The Livelong Newsletter

Happy Friday,

Yesterday was “Cheer up the Lonely Day 🤗.”

Loneliness is as deadly as smoking 🚬, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, so this is a gentle reminder to prioritize building and nurturing community. An easy way to promote both longevity and community is to engage in group activities, such as taking a walk or exercising with others.

The week is July 8. In today’s issue:

• Sir Paul McCartney does WHAT for eye health?

• Weight training for the brain.

• Can you guess the most stressed city?

• Baby carrots for the win.

• And more.

We love to hear from you—our community. Please share your feedback, stories, questions, testimonials, ideas, and more with us at [email protected].

👁️‍🗨️ SPOTLIGHT

Sir Paul McCartney does eye yoga

Some say the practice can promote a lifetime of good eye health and prevent glasses.

Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles does eye yoga exercises to avoid wearing glasses, according to a recent interview.

McCartney has been doing eye yoga exercises for years, since learning about the practice on a trip to India.

• Eye yoga has been around for millenia. Tratak kriya is an ancient eye yoga practice from India that involves staring [unblinking] at an object for a long time, and it was meant to develop spiritual awakening, according to an article in The Conversation.

• In the 1800s, the Bates Method promoted secular eye exercises (using eye movement and visualization to change the shape of the eye) as a way to prevent the need for glasses. 

What is the science? A 2018 study debunks the claim that eye exercises (along with the ability of tratak kriya) improve visual acuity or have the ability to change a person’s prescription.

However, a 2016 study shows the practices can strengthen the muscles around the eyes and reduce eye fatigue, which can still have benefits.

Eye exercises may not necessarily reverse eye damage or deeper issues, but they can improve specific visual problems.

Visual problems that can benefit from eye exercises:

• Convergence insufficiency (close range double vision): Do an exercise where you follow a moving pen with the eyes.

• Near-focus troubles (but don’t need readers): Oscillate small letters or text and focus on it.

• Weak eye muscles. Practice looking upward to help build eye strength.

🏋️ WELLNESS WATCH

Weight-training for your brain

Swedish biotech company Mendi recently launched a new headband device to strengthen the brain and makes it more neuroplastic, meaning it can continue to grow and evolve from life experiences.

Dubbed a “Fitbit for the brain,” the Mendi device uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neurofeedback, which measures the brain’s response when there are changes in neural activation. This trains the brain to have better focus, according to the company site.

Mendi’s neurofeedback is comparable to weight training—but for the brain—because it strengthens prefrontal cortex function, according to the site. The prefrontal cortex controls focus and working memory.

Our cognitive bandwidth is being stretched to its limits, says Mustafa Hamada, the chief product design officer of Mendi, in an interview with The Times. But regularly training the prefrontal cortex (the “cockpit of the brain”) can help to develop better focus, he says.

“We all need help to better focus, to avoid distractions and to develop mental guardrails in today’s world,” Hamada said.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

One year of strength training can quadruple the number of healthy years in the future

One year of heavy resistance training can have aging benefits that last four years after starting, especially for older adults, according to new data from participants in the Live Active Successful Ageing (LISA) study.

During the study, heavy resistance training was the only type of exercise to preserve long-term isometric leg strength (isometric strength reflects muscle function) when compared with moderate intensity training or no exercise.

• Heavy resistance training exercises included chest presses, DY rowing, leg curls, and exercises that target the lower-back and core.

Muscle function is associated with lifespan in older adults, but it can also be important in young adulthood, as it influences the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life.

Big picture? The sooner you start strength training, the better.

Other stories to tune in to:

• Coffee, aspirin, and tobacco can reduce the risk of early Parkinson’s disease onset in people with a genetic risk. Read more.

• Cleveland, OH, is the most stressed city in the U.S. Detroit, MI and Baltimore, MD, round out the top 3 most stressed cities, while Fargo, ND, South Burlington, VT, and Fremont, CA round out the least stressed cities. Read more.

• A new prototype for an implantable microphone, which measures movements near the ear drum, could lead to the development of a cochlear implant that sits inside the ear. Read more.

• Why does uncertainty make you anxious? Researchers from the University of California, Davis, have uncovered the reason. Read more.

😬 POLL

🥕 LONG-LEVITY

Better health with baby carrots

🥕 Eating baby carrots three times per week can boost skin carotenoids, according to a recent study.

🥕 Carotenoids are linked with lower risk of cancer and chronic disease, and better skin health and immune function.

🥕+💊 Eating carrots alone boosted carotenoids by 10.8%, but eating carrots and taking a multivitamin supplement boosted skin carotenoids by a whopping 21.6%.

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🔔 Catch up on the last newsletter

Check out last week’s feature to learn about hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for menopause.

About Livelong

Our goal is to provide you with credible and actionable information about health and longevity so you can live a longer and healthier life and guide you toward making insightful decisions that support you during your health and longevity journey. 

Have feedback for us? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care professional before starting any exercise, wellness, or health program. Nothing in our content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Livelong is a media company and not a medical provider. We try to give the most accurate possible, but sometimes information is subject to change.