Coffee may help prevent Alzheimer's. That's good news for coffee drinkers; but according to researchers at Florida State University, it takes 500 mg of caffeine daily - approximately 5 cups of regular coffee - to protect the brain. When the equivalent of 5 cups of coffee was given to Alzheimer's mice, they performed better on short-term memory and thinking tests and experienced about a 50% reduction in abnormal amyloid proteins, thought to be integral in the development of Alzheimer's. Of course, studies done with mice don't always apply to humans - with the exception of computer mice.
Mice were also used in a study to determine if resveratrol prevents blindness. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine found a compound in red wine and blueberries that helps block growth of abnormal blood vessels in eyes that's associated with macular degeneration - the leading cause of blindness in people over 50. Resveratrol may also help diabetic retinopathy, causing vision loss in 20% of diabetics, as well as retinopathy of prematurity, experienced by some premature babies. Unfortunately, people would have to drink several bottles of wine to get the same dose the mice got and then they'd be "blind ... drunk".
People who take mass transit instead of driving lose weight. In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, people were interviewed before and after a light rail system was built in Charlotte, North Carolina. Walking to the bus stop, then to the rail station and then to their job - reversing the walk after work - provided about an extra mile of walking for average riders. People who used the light rail system more than once a week for 8 months lost about 6.45 pounds - an amount not to be taken "lightly".
Something else not to be taken lightly is that twittering may make people cuddlier. The brain chemical oxytocin is associated with emotional bonds - such as orgasm, birth, breastfeeding and pair bonding. That's why it's called "the cuddle hormone". A very limited study of one person done at Claremont Graduate University tested the subject's blood before and after 10 minutes of twittering. Oxytocin levels went up substantially and stress hormones went down. When oxytocin levels are up, people are more kind, honest and fair to others. Because these Twitter-induced reactions last only about an hour, time to take advantage of them shouldn't be "twittered away".
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