It sounds simple enough:  severely limit your caloric intake and you will live longer.  But does it work? Scientists decided to test this theory that has been touted by health experts for years to see if they had really found a “longevity diet”.  Using rhesus monkeys, which are very genetically similar to humans, they fed some only 70% of a normal diet.  The remainder they let eat freely.  And, although the restricted monkeys had better cholesterol and triglyceride levels, the monkeys basically had the same life expectancy. This is different from earlier monkey research that seemed to suggest that calorie
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After always hearing about how foods like spinach and avocados are great for your health, it’s fun to think about a chocolate treat as a brain boosting food.  Consistently, chocolate has shown to increase brain and heart health – buy why? Scientists have been stumped about this for a while, but one piece of the puzzle may have finally emerged in the form of flavanols.  These antioxidants protect cells from damaging free radicals and can be found in chocolate, wine, and berries.  Scientists put these flavanols to the test to see what they can do for a senior’s brain. What
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It appears that yet another artificial sweetener has been deemed bad for you.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest has raised the safety rating of Splenda from “safe” to “caution” after a concerning study done in Italy. Scientists in Italy recently researched the effects of Splenda (also called sucralose) in mice over time.  It was determined that there may be a correlation between the sweetener and leukemia in rodents.  Although the study hasn’t yet been peer reviewed or published, it does raise some red flags. This comes years after another common sweetener, NutraSweet, was questioned as to its
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Age-related macular degeneration the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in seniors.  This condition gradually destroys the part of the eye that provides sharp central vision. However, studies show that seniors can reduce their risk of this disease by 25% if they begin adding certain nutrients to their diets.  Here is a list of some eye-friendly vitamins: Vitamin C.  Whether it comes from your morning grapefruit or the bell peppers atop your pizza, Vitamin C is one of the best nutrients for eye health.  The antioxidants keep the eye’s blood vessels healthy and reduce the risk for cataracts.  I’ll
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