by Michele Krauss

Cosmetic Surgery on the Rise
Way back in 2001, nearly 8.5 million of us had cosmetic surgery procedures. Jump ahead to 2007, and that figure surged to 11.7 million procedures, with $13 billion being spent by people wanting to look and feel better. A recent study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons predicts that by 2015, the number of annual cosmetic surgery procedures will soar to 55 million. That equals about one procedure for every five Americans.

This Is Your Brain on Mangoes
If you’ve got fruit on the brain, keep it there. A study in the Journal of Food and Science discovered antioxidants in fresh fruit protect brain cells from oxidative stress, which contributes to loss of mental acuity, as well as diseases like Alzheimer’s. One more great reason to check out your local farmer’s market!

Insomnia Worse for Women
A recent study from Duke University revealed that women who have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep suffer more health consequences than men with the same problem. Results showed women who lacked sufficient sleep were at greater risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and one out of two women who reported poor sleep were obese, compared with only one in three men.

Fight Fat with Vino
Research has given us yet another reason to love red wine. It seems that a compound called resveratrol, present in grapes and red wine, seems to inhibit the development of fat cells, and it also possesses other anti-obesity properties. Researchers from The University of Ulm in Germany found that resveratrol prevented “pre-fat cells” from turning into mature fat cells, and that the compound also hindered fat storage. Resveratrol also stimulated the formation of a protein known to decrease the risk of heart attack.