Month: May 2015

Working up more of a sweat when you exercise may help you live longer, two new studies find. And for most people more vigorous exercise appears to be safe, a third study suggests. All of the studies focused on middle-aged or older adults. One included more than 204,000 people. Researchers kept track of them for more than 6 years. They were divided into groups based on how much of their exercise was vigorous, such as running, compared with moderate activity, such as brisk walking. Those who said up to 30% of their exercise was vigorous were 9% less likely to die during the study than those who did no vigorous activity. The death rate was 13% lower for those who did more than 30% vigorous exercise. A second study had similar results. The journal JAMA Internal Medicine published both of them. The journal Circulation published the third study, which looked at cardiac arrest risk.

People who engage in arts and crafts, use computers or have an active social life may stay mentally sharp longer as older adults, a new study suggests. The study included 256 adults, ages 85 or older. They had normal brain function when the study began. Researchers asked them about their activities, both current and earlier, during middle age. During the next 4 years, nearly half developed mild cognitive impairment. This is a problem with memory or thinking that can lead to dementia. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for differences in sex and education. They found that people who were involved in artistic pursuits during midlife and later life were 73% less likely to develop brain problems than others. Those who did crafts, used computers or had an active social life had half the risk of brain problems of those who did not do these things.

People with an abnormal heart rhythm may have a higher risk of stroke if they also have certain changes in part of the heart, a new study suggests. The study looked at 169 people with atrial fibrillation. This condition causes part of the heart to quiver rather than beat normally. People in the study received a type of MRI before having a procedure to treat the abnormal rhythm. This type of MRI shows heart muscle movement, among other things. Researchers looked at the MRI results. They compared people who did or did not have a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). They saw differences in the heart between these two groups. The function of the upper left chamber (atrium) was different in those who had a history of stroke or TIA. Researchers said that seeing these features on an MRI may show a higher risk of stroke.