A combined program of meditation and exercise can reduce depression, according to a Rutgers study. Scientists say learning new cognitive skills can help reduce overwhelming negative thoughts.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages every day was associated with an increase in a particular type of body fat that may affect diabetes and heart disease risk.  Researchers said this study adds another piece of evidence to the growing body of research suggesting that regular sugar-sweetened beverage consumption may be harmful to our health.

There is compelling evidence that drinking too many sugar-sweetened beverages, which contain added sugars in the form of high fructose corn syrup or table sugar (sucrose), can lead to excess weight gain and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a new review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that men who ate mostly a Western diet (red and processed meat, high-fat dairy foods, and refined grains) had two-and-a-half times higher risk of prostate cancer-related death—and a 67% increased risk of death from any cause—than those in the lowest quartile. Men who ate mostly a “prudent” diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, and healthy oils) had a 36% lower risk of death from all causes.

In a review article highlighting the results of more than a hundred recent human and animal studies, findings show that aerobic exercise is important for getting a head start during childhood on cognitive abilities that are important throughout life. For example, physical inactivity is associated with poorer academic performance and results on standard neuropsychological tests, while exercise programs appear to improve memory, attention, and decision-making. These effects also extend to young and elderly adults, with solid evidence for aerobic training benefiting executive functions, including multi-tasking, planning, and inhibition, and increasing the volume of brain structures important for memory. 

Up to 75 percent of patients who take statins to treat elevated cholesterol levels may suffer from muscle pain. Scientists at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen have now identified a possible mechanism underlying this unfortunate side effect.