Working With Your Hands Does Wonders for Your Brain

Using our hands may actually be key to maintaining a healthy mood, and the lack of this type of activity may contribute to feelings of irritability, apathy, and depression.

When we use our hands on a task that doesn't demand much cognitively, it gives the mind a chance to relax and rest. Knowledge workers constantly use their brain and it rarely catches a break.

There is a huge sense of relief and pleasure from doing something with our hands that doesn't require us to think much about anything. It's magnificent. When the brain is "offline," it gives it a chance to work on problems behind the scenes.

Dr. Herbert Benson, wrote about this phenomenon (and strategy) in his book, The Breakout Principle . When we engage in a repetitive task, completely taking our minds off whatever problem or issue we have been struggling with, the solution will often magically appear.

Working productively with our hands is profoundly pleasurable. There is something primal about this. We are made to be active, and have actively used our hands as part of our daily survival for thousands of years. With the advent of so much technology, many of us move through our days with minimal physical effort. We push a button instead of scrubbing dishes or laundry. Overall, we get far less physical activity than would be optimal for our bodies and minds.

Kelly Lambert wrote about this in her book, Lifting Depression: A Neuroscientist's Hands-On Approach to Activating Your Brain's Healing Power:

"What revs up the crucial effort-driven rewards circuit--the fuel, if you will--is generated by doing certain types of physical activities, especially ones that involve your hands. It's important that these actions produce a result you can see, feel, and touch, such as knitting a sweater or tending a garden. Such actions and their associated thoughts, plans and ultimate results change the physiology and chemical makeup of the effort-driven rewards circuit, activating it in an energized way. I call the emotional sense of well-being that results effort-driven rewards."

She also links a lack of hands-on physical activity to the onset of depression, perhaps contributing to the unusually high rates of mood disorders that we see in today's world:

"Effort-driven rewards and other real-world interactive experiences generate much more intense and pervasive reactions in your brain than the neurochemical alterations produced by a single pill. The result? You begin to feel more control over your environment and more connected to the world around you. This reduces stress and anxiety and, most important, builds resilience against the onset of depression."

Wonderful, isn't it?

What do you normally do when you're feeling stuck or stressed? For a lot of us, we default to eating comfort food, watching Netflix, scrolling through social media feeds, and so on. These things may be relaxing, sure, but we may often feel regret afterward without much brain relief.

What works for you? It could be anything from painting, to washing dishes, to fiddling with a motor.

The next time you are feeling stressed or stuck, try doing something with your hands. It may be exactly what your brain and body need.

The 3 Ingredients For A Long Life

 

Consuming flavonoid-rich items such as apples and tea--two ingredients mixed with a third being moderation protects against cancer and heart disease according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU). Researchers from ECU's School of Medical and Health Sciences analyzed data from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort that assessed the diets of 53,048 Danes over 23 years. They found that people who habitually consumed moderate to high amounts of foods rich in flavonoids, compounds found in plant-based foods and drinks, were less likely to die from cancer or heart disease. No Quick Fix For Poor Habits Lead researcher Dr Nicola Bondonno said while the study found a lower risk of death in those who ate flavonoid-rich foods, the protective effect appeared to be strongest for those at high risk of chronic diseases due to cigarette smoking and those who drank more than two standard alcoholic drinks a day. In a previous study of more than 10,000 men and women, individuals who consumed more of plant compounds called flavonoids--especially one type that is most abundant in apples--were less likely to die from heart disease or develop a variety of chronic diseases, including lung cancer, asthma, stroke and diabetes. "These findings are important as they highlight the potential to prevent cancer and heart disease by encouraging the consumption of flavonoid-rich foods, particularly in people at high risk of these chronic diseases," she said. "But it's also important to note that flavonoid consumption does not counteract all of the increased risk of death caused by smoking and high alcohol consumption. By far the best thing to do for your health is to quit smoking and cut down on alcohol. "We know these kind of lifestyle changes can be very challenging, so encouraging flavonoid consumption might be a novel way to alleviate the increased risk, while also encouraging people to quit smoking and reduce their alcohol intake." How Much Is Enough? Participants consuming about 500mg of total flavonoids each day had the lowest risk of a cancer or heart disease-related death. "It's important to consume a variety of different flavonoid compounds found in different plant based food and drink. This is easily achievable through the diet: one cup of tea, one apple, one orange, 100g of blueberries, and 100g of broccoli would provide a wide range of flavonoid compounds and over 500mg of total flavonoids". Dr Bondonno said while the research had established an association between flavonoid consumption and lower risk of death, the exact nature of the protective effect was unclear but likely to be multifaceted. "Alcohol consumption and smoking both increase inflammation and damage blood vessels, which can increase the risk of a range of diseases," she said. "Flavonoids have been shown to be anti-inflammatory and improve blood vessel function, which may explain why they are associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer.". Dr Bondonno said the next step for the research was to look more closely at which types of heart disease cancers were most protected by flavonoids. 'Flavonoid intake is associated with lower mortality in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Cohort' was recently published in Nature Communications. The ECU study was a collaboration with researchers from the Herlev & Gentofte University Hospital, Aarhus University, as well as the Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, the Universities of Western Australia and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This first appeared in Prevent Disease

The Beauty You See May Be Complex Mathematics

 

Ordinary people see beauty in complex mathematical arguments in the same way they can appreciate a beautiful landscape painting or a piano sonata -- and you don't need to be a mathematician to get it, a new study by Yale University and the University of Bath has revealed. All phenomena, from the infinitely small to the infinitely big...the growth of plants, human body proportions, the structure of crystals, the orbit of the planets, light, music and more has a specific geometric structure. Everything in the Universe follows the same geometric pattern that fractals over and over creating endless possibilities of light, color, shape and sound. The study, published in science journal Cognition, showed people even agreed on what made such abstract mathematical arguments beautiful. The findings may have implications for teaching schoolchildren, who may not be entirely convinced that there is beauty in mathematics. The similarities between mathematics and music have long been noted but the study co-authors, Yale mathematician Stefan Steinerberger and University of Bath psychologist Dr. Samuel G.B.Johnson, wanted to add art to the mix to see if there was something universal at play in the people judge aesthetics and beauty -- be they in art, music or abstract mathematics. The research was sparked when Steinerberger, while teaching his students, likened a mathematical proof to a 'really good Schubert sonata' -- but couldn't put his finger on why. He approached Johnson, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Bath School of Management, who was completing his Ph.D. in psychology at Yale. Johnson designed an experiment to test his question of whether people share the same aesthetic sensibilities about maths that they do about art or music -- and if this would hold true for an average person, not just a career mathematician. For the study, they chose four mathematical proof, four landscape paintings, and four classical piano pieces. None of the participants was a mathematician. The mathematical proofs used were: the sum of an infinite geometric series, Gauss's summation trick for positive integers, the Pigeonhole principle, and a geometric proof of a Faulhaber formula. A mathematical proof is an argument which convinces people something is true. The piano pieces were Schubert's Moment Musical No. 4, D 780 (Op. 94), Bach's Fugue from Toccata in E Minor (BWV 914), Beethoven's Diabelli Variations (Op. 120) and Shostakovich's Prelude in D-flat major (Op.87 No. 15). The landscape paintings were Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California by Albert Bierstadt; A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie by Albert Bierstadt; The Hay Wain by John Constable; and The Heart of the Andes by Frederic Edwin Church. Dividing The Study Into Three Parts. The first task required a sample of individuals to match the four maths proofs to the four landscape paintings based on how aesthetically similar they found them. The second task required a different group of people to compare the four maths proofs to the four piano sonatas. Finally, the third asked another sample group to rate each of the four works of art and mathematical arguments for nine different criteria -- seriousness, universality, profundity, novelty, clarity, simplicity, elegance, intricacy, and sophistication. Participants in the third group agreed with each other about how elegant, profound, clear, etc., each of the mathematical arguments and paintings was. But Steinerberger and Johnson were most impressed that these ratings could be used to predict how similar participants in the first group believed that each argument and painting were to each other. This finding suggests that perceived correspondences between maths and art really have to do with their underlying beauty. Overall, the results showed there was considerable consensus in comparing mathematical arguments to artworks. And there was some consensus in judging the similarity of classical piano music and mathematics. "Laypeople not only had similar intuitions about the beauty of math as they did about the beauty of art but also had similar intuitions about beauty as each other. In other words, there was consensus about what makes something beautiful, regardless of modality," Johnson said. However, it was not clear whether the results would be the same with different music. "I'd like to see our study done again but with different pieces of music, different proofs, different artwork," said Steinerberger. "We demonstrated this phenomenon, but we don't know the limits of it. Where does it stop existing? Does it have to be classical music? Do the paintings have to be of the natural world, which is highly aesthetic?" Both Steinerberger and Johnson believe the research may have implications for maths education, especially at the secondary-school level. "There might be opportunities to make the more abstract, more formal aspects of mathematics more accessible and more exciting to students at that age," said Johnson, "And that might be useful in terms of encouraging more people to enter the field of mathematics." This first appeared in Prevent Disease

The Sun's Benefits Go Way Beyond Vitamin D

The sun has got his hat on, our moods feel lighter and we are gripped by a desire to soak up some solar rays. But no, we keep being told: the threat of skin cancer makes this potentially lethal.

Now, however, scientists are discovering a positive side to sun-worshiping. Getting a good dose of sunshine is statistically going to make us live longer, healthier and happier lives.

Emerging research indicates that sunlight may protect us against a wide range of lethal or disabling conditions, such as obesity, heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. Sunshine has also been shown to boost our libidos and general mood.

This is not simply about vitamin D -- which our skin manufactures from sunlight. The vitamin helps us build healthy bones and teeth and may protect against bowel cancer. But new research indicates that solar rays benefit our bodies in multiple other ways.

Scientists now believe, for example, that exposure to sun prompts our bodies to produce nitric oxide, a chemical that helps protect our cardiovascular system -- and the feelgood brain-chemical serotonin.

LACK OF SUN AS BAD AS SMOKING

A major clue about sunshine's benefits has emerged from a study of nearly 30,000 Swedish women whose sunbathing habits have been followed for 20 years.

In March investigators, from the world-renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, concluded that avoiding the sun is actually as bad for you as smoking.

The study, in the Journal of Internal Medicine, found that 1.5 women in 100 who reported they had the highest exposure to ultraviolet light (by sunbathing up to once a day) were found to have died during the two decades, compared with three in 100 for women who said they had avoided sunbathing.

The avid sunbathers had a significantly lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other conditions that were not related to cancer, the research explains.

Dr Pelle Lindqvist, the epidemiologist who led the study, says the research also found that: 'Non-smokers who avoided the sun had a life expectancy similar to smokers in the highest sun exposure group, indicating that avoiding the sun is a risk factor for death of a similar magnitude to smoking.'

OLDER PEOPLE NEED MORE

Dr Richard Weller, senior lecturer in dermatology at Edinburgh University, last year published a report in the journal Maturitas warning that older people in particular need to get into the sun more. 'Advice on healthy sun exposure needs to be reconsidered,' he urges. 'The older population are particularly sun-deprived as shown by low blood levels of vitamin D and lack of outdoor activity.'

He adds that there is a reduction in cardiovascular disease and deaths from all causes with increased sun exposure. Two years ago, Dr Weller's team established that exposure to sunlight may lower people's blood pressure and thus cut their risk of heart attack and stroke. This benefit has nothing to do with vitamin D.

Instead, it is due to the fact that when our skin is exposed to the sun a compound -- called nitric oxide -- is released in our blood vessels which in turn lowers blood pressure by causing blood vessels to widen.

Dr Weller told Good Health: 'It also appears that sunlight alters the way that our genes behave. Last year, Cambridge University scientists showed that the expression of 28 per cent of our entire genetic make-up varies from season to season.'

SUN HELPS REDUCE INFLAMMATION

The Cambridge investigators reported in the journal Nature Communications that in winter we increase the activity of inflammatory immune-system genes -- to combat infectious bugs -- and in summer we increase the activity of anti-inflammatory genes.

Chronic inflammation is linked to modern epidemics such as heart attacks, diabetes and cancer. Such inflammation results from our immune systems fighting infectious invaders. But this comes at a cost -- as the tissue damage caused by long-term inflammation can itself cause disease. The Cambridge research indicates that sunlight may prompt our bodies to switch down the inflammatory response.

'As well as nitric oxide and gene expression, I think there will be other factors that we have yet to discover,' says Dr Weller.

'There is a correlation between more sun and less disease in a variety of conditions such as multiple sclerosis and atherosclerosis (where arteries are clogged by fatty substances known as atheroma).'

However, the causal link is yet to be shown.

MAY STOP YOU GETTING FAT

Scientists are discovering sunlight may even help us keep slim and healthy, according to studies by the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh that kept mice on high-fat diets while they were exposed to the spectrum of ultraviolet light found in sunshine.

The results show that ultraviolet radiation may suppress the development of obesity and the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. These benefits were again independent of the effects of vitamin D, the researchers report in the journal Diabetes in 2014. Instead they believe the effects are again as a result of the sun boosting production of nitric oxide. The suggestion is that without enough nitric oxide in the bloodstream, insulin may not work properly, allowing diabetes to set in.

Other research indicates that being exposed to plentiful sunlight may reduce our risk of stroke.

Epidemiologists have used weather-satellite records to determine how much sunlight more than 16,000 people living across the U.S. individually experienced over a period of 15 years.

The University of Alabama analysis revealed that the more sunshine someone experienced, the lower their risk of stroke. The study in the journal, Annals of Neurology in 2013, called for further research.

We all tend to feel happier when the sun is out, and this is not simply a matter of morale. Research shows that the main wavelength of light in sunlight stimulates sensors in our retina which regulate our body clock. This in turn regulates the amount of melatonin, the sleep hormone,that our bodies release.

Studies such as a report by Sweden's Uppsala University last month in the journal PLOS One show disruption of melatonin levels is linked to depression, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

CAN HELP KIDS' EYESIGHT

Lack of sunlight has physical effects on children, too. A study by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence in Vision Science in 2009 found those who spend most of their time indoors have a significantly increased incidence of 'high myopia'.

The researchers believe that the neurotransmitter dopamine is responsible. It is known to inhibit the excessive eyeball growth that causes myopia. Sunshine causes the retina to release more dopamine.

Sunlight also lifts men's libidos, according to an Austrian study of 2,299 men published in 2010.

Hormone experts at the University of Gratz discovered that the men's levels of the male sex hormone testosterone peak in the month of August, and fall in the winter, hitting their lowest levels in March.

MAY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER

Could such physical benefits actually outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer?

The official NHS guidance clearly says not. 'There is no safe or healthy way to get a tan from sunlight,' it states, adding that we should try to stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm from March to October, to cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses during these times, and to use at least SPF15 sunscreen.

Dr Weller ackowledges that people who live in sunnier climates have more skin cancer, because solar radiation mutates DNA and generates free radicals that may cause cancers to develop.

But, he argues, we have no proof that sunlight shortens life.

'In fact, the epidemiology suggests that overall, people who have more sunlight tend to live longer, even though their population gets more skin cancer.'

Dr Weller is supported by Martin Feelisch, the professor of experimental medicine at Southampton University who has also been studying sunshine's role in keeping us healthy -- in particular the effect of sunlight-stimulated nitric oxide to protect our cardiovascular systems by lowering blood pressure.

Professor Feelisch warns that avoiding sunlight or using sunblock constantly could be a new risk factor for heart disease -- and more people die from heart disease than skin cancer. 'We believe current public health advice, which is dominated by concerns of skin cancer, needs to be carefully reassessed,' he argues. 'It's time to look at the balance of risk for skin cancer and cardiovascular disease.'

He does not recommend, however, that we spend hours sunbathing.

Meanwhile, Dr Lindqvist, the author of the new Swedish study, says: 'We know in our population, there are three big lifestyle factors [that endanger health]: smoking, being overweight, and inactivity.

'Now we know there is a fourth -- avoiding sun exposure.'

WHEN TO USE SUNSCREEN

We should also be more sparing in our use of sunscreen as it may block the benefits of sunshine, Dr Lindqvist says. 'If you're using it to be out longer in the sun, you're using it in the wrong manner.

However, if you are stuck on a boat and have to be out, it's probably better to have sunscreen than not to have it.'

Thanks to our new scientific appreciation of sun, the balance does seem to need redressing towards enjoying it in healthy moderation.

This article first appeared in Prevent Disease

5 Healthy Habits Increase Life Expectancy By Decade Or More

Maintaining five healthy habits add more than a decade to life expectancy, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The five healthy habits are:
1) Eating a healthy diet
2) Exercising regularly
3) Keeping a healthy body weight
4) Not drinking too much alcohol
5) Not smoking-during adulthood 

Excessively high levels of body fat are a risk to health. Moreover, the distribution of body fat may be as important as total fat, with excess abdominal fat associated with the greatest health risk. Excessively low levels of body fat are also a risk to health and may be indicative of health problems. It is important to have consistent guidelines that can be used to estimate healthy levels of body fat as well as levels that pose risk of health problems.

Individuals who claim that it is too expensive to eat a well-balanced diet may be surprised to learn that in the long term--after one's eating habits have changed--eating healthily may actually be cheaper than their current diet, according to new research findings.

The old tried and claimed true methods of eating less fat have clearly failed millions of people on these types of calorie reduced diets. More importantly, they damage long-term health by lowering critical cholesterol levels which may cause more serious diseases such as cancer.

Researchers found that U.S. women and men who maintained the healthiest lifestyles were 82% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 65% less likely to die from cancer when compared with those with the least healthy lifestyles over the course of the roughly 30-year study period.

The study is the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of adopting low-risk lifestyle factors on life expectancy in the U.S. It will be published online April 30, 2018 in Circulation.

Americans have a shorter average life expectancy-79.3 years-than almost all other high-income countries. The U.S. ranked 31st in the world for life expectancy in 2015. The new study aimed to quantify how much healthy lifestyle factors might be able to boost longevity in the U.S.

Harvard Chan researchers and colleagues looked at 34 years of data from 78,865 women and 27 years of data from 44,354 men participating in, respectively, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The researchers looked at how five low-risk lifestyle factors-not smoking, low body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), at least 30 minutes or more per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, moderate alcohol intake (for example, up to about one 5-ounce glass of wine per day for women, or up to two glasses for men), and a healthy diet-might impact mortality.

For study participants who didn’t adopt any of the low-risk lifestyle factors, the researchers estimated that life expectancy at age 50 was 29 years for women and 25.5 years for men. But for those who adopted all five low-risk factors, life expectancy at age 50 was projected to be 43.1 years for women and 37.6 years for men. In other words, women who maintained all five healthy habits gained, on average, 14 years of life, and men who did so gained 12 years, compared with those who didn’t maintain healthy habits.

Compared with those who didn’t follow any of the healthy lifestyle habits, those who followed all five were 74% less likely to die during the study period. The researchers also found that there was a dose-response relationship between each individual healthy lifestyle behavior and a reduced risk of early death, and that the combination of all five healthy behaviors was linked with the most additional years of life.

"This study underscores the importance of following healthy lifestyle habits for improving longevity in the U.S. population," said Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School and senior author of the study. "However, adherence to healthy lifestyle habits is very low. Therefore, public policies should put more emphasis on creating healthy food, built, and social environments to support and promote healthy diet and lifestyles."

This article first appeared in Prevent Disease

Intense Physical Activity Can Be Done Safely At Any Age With Incredible Results

Growing older may not have to mean growing frail. A preclinical study has revealed that brief periods of intense physical activity can be safely administered at advanced age, and that this kind of activity has the potential to reverse frailty.

High intensity workouts strengthen the body to not only decrease the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, but it can also reduce the symptoms of those who are already suffering from some conditions.

Studies have found these intervals of exercise that push people to their limit can improve their:

1. Cardiovascular system
2. Respiratory health
3. Metabolic functioning
4. Other mechanical functions
5. Cycling
6. Swimming
7. Walking
8. Jogging

Published in the Journal of Gerontology A in June by University at Buffalo researchers, the study is the first to investigate whether a novel, short-session regimen of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be safe and effective in older populations.

The study was conducted on two groups of a dozen mice, each 24 months old, which correlates roughly to 65 years old in human terms. All the mice had been sedentary up until that age. While cautioning that the study was done in mice, the authors state that the results could have significant application to humans.

"We know that being frail or being at risk for becoming frail puts people at increased risk of dying and comorbidity," said Bruce R. Troen, MD, senior author on the study with Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, who is first author.

Troen is professor and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, a geriatrician with UBMD Internal Medicine, and a physician-investigator with the Veterans Affairs Western New York Health Care System. Seldeen is research assistant professor of medicine at UB.

"These results show that it’s possible that high-intensity interval training can help enhance quality of life and capacity to be healthy," Troen said.

The results were striking with mice exhibiting "dramatic" improvements in numerous measurements, including strength and physical performance.

No longer frail

One of the most significant findings was that by the end of the study, five of six mice found to be frail or pre-frail at baseline improved, and four were no longer frail.

"Those four mice who had exhibited the kinds of deficits that correlate to frailty in humans improved to a completely robust level," said Troen. "The HIIT actually reversed frailty in them."

Troen and Seldeen developed mouse equivalents for measures that assess human frailty, including ways to evaluate grip strength, endurance and gait speed, so that they could establish baseline levels and then compare those with results once the study was complete.

"Because the performance measures for the mice are directly relevant to clinical parameters, we think this program of exercise is quite applicable to humans," said Troen. "We’re laying a foundation so we can do this in people and so we can understand how to tailor it to individuals so they can successfully implement this."

Similar to the way that an athletic trainer might individualize a fitness program for a client, Troen and Seldeen tailored intensity levels to each mouse.

"While the mice are genetically identical, they aren’t phenotypically identical," Seldeen explained, "so we customized the exercise program to each mouse, first finding out what each one was capable of at baseline, and then increasing or decreasing the intensity depending on the performance of the mouse during the study."

HIIT was well-tolerated

The 10-minute exercise program involved a three-minute warm-up, three intervals of one minute of high intensity and one minute at lower intensity, and a final minute of higher intensity on an inclined treadmill. The exercises were done three times a week over 16 weeks. All exercises were well-tolerated by the mice.

There were dramatic improvements in grip strength, treadmill endurance and gait speed. The mice showed greater muscle mass and an increase in total mitochondria, the energy factories of cells.

"Increased mitochondrial biomass allows you to utilize oxygen more efficiency," Troen explained. "With HIIT, we saw both mitochondrial increase and an improvement in muscle quality and fiber size in these mice."

As to why HIIT results in such significant benefits to those who engage in it, Troen said that it has to do with the stress to which it subjects the body.

"Exercise stresses the system and the body can respond beneficially," he explained. "We believe that the intensity of individualized HIIT provides a more significant but manageable stress so the body responds more robustly to these short, vigorous periods of exercise.

"In other words, you get more bang for your buck."

Troen and Seldeen cautioned that anyone considering HIIT should check with their physician first.

This first appeared in Prevent Disease

Your Real Age May Be Older or Younger Than Your Years

Age is a peculiar concept. We tend to think of it as the number of birthdays we have celebrated -- our chronological age. But this is just one indicator of the passage of time. We also have a biological age, a measure of how quickly the cells in our body are deteriorating compared with the general population. And these two figures don't always match up.

Just take a look around: we all know people who look young for their age, or folks who seem prematurely wizened. Even in an individual, different parts of the body can age at different speeds. By examining how chronological age lines up with biological age across the population, researchers are starting to pin down how these two measures should sync up -- and what it means for how long we have left when they don't.

What is Your Health Age and Life Expectancy

In recent years, studies have shown that our biological age is often a more reliable indicator of future health than our actual age. It could help us identify or even prevent disease by tracking the pace at which we're getting older. It may even allow us to slow -- or reverse -- the aging process.

aging is the progressive loss of function accompanied by decreasing fertility and increasing mortality, according to Thomas Kirkwood from the Institute for aging at the University of Newcastle, UK.

"A new idea suggests aging is a byproduct of how energy intensive it is for our bodies to repair faults"

The most widely cited theory of aging is that telomeres, genetic caps on the ends of chromosomes, grow shorter each time a cell divides -- like a wick burning on a candle. Once these are used up, the cell withers and dies. But a new idea gaining ground suggests aging is instead a byproduct of how energy intensive it is for our bodies to continuously repair faults that occur in our DNA as cells divide. "It doesn't make evolutionary sense to maintain that process for ever," says Kirkwood. Indeed, several animal studies have shown that genes that affect lifespan do so by altering cells' repair mechanisms. Little by little, faults build up in cells and tissues and cause us to deteriorate.

This is where biological age comes in -- it attempts to identify how far along we are in this process. It's not a simple task, because no one measure of cellular aging gives a clear picture. As Kirkwood says, "Attempts to measure biological age have been bedeviled by the difficulty of taking into account the many different biological processes at work."

Still, a growing number of researchers have taken up the challenge. Before seeking them out, however, I began to wonder whether I could be in for a nasty surprise. When Daniel Belsky and his team at Duke University in North Carolina studied 18 different markers of cellular aging -- including blood pressure and cardiovascular function -- in almost 1000 adults, they found that some were aging far faster or slower than their birth certificates would suggest. One 38-year-old had a biological age of 28; another's was 61.

So if I have an accelerated biological age, does it mean I'm less likely to make it to 83? Studying humans until they die takes a long time, so the causal relationship is tricky to pin down. But an increasing number of studies suggest this is a fair assumption. Belsky's team found that 38-year-olds with an older biological age fared worse on physical and mental tests, for instance. And when James Timmons and colleagues at King's College London examined expression of 150 genes associated with aging, they found that biological age was more closely tied to risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's and osteoporosis than chronological age.

"Some molecular changes in the body can be reflected on the face," says Han. High levels of low-density cholesterol (the "bad" kind) are associated with puffier cheeks and pouches under the eyes, for instance. Dark circles under the eyes can result from poor kidney function or blood circulation. The message is that if we look older than we should, it could be a sign of underlying disease.

The algorithm was developed using a population of Han Chinese people and so far has only been tested in four caucasians. So, as a white woman, I had my face analysed by a similar algorithm designed by anti-aging company Youth Laboratories in Russia. The result was a win for me: I apparently have the face of a 25-year-old.

"The result was a win for me: I apparently have the face of a 25-year-old"

Next it was time to draw some blood. Using 32 different parameters that reflect disease risk, a team at the company Insilico Medicine developed a deep-learning algorithm to predict age. After training it on more than 60,000 blood samples of known chronological age, they used it to accurately predict age from new samples to within 6.2 years. The team found that people whose blood age was higher than their actual number of years were more likely to have health problems. The algorithm is free to use, so after I had my blood taken by Medichecks in London, I plugged in my details at www.aging.ai. Reassuringly, it shaved off a couple of years, estimating my real age to be 31.

Another method for measuring biological age is to look at how complex carbohydrates called glycans are attached to molecules in the body, a process called glycosylation. Gordan Lauc and colleagues at the University of Zagreb in Croatia recently discovered that glycosylation of an antibody called immunoglobulin G changes as we get older, and that this can be used to predict chronological age. When Lauc's team compared 5117 people's "glycan age" with known markers for health deterioration, such as insulin, glucose, BMI and cholesterol, they found that those who scored poorly on these markers also had an older glycan age.

"Your glycan age seems to reflect how much inflammation is occurring in the body," says Lauc. Prolonged inflammation can make cells deteriorate faster, so having an accelerated glycan age could be used as an early warning signal that your health is at risk, he says.

Lauc and Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist at King's College London, founded GlycanAge -- a company that tests people's glycan levels -- and kindly tested mine for free. It turns out my glycan age is just 20, a whopping 13 years younger than I am.

With a new spring in my step, I moved on to what is now considered the most accurate way to measure human aging: an intrinsic "epigenetic" clock present in all our cells. Epigenetics refers to the process by which chemical tags called methyl groups are added to or removed from DNA, which in turn influences which genes are switched on or off. Some changes in methylation patterns over time can be used to estimate age.

The father of this technique is Steve Horvath at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2011, looking at methylation patterns in blood samples, Horvath and colleagues were able to predict chronological age to within five years. He has since analysed data from more than 13,000 samples and identified methylation patterns to estimate a healthy person's age to within 2.9 years. "The age estimate is so accurate it continues to amaze me," says Horvath. (Unfortunately, for the purposes of my investigation, at $900 a pop, I decided to give this test a miss.)

A recent study by Horvath and his team suggests that breast tissue from healthy women aged 21 appears 17 years older than their blood, which tends to correlate closely with their chronological age. This difference decreases as we get older; for women aged 55 years, breast tissue appears around eight years older than blood. By identifying what the normal differences are, researchers hope to flag outliers. "Ultimately, we want to be able to collect data from a particular organ, or from a surrogate tissue and say, 'wow, this woman has breast tissue that is 20 years older than it should be, so she needs to be monitored more closely for breast cancer'," says Horvath.

"It sounds like science fiction… but in theory it's possible to reset the clock"

Beyond monitoring and aiding diagnoses for diseases, can any of these measures give us a better idea of how much life we have left? There is an association between our epigenetic clock and our time to death, but it's not very accurate -- yet.

In his analyses, Horvath found an association between accelerated epigenetic aging -- an older epigenetic age compared with your real age -- and time to death. Around 5 per cent of the people he studied had an accelerated epigenetic age. Their risk of death in the next decade was about 50 per cent higher than those whose epigenetic age lined up with their actual years.

If our epigenetic clock is ticking down to our death, is there anything we can do to intervene? Horvath has started studying the epigenetic age of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which are adult cells that can be pushed to revert to an embryonic-like state, from which they are capable of turning into most types of cells in the body.

The epigenetic age of iPSCs is zero. Transforming normal body cells into stem cells would be an "extreme rejuvenation procedure", Horvath says. You wouldn't want to do it to all of your cells, but perhaps it's a strategy that could be modified to intervene with the aging process. "It sounds like science fiction, but conceptually it's possible," he says. "All epigenetic marks are reversible so in theory it's possible to reset the clock."

Turn back time

Another promising, if speculative, plan might be to freeze blood stem cells when you are young so that you can use them to reconstitute your immune system when you are old.

Short of miraculous anti-aging treatments, understanding more about biological age can still improve our health. People told their heart age -- measured using parameters such as blood pressure and cholesterol -- are better able to lower their risk of cardiovascular problemscompared with people given standard information about heart health, for instance. (My heart, I learned, is 28 years old.)

There are not yet any placebo-controlled trials to determine whether certain lifestyle interventions can reduce biological age, and so risk of early death. But Horvath did find that the epigenetic clock is accelerated in the livers of obese people, and ticks more slowly for those who regularly consume fish and vegetables, and only drink in moderation.

Unsurprisingly, exercise also seems to help. In a trial of more than 57,000 middle-aged people, those whose fitness levels resembled a younger person's were less likely to die in the following decade or so. Fitness-associated biological age was a stronger predictor of survival than chronological age.

And we may get more conclusive results soon: Spector is about to begin a trial to see if an intensive exercise and diet regime can reduce glycan age. Han is planning a similar trial to see if exercise can influence facial age.

There is still a long way to go before we can pinpoint the exact ways to reverse aging. But for now, I'm relieved to know that most of my body is younger than my years would suggest and, in the not too distant future, knowing my biological age could hold the key to preventing disease or even postponing death. I'll happily celebrate turning 34 in the knowledge that my age really is just a number.

This First appeared in Prevent Disease

Why Playing An Instrument Protects Your Brain

A recent study conducted at Baycrest Health Sciences has uncovered a crucial piece into why playing a musical instrument can help older adults retain their listening skills and ward off age-related cognitive declines. This finding could lead to the development of brain rehabilitation interventions through musical training.

400 published scientific papers have proven the old adage that "music is medicine." Neurochemical benefits of music can improve the body's immune system, reduce anxiety levels and help regulate mood in ways that drugs have difficulty competing. Opoids are also responsible for music's myriad effects on mood, pain and well-being, giving clues to how we can harness its benefits even how it affects our aging.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that learning to play a sound on a musical instrument alters the brain waves in a way that improves a person's listening and hearing skills over a short time frame. This change in brain activity demonstrates the brain's ability to rewire itself and compensate for injuries or diseases that may hamper a person's capacity to perform tasks.

"Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference," says Dr. Bernhard Ross, senior scientist at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and senior author on the study. "This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine movement needed to reproduce a sound on an instrument changes the brain's perception of sound in a way that is not seen when listening to music."

This finding supports Dr. Ross' research using musical training to help stroke survivors rehabilitate motor movement in their upper bodies. Baycrest scientists have a history of breakthroughs into how a person's musical background impacts the listening abilities and cognitive function as they age and they continue to explore how brain changes during aging impact hearing.

The study involved 32 young, healthy adults who had normal hearing and no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. The brain waves of participants were first recorded while they listened to bell-like sounds from a Tibetan singing bowl (a small bell struck with a wooden mallet to create sounds). After listening to the recording, half of the participants were provided the Tibetan singing bowl and asked to recreate the same sounds and rhythm by striking it and the other half recreated the sound by pressing a key on a computer keypad.

"It has been hypothesized that the act of playing music requires many brain systems to work together, such as the hearing, motor and perception systems," says Dr. Ross, who is also a medical biophysics professor at the University of Toronto. "This study was the first time we saw direct changes in the brain after one session, demonstrating that the action of creating music leads to a strong change in brain activity."

The study's next steps involve analyzing recovery between stroke patients with musical training compared to physiotherapy and the impact of musical training on the brains of older adults.

With additional funding, the study could explore developing musical training rehabilitation programs for other conditions that impact motor function, such as traumatic brain injury.

Research for this study was conducted with support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which supported research staff and equipment.

Dr. Ross' work is setting the foundation to develop hearing aids of the future and cognitive training programs to maintain hearing health.

This first appeared in Prevent Disease

Tart Cherries Have The Highest Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Any Food - Comparable To Well-Known Pain Medications

Tart cherries have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. According to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference (ACSM) in San Francisco, tart cherries have the "highest anti-inflammatory content of any food" and can help people with arthritis manage their disease long-term without pain medications.

Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese.

"Chronic inflammation is a whole body condition that can affect overall health, especially when it comes to the heart," said Mitch Seymour, PhD, at the University of Michigan. "This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk."

In a study of twenty women ages 40 to 70 with inflammatory osteoarthritis, the researchers found that drinking tart cherry juice twice daily for three weeks led to significant reductions in important inflammation markers -- especially for women who had the highest inflammation levels at the start of the study.

"With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it's promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications," said Kerry Kuehl, M.D, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator. "I'm intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit -- especially for active adults."

Often characterized as "wear and tear" arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Athletes are often at a greater risk for developing the condition, given their excessive joint use that can cause a breakdown in cartilage and lead to pain and injury, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

“The current treatment of osteoarthritis is largely focused on controlling pain through use of over-the-counter acetaminophen or prescription pain medications as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,” explains John J. Cush, M.D., rheumatologist. “These conventional medications are widely used, but have not been shown to alter the natural history of the disease. In some cases, overuse may contribute to significant gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematologic, renal and liver toxicity.”

Darren E. Huxley, MD says that a natural alternatives to pain medications are proving effective without unwanted side effects. "In this case we have cherries, another potent, natural antioxidant proving to be as, if not more effective than pain medications because of the ability for sustained long-term use without side effects in common anti-inflammatory drugs."

The inflammation benefits could be particularly important for athletes, according to Kuehl's previous research. In a past study he found that people who drank tart cherry juice while training for a long distance run reported significantly less pain after exercise than those who didn't.

Go Red Instead to Manage Pain

Along with providing the fruit's bright red color, the antioxidant compounds in tart cherries -- called anthocyanins -- have been specifically linked to high antioxidant capacity and reduced inflammation, at levels comparable to some well-known pain medications.

Previous research on tart cherries and osteoarthritis conducted by researchers at Baylor Research Institute found that a daily dose of tart cherries (as cherry extract) helped reduce osteoarthritis pain by more than 20 percent for the majority of men and women. And the same compounds linked to cherries' arthritis benefits have now shown promise for athletes and sports recovery to help relieve muscle and joint soreness.

According to Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center for Sports Medicine, Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, who has incorporated tart cherries into the training menu of both her professional athletes and active clients as a natural and easy way to manage pain that also tastes great, "Why not eat red when there's so much science to support the anti-inflammatory benefits of this Super Fruit? And for athletes whose palates prefer the tart-sweet flavor profile of tart cherries, it's the optimal ingredient."

Available every day of the year in dried, frozen and juice forms, tart cherries are a versatile ingredient to include in any training or inflammation-fighting diet.

Marco Torres is a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate for healthy lifestyles. He holds degrees in Public Health and Environmental Science and is a professional speaker on topics such as disease prevention, environmental toxins and health policy.

this first appeared in Prevent Disease