Sex boosts brain power.  Love might be good for the heart, but new research shows that sex is good for the brain.  Researchers at Coventry University in England studied 6800 men and women ages 50 to 89 and found that those who were sexually active scored higher on cognitive tests than those who were not.  Sex increases levels of the feel-good hormone dopamine and oxytocin, which may improve “signaling or connectivity between brain regions,” says lead author Haley Wright.

Men’s and women’s heart attacks A women’s heart attack is different from a man’s in just about every possible way: risk factors, symptoms causes, treatment, outcome, rate of complications, even use of cardiac rehab, concludes the American Heart Association’s first scientific statement on gender differences in heart attack patients.  Some of the biggest differences: Women’s heart attack symptoms are more likely to include back, arm, neck, or jaw pain. Also, among those with high blood pressure, women are at higher risk for heart attack than men.

Heartburn pills and kidney damage Long term use of the heart burn and acid reflux drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – such as Prilosec and Nexium- have been linked to a higher risk of bone fracture, pneumonia, and heart problems. Now a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that the use of these drugs is associated with a 20 to 50 percent increase in the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. –Candy Sagon and Elizabeth Agnvall – as reprinted from AARP Bulletin

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