Your Health Matters

In a study conducted in Finland, researchers found that many people who struggle with depression may also be suffering from metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is linked to poor nutrition and can be a leading contributor to developing type 2 diabetes, coronary disease and other illnesses. (via Is Depression Also a Symptom of Metabolic Syndrome? - The Alternative Daily)

Brain activity during specific tasks may predict how well patients with major depressive disorder respond to the experimental antidepressant scopolamine. The finding suggests that brain imaging might help identify good candidates for the treatment. (via Predicting Treatment Response to a Rapid Antidepressant - NIH Research Matters - National Institutes of Health (NIH))

What makes us happy? Family? Money? Love? How about a peptide? (via Is this peptide a key to happiness? / UCLA Newsroom)

We all know that our diets have an enormous effect on our long-term health. But did you know that what you eat this morning can make all the difference in how happy, energetic, and pain-free you feel this afternoon? (via 5 Foods That Make You Feel Better | Balance In Me)

A quick and simple breath test can diagnose stomach cancer, study findings reveal. Scientists from Israel and China found the test was 90% accurate at detecting and distinguishing cancers from other stomach complaints in 130 patients. (via BBC News - Stomach cancer ‘spotted by breath test’)

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. To help raise awareness the Prevent Cancer Foundation has erected a 20-foot colon in Times Square. Tours through the colon present a plethora of information pertaining to the different stages of colon cancer, Chron’s disease and colorectal polyps. It is hoped that people who know very little about their colon will come away from the giant colon tour with a more complete understanding of how important colon health really is. (via Is Your Colon Functioning Properly? Don’t Eat These Foods - The Alternative Daily)

IF IT WEREN’T FOR MIRRORS AND WOMEN, MANY men wouldn’t bother building muscle. But for all their bench presses and biceps curls, few guys see consistent results. (via Total-Body Exercises | Men’s Health)

“If you want to reveal your six-pack, you need to blast your abs and strip away the fat that covers them,” says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., metabolic training expert and owner of StreamFit.com. One of the best ways to do that: mountain climbers, which strengthen your entire core and send your metabolism through the roof. (via Train for Life Challenge | Men’s Health News)

Preparing the body “not only for the known, but also the unknown” is the mantra for CrossFit, one of the fastest growing strength and conditioning programs today. (via CrossFit Review)

You want four to eight key moves in each workout. Be sure to target the upper and lower abs, the oblique muscles along your sides, and the back. The “bicycle” is one of the best. (via Six Pack Abs Pictures: Men’s Workout and Diet Tips for Flat Abs)