Staying Healthy Archive

People who ate healthy plant-based foods had a 10% reduction in stroke risk, compared with people who ate unhealthy plant-based foods, according to a Harvard study published online March 10, 2021, by the journal Neurology.

Inflammation can be a beneficial sign that the body's immune system is fighting an infection, but it can also linger over time, damaging the body. There is evidence that eating a diet heavy in foods that promote inflammation can increase the risk for certain health problems, and also that a healthy diet can reduce inflammation.

After too much time spent indoors (and probably less active than is healthy), getting outside and taking a hike is a great way to get some exercise while enjoying nature. But before you hit the trail, make sure you're well prepared.

Women often skip muscle-building activities, but they're crucial to your long-term health and independence.

If you're like most American adults who work out regularly, you may squeeze in a daily walk or a quick run, or take a Zumba or aerobics class. But strength-training exercises usually don't make the list.

A 2018 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that only about 30% of American adults ages 18 to 80 are doing strength training twice a week, as recommended. And almost 58% of those surveyed said they did none.

Research we're watching

Urban legends have linked full moons to everything from werewolves to erratic behavior, but a new study connects them to something else — sleep loss. A Jan. 27, 2021, study in Science Advances found that people fell asleep later and slept for less time over all in the three to five days leading up to a full moon. The effect was even more pronounced in areas where people had less access to artificial light.

To come to their conclusions, researchers studied people in three communities in Argentina: one on the outskirts of a city, a small rural settlement with limited access to electricity, and a group of people in a remote area who had no access to electric light. The study authors also analyzed the sleep of 464 University of Washington students who took part in a sleep study. All participants wore sleep-tracking devices for at least one week and in some cases up to two months. The researchers compared their sleep patterns to the moon phases. Individuals took from 30 to 80 minutes longer to fall asleep during the lead-up to the full moon, and people lost anywhere from 20 minutes to 90 minutes of total sleep on those nights. The researchers said it's possible that the full moon made people more active at night, which is why sleep differences were more pronounced in communities with less access to electricity. Artificial light, they said, might produce a similar effect.

Childhood trauma may raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, but making lifestyle changes can help you stay healthy.

Traumatic childhood experiences may have a lasting effect on your heart health.

A review published online Dec. 2, 2020, by JAMA Cardiology found that adults who had multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — like being neglected; suffering physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; or witnessing violence at home — had double the risk of cardiovascular disease and an early death compared with people who didn't face any ACEs at all.