Researchers claim that stress suffered during childhood has deeper implications, which show at a later stage.
According to a study of children from Romanian orphanages, the effects of childhood stress could be visible in the DNA on growing up, reports Nature .
It is now proved that children who spent their early years in state-run Romanian orphanages have shorter telomeres than the ones who grew up in foster families.
Biologically, telomeres get slightly shorter each time a chromosome replicates during cell division. However, it has now emerged that stress may also result in their shortening.
Resultantly, shorter telomeres may propel diseases in adults ranging from diabetes to dementia.
The study was initiated at a time when orphanages were still common in Romania and a foster care system was especially established for this project.
Researchers analysed 136 orphans aged between 6-30 months, half of whom were assigned to foster families and the other half remained in orphanages.
They measured the length of the telomeres from DNA samples of the children when they were 6-10 years old and found that kids who stayed in the orphanage for longer had shorter telomeres compared to their peers in foster care.
"It shows that being in institutional care affects children right down to the molecular level," said Stacy Drury, clinical psychiatrist of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The study is published in Molecular Psychiatry1 .
A new survey has found that couples like to romance in the kitchen. According to the poll, 44 percent of people admitted to sharing “intimate moments” with partners in the kitchen, with almost one in 10 saying it happens at least once a week.
And it’s not just newlyweds getting hot and heavy on the stove top, as one third of couples, who have been together 15 years or more, reported they still found time to get amorous while cooking dinner.
The poll of more than 1000 Australians found 53 percent of respondents revealing that the best way to get in the mood for romance is to share a home-cooked meal.
Relationships expert Emma Merkas said that food had been an aphrodisiac for centuries.
“I think shows like MasterChef have increased interest in home cooking and created an expectation among women that men should be able to get involved too, instead of just leaving it to their partner,” News.com.au quoted her as saying.
Ninety percent of The Electrolux Passion For Food Survey respondents said a partner’s ability to cook was important with six out of 10 women wanting a male whiz in the kitchen.
The traditional roast topped the list of favourite meals for romancing, followed by seafood and steak with decadent chocolate pudding the ultimate dessert.
Do you think that not having sex with your partner is a sign of a troubled relationship? Well, its not. A new research has indicated that the frequency of cuddling is a far better indicator of the strength of a relationship than having sex.
“Cuddling provides not just sensual pleasure, but also a feeling of comfort, security and companionship, all of which are just as important to a relationship as sex,” the Daily Mail quoted Paula Hall, relationship expert for online dating service Parship, as saying.
In fact, maintaining an intimate connection without the wild abandon of the hormonal early days can be vital for a happy relationship.
“The advantage of non-sexual intimacy is that couples often use this time together to talk about their emotional lives,” said Hall.
“Whereas when sex is their only way of getting close, couples who find emotional openness difficult often rely on making love to help them connect. They can find themselves missing out on other levels of intimacy,” added Hall.
If sex is the focus, it can mean that emotional problems are never discussed — whereas non-sexual touching, such as cuddling and stroking, encourages more relaxed bonding and intimate conversation, due in large part to the crucial “cuddle hormone” oxytocin.
“Oxytocin is produced by touch and, as well as making us feel good, it also inspires us to touch more,” said Hall.
“That means that the more you touch, the closer you feel and the more you want to touch,” she added.
When it comes to the year's fashion trends a lot of 2011 will focus on embellished, quality details - it won't be exactly the same for 2011 hairstyles, however. Quality, yes. Embellishment, not always. 2011 won't be a year in which hair trends are based around adornments and accessories - yes, there'll be headbands, but there'll be a larger push towards styles that are au naturel. And amongst those styles will be the double hair knot.
Taking the lead from last year's hairstyles, the double hair knot continues the infatuation with styles that seem effortless - think the plaited and braided hairstyles that have been so popular for more then 12 months, simplify, and you have the double hair knot.
Like the topsy tail hairstyle of years gone by, the double hair knot sits roughly at the nape of the neck or a little higher. The style also works as a single knot - but by knotting the hair twice the effect is more interesting, and easier to secure.
A side view of the hair style as featured on Michael Kors' S/S '11 catwalk via Hanneli.
Though a hairstyle suited to the entire year, the style of double hair knot you're seeing in the pictures are best suited to spring / summer 2011. Styled by Orlando Pita for the Michael Kors catwalk, the summer influence comes courtesy of a desire to have fuse urban hairstyle with the feel that its wearer has "been out at the beach all day."
To capture the summer interpretation of the double hair knot, the simplest of instructions are as follows:
For a take on the style that is suited to autumn / fall or winter, play down the beachy-ness by making the hair smoother and a little less textured. Try replacing the sea-spray with a volumizer and keeping the hair in place with a little hairspray.
As the longer bob creeps its way into our 2011 hair trends guide, the question starts to arise: if you go down the path of a shoulder-length bob, how do you keep it interesting and varied? Most of the examples we've seen have leaned to straight, or with a modern take on the 70s-glam blow wave. But here's another trend that's arising as a result of 2011's shoulder-scraping cut: the waved bob.
With the bob in 2011 being generally longer and softer, it's much easier to pull off a waved style with it. While 40s-inspired pin curls are one option, here's one that's more suited to everyday. A casual, textured, beachy wave.
We caught up with ghd at the 2011 AFI Awards as they created a beachy wave on actress Caitlin Stasey. Here are the steps from Heading Out Hair's Caterina DiBiase, working exclusively with ghd, for how you can recreate the style.
The key to the look in 2011 is not to overdo the curls - the more relaxed and understated, the better.
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