Latest news with #Harvard-backed
Economic Times
02-07-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Tired of pills? Harvard expert reveals natural diet tricks to crush bad cholesterol
Harvard Medical School experts recommend dietary changes as an effective way to lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol naturally. Soluble fiber from oats, fruits, and legumes binds cholesterol in the gut, preventing its absorption. Along with healthy fats like olive oil and omega-3s, this approach can significantly reduce cholesterol levels—offering a natural alternative to medication for many. A Harvard-backed study emphasizes food over pharmaceuticals to combat high cholesterol. Soluble fiber-rich foods like whole grains, beans, and vegetables help flush LDL cholesterol from the body. (Image: iStock) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Fiber Fix: Soluble Secrets to Success Whole grains like traditional oatmeal (not the instant kind), brown rice, and barley are strongly recommended to beat cholestrol. (Image: iStock) Don't Swap Fat for Sugar Add Color and Oil the Right Way Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Bigger Picture In an age of over-the-counter quick fixes and pharmaceutical shortcuts, a group of experts from Harvard Medical School has brought the conversation back to basics—your kitchen. If you're battling high cholesterol levels, especially the LDL kind often dubbed 'bad' cholesterol, you may want to check your plate before your prescription. According to Harvard Health Publishing, small dietary changes can significantly lower LDL levels and improve heart reported by The Mirror, at the heart of this natural remedy is something we often overlook- soluble fiber. Found in whole grains, oats, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, soluble fiber acts like a sponge in the digestive tract. It binds with cholesterol and flushes it out of the body before it enters the bloodstream. Kathy McManus, Director of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, emphasized in her conversation with Harvard Health Publishing that what you eat is as crucial as your genes when it comes to managing grains like traditional oatmeal (not the instant kind), brown rice, and barley are strongly recommended. 'Instead of refined flour and white rice, try whole-wheat flour and brown or wild rice,' the experts advised. These foods not only support cholesterol control but also offer sustained energy and improved common dietary blunder, McManus warns, is replacing fat with sugar in the quest for 'healthy' eating. This approach can backfire, potentially elevating triglycerides and undermining cardiovascular health. The message is clear: steer away from sugary substitutes and opt for naturally nutrient-dense options like lentils, chickpeas, and in alignment with Harvard's findings, also noted that a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables is essential. Not only do these foods offer a broad spectrum of antioxidants, but they also contain plant-based proteins that are low in fat and high in fiber. When it comes to cooking oils, plant-based sources like olive, walnut, and flaxseed oil, along with omega-3-rich fish such as salmon, can play a pivotal role in managing LDL lifestyle changes offer remarkable benefits, those with familial hypercholesterolemia—an inherited condition—may still require medication. However, even in these cases, diet remains a vital part of a comprehensive health strategy. 'Check with your doctor, but know that your fork can often be your first line of defense,' the Harvard team heart disease and circulatory conditions responsible for nearly one in three adult deaths annually in the United States, the findings underscore the importance of preventative healthcare. As these experts emphasize, managing cholesterol isn't just about cutting things out—it's about thoughtfully adding in the right you're dealing with a recent diagnosis or simply aiming for a healthier lifestyle, it might be time to rediscover your spice rack and grain drawer. Sometimes, the answer to a healthier heart starts not in a pharmacy, but in your pantry.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Tea or coffee? Harvard researcher's 30-year study on 50,000 women might settle the debate
In a revelation that could reshape your morning routine, a Harvard-backed study spanning over three decades and involving nearly 50,000 women has linked moderate coffee consumption with healthier aging and improved longevity. And no, tea or decaf doesn't make the cut. Led by Dr. Sara Mahdavi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the research presented at the American Society of Nutrition's annual meeting suggests that caffeinated coffee—specifically—may play a pivotal role in preserving both mental sharpness and physical vitality well into old age. How Coffee Came Into the Anti-Aging Spotlight Beginning in 1984, the study followed 47,513 women, tracking their health outcomes, lifestyle choices, and daily beverage habits. Fast forward to 2016, and only 3,706 of them qualified as 'healthy agers.' What counted as healthy aging? Reaching age 70 or older without major chronic illnesses, cognitive decline, or physical impairments—and with self-reported good mental health. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Things Women Should NEVER Wear! Undo The standout factor? Coffee consumption. Women who drank at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily were more likely to fall into the healthy aging group. Even more compelling: for every additional cup consumed per day (up to five), the chances of aging well increased by 2% to 5%. The benefits, however, tapered off after five cups—suggesting moderation is still key. 'Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors,' said Dr. Mahdavi in a press release, adding that the findings reinforce—but don't outweigh—the impact of exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking. You Might Also Like: India's silent epidemic: 6 foods to include in your diet if you have fatty liver Not All Caffeine Is Created Equal Interestingly, the benefits were exclusive to regular coffee. Tea and decaffeinated versions showed no significant impact on healthy aging, while soda—specifically cola—was associated with reduced positive health outcomes. This isn't the first study to give coffee a gold star. A separate study published in May 2024 involving 50,000 American adults found that one to three cups of coffee daily reduced the risk of death within the next decade by 15% compared to non-coffee drinkers. But Dr. Mahdavi cautions that coffee isn't a miracle brew. While it may help tip the scales toward graceful aging, its effects are modest when weighed against broader lifestyle choices. 'The benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation,' she said. So, Should You Pour Another Cup? If you're healthy, active, and already enjoy your daily brew, science says—go ahead. Your coffee habit may be doing more than waking you up. It might just be helping you age better. But remember, more isn't always better. It's about striking the right balance—just like the perfect cup. You Might Also Like: This 'healthy' breakfast drink may be doing more harm than good for diabetics. Health experts warn
Economic Times
21-06-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Tea or coffee? Harvard researcher's 30-year study on 50,000 women might settle the debate
How Coffee Came Into the Anti-Aging Spotlight You Might Also Like: India's silent epidemic: 6 foods to include in your diet if you have fatty liver Not All Caffeine Is Created Equal So, Should You Pour Another Cup? You Might Also Like: This 'healthy' breakfast drink may be doing more harm than good for diabetics. Health experts warn In a revelation that could reshape your morning routine, a Harvard-backed study spanning over three decades and involving nearly 50,000 women has linked moderate coffee consumption with healthier aging and improved longevity. And no, tea or decaf doesn't make the by Dr. Sara Mahdavi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the research presented at the American Society of Nutrition's annual meeting suggests that caffeinated coffee—specifically—may play a pivotal role in preserving both mental sharpness and physical vitality well into old in 1984, the study followed 47,513 women, tracking their health outcomes, lifestyle choices, and daily beverage habits. Fast forward to 2016, and only 3,706 of them qualified as 'healthy agers.' What counted as healthy aging? Reaching age 70 or older without major chronic illnesses, cognitive decline, or physical impairments—and with self-reported good mental standout factor? Coffee consumption. Women who drank at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily were more likely to fall into the healthy aging group. Even more compelling: for every additional cup consumed per day (up to five), the chances of aging well increased by 2% to 5%. The benefits, however, tapered off after five cups—suggesting moderation is still key.'Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors,' said Dr. Mahdavi in a press release, adding that the findings reinforce—but don't outweigh—the impact of exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding the benefits were exclusive to regular coffee. Tea and decaffeinated versions showed no significant impact on healthy aging, while soda—specifically cola—was associated with reduced positive health isn't the first study to give coffee a gold star. A separate study published in May 2024 involving 50,000 American adults found that one to three cups of coffee daily reduced the risk of death within the next decade by 15% compared to non-coffee Dr. Mahdavi cautions that coffee isn't a miracle brew. While it may help tip the scales toward graceful aging, its effects are modest when weighed against broader lifestyle choices. 'The benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation,' she you're healthy, active, and already enjoy your daily brew, science says—go ahead. Your coffee habit may be doing more than waking you up. It might just be helping you age better. But remember, more isn't always better. It's about striking the right balance—just like the perfect cup.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Do we really lose imagination with age? New research reveals a surprising truth
Imagination doesn't decline with age—it evolves. While children may offer spontaneous, unfiltered ideas, adults often imagine with greater nuance and creativity rooted in experience. Recent studies show that older adults can be more inventive in specific contexts, challenging the myth that creativity is solely a child's domain. (Representative image: iStock) Imagining with Experience Grey Hair, Bold Ideas You Might Also Like: Want to grow younger? Harvard-backed study reveals a surprising vitamin that may reverse aging at the cellular level — sapinker (@sapinker) The Other Side of the Coin Imagination, Refocused iStock Studies show older people often outperform younger ones in creative tasks within known contexts. Rather than losing creativity, we redirect it toward purpose, memory, and meaning as we grow older. (Representational image: iStock) One Mind, Many Lifetimes You Might Also Like: Can your eyes reveal how sharp your memory is? New study shows how pupil movements uncover truth and falsehood For generations, society has clung to the romantic idea that children are the true dreamers—limitless in creativity, untouched by the rational rigidity of adulthood. Adults, it is often assumed, merely trade their whimsical wonder for a practical, more realistic inner world. But according to a growing body of psychological research, that narrative might be more fiction than per a report from the New Scientist, a recent wave of studies reveals a fascinating truth: imagination doesn't fade with age—it transforms. As it turns out, adults may be more imaginative than we think, just in a different, more refined way. Harvard University 's developmental psychologist Paul Harris challenges the prevailing belief that imagination wanes as we grow older. In a 2021 review, he argued that children's pretend play tends to be grounded in everyday experiences—tea parties, superheroes, and make-believe kitchens. The real shift, he observed, begins around age four, when children start to imagine truly conflicting scenarios—two possible, incompatible outcomes of a single aligns with problem-solving tests where young children often stumble. Take, for instance, the classic test involving a pipe cleaner and a bucket. The goal is to retrieve the bucket using the pipe cleaner by bending it into a hook. Children under five usually fail. Why? Because the imaginative leap needed to see a straight object as something that can change form comes only with age and mental you're picturing imagination as something that peaks in childhood and then diminishes into mental dullness, think again. Angela Nyhout from the University of Kent conducted a unique study at Dover Castle in the UK. Visitors were asked how they might use obscure historical objects like a warrior god mould or an old dress fastener. Older adults didn't just match the creativity of younger participants—they often surpassed them in the number of creative ideas, although within more familiar not an isolated case. Andrew Shtulman, in his 2023 book Learning to Imagine, proposes that imagination is like any other skill—it strengthens with practice. Unlike the freewheeling, trial-and-error method used by children, adults bring layered experience, refined intuition, and contextual awareness to their imaginative course, not everyone agrees. Psychologist Alison Gopnik of UC Berkeley reminds us that young minds have an edge in one critical area—openness. Without decades of accumulated assumptions or expectations, children freely explore a multitude of possibilities, even the improbable ones. As Nyhout notes, they simply don't yet know enough about the world to be constrained by yet, what younger children offer in spontaneity, they sometimes lack in insight. In one of Nyhout's story-based tasks, younger kids suggested magical wind control to stop papers from flying away. Older children, meanwhile, offered grounded, practical solutions. Both types of responses reflect imagination—just channeled through different cognitive the most revealing insight into how our imagination matures lies in how we remember. Jessica Andrews-Hanna of the University of Arizona explains that older adults tend to focus on the "gist" or emotional significance of memories rather than the finer details. This doesn't indicate a loss of mental clarity—it signals a shift in what we value. Adults may trade vivid imagery for narrative meaning and emotional than fading, imagination simply adapts to the needs of each life stage. A preschooler may invent new worlds, while an older adult might envision solutions to global crises by drawing on decades of life evolving nature of imagination is not a story of loss—it's a story of transformation. Children and adults may play in different imaginative arenas, but neither space is inherently superior. As Nyhout puts it, imagination across the lifespan is context-specific: what's optimal for a four-year-old won't always work for a forty-year-old—and vice fact, our collective imagination may be strongest when generations collaborate. Whether it's designing sustainable cities, reimagining social justice, or tackling inequality, bringing together the playful chaos of youth with the reflective insight of age might just be the creative leap humanity no, we don't lose our imagination as we age, we just learn how to wield it differently. And maybe, just maybe, more powerfully.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Harvard-backed study finds Sadhguru's Samyama Sadhana meditation slows brain aging
Sadhguru is earning his Harvard-backed validation. In a first-of-its-kind discovery, Harvard-affiliated researchers have confirmed that the ancient yogic practice of Samyama Sadhana meditation may prove helpful to reverse the brain's biological age. What does the study say? The study, conducted by experts from Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (both tied to Harvard Medical School), focused on individuals practising the Samyama Sadhana technique, an intensive 8-day meditation retreat designed by spiritual leader Sadhguru, during a retreat. — balachundhar (@balachundhar) The research involved participants who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) before and after the Samyama program. The scans revealed significant changes in brain network connectivity, particularly between the salience network (SN) and the default mode network (DMN). These networks are associated with self-awareness, attention, and emotional regulation. Enhanced connectivity between these networks is linked to improved mindfulness and cognitive function. The study has revealed that advanced yogic meditation may reverse brain aging by an average of 5.9 years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo In some cases, researchers observed that the difference went beyond a decade. The Samyama Sadhana Program: According to Isha Foundation, Samyama Sadhana is an advanced meditation program that immerses participants in complete silence for eight days, with long hours of intense meditation. The program is designed to help individuals transcend the limitations of the body and mind, leading to heightened states of consciousness and deep meditative experiences. Conducted at the Isha Yoga Center in India and the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences in the USA, Samyama Sadhana offers a unique opportunity for profound inner transformation. Implications for brain health The findings suggest that engaging in intensive meditation practices like Samyama Sadhana can have a rejuvenating effect on the brain, potentially reversing age-related cognitive decline. This research adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the neuroplastic benefits of meditation. Previous studies have shown that meditation can increase cortical thickness in areas related to attention and sensory processing, which typically thins with age. What is reverse brain aging? While "reversing" brain aging in the sense of returning to a younger state is an ambitious goal, several strategies can significantly improve brain health and slow down the aging process. These include adopting a healthy lifestyle, engaging in regular mental and physical activities, and managing chronic conditions. Some strategies to improve brain health and slow down aging: Healthy lifestyle: Diet: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish, like the Mediterranean-DASH diet, can provide brain-healthy nutrients. Exercise: Regular physical activity, including both aerobic and strength training, improves blood flow to the brain, boosts cognitive function, and can even lead to the growth of new brain cells. Sleep: Adequate sleep is crucial for brain health, as it allows the brain to clean itself of waste products and consolidate memories. Social engagement: Staying socially active can stimulate the brain and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Mental stimulation: Engage in challenging activities: Learning new skills, playing games, and reading can keep the brain active and improve cognitive function. Lifelong learning: Continuously learning new things can create new neural pathways and improve cognitive flexibility. Manage chronic conditions: Blood pressure and blood sugar: Managing hypertension and diabetes is crucial for preventing cognitive decline, as these conditions can damage blood vessels and lead to brain damage. Other chronic conditions: Addressing any underlying health issues can contribute to overall brain health. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
