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The couch potato life may not be a happy one. When older adults become more sedentary, their overall quality of life takes a hit, new research cautions. Sitting still is your enemy, the study suggests. Even slow walking can help improve your mental and physical health, say the British researchers who tracked more than 1,400 adults age 60 and up. “We set off to look at whether people who reduced their physical activity levels or increased their sitting time in their older years had poorer quality of life later on,” said study lead author Dr. Dharani Yerrakalva. The answer to both questions was yes, said Yerrakalva, a doctoral fellow with the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge. This really matters, she and her colleagues said, noting prior research suggests that as quality of life worsens, the risk for hospitalization goes up. So too does the risk for a premature death. Connie Diekman is a food and nutrition consultant and former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She said the findings serve as a “strong confirmation of what most health organizations recommend: Stay physically active to keep the body and mind healthy.” “Regular activity helps people feel vital, strong and anxious to keep enjoying life,” said Diekman, who was not part of the study. There are several ways… read on > read on >

Depression that arises after a head injury may be its own distinct condition — one that differs from traditional major depressive disorder, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people with post-concussion depression showed a unique pattern of activity in the brain circuitry involved in depression. This “picture” was different from depression unrelated to a head injury, and different from people who’d suffered a concussion but had no depression symptoms. Experts said the findings shed light on the brain basis for post-concussion depression, and underscore an important take-away for patients: Your mental health symptoms are not just “in your head.” While most people recover from concussion, some have lingering symptoms, which can include depression. In fact, traumatic brain injury (which includes concussion) increases the risk of developing depression by about eightfold, studies show. A key question has been whether that depression stems from the brain injury, per se, or from the emotional trauma of the incident that caused the injury — whether a car accident, military combat or blow to the head on the football field. Many experts have believed it’s the brain injury, said Dr. Shan Siddiqi, the lead researcher on the new study and a clinical neuropsychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. That’s, in part, because the symptoms of post-concussion depression are often somewhat different, explained Siddiqi. People with major depression… read on > read on >

The drugs Wegovy and Ozempic are all the rage for weight loss these days, and now a new study shows these injections may be game-changers for obese teenagers, too. This trial, funded by drug maker Novo Nordisk, found that nearly half of all adolescents on semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) were able to achieve a healthy weight in about 17 months. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which slows digestion, decreases hunger, reduces how much people eat and prompts weight loss. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Wegovy for treating obesity in kids and adults aged 12 years and older, while Ozempic has been approved at a lower dose to treat type 2 diabetes. “Semaglutide appears to be highly effective in helping teens reduce their body mass index [BMI] to a level below the clinical cutoff for obesity,” said study author Aaron Kelly, co-director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, in Minneapolis. “Pharmacotherapy should be offered to all adolescents with obesity who are medically eligible.” For the study, teens with high BMIs received either 2.4-mg of semaglutide weekly (the maximum dose) or a dummy (placebo) injection for 17 months. Everyone in the study was encouraged to exercise for 60 minutes a day and got advice about healthy eating. Fully 45% of teenagers who took once-weekly semaglutide lost enough… read on > read on >

Certain foods are key to reducing heart disease risk, so it’s important to eat them to stay healthy. A globally focused study looked at foods commonly considered to be healthy to better understand this. Consuming fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and whole-fat dairy products is key to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes. The study was led by scientists at McMaster University and the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI) in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The investigators noted that there are various ways to achieve a healthy diet — for example, including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from multiple studies that included 245,000 people in 80 countries. They derived a diet score from PHRI’s ongoing Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study. The team used that to measure health outcomes in different parts of the world and in people with and without prior heart disease. “Previous diet scores — including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean diet — tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries,” senior author Salim Yusuf, principal investigator of PURE, said in a university news release. “The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle and low-income countries.” The score focused on exclusively protective, or natural, foods. “We… read on > read on >

U.S. seniors with mental health needs may not have much access to psychiatrists who could help them, new research shows. Despite an overall heightened demand for mental health services, nearly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage psychiatrist networks included less than 25% of all psychiatrists in a given service area. “This means that many people who have coverage through Medicare Advantage plans may not actually have access to psychiatrists, given how few are considered in-network,” said lead study author Dr. Jane Zhu, an assistant professor of medicine in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. And that data may not fully reveal the extent of the limitations. Even when a psychiatrist is in-network, that doesn’t mean they aren’t already fully booked and not taking new patients, Zhu said, since the United States has a shortage of psychiatrists. “It’s likely a rosier picture than reality,” Zhu said in a university news release. “We know the actual number of psychiatrists available to see patients is much lower.” In some areas, not even one psychiatrist who accepted Medicare Advantage patients was taking new patients. The effect on patients is that they may have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, experience delays in care or not get the care they need at all, Zhu said. “More than half of the counties for which we had data did not have… read on > read on >

It might seem like sunshine, vacation and time spent with family and friends will bring you happiness this summer. But sometimes it takes a little more effort, said Lina Begdache, an associate professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University, State University of New York. If you’d like to lift your spirits, start by thinking positive thoughts, she said in a university news release. “The way our brains work, the more negative thinking is practiced, the higher your chance of developing a low mood and feeling miserable,” Begdache said. “The good news is that the brain is adjustable, or better known as ‘plastic.’ People can weaken the negative wiring by practicing positive thinking.” Pioneers of positive psychology research have shown that positive thinkers appraise stressful situations as less threatening, Begdache said. They cope well compared to negative thinkers and are happier people. Eating healthy food can also boost your mood, she added. Lifestyle factors, including diet and sleep, have an impact on your mood. A fluctuation in blood sugar can lead to feeling “hangry” (bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger). Certain healthy diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory chemicals that support brain and heart health, Begdache said. In addition, a healthy sleep schedule can help your brain steadily produce the chemicals needed to maintain a positive… read on > read on >

Someone who wants to work out, socialize and feel the beat at the same time may want to put on their dancing shoes. Dancing has many health benefits, according to a doctor from the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Fla., who is a competitive ballroom dancer. “I have patients ranging in age from young children to 90-year-old adults who enjoy Latin and other styles of dancing,” said Dr. Kathleen Davenport, a physiatrist who specializes in the nonsurgical treatment of orthopedic injuries and conditions, with special expertise in dance medicine. She is also company physician for the Miami City Ballet. “Dancing checks a lot of boxes. In social dancing, you interact with different people and can make new friends, which has multiple psychological benefits,” Davenport explained in a hospital news release. “On the physical side, you need good balance, you need core strength, you need strength in your lower and upper extremities if you’re doing partner work. Dancing can also be an excellent cardio workout.” Physical exercise is also good for brain health, according to research. “When dancing you need to remember the steps and how to do them,” Davenport said. “We have found that dancing is beneficial for people of all ages as it can help keep memory active as we go through our years.” Good practices help prevent injury when beginning… read on > read on >

Dogs can sniff out and track someone based on their scent, a trait that has aided scores of criminal investigations. Laboratory scientists working with human odors report that a new discovery may also further crime solving: They’ve determined that the scents of women and men differ, at least in their palms. The researchers were able to predict someone’s sex with nearly 97% accuracy using scent compounds from their palms, according to a report published July 5 in the journal PLOS ONE. This could help law enforcement agents track down criminals, according to researchers led by Kenneth Furton, chief scientific officer at Florida International University. Certain crimes — including robberies, assaults and rapes — are often are committed with someone’s hands, the authors said in background notes. This could mean there’s valuable trace evidence left at a crime scene. The finding complements existing human odor research that indicates scent compounds can also reveal a person’s age and racial or ethnic group. “This approach to analyzing hand odor volatiles can be applied when other discriminatory evidence such as DNA is lacking and allow for differentiation or class characterization such as sex, race and age,” Furton and colleagues said in a journal news release. The research team used an analysis technique called mass spectrometry to analyze the volatile scent compounds on the palms of 60 individuals. Half of… read on > read on >

One way to get real peace of mind: Start doing something creative. Americans who engage in creative activities — from crafting to playing the piano to painting — report better mental health, according to a new poll from the American Psychiatric Association. “We live in stressful times, and sometimes our jobs and responsibilities can drain our energy and our mental health,” said APA President Dr. Petros Levounis. “Creative activities aren’t just for fun, they can help us take a step back from the daily grind, use our brains differently, and relax. Picking up that paintbrush or solving a tricky puzzle can truly move us to a different mindset,” Levounis said in an APA news release. About 46% of American adults say they use creative activities to relieve stress or anxiety. Those who rate their own mental health as “very good” or “excellent” tend to participate in this kind of creative fun more than those who say their mental health is “fair” or “poor,” according to the Healthy Minds Monthly Poll. This poll was conducted in June among 2,202 adults. Things are looking up: About 77% of American adults said their current mental health was good or better, compared to 63% in early 2023. Of those reporting very good or excellent mental health, about 7 in 10 engaged in creative activities, compared to 50% of adults… read on > read on >

Getting regular exercise can help protect against mental decline in an aging brain. But poor sleep can take away those benefits. A new study found that people who were more active but slept less than six hours on average had faster cognitive (mental) decline. After 10 years, their cognitive function was equivalent to that of their more inactive peers. “Our study suggests that getting sufficient sleep may be required for us to get the full cognitive benefits of physical activity. It shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health,” said lead author Dr. Mikaela Bloomberg, of University College London (UCL) Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, in England. “Previous studies examining how sleep and physical activity might combine to affect cognitive function have primarily been cross-sectional — only focusing on a snapshot in time — and we were surprised that regular physical activity may not always be sufficient to counter the long-term effects of lack of sleep on cognitive health,” Bloomberg added in a university news release. The new study included more than 8,950 people in England who were aged 50 and older. Participants were asked how much sleep they get on an average weeknight and were divided into three groups: those who averaged fewer than six hours; those who got the optimal six to eight… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Want a Healthier, Happier Old Age? Get Moving

Depression That Hits After Brain Injury May Be Distinct Disease

In Study, Almost Half of Obese Teens Were No Longer So After Taking Wegovy/Ozempic

Eat These 6 Foods to Keep Your Adult Heart Strong

Psychiatrists Tough to Find for Seniors in Medicare Advantage Plans

Aim to Live Happier This Summer. Here’s How

Dancing Your Way to Better Health

Men’s, Women’s Hands Give Off Different ‘Scent Profiles’

Expressing Yourself Creatively Gives Mental Health Boost, Poll Finds

Exercise + Good Sleep Best Combo for Aging Brains

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