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Even seniors who never exercised regularly can benefit from a workout program, researchers say. A new study found that men in their 70s and 80s who had never followed an exercise regimen could build muscle mass as well as “master athletes” — those of the same age who had worked out throughout their lives and still competed at the top levels of their sports. The U.K. researchers took muscle biopsies from both groups in the 48 hours before and after a single weight-training session on an exercise machine. The men were also given an isotope tracer before the workout in order to track how proteins were developing in their muscles. It was expected that the master athletes would be better able to build muscle during exercise, but both groups had an equal capacity to do so, the University of Birmingham team found. The study was published Aug. 30 in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. “Our study clearly shows that it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been a regular exerciser throughout your life, you can still derive benefit from exercise whenever you start,” lead researcher Leigh Breen said in a university news release. He’s a senior lecturer in exercise physiology and metabolism. “Obviously a long-term commitment to good health and exercise is the best approach to achieve whole-body health, but even starting later on in life… read on >

Getting kids to eat right can be a challenge, but an easy place to start is with the lunch they bring to school. Make the contents of their lunchbox more fun, and they’ll be more likely to eat what you pack. These creative tips will make this meal more nutritious, too. Begin with a sandwich makeover. Use a soft whole-wheat bread, or a gluten-free whole-grain bread if needed, instead of white. Fill the sandwich with high-quality protein like slices of roast chicken or turkey. Instead of a traditional spread like mayonnaise, try a thin layer of finely mashed avocado to add more fiber to their diet along with nutrients like vitamin E and other antioxidants. Just mash half of a ripe avocado with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt and spread it on the bread. To make sandwiches more enticing, use a cookie cutter to turn them into fun shapes. Vegetables, crucial to your child’s growth and overall health, seem to be the toughest foods to get kids to eat. One easy way to pique their appetites is to turn the veggies into mini kabobs. Children can feel overwhelmed by large chunks of food, but will eat them if they’re in bite-sized pieces. Cut steamed broccoli and cauliflower into small florets and thread them onto skewers along with grape tomatoes. Fill a… read on >

Do you ever think that being more at ease at social and business functions could make you happier or possibly help you get ahead at work? Your personality greatly influences your life because it influences so many aspects of your day-to-day world, from personal to business relationships, from your mental to your physical well-being. The Five Traits That Define Personality How outgoing or extroverted you are How open you are to new experiences How agreeable you are How conscientious or self-disciplined you are Your level of emotional stability The old thinking was that your personality was set early in adulthood or even younger. But a research review done at the University of Chicago and published in the journal Psychology Bulletin shed new light on the topic. Researchers looked at information gleaned from 200 studies on mental health treatments ranging from medications to psychotherapy. Though changes in personality weren’t the direct focus of the studies, these changes were revealed when treatment effects were analyzed. The researchers found out that personality traits can change — and change for the better. The reasons study participants had for starting therapy influenced how deep their personality changes were. For instance, people seeking help with emotional stability issues (like anxiety or personality disorders) and those wanting to become less introverted had the deepest changes. People needing help for eating disorders or… read on >

Waging a successful battle against advanced colon cancer should include regular doses of exercise, a new study suggests. It found that physical activity was associated with slower cancer progression and reductions in severe treatment side effects in more than 1,200 patients undergoing chemotherapy. Exercise — even low-intensity activity such as walking — helped. “What we found was that people who engaged in some type of physical activity had a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival [20%]” said senior study author Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The results also suggested that exercise might extend overall survival, but the data were not statistically significant and that possible connection requires further investigation. “Physically active patients in our study also appeared to tolerate chemotherapy better,” said study first author Dr. Brendan Guercio, who worked on the study while a hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Total physical activity equivalent to 30 or more minutes of moderate daily activity was associated with a 27% reduction in severe treatment-related toxicities,” Guercio said in a Dana-Farber news release. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Previous studies have found that regular exercise can reduce the risk of recurrence and death from colon cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body, but this is the first study to examine… read on >

Tired of that spare tire? Low-calorie diets work, but can be difficult to follow. A much simpler approach to losing weight might be to just stop eating every other day. It’s called alternate-day fasting (ADF). As the name implies, you starve yourself by fasting one day and then you feast the next, and then repeat that pattern again and again. In just the month-long trial of the ADF diet, study volunteers lost more than seven pounds. That weight loss occurred even though people on the ADF diet ate about 30% more on the days they were allowed to eat than they normally would. Even with that extra food on feast days, the study volunteers still consumed fewer calories overall because of their fasting days, the researchers explained. “This is an easy regimen — no calculation of calories — and the compliance was very high,” said the study’s senior author, Frank Madeo, a professor of molecular biology at Karl-Franzens University of Graz, in Austria. Madeo said the researchers didn’t study how the ADF diet might compare to other types of intermittent-fasting diets or to a more typical lower-calorie diet. He said that the ADF study didn’t appear to have any impact on the immune system (at least in this short-term study), but that diets that simply rely on lower caloric intake may dampen immune system function.… read on >

(HealthDay News) — From a fall to an auto accident, many activities can lead to a dislocation, says Mayo Clinic. Dislocations happen when the ends of your bones are removed from their normal positions. If you believe you have a dislocated joint, seek medical care immediately. Until getting help, splint the joint into a fixed position. Do not move the joint, as doing so can damage muscles, ligaments and nerves. Place ice on the injured area to reduce swelling while you wait for medical attention.

Do others tell you that you’re forgetful? Do you have a hard time remembering names? Memory lapses happen to nearly everyone and can happen at any age. Experts say it can be normal to forget things over time, especially information you don’t use regularly. This might even be the way the brain makes room for new memories. Here are some common memory issues and what you can do about them. If you find that you can’t remember new information, it’s most likely because you’re not paying enough of the attention needed to process and retain it. For a memory to form, the brain must take in the information and then record it, so that it’s available for you later on. If you don’t remember someone’s name at a party, for example, it could be because you were focused on something else when you first heard their name. Not being able to retrieve a memory instantaneously is common and happens to everyone. A similar thought or memory might come to you instead. But, eventually you’ll recall what you want. Keep in mind that memory can be affected by a wide variety of factors, from a lack of sleep to emotional distress or even medication. Beyond addressing those issues, simple steps can help with better retention. When hearing new information, repeat it out loud and write it… read on >

Creamy chocolate pudding is major comfort food, but most store-bought and even homemade versions have loads of sugar and little nutrition. Yet it is possible to make a super chocolatey pudding that’s also good for you. The key ingredients are rich avocado, high in healthy fats and vitamins K, E and B plus loads of fiber; and banana for creaminess and sweetness in place of white sugar. Topping the finished pudding with sliced berries adds an additional antioxidant boost. Oh, yes, then there’s the chocolate. This recipe uses two kinds of chocolate for depth of flavor — bittersweet morsels and unsweetened cocoa powder. Both are high in cacao content, which means you’ll get more fiber and iron. Rich Chocolate Pudding 1 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate morsels 1 avocado, diced 1 banana 1 cup berries of your choice Place milk, cocoa and cornstarch in a small saucepan and whisk well to blend. Add the chocolate morsels and place the saucepan over low-to-medium heat. Cook for about three minutes, whisking well, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly before proceeding. Place chocolate mixture, the avocado and the banana in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed. Spoon into serving cups or glasses, then cover with plastic wrap… read on >

Swedish researchers think they have honed in on why people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to die prematurely. Accidental injuries, suicide and substance abuse all play a part, and psychiatric problems fuel these factors, a new study from the Karolinska Institute suggests. To arrive at that conclusion, the researchers examined data from nearly 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1983 and 2009. Of those, 3.2% were diagnosed with ADHD. The risk of premature death was higher among adults with ADHD than children with ADHD, and people diagnosed with ADHD later in life had a higher risk of premature death than those diagnosed earlier in life, the findings showed. Accidental injuries and suicide were the leading causes of death among people with ADHD, accounting for 35.8% and 31.4%, respectively, of the 414 deaths in that group. Substance use disorders contributed substantially to the risk of death due to suicide, while the increased risk of death due to accidental injuries was evident only in those without psychiatric conditions, the study authors said in a university news release. The investigators also found that early-onset conditions such as autism were most strongly associated with premature death due to natural causes, while later-onset psychiatric conditions, such as substance use disorders, were most strongly linked with death due to unnatural causes. The study was published recently in the… read on >

If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, a new review points to effective treatments that can reduce suicide risk. Some involve therapy — cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) — while others involve medication, such as ketamine (by infusion) or lithium. “People should be aware that there are treatments, such as CBT or DBT that can be helpful for people who have thoughts of suicide,” said the study’s lead author, Kristen D’Anci. She’s senior associate director of the Center for Clinical Evidence and Guidelines at the ECRI Institute in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. D’Anci added that medications, although less well-studied, can be an option, too. The study’s findings were published Aug. 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Suicide is a growing concern in the United States. The nationwide rate increased 30% between 2000 and 2016, researchers said. Why is death by suicide on the rise? One reason rates have gone up is that people are more likely to report a suicide now because it’s a known mental condition, said psychologist Jill Harkavy-Friedman, vice president of research for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As for other reasons why the rate is climbing, she said, “Suicide is a complex behavior, and each person’s risk is a little different.” For some, it may be lack of access to mental health or… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Even Age 80 Is Not Too Late to Begin Exercising: Study

An Easy Recipe for Healthier Back-to-School Lunches

Personality Reboots Are Possible, Studies Suggest

Exercise Is Good Medicine for Advanced Colon Cancer

‘Fast and Feast’ Diet Works for Weight Loss

Health Tip: Dislocation First Aid

Is Your Forgetfulness Reason for Concern?

How to Make a Richer, Healthier Chocolate Dessert

Why ADHD Might Raise the Risk of Early Death

What Treatments Work Best to Prevent Suicide?