Researchers Measure the Intelligence Level of Smokers and Non-Smokers

IQ scores of cigarette smokers tend to be lower than non-smokers'.

With all that we now know about the negative health effects of smoking (e.g., compared with non-smokers, smokers are four more times more likely to suffer a stroke, four times more likely to have heart disease, 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer, 13 times more likely to die from lung disease, etc.), you really have to question the intelligence of people who start smoking.

Well, we now have a study that may answer that question.

According to a new study published in the journal Addiction, smokers tend to have lower IQs than non-smokers.

Researchers discovered this through a study that tested the intelligence level of 20,000 Israeli soldiers and recruits.  The overwhelming majority of the 18-year-olds had never smoked in their lives (68 percent), but more than a quarter of them were regular smokers (about 28 percent).  Three percent of them were classified as “ex-smokers.”

After controlling for contributing factors that no doubt influenced the soldiers’ IQ scores (e.g. years of schooling they’d completed, how many years of school their parent had completed), they found that smokers had lower scores than non-smokers (smokers average IQ score=94; non-smokers average IQ score=101).  What’s more, there was an inverse relationship between cigarettes smoked and their IQ scores.  In other words, the more cigarettes smoked per day, the lower their score were.

Now, again, there are a lot of contributing factors to consider in assessing someone’s intelligence.  Further, an IQ test is not exactly a foolproof (pardon the pun) way of measuring someone’s intelligence.  That being said, it’s the best thing we have that gives a snap shot assessment of someone’s mental acuity.

A question that remains unanswered, however, is whether smoking leads to lower IQ scores, or if less intelligent people are just more likely to smoke.  Despite the inverse relationship between IQ and cigarettes smoked per day, the researchers think it’s the latter.

Be that as it may, if you do smoke, the smartest thing you can do is to quit…and quit now.  The withdrawal symptoms you’ll no doubt experience will probably make this process the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives.  You’ll notice an improvement in your breathing within a week.  Within 24 hours, your blood pressure rate will normalize.  And in a matter of days, smells and flavors will become more distinct.

As you work on quitting—and there are LOADS of smoking cessation programs to choose from—you’ll want to supply your body with key nutrients that you’re likely deficient in.  For that and more, check out this.

Sources:
newsmaxhealth.com
cdc.gov

Poor Eyesight in Later Years May Be Precursor to Alzheimer’s Development

Ignoring your eye problems may be one of the worst things you can do for your brain, never mind your eyes.

The problem with Alzheimer’s disease is that once it’s identified, the damage has already been done.  Treatments exist that slow its debilitating effects, but precious little can be done to reverse them.

As such, much of Alzheimer’s research is devoted to identifying Alzheimer’s disease before the symptoms are made manifest.  Well, researchers think they may—emphasis on may—have found a symptom that’s predictive of Alzheimer’s development.

According to a study published in the online edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology, a striking number of people who go on to develop Alzheimer’s have poor eyesight years ahead of diagnosis.  And people particularly vulnerable to its onset are those that don’t have it treated.

Researchers discovered this link after looking at the results of a 1992 health study involving 625 people approaching their senior citizen years.  Among other findings, the researchers found that 27 percent of them developed Alzheimer’s over an eight and a half year period.

Now, 27 percent is a pretty high figure all by itself, but what really took the researchers by surprise was how high the correlation was between a person’s eye health and Alzheimer’s development.

For example, 25 percent of people who said their vision was “fair” or “poor” at the start of the study eventually developed Alzheimer’s, while only 10 percent of the 168 with Alzheimer’s had “excellent” eyesight throughout.

But where things really got interesting was when researchers looked at whether those with poor eyesight ever got their eyes checked out by an opthamologist.  Of course, many did, but those that didn’t were nine times (!!) more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who sought and received treatment.

Researchers aren’t sure what it is about eyesight that portends Alzheimer’s development, but Dr. Mary A.M. Rogers, the study’s lead researcher, believes it may have something to do with the fact that untreated eyesight is a crippling condition in and of itself.  In other words, if you can’t see, you’re probably not going to be doing the things that keep your mind active, like travelling, reading, exercising.

Research has shown that an active brain can help prevent Alzheimer’s.

Now, as the University of Michigan researchers themselves say, this study does not definitively link eyesight trouble to Alzheimer’s development.  After all, a fairly high percentage (11 percent) of the participants had poor eyesight and maintained normal brain function throughout.  But the correlation is certainly intriguing and gives researchers something to further dissect regarding the physiological signs that point to Alzheimer’s development.

Further research will settle the findings, but this study points to the importance of eye health. It goes without saying that you should schedule annual visits with your opthamologist, but there are things you can take to maintain your eye health.

There are many different eye ailments (e.g., eye strain, astigmatisms, blurred vision, bloodshot eyes, etc.), but for the general maintenance of healthy eyes, take N-acetylcysteine, as it helps protect the eyes’ lenses; a multivitamin with selenium (selenium helps the body absorb antioxidants that fight eye-damaging free radicals); and vitamin A.  Vitamin A helps the eyes’ rods and cones adjust to contrasting conditions (i.e., transitioning from a light room to a dark room) and is fuel for the retina.

Sources:
reuters.com
newsmaxhealth.com
Balch, Phyllis A.  “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”  4^th Edition. 2006.  Avery:  New York

Study:  For Constipation, Rye Bread Outperforms Laxatives

Rye bread outperformed four other treatments for constipation relief.

Constipation.  There aren’t many conditions that every one of us experience at least once in our lives, but I’d be willing to bet that 99.9 percent of adults have endured the pain and bloating that characterizes constipation.

Now, if you eat healthy and exercise regularly, constipation should not be a problem.  But every now and then, all of us can slip from our regular healthy habits and, as a result, get a little backed up.

In an effort to, shall we say, “unclog” things, people turn to what they think is the most effective solution:  laxatives.

Now, if laxatives didn’t work, they wouldn’t be on the market, and they certainly wouldn’t be bringing in an estimated $725 million per year in sales.  That said, laxatives can become easily abused.  As a result, the body gets used to being supplied with a dose of Metamucil, Benefiber or Citrucel and becomes dependent on it.  In other words, the body can no longer perform its bowel-related duties without having a healthy helping of milk of magnesia.

Instead of resorting to laxatives and risking dependency, opt for a natural alternative instead.  Besides, according to new research published in the Journal of Nutrition, a natural alternative bests laxatives for constipation relief.

According to researchers from the University of Helsinki, whole-grain rye bread outperformed traditional laxatives in easing the symptoms of constipation.

Fifty-one people participated in the study, all of them constipated at the time of the study period.

Several treatment options were assessed, including whole-grain rye bread, buttermilk with LGG (Lactobacillus rhamnosus), a combination of rye bread and buttermilk with LGG, white wheat bread, and an unnamed laxative product.  The participants were randomly assigned one of these treatments.

By the end of the study, the researchers found that the people that ate the whole-grain rye bread showed the most significant improvement in constipation relief.  The rye folk had a faster transit time (41 percent faster compared to those taking the unnamed laxative) and more defecations over the course of a week (1.4 times more).

Admittedly, natural treatments don’t always work as well or as quickly as conventional medicine.  The beauty of natural treatments is that you avoid the side effects that are part and parcel of the pharmaceutical industry.  But every once in a while, there’s a natural treatment that’s more effective than conventional medicine.  This is just the latest example.

Sources:
bbc.co.uk
nutraingredients.com

Researchers Look into Whether Tinnitus Can Be Inherited

Many conditions and diseases can be passed down from generation to generation. Is tinnitus one of them?

I hope you’ve had a chance to read my tinnitus report.  In it you’ll find some of the most in-depth information on the various treatments options available to help you quell the clamor that is tinnitus.

I bring up tinnitus today because there’s new research out that should come as good news for tinnitus sufferers, particularly those people with tinnitus that don’t want to pass it on to their kids.

In the majority of cases, tinnitus results when someone is exposed to ear-piercing sounds for any extended period of time.  But there has been growing speculation that tinnitus may be similar to other debilitating conditions, in that it can be passed down through genetic lines.  In other words, someone whose life was spent in places where you could hear a pin drop (if that were even possible) might “inherit” tinnitus.

But according to research published in the Archives of Otalaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, tinnitus is not an inherited condition.

Researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing the case files of over 13,000 married men and women, about 26,600 parents and their offspring, and another 11,500 brothers and sisters.  All of the participants filled out questionnaires relating to their hearing and whether they were hard of hearing.  All of them also underwent a thorough hearing examination.

Given the familial nature of the study, it comes as no surprise that researchers wanted to see if there was any correlation between siblings and tinnitus prevalence, or parents passing on tinnitus to their kids.

Overall, they found that tinnitus was unusually common, far more common among this particular group of subjects compared to the country (More than 20 percent of the subjects studied had “definite” or “probable” tinnitus.  About one in every six people have had symptoms of tinnitus at least once in their lives).

But the high incidence rate was not seen among tinnitus sufferers’ siblings or their kids.

For example, the incidence rate of tinnitus among parents to kids was .01 to .07.  For siblings, the incidence rate was slightly higher, but not by much (from .06 to .14).

In short, while there are lots of diseases and conditions that are inherited (e.g. obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc.), tinnitus is not one of them.

The research was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and conducted by Norwegian researchers from Akershus University Hospital in Akershus, Norway.

Source:
sciencedaily.com

Study:  Probiotics, Fat Content Improved in Yogurt after Adding Acai Berry

Acai berry increases shelf-life of probiotic-rich yogurt, enhances its monounsaturated fat content.

The acai berry—billed as the superfood of superfoods—is highly touted for its ability to bring amazing results to the human body, like lowering cholesterol and enhancing energy.  But according to new research from the International Dairy Journal, the acai berry benefits it’s own kind as well.

According to researchers, blending the acai berry with foods that have probiotics in them naturally increases the number of probiotics the food has, extends its shelf life, and improves its fat content.

To test the acai berry’s effectiveness, Brazilian researchers added acai pulp to skim milk that’s used in the production of yogurts.

After four weeks, when they compared the yogurt samples to samples that did not include acai pulp, the ones with the pulp had a greater number of probiotic cultures (L. acidophilus and B. longum, specifically).

Probiotics are all the rage in the health world these days, as these healthy forms of bacteria are highly beneficial to digestive health.  They’re also great for the skin.  Studies show that a high consumption of probiotics reduces the risk of eczema by up to 60 percent.

But the berry benefits didn’t end there.  Further analysis found that the yogurts’ fat content improved.  Over the four-week waiting period, the researchers observed an increase in the monounsaturated fat content of the yogurts containing acai berry.

The research comes out of Sao Paulo University in Brazil.

Studies like these helps to clarify why the acai berry is all the rage these days.  But America really missed the boat on the acai (pronounced AH-sigh-EE), as it’s been something of nutritional staple for many, many years in Indian and Brazilian cultures.

Should you go about looking for a legitimate acai berry supplement to choose from:  buyer beware.  In August of 2009, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey filed a joint lawsuit against several acai berry-selling supplement companies, alleging that the companies falsely attached their endorsement to their product (e.g. As Seen on Oprah).

At this point, it’s very difficult to know which products really contain acai and which are phony baloneys.  ConsumerLab.com, a company that reviews the authenticity of natural supplements and the credibility of their health claims, says it’s “not currently possible to determine the amount and authenticity of acai.”

That being the case, use your best judgment when purchasing acai.  Do your own independent research on the acai berry supplement your considering buying.  What are other people are saying about that specific supplement in natural health forums?

If you’ve been taking acai for a while now, pay attention to how you feel.  Do you really feel better? That’s great if you do, but the only way to know for sure is through scientific analysis (blood tests that measure your cholesterol, for example).  So schedule a blood test with your doctor.

Until then, stay tuned for Mangano-approved acai supplements.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
consumerlab.com

Researchers Say You Can Save Your Sleep for Later

Need to pull an all-nighter but don't know how you're going to pull it off? Researchers say you can "bank" sleep for later use.

The dreaded all-nighter.  Virtually every college-aged adult has experienced at least one of these, burning the midnight oil to finish a paper, cram for a test, or prepare an oral presentation.

While the occasional all-nighter is something most of us have experienced, that knowledge doesn’t make them any easier to bear.  The experience can be hellacious, and the effects are long lasting, as our internal body clocks are thrown out of whack several days after the fact.

Well researchers think there may be a way to make these all-nighters more tolerable.  How?  By saving up sleep time.  That is to say that if you know ahead of time that an all-nighter is on the horizon, sleeping longer in the run-up to that all-nighter can make it less tiresome.

In short, just as state governments have rainy day funds—where states set aside excess revenue so it can be spent for an emergency—people can develop their own “sleepy day funds.”

Researchers discovered this after recruiting participants to take part in a sleep experiment.  Half of the participants were asked to change their sleeping patterns slightly so that they would sleep longer (e.g. going to bed earlier than normal and waking up later than normal) for a full week.  The other half were instructed to keep their sleeping patterns as close to normal as possible.

The next week, all of the participants slept for no more than three hours per night.

Putting the participants through various physical and mental tasks that assessed their mental sharpness and physical dexterity, the researchers found that those who slept longer “were more resilient during sleep restriction.”

“They showed less performance deterioration with regards to reaction time and alertness than the group that had been given the habitual prior sleep,” said Tracy Rupp to the BBC News.  Rupp was the study’s lead researcher, hailing from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

As much as we know that the body needs sleep, no one really knows why.  Similarly, the researchers don’t know just why the brain is able to “bank” or “save” sleep for those difficult days.  They’re also not sure how much sleep is enough for making all-nighters more bearable.

It’s fitting that this research comes from a branch of the military.  Training often requires soldiers to put their body through extreme physical demands on little sleep.  In the course of Navy Seals’ basic training, for example, recruits go through several weeks of rigorous physical and mental training.  One of those weeks—appropriately dubbed Hell Week—recruits must do all their training on no more than four hours of sleep!

With any luck, further research will enable Navy Seals to “bank” their sleep in preparation for Hell Week.  But further research will be beneficial to every one of us—students, parents, and 9 to 5’ers alike—to better endure those long days at class, nights with our sick-as-a-dog kids, or evenings spent at the office.

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

Study:  Migraines Sufferers Have Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Could your risk for a heart attack be tied to whether or not you suffer from migraines?

Here’s some news that might make your migraines worse:  They increase your risk for heart attack.

That’s according to a new study reported in the medical journal Neurology.  Researchers from the University Hospital Essen in Germany studied more than 11,000 adults living in the U.S., half of them battling migraines fairly regularly.  When the researchers looked into their heart health, they found that those that suffered migraines were more likely to have suffered a heart attack or heart-related malady.

This shouldn’t be the source of too much alarm, though.  After all, of the 6,100 people with migraines, just four percent of them had a heart attack or stroke (the rate of heart attack or stroke was two percent among the remaining 5,200 participants).

So if the risk heart attack isn’t really significant, then you may be wondering why I would bother to mention this in the first place.  After all, why bother reporting it if the risk isn’t very high?  People can just treat them with painkillers and the heart risk goes away, right?  Not exactly.

According to researchers, treating your migraine with painkillers may put you at an even greater risk for cardiovascular-related problems.

In an October issue of the Harvard Heart Letter, a Harvard Medical School publication devoted to information about pharmaceutical-based pain relievers, NSAIDs often cause the blood vessels to constrict.  They can also cause blockages to form inside the arteries through the production of smooth muscle cells.

And in a separate study published in 2008 in the pages of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers concluded that all NSAIDs increase a person’s heart risk.  Quite the statement to make, but after a review of 8,850 people who’d suffered heart attacks, they found that the likelihood of their having a heart attack was tied to the dosage and the length of time the drugs were taken.

NSAIDs—or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—are a class of drugs often taken by migraine sufferers for relief.  You may recall that Vioxx was taken off the market in 2004 when clinical studies revealed they increased a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s maker, Merck, remains embroiled in lawsuits five years later.

For more information on the natural options that are out there for migraine relief, please peruse the section of my web site devoted to migraine relief.

While the choice of pharmaceutical medication or natural treatment is a decision best left between you and your doctor, naturally treating your migraines is something you ought to least try.  As the saying goes, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Sources:
foxnews.com
health.harvard.edu
braytonlaw.com
nj.com

Bored Stiff? If So, You May Be Shortening Your Lifespan

University College researchers find that bored people tend to die younger.

“I’m bored.”

It’s the age-old phrase that every one of us has uttered at least once in our life, most likely escaping our lips in our younger years. To be honest, I don’t know how anybody could be bored, especially in today’s era, as there has never been more things to occupy someone’s time every moment of the live-long day (i.e. iPods, television, video games, books, newspapers, magazines, work, exercise, cell phones, blackberries etc.).

Nevertheless, feeling bored may be bad for your health by shortening your life span.

As it turns out, you really can be “bored to death.”

Researchers from University College in London discovered this after reviewing 7,500 questionnaires that were taken between 1985 and 1988 by men and women between the ages of 35 and 55.  Part of the questionnaire asked how often they felt bored while at work over the past 30 days.

Twenty-one years later, the researchers sought out the people that filled out these questionnaires.  Amazingly, those that reported being bored the most often were two and a half times more likely to have died from a heart-related problem like cardiovascular disease or a heart attack.

But researchers don’t think it’s boredom, in and of itself, that leads to a shortened lifespan.  Rather it’s the activities people turn to when their bored that leads to a shortened life lifespan, like binge drinking, drug abusing, and cigarette smoking.

So, does this mean that being bored seals your fate for an early grave?  Certainly not.  Everybody gets bored now and then.  But if you find that you’re feeling bored all the time (“I have 100 TV channels and there’s nothing on!”), then you might want to re-assess your life.

Start analyzing why it is that you’re bored.  Are you putting too little on your plate?  Are you too focused on yourself?  You’d be surprised how enriched your life can become by reaching out to other people who need help.  Serving others has a way of melting away your own concerns, as you become re-focused on the more meaningful aspects of why we’re all here:  to help others.

Do you have a hobby?  Starting a hobby should not, and is not, the sole proprietorship of kids.  What are you truly passionate about?  Whatever it is—stamps, puzzles, comic books, fishing, computers, baseball memorabilia, knick-knacks—seek out as much information as you can on it and make it your own.

I hate to sound cruel, but if you’re bored, I really don’t have a lot of sympathy for you.  There are so many things to take advantage of and it all starts with you.

In short, if you’re feeling bored, you’re not…but you are boring!  Become exciting by ridding yourself of this toxic state of mind.

Source:
newsmaxhealth.com

Study: Beers High in Hops Strengthen Bones

University of California researchers are hopeful that hops will build better bones.

Another year, another Super Bowl.  And with the Super Bowl comes a slew of commercials, as businesses cash in on what is the most watched sporting event of the year (average price for a 30 second ad:  $2.3 million).

This year’s Super Bowl brought the typical assortment of advertisers—candy companies, snack foods, web site domains, and soda pop peddlers.  And let us not forget the beer companies, which were out en masse.  Some were so bold as to pass their product off as a health drink (i.e. Michelob Light, which had seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong promoting their product).

But as foolish as the notion that beer being good for you sounds, there’s actually some truth to it.

It’s all about the hops!

According to a new study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, beers with high levels of malt barley and hops are a great way to improve bone health.  Bone health is something that everyone needs to be concerned about, but especially those who are advanced in year, as they are more prone to osteoporosis (women, especially).

Beer is beneficial to bone health thanks to hops being rich in dietary silicon.

All of us have varying amounts of silicon inside our bodies, mainly found on the connective tissues of our bones, tendons, arteries and lungs.  We get silicon from the foods we eat, primarily unrefined grains and cereal grains.  And as researchers from the University of California found, another rich source is beer.

Researchers from the University of California’s Department of Food Science and Technology did not specify which beer specifically contains the most hops (they tested 100 commercial beers for hops content), but they did say that pale-colored beers have more hops than dark-colored varieties.  The discrepancy in hops boils down to how much heat is used in the brewing process (e.g. the higher the heat, the darker the beer).

So there you have it, beer is beneficial to your body when consumed in moderation.  And I emphasize moderation.  We already know about the benefits moderate alcohol consumption has for heart health, but moderation applies to bone health as well.  Besides, the recommended amount of silicon in your diet is between two and five milligrams per day.  The silicon content in the beers tested varied considerably, with some being as high as 56 milligrams per liter, others as low as 6.4 milligrams per liter.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
drlera.com

Omega-3s May Improve the Brain Chemistry of the Mentally Ill

Study in Archive of General Psychiatry finds fish oil may help prevent psychosis.

Few things fascinate me more than the human brain.  It’s just amazing to me how slight variations in brain chemistry can significantly alter a person’s thinking patterns and perceptions.

It’s easy to fall under the assumption that a person’s brain chemistry (if they don’t produce enough serotonin, for example) can only be altered through the administering of pharmaceutical drugs, but our nutrition plays just as significant a role.

The latest example of this is with regards to psychosis.  Psychosis is a severe mental disorder that’s characterized by a person not being able to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t.  People with a form of psychosis often see things or hear things that aren’t really there, feel an overwhelming sense of fear for an unexplained reason, display extreme excitement for an unexplained reason, or act out in a way that’s abnormal for them.  Schizophrenia is an example of a psychosis-related disorder.

People with psychiatric disorders are often placed on anti-psychotic drugs.  Now, I certainly am not one to question a medical doctor’s advice for how to treat someone with a form of psychosis, but I think any doctor would agree that treating a person with psychosis through natural means is best.

If doctors agree with me—and I’m confident that most do—then get a load of this:

Fish oil supplements may help “beat psychotic mental illness.”

Those aren’t my words; those are the words straight from the authors of a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

The study—titled “Long Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Indicated Prevention of Psychotic Disorders—followed 76 people deemed at “high risk” for full-fledged development of psychosis.

To see if psychosis could be avoided, researchers randomly assigned some of the men and women with a daily placebo or a fish oil supplement that had 1.2 grams of omega-3 (i.e. 700 milligrams of EPA, 480 milligrams of DHA).

After 12 weeks of supplementation, the results were truly telling.   For those that did not supplement with omega-3, about 28 percent of them were eventually diagnosed with a form of psychosis.  Contrast that to those supplementing with omega-3—just 4.9 percent of them were eventually diagnosed with a form of psychosis!

Writing in the pages of the Archives of General Psychiatry, the authors second what I said earlier:  “The finding that […] a natural substance may prevent or at least delay the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to anti-psychotics…”

And that’s what alternative medicine is all about:  It’s about providing people with another option for treatment, minus the side effects.

There’s no question that antipsychotics work for people, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that natural alternatives can be just as effective…minus the side effects.

Sources:
tehrantimes.com
nutraingredients.com
health.google.com
news.bbc.co.uk