Your Health

An older man performs exercises in Mumbai, India. Research suggests that moderate physical exercise may be the best way to keep our brains healthy as we age.

How Exercise And Other Activities Beat Back Dementia

8:45am April 16, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

"What's good for the heart is good for the brain," one neuroscientist says. In addition to physical exercise, researchers say mental exercise, socializing and a good diet can help preserve memory.

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Lou Ann Schachner, 84, and Jay Schachner, 81, are volunteers with the Northwestern University SuperAging Project. They keep track of all their plans in a shared calendar. She loves to cook and study French and he is a part-time tax lawyer.

Inside The Brains Of People Over 80 With Exceptional Memory

8:45am April 16, 2013

by Michelle Trudeau

Research into why some people have strong memory well into old age suggests that their brains are different from their peers. Some parts of the brains of "superagers" responsible for attention, thinking and memory seem to be spared the typical age-related shrinkage.

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Red Meat's Heart Risk Goes Beyond The Fat

1:03pm April 12, 2013

Reporting in Nature Medicine, researchers write that a chemical in red meat, L-carnitine, may up the risk of heart disease in people and mice--but only in frequent red-meat eaters. Study author Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic explains how diet changes the gut's bacterial flora, and how that can affect heart health.

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A window into dreams may now be opening.

Researchers Use Brain Scans To Reveal Hidden Dreamscape

2:57pm April 05, 2013

by Rob Stein

Philosophers, poets and psychologists have long shared a fascination with dreams. Now Japanese scientists have scanned the brains of dreaming volunteers to create a lexicon of imagery that can be used to detect and decode dreams while a person sleeps.

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Reducing dietary salt and alcohol, exercising, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight are other lifestyle tweaks known to help prevent or reduce high blood pressure, doctors say.

Health & Safety

Study Hints Vitamin D Might Help Curb High Blood Pressure

8:50am April 05, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

In the ongoing debate about the possible benefits of vitamin D supplements, a study suggests that the vitamin might indeed play a role in mildly reducing high blood pressure. The study was small and looked at just African-Americans, but the authors say the findings warrant further research.

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When Melissa McCann (left) suffered a stroke in 2007, her twin sister, Terry Blanchard, helped her make a full recovery. McCann is now back to work as a flight nurse with Life Flight at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

Health & Safety

As Stroke Risk Rises Among Younger Adults, So Does Early Death

8:50am April 05, 2013

by Richard Knox

A study found that 1 in 5 adults ages 20 to 55 who survive strokes will die within 20 years of the event — a rate much higher than doctors expected. The findings mean doctors need to pay a lot more attention to younger stroke survivors.

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A micrograph of HeLa cells, derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks.

Health & Safety

Sequencing Of HeLa Genome Revives Genetic Privacy Concerns

1:32pm March 28, 2013

by Eliza Barclay

Henrietta Lacks' family was never consulted before her genetic information was made public. Author Rebecca Skloot, who chronicled the story of her cells, says current regulations aren't covering the privacy questions that come up for people like the Lacks family.

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People who are socially isolated may be at a greater risk of dying sooner, a British study suggests. But do Facebook friends count? How about texting?

Maybe Isolation, Not Loneliness, Shortens Life

11:54am March 27, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

Loneliness and isolation often go hand in hand, so teasing out which factor is harder on health isn't easy. But a British study now suggests that, while loneliness may make you unhappy, it's social isolation that could take years off of your life. Discuss (with a friend).

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Can the Anti-Aging Secret Be Found In ... Red Wine?

3:04pm March 21, 2013

Can red wine slow down the aging process? According to a new study published in Science, a compound found in the skin of grapes activates an anti-aging gene in mice that promotes longevity. Harvard Medical School's David Sinclair discusses the research findings.

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'Nightmare Bacteria' Defy Even Last-Ditch Drugs

3:04pm March 21, 2013

'Nightmare bacteria,' strains of superbugs resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, have quadrupled in number in the last decade--and have been found lurking in hospitals in 42 states. NIH epidemiologist Tara Palmore and infectious disease specialist Brad Spellberg discuss how to find and contain these bugs, and a few ways we might outsmart them.

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