HEALTH BULLETIN .CO

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Why falling in love helps you lose weight and makes you feel like you're on drugs: Scientists reveal the five stages of a relationship and how they affect our health

eHarmony study identified the stages as butterflies, building, assimilation, honesty and stability

Stage one increases libido, while stage two releases chemicals that replicate the effects of Class A drugs

Love can also impact weight loss, stress levels and sleep patterns

Couples reported a lack of productivity, increased vulnerability, as well as delirious happiness before reaching the comfort of stage five

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopolous said each stage can be 'relived and recaptured as couples grow into a relationship'

A heady mix of infatuation and attraction, the unmistakable flutter in your stomach and the realisation you are in love.

Your appetite wanes as you anxiously look forward to seeing the object of your affections, and your mind wanders, their presence occupying your every thought.

But a surge in your libido and a rise in testosterone levels in the body can leave you more prone to suffering an outbreak of unsightly spots, scientists say.

A new psychological study of couples identified the five stages of love - butterflies, building, assimilation, honesty and stability.

A new study by dating website eHarmony has identified the five stages of love - butterflies, building, assimilation, honesty and stability

Those taking part were asked to complete a psychological test to determine their true feelings.

The findings, collated by dating website eHarmony, were grouped into five stages.

Participants were asked questions about their behaviour and lifestyle, in order to uncover the impact love has on a person's health at each stage.

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who assisted with the study, told MailOnline the aim was to establish if there are distinct stages of love, how people feel and what happens to them physiologically.

She said: 'It's fascinating to note that this one core emotion can be broken down into such distinct stages.

'What's more, each stage may be relived and recaptured as couples grow into a relationship, and face different life challenges together.'

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulous said the different stages of love impact on our health, causing weight loss, a lack of sleep and raised stress levels

STAGE ONE: BUTTERFLIES

And the findings suggest of the 33 million Britons currently in a relationship, two per cent - or 588,000 people - were found to be enjoying stage one.

Marked by intense infatuation and sexual attraction, symptoms noted by couples included weight loss (30 per cent) and a lack of productivity (39 per cent).

Biologically, it's reported that during this early stage of dating, both men and women create more of the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen.

As a result more than half - 56 per cent - noted an increase in their libido.

Dr Papadopoulos told MailOnline: 'First comes butterflies - we have all felt it, it's visceral - you just feel it.

'Butterflies is a great way to describe it, the time when you can't stop having sex.

'We found people almost forget to eat, there is a sense people are full on love.

'Productivity is not great at this stage, as people's minds constantly wander.

'And interestingly, people tend to get pimples in the early stages of a relationship.

'This is because increases in testosterone cause a rise in sebum, which can block pores and cause a breakout.'

STAGE TWO: BUILDING

As the initial attraction gives way to learning more about one another, the honeymoon stage subsides and a couple begin to build their relationship.

eHarmony's study estimated around three per cent of Britons in relationship are currently at stage two.

The body releases neurochemicals called monoamines, which speed up heart rate, trigger rushes of intense pleasure and replicate the effects of Class A drugs.

The biological effect culminates in a feeling of 'happy anxiety', where people can think of little else than their blossoming relationship.

Forty-four per cent of the study participants noted a lack of sleep while 29 per cent reported a their attention span had been adversely affected.

'Love changes, it moves slightly further to the point where you are building your relationship, getting you know your partner,' Dr Papadopoulos said.

'You may find your attention span is really awful, and you're not able to focus.

'It can also be difficult sleeping, you're literally kept awake thinking about the other person. And there is a sense of happy anxiety, where you feel drunk on love.'

STAGE THREE: ASSIMILATION

Having established whether the other person is 'right', stage three forces a couple to question whether the 'relationship' itself is right.

Questions over the future of the union and forming boundaries in the relationship can lead to a rise in stress levels, reported by 27 per cent of those taking part in the study.

Stage one increases libido, while stage two releases chemicals that replicate the effects of Class A drugs. Love can also impact weight loss, stress levels and sleep patterns

Dr Papadopolous said: 'The third stage is when it becomes more serious, you start thinking "this is more serious than I thought", and "I know you but where are you at in your life, do we want the same things", and "can we figure this out".

'You begin to see that you assimilate that person into your life.'

STAGE FOUR: HONESTY

She said this combined with stage four, where people open up showing the 'real you' sees the first real rise in stress levels and anxiety.

'This stage deals with the concept behind how we all put on our best faces, through social media we edit our lives as well as our pictures to make it appear as though everything is fine,' she said.

Opening up completely triggered feelings of doubt and increased vulnerability in 15 per cent of participants.

Dr Papadopolous said: 'Interestingly stages three and four see an increase in stress levels.

'Up until now it has been wonderful, feelings of happiness and being content.

'But the more serious the relationship becomes, the more people worry, "is it what I think it is"?'

'Vulnerability and stress can manifest itself in various ways, causing unease and obsessiveness around the relationship.'

STAGE FIVE: STABILITY

But if a couple can weather the emotional rollercoaster of the first four stages, the fifth and final stage, stability, brings with it increased levels of trust and intimacy.

eHarmony found 50 per cent of respondents had reached this stage, and 23 per cent reported feeling happier as a result.

Biologically, vasopressin - a powerful hormone released by men and women during orgasm - strengthens feelings of attachment.

The fifth stage, stability, brings with it increased levels of trust and intimacy after weathering the emotional rollercoaster of a relationship

Meanwhile oxytocin - released during childbirth - deepens feelings of attachment.

'This is where we see a real level of contentness,' Dr Papadopolous told MailOnline.

'We found the body releases wonderful hormones which helps couples bond. We noted a real sense of attachment, and a sense of "you have got my back and I've got yours".

Jemima Wade, spokesperson for eHarmony.co.uk, said: 'Here at eHarmony, we're responsible for tens of thousands of relationships and millions of "butterfly" moments every year as a result of getting to know both the heads and hearts of our members.'

'While love doesn't have a rule book, our unique compatibility system matches members on the 29 key personality dimensions needed for a successful relationship including emotional temperament, core values and social skills – giving singles the best possible matches and better dates.'

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Viagra to ease pain of cystitis: Daily dose could help thousands of women with bladder problems

A daily dose of Viagra could help thousands of women with bladder problems. New research suggests that the anti-impotence drug for men also helps to ease symptoms in women with interstitial cystitis, a severe form of the bladder infection.

The results of a study published in the journal Urology show that women who took a low dose of 25mg of the drug (the dose given for male impotence is 50mg) every day for three months saw a significant improvement in symptoms compared with a placebo group.

Most cases of cystitis clear up on their own or with antibiotics. Interstitial cystitis, however, does not respond to the drugs and can turn into a painful long-term condition that is hard to treat.

Interstitial cystitis does not respond to the antibiotics and can turn into a painful long-term condition

It is thought that the condition is caused by messages from the bladder to the brain becoming scrambled. When the bladder fills up with urine, it sends a signal to the brain, which in turn orders muscles to squeeze to release it.

In most people, these signals are not sent until the bladder is almost full. But in interstitial cystitis, the signal to empty the bladder is sent more often or when the bladder is not particularly full.

Around 400,000 people in the UK are affected and more than 90 per cent are women.

Symptoms include frequent urination and severe pain when the bladder is full. The only treatments are painkillers to ease the discomfort and, in some cases, a short course of antibiotics to try to clear up any residual infection. However, previous animal studies have suggested that the impotence drug Viagra may help.

In the most recent study, doctors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in Zhejiang, China, recruited 48 women with interstitial cystitis and split them into two groups.

The women in one group were given Viagra every day for 12 weeks, the others a placebo pill. Every two weeks, doctors measured their symptoms using an index to record how often they felt the need to go and how painful their symptoms were.

Viagra airs first TV ad aimed at women

Anti-impotence drug for men also helps to ease symptoms in women with interstitial cystitis

The results revealed that the women on Viagra felt less need to go to the loo, got up fewer times at night to urinate and had fewer complications, such as pain, than those on the dummy drug. Nearly two-thirds of those in the Viagra group reported a significant improvement in symptoms. Although it's not clear how the impotence pill might work, one theory is that it relaxes muscles in the bladder by boosting blood flow to the area. This takes some of the pressure off the bladder and alleviates the urge to urinate.

Commenting on the study, Dr Robyn Webber, consultant urologist at the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, Scotland, said: 'Interstitial cystitis is a very distressing condition and the results of this trial do suggest that for some patients the drug may be a possible new treatment.

'But the number of patients involved was small and the findings need to be reproduced with bigger numbers. If the results do hold up, it could potentially offer hope to some patients.'

Eating too much salt puts up your blood pressure, but too little may be just as bad

Research which showed that the amount of salt we add to our meals depends almost entirely on the size of the holes in our salt cellars

When I was a child, I used to pour salt into the palm of my hand and lick it avidly. These days, when I see my children shaking salt over their food, I tut-tut disapprovingly.

This is actually a charade, as what they haven't yet realised is that I have blocked most of the holes in the salt cellar, so very little salt comes out.

I did this after reading research which showed that the amount of salt we add to our meals depends almost entirely on the size of the holes in our salt cellars. We automatically give the cellar a couple of shakes - and that is that.

For decades, there has been pressure to reduce the salt content of our food, and with good reason. Eating too much salt puts up your blood pressure, and high blood pressure is the biggest single cause of death worldwide.

Sixty per cent of strokes and 50 per cent of all heart disease is due to high blood pressure. Too much salt also contributes to cancer of the stomach.

Thanks to a well-organised campaign, the amount of salt being added to our food is falling. Over the past eight years, most products in our supermarkets have had their salt content reduced by between 20 and 40 per cent. It's being done so slowly we don't even notice.

But in the drive to reduce our consumption, are there dangers in setting targets that are too low?

Our average salt consumption in the UK is around 9g per person per day. The official government recommendation is now 6g - the equivalent of a teaspoon's worth, or the amount of salt you'd find in a bacon sandwich.

The World Health Organisation thinks we should eat less than 5g per day, while the American Heart Association goes further still, recommending we consume under 3g.

While I accept the benefits of cutting back to 6g, I question the need to make people reduce their salt consumption even lower.

We've been here before, of course. Many times. Take cholesterol. Years ago, it was shown that people with very high blood levels of cholesterol are at greater risk of heart disease. It then became accepted wisdom that everyone with elevated cholesterol must also be at increased risk of heart disease.

That led to campaigns to reduce dietary cholesterol, which led, among other things, to a crusade against fat and eggs. Guided by the food industry, people cut out eggs and switched from healthy fats to margarines rich in transfats - which turn out to be worse for our hearts than the fats they replaced.

Many foods labelled 'low fat' have been revealed to be high in sugar and calories instead.

We now know egg consumption has no significant effect on blood cholesterol levels, and there is mounting evidence that some saturated fats, such as those found in dairy, are not harmful and may even be quite good for the heart.

Our average salt consumption in the UK is around 9g per person per day. The official government recommendation is now 6g

So how far should we trust the anti-salt campaign?

Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine in London, leads Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), an action group that has successfully campaigned for salt reduction. 'When you eat more salt, you retain more fluid and this leads to a rise in blood pressure,' he says.

'It's a bit like a central heating system. The more fluid you have in it, the higher the pressure.'

He believes more needs to be done to reduce our salt intake, pointing out that 80 per cent of the salt in our diet comes courtesy of the food industry, pre-added to processed foods, ready meals and fast food.

A report concluded we shouldn't aim for less than 6g of salt a day because there is 'some evidence' that it leads to an increased risk of harm

Bread is now the biggest source of salt in our diet, with some breads containing more salt per slice than a bag of crisps.

Cereals are another surprising source. Shredded Wheat has almost none; cornflakes still have large amounts.

The manufacturers have cut back, but still some brands contain more salt that seawater. Professor MacGregor makes his own bread, salt-free, and skips the cornflakes. All the experts I spoke to advise eating foods rich in potassium, such as spinach, yoghurt and bananas, as this can help lower blood pressure. But not everyone is convinced of the benefits of a really low salt diet.

Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe, professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of Dundee, thinks evidence of a link between salt and blood pressure is much weaker than people like Professor MacGregor claim. 'I think it's a crusade,' Professor Tunstall-Pedoe told me, 'and if you're a believer, you want everything to prove it right and you throw out anyone who disagrees with you.'

He accepts that salt has an effect on blood pressure, but argues that other things, such as smoking or being overweight, are much more important.

In a study, those who consumed less than 7g of salt a day were at raised risk of death

In his research scientists estimated the amount of table salt that people were consuming by measuring how much sodium (the chemical name of salt is sodium chloride) they were excreting in their urine. He says this provides a more accurate measure than asking people how much salt they eat.

'In a study, which involved thousands of subjects, the relationship between sodium excretion and blood pressure was weak - in fact very weak,' says Professor Tunstall-Pedoe.

'And the relationship between deaths and cardio-vascular events is complicated. People who eat extra salt tend to have, yes, a bit higher blood pressure; but their cholesterol is higher, too, they come from more deprived backgrounds and all sorts of other things.'

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, supports the claims of those who want to cut salt consumption down from current levels, but suggests that going lower might not be wise.

A huge international study co-ordinated by researchers in Canada found that those who were excreting more than 7g of sodium a day - which meant they were consuming more than 17g of salt a day (to convert sodium to salt, multiply by 2.5) - were at greater risk of heart disease and stroke.

But the same was true of those consuming less than 7g of salt a day. In the study, those who consumed less than this were at raised risk of death.

In a related study, published in the same journal, they found that once you were down to eating less than 7g of salt a day, eating even less had no significant effect on blood pressure.

A report commissioned by the Institute of Medicine, part of the Academy of Sciences in the U.S., concluded we shouldn't be encouraging people to aim for sodium levels below 2.3g a day (i.e., 6g of salt) because there is no consistent evidence it provides benefit and 'some evidence' that it leads to an increased risk of harm in people with conditions like diabetes or pre-existing heart disease.

Why? Well, a 2011 study in the American Journal of Hypertension found that reducing salt intake can trigger a small rise in cholesterol and triglycerides (fats implicated in heart disease).

Which suggests to me that we're right to take steps to cut our consumption of salt, but let's not go crazy.

Surely, by now, we have learned that just because too much of something is bad for us, this doesn't automatically mean that cutting back dramatically will be good.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Autism '23% more likely in babies born by C-section': Women warned not to be alarmed by findings because risk still remains small

Britain has seen huge rise in C-sections which now account for 1 in 4 births

Doctors encourage procedure when there is a possibility of complications

Expert warns further research is needed to explain the link with autism

Babies born by Caesarean section may be more likely to develop autism, research shows.

Research found the procedure appeared to increase the chances by a quarter – although there is no clear explanation.

But academics urge women not be alarmed by the findings as the overall risk of autism remains very small

In Britain, up to 1 in 4 deliveries now take place by C-section and rates have risen four-fold since the 1970s.

Risk: Research found C-sections appeared to increase the chances of a child developing autism by a quarter

The increase is partly because women who are deemed at risk of having a complicated birth are strongly advised to have the procedure because it is safer.

But researchers from University College Cork, in Ireland, looked at a number of existing studies linking Caesareans to autism.

They found that on average it increased the risk by 23 per cent, although there was no obvious reason behind it,

The study also tried to look at whether there was a link between C-section and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although the findings were inconclusive.

Professor Louise Kenny, one of the authors and a practising obstetrician, said the link between C-sections and children developing autism remains unclear.

‘Parents should be reassured that the overall risk of a child developing ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder is very small and that when medically indicated it can be lifesaving,’ she said.

Rise: C-section procedures have increased four-fold since the 1970s in the UK

But Eileen Curran, lead author of the report, said more research was needed about the possible link, given the numbers of women having Caesareans.

‘Given the accelerating rate of Caesarean section globally, this finding warrants further research of a more robust quality using larger populations to adjust for important potential confounders and explore potential causal mechanisms,’ she added.

Previously, experts have said the link could in fact be down to genes which mean babies are more likely to be born with difficult deliveries – and then develop autism.

Another possible explanation is that women who have C-sections tend to be older – and their babies are also at higher risk of the condition.

They have urged women not to feel guilty that by having a C-section they were in any way harming their child’s development.

The increased rate of Caesarean is mainly down to doctors advising women to have them if they are at high risk of complications.

These include women who are overweight, are diabetic, have previously had complications in childbirth or who have certain mental health conditions.

But some experts have accused doctors of being too willing to carry out the procedure.

Women who don’t want to give birth naturally can also choose to have it done privately – some have been accused of being too posh to push.

In addition to these planned or elective Caesarean, other women will also have the operation in an emergency if they develop complications during labour.

The study looked at both types of procedure.

Although it is far safer compared to 50 years ago there is still a risk of infection, blood clot and damage to some internal organs.

And in 2012 a study by Imperial College London found that one in 10 developed an infection and needed to stay longer in hospital

A planned Caesarean costs the NHS an average of £2,369, while a natural birth costs £1,665.

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