A study showed that mindfulness meditation training in no less than 8 weeks can improve a person's brain structure.

An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation

In Buddhist tradition, mindfulness meditation has the aims of realizing the true nature of reality by focusing on a single object. The object of concentration can be any physical object, an imaginary picture or, more commonly, the person’s breathing. The primary objective of mindfulness meditation is to keep the mind consistently focused on the same object for the entire period.

There are different organizations that promote mindfulness meditation as a regular habit to maintain and improve brain health. It is a practice that does not require any expensive equipment to perform. All you need to have is a quiet and well ventilated place, and a basic knowledge of how mindfulness meditation works. The goal is to focus your mind on the realities of the ‘now’ and be mindful of your actions and thoughts at the present time. Different studies show that mindfulness meditation can improve a person’s mood, boost the immune system and alleviate stress.

The first step is to find a comfortable and quiet place where you can sit for an extended period of time. You can choose to sit on the most comfortable chair you have at home and keep your back, neck and head straight at all times. Leave all thoughts of the past behind you and try to stay focused in the present. Notice your breathing and feel the sensation of the air flowing in and out of your body. Try to observe how each breath is different from the previous and keep doing this until it becomes instantaneous and effortless.

You will begin to think about other things like your worries, fears, anxiety and other thoughts of the past. Try not to ignore them, instead make an effort to acknowledge them lightly. Try to remain calm and re-direct your attention and focus back on your breathing. Being pulled away from your focal point will always happen at first. But as you practice, you will soon begin to have more control over your mind and you’ll get pulled out less frequently each time.

Mindfulness Meditation to Improve Brain Health

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital found that mindfulness meditation can improve a person’s brain structure in just 8 weeks of continuous practice. The researchers gathered a group of study participants who participated in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program and measured their brain regions associated with stress, empathy, sense of self and memory. The study was the first to investigate the effects of meditation on the gray matter of the brain.

Lead researcher Sarah Lazar from the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research program said that mindfulness meditation does not only give practitioners a sense of physical relaxation and peacefulness but they had also reported physical and cognitive improvements as long-term benefits. She added that their study shows that the claimed benefits may be due to the resulting physiological changes of mindfulness meditation. The study gives evidence that the practice does not only give practitioners a feeling of temporary peacefulness but that it benefits them by creating positive changes in the brain.

The previous studies conducted by Lazar’s team already showed structural differences between people who practice mindfulness meditation from those who have no history of practicing meditation. They had observed an improvement in the cerebral cortex and in areas linked to emotional and attention integration. But the previous studies lacked the evidence to show that the differences were produced by the practice of mindfulness meditation.

In their most recent study, the researchers took magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain structure of 16 study participants before and after they were subjected to 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation; the program was created by the University of Massachusetts’ Center of Mindfulness. The study participants also received meditation guides in the form of audio recordings in addition to their weekly mindfulness meditation meetings that focused on nonjudgmental awareness of the state of mind, feelings and sensations. They were also asked to track the length of time that they practiced mindfulness meditation each day. In order to overcome the weakness of their previous study, the researchers used a control group and took MR images of their brain with the same time interval.

The study participants who participated in the mindfulness meditation program reported an average of 17 minutes of meditation in a day. Their responses to a mindfulness exam also showed improvements compared to their responses before participating in the program. The MR images also showed increased gray matter density in the hippocampus which is known to be important for memory and learning. Increase in density in areas linked to introspection, compassion and self-awareness were also observed. The control group did not experience any of these similar changes.

A neuroscientist from the University of Miami said that the results of the study put some light on the effects of mindfulness meditation to the brain. She added that the study showed that stress can be reduced for a short 8-week period of practicing mindfulness mediation and that it opens more opportunities to investigate better ways of effectively managing stress-related disorders.

Other Health Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Different studies have found that mindfulness mediation will not only give a feeling of peacefulness and relaxation but that it can also produce long-term effects to the person’s mental abilities. Mindfulness meditation can help people improve their intentional response to the present moment. This results to making better decisions and will allow them to respond more effectively to stress. In the past, mindfulness meditation lacked the scientific basis to prove its claimed benefits. But scientific studies are slowly producing evidences to show that mindfulness meditation can create positive changes in the brain

The various health benefits of mindfulness meditation include:

• development of self-acceptance
• better pain management for chronic health conditions
• increased self-awareness
• improved immune function
• reduced blood pressure
• more effective management of stress, anxiety, depression and other related symptoms.
• For chronic illness, studies had found that mindfulness meditation can help patient better manage episodes of pain and prevent resulting emotional complications like stress and depression.

Sources
altmedicine.about.com
eurekalert.org
studenthealth.ucsf.edu

Not having enough natural vitamin E and naturally-produced vitamin D in the body can predispose a person to dementia and cognitive decline.

In a recent Dutch study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, it was found that not having enough vitamin E and vitamin D over the long term predisposed a person to cognitive decline and even the psychiatric disorder dementia.

Vitamin E and dementia

The study, which was undertaken by researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center, used questionnaires to track the diet of more than five thousand individual respondents.  The respondents were further tracked for an additional ten years.  Within this period of time, more than four hundred respondents were diagnosed with dementia while more than three hundred respondents developed Alzheimer’s disease.

After analyzing the combined data produced by the five thousand plus test subjects, it was found that an average intake of 18.5 mg of vitamin E reduced the chances of developing the psychiatric disease dementia than those who did not.  Individuals who had developed dementia had an average intake of only 9 mg of vitamin E per day.

According to the researchers, the connection between vitamin E intake and brain health is quite straightforward: the brain is an organ that is in constant metabolic activity.  Organic metabolism produces waste products, including free radicals.  If there are too many free radicals in the brain and too little anti-oxidants in the body, the brain tissue suffers directly from oxidative stress.  Vitamin E and other anti-oxidants can help reduce oxidative stress, which in turn promotes overall wellness and not just brain health.

Vitamin D and cognitive decline

In an unrelated study, researchers from UK’s University of Exeter discovered that individuals who had too little vitamin D were at risk for cognitive decline over the long term.  The study made use of data collected from more than 800 adults in the UK, who were above 50 in age.  Instead of questionnaires, the UK study used actual cognitive tests to measure cognitive stability and decline over a six year period.  They also tested the level of vitamin D present in the blood of the test subjects.

It was found that test subjects who had less than twenty-five nanomoles for every liter of blood had a 60% higher chance of cognitive decline.  According to David Llewellyn, lead researcher, a causal pathway between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive decline has finally been established with the help of their study, which means that cognitive decline can indeed be prevented by increasing the amount of vitamin D in the body.  And the easiest and most natural way to do this is to get direct sun exposure for at least ten minutes everyday.

In a  commentary produced by academics from the University of Auckland, it was said that it was high time that further examinations be performed to find out whether or not the public should be formally made aware of the benefits of vitamin D.

Natural or synthetic vitamin E

There are two main forms of vitamin E available in the market – synthetic vitamin E and natural vitamin E.  While some experts say that it’s basically the same, a study that had been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition begs to differ.

According to the study, natural vitamin E was more bio-available than synthetic vitamin E.  Bio-availability is an important issue when it comes to supplements because it is the direct measurement of how much of a supplement is actually absorbed and used by the body. When there is low bio-availability, the benefits of a supplement are not maximized because only part of the dose is actually absorbed.

Other benefits of vitamin D and vitamin E

Vitamin D

1. Getting enough vitamin D can prevent advanced arthritic conditions from manifesting – you just have to be outdoors a few minutes everyday to keep your vitamin D levels up.  As one ages, the natural vitamin D production decreases, so you have to adjust your lifestyle to increase production during the golden years.

2. Healthy levels of vitamin D can help benefit the cardiac function by regulating blood pressure levels.

3. A link between vitamin D intake and reduction of the risk for multiple sclerosis has been established by numerous independent studies.

4. Vitamin D can help people with chronic pain.  People with fibromyalgia, arthritis and joint pain can also benefit from vitamin D intake.

Vitamin E

1. Vitamin E can keep older women healthy and free from common chronic, degenerative disease, says a study that has been published in the Journal of the AMA.

2. Vitamin E has been shown to slow down the growth of prostate cancer, according to a US study called the SELECT trial.

3. Vitamin E has natural anti-oxidant properties, which reduces oxidative stress and may also help reduce the occurrence of many types of cancer, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.

4. Vitamin E when applied topically can help lighten scars by improving the production of new skin and the formation of collagen, an important component in the skin that makes it resistant to physical stresses and also makes it supple.

400 IU of natural vitamin E per day is recommended for women over the age forty for general wellness and possible cancer prevention.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
vitamins-nutrition.org
longevity.about.com
heartdisease.about.com
ms.about.com
arthritis.about.com
nutrition.about.com
prostatecancer.about.com
breastcancer.about.com
adam.about.com
altmedicine.about.com
longevity.about.com

]]> http://naturalhealthontheweb.com/mangano-minute/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=1495 0 http://naturalhealthontheweb.com/mangano-minute/blogs/?p=1375 http://naturalhealthontheweb.com/mangano-minute/blogs/?p=1375#comments Sun, 30 May 2010 19:29:28 +0000 admin http://naturalhealthontheweb.com/mangano-minute/blogs/?p=1375

Resveratrol, a naturally-occuring compound in wine, may help reduce cardiovascular disease and prolong life, new human study states.

Resveratrol is a naturally-occurring compound found in wines fermented from grapes.   This compound is a polyphenol and has been studied for many decades primarily because of the French Paradox: there is a low incidence of heart disease in France even though the French generally indulge in high-fat diets.

The French also smoke and drink a lot of wine throughout their lives.  One would expect that cardiovascular problems would be common, given the circumstances; however, something is keeping the French heart strong and healthy.  And according to Dr. Renaud, a French doctor from Bordeaux University, it was resveratrol that was to be given the credit.

Blood flow boost

In the United Kingdom, a human study (note – they used live human subjects for the test and not animals) researchers found out that 250 milligrams of resveratrol can help increase the blood flow to the brain, without producing any negative effects to a person’s cognitive capacity.  This fact alone, according to Dr. David Kennedy, signals a renewed interest in resveratrol and how it can affect vascular activity in the brain.

Another study from Harvard University showed that resveratrol was able to prolong the life of yeast cultures.  This study was done back in 2003, which actually helped increase resveratrol’s popularity with the media as a potential “eternal youth” pill.

Other studies showed that this polyphenolic compound was also capable of prolonging the life of other species such as mice and even nematodes.  What’s amazing about this compound is that it produces so many benefits and yet it’s just one type of molecule. It is as if Mother Nature designed resveratrol as a ‘heal-all’ for all living beings.

How much can you safely take?

It’s good to be always cautious and careful with anything that we ingest or consume.  Regular doses of resveratrol should not be given to children (that usually means kids below the age of 12) and pregnant or lactating women.  This is a general caution because there are still no conclusive studies done on the potential effects of this compound.

However, many researchers disagree with the warning about the dose.  According to James Betz, MD, tests show that at 1,000 mg of reseveratrol the polyphenolic compound failed to produce any significant negative effects to the test subjects.  Could it be possible that nature’s heal-all also doesn’t produce any side effects?

We leave this question open for the time being – it is up to medical researchers to prove or disprove.  But what we know now is this: resveratrol has a very big potential in prolonging the life of humans by protecting people’s hearts.  That is the main benefit and it is still the most interesting advantage to people who ingest resveratrol supplements.

Other benefits of resveratrol

This tough molecule does more than just protect the heart:

1. Resveratrol reduces inflammation in the body, which might benefit a lot of people in the long term because many medical conditions produce inflammation in the skin, joints, muscles and other body tissues.
2. Resveratrol reduces the incidence of blood clots, which may cause heart attacks, stroke, thrombosis, embolisms, etc.
3. Resvertarol is a natural anti-oxidant that can rid the body of harmful free radicals.
4. Resveratrol may also help in controlling cholesterol levels in the body (LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol is its main target).

Having a hard time with high blood pressure? This polyphenol has been associated with lower blood pressure, too!

Sources:
nutraingredients-usa.com
mayoclinic.com
mayoclinic.com

A compound in dark chocolate has been shown to protect cells after a stroke.

A study at Johns Hopkins has shown that dark chocolate contains a special compound, which can protect the brain after a stroke.  As it turns out, the dark chocolate increases cells that are designed to protect nerve cells from damage. The Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism recently published this study.

Researchers induced a stroke in mice 90 minutes after giving mice a compound in dark chocolate called epicatechin.  Epicatechin is a member of the compounds named plant flavonoids. Flavonoids also work to prevent blood clots and damage caused by clogged arteries.

To induce the stroke, researchers cut blood to the mice’s brains.  They found that the animals that had received the dark chocolate compounds were less likely to receive brain damage.  Also researchers learned that they could give the epicatechin to the animals 3.5 hours after the stroke.  Usually treatments for humans who have had strokes need to be given 2-3 hours later to be effective.  Therefore, this means that doctors can wait longer before administrating epicatechin treatments to patients.

The lead research on this study is Sylvain Dore, PhD.  He said that his study showed that epicatechin stimulated pathways that can shield the brain from damage.  Dore hopes that his studies on dark chocolate and epicatechins can help begin to limit the kinds of damage caused by stress.

If you are turning to chocolate for health benefits, always remember to reach for the dark chocolate.  But don’t forget that the higher the cacao content, the better.

Sources:
physorg.com
webmd.com

In a bad mood? Improve it by going outside!

Here in New York and all around the country, summer is in the air.  It may say “May” on the calendar, but the weather sure doesn’t know that, as this week’s temperatures in New York City are headed for the 70s and 80s!

I hope it’s as nice where you are as it is here.  And if it is, instead of going to the gym after work to exercise today, head outside…even if it’s for just five minutes.  Because according to a new study on the mental health effects of exercising outside, the great outdoors can heighten your mood and your self-esteem.

Researchers from the University of Essex discovered this after reviewing the health habits of over 1,200 people from 12 separate studies.  Among the information collected from these men and women of all ages was their state of mental health (i.e. were they diagnosed with any kind of mental health disorder and cognitive dysfunction) and the kind of activities they did outside, such as walking, bicycling, gardening or horseback riding.

All of the individuals who exercised regularly showed improvements in their mental health, but those who saw the most significant improvement were those who performed what the researchers call “green exercises.”  Green exercises are any of the aforementioned exercises performed outside.  Other green exercises include farming, walking, gardening, fishing or boating.

“We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society, and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,” said Jo Barton in a statement.  Barton co-authored the study with her colleague, Jules Pretty.

Their complete findings can be found in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Oh, and if you’re someone who loves the ocean, then you’re going to love this:  the biggest mental health effects were found among those who live near the water, like the ocean, a river or lake.

So, it seems, the closer you are to blue, the less likely you are to get “blue.”

As with many studies, this probably confirms the obvious.  But this research is illuminating nonetheless because up to now, no one really knew just how long it took to be outside to reap the mental health benefits.  And according to the researchers, it takes as little as five minutes.

So you know what that means?  No more excuses.  No more saying, “I can’t go outside for a walk because I don’t have any time on my lunch break.” Everybody has at least five minutes they can spend outdoors to walk.

Now, ideally, you’ll be exercising for longer than five minutes, but as I always say, some exercise is better than no exercise.  And that’s every bit as true for the mind as it is for the body.

Sources:
newsmaxhealth.com
news.bbc.co.uk

A newly developed magnesium supplement may help boost memory.

Late last year I predicted that 2010 would be magnesium’s year.  And with the latest study on magnesium, my prediction is bearing fruit.

True, magnesium hasn’t dominated the health headlines this year like, say, vitamin D has in terms of frequency.  But in terms of import, magnesium’s time to shine is now, as a recent study suggests that this magnificent mineral helps buoy one’s memory.

Researchers from Israel’s Tel Aviv University recognized magnesium’s magnificence after supplementing two groups of rats with the same food regimen, but tinkered with one of the rat groupings by adding a new-fangled magnesium supplement that purports to better penetrate the brain than contemporary magnesium supplements.

Through brain scans and cognitive tests, researchers found that, indeed, the magnesium-supplemented group outperformed the other group both in cognitive function and brain development.

In a statement, the researchers said they were “pleased” by the findings, but they couldn’t help but be somewhat disconcerted by the findings at the same time.

Apparently when they used over the counter magnesium supplements, there was no measurable difference in cognition between the two groups.

Translation:  According to the researchers, magnesium supplements on the market today don’t help with brain function.

Now, this study should not suggest that magnesium supplements on the market don’t work period, only that they don’t seem to be effective for brain health and development.  Researchers are confident, however, that when the new and improved magnesium supplement becomes commercially available—magnesium-L-theronate, or MgT— it will help make memories magnificent.

In the meantime, increase your magnesium intake by supplementing with – you guessed it – magnesium-rich foods.

Some of the richest magnesium sources come from seeds (like pumpkin seeds), leafy greens (like spinach) and beans (like black beans).  A quarter cup of pumpkin seeds has 184 milligrams of magnesium, a cup of boiled spinach has 156 milligrams and a cup of black beans has 120 milligrams.

Not to be outdone as a solid source for magnesium is salmon.  A four-ounce serving of salmon has 138 milligrams of magnesium.  Other significant sources for magnesium in the seafaring family include halibut (4 oz.=121 mg), scallops (4 oz.=77 mg), tuna (4 oz.=72 mg) and shrimp (4 oz.=38 mg).

Adult men should be getting at least 420 milligrams of magnesium per day, while women should get about 320 milligrams per day.

Sources:
whfoods.com
newsmaxhealth.com

A glass of blueberry juice every day improved cognitive function in aging adults. But that's not where the health improvements stopped.

One of all time favorite things to eat—morning, midday or evening—is oatmeal with blueberries.  It’s a relatively quick and easy way for me to fill up on something healthy so I can fuel my busy lifestyle.    Oatmeal by its lonesome is good for you, but I never forget to add a heaping handful of blueberries to get a hefty dose of antioxidants.

And the reason why I never forget my blueberries may be because I eat so many of them (This is sort of like that joke that says “What makes fish so thin?  They eat fish!”)

According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a daily dose of blueberries has an ability to enhance memory function, particularly in people showing early signs of memory loss.

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center recruited nine individuals with similar educational backgrounds (approximately 15 ½ years) to drink between six and nine milliliters of blueberry juice for every kilogram of body weight (e.g., A 150 lb person would drink about 612 milliliters of blueberry juice per day).  Everyone drank his or her allotted amount for 12 weeks.

After three months, everyone exhibited signs of improved cognitive function, like memorizing words that they were unable to memorize at the beginning of the study.

The researchers were half expecting this, as past studies have revealed blueberries’ brain boosting benefits.  But there were some other mental and physiological improvements that they weren’t expecting, like how there were improvements in symptoms related to depression, and lower blood-glucose levels.

Researchers think the improved blood-glucose levels likely result from how blueberries improve cognition.  Future analysis will determine if there is any validity to that theory.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers conclude, “This initial study establishes a basis for further human research of blueberry supplementation as a preventive intervention with respect to cognitive aging.”

In less than a week, I’ve reported on three studies that link the drinking of natural fruit juice to improved health (the third will be published by editors from Natural News).  If nothing else, it goes to show that the drinking of juice has its place in any healthy diet, which many people don’t believe (because of fruit juices’ high sugar content).

But as I wrote in a previous posting on juice, if you’re looking to lose weight, restrict your intake of fruit juice to one glass per day.  One large glass per day will give you approximately the same amount of juice that the participants had for 12 weeks.

For example, a can of soda is what—12 fluid ounces, right?  Well 12 fluid ounces is 355 milliliters when it’s converted to milliliters.

So without sacrificing your diet regimen, you can get a healthy dose of blueberry juice—or grape juice or acai berry juice or pretty much any juice, for that matter—which will do wonders for you from both a physical and mental health standpoint.

Source:
nutraingredients.com

The purple stuff kids go for is great for adults as well. Just be sure to be drinking the right kind.

Grape juice may be a favorite drink of young tikes and toddlers, but older tycoons would be wise to drink some of the sweet stuff too.  That’s because a new study says grape juice can boost the memory of baby boomers.

The study was pretty thorough, in that it was double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled, but what it had in thoroughness it lacked in size.  Just 12 people took part in the study.

Be that as it may, the findings are still pretty impressive.  For instance, over the course of the study period, those who drank Concord grape juice showed marked improvements in various cognitive functions at the end of the study compared to the beginning, like showing improvements in verbal learning and spatial reasoning.

Writing in the journal that published the study, the British Journal of Nutrition, the researchers said that their findings “suggest that supplementation with Concord grape juice may enhance cognitive function for older adults with early memory decline.”

The other thing that the researchers pointed out was that these findings do not necessarily apply to Alzheimer’s disease patients or preventing the disease’s onset.  The study looked at cognitive functions that were related to Alzheimer’s, but indirectly so.

I’ve written pretty extensively about grapes in the past, how there are a lot of “grape gripers” who like to complain about their high sugar content.  But as I said then, there’s a big difference between natural sugar and refined sugar.  The body metabolizes refined sugars in a much different manner than natural sugar (i.e., fructose), the former being stored as fat, while the latter is used more as a fuel source for energy.

That said there are LOTS of grape juices on the market today that are heavy in refined sugars.  In fact, they may say 100 percent juice and still contain loads of added sugars.  So read labels, ingredients and nutrition facts carefully.

Surprisingly, there’s actually a very well-known juice that is 100 percent juice, has no added sugars AND is organic—Welch’s.  Welch’s Organic 100 Percent Concord Grape Juice has absolutely no added sugars.

Now, should you go out and buy yourself a jug of Welch’s brand grape juice, you’ll probably be shocked to see the sugar content in a 10-ounce glass—52 grams.

I’m not going to lie, that’s a lot, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what other grape juices have (i.e. 60 grams and up!).

The bottom line is this:  If you’re looking to lose weight and still get the antioxidant benefits that grape juice provides, keep your grape juice drinking to one glass a day.  In fact, even if you’re not trying to lose weight, keep juice drinking to one glass a day.  Yes, natural sugars are better than refined sugars, but they’re still carbohydrates, and excess carbs contribute to unnecessary weight gain.

As always, all things in moderation is the key.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
welchs.com
hookedonjuice.com

Latest study on ginkgo biloba says it's ineffective in preventing cognitive decline. But why aren't the media reporting about the studies that say it works? Did they forget?

So have you heard?  The ginkgo biloba supplement you’ve been taking for years now—turns out it’s useless.  That’s right, that herb with the funny name, how it’s supposed to stave off cognitive decline—it’s bunkum.  Nothing but claptrap peddled by the natural health industry.

Or so the media want you believe.

The study certainly sounds convincing.  It took place over an eight -year period, with over 3,000 aging men and women (72 years of age and older) taking either a placebo or 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba every day, twice a day.

As published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there was no difference in the rate of cognitive decline between those taking the ginkgo biloba extract or those taking the placebo.

Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

The media loves negativity.  It’s what gets eyeballs to the television sets.  It’s what gets people “mad as hell.”

A good friend of mine did his Master’s thesis on media bias, focusing his attention on whether or not the media had a more conservative bent or liberal bent to it.

While he found some evidence suggesting that there was an ideological bent to the way in which certain networks reported stories, his main conclusion was that the media loved to focus their attention on the negative.  For example, the media would spend lots of time on bad unemployment reports compared to the time they’d spend on unemployment reports where jobs were added to the economy (e.g. more time devoted to the economy segment, more likely to be a top story, more expert analysis devoted to the segment, etc).

In short, the old “if it bleeds, it leads” line has some truth to it.  And the same standard applies to health news.

Folks, ginkgo biloba has been taken as a memory enhancer for over 30 years.  And study after study has shown it to be effective in staving off Alzheimer’s disease.

One such study—reported in the very same Journal of the American Medical Association—found that ginkgo biloba extract can stabilize and improve people’s mental functioning in people taking at least 100 to 200 milligrams three times per day.  A study performed 20 years later confirmed that.

Now, it’s possible that these studies were smaller in scale, thus the findings may not be as reliable as a study with 3,000+ people.  But if you’re looking for a larger study, look no further than one that reviewed 29 studies with over 2,400 aging men and women participating.  And just like this most recent report, it was double blind, placebo controlled and randomized.

Their findings?  That the “chronic administration (of Ginkgo extract) improves selective attention, some executive processes and long-term memory for verbal and non-verbal material,” according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Reiner Kaschel, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany.

Yet did the media bring up these countering studies?  Isn’t it the media’s job to bring you both sides of the story so that you can determine for yourself what’s true and what isn’t?

The bottom line is this:  Ginkgo biloba works for me and for thousands of others.  If it works for you, don’t let one study steer you into believing that you’ve been hoodwinked.  Ginkgo works for some, for others it doesn’t.  Try what’s best for you (e.g. Coenzyme Q10, Acetylcholine, Acetyle-L-carnitine, Boron).  Don’t let the media decide what’s best for you.

Sources:
medicalnewstoday.com
news.xinhuanet.com
msnbc.msn.com
Balch, Phyllis A.  “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”  4th Edition.  2006.  Avery:  New York

Regular exercise improves brain health, study shows.

People often ask me, “Frank, when I exercise, should I do weight training or cardio training?”  The answer to this is both, ideally, as weight training and cardio activity is a complete way of addressing the body’s anaerobic and aerobic exercise needs.

But when push comes to shove, when time will only allow one or the other, you’re better off going with cardio over weight training.

There are many reasons for this.  One of them is that it works the heart more effectively and efficiently than weight training.  And that’s what every exercise session should accomplish – a thorough working out of the body’s most important muscle to help keep you “young at heart,” as Frank Sinatra used to croon.

Another reason why I prefer cardio over weight training is that it helps keep you “young at thought,” as a study published in the most recent issuing of the American Journal of Neuroradiology reports.

This probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as it seems like I’ve written about this in the past.  But believe it or not, this is the first time that a study has compared and contrasted the brain images of elderly people who exercise regularly with those who did not.

Those who exercised regularly did so for a period of at least 10 years (in a row) and for approximately 180 minutes per week.  Those who did not exercise were those who barely got 90 minutes of physical activity in the course of a week.

When they analyzed the men and women’s brains, they found that those who exercised had blood vessels that weren’t nearly as strained as those who barely exercised.  When I say “strained,” I mean that the blood vessels weren’t as twisted, or to use more scientific lingo, they were less tortuous.

Of course, the less tortuous blood vessels are, the more blood flow can travel throughout the brain.

These kinds of blood vessel patterns are very much like those found in young brains, and the researchers from the University of North Carolina believe that the elderly folks’ consistent cardio activity for 10 years or more was the catalyst in keeping their brain looking young.

More research is in the offing, as researchers hope to learn whether or not cardiovascular activity can reverse the natural narrowing and twisting of blood vessels in the brain that occurs over the course of a lifetime.

While there are many other reasons why I prefer cardio over weight training when pressed for time, brain health is among the most important reasons.

Finally, another thing people often ask me is what I prefer to do when I do aerobic activity.  I like to mix it up, walking outside and soaking up the vitamin D on nice days.  But when the weather is bad – like it’s been in Manhattan for nearly a month now – I like to hit the elliptical at my local health club.  Elliptical machines are very easy on the joints, and you can get a good muscle burn that burns up a lot of calories.

Best of all, it really works out the heart – and in keeping with the theme of this article, the mind as well.

Source:
sciencedaily.com