French mice don’t get fat
A compound in red wine may offset the effects of a high-calorie, high-fat diet, according to a recent Harvard Medical School and National Institute on Aging study that followed a group of mice from middle- to old age. Resveratrol, a small molecule also found in grapes and nuts, appeared to increase the mice’s survival and insulin sensitivity (crucial to the efficient processing of glucose into energy). And while the study’s authors note that resveratrol “can safely reduce many of the negative consequences of excess caloric intake, with an overall improvement in health and survival,” an optimal dosage has yet to be determined. In fact, to take in the equivalent of resveratrol given to the study mice, a 150-pound person would have to down at least 750 bottles of red wine daily.
Step it up
To get the most out of your walking workout, put more pep in your step. While it beats lounging in front of the tube, low-intensity walking isn’t likely to significantly lower blood pressure or enhance aerobic fitness, suggests a new study from the University of Alberta. For six months, 128 sedentary men and women followed either a walking program (including 10,000 pedometer-monitored steps per session) or a higher-intensity program (cardio-based activities like treadmill walking and stationary biking). Those who worked out harder showed a 10 percent increase in peak oxygen uptake (an indicator of aerobic fitness) and a 10 percent drop in systolic blood pressure, while the walkers had only a four percent boost in peak oxygen uptake and four percent decrease in systolic blood pressure. “Across your day, while you are achieving those 10,000 steps, take 200 to 400 of them at a brisker pace,” advises lead study author Vicki Harber. “You’ve got to do more than light exercise, move towards the inclusion of regular moderate activity and interject an occasional period of time at the vigorous level.”
Wonder weed
Although they’re rarely renowned for their steel-trap memories, pot smokers may possess increased protection against the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. To gauge the drug’s memory-preserving powers, Ohio State University researchers gave a synthetic, marijuana-like compound to a group of rats. In completing a memory test, treated rats performed noticeably better than nontreated rats. Treated rats also had decreased inflammation in their brains, a finding that hints at the potential anti-Alzheimer’s effects of marijuana. “Inflammation in the brain is part of aging,” explains study co-author Gary Wenk. “It happens to almost all of us as we age. But in some cases, this inflammation gets out of hand and causes serious damage.” Wenk and his colleagues hope to develop a drug that offers marijuana’s anti-inflammatory benefits but none of the psychoactive properties that terrify the DEA.
Elizabeth Barker is a freelance writer living in Echo Park, CA.