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June 16 (Reuters) – India’s food inflation could rise in the next two weeks, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, told reporters on Wednesday.
Food prices rose an annual 16.74 percent in end May, adding upward pressure on headline inflation INWPI=ECI. (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; editing by Malini Menon)
Washington, May 19 (ANI): A new study has shown that anxiety and depression do not play a role in teen motor vehicle accidents.
“Psychological distress does not appear to pose the risk we thought it did for motor vehicle crash in young people,” said lead author Alexandra Martiniuk, a senior research fellow at the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney in Australia.
The study followed 20,822 new drivers in New South Wales for two years. Participants from ages 17 to 24 reported whether they had symptoms of psychological distress, such as nervousness, restlessness, depression or sadness.
Researchers used police database records to link teens’ responses to future motor vehicle crashes.
During the study, 1,495 teens and young adults had one or more crashes and 289 had a single crash, but stress levels did not appear to raise a teen’s risk.
“No group of young drivers with psychological distress had an increased risk of crash. We did not find an increased risk of motor vehicle crash for young drivers who had severe psychological distress — a level of distress that correlates with a mental health diagnosis,” Martiniuk said.
In fact, teens with some anxiety or depression were 15 percent less apt to crash their vehicles over the two-year period, Martiniuk said.
The authors theorized that young drivers with symptoms of mild anxiety and depression might be less prone to take risks and more likely to be vigilant behind the wheel.
The study appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. (ANI)
Washington, May 18 (ANI): Sticking to vegetables for five days a week can significantly reduce the body”s amount of antibiotics and phthalates – a common chemical added to plastics – says a new research.
To come up with the conclusion, researchers in Korea quizzed participants to stay at a Buddhist temple for five days, during which time they ate a vegetarian diet.
The researchers analyzed urine samples before and after the stay, and found that levels of the chemicals dropped dramatically by the end of the experiment, reports Discovery News.
The boffins also measured the participants” diets before the study and found that what they ate 48 hours prior to the study was related to the amount of the chemicals found in their urine.
“A significant correlation was found between food consumption and the urinary levels of several antibiotics and phthalates,” they said. “Although the exposure to target compounds might be influenced by other behavioral patterns, these results suggest that even short-term changes in dietary behavior may significantly decrease inadvertent exposure to antibiotics and phthalates and hence may reduce oxidative stress levels.”
Their paper was published in the journal Environmental Research. (ANI)
Washington, May 12 (ANI): A simple phone call from your mum or a warm hug has often brightened your gloomy moments, and now this has been scientifically proven by a new American research.
The findings of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have appeared in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Biological anthropologist Leslie Seltzer tested a group of seven- to 12-year-old girls with an impromptu speech and series of math problems in front of a panel of strangers, sending their hearts racing and levels of cortisol – a hormone associated with stress – soaring.
Seth Pollak, psychology professor and director of UW-Madison”s Child Emotion Lab, said: “Facing a challenge like that, being evaluated, raises stress levels for a lot of people.”
Once stressed, one-third of the girls were comforted in person by their mothers – specifically with hugs, an arm around the shoulders and the like.
One-third were left watch an emotion-neutral 75-minute video. The rest were handed a telephone. It was mom on the line, and the effect was dramatic.
Seltzer said: “The children who got to interact with their mothers had virtually the same hormonal response, whether they interacted in person or over the phone.”
The girls” levels of oxytocin, often called the “love hormone” and strongly associated with emotional bonding, rose significantly and the stress-marking cortisol washed away.
Seltzer said: “It was understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact.
“But it”s clear from these results that a mother”s voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if they”re not standing there.”
And the reprieve from stress or anxiety is a lasting one.
Pollak said: “It stays well beyond that stressful task.
“By the time the children go home, they”re still enjoying the benefits of this relief and their cortisol levels are still low.”
The findings square with a “tend and befriend” theory explaining how stress regulation may differ between males and females.
Confronted with a threat, males may be more likely to choose between fight and flight.
A female with offspring in tow or slowed by pregnancy, however, may have to make different choices.
Seltzer said: “You might not be able to run with a child or defend yourself without endangering both of you.”
Instead, Seltzer explained, it might make more sense for a female to create or use a social bond to deal with a stressor – either through touch or soothing vocal communication.
Seltzer said: “Apparently this hormone, oxytocin, reduces stress in females after both types of contact, and in doing so may strengthen bonds between individuals.”
Pollak said: “For years I”ve seen students leaving exams and the first thing they do is pull out their cell phone and make a call.
“I used to think, ”How could those over-attentive, helicopter parents encourage that?” But now? Maybe it”s a quick and dirty way to feel better. It”s not pop psychology or psychobabble.”
He added: “It”s hard to get cortisol up. It”s hard to get oxytocin up.
“That a simple telephone call could have this physiological effect on oxytocin is really exciting.” (ANI)
Farmers are welcoming the completion of a $2.2 million livestock quarantine facility in Western Australia’s Goldfields.
Agriculture Minister Terry Redman officially opened the inspection stockyards in South Boulder yesterday.
Mr Redman says the facilities are needed to cope with increasing numbers of livestock coming into WA, nearly 90 per cent of which passes through Kalgoorlie.
Narrikup cattle farmer Paul Williams says the new facility is a great improvement on the old Parkeston yards nearby.
“It’s a good rest point for the livestock, with all the facilities at hand,” he said.
“They don’t have the stress levels we had at the old Parkeston yards, and us drivers, our facilities have probably improved a good 40 to 50 per cent.”
Washington, March 24 (ANI): A new study on 20-to-64-year-olds has shown that age and gender play a major role in how people respond to stress.
The new research was led by scientists from the Universite de Montreal and the Montreal Heart Institute in collaboration with colleagues from the Université du Quebec a Montréal and McGill University.
“Our findings suggest that women who are more defensive are at increased cardiovascular risk, whereas low defensiveness appears to damage the health of older men,” said Bianca D”Antono, a professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Psychiatry and a Montreal Heart Institute researcher.
Defensiveness is a trait characterized by avoidance, denial or repression of information perceived as threatening.
In women, a strong defensive reaction to judgment from others or a threat to self-esteem will result in high blood pressure and heart rate. Contrarily, older men with low defensive reactions have a higher cardiovascular rates.
The study was conducted on 81 healthy working men and 118 women.
Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif a Université de Montréal professor and Montreal Heart Institute researcher said that the physiological response to stress in women and older men is linked to this desire of maintaining self-esteem and securing social bonds.
“The sense of belonging is a basic human need. Our findings suggest that socialization is innate and that belonging to a group contributed to the survival of our ancestors. Today, it is possible that most people view social exclusion as a threat to their existence. A strong defensive reaction is useful to maintain one”s self-esteem faced with this potential threat,” said D”Antono.
As part of the study, participants completed four tasks of varying stress levels. The first task involved reading a neutral text on Antarctica”s geography before a person of the same sex.
The second and third tasks involved role-playing in which participants followed a script where they were sometimes agreeable and sometimes aggressive. The final task involved a non-scripted debate on abortion.
Heart rate and blood pressure were measured during each of these tasks as was the level of cortisol in saliva. Results showed that women and older men had elevated cardiovascular, autonomic and endocrine responses to stress – all potentially damaging to their health.
However, the researchers warned that more studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of defensiveness and its association to stress response patterns in disease development.
The research has been published in the journal Psychophysiology. (ANI)
Washington, Sept 12 (ANI): Scientists from University of Michigan have developed a new method to monitor early sign of oxidative stress that triggers cancer spread.
Lead researcher Kate Carroll suggests that being able to monitor a marker of oxidative stress that is associated with the activation of tumor cell growth pathways, particularly at an early stage, and then tailor treatments accordingly would allow for more targeted studies and might improve the odds of success with antioxidants and pro-oxidants.
The new method detects sulfenic acid in proteins-a tip off to early oxidative stress and to a specific protein modification associated with cell growth pathways.
Sulfenic acid is produced when a particular oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, reacts with the protein building block cysteine. But because the chemical modification involved is so small and transient, it has been difficult to detect.
To get around that problem, Carroll and Seo used a chemical probe that “traps” sulfenic acid and tags it for recognition by an antibody.
The antibody is labeled with a fluorescent dye that glows when observed with a fluorescence microscope.
The researchers then used the method to assess sulfenic acid levels as a marker of oxidative stress in several systems, including a panel of breast cancer cell lines.
“For each line, we saw a very distinct pattern of sulfenic acid modifications,” indicating different oxidative stress levels and hinting at differences in the underlying molecular events associated with tumor growth,” said Carroll, assistant professor of chemistry and a research assistant professor in the Life Sciences Institute.
“Whether the patterns we see will correlate with response to antioxidant treatment or other therapies that modulate oxidative stress level remains to be seen, but now we at least have a way to investigate that question,” the expert added.
The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
London, September 12 (ANI): Parents who stay at home and look after the household are the most stressed out, a new UK study claims.
According to a research conducted by Mindlab Organisation, mothers or fathers who do household chores are more frazzled than those with traditionally high-pressure jobs, like city trading, teaching or nursing.
Stress levels were investigated in British adults as per their “work” roles – stay-at-home parents, taxi drivers, teachers, nurses and city dealers.
The conclusion was reached by measuring levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout an average working day.
It was found that stay-at-home parents proved to be the most under pressure. Nurses ranked second in the list, followed by the traders, then teachers and finally, taxi drivers.
A bio-monitoring equipment was used to measure and record the heart rate and skin conductance.
The participants were connected to the equipment and tested over a seven-hour period.
Also, samples of saliva were taken at crucial junctures during the day to measure cortisol, which is a direct indicator of stress.
“The key here is the degree of control each of these professionals feel able to exercise over their lives,” the Daily Express quoted Dr David Lewis, who was part of the research, as saying.
“Stay-at-home parents receive little or no specific training and are furthermore typically isolated from other adults for much of the day,” he added.
Psychologist Jenni Trent Hughes said: “The answer is simply to be selfish and take some time out. After 21 years of running around after the family, pets, supermarket and the house, women have earned it.
“If you’re not taking care of your- self then how can you properly take care of anyone else?
“If you’re ratty or short-tempered, tired or at your wits’ end how can you possibly be the best you can be for your partner, children, family and last but definitely not least yourself?” (ANI)
London, Sept 6 (ANI): In an attempt to beat exam stress, some schools in the UK are offering pupils chocolate and access to relaxation rooms, academics told an education conference.
Researchers at Edge Hill and Manchester universities have urged that parents and teachers are putting the wrong kind of pressure on teenagers to succeed.
The study has been presented at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference in Manchester.
It analysed the link between teacher and parent behaviour and the anxiety levels of 175 sixth form students. The researchers also examined the stress levels of 224 GCSE pupils and compared them with their exam results, reports The Scotsman.
The study found that higher anxiety usually leads to lower scores.
Lead researcher Dr Dave Putwain said: “I know of one school that gives anxious children chocolate and a pat on the head immediately before an exam.
“Pupils at another school I have visited can spend some time in a relaxation room that has soft lighting, comfortable furniture and soothing sounds.” (ANI)
New York, Aug 24 (ANI): For American women drinking the recommended daily amount of water is more important than having enough sex, a new poll has revealed.
In the “Women’s Wellness Poll”, drinking water was fifth in the list of priorities, two spots ahead of having sex.
While, first on the list was getting enough sleep followed by keeping their stress levels low, the New York Post reports.
Third was finding time to relax, and fourth was eating healthy. (ANI)
Srinagar, Aug 21 (ANI): Girls in Kashmir are taking up rugby to bust stress caused due to militancy in the valley.
The turmoil in the state has given rise to cases of chronic depression and other stress-related disorders among youths especially girls.
However, these girls have started playing rugby as to divert their attention from militancy. Many rugby tournaments have now started in the region, thanks to the newfound interest of youth.
“For the last 20 years, Kashmir is experiencing turmoil and minds and hearts of people are very disturbed. So these children (girls) saw that rugby is providing them a medium to vent their stress. So they play rugby,” said Mohammad Iqbal, an organiser of rugby tournaments.
Even the girls feel that their stress levels have reduced after taking up rugby.
“Tension has increased a lot especially in girls. Rugby has helped us to reduce our stress level,” said Sabha Akhtar, a rugby player. (ANI)
Washington, June 30 (ANI): British researchers have advised expectant mothers to reduce their anxiety and stress levels to protect their kids from developing behavioural and emotional problems later.
The researchers from Imperial College London hope that it will raise families’ awareness of the importance of reducing levels of stress and anxiety in expectant mothers.
They say that reducing stress during pregnancy could help prevent thousands of children from developing emotional and behavioural problems.
According to Professor Vivette Glover, the lead researcher behind the exhibit from the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology at Imperial College London, maternal stress and anxiety can alter the development of the baby’s brain. This in turn can result in a greater risk of emotional problems such as anxiety or depression, behavioural problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and being considerably slower at learning. S
It can also increase the likelihood of later violent or criminal behaviour.
The findings have suggested that the effects of stress during pregnancy can last many years, including into adolescence.
“We all know that if a mother smokes or drinks a lot of alcohol while pregnant it can affect her fetus,” said Glover.
“Our work has shown that other more subtle factors, such as her emotional state, can also have long-term effects on her child.
“Our research shows that stress due to the mother’s relationship with her partner can be particularly damaging,” Glover added.
The researchers say that the stress hormone cortisol may be one way in which the fetus is affected by the mother’s anxiety during pregnancy.
Usually the placenta protects the unborn baby from the mother’s cortisol, by producing an enzyme that breaks the hormone down.
When the mother is very stressed, this enzyme works less well and lets her cortisol through the placenta.
The researchers suggested higher the level of cortisol in the womb, the lower the toddler’s cognitive development or “baby IQ” at 18 months. (ANI)
London, June 25 (ANI): Men who value hair more than health can add one more item to their long list of creams, potions and medicines: ‘Baldness calculator’.
The pioneering new computer program predicts if and when men will go bald.
After being a huge hit with men in other countries, ‘baldness calculator’- said to be the world’s first reliable tool for predicting hair loss – is being offered to British men.
The program calculates the exact age at which someone will go bald or have lost most of their hair or provides reassurance by predicting that they will still have a full head of hair in old age, reports The Telegraph.
More than half a million German men used it within ten days of it being unveiled there and three million men have tried it out globally so far.
As far as its operation is concerned: the program devised by German scientists asks users about their age, marital status, occupation, where they live, what their current hairline is, hair loss in their family and their stress levels.
Dr Adolf Klenk, head of research and development at hair care firm Dr Kurt Wolff, said: “More and more men value full hair but especially younger men.
“They are looking for a partner and are at the peak of their social lives. They are very conscious about their looks and being accepted within their social groups.
“They get concerned that if they lose their hair, they will cease to be attractive to others whereas older men don’t care so much.”
Dr Klenk added: “Genetic predisposition is by far the most common cause of baldness. But other factors include severe, long-term emotional stress, perhaps associated with a divorce or the loss of a close relative.
“A poor diet can fail to provide the hair with sufficient nutrients and men who wear headgear in call centres or helmets on construction sites motorbikes may be putting their hair roots at risk of being pulled out or losing density.
“We have developed the male baldness calculator to raise awareness among men.” (ANI)
Washington, May 28 (ANI): Americans spend more than 30 minutes each day in the bathroom, finds a new survey.
The Yankelovich survey showed that whether its “powdering the nose” or settling in for a good read, Americans spend a significant amount of time in the bathroom.
Moreover, contrary to the popular notion, men spent as much time in the bathroom as women.
The survey revealed that one in four Americans at some time have made up an excuse for why they’re going to the bathroom in the first place.
“Making excuses for bathroom habits could be a sign that something else is going on,” said Dr. Anish Sheth, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine.
“Millions of Americans experience digestive problems, but few know that key to digestive health is maintaining a balance between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in the colon, a vital part of the digestive system.
“But there are things consumers can do such as taking a probiotic to address digestive symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating, as well as overall colon health,” he added.
The survey involving 1,042 adults aged 18 and over showed that 10 percent of those surveyed spend 60 minutes or more in the bathroom a day.
In addition to examining bathroom habits, the researchers also identified consumer travel worries and the impact of stress on eating habits, which could both have an effect on the digestive system.
The survey showed that nearly half of the Americans at some time have had or worried about having stomach problems while on vacation.
Researchers suggest that taking a probiotic can help to eliminate that worry, as probiotics have been shown to help address travel related issues, like traveler’s diarrhea.
Nearly 40 percent said that they now eat more comfort food, more snacks and more fast food due to their increased stress levels.
“Stress and poor diet are triggers that could potentially cause digestive problems,” said Dr. Sheth.
“Probiotics can be especially helpful when the digestive system is under stress from all sorts of issues ranging from occasional diarrhea, or constipation,” he added. (ANI)
Melbourne, May 2 (ANI): In a bid to encourage heart patients to complete their rehabilitation programs after surgery, Australian scientists have come up with a new technique that will see nurses monitoring them via a mobile phone.
The trial, being run by the CSIRO’s Australian E-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) and Queensland Health, uses a mobile phone to collect and send health-related information about patients’ activities at home to a central computer.
AEHRC chief executive officer Dr Phil Gurney said that less than 20 pct of the heart surgery patients complete their six-week rehabilitation program, following the need for patients to return regularly to the hospital for the rehab program.
“We are largely using technology that is available, but we have customised it to our purposes,” ABC Science quoted Gurney as saying.
The mobile phones have an inbuilt accelerator that measures physical activity such as the number of steps walked.
The patients also use the phone to record data from blood pressure monitors and scales.
The participants were asked to take photos of meals they eat or videos of themselves exercising, and use an electronic diary on the phone to record observations about their stress levels, diet, smoking and alcohol intake.
The information is sent to a central computer.
“We tried to take advantage of what technology is available because we want to get it out to as many people as possible and be cost effective,” he added.
Gurney said that a small subset of the group is also trailing home use of a heart-rate monitor while exercising. The data is transferred to the phone automatically via Bluetooth.
He said that if the trials are successful, the technique could be used by patients who live in remote areas or have commitments that make hospital visits difficult. (ANI)
Washington, Apr 30 (ANI): Relationships are tricky. Most of the people think at some point that communicating positively with their partners when discussing stressful issues, like home finances, is an impossible task. But, worry not, for Swiss researchers are working on a “love potion” that will drive away all such conflicts.
Researchers have begun exploring the benefits of oxytocin for helping couples communicate better.
Oxytocin has been touted as beneficial for reducing anxiety, producing feelings of well-being, empathy, bonding, and sexual arousal.
In its May 1st issue, Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, includes a paper by Swiss researchers that have investigated the effects of oxytocin, the “love hormone,” on human couple interactions.
They recruited adult couples who received oxytocin or placebo intranasally before engaging in a conflict discussion in the laboratory.
Oxytocin increased positive communication behavior in relation to negative behavior and reduced salivary cortisol, i.e., their stress levels, compared to placebo.
“We are just beginning to understand the powerful effects of hormones and chemicals released by the body in the context of important social interactions,” commented John Krystal, M.D., the editor of Biological Psychiatry.
“As this knowledge grows, the question of how to best use our developing capacities to pharmacologically alter social processes will become an important question to explore,” he added.
Author Beate Ditzen, Ph.D., noted that this was the first study of its kind and important because it evaluated real-time natural couple behavior in the laboratory.
“[Oxytocin] might help us to pronounce the effects of a standard treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, by possibly making the benefits of social interaction more accessible to the individual. But it probably will not replace these standard treatments,” the expert added.
They clarify that this study does not show that oxytocin should currently be used as a treatment itself and the effects of repeated administration have not been evaluated in humans. (ANI)
Melbourne, Apr 26 (ANI): A Queensland state school spent 1200 dollars teaching its teachers how to laugh.
While other schools are following suit and have paid for laughter ‘consultants’, eighty-two staff members from Maleny State High School took part in a two-hour “laughter therapy” session last Monday.
Opposition education spokesman Bruce Flegg has on April 24 accused the State Government of wasting “scarce” funds and teachers’ time.
“While parents juggle work and finding child-minding on a pupil-free day the teachers are being taught to laugh – this is a joke,” the Couriermail quoted him as saying.
“Queensland’s education standards are languishing and schools are in need of essential maintenance; the money should be going there and teachers should be treated professionally,” he said.
But Education Queensland, which covered the cost of the consultant through a grant to the school, said the laughter therapy was part of professional development activities that included a two-hour session on literacy.
“Some of the benefits of laughter therapy are improving well-being, reducing stress levels, and building trust, confidence and self esteem,” EQ said in a statement.
The school referred comment on the issue to the department. (ANI)
Washington, Apr 25 (ANI): Every brain composes a soundtrack. Its tempo and tone differ, depending on mood and frame of mind. Now, researchers at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) believe that the cerebral music can help in dealing with insomnia and fatigue in the aftermath of a stressful experience.
The Dept of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S and T) has begun a study into a form of neurotraining called “Brain Music” that uses music created in advance from listeners’ own brain waves to help them deal with common ailments that stem from stressful environments.
The concept of Brain Music is to use the frequency, amplitude, and duration of musical sounds to move the brain from an anxious state to a more relaxed state.
“Strain comes with an emergency response job, so we are interested in finding ways to help these workers remain at the top of their game when working and get quality rest when they go off a shift,” said S and T Program Manager Robert Burns.
“Our goal is to find new ways to help first responders perform at the highest level possible, without increasing tasks, training, or stress levels,” the expert added.
If the brain “composes” the music, the first job of scientists is to take down the notes, and that is exactly what Human Bionics LLC of Purcellville, VA does. Each recording is converted into two unique musical compositions designed to trigger the body’s natural responses, for example, by improving productivity while at work, or helping adjust to constantly changing work hours.
The compositions are clinically shown to promote one of two mental states in each individual: relaxation – for reduced stress and improved sleep; and alertness – for improved concentration and decision-making. Each 2-6 minute track is a composition performed on a single instrument, usually a piano.
The relaxation track may sound like a “melodic, subdued Chopin sonata,” while the alertness track may have “more of a Mozart sound,” says Burns. (It seems there’s a classical genius-or maybe two genii-in all of us.
After their brain waves are set to music, each person is given a specific listening schedule, personalized to their work environment and needs. If used properly, the music can boost productivity and energy levels, or trigger a body’s natural responses to stress.
The music created by Human Bionics LLC is being tested as part of the S and T Readiness Optimization Program (ROP), a wellness program that combines nutrition education and neurotraining to evaluate a cross population of first responders, including federal agents, police, and firefighters. (ANI)
A new study has disclosed that listening to some types of music could help patients suffering from heart disease to lessen their stress levels.
The study was conducted by scientists at Temple University in Philadelphia.
The researchers looked at over 1,400 patients and found that listening to certain kinds of music lowered blood pressure levels, pulse rate and anxiousness in patients having heart troubles.
The report, published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, said that the soothing effects were largest when the heart patients picked tunes of their choice.
Researcher Joke Bradt, assistant director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University, said, So we do know from clinical experience that if people select music they like, and the music has sedative qualities such as slow tempo, predictable harmonies and absence of sudden changes, they will be better able to relax to the music.
The review viewed earlier studies on how music therapy has an effect on patients with heart disease, either during a cardiac procedure or within two days of hospitalization.
According to physicians, less strain decreases the likelihood of other symptoms produced by strain in heart patients.
However, researchers said that the topic needs further research.
Melbourne, Apr 16 (ANI): The modern women with successful careers and high stress levels to match may be damaging their chances of having children, a study has found.
According to the research, which involved international comparison of women in 37 different populations and cultures, career women are more likely to have androgynous figures which indicate higher levels of androgens, as opposed to oestrogen, which is vital for conceiving successfully.
While women with more shapely figures have higher levels of oestrogen, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The study, which has been published in the recent issue of the journal Current Anthropology, reached its conclusion by examining the shape of women around the world by comparing their waist-to-hip ratio.
This ratio is calculated by dividing a woman’s waist circumference by the circumference of her hips.
University of Utah anthropologist Professor Elizabeth Cashdan says there is evidence the hormonal profile linked to a slim-waisted, non-curvy shape favours women in “resource competition, particularly under stressful and difficult circumstances”.
The findings claim that females who are driven to succeed suffer a hormonal shift with their oestrogen levels affected by increases of androgens, hormones linked to competitiveness and strength.
For a comparison, the study looked at the measurements of 240 Playboy centrefolds and found they had an average waist-to-hip ratio of 0.68.
The average female waist-to-hip ratio is 0.82. (ANI)
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