Websites like Facebook may actually be good for you, according to the latest psychological study on users.

Researchers found using social networks can spark a natural high leading to a relaxed heart rate and lower levels of stress and tension.

While it seems like a solitary activity, the interaction with others via these networks has a positive effect on body and mind, said joint American and Italian research.

And that buzz could explain the massive success of social networking in general and Facebook in particular.

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Once you hit middle age all the talk seems to be about the inevitable decline into a miserable old age. But it’s not all downhill.

ALLERGIES DECLINE
After the age of 50 we tend to be less affected by seasonal allergies such as hay fever. This is partly because as we age, we produce less of the allergic antibody IgE which triggers the reaction.

As Dr Adrian Morris, of the Surrey Allergy Clinic, explains: ‘In allergic people, IgE levels rise through childhood, then stabilise in the late teens to 30s, and start to drop through the 40s and 50s. So by the 60s and 70s, the allergic reaction is less severe.

‘The bulk of my patients are children and young adults — older patients with allergy-like symptoms often have a non‑allergic cause, such as smoking, medication, weather changes and infections.’

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Downward dog for back pain, sun salutations for an energy boost – yoga has become the workout for a healthy mind and body, and is the exercise of choice for endless celebrities including Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

But is the ancient art form as healthy as we’d like to think?

On yesterday’s Today programme on Radio 4, New York Times science writer William Broad, the author of a controversial new book, The Science Of Yoga: The Risks And Rewards, asked whether yoga – when taught incorrectly – might actually have the potential to kill.

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Gave fans first glimpse online without selling pictures in a multi-million dollar deal.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z today surprised fans by sharing the first pictures of their baby, Blue Ivy Carter.

The proud parents posted a series of intimate portraits of their beloved daughter, who was born just over a month ago.

Instead of selling their first baby pictures to a glossy magazine for millions the music megastar couple decided to take control posting snaps of Blue to a tumblr blog.

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There’s no shortage of diet plans promising to melt away the pounds by calling for strict proportions of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

But, according to a new study, it doesn’t matter where the calories come from. What matters most for shedding body fat is simply eating fewer calories – and sticking to your plan, be it high protein, low carb or low fat.

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As a recipe for losing weight, tucking into a slice of chocolate cake at breakfast would seem an unlikely fantasy.

But a full breakfast that includes a sweet treat really can contribute to weight loss success, researchers claim.

A team from Tel Aviv University found that eating pudding as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight – and keep it off in the long run.

The key is to indulge in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, according to Professor Daniela Jakubowicz and her team.

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American singer and actress Whitney Houston has died in Los Angeles at the age of 48.

Police said she died in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she had been staying as a guest.

Houston was one of the most celebrated female singers of all time, with hits including I Will Always Love You and Saving All My Love For You.

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They are due to welcome their first child together in around two months time.

And Bruce Willis and his heavily pregnant wife Emma Heming were spotted making preparations for the baby’s arrival yesterday.

The 56-year-old Die Hard actor took the stunning British model, 33, shopping at high-end baby boutique Bel Bambini in West Hollywood.

The couple are said to have spent an hour in the plush store, with most of their time upstairs in the nursery and furniture department.

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In the ongoing public health campaign to get people to cut back on sodium, foods such as chips, popcorn and pretzels have unfairly shouldered a heavy burden of blame.

As it turns out, we should have declared war on the sandwich.

Bread, rolls and deli meats are the top contributors of sodium to the average person’s diet, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bread and rolls account for more than 7 per cent of daily sodium consumption, while cold cuts and cured meats amount to about 5 per cent.

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