9 Habits That The World's Healthiest & Longest-Lived People Share

About 20 years ago, working for National Geographic, and with a grant from the National Institute on Aging, I started identifying and studying the longest-lived people, those who are in what we called the world's Blue Zones. These are people who have eluded heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and several types of cancer. 

My goal, in a sense, was to reverse-engineer longevity. Since only about 20% of the average person's life span is dictated by genes, I reasoned that if I could find the common denominators among people who've achieved the health outcomes we want, I might distill some pretty good lessons for the rest of us to follow. I discovered nine powerful lessons—the power nine—that underpin all five Blue Zones. Here they are: 

1. Move naturally.

2. Find purpose.

3. Downshift.

4. Follow the 80% rule.

5. Eat mostly plants.

6. Drink wine at 5.

7. Find belonging.

8. Put loved ones first.

9. Find the right community.

Read More from MGB Health

Effects of meditation therapy on fear of disease progress and mental health among acute myocardial infarction patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of meditation therapy on fear of disease progress and mental health among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Methods: Totally, 120 cases of acute myocardial infarction patients admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University were divided into experimental group and control group according to the enrolled time. 60 patients with AMI treated from June to November 2018 served as the control group and 60 patients with AMI treated from January to May 2019 served as the experimental group. The patients in the control group received routine nursing, the experimental group carried out 4-week meditation therapy based on the routine nursing. Before and after intervention, the effect was assessed by Fear of Progression Questionnaire- ................................

 Conclusion: Meditation therapy can effectively decrease disease progress and promote mental health in patients with acute myocardial infarction. 

Read more at DOI 10.3760/cma.j.cn211501-20200929-04054

Covid: Cardiff mum trains to become nurse after husband's death

 

A mum-of-three whose husband died with Covid wants to become a nurse after seeing the "compassion" he was shown in hospital. (Nov 16)

Rachel Ohene-Adjei's husband, Eric, 46, died in April after seven weeks in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff.

Rachel said a consultant held her hand as she said goodbye to her husband.

She has started studying GCSE maths and English again on the road to her new career.

Read more at BBC News

Dementia breakthrough: The daily food to eat that 'strongly' reduces the risk of decline

 

THE THREAT of dementia looms large across the rich world, with people living longer than ever before. Fortunately, research continues to suggest brain decline can be frustrated, if not prevented. A recent study suggests a daily intake of a particular food is "strongly" predictive of a reduced risk.

............

Greater age-related FI decline increases Alzheimer’s disease risk, and recent studies suggest that certain dietary regimens may influence rates of decline.

However, it is uncertain how long-term food consumption affects FI among adults with or without familial history of Alzheimer's.

To fill in the gaps, researchers in the study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease examined how the total diet is associated with long-term cognition among mid-to-late-life populations at-risk and not-at-risk for Alzheimer's.

Among 1,787 mid-to-late-aged adult UK Biobank participants, 10-year FI trajectories were modelled and mapped onto dietary decisions based on self-reported intake of 49 whole foods from a Food Frequency Questionnaire.

UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource, containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants.

After conducting their analysis, researchers found daily cheese intake "strongly" predicted better FI trajectory scores over time...

Read more at Express.co.uk

Dementia: Common over-the-counter medication linked to '44 percent' increased risk

 

DEMENTIA risk could rise by a whopping 44 percent if you take certain over-the-counter medication.  Express.co.uk / Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD.

"Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a medication to help reduce acid reflux," said Dr Glenville. "They are now thought to increase the risk of developing dementia by 44 percent because they increase the level of beta-amyloid in the brain." Experts at the Alzheimer's Association described beta-amyloid as a "microscopic brain protein". The amyloid hypothesis is that the sticky compound accumulates in the brains of dementia patients, disrupting communication between brain cells.

The Alzheimer's Society added: "According to the amyloid hypothesis, these stages of beta-amyloid aggregation disrupt cell-to-cell communication and activate immune cells.

"These immune cells trigger inflammation. Ultimately, the brain cells are destroyed."

Dr Glenville warned there are "several" other over-the-counter medicine that could have an impact on the way the brain works.

Anticholinergics – found in treatments for colds, flu, heartburn, and sleep problems – "block the chemical acetylcholine that your body needs to transmit electrical impulses between nerve cells".

Read More at Express.co.uk

‘It’s like a miracle’: The man who may be the first person cured of type 1 diabetes

 

 

Brian Shelton’s life was ruled by type 1 diabetes. When his blood sugar plummeted, he would lose consciousness without warning. He crashed his motorcycle into a wall. He passed out in a customer’s yard while delivering mail. Following that episode, his supervisor told him to retire, after a quarter-century in the US Postal Service. He was 57.

His ex-wife, Cindy Shelton, took him into her home in Elyria, Ohio. “I was afraid to leave him alone all day,” she said. Early this year, she spotted a call for people with type 1 diabetes to participate in a clinical trial by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The company was testing a treatment developed over decades by a scientist who vowed to find a cure after his baby son and then his teenage daughter got the disease.

Read more at the Irish Times