Exercising is undoubtedly good for health. However, positive mindset about exercise brings better benefit, not just physically but psychologically and neurophysiologically too, a new study has revealed.

The researchers in the study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine provided evidence that individuals can be positively or negatively influenced before engaging in exercise.

The researchers invited 76 men and women aged between 18 and 32 years where they had to exercise for 30 minutes on a bicycle ergometer and were separated into different groups. The participants were shown short films that either praised or trashed the effects of cycling on health.

The researchers asked the participants whether they had already believed in the positive effects of physical activity before beginning the test. The participants were asked to fill questionnaires about their well-being and their mood before and after the exercise and measured the participants' brain activity with an electroencephalogram (EEG).

The results provided evidence for a placebo effect during exercise -- participants who already believed that the physical activity would have positive effects before participating in the study enjoyed the exercise more, improved their mood more, and reduced their anxiety more than less optimistic test subjects.

"The results demonstrate that our belief in how much we will benefit from physical activity has a considerable effect on our well-being in the manner of a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Hendrik Mothes, researcher at the University of Freiburg in Germany.

In addition, the study revealed neurophysiological differences that participants with greater expectations before the beginning of the study and those who had seen a film about the health benefits of cycling beforehand were more relaxed on a neuronal level.

"Beliefs and expectations could possibly have long-term consequences, for instance on our motivation to engage in sports. They can be a determining factor on whether we can rouse ourselves to go jogging again next time or decide instead to stay at home on the couch," added Mothes.

Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, however, its negative effects on health is something we're sure everyone's aware of.

Obesity, heart disease risks and high blood pressure are some of the problems that drinkers and/or beer lovers might face if they over-indulge in the alcoholic beverage, since the alcohol content is high. Long term effects can also prove fatal.

Now, a new study has found that reducing the alcohol content in beer as well as other alcoholic beverages to an extent can decrease its harmful effects.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol accounts for significant death and disability worldwide. Among those aged 20-39, nearly one-quarter of deaths can be attributed to alcohol.

"The idea is that a small reduction in alcohol -- such as beer with four per cent ethanol content versus six per cent -- would reduce alcohol intake per drinker even if the same overall amount of beverage is consumed," said lead author Jurgen Rehm from Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada.

A decrease in ethanol, the most harmful ingredient in alcoholic beverages, would be expected to lead to lower blood alcohol levels in drinkers. And this could reduce immediate harms such as injuries or accidents, as well as alcohol-related chronic diseases that develop over time, such as liver cirrhosis or cancer.

A key concern, however, is that drinkers would notice the difference in alcohol content, and consume more to compensate or switch to other beverages with more alcohol.

So the researchers searched for studies and reviews on all of these points.

The researchers found that such concerns around drinkers' behaviours were not warranted.

"We know from experiments that consumers can't distinguish between beers of different strengths," Rehm said.

The review was published in the journal Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Seasonal allergies like hay fever reduce the presence of brain immune cells as well as increase the growth of nervous tissue, which may lead to changes in the brain, says a study.

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is caused by an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens such as pollen, dust mites and leads to cold-like runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, sneezing and sinus pressure.

According to a report by the World Health Oragnisation (WHO), 10 to 30 per cent of the population worldwide suffers from hay fever.

The findings showed that brains of mice when exposed to a model of grass pollen allergy actually produced more neurons than when they were under normal conditions.

During an allergic reaction, an increase in the numbers of new neurons in the hippocampus -- the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories, and the site where neurons continue to be formed throughout life -- was found.

This raised the question that what could be the consequences of allergies on memory, the researchers said.

In addition, the allergy also reduced the presence of microglia -- brain immune cells that perform immune system functions in the central nervous system - activity. The microglia in the brain of mice were found deactivated.

"It was highly unexpected to see the deactivation of microglia in the hippocampus. Partly because other studies have shown the reverse effect on microglia following bacterial infection," said Barbara Klein, University of Salzburg in Austria.

"We know that the response of immune system in the body is different in case of an allergic reaction versus a bacterial infection. What this tells us is that the effect on the brain depends on type of immune reaction in the body," Klein added.

The allergic reaction also caused an increase in neurogenesis -- the growth and development of nervous tissue, which is known to decline with age, said the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.

Are you a victim of sleep disorder like Obstructive sleep apnea? If your answer is yes than it's important for you to realise that sleep apnea is not only affecting your moods, thoughts and body functions but may also trigger the progression of liver disease.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and low night-time oxygen are associated with the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults, a new study conducted by an Indian-origin researcher has suggested.

According to the study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, obstructive sleep apnea and low night-time oxygen may also be important triggers in the progression of paediatric NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - a type of fatty liver disease, characterised by inflammation of the liver with concurrent fat accumulation in the liver.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the accumulation of extra fat in liver cells in people who drink little or no alcohol. Although isolated hepatic steatosis is considered a less aggressive form of NAFLD, patients with NASH can eventually progress to severe fibrosis and cirrhosis, with development of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults.

"There is emerging evidence that obesity-related obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and intermittent nocturnal hypoxia are associated with NAFLD progression. Paediatric NAFLD patients with OSA/hypoxia have more advanced liver disease and fibrosis, supporting a role for OSA/hypoxia in the development of NASH," said Shikha Sundaram,

Researcher at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, in the US, in the study. Investigators studied 36 adolescents with NAFLD, along with 14 lean controls, to assess if oxidative stress induced by obstructive sleep apnea and low night-time oxygen promoted the progression of paediatric NAFLD. NAFLD patients had significantly raised aminotransferases (a marker of hepatocellular injury), inflammatory markers, and evidence of metabolic syndrome, compared to lean controls.

Patients underwent a standard multi-channel sleep study (polysomnogram). Investigators found that patients with the most severe NAFLD experienced more severe sleep-disordered breathing and significantly higher apnea/hypopnea index scores compared to those with less severe NAFLD.

Patients with OSA/hypoxia also had more severe fibrosis or scar tissue in their livers than those without OSA/hypoxia. They also found a clear correlation between severity of the indexes of oxidative stress both systemically and in the liver and the severity of the indexes used to evaluate OSA.

"These data show that sleep-disordered breathing is an important trigger of oxidative stress that promotes progression of paediatric NAFLD to NASH. We showed that obese adolescents with NAFLD who have OSA and low nighttime oxygen have significant scar tissue in their livers," added Sundaram.

If you are trying to shed those extra kilos, you may want to steer clear of lard, butter and fried foods, suggests a recent study.

According to the University of Naples Federico II study, a diet high in saturated fat affects a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hunger, making it struggle to control what you eat.

In other words, people struggle to control how much they eat, when to stop and what type of food to eat - symptoms seen in obesity.

The study found, through tests in rats, that a meal rich in saturated fat, reduces a person's cognitive function that make it more difficult to control eating habits.

"These days, great attention is dedicated to the influence of the diet on people's wellbeing. Although the effects of high fat diet on metabolism have been widely studied, little is known about the effects on the brain;" explained researchers Marianna Crispino and Maria Pina Mollica.

A diet rich in fat can take different forms and in fact, there are different types of fats. Saturated fats are found in lard, butter or fried food. Unsaturated fats are rich in food such as fish, avocado or olive oil.

Consuming fish oil instead of lard makes a significant difference. The research shows that brain function remains normal and manages to restrain from eating more than necessary.

"The difference was very clear and we were amazed to establish the impact of a fatty diet onto the brain. Our results suggest that being more aware about the type of fat consumed with the diet may reduce the risk of obesity and prevent several metabolic diseases," concluded Crispino.

The study appears in journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.