One of life’s simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. Coffee drinkers—whether they sip regular or decaf—are a little more likely to live longer, finds a new study involving 400,000 people by the National Cancer Institute. Compared to those who drank no coffee, men who had two or three cups a day were 10% less likely to die at any age; women were 13% less likely. Even a single cup a day seemed to lower the risk: 6% in men and 5% in women. But before you start chugging the java, a word of caution: This study doesn’t prove that coffee makes people live longer, only that the two seem related. Still sounds pretty great for those of us who enjoy a daily cup of coffee—or three. You’re Doubling Your Blood Clot Risk Right Now [The Telegraph] If you’re sitting down to read this, you may want to get up—now, warns a UK charity that says office workers are putting their health at risk with their sedentary lives. A survey of 1,000 young people found desk-bound professionals sat still for an average of three hours and three quarters, ate lunch at their desk instead of moving around, and the majority spend their evening sitting on the sofa at home. After sitting for 90 minutes, the blood flow at the back of the knee drops by half, which increases the chances of developing ablood clot two fold, the charity said. Or think of it like this: For every hour you spend sitting, your risk of a blood clot increases by 10%. Breast Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise [Houston Chronicle] An experimental breast cancer vaccine has been shown to significantly decrease the recurrence ofbreast cancer in a study of 201 women, according to researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The vaccine is said to work by triggering the patient’s immunity against a tumor protein, known as HER2, which is present in up to 80% of breast cancers. Based on early outcomes, researchers estimate that breast cancer would return in 10% of the patients who got the vaccine and 18% of those who didn’t—a difference of 43%. While promising, experts warn that it will be at least five years before the first breast cancer vaccine is FDA-approved. Depressed? How Your Computer Gives You Away [ScienceDaily] If you’re feeling down, you’re more likely to use the Internet differently than your happier counterparts, finds a new study from Missouri University of Science and Technology. College students who had signs of depression were shown to use file-sharing services, send email, and chat online more than non-depressed students. Depressed students also used the Internet in a more random manner by frequently switching among several applications, which researchers say may indicate trouble concentrating, a characteristic of depression. Eating Healthy Is Affordable [Los Angeles Times] Popular to contrary belief, eating fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods actually costs less than noshing foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, reports a new study from the Agriculture Department. Turns out it’s all about how you measure the price: If you compare the price per calorie—as some previous studies have done—then higher-calorie pastries and processed snacks might seem like a bargain. But comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit, and dairy foods are less expensive than most meats or foods high in saturated fat, added sugars, or salt. Proof That Skinny Teens Don’t Sell Clothes [Daily Mail] You’d certainly never know it by looking at the plethora of emaciated girls modeling clothes in every catalogue you open, but it turns out that women are more than twice as likely to purchase clothing when they’re modeled by women who are the same size as them, finds a new survey of 2,500 US and Canadian women. Researchers found that female “purchase intentions” increased by more than 200% when a brand’s ad campaign features models who are reflective of consumers. Seeing women who were thinner and more attractive, on the other hand, turned study participants off the products. Meet The 93-Year-Old Yoga Teacher [The Huffington Post] At an age where most people start slowing down, Tao Porchon-Lynch still has 400 students at her Westchester Institute of Yoga in Westchester, NY, which recently earned her the title of world’s oldest yoga teacher by Guinness World Records. But what makes her truly amazing? She can support her whole body on her hands—even though she’s 93. Incredible! Check it out.
