Health News: Blood Type & Brain Health

Blood type may affect brain function as we age, according to a new large, long-term study. People with the rare AB blood type, present in less than 10 percent of the population, have a higher than usual risk of cognitive problems as they age.

University of Vermont hematologist Mary Cushman and her colleagues used data from a national study called REGARDS, which has been following 30,239 African-American and Caucasian individuals older than 45 since 2007. The aim of the study is to understand the heavy stroke toll seen in the southeastern U.S., particularly among African-Americans. Continue the rest of the article here.

Nutrition Research: Salt Intake

While the link between sale and hypertension is well known, until now scientists have not understood how exactly increased salt intake raises blood pressure. A team at McGill University, in Montreal, led by Professor Charles Bourque discovered that ingesting large amounts of dietary salt causes changes in our brain circuitry.

They included that over a diet of higher salt intake over a period of time in rats caused a biochemical change in the neurons that release vasopressin (VP) in the the systemic circulation. An overview of the research can be found here.

Weight-Loss: Can the Brain Instruct Us on Fat Burning?

Recently the journal Cell published a major paper on the brain and fat-burning. Here is an excellent overview of the paper.