Zoomer Report

Here’s another clue about maintaining mental health into old age.

Living well is not only good for your health ... researchers studied the aging differences in identical twins ... and found one part was genetics, but the visible signs of aging also depend on the health choices they made. Here's a list of the top five aging mistakes ... and what you can do to fix them.

"Yo-yo dieting" alters the ligaments in the face and makes you look older. Instead...find your ideal weight and maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan to help you stay there. Don't lose too much weight.

If you're over 45 ... remind yourself that having the body of a 15 year old, size 0 model will make you look "less" ... not more ... attractive.

Bad lifestyle choices such as "smoking" make you appear older. Stress is an ager. While you can't necessarily avoid a divorce or quit your job, you can seek out ways to help deal with that stress. And eating too much sugar leads to sagging, wrinkled skin.

Cut back on sugary products with ingredients such as corn syrup, glucose, fructose and sucrose.

It’s no surprise. A healthy lifestyle will help look good as well as feel good!

On average, people reported being less worried after the age of 50, and less stressed and angry in the years after their 20s. People in their 70s and 80s had the fewest negative emotions. That was the case even though they were dealing with more medical problems and the deaths of people close to them.

Researchers at New York's Stony Brook University came to these conclusions after examining a 2008 Gallup phone survey of more than 340,000 people who live in the United States.

The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found people were more stressed and angry in their 20s, and their levels of stress and anger declined all the way through their 80s. As for worrying, from around 20 to about age 50, the pattern was flat. But then there was a reduction in how much people worried through their 80s.

What's going on? One popular theory is that people stop looking forward as they get older and begin appreciating what they have in life. It’s also possible that they make decisions to maximize their pleasure in the now.

Bottom line it’s another piece of information that debunks some stereotypes about older people. And that’s good news for Zoomers.

Here’s some good news about getting older. A new survey suggests aging may actually help us take it easier and be happier.

The research published in the journal Circulation shows eating processed red meat -- such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and cold cuts -- is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.

But the study shows no such link for unprocessed red meat.

Eating one serving a day of processed meat -- or the equivalent of a single hot dog or two slices of salami -- was associated with a 42% increased risk for heart disease and a 19% increased risk for diabetes.

Eating unprocessed beef, pork, or lamb was not linked to a higher risk. The study is the largest research review ever to attempt to tease out the health impact of eating processed vs. unprocessed red meat. Both types of meat contain similar amounts of fat and cholesterol, but processed meats contain about four times more sodium and 50% more nitrate preservatives.

The finding has important implications for public health. The researchers advise that eating processed meat once a week would be fine. And they caution that this study should not be taken as license to eat unlimited amounts of unprocessed red meat.

We all know that it’s a good idea to cut back on red meat. Now a new study finds the kind of meat you eat makes a big difference.

A study in the journal Psychological Science examined a database of professional baseball players and found those who put on a happy face in their official photographs — ended up living longer than those who didn't smile. Those with broad smiles lived an average of five years longer than players who didn't smile — reaching an average age of nearly 80. Those with partial smiles lived an average of 73 years.

While psychologists have found increasing evidence that a positive outlook leads to a more stable and happy life, this is the first time they have linked smile intensity with lifespan.

Psychologists say this makes sense but it doesn't necessarily mean people who don't smile a lot are facing a shorter life expectancy.

Bottom line, it’s another indication that happiness is good for your health.

They say a smile can brighten the darkest day. Now researchers think it can also extend your days.

What’s the tone of your conversations? Surprisingly it makes a difference in whether or not they will provide you with mental benefits. A study finds friendly discussions with other people can help you solve common life challenges, but conversations that are competitive in tone aren't helpful.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found engaging in a short, 10-minute conversation in which participants got to know another person helped boost the their performance on a variety of cognitive tasks involving memory, self-monitoring, and the ability to suppress distractions. But when the conversations had a competitive tone, the participants showed no improvement on those tasks.

They believe that performance boosts come about because these social interactions induce people to try to read others' minds and take their perspectives on things. Bottom line: the findings suggest that having a friendly talk with a colleague before a big test or presentation may prove beneficial.