Spicy food boosts your metabolism. Arguing with your parents
trains you to reject peer pressure. Oh, and getting castrated helps you
live longer
This year, scientists vindicated your sriracha addiction, proving a little spice is good for your health.
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cupuncture can ease your pain.
New research shows that the ancient Chinese healing technique — which
involves sticking needles into specific points in the body to encourage
the flow of "qi," or energy, through unseen pathways — often works
better than over-the-counter remedies. About 50 percent of people who
have migraines, arthritis, and chronic back or joint pain reported
feeling significantly better after undergoing acupuncture, compared with
30 percent of people who tried traditional remedies. Doctors still
don't understand how acupuncture works, says Andrew Vickers of Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, but they now have "firm evidence" that
it's an effective treatment for chronic pain.
Arguing with your parents as a teenager trains you to reject peer pressure.
University of Virginia researchers observed more than 150 13-year-olds
as they disputed issues like grades and chores with their mothers.
Checking back in with the teens several years later, they discovered
that those who had argued the longest and most convincingly — without
yelling or whining — were also 40 percent less likely to have accepted
offers of drugs and alcohol than the teens who were required to simply
obey their mothers. Study author Joseph P. Allen says constructive
debates with parents are "a critical training ground" for independent
decision-making.
Adding spices to meals can hike your metabolism and improve your heart health.
Penn State University researchers prepared identical high-fat meals for
two groups of volunteers, then added a mix of spices — including
rosemary, oregano, and cinnamon — to the meal of one group. Eating rich
foods typically increases blood levels of insulin and triglyceride fats,
which heighten the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Volunteers
eating the spicy meal saw increases in triglycerides and insulin that
were 31 percent and 21 percent lower, respectively, than those of the
group who ate the blander offering. Study author Sheila West suspects
the antioxidants in spices are responsible.
Working your core can give you sexual pleasure
— if you're a woman. Among women who experience orgasms triggered by
exercise alone — no partner, toys, or even sexual thoughts needed — 51
percent said that their first "coregasm" happened during an abs workout.
Though rumors of the coregasm have existed in fitness circles for
years, "exercise-induced orgasm is something we really know nothing
about — not scientifically," says study author Debby Herbenick. She says
her findings, while still "exploratory," could help decode the physical
processes that underlie women's sexual pleasure.
Popcorn protects you from cancer and heart disease.
Tests of several popcorn brands revealed that the hulls — the tough
fragments that often stick in your teeth — contain surprisingly high
levels of disease-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols; one serving
of popcorn packs more than twice the polyphenols that a similar serving
of most fruits and vegetables does, though popcorn lacks key vitamins.
Study author Joe Vinson says that popcorn hulls, which are also rich in
fiber, are "nutritional gold nuggets" that make popcorn the perfect
snack food — as long as you air-pop it and hold the salt and butter.
Circumcision reduces the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
A review of male circumcision research found that "the medical benefits
outweigh the risks of the procedure," says pediatric bioethicist
Douglas Diekema. Circumcised infants are 90 percent less likely than
uncircumcised ones to develop urinary tract infections. And later in
life, they're at lower risk of contracting HIV, herpes, penile cancer,
and human papillomavirus, which, when passed to female partners, can
cause cervical cancer. Serious complications occur in only about 0.2
percent of babies who undergo circumcision.
Castration is an even better way to a longer life.
Korean researchers studied the genealogical records of boys castrated
to serve in the palace of the Chosun Dynasty between the late 14th and
early 20th centuries and found that they lived up to 19 years longer
than their peers. They were also 130 times more likely to reach the age
of 100 than people in developed countries are today. The findings
support "the idea that male sex hormones decrease the life span of men,"
the study authors write. In contrast to estrogen, which appears to
enhance longevity, testosterone seems to weaken the immune system and
increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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