healthbriefs
Meditation Boosts Brain Power U
niversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) research- ers first discovered that specific regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger and contained more gray matter than those of a non-meditating control group; that was in 2009. Now, a follow-up study by the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging suggests people that meditate regularly also display stronger neuronal connections between brain regions and less age-related atrophy (shrinkage) in all areas of the brain. The study comprised 27 active meditation prac-
titioners (average age 52) and 27 control subjects, matched by age and sex. The number of years of meditation ranged from five to 46 and included various styles. Using a type of brain imaging known as diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI—a new imaging mode that provides insights into the structural connectivity of the brain—the researchers found that long-term meditators have white matter fibers that are either more numerous, more dense or more insulated, throughout the brain. Although such tissue tends to decline with age, the study suggests that it can be preserved through active meditation practices. Researcher Eileen Luders remarks, “If practiced regularly and over years,
meditation may slow down aging-related brain atrophy, perhaps by positively af- fecting the immune system. Meditation appears to be a powerful mental exercise with the potential to change the physical structure of the brain.”
Does Yawning Cool the Brain? W
Seaweed Loves the Heart S
ome relish seaweed, while others eye it with culinary suspicion. Now an article in the American Chemical So- ciety’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that many scientists have identified seaweed as a rich, potential source of heart-healthy food ingredients. A review of nearly 100 studies shows that seaweed and other microalgae could rival milk products as sources of important bioactive peptides. Maria Hayes, Ph.D., and her col-
leagues at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, in Dublin, Ireland, concluded that certain seaweed proteins work just like the bioactive peptides in milk prod- ucts to reduce blood pressure, almost like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drugs. Thus, they could be used as ingredients in functional foods like soups and health beverages to provide nutrition, while offering me- dicinal effects in treating or preventing heart disease. Seaweeds are a neglected alterna-
hen we feel the urge to yawn in cooler weather, we should succumb—it might do us good. New research suggests that beyond signaling fatigue or
boredom, yawning might be a physical reaction to cool an “overheated” brain. A study at Princeton University is the first to show that the
frequency of yawning varies with the season and that people are less likely to yawn when the heat outdoors exceeds body tem- perature. The research monitored 160 people, 80 per season, during winter and summer in Tucson, Arizona. According to the researchers’ theory, it is possible that yawning in cooler temperatures works to cool the brain, while yawning in warmer conditions appears to provide no similar relief. Research associate Andrew Gallup remarks, “The ap- plications of this research are intriguing… for better under- standing diseases and conditions such as multiple sclerosis or epilepsy, which are accompanied by frequent yawning and thermoregulatory dysfunction.” Excessive yawning may prove a helpful diagnostic tool.
tive source of these bioactive peptides in this country, the researchers state, noting its popularity in other cultures. Varieties of seaweed are known as nori in Japan, dulse in coastal parts of Europe and limu palahalaha in native Hawaiian cuisine.
In addition, notes Hayes, “Sea- weeds are a known source of essential fatty acids, which are thought to reduce thrombosis and atherosclerosis—factors important in the reduction of the risk of heart disease.”
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New Haven / Middlesex
February is American Heart Month
NaturalNewHaven.com
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