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Briefly Speaking

Sunday, 04 November 2018 | Pioneer

Briefly Speaking

Meditation can help boost EQ

Finding it hard to cope with work-related stress? A silent form of meditation at your workplace can lead to significant improvement in emotional intelligence as well as perceived stress, according to a study. The study found that those who meditated more regularly scored higher on total emotional quotient and had lower perceived stress, also known as psychological stress — the most common occupational health problem affecting workers worldwide. They also showed improvement in intrapersonal awareness and reality testing. This indicates that emotional intelligence has a moderating effect on psychological well-being and mental health, the researchers said. “With a growing body of research on the value of emotional intelligence and the harmful effects of psychological stress, organisations are looking to give their employees tools for reducing stress and developing self-awareness and empathy,” said Laurent Valosek, Executive Director, Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education.

Tall people at greater cancer risk

While for most cancers, risk increases dramatically with age, a recent study has found that the height of a person could also make them more prone to cancer. The University of California study examines data from four large-scale surveillance projects on 23 cancer categories. Each of these cancer studies established that tall individuals are at an increased risk of cancer, with overall risk increasing by about 10 per cent per 10 centimeter (4 inch) increase in height. Other researchers have proposed that that factors acting early in life — nutrition, health, social conditions — independently influence height and cancer risk. But Nunney, a professor of biology, challenges this hypothesis. “I tested the alternative hypothesis that height increases cell number and that more cells directly increase cancer risk,” he said.

Gut microbiotaproducts and diabetes

A new study has revealed that gut microbiota, which is the complex community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of humans and other animals, has the ability to affect how cells respond to insulin, and can thus contribute to type 2 diabetes. The study was published in the Journal of Cell. Scientists at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, showed that the gut microbiota of people with treatment-naïve type 2 diabetes can be linked to a different metabolism of the amino acid histidine, which is mainly derived from the diet. During recent years, the gut microbiota has been associated with health and several disease conditions. However, only a few studies have investigated whether an altered gut microbiota can directly affect disease. This, in turn, leads to the formation of imidazole propionate, a substance that impairs the cells' ability to respond to insulin. Reducing its amount be a new way of treating patients with type 2 diabetes.

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