Your health

Bulk up your brain

Regular exercise can make your waist smaller - and your brain bigger. A new study found that older adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi - the part of the brain involved in forming memories and spatial navigation.

Researchers at the University of Illinois and University of Pittsburgh measured fitness levels of adults ages 59 to 81 and gave them spatial reasoning tests and brain MRIs.

"The higher fit people have a bigger hippocampus, and the people who have more tissue in the hippocampus have a better spatial memory," said study co-author Art Kramer, a psychology professor at U. of I.

Earlier studies found that exercise increases hippocampus size and spatial memory in rodents, but this is the first to show it's true for humans, too.

An impairment of spatial memory "is one of a number of reasons why older people end up losing their independence," Kramer added. "Here is yet more evidence that becoming fit has implications for how well you're going to live your life."

Worried and waiting

Any woman who's ever waited for results of a breast biopsy knows how nerve-racking it is. A new study shows the stress is also bad for your health.

Researchers measured stress hormones in saliva samples taken from 126 women who underwent breast biopsies. By the fourth day after the procedure, 73 patients still either hadn't heard any results or learned they needed more tests - and their stress levels were about as high as those of the women who were diagnosed with cancer.

"We were able to show that the state of not knowing the diagnosis goes along with biochemical changes, which can have adverse effects on wound healing and the immune system," said lead author Dr. Elvira V. Lang, associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Researchers hope their findings will encourage doctors to get results to women more quickly. Before undergoing a breast biopsy, "women should ask who will communicate their results to them and how long it will take to receive them," Lang said.

Warning flashes

Hot flashes are an annoying symptom of menopause, but many women find they fade away after a few years. But some women have hot flashes well into their 60s and 70s - a possible sign of heart trouble ahead, Harvard Health Letters report.

Several studies show that older women plagued by hot flashes long after menopause are more likely also to have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a buildup of calcium in their arteries.

So if you are well past menopause but still haven't shaken the hot flashes, it's even more important to get exercise, maintain a healthy weight, and monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.