Dr. Ping's Story Links

Older adults who regularly eat fish may have a lower risk of subtle brain damage that contributes to stroke and dementia -- as long as the fish isn't fried -- researchers reported Monday.

In a study that followed 3,660 adults age 65 and older, Finnish researchers found that those who ate more fish were less likely to show certain "silent" brain infarcts -- tiny areas of tissue that have died because of an insufficient blood supply -- on an MRI scan.

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For people who dislike needles, medical tests that require a drop of saliva instead of a vial of blood will one day make a trip to a doctor or dentist much easier. But as scientists now construct the first of these saliva tests for early signs of cancer and other diseases, they continue to push the technological envelope in interesting ways.

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New tools based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be enlisted to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in its early stages so that doctors can treat patients earlier to slow the progression of the disease.

Research represented Sunday at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Chicago showed that conventional, clinical-strength MRI could result in images of brain plaques like those found in Alzheimer's patients.

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Fresh produce was too expensive or too far away until the state-funded "Veggie Mobile" started bringing the fruits and vegetables to him at a lower price.

"I'm a diabetic and I have problems with my heart," the 66-year-old said. "The canned stuff has so much sodium in it. So now with the fresh fruit, it's less sugar and carbohydrates and stuff."

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People are often advised to try to keep up their levels of so-called good cholesterol to reduce their risk of heart disease. But high levels may also help prevent a decline in memory, a new study says.

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More people are hurt snowboarding than any other outdoor activity, accounting for a quarter of emergency room visits, according to the first national study to estimate recreational injuries.
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Trailing snowboarding are sledding and hiking, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.

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At 32, he's not worried about losing his memory. He's taking advantage of a growing market in "brain fitness" spurred by aging baby boomers.

Teenagers cramming for tests and people worried about "senior moments" can now turn to an explosion of brain-assisting video games, such as Nintendo's Brain Age; puzzles that are said to ward off dementia, such as Sudoku and crosswords; and online tips that claim to train the brain.

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Blocking the body's response to ghrelin has been suggested as a weight loss treatment but it may also produce unintended effects on mood, they said.

The Nature Neuroscience study found mice with increased levels of the hormone showed fewer signs of depression and anxiety.

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The increase is due mainly to falling mortality rates in almost all the leading causes of death, federal health officials said. The average life expectancy for babies born in 2006 was about four months greater than for children born in 2005.

Japan has the longest life expectancy — 83 years for children born in 2006, according to World Health Organization data. Switzerland and Australia were also near the top of the list.

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If antioxidant supplement labels are to be believed, you should stop reading this article and gobble down some pills: Spurred by the rising sales of antioxidant supplements, Pom Wonderful, makers of pomegranate juice, now makes an antioxidant supplement that they claim has "extraordinary health benefits."

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The F.D.A. said that it had received reports of 30 cases of cancer over 10 years among children and young adults treated with those drugs, which are sold by Amgen, Abbott Laboratories and other companies.

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A potent bone-building drug may cut the risk of relapse in premenopausal women with early breast cancer, a study shows.

In a study of more than 1,800 patients, women who got two injections a year of the bone drug Zometa were about one-third less likely to suffer a recurrence than those who did not.

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New research results show that a non-estrogen drug called Ophena significantly improves symptoms of vaginal dryness and painful intercourse in postmenopausal women, raising hopes of an alterative to estrogen replacement therapy.

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We can’t look at a pyramid these days without thinking of food and healthy eating. There was the U.S. government’s Food Guide Pyramid, followed by its replacement, My Pyramid, which was basically the same thing, just pitched on its side. The problem was that these efforts, while generally good intentioned, have been quite flawed at actually showing people what makes up a healthy diet. Why?

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All it takes is one night of tossing and turning to make the brain unstable, according to a new study from an international coalition of researchers.

Researchers said the sudden shutdowns in the brain that result from sleep deprivation could lead to potentially dangerous mistakes or accidents.

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