Zoomer Report

If you’re thinking about taking up yoga, there’s evidence it may have benefits beyond what you’re expecting. A study from the University of Illinois suggests hatha yoga may also boost brain function in older adults.

Researchers studied people between the ages of 55 and 79. Some attended hatha yoga classes, while the others did stretching and toning exercises. At the end of eight weeks, the group that did yoga three times a week performed better on cognitive tests than it had before the start of yoga classes. They displayed significant improvements in working memory capacity and were also able to perform the tasks quickly and accurately, without getting distracted.

The group that did stretching and toning displayed no significant change in cognitive performance over time.

The researchers speculate that the focus on body, mind and breath during yoga practice may have carried over to situations outside of the yoga classes, resulting in an improved ability to sustain attention.

Over the years, all sorts of health benefits have been attributed to yoga - including boosting the immune system, easing migraines and promoting better sleep.

Here’s a tip from scientists on how to avoid a holiday hangover. It may come down to the colour of your preferred tipple.

A study out of Brown University found that bourbon gave drinkers a more severe hangover than vodka. They suffered more headaches, nausea, loss of appetite and thirst.

One reason could be that bourbon contains 37 times more toxic compounds than vodka does, including nasty organic molecules such as acetone, acetaldehyde, tannins and furfural. Researchers say a good rule of thumb for liquors, is that the clearer they are, the less of these substances they contain.

But vodka drinkers aren’t off the hook: Drinkers’ sleep suffered equally with both drinks, as did their performance the morning after on tasks requiring attention and quick responses.

You know the famous “five-second rule” —Well scientists are now saying it’s a bunch of baloney to think we can eat dropped food as long as it’s quickly scooped off the floor.

Clemson University food researchers re-visited the long debated issue in National Geographic.

Though previous research has shown we may have up to a minute to rescue certain types of spilled food before it becomes contaminated, this work makes a strong case for the “zero-second rule.”

The study found that salmonella and other bacteria can live up to four weeks on dry surfaces and be immediately transferred to food.

The zero-tolerance standard, however, conflicts with the findings by other researchers, who found, for instance, that it takes a minute for apple slices to pick up bacteria from a college dining room floor.

Still, most researchers agree that the critical thing is not time, but location.

Some say it’s okay to brush off the bagel that fell from the stroller onto the sidewalk and give it to your screaming child, for example, because the pavement is cleaner than the kitchen floor in terms of the types of germs that cause illnesses. They argue the kitchen floor, however, is probably a zero-second zone because the bacteria from uncooked meat and chicken juices are more hazardous than the ‘soil’ bacteria outside.

The bathroom floor is another zero-second zone because it’s a great potential source of bacteria and shorter-lived viruses that can cause gastrointestinal illness if ingested.

It is an agonizing decision for terminally ill cancer patients and their families. Should they undergo more chemotherapy?

The answer is usually no for very sick patients. But palliative chemo is often considered a reasonable option for those who are stronger, because of the hope that it may ease symptoms or buy time.

Now, a study suggests that end-of-life chemotherapy is more likely to make things worse. The work in JAMA Oncology followed more than 300 patients with a prognosis of less than six months to live. About half opted for end-stage chemotherapy.

Researchers found that treatment worsened quality of life for those patients who could still work and perform day-to-day tasks when the study started. And it didn’t improve things for those who were sicker at the beginning.

The findings are the opposite of what was expected because the patients who were assumed to benefit did not. The lead researcher says the bottom line is that incurable cancer patients with a limited life expectancy who use chemotherapy are likely to impair the quality of their remaining days.

There’s more evidence about the benefits of exercise, especially as we age. A study out of Norway finds that older men doing three hours of exercise a week lived around five years longer than those who were sedentary.

The research tracked 5700 men aged tracking 68 to 77. It found that those putting in the equivalent of six, 30-minute sessions of any intensity, were 40% less likely to have died during the 11-year study. While those who carried out vigorous exercise saw the highest benefits, even light intensity activity lowered mortality risk – However, anything less than an hour a week of light exercise had no impact.

The benefits of exercise are well-known but the experts behind the study said they were taken back by just how large the impact could be, even in later life. The report detailed that even men who were 73 years of age at start of follow-up, had five years longer than the sedentary.

The study concluded that the impact of this physical activity was as good as quitting smoking. The work only looked at men, but the researchers say the findings would apply equally to women.

Are you a foodie? It means you’re passionate about food and love trying new dishes. Many people think those of us who fit this description are indulgent and gluttonous, let along pretentious. But a study from the famous Cornell Food and Brand Lab suggests the opposite: Foodies weigh less and could be in better health than the less discerning among us.

The researchers asked 500 women about their weight satisfaction, lifestyle and personality traits and provided a list of 16 novel foods and asked them to report which ones they had tried.

Those who had sampled nine or more of the foods on the list were considered "foodies" in the study and the rest were classified non-adventurous eaters.

The research team adjusted the data to draw on possible associations between adventurous eating, BMI and body image.

Those who said they had tried things like beef tongue, Kimchi and rabbit also described themselves as more concerned with the healthfulness of what they ate than did those who stuck to traditional fare.

Foodies were also more physically active and their BMI’s were slightly lower than their counterparts.

The study authors say these findings are important to dieters because they show that promoting adventurous eating may provide a way for people -- especially women -- to lose or maintain weight without feeling restricted by a strict diet.

Here’s an interesting tidbit for those of us who are pondering the possibility of living to 100. Men are less likely than women to reach that milestone, but according to a study out of London, those who do tend to be healthier than their female peers.

The British researchers found that women are now four times more likely than men to hit 100. But they are more likely to suffer broken bones or develop more than one chronic health problem, such as incontinence or loss of vision or hearing. Men had fewer chronic ailments. All of the centenarians were more likely to have chronic, nonfatal issues such as arthritis rather than more serious diseases like cancer or diabetes. And the study authors say they found a surprising number of 100-year-olds who had no major illnesses.

The researchers analyzed public health records of more than 11,000 centenarians. The number of women living to 100 increased by 50 percent between 1990 and 2013, the study found, compared to a 30 percent increase among men. More research is needed to understand why some people reach very old age without serious health problems and some don't.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Here’s another reason to hate excessive noise. According to Swedish researchers. Exposure to noise from traffic, trains, planes and maybe even deafening restaurants could be linked to a burgeoning belly.

The study in Occupational & Environmental Medicine followed 5000 people around Stockholm for four years. It found that women had a 0.08-inch increase in waist size for every additional 5 decibels in noise exposure. For men the increase was .06 inches. And the risk of a larger waist rose with the number of sources of noise someone was exposed to at the same time.

The scientists speculate that long-term exposure to noise, especially from traffic may affect our metabolism and lead to abdominal obesity. That’s because noise is stressful, and stress can alter levels of hormones which influence where in the body excess calories are deposited. Earlier research has shown associations between traffic noise and high blood pressure and heart attacks. They conclude that since abdominal obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, noise should be recognized as a serious threat to public health.

Here’s something unexpected to look forward to when your marriage hits the 50 year milestone. For many, if not most couples who have been together for a long time, things can get a little dull in the bedroom. Now a study says that after around 50 years of marriage, your sex life could pick up again thanks to a renewed sense of trust and commitment.

Researchers at Louisiana State university analyzed the sex lives of over 1,600 adults from their late-50s all the way to their mid-80s. They noticed a slight "rebound" in how often long-married couples were having sex once they had surpassed 50 years of marriage.

They say that while new couples start off with vibrant sex lives, the frequency often diminishes over time. But the good news for long-married couples is that after all those years together, a sense of commitment, and continuity could be what leads to an uptick in sexual activity

Another fascinating finding was the frequency of sex in first marriages versus second marriages. Researchers found that people who stay in their first marriages instead of getting divorced and remarried, often have more sex.

Here’s another reason to make sure you eat lots of fibre. If you do, you might be less likely to die prematurely from a range of illnesses -- including heart disease, cancer, and infection, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

We already know that fibre promotes weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and protects against heart disease. This work suggests that it has broader health benefits and may prevent other common killers.

Researchers followed 400,000 people for 9 years, and found that people who ate the most fibre were 22 percent less likely to have died of any cause during the study than people who ate the least, when they took into account age as well as health and lifestyle factors.

Fibre is found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Most Canadians get only half of the recommended amount. After the age of 50, women should get 21 grams, men 30. For example, a half cup of raw almonds has nearly 9 grams, a cup of cooked oatmeal has 4 grams and half a cup of pitted prunes has about 6 grams.

The researchers say the bottom line is: eat as much fibre as possible.