A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.
HOME COOKING TRIMS DIABETES RISK
People who eat more home-cooked meals have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to US research.
The researchers looked at data from around 100,000 health professionals and found those who ate 5-7 dinners prepared at home a week had a 15 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who consumed two or fewer home-cooked meals each week.
A similar trend for those who ate more home-cooked lunches was also found.
According to the the researchers, the link is in part due to people gaining less weight over time if they eat more meals cooked at home.
POSITIVITY MAY BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM
Staying positive during illness may boost your immune response, a new study has found.
The findings of the mouse study, published in latest Nature Medicine journal, may provide a biological reason for the well-known placebo effect.
By manipulating neuronal activity in the brains of mice infected with E.coli bacteria, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel discovered positive emotions and expectations activated the brain's reward centres which improved the body's immune defence.
"We show that activation of the reward system increases the primary antibacterial immune response, as well as the immune response after pathogen re-exposure," the authors said.
HERPES LINKED TO UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY
Researchers have discovered a specific strain of herpes is linked to some cases of infertility.
A small study, published in the journal PLOS One, has discovered the herpes strain HHV-6A infected the lining of the uterus in 43 per cent of the 30 women in the study who had unexplained infertility.
However, it was not found in the uterus lining of the 36 women who had no issues conceiving.
It is believed the virus causes the uterus to produce chemicals called cytokines, making it hard for a fertilised egg to implant.
Women can undergo a biopsy of the uterine lining to look for possible infection.
MANY OBESE PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE HEALTHY
One in four overweight or obese people think they're a healthy weight, a new study has found.
Among those who incorrectly judge their weight as being normal, women are better than men at recognising they're overweight than men.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, also found GPs picked one third of overweight patients, based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), to be at a normal weight.
The authors suggest the normalisation of obesity in Australia, with more than 60 per cent of the population currently overweight or obese, may be why some people are failing to recognise their weight as a health issue.
COUNTING STEPS HELPS KIDS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES
Keeping count of daily steps and boosting physical activity can really pay off for children with type 1 diabetes, according to new research from the University of Adelaide and the Women's and Children's Hospital.
For the first time, researchers have shown that children who have type 1 diabetes can improve their cardiovascular health simply by taking an extra 1000 steps a day.
