Wellness across different dimensions shown to facilitate independence in older adults | University of Maine | Medical Express | 11 July 2018
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In a study involving a small randomized sampling of U.S. adults aged 65 and older, findings reveal that independence is a driving motivation to participate in wellness-related interventions. While the study has limitations, it does offer some lessons for public health and even individual outreach. Programming must be appropriately tailored or it is ineffectual.
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How a Mediterranean diet could reduce osteoporosis | University of East Anglia | Medical Express | 11 July 2018
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The Mediterranean diet it well studied and shown beneficial in areas such as cardiovascular health. However, there are few long-term studies looking at the potential role of the diet on osteoporitic bones. The EU funded a year-long study involving 1142 adults aged 65-79, half who were placed on the Mediterranean diet. Although the entire study population had just under 10% of participants with osteoporosis, the intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in bone density, while those in the control group continued to see expected bone density loss. Ultimately, the researchers would like to see a longitudinal study with a higher population of participants with osteoporosis.
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Extreme heat and reduced cognitive performance in adults in non-air-conditioned buildings | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health | Medical Express | 10 July 2018
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As temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists are trying to understand the impact of heat on a variety of populations. In a small study conducted in Boston, during the summer of 2016, researchers studied the effect of heat on the cognitive abilities of healthy college students. Study participants were separated into two groups of approximately 20 students, where half had climate controlled residential halls and half did not. During the naturally-occurring heatwave students that were not in climate-controlled buildings performed worse across five metrics of cognitive functioning and showed depressed reaction time. During the two-day period in which outdoor temperatures cooled, those without access to air-conditioning continued to perform poorly as the buildings retained their heat. This finding not only has implications for cognitive performance, but also the health and safety of populations during and directly following heat-waves.
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