7 things that will make you healthier and help you live longer, according to science

Bring exercise, standing up, and fist bumping with you into the new year

Coffee
(Image credit: (iStock))

Exercise helps stave off depression. Swedish researchers genetically engineered mice to have high levels of a protein that builds up in muscles during exercise, then subjected these mice and a control group to sustained, low-level stress. After five weeks, the normal mice showed signs of depression, whereas the engineered mice did not. The researchers believe that the protein, PGC-1[alpha]1, helps turn a metabolite linked to depression into an acid that can be passed more easily out of the body. Co-author Jorge Ruas says the study proves that exercise should be prescribed for "the prevention and treatment of depression."

Coffee can improve memory, but don't drink too much. Researchers asked 160 people to look at pictures of objects, then gave them either a placebo or a tablet containing 200 milligrams of caffeine — equivalent to a strong cup of coffee. When the volunteers were shown a larger set of images the next day and asked to identify which ones were old, new, or similar, the caffeinated group was more likely to recognize very slight changes in the pictures. Dosage was crucial, however: Researchers found that 100-milligram tablets didn't improve memory, while 300-milligram doses caused headaches and jitteriness.

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