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All is not lost
Scientists from Columbia University presented new evidence that our brains continue to make hundreds of new neurons a day, even after we reach our 70s, in a process known as neurogenesis, reports The New York Times. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news? Researchers did uncover some differences in the brains of young people and older people. Specifically, they found that development of new blood vessels in the brain decreases progressively as people get older. They also discovered that a protein associated with helping new neurons to make connections in the brain decreased with age. This might explain why some older people suffer from memory loss or exhibit less emotional resiliency, according to researchers.
The cost of loneliness
Loneliness can hurt productivity and profits. The share of American adults who say they’re lonely has doubled since the 1980s to 40 percent, according to a report in the Washington Post. Though the U.S. doesn’t track the financial effect of disconnected workers, researchers in Britain estimate the penalty to businesses can reach $3.5 billion a year, accounting for higher turnover and heftier healthcare burdens. A recent study in the Harvard Business Review found 61 percent of lawyers surveyed ranked “above average” on a loneliness scale from the University of California at Los Angeles. Other particularly lonely groups were engineers (57 percent), followed by research scientists (55 percent), workers in food preparation and serving (51 percent), and those in education and library services (45 percent).
Go easy on yourself
A healthy dose of self-compassion actually helps us form habits that support good health, reports the Washington Post. A 2017 study published in Health Psychology Open found that people who have higher levels of self-compassion tend to handle stress better – they have less of a physical stress response when they are stuck in traffic, have an argument with their spouse or don’t get that job offer – and they spend less time reactivating stressful events by dwelling on them. That’s important, because not only does chronic stress directly harm health – the physical responses to stress include spikes in blood pressure and blood sugar, along with suppression of the immune system – but if you also react strongly to stress, you’re more likely to use unhealthy short-term coping mechanisms such as smoking or numbing your feelings with food or alcohol. The study also found that self-compassionate people are more likely to adopt health-promoting behaviors and maintain them even if they don’t appear to be paying off in the short term.
Are you ready, boots?
Exercise does not have to be prolonged in order to be beneficial, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It just has to be frequent. “Despite the historical notion that physical activity needs to be performed for a minimum duration to elicit meaningful health benefits, we provide novel evidence that sporadic and bouted [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] are similarly associated with substantially reduced mortality,” write the researchers. “This finding can inform future physical activity guidelines and guide clinical practice when advising individuals about the benefits of physical activity. Practitioners can promote either long single or multiple shorter episodes of activity in advising adults on how to progress toward 150 minutes-per-week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity]. This flexibility may be particularly valuable for individuals who are among the least active and likely at greater risk for developing chronic conditions.
Obesity and cancer
Doctors can’t always explain why one person gets cancer and another doesn’t. But research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chance of getting cancer, reports National Institutes of Health. One risk factor is obesity, or having too much body fat. Many studies have found links between obesity and certain types of cancer. That doesn’t mean obesity is the cause of these cancers. People who are obese or overweight may differ from lean people in ways other than their body fat. Yet, studies have consistently linked obesity with an increased risk for several types of cancer. Researchers are now exploring what biological mechanisms might link obesity and cancer.
No badge of honor
Getting insufficient sleep and working while fatigued have become commonplace in the modern 24/7 workforce, with more than 37 percent of workers sleep-deprived, according to the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project. Overworked and overtired employees experience cognitive declines and present employers with heightened safety risks and increased economic costs. The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project – including partners the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Sleep Research Society (SRS) and the National Safety Council (NSC) – is launching the “Sleep Works for You” campaign, encouraging employers to help workers avoid fatigue and develop healthy sleep habits for long-term success and well-being.
Hoarding is a disorder
People don’t choose to be hoarders. And they aren’t being sloppy or lazy. “This is a very real mental disorder,” says hoarding disorder expert Dr. David F. Tolin of Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living. “It is important to recognize that people with hoarding disorder have lost control of their decision-making abilities,” says Tolin, whose research is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Hoarding disorder can start during a person’s teens or later. It may grow more severe over the decades. There’s no effective medication for hoarding disorder, although studies are in progress. Tolin says, “Right now, cognitive behavioral therapy is the only evidence-based treatment we have for hoarding.” This is a type of talk therapy that teaches people how to change their thinking patterns and react differently to situations.
Sweet nothings
Added sugars are almost everywhere in the modern diet – sandwich bread, chicken stock, pickles, salad dressing, crackers, yogurt and cereal, as well as in the obvious foods and drinks, like soda and desserts, according to a report in the New York Times. The biggest problem with added sweeteners is that they make it easy to overeat. They’re tasty and highly caloric but they often don’t make you feel full. Instead, they can trick you into wanting even more food. Sugar is the driving force behind the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Health experts recommend that you focus on reducing added sweeteners – like granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, stevia and molasses. You don’t need to worry so much about the sugars that are a natural part of fruit, vegetables and dairy products. A typical adult should not eat more than 50 grams (or about 12 teaspoons) of added sugars per day, and closer to 25 is healthier. The average American would need to reduce added-sweetener consumption by about 40 percent to get down to even the 50-gram threshold.
