Could You Live Longer by Just Having This in Your Home?

Hi and welcome to this week’s look at headlines in natural health on iHealthTube.com…

We all crave sugar and salt from time to time… but another kind of taste may be able to help with those cravings.

A study out of China looked at more than 600 people and analyzed their brains with CT scans… they found the same area of the brain was stimulated by the intake of both salty and spicy foods.  The similar activities in the shared space in the brain means consuming spicy foods can help reduce the craving and in effect consume less salt.  In fact… researchers found those who consumed spicy foods regularly, ate about 1,000 fewer milligrams of sodium per day than those who stayed away from spicy foods.

Spice may have similar ability to curb cravings for sweets… but the evidence has been mixed.

We all know the importance of exercise… but new research is showing yet another reason to get up and move.

Researcher out of Australia is showing for the first time… that aerobic exercise can increase the size of the region in the brain which is critical for memory and other functions.  Animal studies have shown this in the past but evidence in humans has been inconsistent until now… 

While the research didn’t show an increase in the hippocampus… the size of the left region of the hippocampus did increase.  A lead researcher said the main benefits from aerobic exercise had more to do with slowing down the deterioration in brain size.  The average brain shrinks about 5 percent per decade after the age of 40.

Finally… do you want to live longer?  Getting a dog might just help you do that.

A study of more than 3 million Swedes between the ages of 40 and 80 looked at the association between dog ownership and cardiovascular health.  The study revealed that single dog owners had a 33 percent reduction in the risk of death… and 11 percent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease during the 12 year follow-up… compared to single non-dog owners.

Interestingly… owners of dogs that are bred for hunting were the most protected.

That’s a look a what’s making headlines in natural health this week… go to iHealthTube.com and sign up for our free email newsletter to stay connected to the latest in natural health!