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Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reduced heart failure risk in two weeks. One of the great medical research vehicles is the Framingham Heart Study. Originally created in 1948 to study cardiovascular disease, researchers from Boston University assembled a group of volunteers who were monitored in detail and examined every two years. Researchers have used data from the Framingham Heart Study to create a cardiovascular risk evaluation tool called the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The FRS is used to assess someone’s chance of developing cardiovascular disease in the next ten years. Risk groups are: low-less than a 10 percent risk; intermediate- 10-20 percent risk; and high-over 20%. Recently, a research team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi analyzed the effectiveness of a yoga and meditation-based lifestyle to determine if it would result in a lower FRS. Yadav Rashni, PhD and the research team recruited 386 healthy participa

We should know by now that factors that aid the health of that 3 lb. organ in our skull are many and varied. Still, sometimes we are surprised at the findings. Light Level is a Big Deal for Brain Performance You’ve probably heard, and perhaps used the term “cabin fever”. It usually refers to the need to get outside after a prolonged cold spell. That cold spell could also be accompanied by cloudy, overcast days. Lily Yan, MD, PhD and a team of researchers from Michigan State performed some experiments to evaluate the impact of lower light levels on the brain. Using test animals, they found that “When the animals were housed in dim light during the day, mimicking the cloudy days or typical indoor lighting , the animals had a ~ 30% reduction in the dendritic spines, which make the connection between the brain cells, within the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory.”   (Emphasis mine). Further comments from Dr. Yan: “Environmental lighting conditions ca

Alcohol and Brain Health-Part I A few weeks ago, we warned of the risks of alcohol consumption, based on a study by the Department of Psychology at Oxford University. Five hundred fifty people were tracked over thirty years, with detailed records of their health maintained.   Anya Topiwala, PhD and Charlotte L. Allen, PhD led the project. From the study: “…even those drinking moderately had three times the odds of right sided hippocampal atrophy” Also from that study: “Light-to-moderate drinking has been associated with a lower risk of dementia and a reduced incidence of myocardial infarction and stoke. Brain imaging studies, however, have thus far failed to provide a convincing neural correlate that could underpin any protective benefit.” Link to study here . Further, the definition they used to determine a moderate amount were different than the old U.S. four once glass of wine, 1.5-ounce cocktail or ten-ounce beer. In all cases they were smaller. A half-pint of beer as

Use These Two New Research Findings to Build Your Bigger Better Brain in 2018 Best, the benefits come from easy- to- do things. Walking Has Newly-Discovered Brain Benefits If you’ve been following our posts, you certainly know that exercise is your top brain-building activity for 2018. Here’s the latest, and rather interesting, research. A team of researchers from schools of medicine at New Mexico University, Colorado University and the University of Copenhagen studied healthy young adults performing different activities.  They found that walking and running have a unique effect: they create pressure waves beginning in the feet caused by landing on the ground. Those pressure waves propel blood into the brain. That contrasts to other exercises like cycling where there isn’t either the lighter foot pressure of walking or the heavier foot pressure of running. Link to the research here . That 10,000 steps thing seems to have some scientific support (oh and remember that we repo