Coffee twice a day halves suicide risk
Drinking two or three cups of coffee a day can halve the risk of suicide, according to a new study. Researchers claim that caffeine acts as a mild antidepressant by helping to boost mood hormones and other chemical signals in the brain. Using data from 208,424 people, they found those who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a 45 per cent lower risk of suicide than those who drank less than one.
For those consumed more than four cups a day had a 53 per cent lower risk.
There were 277 deaths from suicide during the study period (from 1988 to 2008). Around 70-80 per cent of the participants were coffee drinkers, according the paper, which is published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry.
Tall women‘likely’ to suffer cancer
Taller women are at greater risk from a host of cancers after reaching middle age, a study has shown. The research linked height to many common cancers, including those affecting the skin, breast, bowel, womb, kidney, thyroid and ovaries. An association was also seen with the blood cancer multiple myeloma.
Every 10 cm increase in height raised the risk of post-menopausal women developing any cancer by 13 per cent, the US study showed. Being 10 cm taller increased the risk of kidney, rectum, thyroid and blood cancers by 23 to 29 per cent. It increased the risk of melanoma skin cancer and cancers of the breast, ovary, womb lining and colon by between 13 and 17 per cent. Height had a greater impact on cancer risk than being overweight, according to the results of the study.
Hangovers can make you stupid
A hangover can leave you with more than a sore head in the morning — it impairs the way your brain holds and processes information. Anyone who has woken up after a heavy night of drinking will have suspected it already, but it seems a hangover really does affect your ability to think clearly.
Psychologists studying hangovers, which they define as the symptoms left behind after alcohol levels in the blood return to zero, have found they impair the way the brain works.
The findings indicate that the impact of an excessive night of drinking can last far longer than the time it takes to become sober again. The new research suggests along with the dizziness, nausea and anxiety a hangover can induce, it also leaves the brain itself less able to function.