Body & Fitness

Health update: maple syrup, walking, magnesium

A break down of the new buzz words and miracle products helping you have a healthy life.
A break down of the new healthy buzz words and products.

Sweet heart:

We knew maple syrup was a good alternative to sugar, but it also reduces inflammation in the body and the risk of heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Studies by McGill University in Canada show extracts from pure maple syrup helps fight disease-causing bacteria too. Pancakes for everyone!

Walk the talk:

‘Sitting is the new smoking’ is the health catchphrase of 2015, but the alternatives aren’t always easy. Good news from the University of Utah School of Medicine; researchers found that those who got up from their desk and walked around for two minutes every hour were 33% more likely to live a long life. So every hour go and fill your water bottle, drink the whole thing over the next hour, then take a bathroom break. There’s your two minutes – speedy and lifesaving!

Magnificent magnesium:

We’ve got a thing for magnesium; it’s great for muscles, energy and bones plus it helps you sleep. We love Go Magnesium. Sleep as it relaxes the mind so you nod off and stay asleep. 60 capsules,$33..

Lower your risk of stroke:

Linked to sedentary lifestyles and obesity, the number of people in their 40s and 50s having strokes is on the rise. So what’s the biggest thing you can do now to lessen the risk? Quit smoking.

Smoking is still one of the biggest risk factors but as soon as you stop, you start improving your chances. “The excess risk of death due to smoking has pretty much disappeared after 10 years, but well before that the risk of stroke and heart attack starts to drop as well,” says Professor Pete Rothwell, head of Oxford University’s stroke prevention unit. “Even people who stop smoking in their 60s and 70s can eventually detect a benefit, and for people in their 30s and 40s the benefit is substantial.”

More marriage, more problems:

Cardiologists in the Persian Gulf have conducted a study that reveals polygamy increases heart disease for men. Apparently men who have at least four wives are more vulnerable to cardiovascular defects. “This could be because the need to provide and maintain separate households multiplies the financial burden and emotional expense,” says Dr Amin Daoulah. Now all we need is a study that tells us how bad for your health it is to be wife #1, #2, or #3.

Timing is key:

Never really been one for a little morning action? Don’t blame the mood, blame your gender. A new study has revealed the times we feel most amorous differ completely between men and women. Surprise, surprise! Based on a survey of 2300 adults, men feel aroused between 6am and 9am (7.54am, if you want to be specific), whereas women reach a sexual peak between 11pm and 2am.

Bless you:

A SneezeSafe survey found 41% of NZ women aged 30-39 believe the most common way to catch a cold is from touching germs on surfaces like keyboards or door handles, but in reality you’re far more likely to pick up germs from someone’s uncovered sneeze or cough. Visit sneezesafe.co.nz for a brush-up on tissue etiquette – it’s nothing to sneeze at…

Photographs by: Getty Images and Supplied

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