Today in Medicine: More sugar, more violence?

People who exercise regularly until the age of 80 had aerobic capacities comparable to untrained 40 year-old men — and maybe more time to get on that cruise!

Topic of Study: The Connection Between Sugar and Violence
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Boston public high school students
Results: A recent study found that those students who drank more than five cans of sugary soft drinks per week were more likely to have carried a weapon and to have been violent with peers, family members and dates. The results held up even after accounting for other possible factors such as gender, age, race, body mass index, typical sleep patterns, tobacco use, alcohol use, and stable family environment.
Significance: Sugar has long been thought of as triggering aggressive tendencies and sugar rich soft drinks as a direct cause of violent action is perhaps due to the sugar and/or caffeine content, and quick absorption through the stomach lining.

Topic of Study: Lifelong Exercise and Geriatric Fitness
Location of study: U.S./Sweden
Study subjects: Nine 80-year-old Swedish endurance athletes and a group of healthy 80-year-old men from Indiana with no history of regimented exercise
Results: New research published in the “Journal of Applied Physiology” found that people who exercise on a regular basis until the age of 80 maintain their aerobic capacity and had much higher aerobic capacity values (nearly double) compared to the non-octogenarians. The octogenarian athletes had aerobic capacities that were comparable to untrained 40 year-old men.
Significance: The study shows the lifelong benefits of regular exercise. The researchers noted that beyond being fitter, the lifelong athletic octogenarians led happier more fulfilled lives in their old age.