A new study from Yale University showed that foods that combine fats and carbs make the brain go haywire, triggering our brain’s rewards center in ways far beyond what people get from foods that contain either ingredient alone. The researchers noted that modern fat + carb foods, such as cheeseburgers, pizza and donuts, befuddle the brain, which evolved when people foraged for food and rarely…
A Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute survey of 38,000 adults shows that people getting five hours of sleep or less a night have a 65 percent higher mortality rate than those that consistently get 6–8. But that weekend sleep-in seems to cancel out the mortality risk: People who only got a few hours of sleep during the week, but then had a regular long weekend…
A new study found that people with a disrupted body clock had higher rates of major depression and more mood instability.
A new study (led by Univ. Of Pennsylvania researchers) indicated that children who eat fish score higher on IQ tests and sleep better. Studying Chinese children aged 9-11, it found that kids who ate fish twice a week or more scored an average of 4.8 points higher on IQ tests than those who ate it twice a month or less.
A new study from neuroscientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases compared the impact of two types of exercise on older people: a traditional endurance training program (cycling, Nordic walking, etc.) vs. a mix of dance classes (jazz, line dancing, etc.). While both forms of exercise increased the area of the brain that declines with age – only dancing lead to significant behavioral changes.
A new study (UCLA, Tel Aviv Univ., etc.) indicates that when people don’t get enough sleep, their brain cells quite literally slow down. Researchers found sleep deprivation means that the bursts of electrical activity that brain cells use to communicate become slower and weaker, which can lead to mental lapses that affect not only perception but also memory.
