Sunday, August 29, 2021

Latest Health Research

 Aging

Postponed retirement slows cognitive decline

*Participating in the labor market until the age of 67 slows cognitive decline and is protective against cognitive impairment, study indicates* Participating in the labor market until the age of 67 slows cognitive decline and is protective against cognitive impairment, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s. This protective effect appears to hold regardless of gender and educational or occupational attainment. These findings were recently published in the journal *SSM Population Health.* The team of researchers with Jo Mhairi Hale, Maarten J. Bijlsma, and Angelo Lorenti, all affiliat... read more

Having a good listener improves your brain health
[image: Social Support and Cognitive Performance] CAPTION Higher social listener availability slowed cognitive decline even as brain volume decreased. CREDIT NYU Langone Health Supportive social interactions in adulthood are important for your ability to stave off cognitive decline despite brain aging or neuropathological changes such as those present in Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. In the study publishing August 16 in *JAMA Network Open*, researchers observed that simply having someone available most or all of the time whom you can count on to listen to you when ... read more

Mentally stimulating jobs linked to lower risk of dementia in old age
People with mentally stimulating jobs have a lower risk of dementia in old age than those with non-stimulating jobs, finds a study published by *The BMJ* today. One possible explanation is that mental stimulation is linked to lower levels of certain proteins that may prevent brain cells forming new connections (processes called axonogenesis and synaptogenesis). Cognitive stimulation is assumed to prevent or postpone the onset of dementia. But trial results have varied and most recent long term studies have suggested that leisure time cognitive activity does not reduce risk of d... read more

Key mental abilities can actually improve during aging
It’s long been believed that advancing age leads to broad declines in our mental abilities. Now new research from Georgetown University Medical Center offers surprisingly good news by countering this view. The findings, published August 19, 2021, in *Nature Human Behaviour*, show that two key brain functions, which allow us to attend to new information and to focus on what’s important in a given situation, can in fact improve in older individuals. These functions underlie critical aspects of cognition such as memory, decision making, and self-control, and even navigation, math, ... read more

Lack of exercise and poor nutrition could increase the risk of diseases like dementia
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that both diet and exercise can influence the risk of cognitive decline (CD) and dementia by potentially influencing hippocampal neurogenesis (the process by which the brain produces new brain cells) long before their onset. The study, published in *Alzheimer's & Dementia*: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, suggests that altered neurogenesis in the brain could potentially represent an early biomarker for both CD and dementia. The investigation studied how ... read more
Health News Report1 week ago

Exercise

Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness
Physical fitness is a powerful predictor of health outcomes In the largest study performed to date to understand the relationship between habitual physical activity and physical fitness, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that higher amount of time spent performing exercise (moderate-vigorous physical activity) and low-moderate level activity (steps) and less time spent sedentary, translated to greater physical fitness . “By establishing the relationship between different forms of habitual physical activity and detailed fitness measures, we... read more


Isometric resistance training effectivesin reducing office blood pressure
When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? High blood pressure affects 1.13 billion people around the globe and in 2019, it accounted for 10.8 million deaths. Worldwide, it’s the leading risk factor for mortality. More than a third of the Australian population over the age of 18 has high blood pressure, yet it’s estimated 50 per cent of Australians don’t realise they’re living with it. As high blood pressure puts you at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke (cardiovascular disease), it’s important to keep track of your blood pressure. People over the age o... read more

Regular exercise, even in polluted areas, can lower risk of death
Regular exercise, even performed in areas with air pollution, can reduce the risk of death from natural causes, according to new research in *CMAJ* (*Canadian Medical Association Journal*) *https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202729*. “Habitual exercise reduces the risk of death regardless of exposure to air pollution, and air pollution generally increases the risk of death regardless of habitual exercise. Thus, habitual exercise should be promoted as a health improvement strategy, even for people residing in relatively polluted areas,” writes Dr. Xiang Qian Lao, Jockey C... read more

Hypothermia may go unnoticed when exercising in the cold
In a study published this month in *Physiology & Behavior,* research teams at the University of Tsukuba, led by Takeshi Nishiyasu, and at Niigata University of Health and Welfare, led by Tomomi Fujimoto, have found that, when exercising, people cannot perceive decreases in their core body temperature caused by the cold as well as they can when they are resting. This research has implications for recreational activities in colder climates, such as hiking and skiing. Body temperature is maintained in several ways. Although your body subconsciously adjusts energy, fluid secretion, a... read more


COVID

Largest real-world study of COVID-19 vaccine safety 
The Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, analyzed one of the world’s largest integrated health record databases to examine the safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162B2 vaccine against COVID-19. The study provides the largest peer-reviewed evaluation of the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine in a nationwide mass-vaccination setting. The study was conducted in Israel, an early global leader in COVID-19 vaccination rates. Previous efforts to characterize vaccine safety have relied on voluntary active reporting by vaccinated individuals, which... read more

The combination of mask wearing and keeping windows open is best for reducing Covid-19 risk in cars
As the country prepares to live in a post-Covid-19 world and car travel – including taxi and car-sharing services that mix households – returns to normal, new research from the University of Surrey has confirmed that keeping car windows open to draw in fresh air is key to reducing the risk of contracting the virus in vehicle environments – but there are trade-offs. In a paper published by* Environment International,* Surrey's renowned Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) explored what motorists must consider to make sure their in-car environments are as Covid-secure as ... read more

COVID-19 is most transmissible 2 days before and 3 days after symptoms appear
New study also finds that infected individuals are more likely to be asymptomatic if they contracted the virus from someone who was asymptomatic Each wave of the pandemic has underscored just how gravely contagious COVID-19 is, but there is less clarity among experts on exactly when—and to what extent—infected individuals are most likely to spread the virus. Now, a new study co-led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher has found that individuals infected with the virus are most contagious two days before, and three days after, they develop symptoms. *... read more

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH), BIOHM Health LLC, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center have published a paper in the *Frontiers of Nutrition*, proposing a hypothesis and theory about a microbiome-driven approach to combating depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their paper, Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, PhD, FAAM, FIDSA, and colleagues, write that significant stressors brought about and exacerbated by COVID-19 are associated with startling surges in mental health illnesses, specifically those related... read more

Antacid famotidine improves the odds of survival for COVID-19 patients, especially when it is combined with aspirin
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors in Wuhan noticed something surprising. Many of the elderly patients who survived the virus were poor: not exactly the demographic you would expect to fare well in a health crisis. A review of the survivors’ medical records revealed that a significant number suffered from chronic heartburn and were taking an inexpensive drug called famotidine, the key ingredient in Pepcid. (Wealthier patients tended to take the more costly drug omeprazole, found in Prilosec.) Was an over-the-counter acid suppressant helping people survive COVID... read more

Existing drugs and a supplement, lactoferrin, kill SARS-CoV2 in cells
Could the next therapy for COVID-19 already be at your local pharmacy? Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers worldwide have been looking for ways to treat COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 vaccines represent the best measure to prevent the disease, therapies for those who do get infected remain in short supply. A new groundbreaking study from U-M reveals several drug contenders already in use for other purposes—including one dietary supplement—that have been shown to block or reduce SARS-CoV2 infection in cells. The study, published recently in the *Proceedings of the... read more

Diet

How saturated fat from various foods relates to cardiovascular disease.
A study in more than 100,000 individuals has found a potential link between eating saturated fat from meat and developing heart disease. The preliminary research is presented at ESC Congress 2021.1 Study author Dr. Rebecca Kelly of the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, UK said: “The association seen between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease risk in observational studies has previously been unclear; our findings are important because they provide a possible explanation — that the relationship may vary depending on the food source. We found tha... read more

Mediterranean diet shows promise in men with erectile dysfunction
A Mediterranean diet is associated with improvements in erectile dysfunction, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1 Men with hypertension are twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction as their peers with normal blood pressure.2 Erectile dysfunction is primarily considered a disorder of the small arteries, which lose the ability to dilate and augment flow. Declining testosterone levels in middle age contribute to its onset. Previous research has shown that fitness is linked with improved survival in men with hypertension,3 while the Mediterranean diet lowers bl... read more

Drinking sufficient water could prevent heart failure
Staying well hydrated throughout life could reduce the risk of developing heart failure, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1 “Our study suggests that maintaining good hydration can prevent or at least slow down the changes within the heart that lead to heart failure,” said study author Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, US. “The findings indicate that we need to pay attention to the amount of fluid we consume every day and take action if we find that we drink too little.” ... read more

Gut bacteria and flavonoid-rich foods are linked and improve blood pressure levels
Hypertension Journal Report — Flavonoid-rich foods, including berries, apples, pears and wine, appear to have a positive effect on blood pressure levels, an association that is partially explained by characteristics of the gut microbiome, according to new research published today in *Hypertension*, an American Heart Association journal. “Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolizing flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects, and this study provides evidence to suggest these blood pressure-lowering effects are achievable with simple changes to the daily diet,” s... read more

Pecan-enriched diet shown to reduce cholesterol
While the proper pronunciation of pecan remains a subject of debate, University of Georgia researchers have shown the tree nut can dramatically improve a person’s cholesterol levels. Participants at risk for cardiovascular disease who ate pecans during an eight-week intervention showed significant improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, in a study conducted by researchers in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “This dietary intervention, when put in the context of different intervention studies, was e... read more

Small changes in diet could help you live healthier, more sustainably
Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, while choosing to eat a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of extra healthy life, according to a University of Michigan study. The study, published in the journal Nature Food, evaluated more than 5,800 foods, ranking them by their nutritional disease burden to humans and their impact on the environment. It found that substituting 10% of daily caloric intake from beef and processed meats for a mix of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and select seafood could reduce your dietary carbon footprint by one-... read more

New study disproves “fast carbs make you fat” claim
A study recently published in *Advances in Nutrition*, a peer-reviewed nutrition journal from the American Society for Nutrition, concludes that high-glycemic (high-GI) foods (often called “fast carbs”) are no more likely than low-GI foods (often called “slow carbs”) to lead to weight gain – and no less likely to lead to diet-induced weight loss. Undertaken to assess the hypothesis that high-GI foods promote fat storage and increase risk of obesity by causing a rapid increase in blood sugar and insulin secretion, and that low-GI foods do the opposite, the comprehensive study ana... read more

People who eat a diet rich in vitamin K have up to a 34 percent lower risk of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease
New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that people who eat a diet rich in vitamin K have up to a 34 percent lower risk of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels). Researchers examined data from more than 50,000 people taking part in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study over a 23-year period. They investigated whether people who ate more foods containing vitamin K had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease related to atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in the arteries). There are two types of vitamin K found ... read more

Low glycemic diet shows meaningful improvements for people with diabetes
For people with diabetes, sticking to a low glycemic diet results in small but important improvements in blood sugar levels, cholesterol, weight and other risk factors, finds a study published by *The BMJ* today. These improvements were seen over and above existing drug or insulin therapy, suggesting that a low glycaemic diet might be especially helpful as add-on treatment to help those with diabetes better achieve their targets, say the researchers. The glycaemic index (GI) rates how quickly different foods affect blood sugar levels and research has shown that low-GI foods, such... read more

New research from Harvard explores link between walnut consumption and life expectancy
*Findings show a connection between regular walnut consumption and greater longevity, as well as reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases* According to a study by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, higher walnut consumption – both in terms of the amount and frequency – may be associated with a lower risk of death and an increase in life expectancy among older adults in the U.S., compared to those who do not consume walnuts. “What we’ve learned from this study is that even a few handfuls of walnuts per week may help promote longevity, especia... read more

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Latest Health Research - Diet


General Health

Sunlight makes you fall in love
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight enhances romantic passion in humans. In the study both men and women were exposed to UVB (ultraviolet radiation type B) under controlled conditions, and the findings were unequivocal: increased levels of romantic passion in both genders. The study revealed that exposure to sunlight affects the regulation of the endocrine system responsible for the release of sexual hormones in humans. The study was led by PhD student Roma Parikh and Ashchar Sorek from the laboratory of Prof. Carm... read more


Stress busting techniques lead to healthier behaviors
Learning new ways to manage stress can naturally lead to a healthier lifestyle and greater wellbeing, new research suggests. People who developed and practised strategies for coping with worry and rumination were found to sleep better, drink less alcohol and eat healthier food, analysis of several studies from around the world has shown. Worry is often concerned with feared future events, while rumination is continuously thinking about stressors encountered in the past. Both are common coping responses to stress. The research team were aiming to establish whether reducing these re... read more

FIghting depression during COVID-19 pandemic: Researchers propose lifestyle changes, diet and probiotics for rebalancing microbiome
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH), BIOHM Health LLC, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center have published a paper in the *Frontiers of Nutrition*, proposing a hypothesis and theory about a microbiome-driven approach to combating depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their paper, Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, PhD, FAAM, FIDSA, and colleagues, write that significant stressors brought about and exacerbated by COVID-19 are associated with startling surges in mental health illnesses, specifically those related... read more

Engaging in diverse daily activities is associated with a diverse set of emotions, but beneficial nevertheless.
New research shows that keeping busy with a variety of activities can elicit both positive and negative emotions, and some of the relationship could depend on your age. A new study published in the *Journal of Gerontology* finds that engaging in diverse daily activities is associated with a diverse set of emotions. "Experiencing a broad spectrum of emotions is adaptive and beneficial to health because it means having a more balanced and nuanced appraisal of daily life," said Soomi Lee, assistant professor of aging studies in the University of South Florida College of Behavioral a... read more

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has lowered the recommended starting age of screening for type 2 diabetes
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has lowered the recommended starting age of screening for type 2 diabetes from age 40 to 35 and recommends screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in overweight or obese adults ages 35 to 70. The USPSTF also recommends that clinicians should offer or refer patients with prediabetes to effective preventive interventions. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Screening asymptomatic adults for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes ... read more

Think leisure is a waste? That may not bode well for your mental health
More stress and less happiness for those who are skeptical of fun Feeling like leisure is wasteful and unproductive may lead to less happiness and higher levels of stress and depression, new research suggests. In a series of studies, researchers examined the effects of a common belief in modern society: that productivity is the ultimate goal and time’s a-wasting if you’re just having fun. People who most strongly agreed with this belief not only enjoyed leisure less, but also reported poorer mental health outcomes, said Selin Malkoc, co-author of the study and associate professo... read more

Too much time on a computer, watching TV or other sedentary activities raises stroke risk
Adults younger than age 60 whose days are filled with sedentary leisure time (which includes using the computer, TV, or reading) and little physical activity have a higher stroke risk than people who are more physically active, according to new research published today in *Stroke*, a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. According to American Heart Association statistics, U.S. adults spend an average of 10.5 hours a day connected to media such as smartphones, computers or television watching, and adults ages 50 to 64 spend the mo... read more

Lack of exercise and poor nutrition could increase the risk of diseases like dementia
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that both diet and exercise can influence the risk of cognitive decline (CD) and dementia by potentially influencing hippocampal neurogenesis (the process by which the brain produces new brain cells) long before their onset. The study, published in *Alzheimer's & Dementia*: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, suggests that altered neurogenesis in the brain could potentially represent an early biomarker for both CD and dementia. The investigation studied how ... read more

Just 10% of kids with ADHD outgrow it, study finds
*Researchers said that attention deficit hyperactive disorder waxes and wanes over a lifetime* Most children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) don’t outgrow the disorder, as widely thought. It manifests itself in adulthood in different ways and waxes and wanes over a lifetime, according to a study published Aug.13 in the *American Journal of Psychiatry.* “It's important for people diagnosed with ADHD to understand that it's normal to have times in your life where things maybe more unmanageable and other times when things feel more under control,” said... read more

Vitamins and Supplements

Existing drugs and a supplement, lactoferrin, kill SARS-CoV2 in cells
Could the next therapy for COVID-19 already be at your local pharmacy? Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers worldwide have been looking for ways to treat COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 vaccines represent the best measure to prevent the disease, therapies for those who do get infected remain in short supply. A new groundbreaking study from U-M reveals several drug contenders already in use for other purposes—including one dietary supplement—that have been shown to block or reduce SARS-CoV2 infection in cells. The study, published recently in the *Proceedings of the... read more

New analysis of landmark scurvy study leads to update on vitamin C needs
Peer-Reviewed Publication It was wartime and food was scarce. Leaders of England’s effort to wage war and help the public survive during World War II needed to know: Were the rations in lifeboats adequate for survival at sea? And, among several experiments important for public as well as military heath, how much vitamin C did a person need to avoid the deadly disease scurvy? In one experiment at the Sorby Research Institute in Sheffield, called the “shipwreck” experiment, volunteers were fed only what the navy carried in lifeboats. The grueling experiment resulted in more water an... read more


Does vitamin D improve muscle health?
Vitamin D supplementation does not have beneficial effects on muscle function, strength, or mass, according to an analysis of all available data from relevant randomized controlled clinical trials. The analysis, which is published in the *Journal of Bone and Mineral Research*, included 54 trials involving 8,747 individuals. Overall, there were no benefits of vitamin D over placebo for improving muscle health. On the contrary, vitamin D appeared to have detrimental effects in terms of increased time spent performing what’s called the Timed Up and Go test, a decrease in maximum str... read more
Health News Report1 week ago

Vitamin D may protect against young-onset colorectal cancer
Consuming higher amounts of Vitamin D – mainly from dietary sources – may help protect against developing young-onset colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to the first study to show such an association. The study, recently published online in the journal *Gastroenterology*, by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and other institutions, could potentially lead to recommendations for higher vitamin D intake as an inexpensive complement to screening tests as a colorectal cancer prevention strategy for adul... read more
Health News Report1 week ago



Sleep

Short naps don’t relieve sleep deprivation
A nap during the day won't restore a sleepless night, says the latest study from Michigan State University's Sleep and Learning Lab. "We are interested in understanding cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. In this study, we wanted to know if a short nap during the deprivation period would mitigate these deficits," said Kimberly Fenn, associate professor of MSU, study author and director of MSU's Sleep and Learning Lab. "We found that short naps of 30 or 60 minutes did not show any measurable effects." The study was published in the journal Sleep and is among the ... read more

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