The Weather and Everyone's Health

Friday, July 20, 2007

Bits of things/Current events

Apparently K.T. Tunstall has a new album out, because they played a song from it on KFOG this morning. That's good; I like her voice and look forward to hearing more of her on the radio. The new song was pretty good, too--an interesting minor key bass line.

So the new Harry Potter, the last one is coming out this weekend? Oops, I'm behind on my reading. I was debating with myself whether to just re-read the penultimate one (Half-Blood Prince) or whether to re-read the entire series, but I didn't think I had time for all that, and I thought about just reading the last two but I don't think I can stand to read Order of the Phoenix(5) a third time. So I have decided to just re-read Chamber of Secrets(2) (because I think it may have hidden clues) and Half-Blood Prince(6) and to watch the movies of Azkaban(3), Goblet(4), and OotP(5).

Key to a long life -- less insulin in the brain?WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Good, old-fashioned diet and exercise might keep you young by reducing the action of insulin in the brain, researchers reported on Thursday. [...]"Diet, exercise and lower weight keep your peripheral tissues sensitive to insulin," White said. That means the body needs to make less insulin.

One obvious question is whether drugs can mimic the effects of having less Irs2, perhaps by interfering with its action. The researchers note that people who live to be 100 or more often have reduced insulin levels and their cells show better insulin sensitivity.

New diabetes drugs that increase insulin sensitivity may help, too, White said. But, he added: "The easiest way to keep insulin levels low in the brain is old-fashioned diet and exercise."

- posted by k @ 12:06 PM