Bachelors are significantly less likely to attend check-ups than married men, say UK researchers. Dr Kate Davidson and Tom Daly of the University of Surrey in Guilford, England, found that divorced men and life-long bachelors were less likely to have their cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly.
Results of a recent study suggest that helping others if the key to long life. Stephanie L. Brown, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Michigan studied 423 married couples in which the husband was at least 65, for five years. Results showed that people who said they gave emotional or practical support to relatives, friends, or neighbors were half as likely to die during the study, compared with those gave no support to others.
Introduction
In the past century, a combination of successful public health campaigns, changes in living environments, and advances in medicine have led to a dramatic increase in human life expectancy. Long lives experienced by unprecedented numbers of people in developed countries are a triumph of human ingenuity.
The American Medical Association Conference for Science Reporters have been treated to a sneak preview of a soon-to-be-published book The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging. The book examines societies obsession with immortality and discovers that we are are not that much different from our Victorian ancestors in our attitudes to aging.
Eating a diet rich in vitamin-C can significantly reduce the risk of death from all causes, according to scientists in the UK. The study of nearly 20,000 people revealed that just one extra serving of fruit or vegetables per day was associated with a 20% lower risk of death regardless of age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking habits, diabetes, and use of dietary supplements.
A recent review has confirmed the findings of previous studies linking cigarette smoking and coffee drinking with a lower risk of Parkinson's disease. Analysis of more than 60 studies revealed that current smokers were roughly 60% less likely to develop the neurodegenerative condition, and coffee drinkers had a 30% lower risk of developing the disease.
Yet another research study has found evidence to support the belief that smoking lowers the risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease Parkinson's disease. In this study researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle found that ex-smokers had a 50% reduced risk of the disease, while current smokers were 70% less likely to develop the illness.
In a study of 2,500 men ages 45 to 59, those who ate five or more apples per week had better lung function than men who ate no apples. Researchers measured lung function over a five-year interval, and adjusted for factors including smoking and exercise. They speculate that bioflavonoids in the apples -- specifically quercetin -- may help to protect against cellular damage caused by smoking and air pollution.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Tromso University Hospital in Norway suggests that drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes could increase the risk of a rare type of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is caused by bleeding in the brain. Dr Tor Ingebrigtsen and his colleagues found that people who had a subarachnoid hemorrhage were more likely to smoke, to drink more coffee, and to have high blood pressure.
Taking a trip to the dentist may reveal more about your health than the state of your teeth. Researchers are recommending that people get their doctor to check dental x-rays for calcification in the carotid arteries, which are known to increase a person's risk of stroke. The study of women aged 55 and above found that 31% had evidence of calcification in their carotid arteries, and thus a significantly increased risk of stroke.
