» 1. The "new" good fat! You've already heard plenty about DHA, the great-for-you omega-3 fatty acid in fatty fish and algae or fish-oil capsules. Now, research from Harvard Medical School, the Cleveland Clinic (where Dr. Mike is chief wellness officer) and universities in Hawaii and Japan discovered that omega-7 fatty acids found in purified palmitoleic acid have amazing powers, too. They squelched heart-threatening LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, boosted ticker-friendly HDLs, decreased fatty liver and improved cells' ability to take in blood sugar in several well-designed studies.
Our take: Four studies are more than four times better than one, but we need more human trials before recommending omega-7s unconditionally. But we're intrigued -- enough so that at least Dr. Mike is taking 200 milligrams of purified omega-7 in capsule form, along with the 900 milligrams of DHA we each take daily. (Always tell your doc about the supplements you take!)
» 2. Streamlined exercise. If you're trying to fit in cardiovascular exercise (walking, pedaling your exercise bike, etc.) and strength training, you, like us, may have wondered if it's OK to do them both on the same day. Now, docs from Canada's McMaster University and Sweden's Karolinska Institute have studied this question the correct way -- in randomized, double-blind human studies that put volunteers on a variety of routines and then analyzed their muscles. The result: Cardio and strength routines, when done on the same day, are good for you!
Our take: Two studies are good, but we'd like to see four in humans, with results lining up on the same side of the issue, before we say "Do this and stay younger." Still, we're doubling up. We do stamina routines for 21 or more minutes at 80 percent of our age-adjusted max heart rate followed by strength exercises for 10-20 minutes on the same day -- three times a week.
» 3. Say "ahhhh" and save your DNA. Stress doesn't just ding your genes, it stunts them. A Duke University study shows that family violence, watching disturbing movies or experiencing disturbing events shortens kids' telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of DNA. That boosts the risk for health problems later in life.
Our take: Stress may be a bigger health threat than playing football without a helmet. Avoid these DNA changes (remember, you can control how well your genes work) with this feel-good technique. Just tense and relax muscle groups, starting with your feet. Move on to legs, stomach, back, neck, arms, face and head. To melt stress, breathe in as you tense, out as you relax.
» 4. Ceramides and cancer protection. This accidental discovery could lead to a cure for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma -- a very bad-behaving brain tumor. In mice experiments, fatty acids called ceramides acted like a Trojan horse. Tumor cells invited them in (they like an acidic environment), and then the ceramides told lysosomes (tiny recycling centers inside cells) to burst, killing the cancer cell.
Our take: You may have learned about ceramides from our YouBeauty.com site or Dr. Mike's "YOU: The Owner's Manual" radio show. They also act as a protective shield on your skin. Someday, ceramides could be the basis for a gentle, effective, integrative cancer treatment. Will they work against other cancers and not just in mice? We're watching the science closely.
» 5. Bexarotene and Alzheimer's disease. This skin-cancer drug is showing huge promise against Alzheimer's disease. Mouse studies were a triumph. The first reports from other scientists trying to get the same results (an important research step) are due in mid-June.
Our take: When results are in, you'll hear the news from us!
Dr. Mehmet Oz is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Dr. Mike Roizen is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. For more information, go to realage.com.
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