Dear Healthy Friend,

To most of us this activity seems mindless and a complete waste of time. It stops us from going out into the sunshine and fresh air. It keeps us indoors screaming and shouting obscenities at the TV.

No, I'm not talking about rugby, cricket and soccer. I'm talking about video games, of course.

Did you know there have been studies that show this favourite teenage past-time may actually help prevent Alzheimer's Disease? Dr Douglass has more, keep reading...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Cholesterol is dangerous and life-threatening and it's vital you keep it under control. But what if you don't want to spend the rest of your life popping prescription pills? Dr Wright has some suggestions on how to keep it in check.

-----------------------------

Why video games could help treat Alzheimer's
Dr WC Douglass
Editor of Healthier News

Video games have long been one of my pet peeves. I think they've made a generation of our kids fat, less-than-smart and lazy at best - and violent and suicidal at worse. But while raising kids on video games is likely a road to ruin, there are some researchers who believe these games could help the elderly stave off some of the degenerative effects of aging on the brain.

I'm not about to advise senior citizens to run out and buy an Xbox or Playstation. However, I like to keep an open mind about these things. After all, my problems with video games stem from the fact that they turn teens into zombies. But North Carolina State psychologists Jason Allaire and Anne McLaughlin are investigating the idea that many of the brain skills we use in video games, such as memory and problem solving, could help slow cognitive decline.

The video games we're talking about here are not the gory, blood-spattered kill fests. Some games are specifically designed as workouts for the brain, such as the "Brain Age" series for the handheld Nintendo DS. This game puts players through a series of brainteasers, math problems and fast-decision games like rock, paper, scissors.

The primary purpose of games like Brain Age, though, is entertainment (and sales). There's little scientific or clinical evidence that the games have a positive impact on the health of a player's mind. McLaughlin and Allaire have just received a R9 million grant to conduct a four-year study to find out more.

The researchers' plan is to get nearly 300 seniors to play the Nintendo Wii game "Boom Blox", the goal of which is to smash video targets with a series of weapons, including cannons and slingshots. This game is ideal because it makes players use "real world" skills like memory, multitasking and reason.

McLaughlin says she wants her research "to produce guidelines for producing games for older adults... Part of it is making it fun so it does not feel like work."

I'm sure that the National Science Foundation, which funded McLaughlin and Allaire's four-year study, will be happy to hear that the team is spending their grant money to do product research for Nintendo!

There's certainly merit to giving your brain a workout to keep it sharp. But it's hard not to be skeptical about some of the amazingly far-reaching goals and theories of some of this research. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has given about R65.9 million to examine how video games can help sharpen seniors' driving skills - and to see if they can help ward off Alzheimer's disease.

Seems like a stretch to me.

While these studies are just starting to become popular and the results are years off, Stern says he thinks "it's silly for someone to run out and buy a game with the hope that it is going to help them age better... there is no proof that it is going to be effective."

I tend to agree. But while researchers grasp at straws for scientific proof of the benefits of video games, there's one completely unscientific upside that has come to light - they can be a great social activity. Nintendo Wii bowling leagues have popped up in senior homes all over the country. The game controller is motion sensitive and many seniors have come to enjoy the light exercise and camaraderie that comes with playing the game.

As a tool for smashing the loneliness that sometimes accompanies ageing, it's hard not to give video games a nod of approval.

-----------------------------

Keep your cholesterol in check without statins today

Q: At my last physical, I had a borderline high LDL cholesterol reading. My doctor wants to put me on a statin drug but I really don't want to go down that path. Are there any alternatives?

Dr. Wright: It's important to take your LDL cholesterol level into consideration with your other levels, such as your HDL ("good") cholesterol level, your triglycerides and your C-reactive protein level.

If everything points to a real need to lower your cholesterol, there are some natural steps you can take. First, pay attention to lifestyle factors that can raise your good and lower your bad cholesterol levels, such as getting enough exercise and following a diet low in carbohydrates and completely free of refined sugar. I also recommend incorporating niacin, chromium, and essential fatty acids into your nutrition plan as well. Since your levels are borderline, these simple steps might be enough to do the trick.