Ever wonder why sometimes a hug is all you need ? You can’t explain it , but there’s just something comforting about being in your wife’s arms after a rough day or giving mom a hug after a long time apart .
A new study says the warm feeling in a hug is more than just skin deep . Researchers from the University of California , Berkeley believe that this loving feeling could have anti-aging benefits .
Oxytocin , sometimes referred to as the “ love hormone(荷尔蒙)” or the “ trust hormone , ” is responsible for those indescribable feelings we get when we’re bonding with a lover or a loved one .
Levels of the hormone drop as we age , and evidence suggests that could be a contributing factor to the deterioration of our bodies as we age . Muscle loss in particular is one of the major side effects of aging , with our bodies losing up to 5 percent of our muscle mass each decade past our 30s .
In the study , published in the journal Nature Communications , researchers injected oxytocin into older mice with muscle damage . The older mice had lower levels of the homeone than younger mice initially . But after nine days , the older mice who were given the hormone healed better than those who did not . In fact , their ability to repair muscle damage was up to 80 percent that of the younger mice .
The results were not only fast-acting , but provide hope for future uses of the hormone in a variety of anti-aging capacities . “ This is good because it demonstrates that extra oxytocin improves aged tissue stem cells(组织干细胞)without making muscle stem cells divide uncontrollably , ” study co-author Wendy Cousins said in a statement .
Previous uses of anti-aging molecules have also been associated with higher cancer risk , but researchers are hopeful that oxytocin can be useful in humans without this risk . In the future , researchers of Berkeley say oxytocin could be used to fight other age-related health issues by improving bone health and even being used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy .
Now go out and give someone a hug .
According to the passage , oxytocin __________ .
A.decreases when people get older |
B.creates loving feeling on the skin |
C.leads to the great loss of muscles |
D.can be used in humans without any risk |
The underlined word “ deterioration ” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to the state of __________ .
A.getting fatter | B.becoming worse or less |
C.growing stronger | D.dividing uncontrollably |
What can be learned from the research ?
A.All the older mice healed faster in the research . |
B.Older mice healed better than younger ones after 9 days . |
C.Extra oxytocin in older mice controlled muscle cell division . |
D.Mice with oxytocin injection improved the ability to repair muscle damage . |
What can be a suitable title for the passage ?
A.When Do We Need A Hug ? |
B.A New Anti-aging Product |
C.Hugs Having Healing Power |
D.How Can We Grow Muscles ? |