ArcaMax

Numerous studies have shown that education offers protective effects against late-life cognitive impairment. College-educated people are at lower risk.

But the quality of one's high school experience seems to play a role too.

"When we talk about education, the quality of your high school experience, not just whether you received a diploma or went on to college, shapes your brain health decades later," said Chandra Muller at the University of Texas at Austin.

"Students who attend better-resourced schools and perform well academically tend to maintain stronger cognitive skills as they age. Unfortunately, when we only look at degrees earned, we miss this important part of the story. This means that improving our high schools today could help protect an entire generation from memory and cognition problems as they grow older."

Muller and colleagues found that later-life cognitive functioning was influenced by high school academic performance, which included abundant learning opportunities.

"What we've discovered is that it's about the entire educational journey," said co-study author John Robert Warren at the University of Minnesota.

"Schools differ with respect to their resources and academic environments, and students certainly vary with respect to what they learn and accomplish in school. These inequalities create ripple effects that influence cognitive health decades later."

Body of Knowledge

Women are more likely to shower or bathe less than once a day (38% compared with 29% of men), according to a YouGov survey, but they are more likely to shower every other day (23% to 14%). Men are most likely to say they never shower or bathe: 3% versus zero percent for women. You will probably know who they are when you meet them.

Counts

1 in 5: Number of people, globally, who are living with dementia but receive no care (Source: Yale School of Public Health)

Doc Talk

Stork bite: A reddish discoloration or birthmark on the skin of a newborn baby, typically found on the back of the head or neck. The discoloration is harmless and may fade over time, though roughly half of adults still have visible stork bites.

Phobia of the Week

Atelophobia: Fear of imperfecshun

Life in Big Macs

One hour of sitting or singing in church burns 102 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.2 Big Macs. Let's all sing along: "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

Never Say 'Diet'

The Major League Eating speed-eating record for boysenberry pie is 14.5 pounds in eight minutes, held by Joey Chestnut, a man among boysengirls.

Best Medicine

During a physical exam, a doctor remarked on a new patient's extraordinarily ruddy complexion. The patient replied, "High blood pressure, doc. It comes from my family."

"Your mother's side or your father's?" asked the doctor.

"Neither," replied the patient. "My wife."

Observation

"We don't get fat because we overeat; we overeat because we're getting fat." -- American writer Gary Taubes ("Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It")

Medical History

This week in 1923, Listerine was registered as a trademark. Modern Listerine is a mouthwash, but the original, amber-colored product was a disinfectant for surgical procedures, dating back to its formulation in 1879 by Dr. Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Wheat Lambert. The name they chose incorporated the name of the English surgeon Joseph Lister, famous for performing the first antiseptic surgical procedure in 1865 and pioneering wider use of antiseptics by surgeons. Lister had no actual relationship with the product or the company founded by Lambert to market it.

Self-Exam

Q: If you put in 10,000 steps per day every day, how long would it take you to circumnavigate the world? (For purposes of this quiz, you can temporarily walk on water.)

A) 690 days

B) 3,678 days

C) 4,980 days

D) 6,000 days

A: C) 4,980 days (13.6 years) at roughly five miles per 10,000 steps. Individual pace and stride can affect time.

Curtain Calls

In 1987, Franco Brun, a 22-year-old prisoner in Canada's Toronto East Detention Center, choked to death while attempting to swallow a Gideons Bible. It's not clear why Brun had been incarcerated but, in hindsight, authorities probably shouldn't have thrown the book at him.

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