Conscious Choice: Racing Against the Clock

October 2008 | Healthy Living :: Body Talk

Racing Against the Clock

Running helps keep you young, suggests recent research from the Archives of Internal Medicine. In a study that followed 961 older adults for more than two decades, scientists found runners had fewer disabilities and were half as likely to die early deaths, as compared to non-runners.

At the start of the study, the runners were all over age 50 and ran an average of about four hours a week. After 19 years, only 15 percent of the runners had died, compared to 34 percent of the non-runners. Although both groups became more disabled over the course of the study’s 21 years, the runners’ onset of disability occurred 16 years later than that of the non-runners. Furthermore, findings from a companion paper published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that running wasn’t linked to increased rates of osteoarthritis.

“If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise,” states study author James Fries, M.D. It’s likely that the runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier overall habits played a key role in their longevity, he notes.

The Power of Hope

New research from Ohio State University shows that staying hopeful might stave off depression. In a study of 97 adults who had been diagnosed with conditions that would cause them to lose their sight, researchers found the more hopeful study members had fewer depressive symptoms. What’s more, a previous study from the same research team suggests that hope therapy (including sessions on identifying goals and ways to achieve them) can boost psychological strength and ease symptoms of depression.

Nix the Nag Champa?

Breathing in the sweet smoke of incense over a long period of time could up your cancer risk, according to a new study from the journal Cancer. Researchers focused on 61,320 Chinese adults living in Singapore, all of whom were cancer-free from 1993 to 1998. Based on data from a follow-up in 2005, the researchers linked long-term incense use with a significantly increased risk of upper respiratory tract cancer and squamous cell carcinomas (malignant tumors) in the entire respiratory tract. They found no such effect on lung cancer, however.

Past studies have shown that burning incense can produce potential carcinogens, such as benzene and carbonyls. In addition to calling for studies to identify the least harmful types of incense, the recent report’s authors recommend reducing incense use and increasing room ventilation when you do light up.

Appetite Control

Overdoing it on certain foods could damage cells involved in curbing overeating, a new study from Monash University indicates. By eating an excess of sugar and carbs, the study finds, you may spur free radicals to attack appetite-suppressing cells — which in turn increases hunger and promotes weight gain.

— Elizabeth Barker

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