Attitude Matters: Recent research points to the health benefits associated with having a positive outlook on life. One study, reported in the May issue of the American Heart Journal, founds that cardiac rehabilitation patients who have symptoms of depression take longer to return to their normal heart rate after taking a treadmill stress test, which is an indication of how the autonomic nervous system is functioning. Patients who take longer to recover their normal heart rate also have an increased risk of mortality. The autonomic nervous system helps the body to adapt to changes in the environment, adjusting or modifying body functions in response to stress. It also regulates functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, airflow to the lungs, as well as the digestive process, insulin secretion, urinary function and sexual response. The researchers suggest the alterations in autonomic nervous system function may help explain the relationship between depression and cardiac death.

Meanwhile, a Dutch study reported in the February 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that very optimistic elderly men had a lower risk of cardiovascular death than those were not very optimistic over a 15-year period. Being optimistic has been associated in other studies with better health outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease (caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries), and with a lower risk for all-cause death and cardiovascular disease and death. This research focused on 545 Dutch men aged 64 to 84 years who did not have pre-existing cardiovascular disease or cancer. The researchers found dispositional optimism, defined as having generally positive life engagement and expectancies for one's future, to be associated with an approximately 50 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death in the men between 1985 and 2000.

Dry Eye's Link To Menopause Not Widely Known: Although 62 percent of older women experience dry eye, only 16 percent know it's linked to menopause, a new survey shows. The survey, which was released April 20 and sponsored by the Society for Women's Health Research, polled 304 menopausal and perimenopausal women about dry eye. Of those women who had experienced dry eye, just 59 percent had spoken to their doctor about the condition, the survey found. Approximately 3.2 million American women over the age of 50 are affected by chronic dry eye, Greenberger said. "For many women, dry eye is related to the change in hormone levels of menopause," noted Phyllis Greenberger, president of the Society for Women's Health Research. Since risk of dry eye increases with age, the number of people affected will increase as the population ages. Dry eye is about two to three times more common in women than in men. Dry eye results from insufficient tear production, excessive tear evaporation or from the production of toxic tears, which can be caused by inflammation. The condition can impact the quality of life, interfering with reading, work, using a computer and night driving - and it can be treated. Ophthalmologists recommend seeing an eye doctor if you experience symptoms of dry eye.

Losing Weight Helps Obese Older Adults Avoid Frailty: In obese adults in their 60s and 70s, moderate weight loss achieved through diet and exercise can go a long way in improving physical function and combating frailty, a recent study shows. "Obesity is an important cause of physical decline in older persons and can lead to a loss of functional independence in the community, by predisposing to frailty," said Dr. Dennis Villareal of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who led the research. In the study, published April 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, frail obese older volunteers were randomly assigned to 26 weeks of diet and exercise (treatment group) or no treatment (control group). The treatment group lost 8.4 percent of body weight, while weight did not change in the control group. Compared with the control group, the weight loss and exercise group also had improvements in physical function, as evidenced, in part, by higher test scores for peak oxygen uptake. The exercise and weight loss intervention also led to objective improvements in muscle strength, walking speed, endurance and balance.

More Evidence That Socializing Is Healthy: Social networks, such as having close friends and staying in contact with family members, help protect against the damaging effects of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study finds. "Many elderly people who have the tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease don't clinically experience cognitive impairment or dementia," said one of the researchers, Dr. David Bennett of the Rush University Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago. "Our findings suggest that social networks are related to something that offers a 'protective reserve' capacity that spares them the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer's disease." The study, published in the May issue of The Lancet Neurology, included 89 elderly people without known dementia. While they were alive, each provided information about their social networks and underwent 21 cognitive performance tests each year. After they died, their brains were analyzed. The larger a person's social network, the less effect the tangles and plaques had on their cognitive test scores. This protective effect was noted across different kinds of cognitive abilities but was most evident for semantic memory, which contains knowledge about the world and is involved in language and other uniquely human cognitive processes.

Along similar lines, new research has found that loneliness is a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older Americans, and could increase the risk of death from stroke and heart disease. In a paper published in the journal Psychology and Aging, University of Chicago scientists Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo found that lonely people have blood pressure readings that are as much as 30 points higher than in non-lonely people, even when other factors such as depressive symptoms or perceived stress are taken into account. This is equivalent to the difference between a normal blood pressure of 120 and a level of 150 which signifies Stage 1 hypertension. Blood pressure differences between lonely and non-lonely people were smallest at age 50 and greatest among the oldest adults tested, who were in their late 60s. The increase in blood pressure associated with loneliness is about the same magnitude as reductions attained through weight loss and regular physical activity in people suffering from hypertension. "By these standards, improvements in a sense of social connectedness may have clinical benefits comparable to lifestyle modifications," the authors wrote.

Use It Or Lose It: A growing number of scientists are coming to view a healthy brain as a "worked out" brain -- one that is regularly stimulated and challenged by rigorous mind-taxing tasks. A lifestyle that includes a steady does of mentally stimulating activities -- such as crossword puzzles or playing chess mental activities - will increase alertness and agility of thought well into the golden years, while perhaps forestalling the onset of age-related dementia, according to experts like Dr. Joe Verghese, a neurology professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Verghese recently co-authored a study which found that seniors who engage in a wide variety of mental pursuits while at leisure -- such as playing a musical instrument, reading and playing cards or board-games -- seem to dramatically lower their risk for developing dementia. But he stressed that it's never too early to incorporate mental exercise into the daily planner - it's a habit that should be encouraged starting in childhood. Dr. Joseph T. Coyle, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, agrees that regular mental and physical activity is, at minimum, a benign means to improve the chances of staying healthier longer. "Crossword puzzles are not bad for you, and they may actually help prevent the onset of dementia," he said. "So I would say get regular exercise -- like walking three or four times a week -- and find a hobby that you enjoy that's intellectually challenging."

Relax Before Blood Pressure Checks: Taking a few minutes to relax and get comfortable before having your blood pressure checked will yield lower readings, according to a study by University of Virginia Health System nurses. Researchers found that systolic blood pressure can be an average of 14 points higher when a reading is taken immediately after a patient arrives in an exam room and sits on an examination table, rather than sitting in a chair with the back supported and feet flat on the floor. And all the study participants had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings when they sat in a chair than when they were on an examination table. The study authors noted that a 14-point variation in a blood pressure reading can mean the difference between a patient being considered healthy and receiving an inaccurate diagnosis.

By the way, if you're one of the many Americans who falls between normal blood pressure and hypertension, you probably have a condition known as pre-hypertension. According to the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, high blood pressure can increase your risks of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, kidney disease and blindness. So taking control of your blood pressure before you develop hypertension is crucial. Getting regular exercise and changing your diet to include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help lower your blood pressure without medication. You should also avoid foods that are high in fat, cholesterol and salt.

Sunglasses A Must-Have Accessory: Spring has sprung, and with it comes a heightened danger to eyes from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can burn the surface of eyes. The cumulative effect of UV damage has been linked to vision-robbing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration later in life. "We can't stress enough how important it is to protect your eyes every day from the sun. Even when the weather is overcast, the sun still emits intense, harmful rays," Daniel D. Garrett, vice president of Prevent Blindness America, a volunteer eye health and safety organization in Chicago, said in a May announcement. Sunglasses and a brimmed hat protect eyes. But check sunglasses before you buy them. Just because a lens is tinted doesn't mean it wards off UV rays. Affordable sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays are widely available. And don't forget to slather on some sunscreen when venturing outdoors this season!

More Places To Watch For Germs: Worried about germs? Go ahead and touch those doorknobs and elevator buttons, but watch out for the telephone, fresh laundry and sinks, a leading expert told Reuters in May. And while you should always wash your hands before making a meal, many people do not realize that they should do so afterwards also, says Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and clean water expert at the University of Arizona. "Most of the common infections - colds, flu, diarrhea - you get environmentally transmitted either in the air or on surfaces you touch. I think people under-rate surfaces," Gerba said. And when they are cautious, they are usually cautious about the wrong things. Germs do not stick where people believe they will. "Doorknobs are usually on the low side," said Gerba, who has conducted dozens of surveys of bacteria and viruses in workplaces and homes. Keyboards and telephones - especially when they are shared - are among the most germ-laden places in a home or office, he added. Some of the bacteria often present are Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, some of which cause disease and some of which do not. And where there are bacteria, there can be viruses, which can hang onto a clean or dry surface for days and to a wet surface for weeks. Such knowledge may be particularly useful as experts warn that a pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza may be looming. If it begins to spread, basic hygiene would be essential to avoid infection.

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