Seniors Are Happier, More Content

The older you are, the happier you are, says eye-opening new research about Americans' attitude toward life. "The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

Older Americans have learned to be satisfied with what they have. They have more realistic expectations about life and have come to accept their achievements. Seniors realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner," explained Duke University aging expert Linda George.

Between 1972 and 2004, Yang conducted periodic interviews with 28,000 people between the ages of 18 to 88. Although happiness seemed to soar and dip with the economy, at every stage in the study older Americans were happiest. About 33% of those surveyed said they were happy at age 88, compared to 24% of those 18 to 25. As people progressed through life, happiness appeared to increase about 5% with each decade. "Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age," said study participant Ilse Siegler, 84, "because you accept things the way they are. You know that nothing is perfect."

DASH Diet Controls Heart Attack, Stroke

A comprehensive study has proved that the DASH diet can save people from heart attack and stroke. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan was developed to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension (high blood pressure). The diet plan recommends eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and plant-based protein over meat.

Researchers tracked 88,000 healthy women over a 25-year period to compare food choices with incidents of stroke and heart attack. Women who followed the DASH eating plan were 24% less likely to have a heart attack and 18% less likely to have a stroke than women who ate more typical American diets. The DASH diet has previously been shown to prevent high blood pressure and cholesterol, which can also lead to heart attacks.

After age 50, two in five American women will develop cardiovascular disease which can cause heart attacks and strokes. The DASH diet can protect you from heart attack an stroke. Click here to find out more about the DASH diet.

Health Tips in the News

I've run across a bunch of little health tips lately and thought I'd share.

• 50 chocolate chips a day keeps the doctor away: Dark chocolate provides the highest antioxidant benefit of any food, including fruits and veggies. Pecans came in second with 14% less antioxidant punch. Red wine, a perennial favorite, was in the middle of the pack with 25% fewer antioxidants than dark chocolate. Antioxidants lower blood pressure, decrease diabetes risk, eliminate cancer-causing carcinogens, reduce the risk of blood clots, stabilize cholesterol levels and enhance cognitive function. Look for chocolate with a high percentage (70%+) of cocoa. (Bitter is better!) Recommended dose for maximum antioxidant benefit is 1.6 oz. or 50 dark chocolate chips. Now that's a diet plan I can get behind!
  
• Prevent gum disease: Brush, floss, swish your mouth twice a day with anti-gingivitis mouthwash (Listerine or an equivalent generic) and eat at least 2 ounces of yogurt (or other dairy product) a day. A new study in Japan shows that insufficient calcium in the diet increases the risk of periodontal disease.
  
• Lose weight to beat cancer: New research indicates a link between numerous types of cancer and excess pounds. Being overweight increases your risk for cancer of the colon, kidney, breast, esophagus, thyroid and a few others. Researchers suspect that extra fat cells may change hormone levels, increasing the risk of cell mutation. (Yes, you can eat dark chocolate and lose weight. Without all the sugar, dark chocolate has fewer calories than milk chocolate or semi-sweet. Just remember, quantity counts!)
  

It's Never Too Late to Get Healthy!

It's never too late to improve your health with exercise and diet, even if your past lifestyle has been less than healthy. Even after age 65, simple lifestyle changes can bring significant health benefits, says a recent study by doctors at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Eating a healthier diet and including exercise in your day can have a positive effect on many chronic diseases, including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

"I think this is an extremely important and positive message," said study leader Dr. Richard Rivlin, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Many elderly people feel that it is too late for them to improve their health, but that is simply not true. When measures to combat chronic disease are started in one's 60s and 70s, there are still definite benefits. But older adults must realize that there is no quick fix. They must change their lifestyles."

Among the study's specific findings:

• Lowering high blood pressure through improved diet and exercise can prevent 20% of coronary heart disease cases in men and 30% in women.
• A low-calorie diet and regular exercise lower cancer risk by 50%.
• Weight training helps prevent osteoporosis.
• Calcium and vitamin D supplements slow bone loss and reduce risk of bone fracture.

Know Your Family's Health History

Knowing your family's health history can help you preserve your own health, say medical experts. Creating a family health history can make you aware of shared risks for diseases or health conditions. Being aware of a family history of heart disease, cancer, diabetes or other chronic conditions can allow you to take preventive measures to lower your personal risk.

"Having a conversation about your family health history may help ensure a longer, healthier future together," said Acting U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson. "By sharing information, loves ones can help each other learn about diseases for which they may be at risk, and take steps which may reduce their vulnerability to them."

Family health history is a powerful screening technique. It can pinpoint possible genetically inherited health risks. While more than 90% of Americans believe that sharing family health history is important, only one-third have actually attempted to gather and record their family's health information. The Surgeon General has created a free computer tool to help families create a health history. To access My Family Health Portrait, click here.

The website takes you through a series of easy steps that help you organize and report your family history. You can save the report to your personal computer, print it and share it with other family members. You can add to and revise the information as necessary. I recently created a family health history for my children. I urge everyone to create a family health history and share it with your family members.

Emotion Sharpens Our Sense of Smell

Emotion can sharpen your sense of smell when something bad happens, say researchers at Northwestern University. Emotion and smell have long been linked. A scent can often trigger memories of an event or person. However, the Northwestern research shows that our awareness of odors and their association with an event increases significantly when the event evokes strong emotions.

Research subjects were asked to smell and identify sets of laboratory chemicals. In each set, two of the odors were identical, the third similar but slightly different. Subjects were able to pick out the dissimilar odor about one-third of the time. Subjects were then given a mild electric shock when they smelled only the odd chemical. When the test was repeated, they were able to identify the dissimilar odor 70% of the time.

MRI scans showed that the brain stored the scent in its main olfactory region, imprinting it and allowing for faster identification. In other words, the brain is able to sniff out threats. Researchers hope this will lead to a better understanding of post-traumatic stress syndrome disorders.