A new US study suggests that grabbing forty winks at lunchtime may aid the memory, providing the facts have been well learned in the first place.

‘Declarative memory’ refers to textbook-style learning, as opposed to skill-based learning which is called ‘procedural memory’. According to researchers at Harvard Medical School’s Centre for Sleep and Cognition, the sleeping process appears to help cement declarative memories, thereby making them simpler to recollect. Lead researcher Matthew Tucker, a Harvard postdoctoral fellow, commented, ‘Sleep appears to have an impact on what is learned well, but not so much when one is not motivated to learn’.

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American research has found that exercise can help to lessen some symptoms of menopause, although it cannot remedy hot flushes.

Pennsylvanian researchers discovered that physical activity can assist post-menopausal women in coping with anxiety, stress and depression. Study author Deborah Nelson, a professor of public health and obstetrics and gynaecology at Temple University in Philadelphia, said that the eight-year study, which commenced in 1996, found that increased levels of exercise correlated with results showing decreased levels of stress; ‘The level of anxiety, stress and depression were significantly lower among physically active, postmenopausal women compared to postmenopausal women in the lowest level of physical activity’.

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New Danish research has supported previous study findings which point to the benefits to the heart of physical activity and small amounts of alcohol.

Data on 11,914 male and female participants was gathered and analysed for the Copenhagen City Heart Study conducted by the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark. During a follow-up averaging twenty years, 1,242 people died from heart disease and 5,901 died from other causes.

Physical activity was associated with a lower risk of heart disease among both men and women, as was moderate alcohol consumption. Heavy drinkers and non-drinkers displayed the same likelihood of dying from heart disease.

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New research carried out at Alexandria University in Egypt has found that green tea can help antibiotics be up to three times more effective at fighting drug-resistant bacteria, including superbugs.

In a country like Egypt where green tea is commonly consumed by a large portion of the population, including those taking antibiotics, the researchers wanted to find out whether green tea would have any effect on the antibiotics and whether this effect would be positive or negative.

Mervat Kaseem, of Alexandria University’s pharmacy faculty, said, ‘We tested green tea in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease-causing microorganisms belonging to two different classes. In every single case, green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example, the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99 percent better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances’. Click to continue »

A new Canadian study has shown that spending your money can buy you a feeling of happiness - and not only when you’ve just bought yourself that new pair of shoes.

In fact, the greater degree of happiness was recorded among those who spent their money on other people.

Elizabeth Dunn, lead study author and assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said, ‘It’s tied to ‘pro-social’ spending. Most research has looked at the relationship of how much people make and how happy they are. We examined what they did with it. It’s an obvious question but it hasn’t been tackled’.

In the study, 632 American subjects were asked to rate their happiness, and to report their income and spending habits, including gifts and charitable donations. Those who reported the highest degree of giving also recorded the higher levels of satisfaction.

The second part of the study involved 16 employees rating their happiness both before and after receiving a profit share windfall from their company. Of these employees, those who ‘pro-socially’ gave away more of their bonuses were also found to be happier.

The third stage of the study involved 46 participants being given set amounts of money (between $5 and $20) and randomly assigned to spend it on either something for themselves or something for someone else (including charitable donations). Again, those who spent their money on others recorded higher happiness levels.

Explaining the findings, Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City said, ‘Reaching out and doing things for other people allows you to kind of create a community. Social networks, we know, make people happier. It’s all about creating social networks and community ties and having a sense of self that you feel is worthwhile so money therefore can be used in service of that’.

A new study has shown that specific yoga programs may be able to assist older people in improving their balance and stability.

The area of poor balance and falls risk is a very important one, and one which is gaining prominence in the fitness industry as a whole. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly a third of older adults suffer a fall of some type each year.

Twenty-four elderly females who took part in a nine-week Iyengar yoga program designed specifically for senior citizens, were found to have a faster stride, increased flexibility in the legs, improved single-leg stance and more confidence in walking and balance.

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A new US study has shown that the qualities of compassion and kindness may be able to be taught via meditation classes.

Imaging technology has shown that individuals who participate in meditation focusing on kindness and compassion experience changes to areas of the brain that make them more empathetic to others feelings.

Study co-author Antoine Lutz, an associate scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said ‘Potentially one can train oneself to behave in a way which is more benevolent and altruistic’.

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A new national initiative, the National Cholesterol Education Program of Australia (NCEPA), was unveiled in March to educate the Australian population about cholesterol and its effective management through diet and lifestyle, with the aim of reducing thousands of deaths from heart attack and stroke each year.

The NCEPA unites leading health care organisations, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, CSIRO Human Nutrition, Australian Atherosclerosis Society and The Dietitians Association of Australia, together with food and personal care company Unilever Australasia in the fight against cholesterol.

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Recent research from the US has found that individuals who maintain contact with a weight loss professional are more likely to keep more weight off.

The weight loss industry is a huge one, but one which is often unable to provide evidence of longer term success.

Contact with interactive dieting websites was also found to be beneficial, but only for a limited time. After two years of online contact the benefits were found to wane.

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A new US study has found that older women have more difficulty than their male counterparts in maintaining muscle mass.

The research by US and British teams suggests that this is the case because it is harder for women to replace muscle that naturally decreases with age. The difference is not evident in younger men and women.

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