Can best friends be good life partners?

While it's hard to pinpoint the ingredients of a perfect marriage, psychiatrist Samir Parikh says one reason for incompatibility can be that a commitment happens too quickly, bringing along faulty expectations.

"Good friends can be excellent life partners, but there are no such rules that come with it. It is a matter of understanding and appreciating each other and then building a relationship. Sometimes a commitment happens quickly, bringing along a lot of faulty expectations," Parikh, who is a consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, said.

Psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh believes that bonding of partners at a physical, emotional and mental level is extremely important.

"There needs to be a healthy sync between two people for the relationship to become strong and satisfying. If they have a conflicting personality coupled with low levels of tolerance to distress, there would be a greater number of disappointments in the relationship."

"On the contrary, if partners are able to blend well and appreciate and endure each other well, there is a bigger chance of a smooth and gratifying relationship," explained Chugh.

Megha Jain (name changed) got married in December to her long-time beau, but after the honeymoon period, the 27-year-old wondered whether she had taken the right decision to marry the person she dated for over nine years.

"I don't know. I am still confused. Is it that men change after marriage or is it the perspective that changes? The person I knew before marriage has completely changed. I don't understand where the problem lies? Am I too demanding or has he become too casual?" grumbles Jain.

"I wish I could turn back time and get rid of this burden. I don't know what I have put myself into," she added.

Explaining this psyche, Chug said: "Very often, we choose to focus only on the brighter side of a relationship and forget to see the complete picture which might not be so pleasant.

"It is only later when one takes a complete view of the situation that one may begin to have doubts and confusions and would want to re-evaluate his/her decision."

Both arranged and love marriages have their pros and cons, but it is how flexible one is in contributing to a relationship that matters. However, getting married to a person whom you know for a longer time has its advantages.

Said Parikh: "There is a basic comfort level in a relationship if you know the person for a long time."

Chug agreed: "An informed decision is always better than an uninformed one. If partners have known each other for a long time and have spent enough time to experience each others' moods, temperament and to understand each others' personalities, it will surely give them an edge over those who are complete strangers to each other."

Kiran Bhan, 55, recently celebrated the silver jubilee of her successful love marriage and shared its recipe.

"There is a lot of give and take in every relationship. In a love marriage, suddenly your priorities shift. All that lovely and flowery life turns upside down when you come face to face with reality. Your expectations from your spouse goes for a toss. You feel that he has changed and vice verse, but that is not the case," explained Bhan.

"In reality, you have to understand your spouse and assure him/her that your love is still the same. Nothing has changed. Adjustment and understanding is the key. There may be small things that will irritate you, but all depends on how dedicated you are towards a relationship to survive," she added.

मिर्च खाएं और मोटापा भूल जाएं

आपको लगता होगा कि मिर्च खाकर सिर्फ मुंह में ही जलन होती है पर वैज्ञानिकों ने पता लगाया है कि इससे शरीर का फैट भी जलता है। यकीन न इससे अच्छी बात क्या हो सकती है
क्योंकि मिर्च खाइए और मोटापे की चिंता भूल जाइए।

टेलीग्राफ की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक कैलिफॉर्निया यूनिवर्सिटी के रिसर्चरों ने रिसर्च में पाया कि मिर्च खाने से शरीर में जो हीट बनती है, वह हमारे कैलरी उपभोग को बढ़ाती है और फैट की परतों को पतला करती है। और हां, अगर आप ज्यादा तीखी मिर्च नहीं खा पाते तो भी गुड न्यूज है।

रिसर्चरों ने पाया कि कैपसेइसिन नाम का मेन तत्व कुछ कम तीखी मिर्चों में भी होता है। रिसर्चरों ने 34 पुरुषों और महिलाओं पर 28 दिन तक परीक्षण के बाद यह नतीजा निकाला।

Eating nuts can lower cholesterol

Consuming more nuts seems to be linked to lower blood cholesterol levels, says a new study.

Recently, consumption of nuts has been the focus of intense research because of their potential to reduce coronary heart disease risk and to lower blood lipid (fat and cholesterol) levels based on their unique nutritional attributes.

Nuts are rich in plant proteins, fats (especially unsaturated fatty acids), dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and other compounds, such as antioxidants and phytoesterols.

Joan Sabaté, Loma Linda University, California and colleagues pooled primary data from 25 nut consumption trials conducted in seven countries and involving 583 women and men with high cholesterol or normal cholesterol levels.

All the studies compared a control group to a group assigned to consume nuts; participants were not taking lipid-lowering medications.

Participants in the trials consumed an average of 67 grams of nuts daily. This was associated with an average 5.1 percent reduction in total cholesterol concentration, a 7.4 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C, or bad cholesterol) and an 8.3 percent change in ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or good cholesterol).

In addition, triglyceride levels declined by 10.2 percent among individuals with high triglyceride levels, although not among those with lower levels. Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body.

"The effects of nut consumption were dose related, and different types of nuts had similar effects on blood lipid levels," the authors write.

"The effects of nut consumption were significantly modified by LDL-C, body mass index and diet type: the lipid-lowering effects of nut consumption were greatest among subjects with high baseline LDL-C and with low body mass index and among those consuming Western diets."

"Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favourably affect blood lipid levels (at least in the short term) and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," the study authors conclude, says a Loma Linda release.