A 50-year long study suggests that men and women who are physically active, emotionally calm, and organized may live longer than people with less positive personality traits such as anxiousness, anger, or fearfulness. Antonio Terracciano, from the National Institutes of Aging (Baltimore, Maryland USA), and colleagues assessed personality traits among 2,359 generally healthy people who enrolled in 1958 in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The team found that men and women who scored above average in measures of general activity, emotional stability, or conscientiousness lived an average of 2 to 3 years longer than those who scored below average. Conclude the researchers: "Enduring cognitive, emotional, and behavioral tendencies have significant influence on health and longevity."
[Antonio Terracciano, PhD, Corinna E. Löckenhoff, PhD, Alan B. Zonderman, PhD, Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD and Paul T. Costa, Jr, PhD. "Personality Predictors of Longevity: Activity, Emotional Stability, and Conscientiousness," Psychosomatic Medicine 70:621-627 (2008); Published online before print July 2, 2008, 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31817b9371.]

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Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland USA) researchers have completed a study suggesting that low blood levels of Vitamin D are associated with a 26% increased risk of death from any cause. Erin Michos and colleagues analyzed data from 13,331 adults collected during a 6-year period after which the subjects were followed for 9 years. People with Vitamin D levels of less than 17.8 ng/mL had a 26% increased rate of death from any cause, compared to people with the highest Vitamin D levels (more than 32.1 ng/mL). State the researchers: "Our results make it much more clear that all men and women concerned about their overall health should more closely monitor their blood levels of Vitamin D, and make sure they have enough."
[Michal L. Melamed, MD, MHS; Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS; Wendy Post, MD, MS; Brad Astor, PhD. "25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Risk of Mortality in the General Population." Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(15):1629-1637.]

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Following on two studies published in April 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that reported that regular consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids was effective in preventing age-related cognitive decline, Chih-Chiang Chiu, from Taipei City Hospital (Taiwan), and colleagues find that omega-3s actually provide therapeutic benefits for the condition. The team studied 23 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and 23 people with mild cognitive decline; a segment of each group received 1.8 grams of omega-3 per day for 24 weeks. They found that: "Omega-3 fatty acids may improve general clinical function in patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment."
[C-C. Chiu, K.-P. Su, T.-C. Cheng, H.-C. Liu, C.-J. Chang, M.E. Dewey, R. Stewart, S.-Y. Huang. "The effects of omega-3 fatty acids monotherapy in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study." Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, August 2008, Volume 32, Issue 6, Pages 1538-1544.]

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