This is a bitter pill to swallow. Many cocoa products in the US contain concerning levels of toxic heavy metals, a new study from George Washington University warns. Many cocoa products in the US contain worrisome levels of lead and cadmium, a new study from George Washington University warns. Picture Partners – stock.adobe.com Researchers analyzed 72 cocoa-based foods — including dark chocolate, often praised as a heart-healthy treat — over eight years. They found that 43% of the products contained an amount of lead that tops recommendations, while 35% exceeded cadmium limits. Surprisingly, organic-labeled products had higher levels of lead and cadmium than non-organic products, the researchers said. Contamination can come from soil or occur during manufacturing. A single serving of these cocoa items may not pose significant health risks, but several servings might. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at GW, led the testing of 72 cocoa-based products. The George Washingto...
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Go to bed before this hour to avoid mental health problems
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Owl be damned!
New research finds that being a night owl is bad for your mental health. Going to bed by 1 a.m. can lower your risk of developing mental and behavioral conditions such as depression and anxiety, according to a study published last month in the journal Psychiatry Research.
Researchers compared the preferred sleep timing, known as chronotype, with the actual sleep behavior of nearly 74,000 UK adults.
New research finds that being a night owl is bad for your mental health. ricardoreitmeyer – stock.adobe.com
The researchers expected that staying true to your chronotype would be very important.
But they found that no matter your sleep preference, night owls aren’t thriving after dark.
“We found that alignment with your chronotype is not crucial here, and that really it’s being up late that is not good for your mental health,” senior study author Jamie Zeitzer, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, explained in a statement. “The big unknown is why.”
Among the participants, 19,065 identified as morning types, 6,844 as evening types and 47,979 as somewhere in the middle.
Night owls who aligned with their chronotype were 20% to 40% more likely to have a mental health disorder diagnosis compared with night owls on an early or intermediate sleep schedule, the researchers determined.
Those who rise with the sun tend to have the best mental health.
Going to bed by 1 a.m. can lower your risk of developing mental and behavioral conditions such as depression and anxiety, according to a study published last month in the journal Psychiatry Research. DC Studio – stock.adobe.com
Researchers mused that the results may be tied to the “mind after midnight” hypothesis, which says that being awake after midnight can increase your risk of impulsive and harmful behaviors.
“If I had to hazard a guess, morning people who are up late are quite cognizant of the fact that their brain isn’t working quite right, so they may put off making bad decisions,” Zeitzer said.
“Meanwhile, the evening person who is up late thinks, ‘I’m feeling great. This is a great decision I’m making at 3 o’clock in the morning,’” he added.
Experts recommend getting seven to nine hours of shuteye a night. Zeitzer counsels night owls to try to adopt an earlier routine to shift their sleep patterns, even though it’s difficult and won’t change their chronotype.
“Biologically speaking, it’s very much like a rubber band — you take a day off and you snap back to where your body wants to be,” he said.
Experts recommend getting seven to nine hours of shuteye a night. New Africa – stock.adobe.com
Meanwhile, a professor of sleep medicine pointed out some limitations to Zeitzer’s study to HuffPost on Monday.
The subjects are mostly white and middle-aged or older, said Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula of the University of Pennsylvania. Plus, chronotype was determined through a participant questionnaire.
“The way [researchers] decided which chronotype you are came from a single question, although they did use one that has been validated,” said Gurubhagavatula, who is not affiliated with the study. “But typically how we assess morningness or eveningness is with a much more thorough questionnaire that has a lot more detailed questions.”
In our fast-paced modern world, having the ability to calm the mind is invaluable. By learning to control the breath and withdraw the senses with the practice of Tummo breathing you can tap into an inner stillness. Those who regularly practice Tummo often report feeling more centered, present, and in tune with themselves. Also known as “Inner Fire” meditation, Tummo helps ignite inner “heat,” burning away mental fog while energizing both body and mind. Our contributor Bayu Prihandito, Life Coach, and RYT 200 Yoga Teacher, says, “What we call the “inner fire” Tummo meditation, is known to increase mental clarity, focus, and reduce stress. With practice and patience, you can experience a heightened sense of peace from the ability to manage your emotions more effectively.” With roots tracing back centuries in Tibetan Buddhism, Tummo uses focused breathing and visualization to unlock deep states of relaxation and mental clarity. This Tibetan meditation technique is...
This is a bitter pill to swallow. Many cocoa products in the US contain concerning levels of toxic heavy metals, a new study from George Washington University warns. Many cocoa products in the US contain worrisome levels of lead and cadmium, a new study from George Washington University warns. Picture Partners – stock.adobe.com Researchers analyzed 72 cocoa-based foods — including dark chocolate, often praised as a heart-healthy treat — over eight years. They found that 43% of the products contained an amount of lead that tops recommendations, while 35% exceeded cadmium limits. Surprisingly, organic-labeled products had higher levels of lead and cadmium than non-organic products, the researchers said. Contamination can come from soil or occur during manufacturing. A single serving of these cocoa items may not pose significant health risks, but several servings might. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at GW, led the testing of 72 cocoa-based products. The George Washingto...
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