Why you should do breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are among the most popular stress relievers. Not only do they work swiftly, they require very little practise and you can do them anywhere. 

Here's why you should opt for them...

- Stress is known to wreak havoc on you both physically and mentally. Breathing exercises are a great way to relieve stress as well as give you relief from hyperventillation, bad headaches, burnout, fatigue, help you sleep better, reduce anxiety and depression.

- You can go in for breathing exercises when you're overcome by stress and want to feel better, when you feel overwhelmed in a situation and don't know what to do, you want to clear your thoughts, your body wants a release, you feel irritated when things don't go your way or when you're in the middle of an argument and want to calm down.

- When practiced regularly, you will notice that you're able to handle stressful situations way better than what you used to.

Having bacon and sausages daily dramatically ups type 2 diabetes risk

Eating red meat, particularly processed meat such as hot dogs, sausages or bacon significantly increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new research has found.

The study also shows that replacing red meat with healthier proteins, such as low-fat dairy, nuts, or whole grains, can significantly lower the risk.

Study leader An Pan, research fellow in the HSPH Department of Nutrition, senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, and colleagues analysed questionnaire responses from 37,083 men followed for 20 years in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; 79,570 women followed for 28 years in the Nurses' Health Study I; and 87,504 women followed for 14 years in the Nurses' Health Study II.

They also conducted an updated meta-analysis, combining data from their new study with data from existing studies that included a total of 442,101 participants, 28,228 of whom developed type 2 diabetes during the study.

After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and other lifestyle and dietary risk factors, the researchers found that a daily 100-gram serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 19 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

They also found that one daily serving of half that quantity of processed meat-50 grams (for example, one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon)-was associated with a 51 percent increased risk.

"Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide," said Hu.

The study will be published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)