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Older adults who took afternoon naps for less than 30 minutes no more than four days a week scored higher on cognitive tests than those who took longer and more frequent naps.
New research found that while exercise offers health benefits for overweight people compared with not exercising, their excess weight still puts them at greater risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Walking can improve cardiovascular health, strengthen the immune system, and help manage weight. Yet it’s easy to make walks too passive. To provide the full benefits of walking, workouts need to pose a challenge and be tailored to meet specific fitness goals. The best way to do this is to adjust routines to focus more on intensity, strength, and endurance.
In general, men don’t really go through “menopause” because testosterone levels slowly decline over many decades. Symptoms such as low energy and decreased sex drive can sometimes be related to low testosterone levels that may improve with replacement therapy.
The brain has the capacity to “grow” as a person ages. Exposure to challenging experiences and tasks that require a person to learn and memorize information and skills stimulates the brain to form new neural connections, an ability called neuroplasticity. This helps to maintain, and may even improve, memory and other brain functions.
Studies show that people who regularly adhere to the Mediterranean diet lower their risk of cardiovascular disease, many types of cancer, and cognitive decline with age. But it’s possible that this healthy diet can be made even healthier. New research suggests that making the diet “greener” by boosting amounts of dark green vegetables, green tea, and plant proteins high in the micronutrients known as polyphenols offers even greater benefits.
A minimally invasive treatment known as radiofrequency ablation is just as effective as surgical procedures to treat varicose veins.
Uncommon cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques that involve striking the chest (known as a precordial thump and percussion pacing) are not recommended for cardiac arrests that occur outside the hospital.
People with type D personalities are anxious, irritable, and angry. They also tend to feel ill at ease in social situations and uncomfortable opening up to others—and they have a higher-than-average risk for heart disease. The negative emotions that characterize Type D temperaments trigger the stress response. Repeated surges of stress hormones in the body can cause blood pressure to rise and make the blood more likely to clot. Stress also activates the immune system, triggering inflammation that damages blood vessels.
Cancer survivors should be aware that cancer and its treatments—including newer immune-based therapies—can compromise cardiovascular health. Risk calculators to estimate the 10-year odds of having a heart attack or stroke may underestimate risk in people who’ve received treatment for cancer. Cancer survivors should stay vigilant for any new heart-related symptoms during and after treatment. The most common include shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, and a rapid, irregular heartbeat.