Old Dogs Can Teach People New Tricks

Yesterday was a very typical day. Nothing too exciting or mind blowing at work. I went to Curves last night and worked out. I've got to start the diet part next week. I'm REALLY dreading that part. Casey, once again, made us a great dinner. Afterwards, we settled in to watch his 2 new DVD sets. They are the cartoons Aqua Teen Hunger Force that air on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. See, Casey and I are adults, but we love cartoons! Anyway, Aqua Teen is one of those crazy, late night, adult cartoons that is absolutely hysterical!! So, we spent the better part of the evening doubled over in laughter.

Today is going to be the usual. I'm just finishing a few things up at work. I am looking forward to the weekend. I'm planning on doing some cleaning and kicking back. Mom's got an appointment for her checkup on Monday, so we'll be going into Nashville. Hopefully, I'll have lots of new pictures to post on the photoblog, since I've been remiss in posting this new year. For all of my fellow readers that are trying to diet and exercise this new year, read the article below. Apparently, a study that I found listed on Modern Pooch on some dogs has determined that the benefits are more than just physical. Enjoy and everyone have a great day!

Old dogs can learn new tricks

Tue Jan 18, 2:32 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Exercise and a diet fortified with vitamins, fruits and vegetables helped older dogs learn new tricks and kept them spry in an experiment that scientists said could teach humans a thing or two.

Beagles given either the fortified diet, regular exercise or both did much better in learning new tricks than dogs fed regular chow and allowed to lie around more, the researchers reported on Tuesday.

Dogs are similar to humans in their dietary needs and the way they digest food, so the findings have implication for people, said Molly Wagster of the National Institute on Aging, which funded the study.

Dogs also can develop memory and learning problems as they age in much the same way people do.

"This research brings a note of optimism that there are things that we can do that may significantly improve our cognitive health," Wagster said in a statement.

"The combination of an antioxidant diet and lots of cognitive stimulation -- which was almost the equivalent of going to school every day -- really did improve brain function in these animals," added Elizabeth Head of the University of California Irvine, who worked on the study.

"We're excited about these findings because the interventions themselves are relatively simple and might be easily translated into clinical practice for people."

For the study, Head, William Milgram of the University of Toronto in Canada and colleagues studied 48 older beagles over two years.

Writing in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, they said they divided the dogs into four groups that got either standard care; a diet supplemented with tomatoes, carrot granules, citrus pulp, spinach flakes and supplements; standard care plus extra exercise and play; or the special diet and the special play and exercise regime.

A second set of 17 dogs aged 1 to 3 got either a standard or fortified diet.

Tests included having to find a hidden treat. The older dogs clearly benefited from the special diet and the special exercise program, the researchers said.

All 12 of the older beagles that got a supplemented diet and exercise could solve a difficult problem, compared to eight of 10 dogs that got the enriched diet alone and two of eight dogs that got no special treatment.

Last week the U.S. government issued new guidelines that encouraged Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables and to exercise for at least an hour a day to improve their health.