Brisk Walks May Boost Memory in Older Adults

Older adults who took a brisk walk three times a week did better on memory tests and increased the size of their hippocampus, a portion of the brain involved with memory formation, researchers report. The findings suggest that loss of brain volume in old age can be delayed, and may even be reversible. Brain shrinkage is associated with memory impairment in the elderly. "We can change the brain in older adults," said lead study author Kirk Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

"It's amazing that a one-year period of moderate exercise isn't just slowing down the atrophy, it's actually reversing it." For their the study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Illinois, Rice University and Ohio State University divided 120 sedentary adults in their mid to late 60s, on average, into two groups: one group walked around a track for 40 minutes of aerobic exercise, three days a week, while the other group did stretching. Both groups performed better on a test of spatial memory. Spatial memory helps us to remember things like driving directions or where we left our keys.

But the groups differed in one important way. MRI brain scans showed that after a year on the exercise program, the aerobic exercise group's hippocampus was about 2 percent bigger than it was when they started, the equivalent to a reversal in age-related brain shrinkage of about one to two years, the researchers said. Those in the stretching group had a decrease of hippocampal volume of about 1.4 percent, the investigators found. Those who showed the greatest improvements in memory also showed the greatest increases in hippocampal volume, according to the study, published online Jan. 31 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Odds of Quitting Smoking May Be Clear on Scans

Brain scans can predict a smoker's chances of being able to quit, according to a new study. It included 28 heavy smokers recruited from a smoking cessation program. Functional MRI was used to monitor the participants' brain activity as they watched television ads meant to help people quit smoking. The researchers contacted the participants one month later and found that they were smoking an average of five cigarettes a day, compared with an average of 21 a day at the start of the study.

But there was considerable variation in how successful individual participants were in reducing their smoking. The researchers found that a reaction in an area of the brain, called the medial prefrontal cortex, while watching the quit-smoking ads was linked to reductions in smoking during the month after the brain scan. Previous research by the same team suggested that activity in the prefrontal cortex is predictive of behavior change.

In the new study, published in the current issue of Health Psychology, "we targeted smokers who were already taking action to quit, and we found that neural activity can predict behavior change, above and beyond people's own assessment of how likely they are to succeed," study author Emily Falk, director of the Communication Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and Department of Communication Studies, said in a university news release.

Yoga Health Benefits Tips - for Glowing Beautiful Skin

Now here we will talk about Healthy Skin.

Yes, know a very well its really difficult but,

(1) Practicing yoga for both helps balance the hormones and increase the oxygen supply to your skin. Ensures resilience of the skin, and prevents it from dryness and sagging.

(2) Yoga will also help in toning the muscles of the neck and face. Poor diet and insufficient stimulation of the excretory and circulatory systems allows toxins to build up, which is a major cause of eruptions in the skin.

(3) Balasana (Child Pose), Uttanasana (Forward Bending Pose), Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose), and Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose) are those which really effective for glowing skin.

(4) Improves blood circulation and helps to remove toxins from the body, helps to provide nutrition at the cellular level. All the internal organs and particularly the endocrine glands get activated and their functioning is optimized, helps to reduce the stress levels considerably and provides complete relaxation.

(5) Yoga asanas and pranayama makes you free from disease by strengthening the immune system. Healthy body means healthy skin.

(6) They can specially benefit women to retain their natural beauty while coping up with menstrual problems, child birth, work and home stress etc., helps women to stay slim and active. So, ideally start your day with yoga practice.

Best Healthy Foods that Help You Lose Weight Fast

(1) Our first meal of the day is Breakfast and it must not be skipped as it’s very important, you get your energy for the entire day.

A cup of Total cereal should be mixed together with a pack of raisins and a cup of nonfat milk. You only get 244 calories from a serving of raisin bran and 100 percent of the daily value for vitamins and minerals. Mix one cup of Total cereal, a packet of raisins, and 1 cup nonfat milk. This simple.

(2) Scrambled whites with greens as an alternative to the traditional scrambled eggs for breakfast that you can choose which will give you 54 grams of dietary proteins or equivalent to 255 calories.

How to Prepare: - Heat a pan and pour fat-free Pam. In a bowl, blend four servings of Eggology egg whites and half a cup of spinach and half a cup of mushrooms. Fry this and enjoy saving 40 calories and 100 milligrams of cholesterol.

(3) Balanced Diet Shake contains 180 calories and has lots of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. French vanilla and chocolate royale can be used to add natural flavor which are really cool and tasty refreshment also be nutritious.

Now I want to talk with you about your and Mine LUNCH, let’s go with it…

Lunch helps boost energy and keeps your metabolism regulated.

(1) Boca Burger Grilled Vegetable burger which is one of the favorite lunch meals for me has soya beans, red bell pepper, garlic, onion, cheese, tomato and lettuce. This heavy burger will allow you to save up to 180 calories and 19 grams of fat as compared to the typical beef burger.

(2) Alvarado Street sprouted wheat tortilla, don’t worry it’s really easy to prepare, made from organic tortilla and stuffed with greens, tomato, carrots, grilled chicken or any lean meat like turkey. You will be consuming 50 calories less and 5 grams of fat less from the traditional wrap with oily toppings and calorie-filled mayo.

Now it’s turn for DINNER,

It will help you sleep better and become more energized during the day.

(1) Spaghetti squash is typical spaghetti but is actually way healthier, is rich in fluids, potassium, carbohydrates, pantothenic acid and Vitamin C.

(2) Papadini, pure-lentil bean pasta, hi-protein, for those allergic to the said substance.
Has 5 times of protein per serving as compared to the traditional pasta, it is high in folic acid, protein, carbohydrates and essential vitamins.


Fiber foods have the ability to make you feel full and is very nutritious, but not really contain a lot of calories.

Helps the body and especially the intestinal system function better. To get a good dose of fiber, eat vegetables, fruits and unprocessed grains and cereals.

Best health foods such as health bars, health shakes and health drinks that are second to none when it comes to taste and nutrition.

Weight loss is depends on many things such as the type of activity, age, height such as athletes would require a larger amount of calories compared to people.

Preeclampsia Cures Prevention with Weight Lifting

Women with preeclampsia who lost even a small amount of weight before their next pregnancy were less likely to develop preeclampsia again.

Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can develop during mid- or late pregnancy affecting the health of both mother and child with risk of seizures or stroke if not controlled. It affects between 5 to 8 percent of all pregnant women.

Women might first notice abnormal swelling, headaches and vision changes, but it is clinically characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

Women, who are overweight or obese, are at greater risk for this condition.

Preeclampsia Prevention:-

(1) Make your “diet” a lifestyle change. During pregnancy, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of eating whatever you want, whenever you want. You’ll have to work at resetting your eating attitude. Start to make healthier choices and make them permanent lifestyle changes.

(2) If you’re breastfeeding, focus on being healthy and adding whole grains, fruits and vegetables to your diet. Ditch those empty calories of soda and sweets.

(3) Walk, jump, swim, bike, do cartwheels. Whatever gets you moving helps burn calories, increase energy, and keeps you distracted from snacking, watching TV, and other stationary activities.

(4) Lack of sleep can curb weight loss. So just do it, sleep when the baby sleeps.

(5) Don’t lose weight while pregnant. Weight gain during pregnancy is necessary, just talk to your obstetrician to know how much.

Breast Cancer Outcome: Your Doctor Matters

How doctors choose to treat their breast cancer patients and whether those treatment choices follow established recommendations may play a larger role in whether a cancer returns than experts have believed. In a new analysis looking at 994 women with ductal carcinoma in situ, the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer, researchers found treatment variations from surgeon to surgeon are significant, and may account for up to 30 percent of recurrences.

"Treatment variation is a troubling but well-known phenomenon in health care," said study author Andrew W. Dick, a researcher at RAND Corp. in Pittsburgh. The report is published online Jan. 3 and in the Jan. 19 print issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "The reason it is surprising in this case is that the variation is quite large, and related to factors that are very important in health outcomes," Dick said.

Those factors include having "negative margins" meaning that cancer cells are more than 2 millimeters away from the removed tissue's edge and getting radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery. The variation by surgeon in treatments accounted for 15 percent to 35 percent of cancer occurring in the opposite breast in the next five years and 13 percent to 30 percent of recurrences over 10 years, the investigators found.

Peppermint Benefits – As Natural Health Herbs

Peppermint (Mentha piperita), One of the useful, multipurpose herb, a hybrid of water mint and spearmint, is one of the most widely consumed herbs.

The leaves are commonly used fresh or dried in teas, but it can also be purchased as an essential oil or in capsule form.

Peppermint tea and the essential oil of peppermint often indicated to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from treatment of gastrointestinal problems to pain and migraines and have long been used medicinally.

Peppermint Health Benefits

(1) Improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

(2) We can use as a treatment for IBS symptoms.

(3) It relaxes the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, relieving the pain or bloating associated with IBS

(4) If I am talking especially about Germany then at there, It is licensed for use as a standard treatment for indigestion(dyspepsia).

(5) It can calms the muscles of the stomach and improves the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fats.

(6) Peppermint oil, in combination with caraway oil, helped relieve indigestion.

(7) Efficacy of peppermint in treating respiratory conditions such as asthma were examined.

In U.S., Obesity Afflicts Even Some of the Tiniest Tots

American kids are becoming obese, or nearly so, at an increasingly young age, with about one-third of them falling into that category by the time they're 9 months old, researchers have found. There are some caveats about the research, however. The infants were not studied recently: They were born about a decade ago. And it's not clear how excess weight in babies may affect their health later in their lives. The study found no guarantee that a baby who's overweight at 9 months will stay flabby when his or her second birthday rolls around.

Still, the study in the January-February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion does present a picture of babies and infants who are carrying around a lot of extra weight. The findings also suggest that small changes in an infant's diet can make a big difference, said Dr. Wendy Slusser, medical director of a children's weight program at Mattel Children's Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles. For example, she said, "if you don't give your kid juice and have them eat the fruit instead, suddenly there's 150 calories less a day that can make a big difference in weight gain over a long term."

The researchers examined federal data about 16,400 children in the United States who were born in 2001. After adjusting the statistics so they wouldn't be thrown off by such factors as high numbers of certain kinds of kids, the study authors found that 17 percent of 9-month-olds were obese and 15 percent were at risk for obesity, for a total of 32 percent. At two years, 21 percent were obese and 14 percent were at risk of becoming obese, the investigators found.

Weight Loss Tips – remain healthy also in 2011

(1) Always try to distract yourself when craving comes on.

To subside craving, do something like, walk some distance, involve yourself in to answer pending mails, complete pending phone calls etc…

(2) Take Healthy Snack like air-popped popcorn, pistachios, and wheat puff cakes.

(3) The needs of each person will be different, but the general recommended daily amount of water is 64oz as it’s really helpful to keep body hydrated and more likely to retain “water weight”.

(4) To make calories disappear take help from Fibers… Yes they adds satisfying bulk to food and takes longer to work its way out of your system, meaning less hunger. You can find them easily in Whole-wheat pasta or Kellogg's All-Bran.

(5) Your another natural assistant for losing weight is probiotics as they plays important role in losing weight and to ensure your digestive system is working properly.

You can try a supplement such as Vidazorb chewable probiotics.