhead Mills Organic Sesame Tahini ($6 for a 16-ounce jar; arrowheadmills.com).
It all revolves around periodic fasting. Past research shows brief stints of water-only or very-low-calorie diets may help protect your cells and organs from some chronic diseases—including cancer—explains study author Valter D. Longo, PhD, director of the Longevity Institute at USC. The fasting leads to a temporary loss of blood cells, liver cells, and muscle cells, Longo says. But once you start eating again, the cells regenerate. That regeneration seems to drive the diet’s benefits, he says....
“We found that at nine-ending ages, people tend to question whether their lives have been meaningful,” says study co-author Adam Alter, professor at NYU Stern School of Business. “That can be an overwhelming psychological experience, particularly if they don’t feel their lives are meaningful enough.” According to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the existential crisis prompts people to behave either constructively—for example, by signing up for their first marathon—or destructively, like by having affairs or ending their lives....
(Cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in half with the breakthrough plan in Prevention’s Ageless Brain!) With Alzheimer’s, over time, the billions of neurons and synapses in your brain that let you think, remember, and form words lose the ability to transmit information between one another. Scientists believe this is due to the presence of two types of rogue protein—one that forms tangles and another that creates plaques in the cells....
The analysis of eight studies revealed that munching pistachios for a few weeks lowers bad cholesterol up to 20%, and increases good cholesterol by as much as 48%. One study that focused on men with erectile dysfunction found adding pistachios to a guy’s diet increased sexual performance by 51%, thanks to the boost in blood health, according to the review. Pistachios contain compounds called phytosterols, which help block the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, explains study coauthor Roman Pawlak, PhD, RD, a nutrition scientist at East Carolina University....
