New Frontiers

NEW FRONTIERS NEW FRONTIERS: BUSINESS Research roundup

RESEAR CH ROUND UP

OU R PICK OF THE LATEST HEALTH AND WELLBEING RESEARCH OF INT EREST TO HOLISTIC THERAPISTS AND THEIR CLIENT S…

SOCIAL ISOLATION: HIKIKOMORI EMERGES AS A GLOBAL ISSUE

Previous research has shown that social isolation has a profound impact on physical health, mental wellbeing and longevity. Now, experts in Hikikomori, a Japanese word which describes the condition of extreme social isolation, say the phenomenon is much more widespread than previously thought, encompassing young adults, the elderly and stay at home parents.

A newly proposed definition of hikikomori clarifies the frequency of time spent outside the home, while still meeting the definition of marked social isolation, while noting the possibility of other mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, distress and feelings of loneliness, but not necessarily including the avoidance of others in social situations, which may be down to individual comfort levels, rather than hikikomori. The research team notes that, “With advances in digital and communications technologies that provide alternatives to in-person social interaction, hikikomori may become an increasingly relevant concern. Spending time online can be damaging when it substitutes for interacting with people face to face. A person’s day-to-day social life is really what brings them meaning and value.” The article was published in World Psychiatry Ref: 10.1002/wps.20705.

NUTRITION: TEA DRINKERS LIVE LONGER

a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The study, conducted in China, analysed data from over 100,000 participants over seven years, with the most marked benefits found in those who drank green tea or were long-term habitual tea drinkers.

Habitual tea drinkers had a 39% lower risk of heart disease and stroke, 56% lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 29% decreased risk of all-cause death compared to consistent never or non-habitual tea drinkers. It’s thought that the benefits were due to polyphenol compounds in the tea, which do not persist long in the body, so frequent tea consumption bestowed more marked cardiac protection. Ref: 10.1177/2047487319894685

Drinking tea at least three times a week is linked with a longer and healthier life, according to

EXERCISE: YOGA ENHANCES BRAIN STRUCTURES

An evidence review of previous studies has confirmed that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. The study was published in the journal Brain Plasticity. The research team noted that yoga practice increases the size of the hippocampus, which is involved in memory processing and shrinks with age. The hippocampus is one of the first brain structures to be impacted by dementia.

The amygdala, a brain structure that contributes to emotional regulation, tends to be larger in yoga practitioners than in their peers who do not practice yoga. The prefrontal cortex,

cingulate cortex and brain networks such as the default mode network also tend to be larger or more efficient in those who regularly practice yoga. The prefrontal cortex, a brain region just behind the forehead, is essential to planning, decision-making, multitasking, thinking about your options and picking the right option. The default mode network is a set of brain regions involved in thinking about the self, planning and memory. Ref: 10.3233/BPL-190084

ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH: PLASTIC CHEMICAL DISRUPTS REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY IN WORMS

A team from Harvard University Medical School and the New York State Department of Health have published a papers revealing that DEHP, a chemical commonly used to make plastics flexible, contributes towards molecular damage in worms. DEHP interferes with proper cell division during egg formation, leads to excessive DNA breakage and alters chromosome appearance. It has also been shown to lead to birth defects and male infertility. In 2019, the EU widened their restrictions on the use of DEHP and three further phthalates in children’s toys and childcare products to all plasticised products that may come into prolonged contact of 10 minutes or more with human skin. Packaging for medicinal products and medical devices as well as food contact plastics were all exempt from the restrictions, meaning food packaging may still contain DEHP and other phthalates.

It remains unclear what exactly DEHP does to the body and how much exposure can be considered safe, although the researchers recognised that not everyone metabolises DEHP in the same way. The route and duration of exposure, a person’s age and diet, are just some of the factors that can result in some people being more affected by low-level exposure to a given chemical than other people. Ref: 10.1371/ journal.pgen.1008529

MEDICINE: AUSTRALIAN GPS WIDELY OFFERING PLACEBOS

A new study from the University of Sidney suggests that the majority of Australian GPs have prescribed placebos for their patients. 77% of GPs had offered an active placebo, such as antibiotics for a virus while 39% of GPs had offered an inert placebo, such as saline spray or a water-based cream.

“Now we need more focus on understanding the role of psychological and social factors in physical health outcomes,” Dr Kate Faasse, the study’s lead researcher, commented, “There is so much more than just the active ingredients of a medicine, for example, that can help to improve people’s health.”

“In terms of future research, I think the possibility that we - either as individuals, or in medical contexts - can be harnessing the placebo effect in our own lives by knowingly using ‘open-label’ placebos is fascinating,” Dr Faasse said. “Figuring out the best way to do this, for example what information helps openlabel placebos be most effective, in what dose, and for what outcomes, are really fascinating research questions that we’re starting to explore.” More than 80% of Australian GPs believe that Research roundup

giving a placebo openly, without deception, is ethical, but 53% added that doing so deceptively was not ethical.

GPs primarily used placebos because they believed they could provide genuine benefit and viewed themselves as having a strong role in shaping patients’ expectations

International studies indicate that placebo use by general practitioners (GPs) is remarkably high, despite criticisms of alternative treatments being characterised as placebos.

Ref: 10.31128/AJGP-11-18-4755

SUPERBUGS: LURKING IN OVER 90% OF MAKE-UP BAGS

It could be time to treat yourself to some new make-up as a new study from Aston University suggests that the vast majority of in-use make-up products such as beauty blenders, mascara and lip gloss are contaminated with potentially life threatening superbugs. Tests revealed colonies of E.coli and Staphylococci thrive on these products because most are not being cleaned and are used far beyond their expiry dates, leading, potentially, to illnesses ranging from skin infections to blood poisoning if used near eyes, mouth or cuts or grazes, were found in nine out of ten of the products. This risk is amplified in immunocompromised people who are more likely to contract infections from opportunistic bacteria. 93% of all blender sponges used to apply skin foundation products have never been cleaned, even when dropped on the floor. Ref: 10.1111/jam.14479 n