Research Connection:

Young Adults Who Exercise Have Higher IQ Scores

ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2009) — Young adults who are fit have a higher IQ and are more likely to go on to university, reveals a major new study carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The results were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study involved 1.2 million Swedish men doing military service who were born between 1950 and 1976. The research group analysed the results of both physical and IQ tests when the men enrolled.

Read the full article (PDF format).

 

Are Depression and Inflammations Related to the Food We Eat?

A new study suggests a link! Today's diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3. In the small study, the higher the imbalance between these fatty acids, the more likely subjects suffered from depression or (joint) inflammations. Read the complete news report here.

Mediterranean Diet Relieves Symptoms of Arthritis

Learning how to eat Mediterranean-style may help people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improve their symptoms. A new study shows that participants felt some relief of their pain and symptoms after switching to the Mediterranean diet. But there's a hitch.... Click here to read more of the study

 

Don't get SAD, get Light!

A new study reports two new effective ways of easing the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. And there is a lot of wisdom in older research as well: click here to read more

Depressed? Just Walk It Off!

A study (December 2005) found that one single episode of exercise of 30 minutes duration improves symptoms of depression. Read more about the study findings by clicking here.

 

Depression Genes Found

U.S. researchers identified 19 different genetic regions linked with depression.

Resarchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine screened 81 families with members suffering from recurrent, early-onset, major depressive disorder, which runs in families. They found 19 regions on chromosomes that seem to be involved in the condition, they reported in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. Further work should be able to pinpoint the actual genes involved. Some mutations seem to be sex-specific -- some for women and at least one for men. Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression, and genetic differences appear to account for some of that disparity.

For a full report on this research, please click here

 

Apple Juice May Boost Memory

An apple (or two) a day may help keep Alzheimer's away -- and fight the effects of aging on the brain.
A new study shows drinking apple juice may improve memory by preventing the decline of an essential neurotransmitter...  click here to read the news release

 

Friendlier Workers Are More Productive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It may seem more professional to stay impersonal at work, but in fact friendlier employees are more productive, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. A comparison of the American work ethic to approaches in other countries shows that keeping an emotional distance may not be the most effective way to get the job done, said Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, a psychologist who led the study. Friendly workers pay attention to indirect meanings, work well with other cultures and are perceived as trustworthy, Sanchez-Burks said.

For a full report on this research, please click here

 

Do Medications Really Expire?

When you find a bottle of Aspirin in your medicine cabinet and the expiration date was two years ago, should you throw it out and buy some new pain killers? This interesting article reviews which medications you can comfortably take past their "expiration" date, and which ones you should discard.

click here to read the full article

 

The Bird Flu: Time to panick or time to relax?

What experts have to say about being prepared. Click here

 

MIRROR NEURONS IN AUTISM

An article in Nature Neuroscience in January 2006 reported about mirror neuron deficits in autistic children. These neurons, located in the frontal lobes, help us imitate and anticipate the actions of others. To examine mirror neuron abnormalities in autism, high-functioning children with autism and matched controls underwent fMRI while imitating and observing emotional expressions. Although both groups performed the tasks equally well, children with autism showed no mirror neuron activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis). Notably, activity in this area was inversely related to symptom severity in the social domain, suggesting that a dysfunctional 'mirror neuron system' may underlie the social deficits observed in autism.

 

Flavonols may help ward off pancreatic cancer

A look at the eating patterns of 183,518 California and Hawaii residents has found evidence that a diet high in flavonols might help ward off pancreatic cancer. Read the news release about this study here