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Women Get More From Exercise Than Men

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Women benefit much more from exercise than men, reaping many more gains with considerably less work, a new study reports. With the same amount of exercise, women experience a three-fold reduction in their risk of death from heart disease compared to men, researchers reported Oct. 27 in Nature Cardiovascular Research. These results show that “one-size-fits-all” exercise guidelines are misguided, in that they assume both sexes derive the same benefit from the same amounts of exercise, researchers concluded. “Compared with male individuals, females derive equivalent health benefits with only half the exercise time,” wrote the research team led by Jiajin Chen, a research associate with the Xiamen University Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in China. “The findings might have potential to encourage females to engage in physical activity.” For the study, researchers analyzed data collected on more than 85,000 participants in UK Biobank, a long-term health research project in the United Kingdom. The people in the study wore activity trackers on their wrists. Results showed that to reduce their risk of heart disease by 30%, men need to get 530 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise each week. Women only need to exercise 250 minutes a week — less than half — to achieve a comparable benefit, researchers found. Overall, women who met the guideline target of 150 minutes of exercise weekly had a 22% lower risk of…  read on >  read on >

Women Get More From Exercise Than Men

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Women benefit much more from exercise than men, reaping many more gains with considerably less work, a new study reports. With the same amount of exercise, women experience a three-fold reduction in their risk of death from heart disease compared to men, researchers reported Oct. 27 in Nature Cardiovascular Research. These results show that “one-size-fits-all” exercise guidelines are misguided, in that they assume both sexes derive the same benefit from the same amounts of exercise, researchers concluded. “Compared with male individuals, females derive equivalent health benefits with only half the exercise time,” wrote the research team led by Jiajin Chen, a research associate with the Xiamen University Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in China. “The findings might have potential to encourage females to engage in physical activity.” For the study, researchers analyzed data collected on more than 85,000 participants in UK Biobank, a long-term health research project in the United Kingdom. The people in the study wore activity trackers on their wrists. Results showed that to reduce their risk of heart disease by 30%, men need to get 530 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise each week. Women only need to exercise 250 minutes a week — less than half — to achieve a comparable benefit, researchers found. Overall, women who met the guideline target of 150 minutes of exercise weekly had a 22% lower risk of…  read on >  read on >

Self-Affirmations Effectively Boost Mood And Confidence, Review Finds

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“I love myself unconditionally.” “I am worthy of love, joy and happiness.” “I am strong, capable and resilient.” “I breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension.” Self-affirmations might seem sappy, but they can they contribute to people’s happiness and well-being, according to a new evidence review. Such affirmations provide a boost to people’s self-esteem and confidence, while also reducing negative emotions like anxiety and anger, researchers recently reported in the journal American Psychologist. Moreover, the benefits of self-affirmations can last for days and even weeks, researchers found. “Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” senior researcher Minhong (Maggie) Wang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said in a news release. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.” Self-affirmation exercises work by reminding people of their inner strengths and act as a buffer against external threats and worries, researchers said in background notes. For the review, researchers analyzed data from 129 published studies on self-affirmation exercises, involving nearly 17,800 people. Of the studies, 78 occurred in the United States. Overall, self-affirmations were good for people’s well-being, self-perception and sense of self-worth, researchers said. These effects persisted among people, with an average follow-up time of nearly two weeks across the studies. Self-affirmations were found to be most powerful among adults compared to…  read on >  read on >

Self-Affirmations Effectively Boost Mood And Confidence, Review Finds

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“I love myself unconditionally.” “I am worthy of love, joy and happiness.” “I am strong, capable and resilient.” “I breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension.” Self-affirmations might seem sappy, but they can they contribute to people’s happiness and well-being, according to a new evidence review. Such affirmations provide a boost to people’s self-esteem and confidence, while also reducing negative emotions like anxiety and anger, researchers recently reported in the journal American Psychologist. Moreover, the benefits of self-affirmations can last for days and even weeks, researchers found. “Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” senior researcher Minhong (Maggie) Wang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said in a news release. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.” Self-affirmation exercises work by reminding people of their inner strengths and act as a buffer against external threats and worries, researchers said in background notes. For the review, researchers analyzed data from 129 published studies on self-affirmation exercises, involving nearly 17,800 people. Of the studies, 78 occurred in the United States. Overall, self-affirmations were good for people’s well-being, self-perception and sense of self-worth, researchers said. These effects persisted among people, with an average follow-up time of nearly two weeks across the studies. Self-affirmations were found to be most powerful among adults compared to…  read on >  read on >

Clinical Trial Finds Ketamine Not Effective For Depression

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Ketamine might not be effective in treating depression, new clinical trial results reveal. Ketamine infusions added to standard depression care did nothing for people hospitalized with the mood disorder, researchers reported Oct. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. “Our initial hypothesis was that repeated ketamine infusions for people hospitalized with depression would improve mood outcomes. However, we found this not to be the case,” senior researcher Declan McLoughlin, a research professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, said in a news release. Earlier studies that found ketamine effective in treating depression might have been flawed, in that patients might have guessed they were getting the drug and experienced improvement due to a placebo effect, researchers said. This trial also found many patients were able to guess which treatment they were getting. “Our trial highlights the importance of reporting the success, or lack thereof, of blinding in clinical trials, especially in clinical trials of therapies where maintaining the blind is difficult, e.g. ketamine, psychedelics, brain stimulation therapies,” lead researcher Ana Jelovac of Trinity College Dublin said in a news release. “Such problems can lead to enhanced placebo effects and skewed trial results that can over-inflate real treatment effects,” Jelovac said. About 30% of people with depression don’t respond well to conventional antidepressants that target brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline, researchers said in background notes. That’s why…  read on >  read on >

Clinical Trial Finds Ketamine Not Effective For Depression

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Ketamine might not be effective in treating depression, new clinical trial results reveal. Ketamine infusions added to standard depression care did nothing for people hospitalized with the mood disorder, researchers reported Oct. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. “Our initial hypothesis was that repeated ketamine infusions for people hospitalized with depression would improve mood outcomes. However, we found this not to be the case,” senior researcher Declan McLoughlin, a research professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, said in a news release. Earlier studies that found ketamine effective in treating depression might have been flawed, in that patients might have guessed they were getting the drug and experienced improvement due to a placebo effect, researchers said. This trial also found many patients were able to guess which treatment they were getting. “Our trial highlights the importance of reporting the success, or lack thereof, of blinding in clinical trials, especially in clinical trials of therapies where maintaining the blind is difficult, e.g. ketamine, psychedelics, brain stimulation therapies,” lead researcher Ana Jelovac of Trinity College Dublin said in a news release. “Such problems can lead to enhanced placebo effects and skewed trial results that can over-inflate real treatment effects,” Jelovac said. About 30% of people with depression don’t respond well to conventional antidepressants that target brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline, researchers said in background notes. That’s why…  read on >  read on >

CTE Not Likely Among People With Few Concussions, Experts Report

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Folks who’ve suffered one or two concussions at some point shouldn’t worry about developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a new study has concluded. CTE is more common in people who experience many repeated head impacts, like the football players in whom the disorder was first identified, researchers recently reported in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. In all, 7 out of 47 donated brains had CTE as confirmed by autopsy — and six of those donors had lifetime histories of extensive repetitive head impacts, researchers found. The seventh person had suffered two severe concussions in their medical history, but no known repetitive head impacts, researchers said. “Our study underscores that CTE is rare among individuals with lower amounts of repetitive head impact and in those with isolated traumatic brain injuries, and highlights why community-based research — beyond brain donation from select populations such as professional athletes — is crucial,” senior researcher Kristen Dams-O’Connor said in a news release. She’s director of the Brain Injury Research Center at Mount Sinai in New York City. People with CTE suffer from memory loss, problems with attention and concentration, violent mood swings, impulsive or erratic behavior and poor muscle concentration, according to Harvard Medical School. For the study, researchers analyzed brain tissue from 47 people donated between 2018 and 2024. The team also used medical records, autopsy reports…  read on >  read on >

CTE Not Likely Among People With Few Concussions, Experts Report

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Folks who’ve suffered one or two concussions at some point shouldn’t worry about developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a new study has concluded. CTE is more common in people who experience many repeated head impacts, like the football players in whom the disorder was first identified, researchers recently reported in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. In all, 7 out of 47 donated brains had CTE as confirmed by autopsy — and six of those donors had lifetime histories of extensive repetitive head impacts, researchers found. The seventh person had suffered two severe concussions in their medical history, but no known repetitive head impacts, researchers said. “Our study underscores that CTE is rare among individuals with lower amounts of repetitive head impact and in those with isolated traumatic brain injuries, and highlights why community-based research — beyond brain donation from select populations such as professional athletes — is crucial,” senior researcher Kristen Dams-O’Connor said in a news release. She’s director of the Brain Injury Research Center at Mount Sinai in New York City. People with CTE suffer from memory loss, problems with attention and concentration, violent mood swings, impulsive or erratic behavior and poor muscle concentration, according to Harvard Medical School. For the study, researchers analyzed brain tissue from 47 people donated between 2018 and 2024. The team also used medical records, autopsy reports…  read on >  read on >

Cunning, Manipulative People Use Touch As A Weapon, Study Says

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A friendly clasp on the shoulder. A comforting hug. Holding hands. All these can be dangerous in the wrong hands, a new study reports. Manipulative and narcissistic people are more likely to use touch in a calculating manner to influence their partners, researchers report in the journal Current Psychology. “What’s new about our work isn’t just in identifying problematic uses of touch — it’s linking those behaviors to the type of person who is inclined to use them on a romantic partner,” said senior researcher Richard Mattson, a professor of psychology at Binghamton University-State University of New York. “Not only are you not getting the benefits of touch in these relationships, but the flip side of that is that they are powerful, so they can actually be used in the service of oneself at the expense of the relationship partner,” Mattson said in a news release. Much current research is focused on the benefits of touch — how it can soothe the mind, reduce stress and activate release of the “love hormone” oxytocin, researchers said in background notes. Mattson and colleagues decided to take a different tack. “It’s kind of a hot topic within relationship science, but we took a slightly different viewpoint, noting that not all forms of touch are well-intentioned, even if topographically, they look similar to other types of touch,” Mattson said.…  read on >  read on >

Cunning, Manipulative People Use Touch As A Weapon, Study Says

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A friendly clasp on the shoulder. A comforting hug. Holding hands. All these can be dangerous in the wrong hands, a new study reports. Manipulative and narcissistic people are more likely to use touch in a calculating manner to influence their partners, researchers report in the journal Current Psychology. “What’s new about our work isn’t just in identifying problematic uses of touch — it’s linking those behaviors to the type of person who is inclined to use them on a romantic partner,” said senior researcher Richard Mattson, a professor of psychology at Binghamton University-State University of New York. “Not only are you not getting the benefits of touch in these relationships, but the flip side of that is that they are powerful, so they can actually be used in the service of oneself at the expense of the relationship partner,” Mattson said in a news release. Much current research is focused on the benefits of touch — how it can soothe the mind, reduce stress and activate release of the “love hormone” oxytocin, researchers said in background notes. Mattson and colleagues decided to take a different tack. “It’s kind of a hot topic within relationship science, but we took a slightly different viewpoint, noting that not all forms of touch are well-intentioned, even if topographically, they look similar to other types of touch,” Mattson said.…  read on >  read on >