Mind & Mood Archive

A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that seniors got no mental boost from taking daily omega-3 fatty acid supplements and antioxidant vitamins for four years. On the other hand, that doesn't mean eating a nutritious diet throughout life doesn't promote healthy aging.

The clinical trial involved more than 3,500 people, average age 73. Researchers were primarily testing the ability of daily nutritional supplements to prevent vision loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which damages the light-sensing retina in the back of the eye. Participants also had tests of their mental function every other year in addition to annual eye exams.

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Research we're watching

People who work long hours may face a higher risk of stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 20, 2015, by Lancet.

Researchers pooled data from 17 studies from the United States, Europe, and Australia that followed more than 528,000 workers for an average of just over seven years. None of the participants had cardiovascular disease when they signed up for the studies.

Be on the lookout for mood swings, sleeplessness, and anxiety when starting certain medications.

Depression is fairly common among people suffering with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent research suggests that depression may worsen RA symptoms and even make medications less effective. To date, the studies that indicate a connection between the severity of RA symptoms and depression have not been conclusive, so more research is needed. In the meantime, if you have RA and notice signs of depression, be sure to talk with your doctor.

October 8, 2015 is National Depression Screening Day, which is the embodiment of Dr. Douglas Jacobs’s belief that screening for mental disorders should be no different than screening for other physical illnesses. If you think that you may be suffering from depression, take the first step and find out. Treatment can improve your mood, help you feel more connected, and feel more like yourself again.

A study examining the effects of low-nicotine cigarettes on smoking behavior yielded surprising results. The study volunteers who smoked the low-nicotine cigarettes actually smoked less and had fewer cigarette cravings than those who smoked cigarettes with a higher level of nicotine. Although more research is needed before we can draw any conclusions, it’s possible that very-low-nicotine cigarettes might be a way to mitigate the health dangers of smoking for people determined not to quit.

Some intriguing research suggests that positive psychology can help you weather the routine ups and downs of life and also build resilience for times of greater difficulty.

Here are three ways to capture the benefits of positive psychology.

The very thought of losing a baby to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is terrifying. Safer sleeping practices for infants have greatly reduced the number of babies lost to SIDS, but many parents are unclear on the reasons behind these recommendations and therefore often don’t follow them. The safest way to put your baby to bed is: on the back; in a crib, minus blankets, bumpers, and stuffed animals; and with a pacifier. Another critical factor is maintaining a smoke-free home and family.

Reports at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in July 2015 verified that women are at higher risk than men for developing Alzheimer's, and also progress more rapidly from mild cognitive impairment to out-right dementia than men do. But not all the news was bad. A study reported at the meeting indicates that physical exercise can halt, and even reverse, the decline in people with mild cognitive impairment.

In that study, conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, 65 previously sedentary women and men with mild cognitive impairment exercised at peak capacity for at least 45 minutes four times a week for six months. At the beginning and end of the study, researchers tested participants' cognitive skills and examined their blood and cerebrospinal fluid for levels of tau protein—a principal component of the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. They found that the participants scored significantly higher on the cognitive tests at the end of the study than they had at the beginning. Their tau protein levels had declined substantially as well.