Hot Chilies

Capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers, increases blood circulation and stimulates nerve endings, thus making you feel more turned on.

Asparagus and Avocados

The flowering perennial plant species are abundantly high in vitamin E. These green plants help your body churn out sex hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. The high levels of these hormones are known to circulate in the bloodstream, thereby stimulating sexual responses like clitoral swelling and vaginal lubrication.

Bananas

The phallus-shaped fruit is rich in potassium, a nutrient key to muscle strength.

Chocolate

Phenylethylamine, the key chemical in cocoa, refreshes the mind and invokes subtle feelings of well-being and excitement.

Oysters

Oysters are known to can spark readiness. The shellfish is high on zinc, a mineral that pumps up the production of testosterone, the hormone linked to a higher sex drive.

Pomegranates

Rich in antioxidants, the fruit protects the lining of blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow through them. As a result the genital feel an increased sensitivity.

Red Wine

It has always been popular for its relaxant properties. Red wine contains resveratrol, an antioxidant that helps boost blood flow and improves circulation before and during intercourse.

Salmon and Walnuts

Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, salmon and walnuts will keep sex-hormone production at its peak. Pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds also confer similar benefits.

Vanilla

The sweet bean mildly stimulates nerves, making sexual sensations feel even better.

Watermelon

The juicy fruit contains phytonutrient citrulline, the chemical which leads to an uptick in the amount of nitric oxide in the body. Higher levels cause blood vessels to relax and speeds up circulation, thus feeling more aroused in lesser time.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on an assessment of 800 patients. The researchers clearly established that an active antidepressant treatment helps combat depression only in people with severe depression.

On the other hand, patients with mild depression who were administered antidepressants ‘do just as well or just about as well with a placebo’, Robert DeRubeis, primary author of the analysis and a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania remarked.

“Our data should give some pause to doctors who are considering prescribing antidepressants. They should give some consideration to other alternatives,” said Robert DeRubeis added.

According to the estimates of the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 14.8 million American adults aged 18 and above are affected by depression annually.

Now a team of researchers from the Sleep Research Lab at the University Health Network in Toronto have found a novel sleeping disorder, initiating sex while asleep.

‘Sexsomnia’ or sleep sex is a sleep disorder characterized as a non-rapid-eye-movement (N-REM) parasomnia. A parasomnia is a condition characterized by partial arousals during sleep or during transitions between wake and sleep.

Sexsomnia causes the afflicted to initiate sexual acts during sleep. The acts range from masturbation, fondling, sexual intercourse to psychologically and physically devastating sexual assaults and rape while they are asleep.

Upon engaging in sexsomnia, such people have no memory of their actions once they wake up.

People showing symptoms of other sleep disorders such as sleepwalking, sleep talking are more likely to exhibit sexsomnia episodes. Moreover, the phenomenon is nearly three times more prevalent in men (11 percent) than women (4 percent).

While the exact cause of the disorder is not known, researchers believe a genetic component plays a crucial role. Also, a genuine sleep disorder combined with other emotional problems spells havoc.

Alcohol, sleep deprivation, sleep apnea and other sleep disruptions allegedly increase episodes of Sexsomnia. In some cases, sleep sex episodes can be triggered by the contact with bed partner.

Treatment for sexsomnia may combine medication, therapy and lifestyle changes like abstaining alcohol, reducing stress and anxiety.

According to the findings of a new study, children who go off to bed at the same time every night are brighter and academically better than their peers who follow an irregular bedtime pattern.

Scientists at SRI International, an independent American research institute based in California, which embarked the study, found that the earlier a child went to bed, the better he performed at school. Such children were better at languages, reading and maths, the findings claimed.

The findings are based on an analysis of 8,000 youngsters. The information on their bedtimes was tracked through nine months to four years.

Following a regular bedtime was predictive of higher scores for most developmental measures, the researchers found.

A regular bedtime ensured better scores for receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, literacy and early maths abilities in children.

However, pre-school children who dozed off than the recommended 11 hours of sleep a night ran the risk of falling behind, the researchers said.

“Getting parents to set bedtime routines can be an important way to make a significant impact on children’s emergent literacy and language skills,” study’s lead researcher, Dr Erika Gaylor averred.

“Pediatricians can easily promote regular bedtimes with parents and children, behaviours, which in turn lead to healthy sleep.”

According to the findings of a new study, pregnancy is not the time for household chores. The study, published in the current issue of the journal Pediatric Epidemiology, found that doing “boring and repetitive” household chores during pregnancy raises the odds of giving birth prematurely.

Doing mentally unstimulating work day-in day-out raises the risk of giving birth at least three weeks early by around 25 percent, researchers warn.

The findings of the study are backed by pregnancy records of nearly 12,000 new moms.

It data collected included details about the mom-to-be’s daily physical activities for both exercise and household chores, job profiles, overall pregnancy health, gestation of pregnancy and baby weight.

The results indicated that moms who indulged in mentally un-stimulating work were more likely to give birth prematurely. Their risk of giving birth at least three weeks before term were around 25 percent higher than moms who abstained doing such jobs.

Researchers believe that doing boring and repetitive tasks increase the levels of stress hormones that are involved in causing labor.

Conversely, switching to a completely sedentary lifestyle spells more trouble, researchers warn. Taking up a completely sedentary lifestyle increases the chances of having an underweight baby, researchers found.

“Pregnancy is not a disease. In fact, most women who are pregnant are healthy and most of them are being delivered of perfectly healthy babies. Women who are healthy and do not have pregnancy complications should not restrict their activities in order to achieve a better pregnancy outcome” lead researcher, Hajo Wildschut, of Erasmus University in Rotterdam stated.

Patrick O’Brien, a consultant obstetrician at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists added, “Exercise is good in pregnancy, it keeps you aerobically fit, it keeps your weight under control, it probably reduces the chances of difficulties and it makes it easier to deal with the birth and after wards.”

The new 30-pound Bhs cozzie “diet in a swimsuit” helps women drop a dress size without them having to hit the gym. Adding more to it, it is made of a specially developed material that tucks in tummies and boosts the boobs.

Designed by the Bhs scientists, the swimsuit’s super-stretchy inner mesh is made of elastane and nylon, the materials that help squeeze and flatten bulges into shape.

The outer layer, also of elastane, smoothes the silhouette and the padded support lifts the boobs, giving the all perfect outline and the sexy cleavage.

“We realized ladies were fretting about showing their bodies. The collection was launched to create an immediate fix to their predicament” a Bhs spokesman said.

So now no more cutting down on favorite foods, no more early morning exercise regimes or tiresome gym sessions, just get into the “diet in a swimsuit” to get that dream figure.

Matching to the findings of a previous study that linked milk intake with increased muscle mass and fat loss in men, the findings of the new study claim to be equally established in women.

“The findings are more challenging because women not only steer clear of resistance training they also tend to steer away from dairy products based on the incorrect belief that dairy foods are fattening” Stu Phillips, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University said.

During the 12-week study period, the researchers monitored young women who drank either milk or energy drinks post exercise.

Participants were asked not to drink or eat anything except water two hours prior to the training.

Participants then took to their exercise routine. The training consisted of three types of exercise: pushing like bench press and chest fly, pulling like seated lateral pull down and abdominal exercises without weights or the leg exercises which included leg press and seated two-leg hamstring curl. To ensure proper technique, the training was monitored one on one by personal trainers.

Immediately after the exercise routine, one group consumed half a liter of fat free white milk while the other group consumed a similar-looking but sugar-based energy drink. The drinks were consumed one hour post exercise.

“The women who drank milk gained barely any weight because what they gained in lean muscle they balanced out with a loss in fat” said Phillips. “Our data show that simple things like regular weightlifting exercise and milk consumption work to substantially improve women’s body composition and health.”

The findings of the study feature in the June issue of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise.

Simple precautions taken against the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays can help ward off this problem.

While on the beach, it is advisable to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen and apply it repeatedly. It is a good idea to wear a hat and sunglasses with a UV filter.

It is not only about the beach that one has to think about sun protection. The habit to safeguard self should be incorporated into everyone’s daily routine.

Wearing a hat and seeking shade when the sun is strongest is highly recommended. Using a sunscreen with moisturizer every day would do a lot of good.

A sunscreen with a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 30 or higher should be used. It is important to use such a sunscreen even on cloudy days because clouds do not block the most damage forms of UV light.

New research indicates that people who do not brush their teeth twice a day are more vulnerable to heart diseases vis-à-vis their counterparts who complete this activity to ensure that their teeth remain pearly white.

In the latest study, termed as the Scottish Health Survey, researchers looked at the lifestyle habits such as smoking, overall physical activity, and oral health routines of 11,000 participants.

After accounting for risk factors like obesity, smoking, social class, and family heart disease history that make a person more susceptible to cardiovascular risk, the researchers established that people who did not brush their teeth habitually had a 70 percent extra risk of heart disease.

“Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk of cardiovascular disease,” maintained Richard Watt, DDS, of University College London.

“Furthermore, inflammatory markers were significantly associated with a very simple measure of poor oral health behavior,” added Watt.

The findings of the study cannot be considered shocking as it is a well known fact that swelling in the body, be it in the mouth or the gums, can lead to clogging of arteries, which in turn can lead to a heart attack. If one does not brush the teeth, the mouth can become infected with bacteria which can lead to inflammation.

The findings of the study have been published in the British Medical Journal

The hazardous nature of visceral fat is related to the discharge of proteins and hormones that can cause swelling and soreness. This inflammation can harm arteries and has the ability to enter the liver and adversely affect how the body breaks down sugars and fats.

Indicating how important the size of the waist is, David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum in the UK, says, “Waist circumference is the best predictor of risk of future health.”

Surprisingly, nine in 10 people are not even conscious of the risks of carrying that additional fat around their waistline.

“Most overweight people still see themselves as having a body image issue not a health problem and they need to understand the health benefits of weight loss as well as the cosmetic results,” claims Dr Terry Maguire, honorary senior lecturer at Queen’s University in Belfast.