Fitness with celebration

Flight attendants and pilots in the U.S. face the highest risk of radiation-related cancer deaths out of a list of more than 500 occupations, a new Harvard study suggests. The finding was based on analysis of data from the National Vital Statistics System. Pilots and flight attendants were found to have "statistically significantly" higher mortality rates linked to breast cancer, central nervous system cancers, prostate cancers and melanoma. Pilots were also more likely to die from leukemia. For cancers not related to radiation, the rates were comparable to other occupations. The findings could also raise questions about whether U.S. pilots and flight attendants should receive additional or earlier cancer screenings.

A major new study found that 3 minutes of all-out effort, spread across six 30-second cycling sprints, triggered changes in far more blood proteins than a full 90 minutes of steady, moderate-pace cycling. The sprinters showed changes in roughly a quarter of all detectable blood proteins, some tied in other research to lower rates of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The moderate group barely budged: only a handful of proteins shifted right after exercise, creeping up to just 19 by the three-hour mark. By comparing blood proteins to gene activity in different tissues, the team traced likely sources to the immune system, brain, pituitary gland, pancreas, and fat tissue, with muscle standing out as the biggest contributor.

Adolescent girls with major depressive disorder show atypical brain responses when anticipating social rejection, failing to adapt to repeated threats over time. These patterns suggest that depression alters social learning on a neurological level, keeping the brain on high alert in challenging peer interactions. A specific brain structure involved in this process is the amygdala. The amygdala helps detect emotionally salient information and potential threats in the environment. In youth who suffer from major depressive disorder, neural responses to social feedback often differ from those of healthy teenagers. The girls diagnosed with major depressive disorder exhibited a different pattern in that their right amygdala showed a flatter response across the trials, failing to habituate to the anticipation of the rejecting peer’s decision. Their brains continued to react as if the social threat was new and unpredictable, maintaining a steady level of high activation.

God never tells you to do something without providing what you need to do it. Anointing is a sign that he is equipping and empowering you to fulfill an assignment he’s given you. God will often give you an assignment that looks physically impossible, but he will make it possible. But, you can’t handle today’s problems with yesterday’s anointing. Stay in touch with God so that he can constantly fill you with his grace, love, and power. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).

Brain health researchers have long championed the Mediterranean diet as protection against cognitive aging. A new study found that higher virgin olive oil consumption was associated with more favorable cognitive changes, while refined olive oil and olive-pomace oil, was associated with faster decline. Researchers say the gut microbiota may help explain part of this association. Olive oil is often treated as a single, interchangeable ingredient, but this study suggests the type matters quite a bit for the brain.

A single dose of the psychedelic compound psilocybin can rapidly relieve both chronic pain and the symptoms of anxiety and depression that often accompany it. The drug achieves this dual effect by calming hyperactive brain circuits associated with these linked conditions. Standard medical treatments usually address the physical pain and the mood symptoms separately, often with limited success. Researchers suspect these conditions share an underlying physical root in the brain. Brain scans of individuals with chronic pain and depression often show abnormal activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. This region of the brain helps process emotions and the unpleasantness of pain. (NOTE: This was published in Nature Neuroscience.)

How would you define the good life? The Bible’s standard for good is to be filled with goodness. This means being a good person and doing good to others. Goodness is being what God meant for you to be. Goodness only comes from God. Titus 2:7-8 (ESV) says, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned…”

Today, National Be an Angel Day, encourages good deeds and kindness to others. By supporting those in need and inspiring others to kindness, we display an act of an angel here on earth. We don't always know what others may be enduring. We can be an angel in big and small ways. Whether we know a person's concerns or not, merely offering to join them for a meal may relieve their stress. Having someone to listen to often is something we need most. The day also recognizes those who've been angels to us. Sometimes we have a terrible day. Whether its bad news or poor planning, we all have them. A kind word, a hug, or even a pleasant atmosphere makes a difference.

For anyone who has ever looked at their dog during a hard day and wondered how much the animal picks up from a human face, a new study offers an intriguing clue. Scientists using brain-scanning technology have found that dogs don’t just react differently to happy versus sad or angry human faces. Specific brain regions light up differently depending on the facial expression a person is showing. Past studies relied on watching how dogs behaved around people making different faces. This one went inside the dog’s head. Researchers are careful to point out what the study does not prove. Dogs showing distinct brain patterns for different facial expressions doesn’t necessarily mean they consciously understand what those expressions mean in the human sense. What all of this adds up to is direct neural evidence that when a dog looks at a person’s face, something meaningful is happening in its brain.

When you think of carotenoids, carrots probably come to mind first. But peaches also offer up a healthy dose. While carotenoids give peaches their golden-orange hue, they are also potent antioxidants that help support eye and skin health. One medium peach, about 150 grams, contains: close to 10% of the daily value of fiber; more than 10% of the daily value of vitamin C; up to 15% of the daily value of copper; and more than 8% of the daily value niacin. From protecting skin and eyes to supporting immune and digestive health, these compounds offer up a whole host of health benefits.