* Turns out those with “people-pleasing” personalities are more likely to eat when they think it will put others at ease. Now we finally understand why we always over eat when mom complains about having been in the kitchen all day. Sure, we’ll have another piece of chocolate cake – if you insist. (TheGlobeandMail)
* Resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine and dark chocolate, has the potential to aid Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. Aside from the potentially dangerous side-effects, it is estimated that we would have to drink about 667 bottles a day for treatment. We do love our wine, but we don’t love it that much. (CBC)
* We’re pondering about the hygiene hypothesis. It’s a theory based on the idea that the more people are exposed to germs, the more they become immune to them. These days there is such an emphasis on sanitizers and “sleeve sneezes” that it may be making us more susceptible to germs. This school of thought would have us believe that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Are we being too paranoid these days? (NationalPost)
Check back every Friday at lunchtime for a roundup of the top health and fitness headlines of the week.