The idea of living near a park is generally attractive. Who wouldn't want close access to a bit of green, open space? But if you're in the market for moving closer to a park, take a moment to consider this variable: shape.

A Texas A&M University study found that residents who lived near odd or complex-shaped green spaces had lower mortality risk than those who resided by more regularly shaped parks.

"Our results suggest that linking existing parks with greenways or adding new, connected parks might be fiscally accessible strategies for promoting health," said study author Huaquing Wang.

"We showed that the complexity of the park shape was positively associated with a lower risk of mortality. This association might be attributable to the increased number of access points provided by complex-shaped green spaces."

In other words, an oddly shaped park might be more healthful simply because there are more ways to actually visit it.

Body of Knowledge

If you're looking for extra motivation for New Year's resolutions, know this: You can always create new fat cells, but you can never actually get rid of them. Once a fat cell is produced, it is permanent. Dieting and exercise only reduce their size. The average human has 10 to 30 billion fat cells. Obese people can have up to 100 billion.

Remember the old saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So eat an ounce, not a pound.

Get Me That, Stat!

A review of 26 studies has found that more than half of homeless or marginally housed individuals (living in slums or other low-income housing) were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury at some point in their lives. Nearly 1 in 4 had moderate to severe forms, an estimate tenfold higher than the general population.

Counts

70: Percentage of physicians in Norway, France and New Zealand who say they receive information from specialists about changes to their patients' medications or care.

49: Percentage in U.S.

Source: The Commonwealth Fund

Doc Talk

Rasceta: Those creases in your skin that run transversely across your wrist (palms up).

Phobia of the Week

Nostophobia: Fear of returning home (This is a recurring theme in many Hallmark holiday movies.)

Best Medicine

Becoming a vegetarian is a huge missed steak.

Observation

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." — Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Medical History

This week in 1993, the last research samples of the smallpox virus were scheduled to be destroyed. It didn't happen. Some scientists wanted to continue research on the virus and stopped the destruction plan. The remaining frozen samples are stored in Moscow and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, ready to make vaccines should the need ever arise. The virus is extremely stable and has not changed in hundreds or even thousands of years. Smallpox (variola) is caused by a poxvirus and was spread from person to person by contact with skin lesions or via the respiratory tract. Its name comes from the pockmarks on the skin that it caused.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, and yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of an actual published research study: "Will humans swim faster or slower in syrup?"

University of Minnesota researchers published their answer in a 2004 issue of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, reporting that, in fact, swimmers move at about the same speed.

The scientists filled a 25-meter pool with a mix of water and more than 600 pounds of guar gum, an edible thickening agent used in ice cream, salad dressings and shampoo. The result was about twice as thick as water, but researchers found that swimming times in regular water versus goop varied no more than 4%.

Maybe the goopy swimmers were extra-motivated to get in and out quickly. The goop, said scientists, "looked a lot like snot."

Sum body

Twelve ailments humans share with animals.

1. Acne

2. Hay fever

3. Asthma

4. Addison's disease

5. HIV

6. Diabetes

7. Arthritis

8. Cavities

9. Influenza

10. Urinary tract infections

11. Tuberculosis

12. African sleeping sickness

Medical Myths

Your smartphone or watch probably has a built-in step-counting app. You can buy devices specifically for it, but there's nothing magical about walking 10,000 steps per day, which works out to about five miles. Walking every day is good for your health. Ten thousand steps isn't the gold standard. Rather, it's a number a Japanese maker of early pedometers settled on for a 1965 marketing campaign.

Last Words

"Doctor, do you think it could have been the sausage?" — Paul Claudel (1868-1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the brother of sculptor Camille Claudel. Claudel died at age 86. No sausages were ever implicated.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: JamesDeMers at Pixabay