Obesity Contagious?

Now that your teens and pre-teens are eating school lunch with their buddies again, be aware: their tablemates’ weight, says a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may affect how much your kids eat. The research, conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo, looked at children between the ages of nine and 15. Scientists found that while all the kids ate more when eating with friends, the overweight kids put away an average of 300 calories more when they were with other overweight kids than when they were with slimmer pals. Plus, the friendships themselves seemed to affect calorie consumption: Overweight kids who are with other overweight kids who were already their friends consumed 250 more calories than they did when they dined with overweight kids they’d just met. What to do if you’re worried about your youngster’s weight? The best strategy is to model healthy eating and exercise at home.

Source: Health Insider

More Sleep Less Ra

Having more stress and responsibility, what researchers call high psychological demands, may make you lose sleep or even feel grumpy, but according to Swedish scientists it also reduces your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But those who have jobs that make them feel “job strain”, a combination of high psychological demands and a low level of control at work, are at a 30 percent higher risk of developing RA.

Source: Health Insider