A 5-year study of deaths across the U.S. found 25% of suicides occur on Wednesdays, as compared to 14% on Mondays and Saturdays, the 2 days tied for the second-highest suicide rate. The study also showed that if one makes it through Wednesday, the risk plummets to less than half on Thursday. Researchers suggest the prevalence of Wednesday suicides may be job-stress-related. Contrary to earlier studies, the new data showed almost no seasonal effect on suicides. This is attributed to cell phones and the Internet preventing people from feeling isolated. Help is just a call or an Internet connection away.
Studies show that women have a harder time quitting smoking than men. Researchers speculate that women are more sensitive to sudden emotional upsets and smoke cigarettes to calm down. Although data from federal household surveys show that men and women have approximately equal success in ultimately quitting, women have a 25% lower success rate overall on any one attempt to quit. This may be because cigarettes fill many roles for women - reducing negative moods, enhancing positive moods, as well as managing stress, appetite and weight gain. For women cigarettes seem to lighten their lives - emotionally.
A 20-year study found cutting calories by 30% slowed the aging process in rhesus monkeys. Half the monkeys were put on a reduced calorie diet. As of July 2009, 37% of the regular-diet monkeys had died of age-related diseases compared with 13% of the calorie-cut monkeys. The calorie-cut monkeys had less than half the incidence of cancerous tumors and heart disease. Also their brain scans showed less age-related shrinkage and they retained more muscle mass. Scientists believe calorie restriction reprograms metabolism to slow aging. However, don't try this at home. You might monkey around with the wrong diets.
Finally, a study of the world's population of centenarians predicts that the number will reach nearly 6 million by mid-century. From an estimated few thousand in 1950, there are more than 340,000 centenarians worldwide in 2009 - the majority being in Japan and in the U.S. By 2050 centenarians will be the fastest growing segment of the population. By 2050 Japan is expected to have 627,000 - equaling nearly 1% of its population. By 2050 the U.S. is expected to go from 75,000 to more than 600,000 centenarians. Demographers attribute this increase to medical advances, better diets and improved lifestyles. Soon 100 will be the new 80.
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