Pears could improve bP, heart function
Eating fresh pears may improve blood pressure and vascular function in middle-aged men and women who are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. The clinical trial evaluated the antihypertensive effects of fresh pear consumption in middle-aged men and women with metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of major cardiovascular risk factors highly associated with the development of chronic diseases. As many as 50 men and women aged 45 to 65 with three of the five features of MetS were randomly assigned to receive either two medium-sized fresh pears or 50 grammes pear-flavoured drink mix per day for 12 weeks. Preliminary analyses of 36 participants show that after 12 weeks of fresh pear consumption, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly lower than baseline levels, whereas there were no changes in the control group. Further research is needed to confirm the antihypertensive effects of fresh pears.
Painkiller rhits ability to spot errors
Think before you pop in that tablet to kill pain. Scientists have found that a common and effective painkiller, acetaminophen, may impede the brain’s ability to detect errors. The research is the first neurological study to look at how acetaminophen could be inhibiting the brain response associated with making errors. “Past research tells us physical pain and social rejection share a neural process that we experience as distress, and both have been traced to same part of the brain,” said Dan Randles, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. Recent research has begun to show how acetaminophen inhibits pain, while behavioural studies suggest it may also inhibit evaluative responses.
Curiosity can be dangerous for you!
Beings curious, which is usually seen as a positive trait, can make you do things that may have painful results, suggests a study. It says curiosity is sometimes so powerful that it leads people to opt for situations that have no apparent benefits. “Just as curiosity drove Pandora to open the box despite being warned of its pernicious contents, curiosity can lure humans to seek information with predictably ominous consequences,” says study author Bowen Ruan from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The findings showed that curiosity stems from people’s deep-rooted desire to resolve uncertainty regardless of the harm it may bring. One seeks out information to satisfy curiosity without considering the aftermath. However, the study, published in Psychological Science, also showed that asking people to predict consequences of their choices might also dampen the power of their curiosity.