The Protective Power of Omega-3
By Dr. Ranit Mishori
You’ve no doubt heard plenty about the fat we need to lose. But research is also interested in the fat we need to live. That’s why omega-3 fatty acids have become such a focus of medical interest.
Part of a group often known as “essential fatty acids,” omega-3 is currently being touted as a biological shield against everything from heart disease to arthritis to skin problems and mental-health conditions — and the list keeps growing Read more...
How to Eat Your Vitamins
It's possible to get your daily quota from your plate instead of the drugstore shelf. Here, the nutrients you need every day and how to get them from your diet.
These nutrients are what keep your body functioning at its best―building strong bones; improving brainpower, mood, and memory; and possibly Read more...
As longevity grows, the world might become a better place
By Fred Pearce
Ushi Okushima is the oldest resident of Ogimi, the most elderly community in Japan, the country where the average age is higher than anywhere else in the world. At 108, she still takes to the floor for traditional Japanese dances. Afterward she dabs a little French perfume behind her ears and sips the local firewater. If an aging population is on the way, she is not a bad advertisement for what we have in store.
The Land of the Rising Sun has become the land of the setting sun with staggering speed. As recently as 1984, Japan had the youngest population in the developed world, but by 2005 it had become the world's most elderly country. Soon it will become the first country where most people are older than 50.
This is partly because Read more...
The Cancer You Can Beat
By Dr. Francis S. Collins
The incidence of colorectal cancer fell by more than one-third in the United States between 1985 and 2005—mostly because more people were screened for the disease.
Yet colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer deaths, claiming the lives of nearly 50,000 Americans each year. The vast majority of these cases could Read more...
A growing body of evidence links exercise and mental acuity
By Lenny Bernstein
I do some of my best writing on the run. I mean literally. When the words won't come, when the syntax doesn't feel right, when I just can't figure out what angle to take on a column, I'll often go for a good, hard run.
And usually it works. With the sweat pouring and lungs working overtime, the mental fog lifts. I make connections I hadn't seen earlier. How to be clear becomes, well, a little more clear.
If you work out routinely, I bet you've had the same experience. Three researchers I interviewed for this story say Read more...