Quick bits

Could a hug a day help keep bone loss away? New research in Scientific Reports reveals that the same hormone released during affectionate moments with friends and family (oxytocin) also stimulates bone formation, a process that typically slows with age. Says study author Rita Cássia Menegati Dornelles, Ph.D., perimenopausal rats that received oxytocin had 39% more bone strength and showed a 31% increase in bone density in their legs compared to those that didn’t receive oxytocin.