Shopping Improves Health! ("Duh," Say Women)

Yes! Science has finally confirmed what women have known all  along: Older men and women who shop  frequently live longer  than those who don't.

Shopping provides companionship, exercise and the chance to  maintain a healthy diet, say researchers in Taiwan who studied  nearly 2,000 men and women aged 65 and over. The study was  published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The researchers found that those who shopped just once a week or less didn't live as long as those who shopped more frequently, even after adjusting for factors such as physical limitations and cognitive decline.

A British medical expert told the BBC News the findings "made sense." Not only did shopping involve physical activity, he noted, "it's  quite a complex task, it's going to keep you mentally active."

So that trip to the grocery store or mall? It's good for the brain and the body.

Photo credit: Infomatique via flickr