The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Olive oil found to protect against Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 25 Mar 2013 07:51 AM PDT
While the Mediterranean liquid gold has long been touted for its multiple health benefits, a team of US scientists from the University of Louisiana has identified a specific component in olive oil that they say protects nerve cells from damage brought on by Alzheimer's disease. Their research stems from a larger trend observed in the worldwide prevalence of the cognitive illness: While it's estimated that 30 million people suffer from the disease around the world, rates are notably lower in Mediterranean countries. And though scientists had long attributed the trend to the high consumption of healthy, monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, the latest study, released by the American Chemical Society last week, identifies a substance called oleocanthal that was observed to protect against the leading cause of Alzheimer's in the brain: the accumulation of peptide beta-amyloid. The findings were published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. In animal studies, scientists found that oleocanthal worked by boosting the production of proteins and key enzymes believed to be critical in removing the beta-amyloid in the brain. "Extra-virgin olive oil-derived oleocanthal associated with the consumption of Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce the risk of AD or related neurodegenerative dementias," the report concludes. Meanwhile, earlier this month, another study found that olive oil is an effective way of satiating hunger pangs and curbing the munchies. For their research, Austrian researchers fed participants yogurt enriched with lard, butterfat, rapeseed oil or olive oil. The result? Olive oil had the biggest satiety effect. – AFP/Relaxnews |
| Dads who do the dishes, hang out with kids may have happier marriages Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:34 AM PDT
"We found that it didn't matter who did what, but how satisfied people were with the division of labour," says Brigham Young University professor and lead researcher Erin Holmes. "We found that when wives are doing work together with their husbands, they are more satisfied with the division of labour." A research team from University of Missouri and Utah State University studied how 160 couples handled housework and child-rearing duties, to see what contributed to the quality of the marriage. Interestingly, the most significant factor was whether or not dads spent time with their children. "For women, dad having a good relationship with the kids means that dad and mom are probably going to have a better relationship," Holmes says. "Something as simple as reading a book with your children every night and talking with them about their day can really go a long way," adds study co-author Adam Galovan. Previous research by Holmes shows that both husbands and wives dramatically increase their household tasks during the transition to parenthood. Typically dads do twice as much housework after the first baby arrives, but moms do about five times more housework than before. That division of labour could cause some friction in the relationship, but Holmes advises that couples could merge their to-do lists, whether it's dishes, laundry or bedtime stories. And dads should be aware that when they strengthen bonds with their kids, everyone wins, he adds. In a separate study, researchers from the University of British Columbia found that fathers who do household chores and have egalitarian views about gender have daughters with higher career ambitions than less egalitarian fathers do. The new study, announced Thursday, is published in the Journal of Family Issues. — AFP/Relaxnews |
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