More rest is among the healthy habits that doctors say can help people control their stress.

Doctors say exercise is key to functioning at a high level.

People who need to begin an exercise regimen should lean on family and friends for support.

Other positive coping mechanisms can include more laughing and helping others through volunteering.

Managing stress

Teenagers do not need to be rail thin to be practicing the dangerous eating behaviors associated with anorexia, a new study suggests.

Rather, the true measure of trouble may be significant weight loss, and the Australian researchers noted that a drastic drop in weight carries the same risk for life-threatening medical problems even if the patient is a normal weight.

Even more concerning, the scientists saw a nearly sixfold increase in this type of patient during the six-year study period.

Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness characterized by excessive weight loss and psychological symptoms that include a distorted self-image and fear of weight gain. In some patients, this can also include depression and anxiety.

Peanut allergies no more?

US university finds way to reduce peanut allergens by 98 to 100 percent.

A new method for removing allergens from peanuts means help could soon be on the way for millions suffering from a potentially life-threatening allergy to the popular food, the US Department of Agriculture said.

In a blog post, the agency said researchers at North Carolina A&T State University have found a way to reduce peanut allergens by 98 to 100 per cent by focusing on certain proteins that can trigger food-related anaphylaxis, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction.

“We found that treating peanuts with protein-breaking enzymes reduced allergenic proteins,” said Jianmai Yu, a food and nutrition researcher at NC A&T’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The university has signed an agreement with Xemerge, a Toronto-based firm that commercialises emerging technologies in food and agriculture, to research the marketing potential of hypoallergenic peanut products.

“This is one of the best technologies in the food and nutrition space we have seen,” Johnny Rodrigues, chief commercialisation officer of Xemerge, said on the university’s website. “It checks all the boxes: non-GMO, patented, human clinical data, does not change physical characteristics of the peanut.”