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Health Decline Could be in the Eye of the Beholder

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:36:08 +0000

Research reported in the New York Times suggests that cloudiness in the lens of aging eyes may cause a number of health problems, including insomnia, memory loss, and depression.

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Companionship for Nursing Home Residents, and They Don't Eat Much, Either

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:20:28 +0000

Paro in action in a Japanese nursing home © AIST Japan

Pets like cats and dogs are becoming staples in nursing homes around the world, for the companionship, affection, and improved quality of life they can offer to the residents. But robotic animals?

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Mediterranean and DASH Diets Rank High for Older People

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:57:23 +0000

A new review of popular diets, like the Atkins, NutriSystem, and Ornish plans, cautions that certain ones might not be appropriate for older adults. The research, published in this month's issue of Clinical Geriatrics, compared many weight-loss regimens, to judge their appropriateness for aging adults, for whom obesity is a growing problem.

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Don't Stress the Cocoa Content

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:21 +0000

_{How much cocoa do you need? © Sharon Basaraba}

If you love chocolate, you might be concerned about confining your consumption to very dark products, that is, 75% cocoa, or higher. Turns out, what makes that chocolate the healthiest, has less to do with the percentage of cocoa, and more to do with how it's processed.

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Long Love Affair With Chocolate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:54:10 +0000

(MIB Pictures / Getty Images)

The next time you give a loved one chocolate, consider this: you could be offering them a delicacy - and a longer life. There's a growing body of evidence showing chocolate may enhance your longevity, mostly through a reduction in cardiovascular events. Even consuming just a small amount, regularly, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

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The Price of White Teeth

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:47:11 +0000

Americans spend more than $1.4 billion a year on over the counter teeth whitening products, says the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry - in an effort to look younger, and more attractive. According to news reports like this one from ABC News, dentists have coined the term 'bleachorexia", for the obsessive pursuit of white teeth. This, despite growing evidence that over-whitening can thin enamel, which, ironically, will make teeth appear more yellow.

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Healthiest Chocolate Comes in Small Packages

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:18:27 +0000

A little goes a long way (Sharon Basaraba ©)

Attention all chocolate lovers (and that's a club with a lot of members): when it comes to choosing which chocolate is the healthiest, quantity, and frequency, may be more important than quality. A couple of fairly recent research reviews looking at the effect of chocolate consumption and cardiovascular disease, analysed how often, and how much, chocolate people ate, without distinguishing between milk or dark chocolate. For example, in a British Medical Journal review of seven studies involving about 114,000 subjects, University of Cambridge researchers concluded those who ate chocolate more than twice a week had a 37 per cent lower chance of developing heart disease, and a 29 per cent lower risk of stroke - whether they ate their chocolate dark, in drinks, baking or as nutritional supplements.

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When Counting Sheep Doesn't Work

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:42:45 +0000

(Digital Zoo/Getty Images)

Whether it's a rare bout of insomnia, or a chronic pattern of sleeplessness, getting the zzzz's you need can be tougher as you age. Chronic pain, the effects of certain medications, and anxiety, can all affect how soundly you sleep, or the duration of your sleep.

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Winter Help for Hands and Nails

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:26:28 +0000

If you're like me, winter is a time of barely-recognizable hands. Granted, I live in Calgary, home of 20% relative humidity and this week, -40 degree temperatures with the windchill (whether you use Fahrenheit or Celsius scales, it's the same number). But even if you are in a more moderate climate, forced-air heating and cold weather can wreak havoc on aging nails and hands, not to mention hair. Not surprisingly, pharmaceutical companies sometimes do research in these extreme climates to find out what works.

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Cybercycling May Save Cognitive Ability in Seniors

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:08:20 +0000

A new study suggests that watching virtual reality tours on-screen while riding your stationary bike, will ward off more than boredom - it could help you avoid dementia.

Published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, the research examined whether exercising on a 'cybercycle' would offer greater protection against cognitive decline when compared with exercise alone.

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