WEIRD STUFF: Obese people have different shaped brains

Walking 4,000 steps per day can reduce early death

Fitness trackers and smartphones encourage people to try and achieve the magic number of 10,000 daily steps, but the new analysis suggests that the necessary amount could be lower than previously thought.

Experts found that walking at least 3,967 steps each day helped a person start to reduce their risk of passing away from any cause.

However, the team found that every additional step reaped benefits to an individual's health.

Professor Maciej Banach, of the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, said: "Our study confirms that the more you walk, the better.

"We found that this applied to both men and women, irrespective of age, and irrespective of whether you live in a temperate, subtropical or sub-polar region of the world, or a region with a mixture of climates.

"In addition, our analysis indicates that as little as 4,000 steps a day are needed to significantly reduce deaths from any cause."

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Eating green vegetables keeps your lungs healthy

A study of more than 4,000 adults revealed that those with higher levels of vitamin K-- found in vegetables such as broccoli and spinach -- were less likely to have lung conditions such as asthma and wheezing.

Researchers found that people with higher levels of the vitamin, which is also found in vegetable oils and cereal grains, were significantly less likely to have asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dr Torkil Jespersen, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, said: "We already know that vitamin K has an important role in the blood, and research is beginning to show that it's also important in heart and bone health, but there's been very little research looking at vitamin K and the lungs.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study on vitamin K and lung function in a general population. Our results suggest that vitamin K could play a part in keeping our lungs healthy."

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Obese people have different shaped brains

Scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that the hypothalamus -- the region that acts as the brain's 'appetite control centre' -- is significantly bigger in those who are overweight.

The experts suggested that an unhealthy diet can cause this area of the brain to become inflamed, and believe it may explain why obese individuals are less likely to feel full after eating.

Studies in animals show that a high-fat diet causes the hypothalamus to swell and prompts obesity, although scientists want to conduct further studies on humans.

Lead author Dr Stephanie Brown said: "If what we see in mice is the case in people, then eating a high-fat diet could trigger inflammation of our appetite control centre.

"Over time, this would change our ability to tell when we've eaten enough and to how our body processes blood sugar, leading us to put on weight."

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Nuts can reduce the risk of depression

New research shows that just a low to moderate consumption of the snacks on a daily basis is linked to a 17 per cent lower risk of depression, compared to those who do not eat nuts at all.

Experts examined data on over 13,500 people in the UK age between 37 and 73, who did not have depression at the beginning of the study.

Each participant's nut consumption was recorded and analysis revealed that eating them produced a mental health benefit, irrespective of other lifestyle and health factors.

Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, who led the study at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, said: "Our findings highlight yet another benefit of consuming nuts, with a 17 per cent decrease in depression associated with nut consumption.

"This provides an even stronger rationale for people to become enthusiastic about consuming nuts."