More Evidence that Exercise is Key to Brain Health

Regular physical activity—even walking—may be key to maintaining a sharp mind as we get older, two new studies suggest.

While that’s not a new discovery, the studies plug critical gaps in the scientific literature and corroborate previous reports linking exercise to reduced rates of mental impairment in older adults.

The message is now clearer than ever: “If you stay physically active,…

Does Smoking Help Protect the Joints?

Smoking will increase your risk of cancer, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, and dying young, but if you manage to dodge all those bullets, it may actually reduce your need for joint-replacement surgery later in life.

Curious as it may sound, a new study of nearly 11,000 older men in Australia has found that the longer the men smoked, the…

Apples May Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer

Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? Maybe, but the average person only eats about one fresh apple per week.

Apples are a good source of vitamin C and fiber, while being low in calories. One average-sized apple has about 80 calories. Apples also contain large amounts of phytochemicals called flavonoids that work as antioxidants to protect the…

To Avoid Middle-Age Weight Gain, Drop the Chips and Hot Dogs

Everyone knows the basic prescription for staving off excess weight gain in middle age: Eat less and exercise more. But a new study of long-term weight patterns among more than 120,000 adults suggests that some foods and behaviors—such as potato chips and TV watching—have a disproportionate impact on our waistlines.

The men and women in the study,…

Most High School Students Don’t Exercise Enough

High school students aren’t doing much running—and when they do run, there’s a good chance it’s to a vending machine.

Roughly one-third of high school students in the U.S. drink two or more sodas, sports drinks, or other sugary beverages per day, but only 15% get the one hour of daily aerobic exercise that health officials recommend,…

The Mediterranean Diet

People seeking a diet steeped in history and based on geography may want to check out the Mediterranean Diet. This heart-healthy diet includes the food staples of people who live in the 16 countries around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece and Italy.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes foods with healthy fats — those containing omega-3 fatty acids — plus other…

How to Find Your BMI Index

Research shows that high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes are linked to obesity. You can help avoid these diseases by making sure that you have a healthy body mass index. Finding your body mass index requires a quick calculation of your weight and height, which determines how much body fat you have. A healthy body mass index…

Coffee Linked to Lower Risk of Fatal Prostate Cancer

Men who drink a lot of coffee might feel a bit jittery or high-strung, but those side effects may come with a hidden benefit: prostate health. According to a new study, drinking six or more cups of coffee per day can lower a man’s risk of fatal prostate cancer by up to 60%.

A decreased risk of cancer was seen…

Waist Size Predicts Heart-Disease Death Better Than Weight

Doctors have long known that obesity increases a person’s risk of heart disease, but in recent years the picture has grown more complicated.

Several studies have found that a high body mass index is associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and other chronic illnesses—a mysterious phenomenon that has come to be known as the “obesity paradox.”…

Heavy Teens at Increased Risk of Heart Disease Years Later

Teenage boys who are even slightly overweight face an increased risk of heart disease later in life, even if they slim down as adults, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Regardless of their adult weight, men who were obese as teenagers were nearly seven times more likely than their slimmest peers…

Laughter, Music May Lower Blood Pressure

Listening to your favorite tunes or funny jokes could lower your blood pressure, perhaps even as much as cutting salt from your diet or dropping 10 pounds, according to the preliminary results of a small study presented today at an American Heart Association meeting in Atlanta.

In the study, Japanese researchers found that people who took part in bimonthly…