10 Unknown Health Facts that You Need

Knowledge is power, especially for health is power. Scientists have proven that there are health habits unknown to us. Below are 10 scientifically proven health facts that you need to know.

1. Optimists are much less prone to heart disease.

Scientists from the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Columbia University analyzed the data of surveys that have been filled in by almost 2,400 patients with chronic angina and came to an interesting conclusion. It turns out that the patients who have an optimistic attitude toward life required hospital treatment 30-40% less often than those having a pessimistic attitude.

Positive mood reduces the level of adrenaline and cortisol — the hormones of anxiety and stress. It’s these that affect the increase in blood pressure, which in turn influence the development of cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks.

2. Drinking coffee can cause the shrinking of women’s breasts.

Research published in the British Journal of Cancer has proved that consuming too much coffee (3 or more cups per day) may cause breast shrinkage in women. The more coffee a woman consumes, the larger the effect will be. All this happens due to an effect had on a special hormone that connects these 2 activities — coffee consumption and breast shrinkage. So next time you decide to have another cup at Starbucks, remember this and maybe opt for a cup of hot tea instead.

Additionally, food disorders might reduce breast size as well. This happens due to the whole body weight loss and the change in the hormonal system that negatively affects breast size.

3. Bodybuilding doesn’t make men stronger.

Scientists from Manchester Metropolitan University found out that bodybuilding trainings don’t increase physical strength despite the size of expanding muscles. As professor Hans Degens has stated, many of us think that people with huge muscles are as strong as the Incredible Hulk. But the study of the individual muscular fibers of bodybuilders, runners, and ordinary men has shown that the muscles of bodybuilders actually produce less physical strength than the muscles of non-bodybuilders.

“It seems that excessive muscle growth can affect the quality of muscles negatively and it’s probably better to maintain muscles of normal size than to have metabolically expansive large muscles,” according to Degens.

4. Being single is good for your figure.

Scientists from Central University of Queensland in Australia have been monitoring more than 15,000 people over 9 years and have noticed that people in relationships had excess weight 20% more often than single people, including widowed and divorced. And that happened despite the fact that couples, as scientists have noticed, had more balanced diets, smoked less, and consumed less alcohol.

It turns out couples eat larger portions of food than single people when having family dinners. Additionally, the lead author of the study Natalie The, thinks that married people gain weight because they don’t need to stay slim anymore to impress their partner. Therefore, they allow themselves to eat more, especially foods high in fat and sugar.

5. The secret to a happy life includes daily internet use.

Norwegian scientists from the Centre for Technology Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo surveyed more than 100,000 Europeans and concluded — to feel happy, one needs to use the internet daily. They say that it’s not about how much time you spend on the internet but about what you do there which is the main factor affecting the feeling of happiness.

Specialists also found that this method helps people to overcome the crisis of middle age quicker and easier.

5. Sleeping naked is more useful

Specialists from the US National Sleep Foundation found out that sleeping naked is better than sleeping in pajamas or lingerie. Dr. Sarah Brewer came up with a set of reasons why sleeping naked is good for you.

6. Fasting from time to time is good for the immune system.

A study held by scientists at the University of Southern California showed that fasting for 2-4 days helps to refresh the immune system. Over the duration of the experiment, volunteers fasted for several days in a row, every six months. During the days of fasting, their body started to use its own reserves of glucose, fat, and ketones and began to destroy a large number of leukocytes as well. As a result, their loss contributed to the renewal of the cells of the immune system.

Long fasting also decreased the level of hormones that are connected with aging and the appearance and progression of tumors, including cancer.

It’s worth mentioning that fasting is contraindicated in severe body weight deficiency, malignant tumors, active tuberculosis, heart rhythm disturbances, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, stomach ulcers, and liver cirrhosis. Additionally, children and elderly people should abstain from long-term fasting, as well as women during pregnancy and lactation.

7. Even the slightest exposure to light during sleep might lead

Japanese scientists from Nara Medical University have been watching the sleeping process of more than 860 elderly people that didn’t have any traces of depression at the beginning of the experiment. It turned out that those who didn’t sleep in absolute darkness started to get anxiety and stress.

Professor Kenji Obayashi suggested that even slight light can disrupt the work of internal biological clocks and negatively affect the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which is produced in darkness. This can affect the psyche negatively and cause depression.

The scientists suggest hanging black-out curtains in the bedroom and turning off all devices that have light indicators. Don’t forget about the blinking indicators on your smartphone — they should be switched off too.

8. Cleaning worsens a woman’s lung condition.

Scientists from the University of Bergen in Norway analyzed the data of more than 6,000 people that have taken part in respiratory health exams for 20 years in the European Union. The analysis of this data showed that the lung condition of women, who worked as maids or those who regularly used cleaning products in the form of aerosols and nebulizers, worsened over time, unlike other women. Additionally, the decrease in lung function in janitors within these 20 years of observations is so huge that it’s comparable to 20 years of smoking.

In addition, women working maids often get asthma and this issue hasn’t been spotted among men. The scientists strongly urge everyone to use less chemical cleaners.

9. Vaping increases your chances of getting pneumonia.

Scientists from Queen Mary University in London did an experiment with mice and people to determine the effects of vaping on the body. This experiment revealed that those who love to vape are much more likely to develop pneumonia.

The steam of electronic cigarettes help bacteria that cause inflammation of the lungs to adhere to cells lining the respiratory tract. The leading researcher Jonathan Grigg clarifies, “Pneumococcal bacteria can exist in our respiratory tract without causing disease. However, in some cases, such as vaping, they easily penetrate into th