Briefly speaking

Diet impact onemotional well-being

A Binghamton University research suggests that women need a more nutrient-rich diet to support a positive emotional well-being. A team of researchers, led by Lina Begdache, conducted an anonymous survey of 563 participants (48 per cent men and 52 per cent women) through social media to investigate this issue. Begdache and her team found that men are more likely to experience mental well-being until nutritional deficiencies arise. Women, however, are less likely to experience mental well-being until a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are followed. “The biggest takeaway is that women may need a larger spectrum of nutrients to support mood, compared to men,” said Begdache. “These findings may explain the reason why women are twice more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression and suffer from longer episodes, compared to men. Today’s diet is high in energy but poor in key nutrients that support brain anatomy and functionality.”

Impact of less sleep on men

Men who sleep five hours or less per night have twice the risk of developing a major cardiovascular event during the following two decades than those who sleep seven to eight hours, according to a new study. “For people with busy lives, sleeping may feel like a waste of time, but our study suggests that short sleep could be linked with cardiovascular disease,” said Moa Bengtsson, author of the study, which was recently presented at a meeting in Germany. Previous studies have generated conflicting evidence on whether short sleep is associated with a greater chance of having a future cardiovascular event. However, this study investigated the relationship in 50-year-old men.

Is too much Good Cholesterol bad?

Contrary to claims that good cholesterol is beneficial to the heart, a new study has showed that very high levels may be associated with an increased risk of heart attack and death. The findings show that people with high-density lipoprotein (HDL or ‘good’) cholesterol levels of 41-60 mg/dl had the lowest risk of heart attack or cardiovascular death. However, the risk increased in people with low levels (less than 41 mg/dl) as well as very high levels (greater than 60 mg/dl) of HDL cholesterol. People with HDL cholesterol levels greater than 60 mg/dl had a nearly 50 per cent increased risk of dying from a cardiovascular cause compared to those with HDL cholesterol levels 41-60 mg/dl. “It’s time to change the way

we view HDL cholesterol. Physicians have told their patients that the higher your ‘good’ cholesterol, the better,” said Marc Allard-Ratick, from the Emory University in the US.