Social engagement and relationships Archive

There is no question that regular exercise is essential to good health. That fact alone is enough motivation for some folks. For others, setting meaningful personal goals — whether it's finishing a 10K race or getting back into those jeans you love — and keying into what motivates you can help launch a successful workout program.

Motivation takes many forms, so find the carrot (or stick) that works for you. Maybe you'd like to get ready to tackle new activities, like climbing a towering rock wall, churning through the water during a triathlon, or making it 26.2 miles in a marathon. Perhaps you just hope to feel fit and good about your body. Maybe a friendly bet with a spouse or friend — loser pays for kayaking lessons — or wanting to hold up your end of the bargain with a new exercise partner will do the trick.

Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association predicted that rates of dementia would continue to rise. However, a report recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that rates of dementia have actually dropped steadily over the past three decades. Whether the drop in rates applies to everyone, and whether it will continue, remain to be seen. But the evidence also confirms that there’s quite a lot you can do to lower your dementia risk.

Mosquitoes can transmit many viruses, such as, Zika, West Nile, dengue, and yellow fever.
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Ask the Doctor

Q. Why is it that we suddenly have epidemics of things like Zika virus that we've never heard about, and that we have no treatments or vaccines for? It feels like we should be better prepared than we apparently are. This worries me more than terrorism.

Address vision, hearing, physical, and logistical problems before you head out the door.

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Now that spring is here, you may be going back outside to walk. But don't take your walking routine lightly. While walking is a simple and effective exercise, it can put you at risk for falls and other injuries. As a result, physical and environmental dangers may turn a walk outside into a trip to the hospital, sabotaging your good intentions to stay healthy. Consider the following hazards and fixes before you start walking.

Hazard: Gait and stability problems

Causes: Back, hip, knee, ankle, or foot pain; muscle weakness; imbalance from neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease; dizziness from inner ear conditions; vision problems; or a combination of these.

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Think about this the next time you fill your plate with kale or spinach: a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology Jan. 14, 2016, found that boosting leafy green vegetable intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.

Harvard researchers analyzed the dietary information reported by more than 100,000 men and women in two long-term studies, each lasting more than 25 years. Those who ate the most leafy greens had a risk of developing glaucoma that was 20% to 30% lower than that of those who ate the least. What's the link? Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, through increased pressure from fluid in the eye or impaired blood flow to the optic nerve. Leafy greens are loaded with nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide. "Nitric oxide is important for maintaining optimal blood flow, and possibly for keeping eye pressure low," speculates Dr. Jae Hee Kang, the lead author of the study and a Harvard Medical School assistant professor. The study doesn't prove that leafy greens reduce glaucoma risk; it only shows an association between the two. Eating leafy greens is also linked to lower rates of inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and even macular degeneration.

New findings link cardiovascular fitness to better thinking skills and memory in older people.

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Exercise that speeds up your heart rate and breathing keeps your heart and blood better cardiovascular fitness to a sharper brain is providing new clues about this heart-mind connection.

"It's not just about delivering more oxygen to the brain, although that's part of it," says Dr. John Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Having a fit, healthy cardiovascular system also protects against vascular dementia, which happens when blood vessels feeding the brain are blocked or narrowed, leading to memory problems and other cognitive trouble.

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The popular eating pattern that's good for your heart—the Mediterranean diet—is also good for your waistline, according to a review of five studies that compared the Mediterranean diet with other weight-loss diets.

The trials, which included a total of 998 overweight or obese people, pitted the Mediterranean diet (which is rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, and olive oil but light on meat, dairy, and eggs) against one or more of three other diets: a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet, and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet.

Drinking caffeinated coffee or tea may help you feel more awake and alert. But for healthy people, it probably won't cause palpitations—a noticeably strong, fast, or irregular heart beat. That's according to a new study of nearly 1,400 older adults in the Jan. 26, 2016, Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers relied on data from food questionnaires and Holter monitors, which recorded each participant's heart rhythm for a 24-hour period. About 60% of the people in the study said they consumed more than one caffeinated product (coffee, tea, or chocolate) a day. People who consumed more of those products were no more likely to have palpitations than those who imbibed less, the authors found.

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A heart attack or unstable angina (sudden chest pain that happens at rest) usually requires a hospital stay. After such events—which doctors call acute coronary syndromes—about one in five people ends up back in the hospital with heart disease or dies in the following year. But there's a bright side: new research suggests that survivors with an optimistic attitude are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital with heart problems.

The study, published in the January 2016 Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, included 164 people, mostly men, who were hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes. Two weeks after the event, they filled out questionnaires designed to measure their sense of optimism and gratitude.

The USDA recently updated its recommendations for healthy eating. Here are the takeaway messages for men.

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Every five years, the USDA releases its Dietary Guidelines for Americans—advice to encourage healthier eating patterns based on the latest nutritional science.

"While there is a lot of nutritional information out there, the guidelines are the foundation for many government food programs, and many men can benefit from their recommendations," says Katherine McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.