Are Pesticide Concerns Unfounded?

12:02 PM maestr0

ΩThat's what an authority on cancer claims.The increasingly prevalent notion that expensive organic fruits and vegetables are safer because pesticides — used to protect traditional crops from insects, thus ensuring high crop yields and making them less expensive — are a risk for causing cancer has no good scientific support, an authority on the disease claims. Such unfounded fears could have the unanticipated consequence of keeping healthful fruits and vegetables from those with low incomes.Bruce N. Ames, Ph.D., developer of a widely used test for potential carcinogens that bears his name, spoke at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held here this week. With more than 7,500 reports on new advances in science and more than 12,000 scientists...

Soy and menopausal health, breast cancer prevention

1:29 PM maestr0

ΩSoy has recently been reviewed and supported for introduction into general medical practice as a treatment for distressing vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, but its use in other medical areas, such as heart health, requires further research, according to a new report reviewing the risks and benefits of soy protein, isoflavones and metabolites in menopausal health from The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Wulf H. Utian Translational Science Symposium, published in the July Menopause, the peer-reviewed NAMS journal."Although a significant amount of scientific research about soy and soy isoflavones exists, the adoption of soy isoflavones into the care of women in menopause has to date been recommended mainly by physicians and health care practitioners involved in integrative...

Alternatives To Halt High Blood Pressure

1:21 PM maestr0

ΩThe shining star among supplements is coenzyme Q10John Bisognano, M.D., Ph.D and Kevin Woolf, M.D., a cardiology fellow at the Medical Center, conducted the most comprehensive review to date of the evidence behind a wide range of non-drug interventions for the treatment of high blood pressure. The review is featured in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension. Woolf said there is not enough data to recommend any of these alternative options on a routine basis, but on an individual basis he thinks they are useful. “Patients have different backgrounds and different approaches to living their lives,” said Woolf. “This is where the art of medicine comes in; getting to know patients and what they will and will not embrace can help physicians identify different therapies that...

Free radicals crucial to suppressing appetite

2:10 PM maestr0

ΩObesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals—molecules tied to aging and tissue damage—are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity.Published Aug. 28 in the advanced online issue of Nature Medicine, the study found that elevating free radical levels in the hypothalamus directly or indirectly suppresses appetite in obese mice by activating satiety-promoting melanocortin neurons. Free radicals, however, are also thought to drive the aging process."It's a catch-22," said senior author Tamas Horvath, the Jean and David W. Wallace Professor of Biomedical Research, chair of comparative...

Statins reduce deaths from infection and respiratory illness

2:08 PM maestr0

ΩThe death rate among patients prescribed a statin in a major trial that ended in 2003 is still lower than those given a placebo, even though most participants in both groups have been taking statins ever since. ASCOT, the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial, was stopped early because the statin was so effective at preventing heart attacks and strokes, but a new analysis has shown that eight years on, the most significant difference between the groups is a reduction in deaths from infection and respiratory illness.The latest findings, from researchers at Imperial College London, were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris today and simultaneously published in the European Heart Journal.In the lipid-lowering arm of the trial, over 10,000 patients in the UK,...

Job strain and overtime predict heart disease and mortality

2:03 PM maestr0

ΩA study presented today at the ESC Congress 2011 by Finnish researchers, showed that high job demands coupled with low job control to meet these demands, refer to a “high strain job” – a situation which is a risk for heart health and even mortality [1, 2]. Also, working long hours is detrimental to health and is associated with decreased cognitive function, higher heart disease and mortality e.g. [3, 4]. Japanese even have a word for this condition: ‘karoshi’ means death from overwork.Therefore, psychosocial work environment and the hours exposed to stressful work are important indicators of the health and well-being in employed populations. Job strain and overtime are also associated with unhealthy behaviours, weight gain and obesity, albeit the associations are inconsistent [5]. The importance...

Poor sleep quality increases risk of high blood pressure

1:57 PM maestr0

ΩReduced slow wave sleep (SWS) is a powerful predictor for developing high blood pressure in older men, according to new research in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.SWS, one of the deeper stages of sleep, is characterized by non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) from which it's difficult to awaken. It's represented by relatively slow, synchronized brain waves called delta activity on an electroencephalogram. Researchers from the Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men Study (MrOs Sleep Study) found that people with the lowest level of SWS had an 80 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure."Our study shows for the first time that poor quality sleep, reflected by reduced slow wave sleep, puts individuals at significantly increased risk of developing high blood...

Cycling fast: vigorous daily exercise recommended for a longer life

1:55 PM maestr0

ΩA study conducted among cyclists in Copenhagen, Denmark1 showed that it is the relative intensity and not the duration of cycling which is of most importance in relation to all-cause mortality and even more pronounced for coronary heart disease mortality. The study presented today at the ESC Congress 2011, concluded that men with fast intensity cycling survived 5.3 years longer, and men with average intensity 2.9 years longer than men with slow cycling intensity. For women the figures were 3.9 and 2.2 years longer, respectively. The groups were adjusted for differences in age and conventional risk factor levels.Current recommendations prescribe that every adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity in leisure time, preferably every day of the week. The optimal...

Leisure-time physical activity increases the risk of atrial fibrillation in men

1:51 PM maestr0

ΩHowever, the general health benefits from physical exercise outweigh the increased risk of this heart rhythm disorderA Norwegian survey carried out between 1974 and 2003 showed that there was a graded independent increase in the risk of AF with increasing levels of physical activity in a population-based study among men with ostensibly no other heart disease. In women the data were inconclusive.Speaking at a press conference at the ESC Congress in Paris today, Prof Knut Gjesdal from Oslo University Hospital, said that competing athletes seem to be at higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) than their sedentary mates. Less is known, however, about the training threshold above which the risk for AF increases.Diseases or life-style factors that influence the development of AF are...

Chocolate reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke

11:26 AM maestr0

ΩThe findings confirm results of existing studies that generally agree on a potential beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health. However, the authors stress that further studies are now needed to test whether chocolate actually causes this reduction or if it can be explained by some other unmeasured (confounding) factor.The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2030, nearly 23.6 million people will die from heart disease. However, lifestyle and diet are key factors in preventing heart disease, says the paper.A number of recent studies have shown that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity (a stage in the development of...

Can Leucine Help Burn Fat and Spare Muscle Tissue During Exercise?

4:35 AM maestr0

ΩResearch on Mt. Everest climbers is adding to the evidence that an amino acid called leucine -- found in foods, dietary supplements, energy bars and other products -- may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction, such as climbing at high altitude, while keeping their muscle tissue. It was one of two studies reported in Denver at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on the elite corps of men and women who have tackled the highest peak on Earth, mountaineering's greatest challenge.In a pilot study of the feasibility of supplementing the diet of climbers with the branch chain amino acid, leucine, scientists studied 10 climbers for 6-8 weeks as they ascended Mt. Everest, which towers 29,000 feet above sea level. Since Sir Edmund Hillary...

Results of studies in top medical journals may be misleading to readers

11:13 AM maestr0

ΩStudies published in the most influential medical journals are frequently designed in a way that yields misleading or confusing results, new research suggests.Investigators from the medical schools at UCLA and Harvard analyzed all the randomized medication trials published in the six highest-impact general medicine journals between June 1, 2008, and Sept. 30, 2010, to determine the prevalence of three types of outcome measures that make data interpretation difficult.In addition, they reviewed each study's abstract to determine the percentage that reported results using relative rather than absolute numbers, which can also be a misleading.The findings are published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.The six journals examined by the investigators— the New England Journal of...

Jon's Health Tips - Latest Health Research

6:20 AM maestr0

ΩI’m pretty good with oatmeal, beans, fruits, vegetables and nuts. I will consider adding plant sterol supplements:Diet That Combines Cholesterol-Lowering Foods Results in Greater Decrease in LDL Than Low-Saturated Fat DietPersons with high cholesterol who received counseling regarding a diet that combined cholesterol-lowering foods such as soy protein, nuts and plant sterols over 6 months experienced a greater reduction in their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than individuals who received advice on a low-saturated fat diet. The control diet emphasized high fiber and whole grains but lacked components of the portfolio diet, which emphasized dietary incorporation of plant sterols, soy protein, viscous fibers, and nuts.Plant sterols are naturally occurring substances found...

Study Shows Zinc Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cells

2:28 PM maestr0

ΩThe essential element zinc has been shown in a new study to be a likely tumor suppressor in the commonist form of pancreatic cancer, University of Maryland scientists report in the current issue of the journal Cancer Biology & Therapy.“The report establishes for the first time, with direct measurements in human pancreatic tissue, that the level of zinc is markedly lower in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells as compared with normal pancreas cells,” concludes lead author Leslie Costello, PhD, (at right) professor, Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry (SOD).The researchers detected a decrease in zinc in cells at the beginning stages and at the advancing stages of cancer.“The fundamental implication is that we now know something about the...

Omega-3s reduce stroke severity

2:20 PM maestr0

ΩA diet rich in omega-3s reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers. The team, co-directed by professors Jasna Kriz and Frédéric Calon, showed that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25% in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily. Details of the study can be found on the website of the journal Stroke.Researchers observed that the effects of stroke were less severe in mice that had been fed a diet rich in DHA for three months than in mice fed a control diet. In mice from the DHA group, they saw a reduction in the concentrations of molecules that stimulate tissue inflammation and, conversely, a larger quantity of molecules that prevent the activation of cell death."This is the first convincing...

Aerobic exercise bests resistance training at burning belly fat

2:19 PM maestr0

ΩAerobic exercise is your best bet when it comes to losing that dreaded belly fat, a new study finds.When Duke University Medical Center researchers conducted a head-to-head comparison of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and a combination of the two, they found aerobic exercise to be the most efficient and most effective way to lose the belly fat that's most damaging to your health.This isn't the fat that lies just under your skin and causes the dreaded muffin top. Belly or abdominal fat – known in scientific communities as visceral fat and liver fat -- is located deep within the abdominal cavity and fills the spaces between internal organs. It's been associated with increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer."When it comes to increased health risks, where...

Diet That Combines Cholesterol-Lowering Foods Results in Greater Decrease in LDL Than Low-Saturated Fat Diet

7:47 AM maestr0

ΩPersons with high cholesterol who received counseling regarding a diet that combined cholesterol-lowering foods such as soy protein, nuts and plant sterols over 6 months experienced a greater reduction in their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than individuals who received advice on a low-saturated fat diet, according to a study in the August 24/31 issue of JAMA.Efforts have been made to improve the ability of conventional dietary therapy to reduce serum cholesterol through the inclusion of specific foods or food components with known cholesterol-lowering properties, singly or in combination (dietary portfolio), according to background information in the article. The long-term effect of such diets compared with conventional dietary advice has not previously been assessed.David...

Lifetime of Physical Activity Yields Measurable Benefits as We Age

7:46 AM maestr0

ΩPromotion of leisure time activity is likely to become increasingly important in younger populations as people’s daily routines become more sedentary.The benefits of physical activity accumulate across a lifetime, according to a new study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers in England and Australia examined the associations of leisure time physical activity across adulthood with physical performance and strength in midlife in a group of British men and women followed since birth in March 1946.“Maintaining physical performance and muscle strength with age is important given that lower levels in older populations are associated with increased risk of subsequent health problems, loss of independence, and shorter survival times,” commented...

Study Links Low Omega-3 Fatty Acids Levels to Suicide Risk

1:23 PM maestr0

ΩA new study suggests that low levels of the highly unsaturated omega-3 essential fatty acids, in particular DHA, may be associated with increased risk of suicide. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) drew this finding following analysis of a large random sampling of suicide deaths among U.S. military personnel on active-duty between 2002 and 2008. The results of this retrospective study appear in the August 23 online version of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.“We were surprised to find just how low the levels of omega-3 fatty acids were in the entire sample,” said Army Col. (Dr.) Michael D. Lewis, lead author on the study and assistant professor...

White Wine Damages Teeth

12:24 PM maestr0

ΩNot exactly current research, but interesting:Red wine has long had a well-deserved reputation for staining teeth. But studies have found that white wine is not totally without sin in its impact on teeth. A German study conducted in 2009 found that white wine is more likely to damage tooth enamel than red wine. German researchers, using teeth removed from men and women aged between 40 and 65 and soaked in various wines, found a significant increase in the loss of minerals in the teeth soaked in white wine. The study also recommended not brushing immediately after white wine drinking, as it could contribute to the damage. The good news may be that the researchers recommended eating cheese, which is high in calcium, while drinking white wine, to temper the damage. The enamel erosion that can...

Desktop Dining Poses Food Poisoning Risk

11:37 AM maestr0

ΩA whopping 83 percent of Americans typically eat in their office or cubicle in an effort to save time and money, but not practicing proper food safety could end up costing them both. When it comes to protecting themselves against foodborne illnesses, many professionals are still “out to lunch.”According to a new survey, a majority of Americans continue to eat lunch (62 percent) and snack throughout the day (50 percent) at their desks, while 27 percent typically find breakfast the first thing on their desktop to-do list. Late nights at the office even leave a small percentage (4 percent) dining at their desktop for dinner.“For many people, multitasking through lunch is part of the average workday,” says registered dietitian and ADA Spokesperson Toby Smithson. “While shorter lunch hours may...

Older adults with too much salt in diet and too little exercise at greater risk of cognitive decline

1:08 PM maestr0

ΩOlder adults who lead sedentary lifestyles and consume a lot of sodium in their diet may be putting themselves at risk for more than just heart disease.A study led by researchers at Baycrest in Toronto – in collaboration with colleagues at the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, McGill University and the Université de Sherbrooke – has found evidence that high-salt diets coupled with low physical activity can be detrimental to cognitive health in older adults.The finding, which appears online today in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, ahead of print publication, may have significant public health implications, emphasizing the importance of addressing multiple lifestyle factors that can impact brain health.The study followed the sodium consumption and physical activity levels...

Good Cardiovascular Health Can Help Us Process What We Hear

7:04 AM maestr0

ΩImproving cardiovascular health appears to be the best way to help process what we hear, according to Ray Hull, an audiologist at Wichita State University.There are a number of ways to improve hearing, through hearing aids and surgery, for example,” said Hull. “But for central nervous system processing of what we hear, we need a central nervous system that’s working well, and improved cardiovascular health appears to be one way that can happen.”Hull, a professor in communication sciences and disorders at Wichita State, recently had an article reach No. 1 in BioMedLib.com’s “Top Ten Articles” of its topic area. His co-authored article, “The Influences of Cardiovascular Health on Peripheral and Central Auditory Function in Adults: A Research Review,” was published in the June 2010 edition of...

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