Now, there are certain activities are believed to modify hippocampus size in humans; previous studies also have found that the hippocampus shrinks with age and coincides with cognitive declines at a rate that differs from person to person.  In addition, earlier studies have shown that exercise increases hippocampus size and spatial memory in rodents.  But most amazing is this new Hippocampus study which is the first to demonstrate that exercise can affect hippocampus size and memory in humans.  The researchers found a significant association between an individual’s fitness and his or her performance on certain spatial memory tests.  This is pretty clinically significant because it supports the idea that your lifestyle choices and behaviors may influence brain shrinkage in old age—keeping you independent for longer!  So folks, we shouldn’t have to hear it from anyone again, we just need to stay moving on a regular basis for optimal health, all around.

New research has shown that women with higher intakes of calcium appear to have a lower risk of cancer overall, and both men and women with high calcium intakes have lower risks of colorectal cancer and other cancers of the Gastro system (this is from the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine).

The Institute of Medicine currently recommends 1,200 milligrams of calcium for adults age 50 and older, and the 2005 dietary guidelines for Americans recommend 3 cups per day of low-fat or fat-free dairy products.  In the study, the decrease in risk for women was with intake of up to 1,300 mgs per day, after which no further risk reduction was observed.  In both men and women, dairy food and calcium intakes were inversely associated with cancers of the GI and one-fifth of men who consumed the most calcium through food and supplements (about 1,530 mg per day) had a 16 percent lower risk of these types of cancer than the one-fifth who consumed the least (526 mg per day). For women, those in the top one-fifth of calcium consumption (1,881 mg per day) had a 23 percent lower risk than those in the bottom one-fifth (494 mg per day) with a most pronounced decrease for colorectal cancer. So what is it about dairy that is so protective against cancer?

Dairy is relatively high in anti-carcinogenic nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and conjugated linoleic acid. Calcium has been shown to reduce abnormal growth and induce normal turnover among cells in the GI tract and breast and it binds to bile and fatty acids, which may reduce damage to the mucous membrane in the large intestine.  So the bottom line is: even if you’re dieting, be sure to include that lowfat dairy to protect yourself against disease!