26, August 2014

Heart exercises protect your brain too

Daily exercises to maintain good cardiovascular health also benefits brain, protecting us from cognitive impairment as we age, according to a promising study.

Researchers found that healthy lifestyle helps maintain the elasticity of arteries, thereby preventing downstream cerebrovascular damage and resulting in preserved cognitive abilities in later life.

Our body's arteries stiffen with age and the vessel hardening is believed to begin in the aorta - the main vessel coming out of the heart before reaching the brain.

"Indeed, the hardening may contribute to cognitive changes that occur during a similar time frame," said lead researcher Claudine Gauthier from University of Montreal, Canada.

They found that older adults whose aortas were in a better condition and who had greater aerobic fitness performed better on a cognitive test.

"We think that the preservation of vessel elasticity may be one of the mechanisms that enables exercise to slow cognitive aging," Gauthier added.

For the study, they worked with 31 young people between ages 18 and 30 and 54 older participants aged between 55 and 75.

This enabled the team to compare the older participants within their peer group and against the younger group who obviously have not begun the ageing processes in question.

The results demonstrated age-related declines in executive function, aortic elasticity and cardiorespiratory fitness, a link between vascular health and brain function, and a positive association between aerobic fitness and brain function.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

26.08.2014

Foods for healthy hair

While regular oiling, shampooing and conditioning is important for your hair, what you eat is equally essential. Your hair needs nourishment in the form of a healthy diet so that it doesn't suffer from breakage or damage. Make sure that you include plenty of vitamins, proteins and minerals in your diet. A deficiency in iron can also cause hairfall. Here's what your diet should contain...

- Dairy products. A warm glass of milk early morning or before you go to bed is important not just for healthy bones but also for your hair. Make a habit to include milk products like cheese, yogurt and dahi in your diet.

- Fresh fruits and vegetables are another must. Spinach, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, papaya, pineapples, apples and peaches, especially are great for your hair.

- Another excellent source of antioxidants is green tea, which helps get rid of toxins from the body and is good for hair. Don't forget drinking water — at least right to 10 glasses are a must. Have coconut water also on a daily basis.

- Avoid fried and junk food as well as food items that are high in the sugar content. These contain high calories and do no favours to your skin or hair.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

26.08.2014

Don’t expect your friend to be a perfect person but, help your friend to become a perfect person

Mother Teresa.