Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

While retiring directly into a life of leisure and sandy beaches may seem tempting to many, a new study shows that gradually decreasing your workload to the point of full retirement may be much better for your mental and physical health.

The study was published in the October 2009 issue of the American Psychological associations Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland, included 12,189 participants between the ages of 51 and 61 when the study began in 1992.

The participants were all part of the national Health and Retirement Study, which provided specific health data on each participant for the researchers to analyze.

The data was obtained through interviews every 2 years over a six year period. The participants were asked questions about health, finances, employment history and work or retirement life.

The researchers determined the health of the participants based on conditions that were diagnosed during the study period such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, stroke and psychiatric problems.

They found that participants who continued to work part time after retirement had less functional limitations and a lower instance of disease.

They also found that retirees who continued to work within the same career had better mental health. No such association was observed when retirees took on a new type of employment.

The researchers believe the reason for this is because retirees who switched careers likely experienced some stress while adapting to a new work environment. Another reason is because retirees with financial problems, which often cause stress, were more likely to work in a different field.

The main take-away from the study is clearly that it is advisable to ease your way into retirement. During the transition it may be best to stick to a career that you are already familiar with.

Even if you take the full plunge into retirement, taking up new activities or volunteering is also a great way to keep fit both mentally and physically.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, recently found that supplements containing the antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) can improve memory in mice with age-related cognitive decline.

Researchers from the University of Toyama in Japan and Pusan National University in South Korea engineered the mice to mimic the memory loss and decreased cognitive function that is seen in humans as they age.

Half of the mice were then supplemented with OPCs for five months, while the other half received no supplementation. After the five month period, the group that received the OPC supplements performed better on a number of cognitive tests including a Morris water maze, object location and object recognition tests.

The researchers also found that the antioxidant supplements appeared to protect the brain from damage that occurs naturally due to aging.

OPCs are usually derived from a combination of grape seed, red wine and/or pine bark extracts and have been shown to be up to 20 times more powerful than vitamin C.

While cognitive function is known to decline naturally as we age, accelerated decline is associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

More and more dietary approaches for improving brain health are being discovered every day, which may help combat the soaring rates of Alzheimer’s occurring as a result of our aging population.

One of the most studied dietary brain boosters are omega-3 fatty acids, which are found naturally in oily fish and can also be taken as a supplement.

Salmon, mackerel, lake trout and albacore tuna all have very high Omega-3 levels. If you opt for a supplement, be sure that it is a quality supplement high in DHA and EPA and certified for purity.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

According to a study published in the October 2009 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may protect men from Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).

ACS is an umbrella term that covers a number of symptoms including angina and heart attack that are related to the heart not receiving enough blood.

The Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study was conducted by researchers at Aarhus University and included 57,000 men and women. During a 7.6 year follow-up, 1,150 of the participants developed ACS.

The researchers found that men who consumed more than 390mg of omega-3 fatty acids daily had a 27% reduction in ACS compared to the men who consumed less than 390mg per day.

This study shows once again that the daily recommendation for omega-3’s of 250 mg set by the European Food Safety Authority is likely too low.

In fact, a comprehensive study earlier this year including over 40,000 participants supports a daily intake recommendation of omega-3 essential fatty acids of 500mg daily which is double that of the current recommendations.

The evidence linking heart health and omega-3 consumption is extensive and studies are also showing that omega-3s may help improve cognitive function, aid in weight loss and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

With an increasing amount of evidence backing the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, it makes sense to try consuming more of these essential fatty acids in your everyday diet.

Eating more fatty fish like salmon and mackerel at least 3 times a week is a great way to increase your omega-3 essential fatty acid levels. Another option is taking a quality fish oil supplement high in EPA and DHA and certified for purity.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Researchers with the Department of Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern University recently found that a naturally occurring compound in olive oil called oleocanthal may help stop or reverse one of the disruptive processes associated with Alzheimer’s.

During the first stage of Alzheimer’s, toxic proteins called ADDLs bind to synapses in the brain. This process disrupts nerve cell function and causes the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s.

For the study, researchers performed a number of lab tests and they were able to determine that oleocanthal can change the structure of ADDL proteins by making them bigger.

These bigger proteins cannot bind to the synapses in the brain as easily. This means that oleocanthol may protect the brain from the tremendous damage caused by ADDLs.

Additionally, after being exposed to olecanthol, the ADDLs became easier targets for antibodies. This may lead to an opportunity to develop more immunotherapy treatments, which use antibodies to bind to and attack ADDLs.

The study was published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.

These findings show promise for use of this naturally occurring olive oil compound in both the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers noted that these are some very promising results but that further studies with humans are needed to establish that olecanthol can be successfully used in clinical interventions.

Continued research into the prevention of Alzheimer’s is gaining importance due to the aging populations and soaring rates of Alzheimer’s. The direct and indirect costs of the disease are staggering, with the US alone spending over 100 billion dollars annually.

More and more evidence is showing that one of the best ways to avoid Alzheimer’s is by keeping active both mentally and physically. Things like reading, doing puzzles, attending social events and performing low to moderate intensity exercises 2-3 times a week may help with Alzheimer’s prevention.

A growing body of evidence is also showing that eating more foods high in omega-3 essential fatty acids may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s as well.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

According to a study published in the October 2009 issue of The American Journal of Epidemiology, the highly touted Mediterranean diet may significantly lower the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains and healthy oils, such as those found in fish, olives, and nuts. This diet is typical of people who live in the European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and has been associated with lower levels of cardiovascular disease, obesity and certain types of cancer.

The study began in 1990 and included over 65,000 French women born between 1925 and 1950.

The French researchers determined the dietary patterns of the participants using a biennial questionnaire that assessed consumption of over 200 different foods and beverages.

Over the course of nearly ten years of follow-up, 2,381 cases of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer were diagnosed.

he researchers took into account known risk factors for breast cancer such as age, educational level, geographic area, body mass index, height, family history of breast cancer, pregnancy and breastfeeding history and current use of vitamin/mineral supplements.

Even after all of those factors were accounted for, the researchers found that women who consumed a Mediterranean diet had a reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

They also found that a western diet consisting of foods such as meat products, French fries, appetizers, rice/pasta, potatoes, pizza/pies, canned fish, eggs, alcoholic beverages, cakes, mayonnaise and butter/cream increased the risk of breast cancer.

These findings show once again that the Mediterranean diet may be a very healthy option. Keep in mind though that the benefits of such a diet quickly diminish the more you sneak the foods mentioned above into your diet.

The researchers were unable to determine the specific parts of the Mediterranean diet responsible for these positive results, however, many scientists have attributed the positive health benefits of the Mediterranean diet to the abundance of nutrients found in the diet like omega-3 fatty acids, unsaturated fats, fiber, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Most people know that foods high in saturated fats like some red meats and full fat cheese can raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, putting you at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke.

What many people may not know is that there are also a number of food groups that can actually help you reduce cholesterol levels as well.

Harvard researchers recently recommended the top 11 foods for lowering your cholesterol. Some of these foods are high in soluble fibers, which bind cholesterol in the digestive system and drag it out of the body. Others on the list contain polyunsaturated fats, which have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.

Some of these foods also contain plant sterols and stenols, which are naturally occurring substances in plants which block cholesterol absorption.

The top 11 cholesterol fighting foods are:

1. Oats

2. Barley and other whole grains

3. Beans

4. Eggplant and Okra

5. Nuts

6. Vegetable oils

7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits

8. Foods fortified with sterols and stanols

9. Soy

10. Fatty fish

11. Fiber supplements

The researchers provided consumption recommendations for some of the foods. For instance, they recommended that people eat more oats because the average American only consumes around half the recommended 20-35 grams of oats daily. One of the easiest ways to up your oat intake is by switching over to oat-based cereals like Cheerios®.

They also noted that eating just 2 ounces of nuts daily may lower your cholesterol by 5%.

Eating 25 grams of soy protein daily, which is the equivalent of 10 ounces of tofu or 2.5 cups of soy milk, can also lower bad cholesterol by the same amount, and just 2 grams of plant sterols daily can lower cholesterol by 10%.

As you can see, the list incorporates a very broad range of foods. The researchers recommend incorporating a variety from that list into your diet for the best results.

Studies have shown that the average American may lower their cholesterol levels by 40% over one year’s time by including some of these foods in their diet, avoiding other foods and making some basic lifestyle changes like performing moderate exercise on a daily basis.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Two separate studies recently found new health benefits associated with green tea consumption.

The first study found that an extract made from green tea may slow damage to the lungs caused by smoking cigarettes. The study was published in the November 2009 issue of the journal Respiratory Medicine.

Although it is clearly best for your health to avoid tobacco smoke altogether, the findings of this new study show that smokers may benefit from upping their green tea intake or taking a green tea supplement.

For the study, researchers with the University of Hong Kong randomly divided rats into four group:

1. Group 1: exposed to normal air

2. Group 2: exposed to air composed of 4% cigarette smoke

3. Group 3: exposed to normal air and fed green tea

4. Group 4: exposed to air composed of 4% cigarette smoke and fed green tea

After 56 days, the group of mice that were exposed to air containing smoke and fed green tea had lower levels of oxidative stress compared to the group that was just exposed to cigarette smoke and not given green tea.

The group exposed to cigarette smoke and no green tea also saw more damage to the lungs and increased numbers of mucus producing cells.

While the mechanism behind these results is not entirely clear, it is likely due to the high antioxidant content of green tea which has already been linked to a handful of health benefits including reductions in cancer risk and weight loss and, according to a new study, easing of mental stress.

The second study was published online in the September 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

This new study, conducted by researchers with Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, included over 40,000 Japanese men and women, 6.6% (2,774) of whom suffered from psychological distress at the beginning of the study.

The researchers compared participants who drank 5 or more cups of green tea per day to participants who drank less than 1 cup per day. After accounting for a large number of lifestyle factors the researchers still found a 20% reduction in psychological stress among those individuals who drank five or more cups of green tea daily.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 500 million people worldwide suffer from severe stress, and this finding could have a huge impact for them.

Finding natural ways to reduce stress is not only good for afflicted individuals, it is also good for our pocket books. In the US alone, the related cost of stress is estimated to be over 200 billion dollars annually.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

According to the findings of a study published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Biochemical Pharmacology supplements of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may protect against health problems related to obesity.

CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from being damaged and destroyed, helping you to possibly avoid disease and premature aging.

For the study, researchers with Catholic University of Leuven, Holland fed mice a control diet, a high-fat diet with fructose or the same high-fat, fructose diet plus CoQ10 supplements for eight weeks.

Both groups of mice consuming the high-fat diet with fructose consumed more calories, and showed higher fat mass development, fasting blood glucose and abnormally high insulin levels.

However, the mice that consumed the high fat fructose diet plus CoQ10 supplements had lower levels of inflammatory and metabolic stress markers.

This study shows that although CoQ10 supplements cannot decrease obesity, they may be able to decrease some of the negative health effects associated with obesity.

There is obviously no alternative to maintaining a healthy weight but findings such as these are promising for people having trouble losing those extra pounds.

CoQ10 is not only a powerful antioxidant, it has also been shown to reduce inflammation, improve blood vessel function and reduce the risk of death from heart disease, protect muscles and reduce the risk of gum disease.

CoQ10 is a nutrient that occurs naturally in your body but unfortunately, this essential nutrient decreases by nearly 60% between the ages of 20 and 80.

This means many people can benefit from taking a supplement containing CoQ10. Be sure to take a high quality supplement with the right active ingredients; look for “ubiquinol” on the label, which is the most effective type of CoQ10.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

More and more research comes out every month linking moderate alcohol consumption with various health benefits.

A recent study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that some of these benefits may actually be due to lifestyle factors rather than alcohol consumption.

The study, known as the “Health, Aging and Body Composition Study” included over 3000 adults aged 70-79. None of the participants had mobility disability at the beginning of the study, defined as difficulty walking one-quarter of a mile or climbing stairs.

After 6.5 years of follow-up the researchers found that participants with moderate alcohol consumption had the lowest incidence of mobility disability.

When the researchers then adjusted their results to account for lifestyle factors, they saw a significant reduction in the relationship between alcohol intake and mobility disability.

Since there was no change when the researchers adjusted for demographic factors or for diseases and health status, the researchers concluded that lifestyle factors may be responsible for the perceived association between alcohol intake and functional ability.

If you are going to consume moderate amounts of alcohol, you may with to consider wine. Wine seems to show the most promise when it comes to boosting your health because of its high level of a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. It is important to keep in mind that the potential health benefits of consuming moderate amounts of alcohol are easily offset by the negative effects of drinking more than 1 or 2 glasses a day.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

A study published in the September 2009 issue of the Nutrition Journal found that freeze dried strawberry powder may naturally reduce cholesterol levels.

For the study, Oklahoma researchers recruited 16 women with metabolic syndrome ranging in age from 31 to 71 years.

People with metabolic syndrome have a much higher risk for heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and heart attack. According to the American Heart Association, metabolic syndrome is defined as having three or more of the following:

1. A waistline greater than 40 for men or 35 for women

2. Good (HDL) cholesterol under 40mg/dL for men or 50mg/dL for women

3. Triglyceride levels over 150mg/dL

4. Blood pressure over 130/85mm Hg or the use of blood pressure medicine

5. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein

6. Insulin resistance, glucose intolerance or the use of hyperglycemia (high bloodsugar)

Each of the women in the study had at least three of these factors. For the study they were asked to drink 2 cups of a drink made from freeze dried strawberries (25 g) twice a day for 4 months.

By the end of the study the participants saw an average drop in LDL cholesterol of 6% and a drop in total cholesterol of 5%.

The researchers also observed a 14% reduction in oxidative stress.

Freeze dried strawberries are a great source of antioxidants. They are also high in phytosterols, fiber and phytochemicals, all of which have been shown to help reduce cholesterol levels in previous studies.

1 in 5 adults have cholesterol levels over 200 mg, which is considered borderline high cholesterol. However, diet and lifestyle changes may decrease LDL cholesterol in one year’s time by an average of 40%.

Some foods that have been shown to reduce cholesterol include fatty fish, walnuts, oatmeal, and oat bran and it seems that freeze dried strawberries may soon be added to that list.