Optimal Being

People in their sixties who experience their lives as purposeful have fewer inflammatory factors such as CRP in their blood than people in their sixties who think that their lives have no purpose. Because high CRP levels are bad for just about every facet of your health, living a purposeful life makes you healthier. Canadian psychologists at Concordia University followed 129 adults aged 63-91 for 6 years. The researchers used questionnaires every 2 years to determine how meaningful the study participants thought their lives were. The researchers also determined the concentration of the inflammatory protein CRP in the blood of the study participants. A  lifestyle   that lowers the concentration of inflammatory proteins such as CRP reduces the risk of premature death or chronic disease. The researchers wondered whether psychological factors also play a role in the activity of inflammatory proteins. They suspected that experiencing meaning and purpose in life reduces CRP con...

IGF-1 is perhaps the most powerful growth factor in the body when it comes to building bones and muscles. Your body manufactures more IGF-1 the more protein-rich foods are in your diet. Eggs in particular are effective IGF-1 boosters, Thai scientists discovered. Researchers from Mahidol University conducted an experiment with 3 groups of students aged 8-14 for 35 weeks. Students in the experimental group received 2 eggs every school day with their school lunch [WE]. [Thai schools provide students with lunch.] Students in another group were not given eggs for lunch, but an equivalent that provided the same amount of energy and protein [protein substitute; PE]. After all, students in the control group simply received a standard lunch and nothing else. Results Including eggs in the diet increased IGF-1 levels more than incorporating a protein substitute. Click on the figure below for a larger version.  The addition of eggs to the test subjects' diet increased the concentration of not ...