Youthing Brain Blog

What is music?

I am a big music fan! As last count I have over 50 GB on my iPod! Now I've always wondered - What is Music? A very good question - why do I like what I like and how does that connect to me? Well there are some answers (at least those that I can understand).

Good new research article in Science News today - I read this newsletter every day and always find an interesting article or new research report - and non technical and readable enough for the average quantum physicist.

Results of new research reported - brain fitness and exercise

More brain power and exercise connections

I keep reading more about how simple exercise and activity helps our brains. It seems we are getting the 'specifics' but the underlying concepts are solid - keeping active helps achieve increased brain performance. How much and what are the concern of the specific research. In all studies positive results are reported. So it’s simple – get up and get moving!

Read more about another study (including identical twins) here.

Activity is a key to health

Get active - A little exercise is critical!

Today's New York Times has an excellent article about 'long term life style' fitness program - "How Little Exercise Can You Get Away With?"

Read the entire article - but here is a sound bite that is a good summary!

"Inactivity is looking more and more like one of the underlying causes of many chronic diseases,” he says. If, he adds, “you want to live to be 100,” which happens to be my New Year’s resolution, “then don’t just sit all day.”

It's great to join the gym, walk 5 miles a day or play 2 hours of tennis but just getting up off the couch or from behind your desk will help a great deal!

Sleep and Enzymes Connection

Written by Rick Maltin

Another interesting article about sleep, memory and performance. A good nights' sleep is again connected to improved mental acuity and memory. This time researchers have been able to isolate an enzyme that may be connected to the degraded brain functions. Of course humans are different than lab rats (sometimes!) but the conclusions are consistent – a good nights sleep is an indispensable business tool! Read more about this research.

Coffee - May be good for you?

Written by Rick Maltin

I love coffee and drink some every day (well almost every day). Coffee has been given a bad name over the past few decades. Well there is a growing body of evidence for the positive effects of coffee. I know coffee make me smarter, clearer and contributes to brain vitality. This study was published in Science New! So keep in moderate and enjoy.

While it is too early for physicians to start advising their male patients to take up the habit of regular coffee drinking, data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference revealed a strong inverse association between coffee consumption and the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers.

"Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer," said Kathryn M. Wilson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.

In a prospective investigation, Wilson and colleagues found that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who did not drink any coffee. This is the first study of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate cancer and risk of localized, advanced and lethal disease.

"Few studies have looked prospectively at this association, and none have looked at coffee and specific prostate cancer outcomes," said Wilson. "We specifically looked at different types of prostate cancer, such as advanced vs. localized cancers or high-grade vs. low-grade cancers."

Caffeine is actually not the key factor in this association, according to Wilson. The researchers are unsure which components of the beverage are most important, as coffee contains many biologically active compounds like antioxidants and minerals.

Using the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study, the researchers documented the regular and decaffeinated coffee intake of nearly 50,000 men every four years from 1986 to 2006; 4,975 of these men developed prostate cancer over that time. They also examined the cross-sectional association between coffee consumption and levels of circulating hormones in blood samples collected from a subset of men in the cohort.

"Very few lifestyle factors have been consistently associated with prostate cancer risk, especially with risk of aggressive disease, so it would be very exciting if this association is confirmed in other studies," said Wilson. "Our results do suggest there is no reason to stop drinking coffee out of any concern about prostate cancer."

Got a problem? Take a nap!

Written by Rick Maltin

Sleep benefits for business productivity

I just read some interesting tidbits this week with hints about additions to our youthing lifestyle…I have a few and will do one a day until they are complete – they come from the current issue of Southwest Spirit…

Dream On – Sleeping on the job? No worries! a new study at the University of California San Diego show that napping (one of my favorites) may be one of the best ways to solve problems. Research suggests REM sleep might strengthen ‘associative networks’ in the brain that could lead to a spike in creativity.

This is added evidence of the benefits of a good night’s sleep.

In addition if you are stuck with a problem – close your eyes and nap for 15 minutes, get up and solve the problem!

Here's some more reading - Sleep and Youthing.