Want to live longer? 'Be happy'

LONDON: A five-year study, led by the University College London, has found that happiness can help people live longer and those with a positive outlook have a 35 per cent reduced risk of dying early.

The study of almost 4,000 52 to 79-year-olds found the higher they rated their contentment, the longer they lived.

Health psychologist Andrew Steptoe, of University College London, who led the study, was quoted by the 'Daily Express' as saying, "The present findings provide further reason to target the positive wellbeing of older people."

Previous studies showed that a positive mood could reduce stress-related hormones and boost immune function, paving the way to better health and longer life.

This latest research, published in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' journal, is further evidence that a "glass half-full" attitude is good for health.

For the study, the researchers asked participants to rate their feelings of happiness over a day.

They questioned more than 3,800 people taking part in a long-running British study of ageing, to rate their feelings of happiness or anxiety four times daily. They followed them for five years, recording the number of deaths.

After noting age, gender, depression, certain diseases and health-related behaviours, the researchers found those who reported feeling happiest had a 35 per cent reduced risk of dying early compared to those who reported being least happy.

Professor Steptoe said the link between happiness and living longer could be down to having lower stress hormones that can trigger disease. He said: "We suspect there may be a biological process that helps people survive longer if they are happy.Stress hormones such as cortisol fall when you are more satisfied with your lot and that could be a significant factor in our findings."

Aerobics most effective to lose belly fat

WASHINGTON, Sept 9: A new study has found that aerobic exercise is the best bet when it comes to losing that dreaded belly fat.

Belly or abdominal fat - known in scientific communities as visceral fat and liver fat - is located deep within the abdominal cavity and fills the spaces between internal organs. It’s been associated with increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer.

"When it comes to increased health risks, where fat is deposited in the body is more important than how much fat you have,” said Duke exercise physiologist Cris Slentz, Ph.D., lead author of the study published in the American Journal of Physiology. "Our study sought to identify the most effective form of exercise to get rid of that unhealthy fat,” he added.

When Duke University Medical Center researchers conducted a head-to-head comparison of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and a combination of the two, they found aerobic exercise to be the most efficient and most effective way to lose the belly fat that’s most damaging to your health.

"Resistance training is great for improving strength and increasing lean body mass,” said Slentz.

"But if you are overweight, which two thirds of the population is, and you want to lose belly fat, aerobic exercise is the better choice because it burns more calories,” he added.

Aerobic training burned 67 p.c. more calories in the study when compared to resistance training.

The study will be published in the American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism.