Lifestyle

Benjamin Franklin once said early risers make men healthy, wealthy, and wise, which has proven true for many business leaders. Now new research may prove that Franklin was right about its health benefits. New research reported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reveals people who rise early--and therefore are exposed to more light earlier in the day--often had lower body mass indexes, or BMIs, and healthier body fat percentages. Those who were exposed to light later in the day…
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Normally people think of vitamins as a healthy way to up your nutrient intake. New research from the University of Colorado Cancer Center challenges this belief, however, even implying that it could cause cancer. According to lead researcher Tim Byers, overusing vitamin supplements can spell danger for older Americans, increasing the risk of lung cancer, bowel cancer, and even heart disease by up to 20 percent. The findings were recently presented to the American Association for Cancer Research. "The evidence…
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This, believe it or not, increases your risk of developing cancer by 40 percent--if you're a woman. Most women struggle to lower this risk, however, with new reports saying this risk factor continues to rise. So what is it? It's obesity, say experts from Cancer Research UK. "We know that our cancer risk depends on a combination of our genes, our environment and other aspects of our lives, many of which we can control--helping people understand how they can reduce…
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Want to lose more weight? While using a weight loss smartphone app could help, researchers say you're better off pairing it with another app--one that encourages you to exercise as well. Reported earlier this month by LiveScience, the research shows that people who paired a weight loss app with a fitness app ended up losing more weight; on the other hand, those who used a weight loss app alone were less likely to shed weight. And the biggest reason why…
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It's no secret that many Americans are struggling with obesity. Now the biggest reason to stop obesity isn't because of appearances, say American and British researchers. According to a new study reported in The Lancet Oncology, obesity is now responsible for nearly 500,000 new cancer cases in the United States, with that number only expected to grow. Worse yet, female cancer--such as endometrial and breast cancer--account for nearly 75 percent of all diagnosed cancers related to obesity. For researchers, the…
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Have a friend or family member who needs to lose weight? Here's one thing that won't work: Fat shaming. A new study from the University College London says that fat shaming others--such as bullying them for being too big--can actually cause people to gain, not lose, weight. While the results aren't surprising to researchers, it could shock others, who may believe shaming someone for being fat motivates them to lose weight. "Our results show that weight discrimination does not encourage…
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We gain weight for many reasons--but could exposure to a secret chemical also do harm? Scientists from the University of Michigan say that mothers exposed to lead could cause their children to become obese later in life, according to their research. "The data support the obesogen hypothesis that toxicant exposures in the womb contribute to the higher rate of obesity," says Dana Dolinoy, a John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences. "There are certain chemicals that are considered…
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Do you know what chemicals are in your food? A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE says that methoxychlor, a commercial pesticide banned by the Food and Drug Administration in 2003, could still cause severe damage even today. According to their reports, being exposed to this pesticide can cause people to spread the chemical to their offspring--causing onset kidney disease, ovarian problems, and even obesity. Could this simple pesticide be behind our obesity epidemic? "What your great-grandmother was…
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Want to live longer? Turns out there's something that can cut your life span even more than smoking cigarettes, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine: Obesity. The study, which drew data from 20 large-scale studies conducted in the United States, Australia, and Sweden, says that people who were extremely obese died up to 13.7 years earlier than those who maintained a healthy weight. Extreme obesity, according to researchers, refers to people with a body mass…
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Brr! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter cold is gone for good--but research recently published in the journal Diabetes says you might want to experience those blistery chills once more. Presenting their findings at the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago, they say that brown fat, a type of fat that burns energy and glucose, grows even faster in cold environments, raising a person's metabolism. In the past, research found that brown fat…
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