Sunstone Online

Exercise Helps with Alzheimer’s Disease

Here is one of the secrets of avoiding Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers who presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America have found that if you exercise four times a week you can cut your risk of developing the disease. Using MRI data, researches have found that adults with mild cognitive impairment who exercise four times a week over a six-month period had an increase in brain volume.

And, people who participated in aerobic exercise had even greater gains than did those who stretched.

Dr Laura Baker, from Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina said, “Even over a short period of time, we saw aerobic exercise lead to a remarkable change in the brain.”

Read more about the study to see more details.

Fascinating Links Between Psychological and Physical Issues

Now here is a weird connection. Depressed teenagers are more likely to develop arthritis when they get older. Together, Swiss and German researched assessed 6500 teenagers to see what types of links they could find between mental illness and physical problems. They did find that certain physical manifestations can be tied to psychological issues.

They found, for instance, that depression is often followed by arthritis and diseases of the digestive system; anxiety disorders are more common if the teenager already has heart disease; a link between epilepsy and eating disorders was found as well! The findings were published in PLOS One.

One Clever Way to Make More Babies

European fertility rates have plummeted so much that people are going to great lengths to get people to make babies. Italy has the lowest birthrate of any country in the EU, and one of the lowest around the world.

A group of hotels in Assisi, Italy is actually offering couples who conceive with them – a free holiday. Ten hotels have signed up for this baby initiative which plans to either reimburse guests or offer another trip to those who prove they’ve conceived during their stay.

Of course, some are angry with the campaign, arguing that the sexual theme isn’t appropriate in the ancient city’s historic and religious environment.

Now, how can a couple cash in on this free vacation? They have to produce their newborn’s birth certificate that dates nine months after their stay (give or take 10 days). As organizers of the campaign said, “Giving birth to a child is an act of deep love, which should be encouraged despite the multitude of difficulties in life.”

Hotels that are offering the package include: Farm Basaletto; Farmhouse Casa Faustina; Farmhouse Le Mandrie di San Paolo; Hotel Upper Room Hotel Cristallo from Moro Gallery Hotel Assisi; Hotel Dei Priori; Hotel Fontebella; The Castle Hotel; and Hotel Windsor Savoia.

Italy isn’t the first country to have this fertility push. In June, Denmark ran a campaign that urged people to have more sex. The spot was called “Do It for Mom!” and encouraged Danes to go on more holidays to up the country’s birth rate.

Now that’s some interesting marketing for you.

Which Color Do People Select More When Eating?

We all want our kids to eat more greens, and the fact that they don’t might actually not be their fault. A recent study conducted by the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy and published today in the journal Scientific Reports shows that we are hard-wired to select red food over green. They found that our visual sense is the first one that we use to select our food.

As Raffaella Rumiati, the coordinator of the study and a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, explained

“According to some theories, our visual system evolved to easily identify particularly nutritious berries, fruits and vegetables from jungle foliage. We are visual animals, unlike others, dogs, for example, who depend on their sense of smell. We are particularly efficient at distinguishing red from green. It is mainly the colour of food that guides us, and our experiments show how. To date, only a few studies have been focused on the topic.”

Interestingly, they found that the preference for red over green doesn’t translate to non-edible objects. Rumiati explained that “This means that the colour code of the visual system activates correctly only with food stimuli.”

Cool Kitchen Gadgets

Now, most of us don’t need an egg cracker or a green onion cutter, but it sure would make our cooking days easier if we had some of these gadgets. From the banana cutter to the pizza picker-upper, these gadgets will have you singing happy during your cooking moments. Check out the creative, and at times silly, inventions that people have made for the chef in you!

The 10 Ten Shorelines in the World

You want to go to a shoreline, but which one should you choose? Now, Dr. David Holmes has tried to tackle that question in a scientific way. His study, commissioned by Royal Caribbean, enabled his to create a mathematical equation to prove which shoreline is the best.

The top ten were:
1 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2 Blackpool, United Kingdom
3 Gulf of Mexico, United States of America

4 Cape Cod National Seashore, United States of America
5 Inchydoney, West Cork, Ireland
6 Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia
7 Cape Town, South Africa
8 Cavelossim, Goa, India
9 Krabi, Thailand
10 Whitehaven Beach, Whitehaven Islands, Australia

As Dr. Holmes said, “While this formula may not account for every eventuality, the top ten hopefully helps holidaymakers identify the shorelines which are, scientifically, most impactful. All countries have good and bad shorelines; however some are stunning in their unpretentious beauty combined with iconic features. Shorelines such as Dubai in UAE score well across all elements of the formula, whilst others such as Inchydoney in Ireland offer wonderful experiences with the added benefit of attracting smaller crowds.”