Red wine: Exercise in a bottle?

ΩNew research in the FASEB Journal suggests that a daily intake of resveratrol prevents the ill effects of simulated weightlessness on muscle and bone metabolismBethesda, MD—As strange as it sounds, a new research study published in the FASEB Journal suggests that the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, may prevent the negative effects that spaceflight and sedentary lifestyles have on people. The report describes experiments in rats that simulated the weightlessness of spaceflight, during which the group fed resveratrol did not develop insulin resistance or a loss of bone mineral density, as did those who were not fed resveratrol.According to Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, "There are overwhelming data showing that the human body needs physical activity,...

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Fidgeting your way to fitness

ΩWalking to the photocopier and fidgeting at your desk are contributing more to your cardiorespiratory fitness than you might think.Researchers have found that both the duration and intensity of incidental physical activities (IPA) are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness. The intensity of the activity seems to be particularly important, with a cumulative 30-minute increase in moderate physical activity throughout the day offering significant benefits for fitness and long-term health.“It’s encouraging to know that if we just increase our incidental activity slightly--a little bit more work around the house, or walking down the hall to speak with a co-worker as opposed to sending an email--we can really benefit our health in the long-term,” says Ashlee McGuire, the study’s lead researcher...

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MAKE BLADDER CANCER CELLS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CHEMOTHERAPY

ΩImproving efficacy of drugs would boost post-surgery survivorshipResearchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center have discovered a way of sensitizing muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells so that they succumb to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The finding adds to mounting evidence that tiny strands of RNA — called microRNA — play key roles in some of the deadliest types of cancer.In the current study, published online June 28 in International Journal of Cancer, researchers boosted the production of a microRNA found in bladder cancer cell lines — encoded for by the gene miR-34a — and found that this resulted in more of the cells being killed by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug used to treat many types of cancer.Ralph deVere White"When we took the bladder cancer cell lines and activated miR-34a,...

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Diet Soft Drink Consumption Is Associated with Increased Waist Circumference

ΩConsumption of diet soft drinks (DSDs) has been linked to increased incidence of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. The authors examined the relationship between DSD consumption and long-term change in waist circumference (ΔWC) in 474 participants, aged 65-74 yrs at baseline, in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA). Overall, DSD users experienced 70% greater increases in WC compared with non-users.Measures of height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and DSD intake were recorded at baseline and at each of 3 follow-up exams, for an average follow-up interval of 3.6 yrs (9.5 yrs total). Using repeated-measures ANCOVA, we compared mean ΔWC for DSD users vs. non-users in all follow-up periods, adjusted for sex; baseline WC, age, ethnicity, education, neighborhood, leisure...

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Strawberries Fight Diabetes and Nervous System Disorders

ΩA recent study from scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggests that a strawberry a day (or more accurately, 37 of them) could keep not just one doctor away, but an entire fleet of them, including the neurologist, the endocrinologist, and maybe even the oncologist.Investigations conducted in the Salk Institute's Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory (CNL) will appear in the June 27, 2011, issue of PLoS ONE. The report explains that fisetin, a naturally-occurring flavonoid found most abundantly in strawberries and to a lesser extent in other fruits and vegetables, lessens complications of diabetes. Previously, the lab showed that fisetin promoted survival of neurons grown in culture and enhanced memory in healthy mice. That fisetin can target multiple organs strongly suggests...

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Alcohol drinking in the elderly: Risks and benefits

ΩThe Royal College of Psychiatrists of London has published a report related primarily to problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly. The report provides guidelines for psychiatrists and family physicians on how to find and how to treat elderly people with misuse of alcohol and drugs. Forum members consider it very important to identify abusive drinking among the elderly and this report provides specific and very reasonable recommendations to assist practitioners in both the identification and treatment of such problems.There is no question that, on average, very elderly people may be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol (especially those individuals with chronic diseases, lower muscle mass, a poor diet, etc.) It should be made clear, however, that 65-year-olds are healthier...

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Soluble fiber, exercise reduce belly fat

ΩAll fat is not created equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly surrounding vital organs.According to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the way to zero in and reduce visceral fat is simple: eat more soluble fiber from vegetables, fruit and beans, and engage in moderate activity.The study found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation over the same time period."We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes...

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Jon's Health Tips - Latest Health Research

Lots of interesting stuff the last 3 weeks, mostly on diet:1. I've got to cut down even more on carbs - almost all are whole grain now - maybe that's different? And eat even fewer potatoes (I LOVE hash browns) and corn (I LOVE sweet corn)A, Cut Down On 'Carbs' to Reduce Body FatA modest reduction in consumption of carbohydrate foods may promote loss of deep belly fat, even with little or no change in weight, a new study finds.When paired with weight loss, consumption of a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet can help achieve a reduction of total body fat.B. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer riskEating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present.C. Dietary changes appear to...

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Cut Down On 'Carbs' to Reduce Body Fat

ΩA modest reduction in consumption of carbohydrate foods may promote loss of deep belly fat, even with little or no change in weight, a new study finds.When paired with weight loss, consumption of a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet can help achieve a reduction of total body fat, according to principal author Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham."These changes could help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease," Gower said, noting that excess visceral, or intra-abdominal, fat raises the risk of these diseases.Gower and her colleagues conducted the study, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, in 69 overweight but healthy men and women. Subjects received food for two consecutive...

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Common drugs linked to cognitive impairment and possibly to increased risk of death

ΩA large, long-term study confirms that medications with anticholinergic activity, which include many drugs frequently taken by older adults, cause cognitive impairment. The research is also the first to identify a possible link between these drugs – which include over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids and incontinence treatments – and risk of death.The two-year study of the impact of these medications on 13,000 men and women aged 65 and older is part of the Medical Research Council (UK) Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS), a large UK-based longitudinal multi-center study initiative looking at health and cognitive function in older adults. Results of the study of anticholinergics appear June 24, 2011 in an advanced online publication of the Journal of the American Geriatrics...

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Salt Is Good For Those w/o High Blood Pressure?

ΩA new eight year long European study concludes that salt consumption is not dangerous and may in fact be beneficial. This is certainly contrary to advice from American Medical Association, American Heart Association and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which says higher sodium consumption can increase the risk of heart disease. It’s not unusual to see differing opinions, but what are we ordinary folks to make of the controversy?The study followed 3,681 middle-aged Europeans who did not have high blood pressure or heart disease at the start of the study. They were divided into three groups: low salt; moderate salt; and high salt consumption. There were 50 deaths in the low salt group, 24 in the moderate consumption group and only 10 in the high consumption group. In fact, the...

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For Your Weight - Potato Chips/ French Fries: Bad; Yogurt Good!

ΩSpecific dietary and lifestyle behaviors are independently associated with long-term weight gain, according to a study published in the June 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.The conventional weight-loss strategy, “eat less and exercise more” is not an adequate plan for preventing long-term weight gain.Harvard researchers on the study, led by Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H, indicated that the quality of the food one eats, not necessarily the quantity, is a better indicator of weight gain over time. With the recent study, “Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men,” the researchers were able to connect particular foods to weight-gain predictions.The research included 120,877 U.S. men and women, free of chronic disease, including baseline obesity....

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Intensive-Dose Statin Therapy Associated With Increased Risk of Diabetes

ΩAn analysis of data from previously published studies indicates that intensive-dose statin therapy is associated with an increased risk of new-onset diabetes compared with moderate-dose therapy, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.Compared with placebo, statin therapy significantly reduces cardiovascular events among individuals with and without a history of diabetes mellitus. Recently, findings of several trials comparing intensive- to moderate-dose statin therapy suggested an excess risk of new diabetes among those treated with intensive statin regimens, according to background information in the article. According to the authors, "Given the cardiovascular benefits of statins and the likely increasing use of intensive statin regimens, it is important to quantify any potential...

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Strawberries Boost Red Blood Cells

ΩA group of volunteers ate half a kilo of strawberries every day for two weeks to demonstrate that eating this fruit improves the antioxidant capacity of blood. The study, carried out by Italian and Spanish researchers, showed that strawberries boost red blood cells' response to oxidative stress, an imbalance that is associated with various diseases.Scientists have previously tried to confirm the antioxidant capacity of strawberries using in vitro laboratory experiments. Now, a team of researchers from the Marche Polytechnic University (UNIVPM, in Italy) and the University of Granada (UGR, in Spain) have demonstrated this effect in vivo, in a study on human volunteers published in the journal Food Chemistry.Each day, the scientists fed 12 healthy volunteers 500 grams of strawberries (of the...

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Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease

ΩA yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process.The findings appear in the early online version of an article to be published June 28 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Using mice bred to develop symptoms mimicking Alzheimer's disease, the USF team presents the first evidence that caffeinated coffee offers protection against the memory-robbing disease that is not possible with other caffeine-containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee.Previous observational...

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Blueberries Help Build Strong Bones

ΩCompounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans.Jin-Ran Chen and his colleagues are exploring this idea in research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock. Chen is a principal investigator and lead scientist at the center's Skeletal Development Laboratory, and an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, also in Little Rock.Chen specializes in research on how what we eat during infancy, childhood and early adulthood affects growth and development of bones and the risk of developing osteoporosis or other degenerative bone...

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Exercise associated with longer survival after brain cancer diagnosis

ΩBrain cancer patients who are able to exercise live significantly longer than sedentary patients, scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute report.The finding, published online Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, adds to recent research that exercise improves how cancer patients feel during and after treatments, and may also extend their lives."This provides some initial evidence that we need to look at the effects of exercise interventions, not only to ease symptoms but also to impact progression and survival," said Lee W. Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Duke Cancer Institute and senior author of the study.Although the study was not designed to test whether regular exercise actually causes longer survival among brain cancer patients, it established a strong correlation that...

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Review of resveratrol studies confirms potential health boost

ΩA University of Florida review of research finds the polyphenol compound known as resveratrol found in red wine, grapes and other fruits may not prevent old age, but it might make it more tolerable.News stories have long touted resveratrol as a cure for various diseases and a preventative against aging.”We’re all looking for an anti-aging cure in a pill, but it doesn’t exist. But what does exist shows promise of lessening many of the scourges and infirmities of old age,” said UF exercise psychologist Heather Hausenblas, one of the researchers involved in the study.A comprehensive review of human clinical research on resveratrol has found it has “anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,” but more research of its benefits is needed, she said.The study, which...

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More Evidence Vitamin D Boosts Immune Response

ΩLaboratory-grown gingival cells treated with vitamin D boosted their production of an endogenous antibiotic, and killed more bacteria than untreated cells, according to a paper in the June 2011 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity. The research suggests that vitamin D can help protect the gums from bacterial infections that lead to gingivitis and periodontitis. Periodontitis affects up to 50 percent of the US population, is a major cause of tooth loss, and can also contribute to heart disease. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin D.His interest piqued by another laboratory's discovery that vitamin D could stimulate white blood cells to produce natural proteins that have antibiotic activity, Gill Diamond of the UMDNJ -- New Jersey Dental School, Newark, showed that vitamin D could...

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Taking Tamoxifen to Prevent Breast Cancer Can Save Lives

ΩTamoxifen, taken by certain women as a preventive measure against breast cancer, saves lives and reduces medical costs. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest that the benefits of tamoxifen to prevent cancer can sufficiently compensate for its side effects in post-menopausal women under age 55 years who have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.Research has shown that tamoxifen can protect against breast cancer for years after treatment ends, but identifying the group of women who can most benefit from the drug as a cancer preventive agent, without experiencing serious side effects, is a challenge. Side effects of the drug can include pulmonary embolism, endometrial...

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Extensive TV Watching Linked With Increased Risk of Diabetes, CVD and Death

ΩIn an analysis of data from several studies, watching television for 2-3 hours per day or more was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease and all-cause death, according to a study in the June 15 issue of JAMA.Television (TV) viewing is the most commonly reported daily activity apart from working and sleeping in many populations around the world. In the United States, the average number of daily hours of TV viewing has recently been reported to be 5 hours. “Beyond altering energy expenditure by displacing time spent on physical activities, TV viewing is associated with unhealthy eating (e.g., higher intake of fried foods, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages and lower intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) in both children...

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Statins Helpful, BUT Take Time To Work

ΩOver the long term, treatment with cholesterol-lowering statins reduces the rate of mortality and cardiovascular events such as heart attack, for people with and without heart disease. Still, it is unclear whether these drugs take effect rapidly when the risk of these dire events is highest.A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that death, stroke and heart attack did not decline significantly in the first few months after starting the drugs, but indicated that statins might reduce the likelihood of severe chest pain during this period and are quite safe in any case.“Our findings suggest that there probably is a benefit with statin treatment early on, although it is small, and we know that it accumulates with time. And patients can be assured that serious side effects are...

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Olive oil in your diet may prevent a stroke

ΩA new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. The research is published in the June 15, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology."Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older," said study author Cécilia Samieri, PhD, with the University of Bordeaux and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux, France. "Stroke is so common in older people and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to help prevent it."For the study, researchers looked at the medical records of 7,625 people ages 65 and older from three cities in France: Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier. Participants had no history of...

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Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk

ΩEating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.The study was conducted in mice, but the scientists involved agree that the strong biological findings are definitive enough that an effect in humans can be considered."This shows that something as simple as a change in diet can have an impact on cancer risk," said lead researcher Gerald Krystal, Ph.D., a distinguished scientist at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre.Cancer Research editor-in-chief George Prendergast, Ph.D., CEO of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, agreed. "Many cancer patients are interested in making changes in areas that they...

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Dietary changes appear to lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

ΩFollowing a low¬–saturated fat and low–glycemic index diet appears to modulate the risk of developing dementia that proceeds to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and making a switch to this dietary pattern may provide some benefit to those who are already experiencing cognitive difficulty, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.Previous research has suggested multiple links between diet and cognitive ability, the authors note as background information. Health conditions in which insulin resistance (the body’s inability to use insulin effectively) is a factor—obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol levels—have also been associated with “pathological brain aging.” However, studies of specific foods have not found...

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Treating Nail Problem with Supplements: Tips to Prevent Brittle Nails and Manage Hangnails at Home

Healthy and pink nails are considered as a sign of good health in Chinese and Indian medicine. Nails are also considered as a sign of beauty however nail problems like fungal infections and brittle nails result in unsightly nails which affects one in 25 people. Swiss researchers reported that an average intake of 2500mcg of biotin each day can help increase the thickness and texture of nails by almost 25%. Nutritional deficiencies are commonly responsible for nail problems, which can be effectively managed by using dietary supplements. Nails are indicative of healthCauses of Nail problems: Anatomy of a Nail  Nails are made up of a protein...

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