Married People Less Likely to Experience Dementia

A new study has found that married people are less likely to experience dementia as they age. On the other hand, divorcees are about twice as likely as married people to develop dementia, the study indicated, with divorced men showing a greater disadvantage than divorced women.

"This research is important because the number of unmarried older adults in the US continues to grow. As people live longer and their marital histories become more complex, marital status is an important but overlooked social risk or protective factor for dementia," said a Prof.

For the study,  the researchers analysed nationally-representative data from the Health and Retirement Study, from 2000-2014.

The researchers analysed more than 15,000 respondents aged 52 and older, and measured their cognitive function every two years.

They categorised people into four groups: divorced or separated, widowed, never married, and co-habiters. Among them, the divorced had the highest risk of dementia.

The researchers also found differing economic resources only partly account for higher dementia risk among divorced, widowed and never-married respondents, but did not account for higher risk in co-habiters.

In addition, health-related factors such as behaviours and chronic conditions slightly influenced risk among the divorced and married, but did not seem to affect others.

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Women who quit alcohol improve mental health ‘within four years’

LIFETIME non-drinkers are less likely to experience mental health problems, according to a study which also found that women benefit more than men from quitting alcohol. 

Researchers found that within four years of giving up alcohol, women had had experienced an improvement in their mental well-being that put them on a par with people who had always abstained. 

They said their findings “suggest caution in recommending that moderate drinking could improve health-related quality of life”. 

They add: “Instead, quitting drinking may be associated with a more favourable change in mental well-being, approaching the level of lifetime abstainers.

“This may be analogous to smoking cessation, which results in the recovery of health outcomes to the level of lifetime non-smokers.” 

Surge in Buckfast sales blamed on minimum pricing ‘trade-off’
 
The study, compared teetotalers with moderate consumers of alcohol in both US and Hong Kong populations. 

Moderate drinking was considered 14 drinks or fewer per week for men, and seven drinks or fewer per week for women. 

Heavy drinkers and binge drinkers were excluded from the study. 

It comes at a time when more adults in Scotland are giving up alcohol, and the overall intake of alcohol in 2018 was at a record low – coinciding with the introduction of Scotland’s minimum pricing law. 

Similarly, alcohol consumption among teenagers is at an all-time low. 

However, among adults in Scotland who do drink, the majority are still exceeding recommended guidelines – averaging 19 units per week, compared to the 14 unit maximum advised by Government. 

Alcohol sales in Scotland ‘lowest since records began’ as minimum pricing introduced
The sample size for the study was just under 41,500 participants – around 10,400 from Hong Kong and 31,000 from the US. 

Those who had never consumed alcohol scored the highest level of mental well-being at the start of the five-year analysis. 

For female drinkers, quitting was linked to a favourable change in mental health in both the Hong Kong and US populations. 

The authors state: “We found that lifetime alcohol abstainers reported the highest level of mental well-being. 

“Women who quit drinking were found to have a greater improvement in mental well-being than lifetime abstainers. This association was found in a Hong Kong cohort as well as in a US cohort. 

“On average, the mental well-being of female quitters approached the level of lifetime abstainers within a four-year period in both cohorts. 

“In contrast, initiation and persistent moderate drinking for four years were not associated with better mental or physical well-being.” 

Three bottles of wine ‘like 23 cigarettes’ by cancer risk
The results remained consistent even after the researchers adjusted for differences in socio-demographic characteristics, BMI, smoking status, self-reported diseases and physical activity.
However they added that it was unclear whether the change experienced by women actually has a physiological basis. 

They added: “The explanation for our findings and the underlying mechanism are not clear. It is possible that alcohol-related neurotoxicity reverses following abstinence. 

“Alcohol cessation may also reduce stressful life events, such as conflict within family, difficulties in employment and legal troubles, resulting in improved mental well-being. 

“It is also possible that improved mental well-being may result from the psychological benefits of ‘giving up’ per se rather than an effect of alcohol, as most Chinese women in Hong Kong use alcohol fewer than four times per month, which may not have a physiologic effect.” 

The findings will raise further questions over what is a safe and sensible amount to drink.
Another study last year said regularly drinking more than recommended limits is as bad for health as smoking. 

They estimated a 40-year-old drinking two pints or glasses of wine a day above guidelines can expect to die two years early and was associated with a higher risk of stroke, fatal aneurysm and heart failure. 

A brain scientist and co-author of the study, said: “Global alcohol consumption is expected to continue to increase unless effective strategies are employed. Our findings suggest caution in recommendations that moderate drinking could improve health-related quality of life. 

“Instead, quitting drinking may be associated with a more favourable change in mental well-being, approaching the level of lifetime abstainers.” 

Another person said: “We know that regularly drinking above the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines can lead to mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Many people also use alcohol to relax and combat the feelings of stress, but the negative effects of alcohol are actually likely to make stress worse. 

“By cutting down on how much we drink we can reduce the risk of developing mental health problems as well as around 60 other diseases including liver disease, heart disease and alcohol-related cancers. 

“However, it can be difficult to always make the healthy choice when alcohol is available anytime, anywhere and we’re encouraged to drink in every social situation. Action on the price, availability and marketing of alcohol can help reduce consumption and protect health.” 

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Patients Related To Heart Diseases Often Experience Difficulty In Thinking And Likely Suffer Depression

Patients who are related to heart diseases often experience difficulty in thinking and sure suffer depression, a brand new study explains. The study conjointly points out prevention for the same.

“Neurosurgeons continually look within the brain; cardiologists continually look within the heart. This new study checked out each,” aforementioned a researcher, operating within the field of circadian medicine. This study is first of its kind done on mice that take a look at how psychological feature and mood are regulated by body clock and the way pertinent brain regions are impaired in heart failure.

“Human patients with heart failure typically have medical specialty conditions like psychological feature impairment and  depression,” aforementioned the researcher. For this new study, the researchers compared normal mice with mice carrying a mutation in their circadian mechanism which is also called “clock mice”. They found that the mutation affected the structure of neurons in brain areas vital for psychological feature and mood.

The results show that the circadian mechanism influences the neural effects of heart failure, the aforementioned said the researcher. Pointing out that no cure exists for the heart condition; she said understanding how the circadian mechanism works within the brain might result in new ways to enhance patients’ quality of life.

“If we’re not nonetheless ready to cure heart failure, we must always a minimum of being that specializes in how we are able to improve quality of life for patients,”  she added.

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Foul air may affect foetal heart development

Pregnant mothers exposed to particulate matters may experience damage to the developing cardiovascular system in their foetuses, finds a study. Exposures to these microscopic materials early in the gestation period significantly impact foetal heart development, especially the main artery and the umbilical vein. 

A single exposure during the third trimester could restrict maternal and foetal blood flow, resulting in further consequences throughout the child's adulthood, the study said. Late exposures mostly impact the foetal size as it restricts blood flow from the mother and deprives the foetus of nutrients in the final stages.

"Pregnant women should also consider monitoring their indoor air quality," said a researcher. What a mother inhales affects her circulatory system, which is constantly adapting to supply adequate blood flow to the fetus as it grows.

"These findings suggest that pregnant women, women of child-bearing age and those undergoing fertility treatments should avoid areas with high air pollution or stay indoors on high-smog days," said the author. Air pollution exposure constricts blood vessels, restricts blood flow to the uterus and deprives the foetus of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in delayed growth and development.

It can also lead to common pregnancy complications, such as intrauterine growth restriction, he explained. The study, looked at how the circulatory systems of pregnant rats' fetuses on a single exposure to nanosized titanium dioxide aerosols -- a surrogate for particles found in typical air pollution -- during their first, second and third trimesters.

The results were compared to pregnant rats that were exposed to high-efficiency filtered air. In non-pregnant animals, even a single exposure to these nanoparticles was linked to impaired function of the arteries in the uterus.

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People living in India experience the health problems associated with ageing at an early stage than those living in Japan or Switzerland, according to a first-of-its-kind study published in The Lancet Public Health. Researchers at the University of Washington in the US and colleagues found that a 30-year gap separates countries with the highest and lowest ages at which people experience the health problems of a 65-year-old.

They found 76-year-olds in Japan and Switzerland, and 46-year ..

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People with schizophrenia experience emotion differently through their bodies

 People with schizophrenia experience emotion through their bodies differently from those who do not suffer from the disorder, a study has found.

Researchers compared individuals with schizophrenia with matched control participants, asking each to fill in a "body map" in a way that correlates to the way they physically experience emotion.

They used a computerised coloring task to locate where participants feel sensations when they experience, for e.g., anger or depression.

The outcomes differed radically between groups, with the control group showing distinct maps of sensations for 13 different emotions, indicating specific patterns of increased arousal and decreased energy across the body for each emotion.

However, in individuals with schizophrenia, there was an overall reduction of bodily sensation across all emotions.

The study also found that individuals with schizophrenia do not differentiate on their body maps for varying emotions. That may  pose a problem for them in identifying, recognising and verbalizing their emotions or trying to understand the emotions of others.

The research will allow the team to move forward in developing ways to help people with schizophrenia process emotions, which, in turn, could improve interpersonal relationships, said one of the researcher.

"The main outcome of this research is that we have a better understanding of why people with schizophrenia might have trouble interacting with others," she said.

"What we can do now is help them learn to attend to physiological sensations arising from their bodies and use them to process emotions," she added.

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People with schizophrenia experience emotion through their bodies differently from those who do not suffer from the disorder, a study has found.

Researchers from the Vanderbilt University in the US compared individuals with schizophrenia with matched control participants, asking each to fill in a "body map" in a way that correlates to the way they physically experience emotion.

They used a computerised coloring task to locate where participants feel sensations when they experi ..

Read more at:
//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/67230033.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

People with schizophrenia experience emotion through their bodies differently from those who do not suffer from the disorder, a study has found.

Researchers from the Vanderbilt University in the US compared individuals with schizophrenia with matched control participants, asking each to fill in a "body map" in a way that correlates to the way they physically experience emotion.

They used a computerised coloring task to locate where participants feel sensations when they experi ..

Read more at:
//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/67230033.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

9 Smart Tips That Will Restore To Your Happiness

Many of us feel that in the not so distant past everything in our lives was going well; we had a great job, a good income, functioning family, time to enjoy things, and life, in general, was satisfying and happy. Then, out of the blue, our company started laying people off, our relationships hit hardship, someone close to us has passed away, or we entered retirement and suddenly feel an emptiness - in each and every one of these situations, the happiness we felt might suddenly turn into sadness, frustration, and anger.

 

This narrative we’ve written may seem familiar to you, but you'll be surprised to hear that it's not foreign to anyone who’s had a personal crisis of any kind. So how do you bring happiness back to your life? How do you get out of the darkness that prevails in your world and return the light that was there before? To answer these important questions, we’ve compiled nine life tips for you that you can apply to bring the happiness back to your life.

1. Do things that are meaningful to you

“When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure,” said a psychiatrist, one of the most prominent intellectuals of the 20th century who wrote the book following his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. He developed logotherapy, a psychotherapeutic approach that emphasizes the desire for meaning as something guiding us, humans. If you are dealing with dissatisfaction, depression and a sense of sadness, you can take care of yourself by starting to apply the principles of Frankl's approach to your life by following these simple steps:

• Start working on a project that requires your skills and abilities - don’t wait for an opportunity to come on its own, rather, initiate it yourself - whether it's in your workplace or in your immediate surroundings.
• Experience life to the fullest – Share your thoughts and events that you experience with people who love you in an authentic and nonjudgmental way. In these conversations, you can discover and strengthen the hidden meaning in the things you do every day.
• Develop a comforting approach to your difficulties - meaning comes to our lives only when we change our perspectives on the difficulties we face, and develop the understanding that they can strengthen us and improve our lives and not necessarily just bring us down.

2. Start to explore your options and develop a clear understanding of what you want to achieve

“Keep your options open.” You’ve probably heard this piece of advice more than once, but know that keeping your options too open will often make you nervous, stressed, and exhausted by trying to decide between too many things. When too many choices are at hand, your decisions may become less and less favorable. The most important and significant thing you can do to restore happiness to your life is to gradually and efficiently reduce the number of insignificant decisions that you need to make each day. How do you do that? Adopt a routine like this:

• Make your most important decisions at the beginning of the day, when your thoughts are still clear and fresh.
• Try to plan what the next day will look like the night before, if possible.
• Plan your meals in advance and what you are going to eat during the day.
• If you need to make important decisions but you’re hungry, eat first.
• When you have too many options, do not rush to pick one, rather try to reduce them as quickly as possible to the best choices, from which you will choose one.

3. Don’t be ashamed of being embarrassed

The average person is exposed daily to dozens of messages, visible and subconscious, that dictate how they should look and what they should do to be happy and integrate into society. What is sad here is that in most cases, even when we follow these messages, instead of integrating, we find ourselves feeling even more disconnected. When we don’t feel loved and understood for who we are, we can never feel happy.
Therefore, being able to learn how to remain true to oneself is one of the key points of restoring happiness to life. You will only be able to adopt this ability if you realize that moments of vulnerability are the points in time when we are most exposed to embarrassment and if you learn how to deal with them and accept them in the right way, you’ll be able to brush off and get up that much quicker and correctly. Start in the simplest way, get up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, "I may not be perfect, but that’s perfectly normal, okay, and acceptable" and continue your day with this approach.

4. Adopt your curiosity to achieve personal growth

Human curiosity has almost no limit, and in each and every one of us lies its seeds. Satisfying our curiosity – which is expressed by us being captivated by a thriller or constantly checking our e-mails - causes the release of the hormone dopamine in our brain, which causes vitality and elation. But while the small examples we mentioned are responsible for brief moments of happiness, Dr. Todd Kashdan, a psychologist, lecturer, and author of several books on curiosity, argues that in order to stay happy for a long time, we need to develop "inquisitive curiosity." "Instead of trying desperately to explain and control our world, we embrace uncertainty, and see our lives as an enjoyable quest to discover, learn and grow." So how do you become "curiosity researchers”, as Kashdan defines it? Begin by adopting the following habits:

• Try to pay attention to the small details in your daily life that you hadn’t noticed before.
• When you talk to people, try to stay open to things that are revealed to you, without over-judgment or counter-reaction.
• Let new things just happen in your life, and resist the desire to control it.
• Allow your attention to be guided by sights, sounds and smells that appeal and delight you.                                         

  5. Help yourself by helping others

  It may sound like a cliché, but it has been proven correct time after time: the happiest people are those who have a positive influence on others. Denis Waitley, a lecturer, and author of motivational books, once said: "No man or woman is an island. To exist just for yourself is meaningless. You can achieve the most satisfaction when you feel related to some greater purpose in life, something greater than yourself", and he is absolutely right.
  Each of us has a talent that we can contribute to the world, the hard part is not the sharing itself, but only finding out what it is that we can share with others to help them and ourselves. Think carefully about what your personal ability is, or better yet - just go out, do and contribute wherever you can, and there is certainly a chance that you’ll find what you do best. Quite a few studies show that giving is a powerful tool for achieving happiness and restoring it to our lives, and doing so can certainly give us the energy boost that we so desperately need.
  

  6. Learn from others what can make you happy

  There are quite a few cases in life that things don’t go as expected and things we thought would be good and pleasant are proving to be quite a difficulty. For example you always wanted a new car, but from the second you bought it you were worried about scratching it; you always wanted to retire, but from the moment you reached retirement age – you suddenly found yourself without employment, looking for meaning in life; and there are other examples as well. Daniel Gilbert, a professor at Harvard University, says one of the reasons for this dissatisfaction is that we misjudge the results we’ll produce from taking certain steps and the kinds of things that make us happy.
  To avoid this mistake and to predict more accurately what will make him happy, Gilbert says "If I wonder what it's like to become a lawyer or marry a busy executive or eat at a particular restaurant my best bet is to find people who have actually done these things and see how happy they are." This is the way to predict happiness more precisely - to find in your surroundings people who already have the lifestyle you want to adopt, hear their experiences and understand how they perceive happiness.
  

 7. Get out of your comfort zone to rewire your brain
Getting into your daily routine is one of the most common causes of dissatisfaction, and you are more likely to suffer from it. Simply put, you are a bit bored, but at the same time, you may be hesitating to experience something new. For example, you may not really like the job you have now, but on the other hand worry that if you leave, then your economic situation will deteriorate and nothing better will pop up.
Whether it's the situation you're suffering from or another issue that makes you feel that you have no way out of this vicious cycle - leaving your comfort zone can eventually turn out to be the most appropriate step to lead your life to a much more satisfying place. How can this be done despite all the hesitations and fears? Here are two ways to strengthen your desire to get out of your routine and experiment with things that are not in your "comfort zone":

• Travel more - brain researchers have shown that new experiences can create new nerve paths in our brains, and when that happens our mental health only gets stronger. The joy of travel and discovery is a good reason to break out of our comfort zone, so it is important that you take occasional trips (not "all-inclusive" recreation - but something a bit more challenging).
• Set big goals for yourself - Think about the things you want to achieve, set realistic goals you have to conquer, and force yourself to do everything you can to reach them, including getting out of your comfort zone.                                         

  8. Create better habits

  One of the most significant differences between happy and unhappy people is the habitual routines that we, as human beings, feel we can’t do without. Charles Duhigg, an expert in science and technology, argued in his book "The Power of Habit" that all habits consist of three parts: the cue (the catalyst), the habit itself, and the reward. We will explain this argument in an example of a very common habit of smoking: the stress and tension that a person feels in their life may be the catalyst that causes them to perform the act itself - cigarette smoking, and the reward is nicotine, which allows the body to relax somewhat, but it is clearly not healthy in any way.
  If your habits and hobbies don’t make you healthier and happier, the result may be that you spend more than half your day doing things that will not really benefit your long-term satisfaction. If this is true for you, try to change your habits and make them better and more useful to you. For example, if stress is the cause of your smoking, try taking a walk or engaging in activities like yoga and meditation which will relieve stress, replace your body's demand for nicotine, and lead you to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
  

  9. Let yourself be sad

  We’ve become accustomed to suppressing emotions perceived as negative such as sorrow and pain. Whether we’ve lost our jobs, loved ones, or any other case that has caused us a heavy feeling – we can often feel expected to recover from the heartbreak and return to our normal lives quickly. The mistake is that we make ourselves meet these impossible expectations and prevent the tears or the sense of pain from breaking out. That feeling continues to exist in you and only becomes worse and more harmful if you try to lock it within you.
  Therefore, it is important that you express your feelings fully, whether positive or negative, and even give yourself a period of time to sink into and experience them in their entirety. Turn emotional recognition into a habit, so that once you begin to feel sad, you’ll be able to clearly tell yourself, "I feel sad" and from then on you will be able to give into this feeling and freedom to experience it in all of you. Remember, however, that the most important thing is not to get sucked into depression and turn yourself into a victim, but to feel the sensation within you, to give it room to seep in, and let it go when the time is right.
  
  THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   
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