HEALTH

Smiling more could help you lose weight, a study suggests. Experts have found frowning makes you want to eat but looking happy cuts the craving.

Researchers at the Wuppertal University in Germany say this is due to the so-called ‘facial feedback hypothesis’ which claims the face can affect our emotions.

The study in journal Appetite says activating the zygomaticus ‘smile muscle’ in the cheek can improve your mood and stop you snacking.

Taking magnesium could prevent fractures in middle age, research reveals.

A study by university academics in Bristol and Eastern Finland – looking at 2,200 men over two decades – is one of the first to show how well the mineral strengthens bones, says the European Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers found men with lower blood levels of magnesium were more likely to suffer breaks while the risk was cut by 44% in men with higher levels.

Yoga may benefit people with ulcerative colitis, experts have found.

Around 146,000 people in the UK have the long-term condition, where the colon and rectum become inflamed.

The condition can develop at any age, but is most often diagnosed in people from 15 to 25 years old.

Almost 80 patients were put through 12 weeks of supervised 90-minute yoga sessions or given written selfcare advice.

Those doing yoga reported a greater increase of quality of life and mental health and reduced activity of their colitis, according to researchers at Duisburg-Essen University in Germany.

ANDREW GREGORY is the Mirror’s Health Editor