Brief exercise reduces impact of stress on cell aging

ΩExercise can buffer the effects of stress-induced cell aging, according to new research from UCSF that revealed actual benefits of physical activity at the cellular level.The scientists learned that vigorous physical activity as brief as 42 minutes over a 3-day period, similar to federally recommended levels, can protect individuals from the effects of stress by reducing its impact on telomere length. Telomeres (pronounced TEEL-oh-meres) are tiny pieces of DNA that promote genetic stability and act as protective sheaths by keeping chromosomes from unraveling, much like plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces.A growing body of research suggests that short telomeres are linked to a range of health problems, including coronary heart disease and diabetes, as well as early death."Telomere length...

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Milk: 2 glasses a day tones muscles, keeps the fat away in women, study shows

ΩWomen who drink two large glasses of milk a day after their weight-lifting routine gained more muscle and lost more fat compared to women who drank sugar-based energy drinks, a McMaster study has found.The study appears in the June issue of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise."Resistance training is not a typical choice of exercise for women," says Stu Phillips, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University. "But the health benefits of resistance training are enormous: It boosts strength, bone, muscular and metabolic health in a way that other types of exercise cannot."A previous study conducted by Phillips' lab showed that milk increased muscle mass and fat loss in men. This new study, says Phillips was more challenging because women not only steer clear of resistance...

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Some statins have unintended effects and warrant closer monitoring

The type and dosage of statin drugs given to patients to treat heart disease should be proactively monitored as they can have unintended adverse effects, concludes a new study published on bmj.com.Researchers at The University of Nottingham found that some statins can lead to an increased risk of liver dysfunction, acute renal failure, myopathy and cataracts in patients. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of premature death and a major cause of disability in the UK. The use of statins is often recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among high risk patients.Julia Hippisley-Cox, professor of clinical epidemiology and general practice, and Carol Coupland, associate professor in medical statistics, both at The University of Nottingham, wanted to measure the unintended...

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Link between sugar in drinks and blood pressure

Research led by Liwei Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that there is an association between sugary drinks and blood pressure and that by cutting daily consumption of sugary drinks by just one serving a day, people can lower their blood pressure. The research is published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association."We found no association for diet beverage consumption or caffeine intake and blood pressure," notes Dr. Chen, "suggesting that sugar may actually be the nutrient that is associated with blood pressure and not caffeine which many people would suspect."The research, which was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, analyzed...

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Being Overweight Brings No Extra Health Problems

A study examining the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and illness suggests that a BMI of 30 or above, a signal of obesity according to federal health standards, does not translate into current illness among adults under age 40. In addition, researchers found that across all age groups studied, from 25 to 70 years, there was little difference in the current health status in normal-weight vs. overweight people based on the medications they took. Body mass index is a common health measure of weight relative to height. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 indicates normal weight and a BMI between 25 and 29.9 falls into the overweight range. A BMI of 30 or higher indicates obesity. The researchers acknowledge...

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More “Good” Cholesterol is Not Always Good for Your Health

ΩHDL cholesterol can transform from good to bad actor in heart disease processWe’ve all heard about the importance of raising HDL, or the so-called “good” cholesterol, and lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, to improve heart health. While we’ve come to assume HDL cholesterol is an inherently good thing, a new study shows that for a certain group of patients, this is not always the case. The study is the first to find that a high level of the supposedly good cholesterol places a subgroup of patients at high risk for recurrent coronary events, such as chest pain, heart attack, and death. The findings, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, a journal of the American Heart Association, could help explain disappointing results from a high-profile Pfizer clinical trial...

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Statins

I had an opportunity to discuss statins with my doctor recently. I had been taking a statin substitute (red yeast rice) but stopped because of concerns about possible liver damage - he advised that that was extremely rare and I should not worry about it, although we will review my liver enzyme report at my next appointment. We discussed that statins are now being approved even for people w/o high cholesterol (see below.) He told me that he now takes a statin!So I'm hoping he will prescribe one for me at my next appointment - and I will continue taking red yeast rice with co-enzyme Q-10 whiich should help avoid muscle problems.)The evidence about all the good things statins do is overwhelming - as outlined below:WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT STATINSStatins must be taken regularly to maintain lower...

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Alcohol consumption may protect against Alzheimer's Disease

ΩA new study published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests a protective effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in women who do not smoke.Researchers at the University of Valencia, the Generalitat Valenciana, and the Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, in Spain, carried out a study comparing personal and clinical antecedents of subjects affected with Alzheimer's disease with healthy people, both groups with the same age and gender distribution. Women included in the study were mainly light or moderate alcohol consumers. The risk of Alzheimer's disease was unaffected by any measure of tobacco consumption, but a protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption was observed, this effect being more evident in nonsmoker...

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Getting Back To Nature Can Make You Smarter And Happier

ΩCan bacteria make you smarter?Exposure to specific bacteria in the environment, already believed to have antidepressant qualities, could increase learning behavior according to research presented at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego."Mycobacterium vaccae is a natural soil bacterium which people likely ingest or breath in when they spend time in nature," says Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, who conducted the research with her colleague Susan Jenks.Previous research studies on M. vaccae showed that heat-killed bacteria injected into mice stimulated growth of some neurons in the brain that resulted in increased levels of serotonin and decreased anxiety."Since serotonin plays a role in learning we wondered if live M. vaccae...

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Anti-aging supplements may be best taken not too late in life

ΩAnti-aging supplements made up of mixtures might be better than single compounds at preventing decline in physical function, according to researchers at the University of Florida's Institute on Aging. In addition, it appears that such so-called neutraceuticals should be taken before very old age for benefits such as improvement in physical function.The findings from rat studies, published last week in the journal PLoS One, have implications for how dietary supplementation can be used effectively in humans."I think it is important for people to focus on good nutrition, but for those of advanced age who are running out of energy and not moving much, we're trying to find a supplement mixture that can help improve their quality of life," said Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D., senior author of the...

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Multivitamins Produce Positive Results

ΩThe effects of multivitamins are most often researched in the elderly. This is one of very few studies to assess the relationship between supplementation with vitamins/minerals and psychological functioning in healthy groups of non-elderly adults. This study shows how a proprietary multivitamin and mineral supplement improves mood and mental performance while also reducing stress, mental tiredness and fatigue in healthy males.Research into a vitamin and mineral supplement by academics at Northumbria University shows it improves mood and mental performance while also reducing stress, mental tiredness and fatigue in healthy males.In a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study, 215 men in full-time employment aged between 30 and 55 were given either a proprietary multivitamin or...

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Aspirin = 5 Times Risk of Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a serious condition affecting 60,000 people in the UK and 500,000 people in the US. It is characterized by inflammation and swelling of any part of the digestive system. This can lead to debilitating symptoms and requires patients to take life-long medication. Some patients need surgery and some sufferers have an increased risk of bowel cancer.Though there are likely to be many causes of the disease, previous work on tissue samples has shown that aspirin can have a harmful effect on the bowel. To investigate this potential link further, the UEA team followed 200,000 volunteers aged 30-74 in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy. The volunteers had been recruited for the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) between 1993 and 1997.The...

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Folic Acid Revisited

A reader of my health tips inquired about Folic Acid last week. I went through my archives for him and sent him this:TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009Folic Acid = Increased Risk of Cancer, DeathPatients with heart disease in Norway, a country with no fortification of foods with folic acid, had an associated increased risk of cancer and death from any cause if they had received treatment with folic acid and vitamin B12, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA.Posted by Jonathan Kantrowitz at 2:19 PM 0 commentsHealth Benefits, Consequences of Folic Acid Dependent on CircumstancesFor the past several decades, evidence has shown that greater dietary intake of the B-vitamin, folate, offers protection against the development of certain common cancers and reduces neural tube defects in newborns,...

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Daily ginger consumption eases muscle pain

Ω For centuries, ginger root has been used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments such as colds and upset stomachs. But now, researchers at the University of Georgia have found that daily ginger consumption also reduces muscle pain caused by exercise.While ginger had been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in rodents, its effect on experimentally-induced human muscle pain was largely unexplored, said Patrick O’Connor, a professor in the College of Education’s department of kinesiology. It was also believed that heating ginger, as occurs with cooking, might increase its pain-relieving effects. O’Connor directed two studies examining the effects of 11 days of raw and heat-treated ginger supplementation on muscle pain. Collaborators included Chris Black, an assistant professor of kinesiology...

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Abdominal fat at middle age associated with greater risk of dementia

Study confirms that obesity is associated with lower total brain volumeResearchers from Boston University School of Medicine determined that excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at risk for dementia later in life. Preliminary findings suggest a relationship between obesity and dementia that could lead to promising prevention strategies in the future. Results of this study are published early online in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association.A 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) report estimated that 24.3 million people have some form of dementia, with 4.6 million new cases annually. Individuals with dementia exhibit a decline in short-term and long-term memory, language processing, problem solving capabilities, and other cognitive...

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More physical activity leads to less obesity -- often, but not always

It may seem intuitive that greater amounts of exercise lead to less obesity, but an Indiana University study has found that this conventional wisdom applies primarily to white women. The findings draw attention not only to racial, ethnic and gender differences regarding exercise but also to the role work can play.In his study involving more than 12,000 people in a nationally representative sample of U.S 20- to 64-year-olds, obesity expert Dong-Chul Seo found that obesity rates in general declined as the amount of weekly leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) increased. White women, however, saw the steepest decreases, particularly when meeting minimum national guidelines for weekly physical activity. This was not always the case for men and for women who were African American or Hispanic."For...

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Reducing niacin intake can prevent obesity

Dietary factors have long been known to play a major role in the development of obesity. The global increasing prevalence of obesity suggests that there should be some common changes in diet worldwide. In fact, a significant, yet, often neglected worldwide change in dietary factors in the past few decades is the food fortification-induced marked increase in the content of niacin. However, the effect of long-term exposure to excess niacin on human health remains to be unclear.A research team from China examined the role of excess nicotinamide in glucose metabolism using co-loading of glucose and nicotinamide test. They proved that excess niacin intake-induced biphasic response, i.e., insulin resistance in the early phase and hypoglycemia in the late phase, may be a primary cause for the increased...

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Jon's Health Tips - Latest Health Research

Previous health tips posts:April 28April 21April 13April 1March 9February 20February 3January 15As I get older, so should the cheese I eat: Probiotic (aged) cheese can help preserve and enhance the immune system of the elderly. I know that eating nuts is good for me, and I try to eat a few every day – but this study makes me wonder if I should start eating more nuts – an awful lot of nuts – this study calls for 500 calories worth every day:Eating Nuts = Better Cholesterol LevelsParticipants in the trials consumed an average of 67 grams (about 2.4 ounces) of nuts per day. This was associated with an average 5.1 percent reduction in total cholesterol concentration, a 7.4 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol) and an 8.3 percent change in ratio of LDL cholesterol...

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Statins decrease risk of clot-related diseases

ΩIndividuals at risk for clot-related diseases may benefit from taking common cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut.The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2010 International Conference in New Orleans."Previous clinical studies have indicated statins may play a role in lowering the risk of these conditions, but these studies have yielded variable estimates of the effect of statin therapy," said lead author Vanjul Agarwal, M.B.B.S. "In our study, we aimed to analyze and evaluate the effect of these drugs in patients with specific conditions related to vessel blockages."While other studies have focused on the effects of specific statin drugs, Dr. Agarwal said the current analysis sought to evaluate...

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Traditional aerobic fitness training trumps pedometer-based walking programs for health benefits

ΩBenefits of aerobic training outclass those of lower-intensity walking programsWhat to do: walk around the block or work up a sweat in an aerobic workout at the gym? If you're looking for the best health benefits from an exercise program, a traditional aerobic fitness program that gets your heart pumping beats a walking program hands down. But if you want to get moving, a walking program is easier to do, it's good for you, and you're more likely to stick with it.University of Alberta researchers compared fitness training to a pedometer-based walking program, measuring the fitness and health outcomes of each. Programs were designed so participants would expend the same amount of energy in each regimen.The six-month study, published by exercise physiologist, Gordon Bell, in the Faculty of Physical...

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Eating processed meats, but not unprocessed red meats, may raise risk of heart disease and diabetes

ΩIn a new study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or processed deli meats, was associated with a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, the researchers did not find any higher risk of heart disease or diabetes among individuals eating unprocessed red meat, such as from beef, pork, or lamb. This work is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the worldwide evidence for how eating unprocessed red meat and processed meat relates to risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes."Although most dietary guidelines recommend reducing meat consumption, prior individual studies have shown mixed results for relationships between meat consumption and cardiovascular...

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