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'No Regrets' Outlook May Make for Sunnier Old Age
Study suggests letting go of missed opportunities is linked to healthy mental aging

THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Riddled with regret over missed opportunities? You may want to let it go. A new study suggests that being able to set aside regret might make for happier years later in life.

Researchers from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, in Germany, examined regret in 20-somethings and 60-somethings to see how it affected their emotional health.

"Regret is a powerful mental energy which can be your best friend or worst enemy. You can harness it to improve your future by learning from it, but if you let it grow inside you, it is destructive to both healthy aging and emotional resilience," said Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor and head of the division of biological psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine. He was not involved in the research.

The study, published in the April 19 issue of Science, involved three groups: 21 healthy young adults (in their 20s), 20 depressed older adults and 20 healthy older adults (in their 60s).

The study participants were asked to play game-based tests on a computer. In it, they were invited to open a series of boxes -- some held money pictured as gold, while others revealed a cartoon image of a devil. After opening each box, they were allowed to decide whether they wanted to end the game or keep trying for more money. But if a devil appeared, the game ended and the player lost all the money won up to that point. At the end of each round, all of the boxes opened to show how far a participant could have played without losing.

While they played 80 rounds of the game, the participants also underwent functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans. This allowed the scientists to monitor brain activity between the three groups. Read More

SOURCES: Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., head, division of biological psychiatry, department of psychiatry & and behavioral sciences, Duke School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.; Gary Small, M.D., director, Longevity Center, and director, geriatric psychiatry division, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles; April 19, 2012, Science 

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Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

For the Health Professional

Healthy Lifestyle Choices Could Cut Cancer Rates: Report

But researchers say lawmakers, private industry need to do more to encourage change

By Robert Preidt
Thursday, April 19, 2012
 

(HealthDay News) -- Most people know what lifestyle choices will keep the chances of a cancer diagnosis low: Don't smoke, eat healthy, exercise and get the recommended screenings.

But, many Americans don't make those choices, and a new report suggests that lawmakers and private industry need to do more to help make those changes easier ones to make.

The report, released by the American Cancer Society Thursday, details the shortcomings that contribute to cancer deaths and notes that social, economic and legislative factors help shape health behaviors.

"With increased efforts toward more fostering of and support for cancer prevention and early detection activities, we can reduce incidence, death and suffering from cancer," report co-author Vilma Cokkinides said in a cancer society news release.

"The price and availability of healthy foods, incentives and opportunities for regular physical activity in schools and communities, advertising content, as well as the availability of insurance coverage for screening tests and treatment for tobacco addiction all influence individual choices. Improved collaboration among government agencies, private companies, nonprofit organizations, health care providers, policy makers and the American public can lead to continued improvements, and more favorable trends that reduce the risk of death from cancer and other chronic diseases," Cokkinides stated.

One expert agreed that the premise is sound.

"The [cancer society] report provides the public with valuable information about cancer risk and risk reduction. An informed public has the opportunity to make good decisions about lifestyle and modifiable risk factors, and other health behaviors," said Dr. Freya Schnabel, director of breast surgery at NYU Clinical Cancer Center in New York City. "The challenge for all of us is putting this information into use every day," she added.

"The ACS has emphasized the importance of smoking cessation programs in reducing the risk for smoking-related cancers," Schnabel noted. "The link between smoking and cancer is well-established, and an investment of resources into smoking cessation programs would be expected to translate into saving many lives, and relieving the burden of the related cancer from the affected individuals, and from society as a whole."  Read more

SOURCES: Freya Schnabel, M.D., director, breast surgery, NYU Clinical Cancer Center, New York City; American Cancer Society, news release, April 19, 2012

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Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.