Optimism not only gets us through life with a better outlook, but it has also been proven to affect the chances of us dying of a chronic disease. Researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health analysed data from more than 70,000 women. They found that optimism seemed to overrule all the usual factors associated with good health, such as marriage and socio-economic background. It even lessened the harmful effects of conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and depression.

Women who are optimistic are far less likely to die of cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions when they reach retirement age. Although healthier lifestyles play a big part in avoiding some of the deadlier diseases, researchers think the single most important factor is a positive mental attitude.

What do you do if you are not naturally optimistic? The good news is that optimism can be learned. Lead researcher Eric Kim says there are several exercises we can introduce into our daily lives to help engender positive thinking. One is to keep in mind “your best possible self”, the one who has achieved all your personal and professional goals; another is to write down three things for which you are grateful every day; and the third is to keep a log of all the little acts of kindness you do for others. Practising mindfulness mediation can also help, he says.

“Genetic factors play only a small part in determining whether someone is optimistic, which suggests that it is something that can be nourished and expanded,” says Dr Kim (Am. J. Epidemiol., 2017)

Looking at the mind again, antidepressants are not working for more than half the people suffering from severe and chronic depression. However, a yogic breathing technique seems to be doing what the drugs cannot do, a new study has discovered.

Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY) is reversing many of the symptoms of depression, such as negative mood, disinterest, low energy, suicidal thoughts and feelings of guilt.

The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania believe it is a significant discovery, as more than 41 million Americans take antidepressants and are not being helped by the drugs.

Although healthier lifestyles play a big part in avoiding some of the deadlier diseases, researchers think the single most important factor is a positive mental attitude

The technique involves taking a calm breath alternately with fast breaths, which induces a deep, calm meditative state. The researchers tested it on a group of 25 people diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), who hadn’t been helped with their medication. Half were taught SKY and the other half continued with their medication. By the end of the trial the yoga group showed ‘significantly greater’ improvements and halved their Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores. The HDRS is a common measure of depressive symptoms. Those taking the medication saw no improvement in their scores.

In addition to learning the breathing technique, the yoga group were also taught some yoga positions, meditation and stress-coping skills (J. Clin. Psychiatry, 2016).

A reminder why dieting doesn’t work. Those who are constantly on a ‘yo-yo’ diet will undoubtedly end up putting on more weight than if they hadn’t bothered with the dieting in the first place. It is all to do with our biology, and the messages we send to our body about feast and famine, say researchers.

The body interprets dieting as a period of famine, and so stores extra body fat (just in case) when more normal eating is resumed. In contrast, people who don’t diet are telling their bodies that food supplies are reliable, so it doesn’t need to store so much fat.

The lead researcher, Andrew Higginson, said: “Surprisingly, our model predicts that the average weight gain for dieters will actually be greater than those who never diet.” Therefore, instead of following a drastically restrictive diet, people are advised to take things steadily and just eat slightly less than they normally do, he says. Alternatively, just change your lifestyle to eat healthy, no processed foods, plenty of vegetables, fruit, avoid sugar and eat everything in moderation.

Talking about processed foods, the saturated fats in this type of food (and even in some toothpaste) can help spread cancer, according to new research.

Palmitic acid, a major component of palm oil, used in processed foods, peanut butter and popular brands of toothpaste could be helping cancer cells metastasize (spread) in up to half of all cancers.

The discovery is being hailed as a breakthrough, although it has only been seen under laboratory conditions so far.

However, part of the picture has already been seen in human cancer patients.  The fatty acid receptors CD36 have been found in a range of cancer cells, including mouth tumours, melanoma skin cancer and ovarian, bladder, lung and breast cancers. Palmitic acid boosts the spreading potential of such CD36 containing cells.

The researchers, funded by Worldwide Cancer Research, also found that the tumour cells stopped metastasizing when the CD36 cells were blocked (Nature, 2017).

kathrynmborg@yahoo.com

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