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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

ScienceDaily: Living Well News

ScienceDaily: Living Well News


Cash for weight loss? Works better when employees compete for pots of money

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:13 PM PDT

Do cash rewards for healthier habits work? Maybe, says a new study, if you add on one more condition -- peer pressure. A growing number of companies are offering employees an opportunity to boost earning power at work via cash incentives to stay healthy. Under the Affordable Care Act, employers will soon be able to offer even larger financial incentives to prod healthy lifestyle behaviors among their workforce, such as quitting smoking and losing weight. But people who are offered money for weight loss may be much more successful when awards are based on a group's performance -- rather than just their own -- according to the new research.

Organic labels bias consumers perceptions through the 'health halo effect'

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 09:15 AM PDT

In a new study, researchers show that an organic label can influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labeled "organic". Certain people also appear to be more susceptible to this 'health halo' effect than others.

Can meditation make you a more compassionate person?

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 08:15 AM PDT

Scientists have mostly focused on the benefits of meditation for the brain and the body, but a recent study takes a look at what impacts meditation has on interpersonal harmony and compassion.

Growing shorter: Adult health habits influence how much we shrink with age

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 07:10 AM PDT

Even if you didn't eat your veggies or drink your milk as a child, your height is still in your hands. Using unique data from 17,708 adults, researchers show for the first time that lifestyle choices we make in adulthood -- and not just the hand we're dealt as children -- influence how tall we stand as we age. The research also reveals an especially strong relationship between height loss and cognitive health.

'Miracle foods': Can they decrease the risk of cancer?

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 06:06 AM PDT

Cancer is a disease that invokes fear, so it is not surprising that the public is eager to identify ways to decrease the risk. The media often features information on "Miracle Foods" and publicizes whether these foods can actually decrease the risk of cancer. A new commentary calls on both researchers as well as media sources to consider the validity of multiple studies as opposed to singular studies before assuming that media information is factual.

Adolescents' poor health behaviors raise risk of heart disease as adults

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:52 AM PDT

U.S. adolescents' lack of heart-healthy behaviors may increase their chances of heart disease as adults, according to a new study. More than 80 percent of them had a poor diet and many were not physically active. Improving risk factors or preventing risk factors from developing during adolescence is the key to preventing cardiovascular disease as adults.

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