4 . How tall are you? Do you tower over your friends and family - or are they people you literally have to look up to?     1     But do you know that there’s a possibility that we’re all getting taller?

Of course, our height is out of our control.     2     The idea that being taller gives you more power and authority might be a tall story, but according to David Robson, writing for BBC Future, “on the basis of first impressions alone, taller people may have the edge.” He adds that various studies have found that the greater your height, the higher you score on measures of happiness and enjoyment of life.

    3     Scientists have known for a long time that humans with good diets and reliable access to food tend to grow taller and mature more quickly. Adult height in some countries has rocketed as they transformed into a developed society.

In a recent study scientists have discovered a brain receptor, called MC3R, linked to our growing process.     4     “It tells the body we’re great here and we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly, have puberty (发育期) soon and make lots of babies. This discovery could lead to drugs to improve muscle mass and treat delayed growth,” UK researchers say.

For those eager to be taller, we need to look at the Dutch, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of us as the tallest people in the world. But, of course tall people have to stoop (俯身) through doorways and struggle to fit in cars and can have joint and cardiovascular problems.     5    

8 . Only one in three adolescents are practising appropriate hand hygiene(卫生), a new global study involving University of Queensland researchers has found.

Dr Yaqoot Fatima from UQ’s Institute for Social Science Research said there was a renewed emphasis on adequate hand hygiene with COVID-19. “We used data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey from 92 countries across the six WHO regions to examine the prevalence (普遍)of hand hygiene practices in adolescents worldwide,” Dr Fatima said, “Our results highlight that globally, adolescents practice inadequate hand hygiene. Adolescents who reported unhealthy behaviours such as being more seated, smoking, and experiencing bullying at school were more likely to practise inappropriate hand hygiene than their peers. In comparison, parental support and bonding emerged as a key factor associated with adequate hand hygiene practices in adolescents.”

The researchers examined 354,422 adolescents aged 13–17 years to demonstrate the considerable cross-country variations in hand hygiene practices. Dr Fatima said that although access to soap and water was an issue, around 60 percent of adolescents were not practising appropriate hand hygiene even when they had access to water and soap. While access to handwashing facilities and knowledge of proper hygiene is important for practising adequate hand hygiene, the study showed that the knowledge-behaviour gap is a major reason for insufficient hand hygiene practices.

Bullying prevention at school, systematic combination of health and hygiene education in the school curriculum and peer-led behaviour could be strategies to reduce inappropriate hand hygiene practices in adolescents. The positive role of parental support and bonding suggests that interventions (干预) aiming to improve adolescent hand hygiene should focus on parents and seek their active involvement in designing and delivering those interventions. “With these strategies adopted properly, we are sure to raise public awareness of hand hygiene practices.” Dr Fatima said.

10 . Who doesn’t dream of a bright, beautiful, pearly-white smile? It’s something most of us long for — after all, great teeth are a sign of good health, fortune, and youth.     1    . It's people's lifestyles that are contributing to poor tooth health. Here we have listed the worst habits for your teeth.

Avoiding your dentist (牙医)

How often do you go to the dentist?     2     According to reports, around 33 percent of the population in Britain do not visit their dentists as often as they should. This is unfortunate as seeing a dentist regularly is often your first line of defence against more severe dental diseases.

    3    

For some reason, most people get into the habit of moving their brushes back and forth over their teeth. Now, you may think that this is getting rid of all the germs (细菌) but there are actually better methods you should employ. Instead of back and forth, you should be using short, circular movements to brush your teeth.

Not flossing (用牙线清洁牙齿) regularly

    4     However, this simply isn’t the case. Though regular brushing gets rid of the germs on the surface of your teeth, it often has little impact on the food stuck between your teeth, which is all germs need. This is why it is important to floss at least once a day.

Sipping sugary drinks all day

By drinking sugary drinks throughout the day, your teeth are being exposed to sugar for greater amounts of time which can lead to higher levels of tooth decay (蛀蚀) and other oral health issues. So, what should you do? Well, to start with, try to reduce your intake of sugary drinks as much as possible.     5