People who are depressed, overly stressed, cynical and distrustful of others may have a greater risk of developing heart disease than those who have a more positive outlook, a new report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests.

Upbeat people have healthier hearts because they’re less likely to adopt unhealthy eating habits such as smoking and overeating, say researchers from the University of Michigan. People who were distrustful and cynical were at the greatest risk of becoming ill. Proof indeed that you should always look on the bright side of life!

Changing to a healthier diet and lifestyle and taking more exercise seems to be at least as effective at protecting people from diabetes as taking prescription drugs, a new study in the British Medical Journal shows.

Healthy lifestyle changes halved people’s risk of developing type two diabetes according to the researchers at the University of Leicester. They reviewed other research in which people who were at high risk of the disease had used different methods to reduce their risk.

The three methods were changing to a healthy lifestyle, taking drugs for diabetes and taking drugs to help with weight loss. Lifestyle changes were found to be  as effective as drugs and were not associated with bad side effects.

A daily dose of folic acid could perk up your memory, claim researchers. The largest trial of its kind found that supplements of this B vitamin substantially improved brain function and memory in people over 50. The findings follow a study showing that folic acid can cut the chances of developing Alzheimer’s and add to mounting evidence that it can prevent or alleviate many disorders including heart disease and strokes.

Dutch researchers gave 800mcg of folic acid daily or a dummy pill to 818 people aged over 50 for three years, says a report published January 19th in the Lancet Medical Journal. They found that cognitive functions such as memory and speed of information processing improved in those getting the vitamin supplements. Folic acid is the supplement form of folate, a B vitamin found in dark green vegetables, cereals and fruit which is often destroyed by cooking or processing. Supplements provide a form of folate more easily taken up by the body.

Mothers to-be are advised to take folic acid to reduce the risk of brain and spinal cord defects in their unborn child.