Constant Worrying Can Cause Short Term Memory Loss

Constantly stewing over a problem can lead to excessive release of cortisol in the brain which can cause short-term memory loss or mental disability, says a study.

Cortisol, also referred to as 'stress hormone' is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is a hormone released in response to stress.  Cortisol at optimal levels is needed for survival, but an abnormal release of the hormone can lead to memory impairment and mental health problems.

A new study by the University of Iowa researchers has associated high levels of cortisol with slow and steady synapses loss in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for short-term memory.

Synapses are the connections between neurons that help us in processing, storage and recall of information. Prolonged and constant exposure to cortisol causes shrinkage and eventual disappearance of these synapses.

"Stress hormones are one mechanism that we believe leads to weathering of the brain," according to Jason Radley, assistant professor in psychology.

Besides, chronic stress also stimulates chemical imbalance in the brain which makes it more prone to mental ailments, such as short-term memory loss and dementia. White matter structure defects can also cause depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Neuroscientists have also identified a link between anxiety and brain defects.  While low anxiety levels can affect memory recalling capacity of the brain, high anxiety levels can lead to white matter development that can in turn result in brain defects.

A study published by the National Institutes of Health called "White Matter in Learning, Cognition and Psychiatric Disorders" features the brain's production of white matter and how it influences the development of a variety of disorders.

According to Rachel Anderson, the research lead, and Radley, short-term memory disabilities linked to cortisol start arising around age 65.

However, researchers reminded that cortisol is only one of the many factors responsible for memory loss and mental decline as we grow old.

Brain degeneration is also linked to sleep deprivation in older adults and drinking in excess of two and a half drinks per day can cause more memory loss and cognitive impairment than in people who drink within limits or who don't drink at all.

Although, the study is only preparatory, the findings have laid the groundwork for treating short-term memory loss by decreasing levels of cortisol.

Source: medindia.net

Graduation Ceremony of Pioneer Doctors from Texila American University

Texila American University graduated its pioneer batch of doctors on 7th June 2014. The graduation ceremony was held at   Marriott Marquis, located in 265 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303.   It was a historical moment for everyone involved for the years of hard work in developing a University with the quality of education it provides today!

The University commenced its humble beginning in 2010 only with the On-campus programs in Medicine. Further it expanded its program views across On Campus programs for nursing as well. Further it collaborated with decade’s old Partner Universities to provide Academic support to Distance and Online Programs.

Currently, TAU holds the students from 35 different countries.

Today, Texila American University is a thriving Medical School rendering education to the students from different nationalities. Since its inception, Texila American University has been in the forefront rendering education with high professionalism and exactness.

The graduates were admitted to the University for the four year Doctor of Medicine courses.

Added to this, the First Graduate has matched into the residency (Post Graduate) program in the United States. 

The Oath taking Ceremony was the highlight of the occasion, with the participants promising to lead their life accordingly.  The Chief Executive Officer of the University commenced the graduation speech on behalf of the institution. Further, The Dean, Vice-Chancellor and other Board members also conveyed their influencing messages to the graduates. The function was concluded with the National Anthem.

St. George’s University Awards Inaugural NeuroResearch Excellence Award

Neuro Research Student Group Founder Honored for Excellence in Neuroscience Research

St. George’s University fifth-term medical student Sunita Hingorani was recognized for her contribution to the founding and growth of the NeuroResearch Student Group, a contingent of SGU students dedicated to research in neuroscience. Thus, when it came time for Dr. Tuula Jalonen, Professor of Neuroscience at SGU, to award the inaugural NeuroResearch Excellence Award, Ms. Hungrani was an easy choice.

“I wanted to recognize someone who shows excellence in neuroscience, in research and in their other studies, someone who is motivated, has good ideas, and shows leadership and enthusiasm for research,” said Dr. Jalonen, who serves as Ms. Hingorani’s academic advisor. “Sunita is all these things. She kept the group together and pushed and motivated her peers to keep working. I really felt she was the perfect person for this first award, and I can already see other excellent researchers coming up within the group.”

NeuroResearch has grown from a membership of five in 2012 to more than 30 students, all with a thirst and passion for research and neuroscience. Students who join the group devise their own research project or join one of several ongoing projects. The group’s goal is to conduct research significant to neuroscience and with potential benefit for the Grenadian community.

Thus far, the group has researched the use of Propofol by physicians, neuropathic pain in sickle cell disease, awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in Grenada, the prevalence and mechanisms of HTLV-1 infection, migraine, depression in schoolchildren, ‘neurophobia’ among medical students, and diabetes and NMDA receptor activity in cells. Through the support of Dr. Marios Loukas, SGU’s Dean of Medical Research, NeuroResearch has acquired a patch clamp for the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, which will assist them in their research in the upcoming semester.

“The research we do is so relevant,” said Ms. Hingorani. “I find myself connecting most of my classes to neuroscience.  The research we conducted has  helped me remember more of what I was learning in class.  I’m sure that my experience in NeuroResearch has prepared me to be open to new ideas in my future career.”

Members of NeuroResearch Student Group have presented at two SGU Research Day events and at the One Health, One Medicine conference. In July, Dr. Jalonen will also present a poster on a mathematical model of HTLV-1 at the Federation of European Neuroscience Forum in Milan. Even though Ms. Hingorani is leaving Grenada for her clinical rotations, her hope is to remain involved in NeuroResearch as much as possible.

Source: www.sgu.edu

REMOVING GALLSTONES NATURALLY...

It has worked for many. If it works for you please pass on the good news. Dr. Lai is not charging for it, so we should make it free for everyone. Your reward is when someone, through your word of mouth, benefits from the regime. Gallstones may not be everyone's concern. But they should be because we all have them. Moreover, gallstones may lead to cancer. "Cancer is never the first illness," Dr. Lai points out. "Usually, there are a lot of other problems leading to cancer.

In my research in China , I came across some materials which say that people with cancer usually have stones. We all have gallstones. It's a matter of big or small, many or few.

One of the symptoms of gallstones is a feeling of bloatedness after a heavy meal. You feel like you can't digest the food. If it gets more serious, you feel pain in the liver area." So if you think you have gallstones, Dr. Lai offers the following method to remove them naturally.

The treatment is also good for those with a weak liver, because the liver and gallbladder are closely linked.

Regimen:
1. For the first five days, take four glasses of apple juice every day. Or eat four or five apples, whichever you prefer. Apple juice softens the gallstones. During the five days, eat normally.

2. On the sixth day, take no dinner.

3. At 6 PM, take a teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) with a glass of warm water.

4. At 8 PM, repeat the same. Magnesium sulphate opens the gallbladder ducts.

5. At 10 PM, take half cup olive oil (or sesame oil) with half cup fresh lemon juice. Mix it well and drink it. The oil lubricates the stones to ease their passage.

The next morning, you will find green stones in your stools. "Usually they float," Chiu Nan notes. "You might want to count them. I have had people who passes 40, 50 or up to 100 stones. Very many."

"Even if you don't have any symptom s of gallstones, you still might have some. It's always good to give your gall bladder a clean-up now and then.

Source: Facebook

UWI Mona Lecturer appointed to IACHR Board

UWI Mona Senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Tracy Robinson has been elected to the Board of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The board of officers elected on March 20 is composed of Tracy Robinson (Jamaica), Chair; Rose Marie Antoine (Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago), First Vice-Chair; and Felipe González (Chile), Second Vice-Chair. The election was held, in accordance with the IACHR rules of procedure, at the beginning of the Commission’s 150th regular Period of Sessions. The other members of the IACHR are José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez, Rosa María Ortiz, Paulo Vannuchi and James Cavallaro. The Executive Secretary is Emilio Alvarez Icaza (Mexico).
 
Commissioner Tracy Robinson is a citizen of Jamaica. She was elected at the 41st OAS General Assembly in June 2011 for the standard four-year term, which began on January 1, 2012. She is a lawyer and teaches Gender and the Law, Constitutional Law and Commonwealth Caribbean Human Rights, among other law subjects, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She has been a consultant for international agencies such as the United Nations Fund for Women and UNICEF, and she has advised Caribbean governments on topics related to legislation on gender and children rights, among others. Commissioner Robinson has been editor of the Caribbean Law Bulletin and she has written and published reports on a range of topics, including gender, the rights of LGTBI persons, sexual harassment, sexual rights, sex work and the law, and the rights of the child. She has a Bachelor of Law from University of the West Indies and an LLM from the University of Yale, as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from Oxford University.

Commissioner Rose-Marie Belle Antoine has dual citizenship of Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. She was elected at the 41st OAS General Assembly in June 2011 for the standard four-year term, which began on January 1, 2012. She is a lawyer, Professor and Dean of the University of the West Indies, specializing in human rights, financial law, comparative law, administrative law, public service law, discrimination law and labor law. She has also lectured abroad, including in the United States. Commissioner Antoine has substantial international consultancy experience. She has served as senior legal advisor to all of the governments of the Commonwealth Caribbean and to governments outside of the region, such as the UK, Venezuela, USA and Canada, and to several international and regional organizations. These include the European Union, UNICEF, UNIFEM, the ILO, the IADB, the World Bank, and the OAS, among others. She is an award-winning author who has written eleven books and numerous reports and articles and drafted laws on a wide range of topics, including discrimination, constitutional reform, public service reform, juvenile justice, mutual legal assistance, women’s rights, health, sexual harassment, trafficking in persons, labor law, free movement of labor, HIV, financial law, anti-drug trafficking and anti-corruption. Commissioner Antoine is an Oxford Commonwealth Scholar and a Cambridge Pegasus Scholar, holding a doctorate from Oxford University, an LL.M. from Cambridge and an LL.B. from the University of the West Indies. Professor Antoine also holds diplomas and certificates in international human rights from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Commissioner Felipe González is a citizen of Chile. He was elected during the 37th regular period of sessions of the OAS General Assembly in 2007 for the standard four-year term, which began on January 1, 2008. He was reelected in 2011 for a second term, which started January 1, 2012. He was the IACHR Chair in 2010. Commissioner González is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Constitutional Law at Chile’s Diego Portales University. He founded and directed that university’s Human Rights Center, where from 2002 to 2006 he managed the preparation and publication of an Annual Report on Human Rights in Chile. He also founded and coordinated a Latin American Network of Legal Human Rights Clinics. He is S.J.D. from the Carlos III University of Madrid, and he holds a Master of Law degree from American University and a Master of Advanced Human Rights Studies from Carlos III University. He is a Professor at the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University and a Visiting Professor at Carlos III University. Previously he has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Lund University, the University of Deusto, and the University of Alcalá de Henares. He also worked for the International Human Rights Law Group (now Global Rights), first in Washington, D.C., and then in Santiago, Chile.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

Source: myspot.mona.uwi.edu

Amazing Benefits and Uses Of Kiwi

Kiwi is a rare fruit that has countless health benefits. Kiwi or Chinese gooseberry is a native fruit of China. In China, people use Kiwi for several nutritional and medicinal uses. However, the fruit became popular in New Zealand and the people of this country started cultivating the fruit in large quantities. It is also said that the fruit got its name Kiwi from the land of New Zealand.

Benefits Of Kiwi For Skin

     1.Kiwi is a delicious fruit that contains several rare nutrients. It is a rich source of antioxidants, Vitamin C, and E. These nutrients are essential for a healthy and glowing skin.

   2.Kiwi contains antioxidants and dietary fibers. The fruit act as a natural laxative that helps the body in removing all the wastes and toxins. This in turn makes the skin clearer and more beautiful.

  3.Kiwifruit contains lots of Vitamin E which helps in keeping the skin soft and moist. Vitamin also aids in regeneration of cells which in turn makes the skin youthful and flexible.

   4.The fruit is a rich source of Vitamin C which helps in the formation of collagen. Collagen repairs the skin and helps it to recover from cuts and wounds. It also makes the skin soft, supple and moist.

   5.Kiwi contains omega-3 fatty acids which protect the skin from a wide range of disorders. It also protects the cell membranes of the skin.

    6.A mixture of kiwi pulp and lemon juice can act as a nutritious face pack. Apply this mixture and let it stay for 10 to 15 minutes. This treatment is excellent for reducing sebum production.

   7.For a glowing skin prepare a blend of avocado (1/2), kiwi and honey (1 teaspoon). Mix these ingredients and apply the mixture on your skin. After 10 to 15 minutes rinse off with cool water.

   8. The antioxidants in kiwi kill the free radicals and reduce the intensity of aging signs like dark spots, wrinkles and fine lines.

   9. Kiwi is a rich source of anti-inflammatory agents and AHAs. This prevents the skin from acne, boils, pimples, zits and abscess.

   10.Kiwifruit contains amino acids that protect the skin from sun damage.

   11.The vitamins and nutrients in kiwi help the skin in renewing its cells. Hence, eating kiwi can make your skin moist and youthful.

   12.Make a pulp of a ripe kiwi fruit and add some yoghurt to it. Mix it well and gently rub it on your face. Wash your face after 15 minutes. This will allow the nutrients to penetrate into your skin and nourish it from within.

    13.Kiwi fruit contains Vitamin C that helps in lightening your skin tone. You can make a natural scrub by mixing kiwifruit pulp, lemon juice, oatmeal and kiwi seed oil. This scrub can help your skin in getting an even tone.

    14.Kiwifruit peels can be used as a natural exfoliating agent. You can scrub your face with kiwi peels to get a flawless skin.

Benefits Of Kiwi For Hair:

   1.Kiwifruit is rich in minerals like zinc, magnesium and phosphorus that improves hair growth and enhances blood circulation. It also contains Vitamin C and E which helps in reducing hair fall.

    2.The vitamin C in the fruit helps in the formation of collagen. This enables the scalp to absorb more nutrients.

    3.Kiwi seed oil contains omega-3fatty acids that prevent the hair from losing its moisture.

   4.Kiwifruit is rich in copper. This helps the hair in preserving its natural color. It also protects the hair from premature greying.

    5.Kiwifruit is rich in iron which helps in nourishing the hair. It promotes proper blood circulation in the scalp and thus it strengthens the hair from their roots.

   6.Eating kiwi can help you in strengthening the hair and also the skin on your scalp. This in turn prevents the occurrence of dandruff and eczema. It also protects the scalp from inflammation.

Health Benefits Of Kiwi:

    1.Fights Against Free Radicals: Kiwi contains Vitamin C which fights the free radicals and protects our body and skin from various diseases. Free radicals increase the risk of cancer and it also causes aging signs. Vitamin C neutralizes these free radicals and renders them useless.

    2.Collagen Production: Vitamin C results in more collage formation. This makes the skin more elastic. Elasticity keeps the skin tight and intact. Thus kiwifruit prevents sagging of the skin.

    3.Pre-Biotic Properties: Kiwi acts as a pre-biotic agent that nourishes the body and promotes easy digestion.

    4.Weight Management: Kiwi contains lots of dietary fiber that promotes fullness. Kiwi is also a low-calorie fruit and hence it is best for people who are on a weight-loss regiment.

    5.Prevents Asthma: Kiwi fruit can reduce the chances of getting asthma.

   6.Pre-Natal Nutrition: Kiwifruit is good for pregnant women. The fruit contains certain ingredients that help in transferring the nutrients and vitamins from the mother to the child. This makes the baby healthy and well-nourished.

   7.Regulates Diabetes: Kiwifruit has a low glycemic index. Hence, it is beneficial for diabetic people. Kiwi supplements are also recommended in this case.

    8.Reduces Eye Disorders: Kiwifruit is helpful in reducing the instances of eye disorders caused due to muscular degeneration.

    9.Anti-Oxidants: Kiwifruit contains lots of anti-oxidants that help our body in cell re-building.

    10.Fiber Boost: Kiwifruit contains lots of dietary fiber. This helps in cleansing our system by promoting digestion.

Supplements

If you cannot find kiwi fruits you can opt for kiwi supplements. Kiwi fruit supplements are available in capsule form. When kiwi fruits are heated and processed some of their nutrients are lost. However, the supplements contain 80% of the actual ingredients and hence they are effective.

Facts About Kiwi

Kiwifruits are harvested during the months of August to November. Kiwi is not a big fruit. It weighs around 4 ounces. Its fleshy part is creamy and has an invigorating flavor.

When you are buying kiwifruits check whether they are ripe enough. The outer part should be rough but it should yield to some gentle pressure. Avoid the fruits that have stains or cuts on them.

If you are purchasing raw kiwi fruits, you can store them along with bananas in order to ripen them quickly. 

Kiwifruits would remain fresh in room temperature for around 4 to 5 days. However, if they are fully ripe then they won’t last so long. Ripe fruits should be kept in the refrigerator.  If you want the fruits to last for 5 to 6 months then wrap them in plastic bags that are perforated for ventilation. You can also get frozen kiwi, if you store it using ascorbic acid and sugar syrup. For making frozen kiwi, you should peel off its skin and store them in freezer.  Frozen kiwi would remain fresh for 7 to 8 months.

You should eat the kiwifruit after washing and peeling it nicely. However, the skin is considered to be an edible part that contains lots of fiber and nutrients. The inner fleshy part is quite smooth and it can be scooped out with a spoon. Alternatively, you can slice the fruit into pieces before serving. Once you peel the fruit, it should be taken without much delay. If you leave the fruit for too long it would become quite soft and watery. For this reason, if you are adding kiwi to salads, then add it just before serving.

Uses of Kiwi:

Kiwi fruit doesn’t look attractive and it has a rough and hairy exterior. However, inside the fruit lies its emerald green pulp that tastes somewhat like pineapples or strawberries. The fruit is quite delicious. Listed below are few ideas on different ways to serve this amazing fruit.

   1.Kiwi fruit looks quite appealing with its emerald green flesh and small black seeds. Hence, it would look quite decorative when used alongside salads.

   2.You can add kiwi fruit while preparing cereals, oatmeal, couscous and brown rice.

   3. To add a bit of sweetness you can mix some pieces of kiwi to special cuisines of chicken or turkey. Kiwi can also be used as an additive for savory dishes.

   4.Kiwi is often used in preparations like cheesecake, cake, jam, muffins, juice, jellies and syrup.

   5.You can add well-cut pieces of kiwi to items like yoghurt, ice cream and custard.

   6.Kiwi can be used with cantaloupe in order to prepare chilled soup.

   7.Acitinidin is a compound found in kiwi which has the ability to tenderize certain meat products. For instance, you can marinate chicken pieces in kiwifruit juice for around 20 minutes in order to soften them.

   8.Kiwifruit is used in New Zealand for making a delicious dessert known as Pavloa.

   9.You can use kiwi fruit for making smoothie along with strawberries and yoghurt.

   10.Add some sliced kiwifruit alongside grilled chicken, mixed greens, vinegar, olive oil and fat free feta to prepare a delicious salad.

   11.Kiwifruit can be used as an additive to salsa sauce and chutneys that are often used as side-dishes to fried fish.

Are you concerned about your dry and saggy skin? Are you looking for a permanent remedy for your hair fall? If you are here to find a healthy solution for all your health and cosmetic problems, start with a fresh serving of kiwifruit. Kiwi is a rich source vitamin C and a wide range of rare nutrients that can make your skin healthy and bright. Kiwifruit also has countless health benefits including its role in strengthening hair and preventing hair fall.

Source: www.myhealthtips.in

30 ways to save your heart

There aren't too many ways to survive a bullet hurtling toward your heart. You could be wearing a Kevlar vest (unlikely), possess bona fide Matrix moves (even more unlikely), or watch in stunned silence as the hand of God reaches down and miraculously plucks the projectile out of the air (not gonna happen unless you're in a Monty Python movie).

But there's an upside to this depressing scenario. Actually, make that two. First, the lethal round you need to worry about moves quite slowly: It's called heart disease. Second, you can count on at least 30 ways to survive it.

We've collected a whole slew of simple, effective strategies for safeguarding your heart health. You don't have to adopt all of these lifesavers, but give each one a try to see if you can stick with it for the long haul. Who knows? You just might dodge a bullet.

Love Her Two Times

Men who have sex once a month or less have a risk of developing heart disease that's 45 percent greater than that of guys who do it two or three times a week, a study in the American Journal of Cardiology reveals. Sex may protect your cardiovascular system like a clothed workout does, the researchers say.

Cross these 7 lustful experiences off the list to Improve Your Sex Life in 2014!

Work In Some Walnuts

They're the alpha nuts in terms of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that fights inflammation, says Dr. Larry Santora, medical director of the Dick Butkus Heart and Vascular Screening Center in Orange, California. Yale researchers report that eating about a half cup of walnut halves a day can improve blood vessel function.

Keep the Beat

Tomorrow morning, before you fumble to find your slippers, find your pulse. Then log your beats per minute (bpm), says cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Pierre Theodore, vice chairman of the medical advisory board at Grand Rounds. Healthy guys should be at or below 70 bpm. If your rate rises higher for a week or more, call your doctor.

Heart disease is America's No. 1 killer. But know what's fact and fiction with these 5 Heart-Health Myths to Stop Believing.

Avoid Dirty Air

Inhaling ultrafine pollution particles can thicken the wall of your carotid artery, predisposing you to heart attacks, say University of Washington researchers. Particle levels peak in the early morning in winter, a study in Atmospheric Environment reports, so save outdoor runs or rides for the afternoon.

Be a Bean Counter

Pass on the potatoes and spoon out the legumes. People who ate 1 cup of fiber-rich lentils, beans, or chickpeas a day reduced their systolic blood pressure by 4 mm Hg after three months, according to a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Add black beans to salads, cook lentils into a curry, or scoop an extra serving of pinto beans into chili.

Even if you have the will to eat more fiber, you almost certainly don't have the way. Use this plan for smuggling more roughage into your life.

Come to Grips with BP

As little as four weeks of handgrip training can lower your blood pressure by about 10 percent, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Hypertension reports. The researchers say the exercise creates "shear stress," which improves blood vessel function. Try four two-minute contractions with each hand. Rest for about a minute in between.

Start Scrambling. . .

. . .and stop thinking that eating eggs raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol. In fact, Brazilian research suggests a link between egg consumption and clearer coronary arteries. One guess is that the yolk's payload of vitamins E, B12, and folate may be the key. Just stop at four eggs a day to limit the calories.

Research finds that weight-training improves the quality of your "good" HDL, lowering heart attack risk. Find out how to improve your cholesterol today.

Run the Numbers

Choose an exercise to do weekly—say, a 2-mile run—and just afterward, log your time and your heart rate. Call your doc if you notice major changes—for instance, a heart rate of 185 bpm after a workout that typically takes you to 165 in the same time. That can signal an issue, like clogged arteries or a weakened heart, Theodore says.

Be a Breath Man

Stop and take a long, slow breath. Better yet, take six breaths in 30 seconds. Doing this can lower your systolic blood pressure by as much as 4 mm Hg within minutes, a study in Hypertension Research found. Some research suggests that if you practice this deep breathing consistently, the pressure-lowering effects can last over time.

Give your airways a break by avoiding these 5 Health Threats to Your Lungs.

Sweat Out Burnout

Don't let your job be the death of you: Work-related exhaustion increases your heart disease risk, a study in Psychosomatic Medicine shows. So hit reset: In a Swiss study, men suffering from burnout slashed their symptoms by up to 57 percent by doing cardio exercise just two or three days a week.

Say F.U. to the Flu

On top of its virus-fighting powers, the flu vaccine nearly halves your risk of heart attack, suggests a study in the journal Heart. That may be because influenza triggers an autoimmune response that battles the virus but also produces inflammation that can clog arteries. Visit flushot.healthmap.org to find vaccination sites in your area.

Hit the Sack. . .

Compared with solid sleepers, insomniacs face a 45 percent increased risk of heart attack, according to a study from Norway. Just 30 minutes of exercise three times a week can boost your sleep. But be patient—the benefits can take months to kick in, say Northwestern University researchers.

. . .but Don't Sleep In

There is such a thing as too much sleep: People who log 10 or more hours a night have an elevated risk of heart disease, according to a study in the journal Sleep. One explanation: Snoozing too much may be linked to weight gain and poor mental health. If you can't keep your z's in the healthy range (seven to nine hours), see your doc.

Go on a Trans Fat Fast

Columbia University scientists say you can significantly reduce your LDL-particle number (a marker of cardio risk) by cutting your trans fat intake by just 1 percent for a year. These fats are being phased out of many products, but they're not gone. For example, they're in butter-flavored Pop Secret popcorn and Land O'Lakes margarine.

Pig Out on Potassium

A CDC study found that consuming an extra 1,000 milligrams of potassium every day can reduce systolic BP. Bananas pack about 420 milligrams, and you can also find the mineral in sweet potatoes (540 milligrams per baked medium spud) and cooked yellowfin tuna (450 milligrams in a 3-ounce serving).

Charge Solar Cells

Scientists in Scotland found that 20 minutes of UV exposure can increase your body's production of nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure. You can soak up some sun for 10 minutes twice a week, but check with your dermatologist first if you're fair-skinned or have had skin cancer, says Dr. Joshua Fox, of Advanced Dermatology P.C.

Try the Silent Treatment

For each 10 decibels of traffic noise near your home, your heart attack risk rises 12 percent, say scientists in Denmark. At night, use earplugs, such as the Howard Leight Quiet Multiple-Use Earplugs ($5 for 10, howardleightconsumer.com).

Collar Cardiac Trouble

Dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure than Fido-free folks, according to a study in Circulation. Not ready to commit? Walk a friend's pooch a few times a week, says Dr. Richard Krasuski, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist.

Join the Breakfast Club

In a recent Harvard study, men who typically skipped breakfast had a 27 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease, possibly because of greater fluctuations in their blood sugar and higher levels of blood triglycerides.

Kick the Can

Energy drinks may be enemy drinks. Research from the University of the Pacific showed that these caffeine-charged beverages can spike BP even in healthy guys. Stick with coffee.

Pour Some Milk

French research found that people who consumed the most low-fat dairy were least likely to have high LDL. The calcium in dairy may help boost fecal fat excretion from your body, which may help lower cholesterol, the scientists say.

Take Your Squats Lower

While any strength training raises your HDL (good) cholesterol, squats will supersize it, since they work your biggest muscles. But do full squats; they activate more small-muscle fibers than half or quarter squats, says Santora.

Rock the Karaoke Bar. . .

. . .and be the Ed Sheeran to her Taylor Swift. Researchers in Sweden found that people who sing together have better heart-rate variability, or the interval of time between beats. And the more variable your heart rate, the better your odds of surviving a heart attack.

Follow the Spice Route

Cinnamon may look like dirt, but it acts like a drug. Two teaspoons of it, consumed with food, can tamp down postmeal blood sugar surges, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Shack Up

Scientists in Finland say a single guy has up to a 168 percent higher risk of dying of a heart attack than a married man who lives with his mate. Alone? Join a Meetup group; socializing can cut heart-harming stress, Theodore says.

Shun Salad Dressing

Every glug can add about 2 teaspoons of sugar to your salad, triggering spikes in blood sugar and LDL cholesterol, says Janet Bond Brill, author of Blood Pressure Down. Dress greens with olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.

Cook Up Some Kale

In a study from Harvard, men who averaged about 1 1/2 servings of leafy greens a day were 12 percent less likely to develop heart trouble than those who ate just one serving a week.

Grin at the Reaper

A sunny outlook may cut your coronary artery disease risk by up to half, say Johns Hopkins researchers, possibly because positivity helps fend off stress and inflammation. For more on this, see "The Price of Pessimism" in this issue.

Color Yourself Healthy

If it's orange, eat it. (Except Cheetos.) A Finnish study found that men with the lowest blood levels of beta-carotene were about three times as likely to develop congestive heart failure as those who had the highest levels.

Go. Nowhere Fast

Hop on a stationary bike. Warm up for five minutes, and then alternate 15 to 30 seconds of fast pedaling with equal amounts of slow recovery. Do this for 10 minutes, rest four minutes, and repeat. This routine can help improve your lipid ratio, a Canadian study found.

Source : foxnews.com