The Mediterranean diet may provide more benefits than just a healthy heart.
A new study suggests the diet may help with brain health in the elderly. It is heavy in olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables and low in dairy and red meat.
More than 500 men and women between the ages of 55 and 80 with a risk of heart disease were assigned to either the Mediterranean diet (with added olive oil and nuts) or a low-fat diet commonly recommended to prevent heart attack and stroke. Study participants were on their respective diet for an average of 6.5 years, and researchers found that those on the Mediterranean diet did better on cognitive tests. They were also less likely to develop minor cognitive impairment or dementia.
It's not clear what particular part of the diet gave the brain a boost. The fact that it's rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids likely contributes to protecting the brain.
Since it was compared to a diet already shown to have health benefits, it may cause doctors to push the Mediterranean diet more on elderly patients.
“This study used a low-fat diet as its comparison group, which itself has some neuroprotective effects,” said Christopher Ochner, PhD, director of research development & administration at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. “That means that the Mediterranean diet was not just better than a regular diet but better than another brain-healthy diet.”
Sleeping With Your Baby Could Be Fatal
Though it may seem like a comfort to sleep with your newborn infant, it could end in tragedy.
Known as co-sleeping, this act of sharing a bed with your baby caused a fivefold increase in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk in babies under 3 months of age, even when common SIDS risk factors such as drinking, smoking and bottle feeding were avoided.
The British study found that overall, 87.7 percent of SIDS cases were a result of co-sleeping, and the babies would have survived if they were placed on their backs in a crib in the parent's room, rather than in the parent's bed. SIDS is the number one cause of death in newborns in the United States, with more than 4,500 deaths a year.
“Cuddly, warm babies are hard to resist, especially in the middle of the night, when snuggling beside your little one may seem like the easiest way to get some much needed sleep,” said Heidi Murkoff, author of the bestselling What to Expect series of pregnancy and parenting books. “But as this study confirms, co-sleeping is a major risk factor for SIDS. The safest way for your baby to sleep is in his or her own safe sleep space, in the same room as you, but not in the same bed.”
Vitamin D Could Help Crohn's Patients
A little extra vitamin D could help ease the fatigue and decreased muscle strength that comes with Crohn's disease.
New research indicates that extra vitamin D intake led to "less physical, emotional and general fatigue, greater quality of life and the ability to perform activities of daily living," said Tara Raftery, a research dietitian and doctoral candidate at Trinity College Dublin.
Crohn's disease is an inflammation of the bowel, typically at the end of the small bowel and beginning of the colon. Symptoms usually include persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, stomach cramps and constipation. About 700,000 Americans have Crohn's, according to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. It's cause is unknown, and the disease is chronic.
Vitamin D is mostly known for improving bone growth, but is also thought to reduce inflammation. It's found in foods like salmon, cheese, egg yolks and milk.
Air and Noise Pollution Could Contribute to Heart Disease Risk
Air pollution is a known contributor to many illnesses, but noise pollution may also play a role, according to new research.
A new study out of Germany suggests that air and noise pollution were independently linked to atherosclerosis, or a buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries of the heart. In the study of more than 4,200 residents, researchers found that air pollution drove of a type of arterial hardening called "thoracic aortic calcification" by 20 percent and noise pollution drove it up by about 8 percent.
Dr. Philip Harber, a professor of public health at the University of Arizona, said the study is important "because it says that both air pollution and noise pollution represent important health problems."
Harber, who was not involved in the study, said the findings could clear up common misperceptions. "In the past, some air pollution studies have been dismissed because critics said it was probably the noise pollution that caused the harm, and vice versa. Now we know that people who live near highways, for instance, are being harmed by air pollution and by noise pollution," said Dr. Philip Harber, a professor of public health at the University of Arizona, in the news release.
Erinn Connor is a staff writer for Health Matters With Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Last Updated: 5/21/2013