Lack of vitamin D may lead to death
A study has found evidence that having too little of vitamin D appears to be associated with a higher risk of death. Writing in The Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers said they looked at the vitamin D levels and death rates of more than 13,000 people over a period of more than six years. Those who fell in the lowest quarter of vitamin D levels had a 26 percent higher risk of death from all causes than those in the top quarter, found the study, at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. About 41 percent of men and 53 percent of women in the United States have levels of the vitamin that are considered too low. They found that deaths from cardiovascular disease are higher in the winter, when less sun leads to lower levels of vitamin D.

Yoga eases menopause symptoms
Yoga can reduce hot flashes and night sweats among women going through menopause, and also appears to sharpen their mental function, researchers from the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore found. To investigate whether yoga would help women with physical and cognitive symptoms of menopause, they randomly assigned 120 menopausal women, 40 to 55 years old, to yoga practice or simple stretching and strengthening exercises five days a week for eight weeks. Women in the yoga group also listened to lectures on using yoga to manage stress and other yoga-related topics, while those in the control group heard lectures on diet, exercise, the physiology of menopause, and stress. After eight weeks, women in the yoga group showed a significant reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, while the women in the control group did not, the research found.