Train your heart to protect your mind — New study links cardiovascular health to cognitive changes as we age – Exercising to improve our cardiovascular strength may protect us from cognitive impairment as we age. This is revealed in a new study by researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated Institut universitaire de gératrie de Montréal Research Centre.
People who enjoy life maintain better physical function as they age – People who enjoy life maintain better physical function in daily activities and keep up faster walking speeds as they age, compared with people who enjoy life less, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Here comes the sun to lower your blood pressure – Exposing skin to sunlight may help to reduce blood pressure and thus cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggests. Research carried out at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh shows that sunlight alters levels of the small messenger molecule, nitric oxide (NO) in the skin and blood, reducing blood pressure.
Fish derived serum omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes – High concentrations of serum long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oils may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world, including Finland.
Smoking changes our genes – The fact that smoking means a considerable health risk is nowadays commonly accepted. New research findings from Uppsala University and Uppsala Clinical Research Center show that smoking alters several genes that can be associated with health problems for smokers, such as increased risk for cancer and diabetes.
Large study links nut consumption to reduced death rate — Research also shows people who eat nuts weigh less – In the largest study of its kind, people who ate a daily handful of nuts were 20 percent less likely to die from any cause over a 30-year period than were those who didn’t consume nuts, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Fun and friends help ease the pain of breast cancer — Kaiser Permanente study among the first to examine how social relationships influence quality of life in breast cancer patients – Breast cancer patients who say they have people with whom they have a good time, or have “positive social interactions” with, are better able to deal with pain and other physical symptoms. This study provides research-based evidence that social support helps with physical symptoms.
Drinking cup of beetroot juice daily may help lower blood pressure – A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, revealed researchers. People with high blood pressure who drank about 8 ounces of beetroot juice experienced a decrease in blood pressure of about 10 mm Hg. But the preliminary findings don’t yet suggest that supplementing your diet with beetroot juice benefits your health.
Sugar-sweetened beverages may be linked to about 180,000 deaths in the world each year — American Heart Association Meeting Report – Sugar-sweetened sodas, sports drinks and fruit drinks may be associated with about 180000 deaths around the world each year. Sugar-sweetened beverages are consumed throughout the world, and contribute to excess body weight, which increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers.
The Nutrition Facts Label: Helping Americans Make Heart-Healthy Choices – February is American Heart Month, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a tool to help you achieve a heart-healthy lifestyle. It?s called the Nutrition Facts Label, and it can be found on all packaged foods and beverages.
Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people – Stroke may be affecting people at a younger age, revealed by researchers. “The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol,” said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
Exercise improves memory, thinking after stroke, study finds – Just six months of exercise can improve memory, language, thinking and judgment problems by almost 50 per cent. Toronto researchers found that the proportion of stroke patients with at least mild cognitive impairment dropped from 66 per cent to 37 per cent during a research study on the impact of exercise on the brain.
