Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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7 or 8 Hours of Sleep Best for Health
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TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Too much or too little sleep can boost your risk of death, British researchers report. "In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping seven or eight hours a night is optimal for health," study author Jane E. Ferrie, of University College London Medical School, said in a prepared statement. Her team studied more than 8,000 people, aged 35 to 55, who were followed for a number of years. Among participants who slept six, seven or eight hours a night at the start of the study, a decrease in nightly sleep duration was associated with a 110 percent excess risk of cardiovascular-related death. Similarly, among those who slept seven or eight hours per night at the start of the study, an increase in nightly sleep duration was associated with a 110 percent excess risk of non-cardiovascular death. The study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of Sleep. On average, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep per night to feel well-rested and alert, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. More information The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about sleep.
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