Loneliness is a vicious cycle for many people. Feeling lonely increases self-centeredness, which in turn, increases social isolation and prolongs a sense of loneliness.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 230 adults between the ages of 50 and 68 living in the Chicago area. Study participants answered questions about their feelings of loneliness and self-centeredness each year from 2002 to 2013. Researchers discovered that a higher level of loneliness one year led to a higher level of self-centeredness the following year. They also found that people who reported being more self-centered one year generally reported feeling lonelier the next year.

According to the study, which was recently published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, finding ways to avoid self-centeredness when you are feeling lonely may help break the cycle and reduce your sense of loneliness. One way to do this is to pay attention to the concerns of others, perhaps by volunteering.

Sourced from: Live Science

Moms-to-be who are overweight or obese during pregnancy are at increased risk for having a baby with birth defects, according to a study recently published in the BMJ. Most health care professionals stress the importance of maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy and earlier studies suggested a correlation between maternal obesity and birth defect risk.

In this new study, researchers took a closer look at whether expectant mothers who are overweight, rather than obese, are also at higher risk for birth defects. They analyzed information on more than 1.2 million single, live births in Sweden between 2001 and 2014. Expectant mothers in the study were classified as underweight (body mass index—BMI—of less than 18.5), normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24), overweight (BMI of 25 to 29), or obese (BMI over 30). Obesity was further classified as class I (BMI of 30 to 34), class II (BMI of 35 to 39), or class III (BMI greater than 40)

According to researchers, the severe birth defect rate in babies born to normal weight mothers was 3.4 percent, while the rate in overweight mothers was 3.5 percent. The rates of birth defects in babies born to obese mothers were 3.8 percent (class I obesity), 4.2 percent (class II obesity), and 4.7 percent (class III obesity).

Sourced from: CNN

A new study suggests that vitamin A plays a key role in the functioning of beta cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. Vitamin A deficiency can damage and destroy these beta cells, causing diabetes. This discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

The study was conducted by researchers in the U.K. and Sweden, and the results were published in the Endocrine Journal. Researchers discovered large numbers of vitamin A receptors on the surface of beta cells and set out to determine the function of these receptors. In animal subjects, blocking the vitamin A receptors reduced the cells’ ability to produce insulin in response to sugar by almost 30 percent. Impaired insulin production is a primary cause for type 2 diabetes.

In addition, researchers found that inadequate levels of vitamin A impaired the beta cells’ ability to fight inflammation, causing them to die. The destruction of beta cells causes type 1 diabetes. High levels of vitamin A can be harmful, so supplementation is not the answer.

Sourced from: MNT