Il segreto della longevità? Tre uova e un po’ di latte...

La supercentenaria verbanese Emma Morano festeggia oggi il 114° compleanno, un traguardo che raggiunge dopo aver scalato le vette della longevità fino a diventare la persona più anziana d’Europa e la quinta nel mondo. E' una giornata di grande movimento nella piccola abitazione di vicolo San Leonardo, a pochi passi dal lungolago di Pallanza, in Verbania, nel Piemonte. Emma Morano vive tuttora in invidiabili condizioni di salute e trascorre in autonomia la maggior parte della giornata, provvedendo alle faccende domestiche e preparandosi il cibo. La donna che ha attraversato tre secoli è nata a Civiasco in provincia di Vercelli il 29 novembre 1899, prima di cinque sorelle (spentesi tutte oltre i 90 anni di età) e di tre fratelli, mentre la mamma, a ulteriore testimonianza della longevità della famiglia, ha vissuto 91 anni e una zia 101. Se un segreto esiste per la sua longevità, oltre che dagli studi medici lo si può ricavare forse dalla regolarità a cui è improntata la sua vita. Va a letto ogni giorno prima delle 19 e si alza prima delle 6: ma soprattutto è praticamente immutata fin dalla giovane età la sua razione giornaliera di cibo. «La mia colazione è con biscotti e latte o acqua – racconta -. Durante il giorno mangio due uova crude e uno cotto, come mi suggerì il dottore quando non avevo ancora 20 anni; a pranzo pastina e carne macinata e a cena solo un po’ di latte». Si ferma qui, poi scoppia in una risata quando le viene ricordato che quando capita non disdegna i dolci. Lo scorso anno sono stati diversi i momenti importanti per la super centenaria. Prima ha ricevuto la visita del ricercatore statunitense James Clement, in giro per il mondo per uno studio della Harvard medical school of Boston del Massachusetts per scoprire tramite il Dna il segreto della longevità e dell’immunità alle principali malattie. Tra le soddisfazioni più grandi il telegramma con cui il Capo dello Stato le comunicava il conferimento della onorificenza di Cavaliere al merito della Repubblica Italiana.

To be, or not to be...bilingual parents?

Parents face a variety of choices when choosing how to rear their child, and for bilingual parents choosing a language can be a daunting but worthwhile task with myriad benefits. In the 1960s sceptics believed that learning a second language was unhealthy for the human brain, now researchers claim bilingual ability will strengthen the brain and improve focus. Bilinguals are more efficient in resolving mental competition. They’re apparently able to keep languages separate while keeping them both available and active in their minds at the same time. Parents may have concern over their child's speech and comprehension ability with dual languages in the home, but they need not fear. A research on the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development for 4- and 8-year-old children has shown that bilinguals have more advanced ability to solve problems in which there is misleading perceptual information than comparable monolingual children who are otherwise at about the same developmental stage. Another research indicates that the brain's network has an executive control system that uses languages at all times, and the languages get sorted for when they need to be used. This system prevents two languages from becoming mixed up. Thus, the regular use of this executive system, especially by bilinguals, will make it stronger and more efficient. Speaking different languages means you get different frames, different metaphors, and also you’re learning the culture of the language so you get not only different words, but different types of words. Speaking multiple languages will also increase an individual's ability to score better on standardized tests, and also strengthen their memory skills for remembering lists or sequences. Multilinguals tend to be more perceptive to their surroundings, and they can better resist surrounding distractions. Aside from enhanced cognitive development, children who are taught a second language will have a healthier mind when they enter their twilight years. If bilingual parents are trying to decide which language they should speak in their home, with their child, the most strategic decision may be both languages. Speak to your kid in whatever language you want. You won’t be doing him a disservice by speaking to him in both languages. In fact, you are doing him a favour.

 

Complex jobs protect brain!

People in jobs that demand complex dealings with people or data are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study suggests. Researchers found that people who had worked in challenging work environments which might involve teaching or management skills scored better in memory and thinking tests when they were over 70. Psychologists at the University tested 1066 people for memory, mental processing speed and general thinking ability. They judged the complexity of each participant’s main jobs according to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles - a guide used by employment services to define the structure and content of occupations. Using statistical models they analysed how a person’s occupation impacted on the test results. They took into account the results of intelligence tests taken by study participants when they were 11 years old and lifestyle factors, such as education and the relative deprivation of their environment. Those factors are important as they predict the kinds of jobs people are able to attain. They found that participants whose work had involved tasks such as analysing data or instructing, mentoring and negotiating with people gained a small advantage. Analysis revealed that the complexity of their roles explained about two per cent of their performance on some of the thinking and memory tests. Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on. While it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs there still seems to be a small advantage gained from those complex jobs for later thinking skills - Dr Alan Gow - Co-author of the study, based at Heriot-Watt University. The group tested were part of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, a group of individuals who were born in 1936 and took part in the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947. Individuals have been tested on a number of physical and mental functions as they grow older, including changes in reasoning, memory, speed of thinking, many aspects of fitness and health, eyesight, blood composition and genetics. It is interesting to see this new finding added to some other factors that seem to give a little boost to thinking skills in older age, such as not smoking, being physically fit and active and knowing more than one language. It seems that having to exercise one's thought processes concerning data and people at work is helpful too. My team is now on the lookout for more such factors - Professor Ian Deary - Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, who leads the research project. The study is published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and is part of a larger project called the Disconnected Mind that is supported by funding from the Age UK. Additional support was received from the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Understanding how and why our thinking skills change with age is a major current health challenge. The relationship between the works we do during our lives and our health in later life is a complex one, so this finding is a welcome step forward in understanding the effects of job type on mental health in older age. The more we can find out what influences cognitive ageing, the better the advice that we can give people about protecting their cognitive health - Professor James Goodwin - Head of Research at Age UK. The study was carried out at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Epidemiology (CCACE), which is funded by the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing programme. Job matching and analysis was carried out by Emily Smart, a research associate and co-author.

Viajar melhora a saúde!

Você realmente precisa de algum incentivo extra para planejar uma viagem? Então a gente vai dar uma mãozinha. Sabe aquela sensação de que o tempo demorou uma eternidade para passar? Acontece quando você viaja para um lugar novo, de preferência bem exótico. E isso é bom, faz seu cérebro rejuvenescer. Nos Estados Unidos, o professor de neurociência David Eagleman, fez uma série de experimentos para comprovar como o tempo passa diferente para cada um e em cada fase da vida. Ele constatou que durante a infância, quando tudo é novo, o cérebro tem uma porção de coisas desconhecidas para provar e memorizar (cheiros, gostos, imagens). Aí o tempo passa mais devagar. Mas na rotina diária, em que quase tudo é igual ao dia anterior, não há desafio nenhum. A forma mais fácil de refrescar seu cérebro é viajar pelo mundo e conhecer lugares completamente diferentes. Aquele velho papo de que uma viagem abre sua cabeça é mesmo verdade. Uma pesquisa da Universidade de Indiana convidou voluntários para um teste. Eles precisavam criar soluções de transporte para a cidade. Enquanto um grupo vivia em Indiana nos Estados Unidos, o outro morava na Grécia. As ideias mais criativas saíram dos estudantes de fora. Quando você se distancia do problema, seja geograficamente, com uma viagem de férias, você encontra soluções menos óbvias. Com tanta bagagem cultural e criatividade, não é difícil imaginar que seu papo também vai ser tornar mais interessante. Segundo uma pesquisa, no primeiro encontro, as pessoas gostam mais de conversar sobre hobbies e viagens. Uma pesquisa americana concluiu que viagens ou passeios de férias deixam as pessoas mais felizes do que a compra de bens materiais. Isso acontece porque as experiências que temos em nossas viagens são pessoais e únicas, ou seja, difíceis de comparar com a de outras pessoas. Elas não são passíveis de comparação, já que só pertencem a você. É por isso que a sensação de felicidade dura mais. Gostou? Ainda dá tempo de se planejar e curtir o fim do ano longe da rotina. Vamo lá!

Grandi paesi e non paesi grandi...

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2014