Health:let's sort the facts from the fiction

SUGAR IS AS BAD FOR YOU AS CIGARETTES

Although sugar does not have the same stigma attached to it as smoking, the truth is indulging in sweet treats or desserts could be as bad for you as smoking cigarettes. According to a University of California research team, sugar is as damaging as alcohol and cigarettes and, they say, consumption should therefore be carefully regulated.

AN HOUR'S SLEEP COULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN $60,000

What would it take to make you happier? A better job? A larger salary? Well, according to a US study by psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues, an increase in household income actually has little effect on your daily mood. The study suggests that one extra hour of sleep each night does more for your daily happiness than a $60,000 raise!

EXERCISE WON'T MAKE YOU THIN

Although many people use exercise as their sole method of weight management, many studies have shown that exercise, when not combined with dietary changes, does very little in respect to losing weight. A study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine found that when a group of obese people completed 12 weeks of supervised cardio workouts without dieting, most did not experience any significant weight loss results. However, it is important to remember that, though it may not lead to weight loss by itself, exercise still has plenty of other health benefits.

CHEWING GUM BOOSTS YOUR BRAIN POWER

Don't have time for your morning coffee? Try a piece of chewing gum instead to feel more alert. Researchers at Coventry University have discovered that chewing mint-flavoured gum could dramatically reduce feelings of tiredness. Meanwhile, separate research studies have suggested that chewing gum can improve test scores and improve memory by 35 per cent.

COFFEE CAN HELP WARD OFF DEPRESSION

We often hear about how caffeine is bad for us. However, a study from Harvard School of Public Health has found that, for women, drinking four or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day could reduce their risk of depression by 20 per cent. An earlier study of more than 80,000 women also revealed that those who drink more than two cups of coffee a day are less likely to commit suicide.

BEING OPTIMISTIC CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

We all know that thinking positively can have a great impact on our happiness, however, research has also revealed that being an optimist can help us live longer. Research findings published in the European Heart Journal reveal that optimistic people are less likely to suffer from heart disease, while researchers at Duke University Medical Centre found that heart patients who were more optimistic about their treatment lived longer than those who were not.

CASH MACHINES ARE AS DIRTY AS PUBLIC TOILETS

Few of us would wash our hands after withdrawing money from an ATM machine. Yet cleanliness tests in Britain have revealed that cash machines are just as dirty as public toilets. Experts assessed swabs from the keypads on cash machines and also from public toilets nearby and found that they contained the same types of bacteria that are known to cause sickness.

WOMEN ARE NINE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM A BROKEN HEART

Many people have felt at times as though they were going to die from a broken heart, and research studies have now confirmed the existence of broken heart syndrome, a condition in which the release of adrenalin caused by shock (often caused by overwhelming fear or pain) can lead to heart failure.

Surprisingly, research has also concluded that women are up to nine times more likely to suffer from this condition.

LESS THAN ONE PER CENT OF BACTERIA CAUSE DISEASE

In day-to-day life, we are surrounded by bacteria - healthy human skin is covered with about 1000 different species of bacteria. However, contrary to popular belief, most bacteria are not harmful and less than 1 per cent of them cause disease. Furthermore, many forms of bacteria actually are good for you, including many of those that live on your skin and in your gut.

STRETCHING BEFORE RUNNING MAY LOWER YOUR ENDURANCE

Many of us have been taught to warm up before exercise. But recent studies suggest that stretching before a run may not be beneficial to your workout. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that stretching before going for a run made a runner's body less efficient so that they did not perform as well and were unable to run as far.

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