Any kind of physical activity seems to boost kids’ school performance, according to a recently published international analysis. Researchers reviewed 14 studies that compared kids’ physical activity with their grades or test scores. Ten of the studies included in the analysis were “observational” - researchers asked parents, teachers and the kids themselves how active they were and then tracked the youngsters’ academic performance for months or years. The other four studies compared the test scores of groups of kids who attended extra physical education classes or other types of exercise against the test results of those who didn’t get any additional exercise. Here, again, the kids who performed the most exercise scored higher on tests. The investigators concluded that kids may be better behaved and better able to concentrate on schoolwork when they get enough exercise. Another theory: exercise improves blood flow to the brain and improves mood. The study was published in the January 2012 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
While it’s true that most Americans don’t get enough fresh produce in their diets, a recent, large study from Europe found that adults who ate the most fruits and vegetables still managed to gain weight as they got older. Nearly 374,000 individuals in 10 countries participated in the study and over the five-year span gained about a pound a year, on average. Overweight women who reported eating the most vegetables tended to gain more weight over the five years. Men whose intake of fruits and vegetables was highest seemed to lose a bit of weight until the investigators factored in other losses related to daily calorie intake, exercise habits and education levels. The participants who boosted their fruit and vegetable intake and gained the least amount of weight were former smokers who quit during the study period, but researchers aren’t sure why. The upshot may be that it’s healthy to increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables but important to watch what else you eat - or at least count total calories if you don’t want to gain weight. The study was published online December 14, 2011 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet are not just physical. Dr. Weil explains how inflammation can contribute to depression, and how an anti-inflammatory diet may help to reverse it.
After reviewing data gathered during a four-year study involving nearly 12,600 participants, researchers have reported a clear link between low levels of vitamin D and depression. A team from UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Cooper Institute found that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with a significantly decreased risk of depression, particularly among individuals with a history of the illness. The opposite proved true as well: low levels of “D” were linked to symptoms of depression, again particularly among those who had a history of depression. The researchers suggested that, based on these findings, doctors may want to screen depressed patients for vitamin D levels and, perhaps, screen patients with low levels of “D” for depression. The study did not investigate whether taking vitamin D supplements relieved depression, nor did the researchers determine whether low levels of “D” contribute to depression or whether depression somehow leads to low levels of “D”. However, they noted that vitamin D may affect neurotransmitters, inflammatory markers and other factors that could explain the link to depression. The study, the largest of its kind, was published in the November 2011 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
My take? I’m not surprised at these findings. In my new book Spontaneous Happiness, I wrote about the relationship between vitamin D, brain health, and emotional well-being. Receptors for vitamin D occur throughout the brain, and it appears to play an important role in the development and function of that organ, including the activity of neurotransmitters that affect mood. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with seasonal affective disorder and depression, as well as with impaired cognitive function, especially in the elderly. The benefits of vitamin D for both physical and mental health are so numerous and deficiencies are so common that I recommend taking at least 2,000 IU per day.
Even if you have a strong family history of heart disease, you may be able to change your personal risk with diet, a recent study suggests. An international team of researchers led by scientists at Canada’s McMaster and McGill universities have found that the expression of the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease can be modified by a diet that provides lots of fruit and raw vegetables. These findings come from an analysis of data on more than 27,000 adults of varied ethnicities including European, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American and Arab and the effect of their diets on a gene called 9p21. The investigators found that those with this gene who ate a diet composed mostly of raw vegetables, fruits and berries had a risk of heart attack that was similar to those whose genotype suggested a low risk of heart attack. The study was published in the October 2011 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.
