Changes in Brain Regions May Explain Why Some Prefer Certainty and Order

Tom Patriot

Why do some people prefer stable, predictable lives while others prefer frequent changes? Why do some people make rational decisions and others, impulsive and reckless ones? UCLA behavioral neuroscientists have identified changes in two brain regions that may hold answers to these questions. The research — reported by Alicia Izquierdo, UCLA associate professor of psychology and a member of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute, and her psychology graduate student, Alexandra Stolyarova — is published today in the open-access online science journal eLife. The new experiments, which involved studying the orbitofrontal cortex and…

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Jennifer Lopez Shares Her Secrets to Looking – and Feeling – Great at 49!

Tom Patriot

How does Jennifer Lopez manage to look so fabulous at 49? “I sum it all up as trying to live a healthy lifestyle,” Lopez tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. Eschewing strict, bland diets or a rigid workout schedule, the radiant superstar focuses on getting plenty of sleep — at least 7 to 9 hours a night (“10 or 11 hours on a day off”) — and drinking lots of water. When it comes to breaking a sweat, Lopez dances at her at-home studio and mixes up her workout routine with…

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Soft drinks + hard work + hot weather = possible kidney disease risk

Tom Patriot

New research suggests that drinking sugary, caffeinated soft drinks while exercising in hot weather may increase the risk of kidney disease. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. A research team from the University at Buffalo in New York studied healthy adults in a laboratory environment that mimicked working at an agricultural site on a hot day (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The volunteers completed an hour-long exercise cycle consisting of a 30-minute treadmill workout followed by three different five-minute lifting,…

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What The Heck Does Vitamin C Serum Do For Your Skin, Anyway?

Tom Patriot

Could your morning glass of OJ give you clearer skin? These days people are turning to Vitamin C to give their lackluster complexion a juicy glow. Sephora’s best Vitamin C serums promise results for dry skin, oily skin, acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, and even dark spots and sun damage. Those are some big promises for small bottles. Before you head to the grocery store to stock up on orange juice and lemons, we put this trendy skin superfood to dermatologists and skincare experts for their take on the benefits of Vitamin C for…

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